Sort-of Back to School 2013
Perhaps you recall that we fired up our homeschool engines about this time last year. (Here's last year's post for reference.) There are several reasons that make a mid-August start work very well for our family, all pretty much covered in last year's post. I really like the slow start, beginning with one or two subjects, and adding in one or two more each week, so that, by September when Classical Conversations starts, we're pretty much in full swing. Also, as I mentioned last year, starting this early means we can easily take a month off at Christmas to do whatever our hearts desire.
So this year, I spent some time getting organized while Ava and Wyatt were away at their annual Grand-Camp (extended stay with grandparents), and wrote a quick Back to School post, and then waited for my darlings to return so I could take their official Back to School photo.
But then when they got here, my plans fell apart.
The kids were up for lessons, but me. . .not so much. Grief. . .it's an ocean, and sometimes you just don't see the waves until they are crashing down around you. I was absolutely crippled by saddness. It went kind of like this: "Yes, I'm sad, but I'm managing . . .Yes, I'm sad but I'm ok. . .ah crap, I am NOT ok!" So I laid on the couch, did the minimum and tried not to pretend like I was ok. I told the kids I was feeling sad again. Ava said, "But it seemed like you had gotten over being sad." Wyatt said, "But you were happy yesterday." Charlotte tips her head, pats my shoulder, and says, "You ok Mama? Yeah, you ok. That's better." And then she started singing "Jesus loves Me," picking up at this line : "They are weak, but He is strong!"
This is one beauty of homeschooling. We can take time to care for each other as a family, operating on our own schedule rather than something arranged by someone else. I have been so thankful for this flexibility many times over the past year.
But now I think we're ready. It's a fruitless struggle to maintain a routine when your summer is full of running hither and thither, but we need some structure around here to keep from gnawing on each others' limbs. We'll start working in lessons on Monday and I have a field trip planned midweek to kick us off. If you're wondering, our first subjects will be spelling (because the curriculum is new and might take time to adjust to), reading (because we already do that, so I will just ask a bit more of my young pupils), and art (because who doesn't love art?) as connected to our CC memory work. If you're also wondering about Bible or faith studies, I don't consider that part of our homeschool but we do give time and heart to that (almost) every day. It's just part of our day, not a subject to be lumped in and checked off.
2013-2014 status:
Ava - first/second grade
Wyatt - preschool (otherwise known as doing whatever Ava is doing to some degree)
Charlotte - working very hard on coloring with markers instead of eating them.
A curriculum summary post and official amateur photos will follow shortly.
So this year, I spent some time getting organized while Ava and Wyatt were away at their annual Grand-Camp (extended stay with grandparents), and wrote a quick Back to School post, and then waited for my darlings to return so I could take their official Back to School photo.
But then when they got here, my plans fell apart.
The kids were up for lessons, but me. . .not so much. Grief. . .it's an ocean, and sometimes you just don't see the waves until they are crashing down around you. I was absolutely crippled by saddness. It went kind of like this: "Yes, I'm sad, but I'm managing . . .Yes, I'm sad but I'm ok. . .ah crap, I am NOT ok!" So I laid on the couch, did the minimum and tried not to pretend like I was ok. I told the kids I was feeling sad again. Ava said, "But it seemed like you had gotten over being sad." Wyatt said, "But you were happy yesterday." Charlotte tips her head, pats my shoulder, and says, "You ok Mama? Yeah, you ok. That's better." And then she started singing "Jesus loves Me," picking up at this line : "They are weak, but He is strong!"
This is one beauty of homeschooling. We can take time to care for each other as a family, operating on our own schedule rather than something arranged by someone else. I have been so thankful for this flexibility many times over the past year.
But now I think we're ready. It's a fruitless struggle to maintain a routine when your summer is full of running hither and thither, but we need some structure around here to keep from gnawing on each others' limbs. We'll start working in lessons on Monday and I have a field trip planned midweek to kick us off. If you're wondering, our first subjects will be spelling (because the curriculum is new and might take time to adjust to), reading (because we already do that, so I will just ask a bit more of my young pupils), and art (because who doesn't love art?) as connected to our CC memory work. If you're also wondering about Bible or faith studies, I don't consider that part of our homeschool but we do give time and heart to that (almost) every day. It's just part of our day, not a subject to be lumped in and checked off.
2013-2014 status:
Ava - first/second grade
Wyatt - preschool (otherwise known as doing whatever Ava is doing to some degree)
Charlotte - working very hard on coloring with markers instead of eating them.
A curriculum summary post and official amateur photos will follow shortly.
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