Saturday, August 18, 2012

A Day in the Life of a Homeschooler...


It is so hard to believe that we are beginning our fourth year of homeschooling.  It really doesn't seem possible.  This is our first year of officially doing two grades (3rd & Kindergarten) and I'm excited to be able to watch Naomi grow in her knowledge of phonics and reading as we learn together over the next several months.  This is our homeschool room (pictured above and below).  We had hoped to have finished our unfinished downstairs, but God's timing is perfect and it's not finished yet.  So, since we knew we had another year of school upstairs, we decided to make it as functional as possible.  Marty built my new IKEA shelves a few weeks ago and I've pulled out many of our boxes of books and school supplies to make our room feel as welcoming and learner friendly as possible.  


Instead of backpacks this year, I made the girls their own canvas bags using the simple tools of a ruler and sharpies (Thanks to Pinterest!)  They were a lot of fun to make and the girls were excited to have new bags with their names on them.  



 


French Toast for breakfast!


Excited to start school ... seriously!!


Some new school goodies (mostly freebies or super cheap items from Staples & Target).  I have recently discovered Mike's Used Books, which has been great for purging through our old books and finding some new ones.  All of the girls received "new" books in their bags (American Girl doll book, The Art Lesson by Tomie de Paola, and If Jesus lived in my Heart - board book)


Sophie got in the spirit and got all these puzzles out herself before we even began our school work.


I am blessed with three precious students!


The principal and his girls!


Our precarious, I mean... precious preschooler


Our kangaroo of a kindergartner (always jumping) 


Our thriving third grader (constantly learning and reading)


Sophie's attempt at the Pledge of Allegiance


Proud to hold the Bible


Watching Super Why on the Ipad 


A little mammal classification with the help of Pinterest


Science Experimenting


One morning we went to the park first thing to avoid the heat of the day.  Our Sophie can certainly be full of "joy" on mornings like this.


My little explorers at the park


Once again, avoiding the heat by staying inside with my artists.


Overall, the week was a success.  Did I accomplish everything?  No way!  Was coffee an extreme necessity every single morning?  For sure.  Did Sophie cover herself with chapstick during naptime one day?  Oh, yeah!  Did I get stressed that my schedule wasn't going as planned?  You betcha!  But at the end of the week, do I still want to do this homeschool thing?  Only by God's grace, YES!  

Monday, August 13, 2012

Some of the best memories 
are made in flip flops - Kellie Elmore


As school started today, I see our summer coming to a close.  What a full summer it's been!  Here is just a glimpse of my girls enjoying their time off from school, playing with cousins, tea parties, pool time, and even a day trip to the beach.  





A few things that I'm grateful for...
  • I am so thankful to be settled in our home after going through a difficult move last summer.
  • I am thankful for my parents being back in the States, especially when Marty was gone for much of July.  
  • I am thankful for our air conditioning as the heat this year has often seemed unbearable.  
  • I am thankful for our neighborhood pool in which flip-flops are the regular foot attire and the walk is just down the street.
  • I am thankful for the opportunity to be home with my girls.  Let me not take it for granted.









In case you are wondering, we did not get everything done on our list.  Most of it... but not everything (notice there is not a check mark beside potty training).  We still hope to do our outdoor movie night this month and go bowling one Friday before the schedule gets too busy.  But I'm ok with not completing "the list".  It was fun putting it together and I hope it will be a jump start for next summer when the girls will all be a little older and nap times won't be such a necessity.

(School pictures to come soon...)