2015 Recap and 2016 Planning

Wow. The end of 2015-16 schoolyear is here. No posts about why we homeschooled this year. No posts on plans. No summer reading challenge reports from last year.

The fact is, we are so preoccupied with doing our thing that there's no time (or is it energy?) to write about it. Since I don't want to let a year go by undocumented, I will attempt a recap.

Summer, 2015:

Reading challenge was successful. The boys earned movie and Xbox bucks instead of books, which cranked up the enthusiasm.

Thing1 (9 years old) wised up to the benefits and chose the books with the highest points first (1. The Hobbit. 2. Johnny Tremain. 3. Jack Plank Tells Tales. 4. Woodrow Wilson) He used the same report form as last year.

The Hobbit

Thing2 (6 years old) was still dictating and copying, but his reading abilities were much better!

The Long Way to a New Land

2015-16 School Year:

Classical Conversations. I directed a new community. It consumed me, but we were blessed. I feel much more prepared to take on this second year. I completed my first year of Essentials, and loved it. I see now that the kids need much less prep than I gave Thing1. I have adjusted Thing2's schedule appropriately. Live and learn.

rock study at camper school

Simplify. I made a conscious effort all year to simplify our plans and concentrate on the important rather than the urgent. We will be completing math books through the summer because of this, but the peace and fulfillment we experienced this year are worth it.

• We did no formal history or science. Every time we went to the library, the boys could pick books from four categories: History/Geography, Science/Math, Literature/Poetry, and Fun. They could check out as many books as they wanted as long as they followed the "rule of 4," meaning their selections were spread evenly over those categories. They read a lot of interesting material, none of it planned ahead. Sometimes they did a "report" on their library books, which could be a letter to a grandparent (Thing2's favorite), a copy of one of the illustrations (Thing1's favorite), or a traditional report. Interestingly, no one ever chose the traditional report. 
• We set aside traditional school work when opportunities for learning experiences arose, such as camping trips and speech competitions.
• I held a massive notebook purge, and I stopped keeping every paper. If, one day, I need proof that I actually educate my children, I hope their knowledge will suffice. There will also be standardized test results. In fact, we generate very few papers besides math now that we have simplified.
• I tried to quit being stubborn about plans that were not working out. For example, I quit trying to do Spelling Power with Thing2 halfway through the year. He was not ready! We concentrated on copywork instead. (He hates copywork! Sit still and pay attention to tiny details? No thanks.) As a result, I see more improvement in his spelling than I was seeing before.

Success. 

John Henry and Pony Express Rider
CHESCO Speech Competition

• The boys kept "Question and Thankful Notebooks." They wrote something they were thankful for and a question on each page. The goals were
• to improve attitudes with gratitude.
• to develop a question-asking habit so that learning continues as a way of life.
• Instead of me directing our Bible reading, they chose where they read each day. Each of them read a passage aloud, and this doubled as their reading/elocution practice. We listened to Thing1 read Revelations, Esther, Ruth, and Job. Thing2 read mainly Psalms and Proverbs, sometimes the same one day after day. During the second semester, Thing1 and I combined our sentence diagramming practice with Bible time. That was interesting! It was much more meaningful than diagramming random silly sentences out of the book.
• Thing1 completed his third Memory Master. He has done all cycles, so it will not be on my to-do list any more; however, he is  welcome to do it on his own. Thing2 made it through three proofings with 54%, 74%, and 77% results. Those last two proofings were cause for celebration! He knows the material, but, understandably, he has a hard time concentrating on it for two hours at a time.

Ghengis Khan
CC Faces of History program

Failure. Will I ever finish reading a book out loud to them within a reasonable amount of time? It hasn't happened yet. We have not quit on The Wheel on the School even though it has sat beside the chair for a year and a half. The Phantom Tollbooth, On the Banks of Plum Creek, and The Castle in the Attic are also unfinished. The amazing thing is that the boys can pick up where we left off months after the last reading. They have to catch me up every time because I cannot remember. We will keep chipping away at The Wheel (we are all hooked), but the others are history. We will try again later.

2016 Summer Plans:

First we will participate in the CTP4 standardized test. This is Thing1's second time and Thing2's first.

We will continue doing math lessons as a part of daily chores. Goal: Do an entire math lesson without getting distracted. Be a math ninja.

The reading challenge, which has blossomed into a favorite summer tradition, is on in three days! Again, they will earn movie bucks, which can also be used for Xbox games or books. They both have Kindles now, which makes it a lot cheaper to own all those hard-to-find books that libraries don't care about.

Let me talk about Thing2's reading! He has finally settled into reading as a hobby. He has finally realized that all those books on Thing1's Kindle are actually entertaining (and now the Kindle is his)! He has finally learned how to sit still and concentrate on written words! Truthfully, he has been learning this since he was an infant, but I can see the fruits now. My hunch that even an active, social person can appreciate literature is turning out to be correct. His list is adapted from Ambleside Online  with some additional fun novels thrown in. I thought I would just use Thing1's list from when he was 7, but it turns out Thing2 has already listened to most of them. He is a well read young man, thanks to audiobooks. I'm not sure if he is ready to read most of the AO titles independently since many of them are meant to be read aloud, but we will play it by ear. This summer he graduates to the Busy Teacher Cafe report form.

Thing1 is transitioning. That middle section of the Well Trained Mind, the one called The Logic Stage, is suddenly very relevant. I have not ignored it, but I have set it aside with the excuse, "It's not time." Well, now it is time. 5th-8th grades is what Ms. Bauer and Ms. Wise call the Logic Stage, and they put together a chronological reading list for these years. Since we have had tremendous success with their book recommendations from the beginning, I'm assigning this list to Thing1. This will be his summer reading challenge that will bleed over into his next two years of reading assignments. Since he has read copiously about ancients this year, I only selected a few titles that fill some gaps for that period, and I would like for him to read them all this summer so that he can start the full list of Medieval titles this Fall. And here's the big challenge: I need to read them, too, so we can discuss them. I have already started. It will take some re-prioritizing to actually get these volumes read...or at least scanned...as he reads them. Another transition is that he will write me a formal critique, as he learned in IEW's Unit 9, for each book. I don't expect a perfectly polished product every time. How's that for alliteration? But I do want him to become so familiar with the process that it becomes a routine task.

2016-17 School Plans:

The lessons about simplifying and prioritizing came at the perfect time, right before a transition year for Thing1. That is evidence that it was of God because I was too wrapped up in starting a CC community (urgent and important) to realize the changes were imminent.

Thing2 (8 years old)

• Keep reading, copying, and taking dictation. I have started dictating Dick and Jane to him. It is so simple that it seems silly, but he can take the dictation successfully, which means a lot. We can actually concentrate on periods and commas without worrying about the dreaded spelling aspect. 
• Keep a relaxed schedule in 
• Growing with Grammar Level 3.
• Typing Instructor
• Zaner Bloser Handwriting Levels 2c/3.
• Keep a more rigid schedule in 
• Math-U-See Gamma
• CC Memory Work
• Visit the library using the "rule of 4."

Thing1 (10-11 years old)

From highest to lowest priority:

• Math - I'm leaning toward making the switch to Saxon 65 with the DIVE download. The Husband votes we transition before pre-algebra, which means this year or next. If it does not work out, we can always go back to Math-U-See. See? I am learning about how stubbornness sabotages simplicity.
• Essentials - Take a step towards independence in writing essays.
• Read and report on books from The Well Trained Mind logic stage chronological reading list.
• CC Memory Work
• Start a keepsake timeline. This one is my favorite. 
• Piano Lessons
• Latin Christiana I in preparation for Henle Latin in two years. (What?!?)
• Rosetta Stone Spanish. He and his dad want to learn, and we know a few people who can help them with conversation.
• Read science-related topics such as the Aviation books a friend loaned us.
• Typing Instructor - We love this program. He is getting faster! Hopefully by the time Essentials starts again, he can type his own papers semi-quickly.
• Handwriting - Practice neat cursive.

Why am I homeschooling again next year? Because it is working and because I do not see any better options at this point. I am thankful to witness slow and steady growth in my children, especially after our "simple year." They can do their chores (the same 5 they have been doing for two years   -  rooms, beds, dogs, piano, and bathrooms) with less than three demerits half the time. Our afternoon "ten-minute pickup," which has been a daily hour-long ordeal in the past, only takes about ten minutes now. Thing1 has realized the satisfaction of having money in his pocket by doing additional commission jobs with the requirement that he "budget" the money he makes into save, spend, and give envelopes.  I watch both of them gradually tackle more difficult literature voluntarily and without dread. The day-to-day is hard, but looking at the big picture while writing a summary like this one convinces me that, by God's grace, we are making a good decision.

Plans for 3rd and 1st

Rebekah brought it to my attention that Thing1 is no longer a beginner. At the end of third grade, he will be halfway to junior high! And Thing2 is a 1st grader. It's gonna get real for him this year.

Here's the plan for both of them:
Classical Conversations Memory Work from the Foundations Guide along with printables from CC Connected.

If we don't do anything else in a day, we do this. My favorite way to keep track of practicing the memory work is to use a Charlotte Mason memory box. Here's a link to an instructional video.
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Story of the World Volume 3: Early Modern Times

Of course, this book contains wonderfully told stories. But the activity book provides enough corresponding literature suggestions to keep us busy for the next three years. The maps and coloring pages are great, too, but not as useful to us this year. Unless it an epic battle scene, the boys really don't care to color, and we get enough geography from CC that we can usually picture the general location we are reading about. Our routine is to read a chapter while coloring from the activity book then type up a narration page with a picture cut and pasted from the Internet. The narration pages go into their history notebooks. We try to have library books from the activity book's corresponding literature list on hand always.
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Apologia's Exploring Creation with Anatomy and Physiology

Apologia's Exploring Creation books are just plain fun. The pre-made Notebooking Journals are an unbelievably simple way to compile a super cute science notebook. Thing2 is excited that he has his own notebooking journal this year.
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Song School Latin

I add one new thing each year. This year it's Latin. Hopefully it will be profitable.
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Here's what we've got planned for the third grader:

Math-U-See Gamma

Slow and steady is the name of the game for Thing1 and mathematics, and Math-U-See fits the bill. Plus, Mr. Demme's short lessons on the DVD are much more effective than my blundering.
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Growing With Grammar, Level 3

Levels 1 and 2 served us well. Considering that this is our last year before Essentials of the English Language through Classical Conversations, why quit now? Level 3 introduces diagramming sentences. (I am excited! Nerd.) I considered buying Digging into Diagramming for extra practice, but then I realized that it doesn't take a $15 book to practice diagramming.
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Writing With Ease, Year 3

Agenda for our third and final year of WWE: Reading, narration, copywork, dictation; repeat.

I have decided not to buy the workbook this year. Instead, I am going to use McGuffey's Eclectic Readers (John Wiley and Sons, 1879) for the exercises. If it doesn't work (i.e. we skip it because it takes too much time to prep), I will just download the workbook. I'm also toying with the idea of using the McGuffey's for spelling as well. More on this endeavor later.
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Prescripts Cursive Words and Drawing: Math Terms

Normally handwriting books are the first thing to be dropped when we are short on time, but these books have them writing things they should be memorizing anyway, so it seems more productive.
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The plan for our first grader:
Alpha Math-U-See

I already had everything but the student workbook from when Thing1 did it two years ago. After buying the workbook, I decided to make copies of the consumable pages this year. These books get expensive!

Thing2 did well in the Primer math book last year, and I don't regret my decision to do the kindergarten math program. I think he will be well prepared for Alpha this year, but I am still bracing myself for the task of making him memorize all the addition facts.
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Growing with Grammar, Level 1

I discussed here my decision to use GWG and Writing with Ease in first grade for Thing1. I was satisfied, so we are doing it again. My worries about it not being enough for a well rounded language arts are obsolete. With Classical Conversations memory work, GWG, WWE, Prescripts, and all the reading we do in Story of the World, I believe we cover language arts sufficiently.
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Writing With Ease, Level 1

This was easy because I already own the Level 1 workbook in PDF format. I like being able to print of the pages as I need them.

With the workbook, there is virtually no preparation for these lessons, and the book excerpts are always interesting: Little House, Peter Rabbit, Caddie Woodlawn, and The Railway Children to name a few. Both Level 1 and 2 workbooks stretched Thing1's reading repertoire because he almost always wanted to read the whole book after he heard an excerpt from it.
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Prescripts Cursive Letters and Coloring: World History

Why not start cursive in the first grade like they did in the olden days? After this year, I will know. Each opening has a page of cursive letter practice and a picture from the Timeline Cards that he can color.
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Finally, to pull it all together, I bought a Well Planned Day planner.

I decided to go with a premade paper planner this year for the first time. I am not convinced I really need it, but I want to try it out.

Again, a good school day does not have to include everything I have listed here. CC memory work, math, and language arts are the core. The rest is extra. These plans, like all plans, are a guide and always a work in progress. They are as flexible as we are. We use them to be productive, but we will not let them run our lives.

Plans and Changes

I have been hesitant to publish my plans for this year as a lot of changes are taking place, and many of our plans are at a see-how-it-goes-and-go-from-there status.  However, much of our lineup for this year looks similar to last year.

The first big change this year is that there are two school-aged children in our house, so Thing2 feels very important now.  He is especially looking forward to math.  Thing1 is 7 (roughly 2nd grade), and Thing2 is 5 (roughly kindergarten).

The second big change is that we have joined a Classical Conversations Community, which excites me greatly!  The rigor in math, science, history, geography, and Latin memory work will be a change (hopefully for the better), but the underlying classical method will be consistent with our last two years. (What is Classical Education?)  The one day a week away from home will also be similar to our last couple of years in Wednesday School, which has worked well for us.  I look forward to the community for the kids and accountability for myself.

The third big change is that, Lord willing, we will be in a new house by the time school begins.  If everything goes through, I will have a den connected to the kitchen and laundry room that can be dedicated to school!  This will be perfect since the three things I do every day are kitchen, laundry, and lessons.  It might actually be possible to multi-task with this setup.  I am ecstatic about the possibility of not having to use a bedroom for lessons and school storage.

At-Home Lineup:
Math-U-See Beta for Thing1
Math-U-See Primer for Thing2

Writing With Ease Year 2, Growing with Grammar Level 2, Prescripts, and Spelling Power for Thing1
Reading Reflex and Handwriting Without Tears Grade 1 for Thing2

Story of the World, Middle Ages (See how it goes...Probably just reading, coloring, and using the activity book's excellent Corresponding Literature lists) for Thing1 and Thing2
Famous Figures of Medieval Times

Exploring Creation with Astronomy and the Jr. Notebooking Journal (See how it goes...We will be memorizing Science Facts and doing experiments with CC, so we might take it easy on this set.) for Thing1 (and Thing2 as desired)

Books, Books, Books for both Thing1 and Thing2 to read aloud and read alone.  I keep a Pinterest Board for inspiration when we run dry.  Also, the Writing with Ease Workbook is full of ideas.  And I won't forget Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook.

All in all, I am excited about this new year.  Each year so far has brought a deeper desire of learning for myself, and I think that desire is contagious...except in the area of spelling.  Lessons have not yet become a drudgery for the kids.  Learning new things as well as reviewing familiar things still fires them up.  (Please note that I did not say that developing the self-discipline to actually do the work is not drudgery.  On the contrary, it is the definition of drudgery for them and me.)  I am looking forward to the changes of this year encouraging us to look at familiar things from new perspectives.

Please Comment about Homeschool Planning Software!

I have decided to try something other than My Well Planned Day next year, and I would love to hear a recommendation from someone who has used something else.

Edu-Track?
It seems like they know their business, but the home page is so busy, it is overwhelming.  You can buy already put-together lesson plans for popular courses.

Scholaric?
Seems similar to My Well Planned Day.

Homeschool Tracker?
I am drawn to this one.  It is most like a spreadsheet.  Simple and straightforward.  You can also import popular lesson plans on this one.  There is also an offline option called Homeschool Tracker Plus.

Yes, I could do without a planning software, but I don't want to.  I enjoy the peace of mind that comes from glancing at what we have accomplished through the year.  Mostly, I enjoy the ease of printing a to-do list for Thing1 every day.

I believe that using the My Well Planned Day software has helped us stay on track and finish our courses this year, but I am looking for something more reliable and established for next year.  Maybe something more streamlined.  (i.e. I don't need a shopping list and menu built in, and it does not have to be pretty as long as it is efficient.)

2012-13 MVP's (Most Valuable Products)

I won't say that schooling would have been impossible without these items. I'm just saying it would have looked a whole lot different and might have been a whole lot more difficult.

1.  A clip board for each kid.  I start panicking if I don't feel organized. If all the loose sheets for the day are clipped onto a clipboard, I am calmer.  Also, if there is a page that needs to be held over until tomorrow, it is handy.  Another advantage: The kids can write anywhere. They don't have to be at a desk.

2.  Planning Software, particularly the ability to easily print out a custom daily assignment sheet to clip onto the clipboard. I could probably be creative and get the same result by making my own schedule in Excel or something, but I believe I would spend $65 worth in time to do it. The peace of mind that we are getting things done and can look back on our progress at any time is priceless.  MWPD also includes an attendance calendar, which is handy since I now live in a state that requires 180 school days per year. I could just use a calendar on the wall, but it is sooo easy to see our total school days at the click of a button. I'll admit I was unsure about My Well Planned Day software in September, but now I am sure I will renew in August unless I find a better planning software.

3.  Multiple library cards.  A membership to a larger library, even if it costs, is wonderful.  This year our history reading list included 200 books.  With our two library memberships, we covered about two-thirds of them.  On next year's list, there are 400 so far, and I am not finished listing them.  (There are a whole lot more books for children on the middle ages than on ancient history.)  All of our libraries have online catalogs, so I make a list of call numbers at home, and the trip to the library is painless.  Honestly, the library is my favorite errand of the week.

4.  Nice colored pencils. This one surprised me. I bought Prismacolor Scholar colored pencils for this year and regretted it at first because of the price.  Without a doubt, I will buy another set for next year.  Thing1 has become a colored pencil snob.  He prefers using Prismacolors over crayons, markers, etc.  Unlike crayons, they do not break, and they can be sharpened.  Unlike cheap colored pencils, they make a nice smooth color without harsh lines and without scratching the paper.

5.  A reliable pencil sharpener. We never knew how we depended on it until it quit working, especially since we used colored pencils every day.

6. Smarties.

P. S. It might make me look like a better mom if I add that "School Smarties" are practically the only candies they eat at home.

Next post:  2013-14 Wish List. :-)

2013-14 Shopping List

Drumroll, please...

I have finalized my 2013-14 Shopping List Pinterest board.  Check it out if you are interested.

I am reusing some things (Reading Reflex, math manipulatives, Writing With Ease Instruction Text, Usborne World History, and an old Story of the World Activity Book I found in my Mom's stuff), but I am still having to buy a lot.  Maybe next year I will be able to use more of what I already have for Thing2.  Then again, maybe not!

My financial conscience balm is that the total of my shopping list is thousands less than sending the kids to a private school.  And even though it is several hundred dollars more than sending them to a public school that I already support through taxes, I get to maintain control of their education, which is priceless in my book.


Needless to say, I am super excited to have my list.  I plan to wait until after the OKC Curriculum Fair to order.  If possible, I will go and buy there.  I would love to support the vendors who travel to these fairs and let us homeschoolers flip through actual books and handle materials before we buy.

My Well-Planned Day

I am trying a new planner this year. I just downloaded My Well Planned Day software. It is brand new. I bought it today, the last day of the cheaper beta testing price, and I hope it works for me. It has so much potential! I am betting that the slowness and kinks today are because they are getting ready to go online with the full version tomorrow.

What sold me on this software is that I should be able to pull up our schedules, shopping lists, calendar, etc. on my mobile device. And supposedly it will sync with Google calendar (which I already use heavily) once the full version goes live.

I will update soon on its usefulness!

I am not getting anything from Well Planned Day for this post. I paid for it just like everyone else!

Countdown to 1st Grade

I once proclaimed that Pinterest might be worth more than wasted time.  Since then, we have done several projects inspired by that inspiring, time-grabbing site.

My favorite use for Pinterest, though, is making lists.  Specifically, curriculum lists as we count down to first grade and Pre-K.  I have a board for each school subject so that I can pin curricula, books, and activities that interest me.  I try to include age range and prices.  When I decide against something, I delete the pin.  Since I am a bear of very little brain, this helps keep confusion at bay.  I predict that making final decisions and ordering will be tons easier this way!

After rereading a post from last summer when my kindergarten books came in, I am itching to order!  But for now, I will keep studying my copy of The Well Trained Mind (it is never far from my hands) and pinning.

Here are my boards:
Math
Language/Literature
Logic/Extras
Social Studies
Science

The fun part is researching.  The hard part is choosing.

I would LOVE for you to post comments on any pins or on this post about my possibilities.  Have you used any of them?  What about cost effectiveness?  Is it convenient?  Is it thought provoking?  What's the fun factor?

Wait a minute....

You mean I still have to do all my old jobs and be a teacher? Really? Supper still has to be cooked? The laundry still piles up? So I'm not changing jobs; I'm just getting another job. I see. Okay. Yeah, I'm fine.

First day of school post coming soon.....

Weekly Homeschool Planner

I have become a huge fan of Jolanthe from Homeschool Creations. I have used her workbox ideas and used several of her other printables. I have always been curious about her weekly planner but never really wanted to spend $20 to find out if I liked it. Well, today it was on sale for $12, so I jumped on it. I must say that, to me, it is worth the $20. It is very simple, and I could have made it myself, but it would have taken more than $20 worth of my time. I think it will be usable just because it is so simple. It is purchased as an editable PDF, so you can save it and use it year after year. You can either fill in the names/dates/assignments/goals on the computer or print it out and put it in a binder to write in as you go. I am so impressed that I became an affiliate. Please check it out by clicking Click here to view more details'>here. I believe it will be worth your time.

Anonymity

I still have not told anyone about this blog. What I love about posting here is that I can keep a journal that is not private but that people do not have to read. If I put something on Facebook, for example, it clutters people's newsfeeds, and they think, "Why does she think anyone needs to know that her son just read a Dick and Jane book?" However, if I post it here, people are welcome to read it, but they have to look for it; therefore, they must want to read it. I'm contemplating shedding my cloak of anonymity soon so that Thing 1 may display his work when he starts kindergarten.

Cloak of anonymity. Sounds like I am the Phantom of Cyberspace or something dramatic like that.

The Countdown Continues...

I have received three out of five packages that I ordered the other day.

The first to arrive, to my great excitement, was one of two from CBD. I sliced the tape on the box and savored pulling each book out. The best part of receiving a package is pulling each item from the box, especially if there are several things.

First there was a chart of the Presidents to go with the President's March CD that was right underneath it. It was exciting to actually touch these things that I have been researching for so long. I think you understand by now that I was excited. Back to the box. Next I removed a book on Adoption (something else I am researching currently), The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, and some Narnia audiobook CDs and Adventures in Odyssey CDs that were on sale. My plan is to pull the CDs out on our trip to New Orleans in a couple months.

Later in the same day, my package from Rainbow Resource arrived. It contained mostly Handwriting Without Tears materials. I am looking forward to using this with both boys (I got the pre-writing level and the first grade printing level) because everything looks like fun and is so hands-on, which is highly appropriate for my boys who are wannabe mechanics. Who am I kidding? They are better mechanics than I am. I splurged and bought most of the accessories that could have been less-expensively reproduced, but I am happy with that because I know I would never reproduce them, and the whole point of the program would have been lost. Also, Thing 2 saw me opening the packages and begged to play with the magnetic board and slates. It helps to have things they enjoy that are only used during "school time."

Next in the RR box was The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. I have taught Thing 1 to read using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, but I have read so many good things about The Ordinary Parent's Guide that I wanted to try it on Thing 2. It is a scripted single book format, just like 100 Easy Lessons, but I believe it is more phonics-based. Basically, I was sold because Jessie Wise wrote it, and I love the Well Trained Mind.

Today my third box came in from Math U See. I ordered Alpha for 5-year-old Thing 1. I thought the Kindergarten Level looked too easy as he has a good grasp on simple addition and subtraction already from Montessori Pre-School and daily life. I was surprised at the confusing emotion that surfaced when I pulled out the Teacher's Manual. Was it fear? Dread? Am I really the Mom now? Is it really my responsibility to keep up with the Teacher's Manual? Or was it more like that feeling you get when you want to do something that you know will be good for you and you know you will be glad later on and you know you will have that healthy satisfaction while you are doing it, but, man, it's hard to get in there and do it every day. How's that for a run-on sentence? I remember those thick, boring Teacher's Manuals Mom used to have. It may sound paradoxical, but I think I hate manuals because I am a manual reader. I'm the one who thinks she has to read every word of the manual before she can operate the toaster. I am burdened with guilt until I have read the entire thing, cover to cover. I know I will have to face my fears soon enough (probably by letting go of my perfectionism, which is a different story for a different day), but not today. I got more excited when I opened the manipulative box. Thing 1 is going to love that part.

So far all I lack is one world map and one US map for the wall. And a new desk. And somewhere for Thing 1 to do his work. And to finish cleaning out the file cabinet, which is started. Yay! And the piles of containers I ordered to organize the room. And hopefully to paint the room. I am a Flybaby (a follower of Flylady), so I believe in baby steps. Let me repeat that to myself. I believe in baby steps. I believe in baby steps.

When I have babystepped my way to a functional school room with a pleasant atmosphere, I will post a picture. Meanwhile, the countdown to kindergarten continues.

Countdown to Kindergarten

Next on my To-Do List:

1. Organizing the cube shelving in the schoolroom: Pending.

Here is my chicken scratch worksheet. It is written in code and only makes sense to me....

And Thing 2 helped decorate it with his very first I written by himself!

I made a huge Container Store order today for this purpose. I discovered that I can get a 15% teacher discount by registering as a home educator. Every little bit helps.

The husband is being very understanding with the loads of money going out recently in the name of homeschooling. He says, "When you're happy, I'm happy." In truth, he likes it when things are organized. The boys room system, for example, allows him to find something quickly and easily on his own even though he is not the one who cleans it up daily.

2. Ordering school materials: Done.

I probably spent more money on this than most frugal homeschoolers, but I know my creativity limits...I don't have to look far to find them. As my confidence grows, maybe I will try more money-saving options in the future.

3. Getting a new desk for the school room: Pending.

I am on my carpenter brother-in-law's wait list for a corner desk. I can't wait.

Has it been a month already?

According to the stats I just viewed, it has been a month since I last posted. Here are my excuses:

Really it is just one big excuse.

I have been doing some hard-core planning for next schoolyear. Yes, it is only kindergarten, but I am having so much fun!

I chose to homeschool for several reasons, but the reason I am most excited about now is the ability to choose our curriculum and make plans. I can't wait to learn right alongside the kids! When I was in school, I did it just to get it done...This time around, I will do it because I want to learn!

The more I read, the more I am convinced to use The Well Trained Mind....Well, mostly. (See what I mean about choosing curriculum and making my own plans?) Here's my shopping list:

Math U See Alpha $110
Big City Library Card $35
Mudpies to Magnets $5.50
Everybody has a Body $5.50
Handwriting Without Tears $47
McGuffey Readers $30
Wall Maps $19
Handwriting Without Tears (for Thing 2) $32
Total: $283 (or so)

There is a used book sale in the City Friday. I am hoping I find some of this used. I also have a wish list as well as a 1st grade book list in the same Excel workbook as my kindergarten shopping list. Did I mention I have been doing some hard-core planning?

I have so many ideas that I want to record in case I forget. I am seeing the value of this blog as a journal of ideas more than anything else. But the ideas will have to wait because it is time to clean the house while the boys and Matt are gone.

To do List II

Task #2: Put shelves in the guest room for the books I am collecting...Done!

This room shall henceforth be called "The Library." The name will make more sense when I have accumulated more books. These same books, which now looks like a sparse collection, looked like a huge mess when they were in boxes lining the walls of this room. I have never been so excited over a piece of furniture. I have always thought it would be the ultimate in indulgence to have a house large enough to devote an entire room to books. Since the size of our house will not accomodate this, one wall will have to suffice.