School and the First Day of August

The first day of August seems a bit early in the season to call a halt to summer vacation and get back to school, but since we're still up in the air with our move, it seemed prudent to start sooner than later. The thought is that if we move, I will need some time off and starting early will give some wiggle room, and if we don't move, well, who minds getting out a little earlier in the spring?

I don't feel as prepared for the beginning of school as I would like, but some of that will happen with time as we work out a schedule and learn a few things by trial and error.

I am realizing that homeschooling is an ever-changing scene, and that no two years are alike! Yes, you learn things that stand you in good stead from year to year, but other things have to remain flexible.

Last year I had a new baby; this year I have a very busy one-year-old, a house on the market, and the possibility of a move in the fall.

Last year I had two scholars, this year I have three!

Hence, the need once again for more changes and organization in preparation for another school year.

I was considering using my kitchen for more school this year,  even though in the past I have shied away from that, and to that end I bought an 8-cube shelving unit and some bins to organize things into. Well, when Wesley put the shelf together last evening (yes, on the eve of our first day of school!) I could tell right away that it wasn't a good fit for the kitchen.

And besides, it all felt pretty disorderly to think of some school supplies on the shelf in the living room and some in the kitchen, with books here, there and everywhere...

So...we heaved and hoed a bunch of furniture around in the living room- which included unloading a bookshelf, hauling it to the garage, trying the new cube storage in that spot, not liking it, hauling the bookshelf back in from the garage, and reloading it! We finally came up with an arrangement that works- and needless to say, I am relieved to be back in the living room with my school table and all my supplies in one room after all. The room may be a little tight, with a total of 4 bookshelves at the moment, and it sure gets plenty messy with all the different roles it plays, but at least the books aren't on the kitchen table when lunch (or supper!) rolls around.

I told Wesley last evening in the midst of all our arranging that some people dream of a commercial kitchen. I dream of having a school room!!!

You know- the kind with all manner of handy shelves and cupboards and closets for books and supplies, plenty of wall space for maps and charts, a nice chalk board, a spot for desks, and a big work table...

Ah, well. If flexibility is an essential ingredient in homeschooling, then making the most of the space you have must be right behind it.

In the end, we got something figured out that I am pretty satisfied with, and having a couple empty cubes on my new shelf makes me feel like a rich woman!

Elasa is in fourth grade, and she had an almost a total curriculum switch this year, so there is a pretty steep learning curve for both of us as we figure everything out.

For math there is Teaching Textbooks, which is done on the computer, and after one lesson, she said she loves it, so lets hope it lasts! I hear very good things about TT, and I like the fact that she can work more independently on this subject.

I am trying a new Language Arts called Kaleidos (published by Learn for Your Life) which is touted as a "skill-building language arts curriculum based on creative writing and classic literature," and we bought it at the homeschool convention in a kit which includes a book called Syllable Savvy for spelling and Write On for writing. There is also a really nice list of good literature Elasa will be studying, which was one of the main reasons I was attracted to the curriculum, and the course also covers some computer skills (such as typing) and nature study, so I hope we like it!

For hand writing there will be Getty-Dubai Italic Handwriting 4, although it has yet to arrive, so that subject is still my pig in a poke, purchased not from experience, but from liking the looks of the curriculum and feeling that it fit the bill!

Elasa is doing CLE Bible again this year, after we really like it last year, so that's one subject we feel pretty confident in! Last year Elasa did a lot of CLE (Math, Reading, Language Arts and Bible) so this year is quite a switch, as I said, with only one CLE subject right now.

History is another subject that has stayed the same, although we are moving from Ancient Times to the Middle Ages! These history books, written by Susan Wise Bower, are very well done! The text book doesn't look very interesting, and the few illustrations included are all black and white, but what it lacks in color it more than makes up for in quality, and Susan writes in a style that makes history fascinating and fun. I read it aloud last year to Elasa and Gavin and they both really enjoyed it, so I feel reasonably assured that we'll enjoy history again this year. I use the accompanying Activity Book, and while we don't do nearly everything (there's a lot in there!) we do some of the map work, coloring pages, and hands-on activities, and it is also really nice for all the book recommendations that tie in with the history lessons.

Science will be Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day, by Apologia, and again we are continuing what we started- and really liked- last year! The main difference this year is that Wesley will be the teacher, so while we have yet to do a test drive on how that will work out, I am excited to be able to relinquish responsibility of one subject!

Gavin is in second grade and using a lot of the same curriculum Elasa used two years ago, so I feel a lot more familiar with his things.

Math, Reading, Bible and Language Arts are all CLE, and he will be doing history and science with Elasa, which makes his curriculum pretty straightforward.

Parker is only four-and-a-half, but I decided to try a pre-reading program with him which is published by All About Learning Press, and I really like what I am seeing! Here again we only did one lesson so far, but the curriculum is simple and charming, and Parker took an immediate shine to Ziggy the Zebra, a puppet whom he refers to as our pet zebra! It didn't take very long to do our lesson today- which is a huge plus- and the little activity sheet and poem that accompanied the capital letter "A" were really cute, so I am feeling positive about our kindergarten! Parker, of course, was thrilled to be doing school with the older ones, and he hung around my shoulder and begged to get started while I was helping Elasa and Gavin.

Another new thing I am planning to implement this year is Morning Time, and I am intending to use the Middle Ages Term 1 Morning Time Plans for that, since the work of planning has already been done for me, and since they correlate perfectly with our history study of the middle ages! I doubt I'll get everything done that is laid out in the plans, but I really like how they include music, poetry, fine art study, good literature, and even some math, geography, and nature study.

The whole concept of Morning Time, in the words of Pam Barnhill (a favorite homeschool "mentor" of mine and the producer of my Morning Time Plans) is to include truth, goodness and beauty into your homeschool day, and while it can all sound pretty idealistic in the midst of all the other things calling our names, I think it's a good idea to set before our children things that are lovely and that go beyond the basic requirements. Obviously, I haven't started this yet, and I am worried that maybe I over-extended our schedule, since Morning Time alone could take about an hour, but the beginning of a new school year always breeds optimism, so it's good to feel excited about the things that are new and special for all of us.

Right now I'll take all the sips from the wellspring of hope I can get, for on this first day of August, we have one day down; 179 to go!