IT IS DONE! The first week of homeschool is in the books!

What a week! I will be honest in saying I was prepared for the worst and I am excited to admit it went much smoother than expected. As I say this, I will continue to be ready for the inevitable melt down of, "I don't want to do school." Overall a very good week.

As we began, the first thing I noticed was for as organized as I felt I was, I wasn't. I had all (most) of the worksheets pulled and placed in day of the week folders for the kids (I also made copies for M for when she is in second grade). This part of it was fine, but it was all the little prep work I fumbled with. The four different types of flashcards, the little counting objects, and constantly trying to remember what book I was teaching from. By the end of the week (today) it ran a little smoother, I believe Laura has found her groove.

On Monday, we went to a local church who has a Karate ministry for homeschool kids. It was the first Karate class the kids have ever taken and they really enjoyed it. M cracked me up because she is so loud when they yell. When we got home it was snacks, change clothes and right to the school work. I was pleased with how easily the kids transitioned.

M has less work being she is only in Kindergarten. I did try to find things for her to play/learn/work with when she completed her tasks. Her favorite was playing puzzles.

Each day the kids have their tasks of updating the daily calendar, feeding the fish, collecting and charting eggs, and adding a bee to our 100 day sun poster (count down till our 100 day party).


What concerned me most about homeschooling was the moving back and forth between the kids. I have to say there was very little issue.  I just had to help M with her wanting to talk and talk and talk. Sometimes I was even able to take a moment if they were both working...

When C (2nd grade) found himself done with his work and I was still working with M, he would grab a book and start reading. He has always enjoyed books--but it has been with a bit of a push towards them.

On Tuesday, we ventured out to the library where those amazing ladies were holding two large stacks of books on hold for us. I also allowed the kids to use their cards to get some books they wanted. They each grabbed a number of books and broke in their cards. Between having the time and feeling big getting to check out his own books it seemed to encourage his reading time. Oh and we are charting all his books. I told him after every ten he reads I'd buy him a new book---ummm gonna have to make that a higher number or I'll go broke!

 Another discovery this week was learning M can't sit still while learning. The girl is on the go! Every time we did seatwork she was either standing or fidgeting. I made sure to give her plenty of work she could do on the whiteboard where she was able to stand up. This seemed to help keep her focused.
I also just had to get over the idea of her sitting still and working. Let her learn and move about the way that works for her. She enjoyed learning the more she was able to move around. Even when I just sit and read to the kids, she is rolling around or hopping about. I told my husband I couldn't imagine how she would do in a traditional classroom. I'm sure she would end up fine, but it would be counter to her personality.

I found most of our days lasted between 3 to 3.5 hours. It's funny how that really doesn't seem that long, but when you are teaching it seemed much longer! We did have a set start time and break time. If the kids were hungry or thirsty they could of course get something, but at break time I had them go play out in the back yard just to recharge and get some fresh air.

We finished the week off with no clips being moved to red, so they both got to dip into the treasure box. I have to admit I am excited for next week!