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Aug. 7th, 2009
We've been talking about it - Ananda will be(/is) a 4th grader, and Aaron 3rd. Just that is huge, they're getting to grades where I feel a new significance and pressure to keep them from falling behind in any area. Honestly if I let it, it scares the crap out of me because what opportunities have I already missed?! How many years do I have left to cover things like the bulk of history as a whole, or instilling a second language?! I try not to go down those paths because the truth is, I really think they're doing great overall.
In addition to the higher grade levels with A and A, Isaac is 5 now, and Jake is really a preschooler.
So I'm going to be homeschooling 3.5 kids "for real" and one for kicks (Elise) rather than 2 for real and 3 for kicks, like it has been. Isaac is TOTALLY ready to learn to read, he's known his alphabet forever, recognizes most letters, writes his name well.
We've been sitting around the library together talking about it a lot today, the kids and I. I've got everyone but Elise knowing Grant and I's full names and our address and the oldest three know his cell phone number. That was kind of a side thing but we keep reviewing it. But we were talking about things that have fallen by the wayside, and which of them we want to leave there, and which of them we need to revisit and do consistently. Things like Annie's painting (she doesn't want to anymore), her flute (that should probably happen), spanish in general (we've recently picked that back up but are going to organize it and make it really happen, because it's important, especially where we live).
I'm cleaning out our giant homeschooling closet and finding SO. MANY. THINGS that I forgot all about. I mean, geeeeeez the resources we've just left to gather dust, it is sick. I think the time has come to do the massive Highlights For Children "Which Way USA" geography unit study that has been taking up 3 square feet for 2 years waiting around for us, and have the neurology unit study we've talked about ever since Elise was born, and have materials for.
Our basic verdict is that for the next two weeks we are 'in training' for this next school year. One part of that training is...gulp...we are going to start getting up at 7 everyday. We do it every Sunday, this will just make that easier. And give us a lot more day to do things during. Because the staying up late thing sometimes yields amazing discussions, but rarely does anything else productive ever happen during the nighttime hours. I can't think of any other way to allow for stuff we don't want to give up, like afternoon tea and our half hour of daily "quiet time".
The other part of the training is coming up with, posting and then implementing an ongoing schedule that everything fits into. Which, of course, involves prioritizing what all we are going to be trying to fit in. I am considering things like planting a lot this fall and tending the garden 3 times a week before we have tea outside. And arts and crafts on a regular basis.
Tally ho.
So to speak.
In addition to the higher grade levels with A and A, Isaac is 5 now, and Jake is really a preschooler.
So I'm going to be homeschooling 3.5 kids "for real" and one for kicks (Elise) rather than 2 for real and 3 for kicks, like it has been. Isaac is TOTALLY ready to learn to read, he's known his alphabet forever, recognizes most letters, writes his name well.
We've been sitting around the library together talking about it a lot today, the kids and I. I've got everyone but Elise knowing Grant and I's full names and our address and the oldest three know his cell phone number. That was kind of a side thing but we keep reviewing it. But we were talking about things that have fallen by the wayside, and which of them we want to leave there, and which of them we need to revisit and do consistently. Things like Annie's painting (she doesn't want to anymore), her flute (that should probably happen), spanish in general (we've recently picked that back up but are going to organize it and make it really happen, because it's important, especially where we live).
I'm cleaning out our giant homeschooling closet and finding SO. MANY. THINGS that I forgot all about. I mean, geeeeeez the resources we've just left to gather dust, it is sick. I think the time has come to do the massive Highlights For Children "Which Way USA" geography unit study that has been taking up 3 square feet for 2 years waiting around for us, and have the neurology unit study we've talked about ever since Elise was born, and have materials for.
Our basic verdict is that for the next two weeks we are 'in training' for this next school year. One part of that training is...gulp...we are going to start getting up at 7 everyday. We do it every Sunday, this will just make that easier. And give us a lot more day to do things during. Because the staying up late thing sometimes yields amazing discussions, but rarely does anything else productive ever happen during the nighttime hours. I can't think of any other way to allow for stuff we don't want to give up, like afternoon tea and our half hour of daily "quiet time".
The other part of the training is coming up with, posting and then implementing an ongoing schedule that everything fits into. Which, of course, involves prioritizing what all we are going to be trying to fit in. I am considering things like planting a lot this fall and tending the garden 3 times a week before we have tea outside. And arts and crafts on a regular basis.
Tally ho.
So to speak.