Picking curriculum this year seemed a bit difficult for me because I wanted to change it up. So after taking too much time ordering some new things, I realized that the best fit was going with the next levels of most of the ones we used last year.
Milayla is excited to officially begin math this year and start her reading lessons with me. I'm using a different approach than I did before and it's working really well (we started a few weeks ago because she was so excited about it). She loves it and it has made for some really great time together. And she will be working on her writing which is getting quite good. She picks up so much just by observing and then doing.
Atticus has some extra school time on his plate this year. He has worked on his reading a lot this summer (we've been reading the Chronicles of Narnia as a family) and I think it's time to catch his other subjects (and reading comprehension) up to his reading ability. Which I think will be a frustrating pursuit for him as he likes to go full speed ahead but I plan to be a little more detail orientated this year which is likely to slow things down for the first little bit. I have no doubt that it will all be moving a bit faster once he gets a handle on the new routine.
As for Phineas. He has his own little activity baskets that I will change up every few days. He loves being around us, and really just wants to do what Atticus and Milayla are doing. I just want to make sure that he is getting the interaction and attention that he needs. I definitely feel like he has been getting a good balance of mom/dad time along with sibling play time. Today he was fiercely teething (4 teeth!). It was an adventure.
As always, it's a delicate balance of challenging them and having them learn new things while still allowing them room to explore and discover on their own. Especially when they are still so young.
So, how did the first day go?
Honestly, fairly well for the first day. I am glad I had a pretty realistic outlook going into the first day. I knew it wouldn't go smoothly. I do think I should have planned dinner meals for the week that were a little more hands off though. That said, Milayla helped me in the kitchen to do the dinner prep for two meals and she is such an awesome helper. I wouldn't trade that time with her for anything!
Considering the kids thought homeschool was the best part of the whole day and are just so excited about it then I think that warrants it a successful day. And as a bonus the kids finished their work for the day, had creative time, did back-to-school interviews, played at the park and did their little helper chores. I feel pretty fortunate to have kiddos that just love to spend time together and are so inclusive to one another.
Right now the kids are off to the post office with Jason while I process the day and adjust tomorrow to fit accordingly. I really like homeschool. I think in large part because the kids really like it but also because I get to be involved in their learning in such a hands-on way and spend so much time building a strong connection with them. They are just awesome and unique individuals who are learning so much! I asked the kids how I managed to get so lucky with such awesome, intelligent and smart kids - they told me it was because they were inside my belly. I'll take that as a compliment :). It feels good to be sure that this is the right thing for our family and I love the fruit of our labor that we see come from this. It's a real blessing.
Here are the kids' pictures of the first day of homeschool. Phineas, in his state of constant motion, is a cute and smiley blur. And he is 13 months today!
I am so grateful for the opportunity to home school these awesome kids. I know this isn't the right path for every family but I feel peace in the fact that it is right for us. I love that we get to spend more time together because of this and it has definitely helped to build our family culture towards what our goals are.
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