Today was our first day of year two homeschooling, thus beginning a new chapter in our journey.
I decided to take it easy this week, rather than jumping in head first, just in case the bottom was closer than I had expected. This year we officially have nine subjects, but I am making that easier to handle by breaking up the week into parts, and not testing in all subjects. Today I merely introduced the children to the new year by going over the new rules, new additions to school (computerized learning in some subjects!), and went over the basic direction and contents of the subjects we will be addressing this year.
8:30- Anneliese and I woke, dressed, and joined the world of the living
9:00- We all (well, not Anneliese) had french toast sticks and clementine oranges for breakfast... what, no one ever told you that was brain food??
9:30- I tortured my children, I mean, made them pose for the obligatory first day of school photos in awkward poses against my white walls. I got class, ok.
9:55- My plan to begin school promptly at 10 is shot down with an assault rifle when Eric calls from work requesting his laptop, which is sitting in our bedroom. Crap.
10:05- Bring Sir-Forgets-A-Lot his computer
10:25- Sit down to begin the school day. I scream louder than the baby while trying to explain the day's Bible lesson. Get a sore throat.
10:26- Lay the baby down for her morning nap.
10:27- Return to finish explaining Bible and check the handwriting practice that we do along with Bible lessons.
10:35- When finished with Bible, we move on to Reading, only I have forgotten to copy the pages for that, so I try to talk about what the reading class will be like, since this will be our first year doing it. I copy the pages dark and blurry for some reason, so I end up sitting at their table and showing them my book to do the assignment. They pick right up on it, and I can tell reading is going to be fun for all of us.
10:50- I go through the rest of our new rules, and start talking about science. The kids are excited about it because we are doing Earth and Space this year, which should be buckets of fun. But then I *ahem* burst their clouds by telling them we won't be starting science until next week, in order to keep busy week one more simple.
11:15- It was time for math, and I sat at the table with the kids and went over our new Saxon math book. The kids love how A.D.D. it is, because each day you play fast ball subject change, going over temperature/thermometer reading, time, addition, patterns, a number of the day, and a word problem- all before the actual lesson. This was the main reason I chose this math, but I can see that it appealed to the kids as well. Bonus points because we actually interrupt school each morning to go visit the front porch thermometer. Score one for mom!
12:00- Next we did Grammar, although our books actually say English. I can't keep up. Language Arts? Gah.
Anyway. I had the foresight and funds to buy each kid their own book this year in Grammar/English/Language Arts, but did NOT have the foresight to realize that I can't teach from a book that I don't have. Hrm. So I again sat with the kids at the table and shared a Grenglish Arts books with Julie to go over the preface sort of things. We will be doing Grenglish Arts this week, mostly because the stuff in the beginning is just a brief synopsis of what they will be learning this year, and I don't want to waste a good full school week on it.
12:45- I convulse and fall into the floor with starvation, and the children had to drag me with ropes ala Gulliver's Travel into the kitchen and pump me full of munster cheese, turkey, and bread for lunch. Then the baby wakes up just as a regain consciousness.
1:15- Again, my dreams of a perfectly scheduled school day are struck with a shark pointed arrow when my mother calls to remind me that one of the kids has a doctors appointment at 3. I decide that I want to proceed anyway, and set them up at the computer station. The kids were frothing at the mouth at this point in anticipation.
1:17- I got the kids set up on the computers and we begin spelling and vocabulary (we have a book for it, but the resources online make it less monotonous, and the kids enjoy it more). I've decided that we will be doing Sp/Voc this week, and will be spreading each lesson into two week periods since each word has multiple definitions. In the midst of this, baby has her lunch.
2:20- I shut school down temporarily to get everyone ready to go.
Then we had cinnamon maple raisin oatmeal for dinner while watching Design Star Allstars on the laptop.
All in all, I would say it was a successful day, if not a little hectic, but isn't that life? The rest of the week holds more subjects we did not even start on, as well as three more doctor appointments! Not to mention the fact that Anneliese is trying to crawl! What am I going to do then??