First Day of THIRD Grade and Soon...PreK!

It is time for another year!! I keep meaning to blog here more, but having a baby and a young family can make that hard sometime! We're now back in the swing of things, and I can't wait to add to the discussion of homeschooling!! How has everyone been?

Look at what I have? A THIRD GRADER!!! I can't tell you how wonderful the last 3 years of homeschooling has been after taking the leap. As a former high school teacher who was not a fan of the assumptions of home schooling, I have come 180 degrees, and am so happy about it. There are so many ways to learn! I can't wait to discuss them all!

I will also be homeschooling our preK student this year. I will save more of that for another post.

Here is our Lovely 3rd grader. I'm so proud of her!

Are you back to homeschooling? How is it going?

WELCOME BACK!!!!

Nursing Mermaid Sculpture

I just felt like bragging.

I just picked up Lovely from art class, and look at what she created this week, and last week. It is a mother mermaid, nursing her baby while her daughter looks on.

I swear, it just flows and has life! I adore it. What a treasure. I teared up. The nursing is just so tender! And I love how the mother and daughter's "eyes" meet...or seem to!

Sorry...I just had to brag!!! :) Much love!!!

Zumba Class!

So, we started a new class this week for our PE time - children's Zumba, Lovely LOVED it. And you can't be the price - $7 a class!

The teacher was so great, and at the end of the class she had the stretch on the floor in a circle. She joined them and affirmed them for being strong and healthy. It was really touching!

Gift and Valiant enjoyed the class too! They watched and danced from the sidelines. Gift even stretched on the floor too...hehe!

 

Up Close Lizard Study

There is nothing better than the schedule homeschool affords us! I love being able to do schoolwork then just escape the rest of the afternoon outside. While we sadly don't have a backyard to enjoy anymore since moving, we are blessed to live near many playgrounds and state parks. Yesterday we took advantage and met our co-op friends for an afternoon of fun in the cool breezes. There was lots of imaginative play, exercise, fort building, sandbox playing, tree climbing, and most fun of all? Playtime with a very patient (or stunned) lizard. It allowed the kids to hold it, it went everywhere with them riding on their shoulders, chests, etc. It was pretty neat!

Isn't that neat??!! It's like Paschel from the movie "Tangled"!

And, as I mentioned - the kids and their co-op pals had a blast building and playing:

It was such a FUN afternoon! We so love our co-op pals! It's fun learning and exploring together!

Homeschool Mother's Journal: The Return to Blogging :)

I'm back...or at least, attempting to be.

Around the time I first discovered Sue's blog and this meme, as well as started our 2nd year homeschooling - my world literally fell apart. My post below has a link to my main blog about it. Thankfully, I'm fighting my way back and homeschooling never missed a beat (because you can't beat the flexibility!). But, sadly, I never could really find the time to document the school year. I hope to start back with this post, and do some catch up posts in the future for Fall semester, and Spring Semester. So, without further adieu....

In my life this week…

Life has been so hectic this week - Irish Step on Thursday. Art on Wednesday. We also have been soaking in the gorgeous weather for fresh air, PE, and just loving life, to the point that it is has been more of a struggle to get our academics done. I can tell Spring Fever is taking root. I have to stay focused.  I did manage to get both out of the house for a needed MNO and blog here again, so that is noteworthy!!

My favorite thing this week was…


Seeing Lovely excited over learning about some fables, and having her first slumber party (tonight!) in a long time (I think since we have moved). She served her friends on our back porch and they had the whole porch to themselves by solar candlelight. They ate spaghetti, laughed, and talked like any adult would at a night out. It was so cute to watch! Now, they are all snug in their beds....


In our homeschool this week…


Lovely has enjoyed the topics we are covering in our k12 program - but the work seems to keep mounting. We have a big writing assignment we have not started yet due at the end of March I am stressing over. And, while Lovely diligently does her work - our days seem to be getting longer, and she is fighting me some on learning how to spell her list words for her weekly unit.

Math is currently word problems and how to do reverse operations to check your work. It is so hard to watch a new reader struggle with both reading a problem AND having to solve it.

We've been taking a break from science because of our schedule (and usually Daddy does it with her and he has been traveling), but we've done lots of kitchen science and health work to keep her engaged.

I'm so excited about History. We just wrapped the Byzantine Empire this week, and will start the Middle Ages next week! We are both very excited! Maybe I will get my teaching mojo back with this unit??!

Art is, as always, fabulous. It is her favorite part of her week (they made self-stamps!). She has a talent for it. Dance (Irish Step) is going very well too. She has great focus and rhythm for it. I'm not sure if we can do it next year. We've had to take a break from piano because of our move (the piano is in storage) and we miss it dearly. So we do music lessons at home with music appreciation and then choir at church. 

Questions/thoughts I have…

How do you go beyond the textbook or lesson to really bring it alive when I feel you feel so stressed or burdened for time? I am YEARNING to do living books with Lovely, nature studies, and more field trips  - and I feel tired and barely getting done what we are getting done. Maybe I'm facing burn out after our life changes? I need some major encouragement. We're not giving up on homeschooling - but I miss my passion and focus on it. HELP!

A photo, video, link, or quote to share…

If I'm low on energy to be a creative homeschooler - how do I have energy to host a sleepover?

Much love, all! Thanks for stopping by!!

First Day of Second Grade!!

Look at my baby....she is a SECOND grader! When did that happen??!!

She picked out her back to school outfit and was ready for our first day of second grade homeschooling and also using parts of the k12 online school program!

 

Hasn't she grown SO much since last year? It is insane! She did it without my permission again! We didn't set any alarms this morning, but we were up by 7am and fed, dressed, and working at 8am. While last year's first day EVER went well, today was superb. She seems to love the combined "Well Trained Mind" and online formats blended together. It went much smoother and faster than last year's start. We were done by lunch (that she prepared).

Valiant and Gift did great. Gift napped most of the morning, and Valiant either hung out with us, or was off playing or being very mischievous lol!

I need to go and do some lesson planning work, but I plan to come back and update - more pics from today, and this summer. I caught some great summer moments on camera! I hope to get around to reading blogs again too! You all always inspire!

Much love and happy "New Year"to ALL!!

Ummm, what happened to summer and my plans? HA!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee'rrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeee baaaaaak!

Ok, so obviously I stopped blogging this summer. Oye! Also, we never really finished "Along the Alphabet Path" (see the below posts). Maybe next summer! Lovely was either out of town or at camp about 5 weeks (added up together) of our summer. I do have some catch up posts to do - but we never made it through the alphabet. But...that is the beauty of our schedule - we'll save those plans for later!

Ok, let me do a "Part I" First day of School post. Keep reading! I'll get back in the habit - promise!!!

Welcome Back!!!