Butterflies In My Stomach

Well, I've gone and done it.

I've begun homeschooling!

I planned out our year, week for week, for the rest of 2010.  Each weekly lesson includes art, science and math, as well as our usual reading.  I have made our "second" living room into our homeschool room with four separate centers within the room.  The couch is for reading with mommy.  The Art table is for art, workbooks and writing.  I set up a special manipulative station as well with a rug and some pillows on the floor to do flash card games and other "alone" activities.  The large area rug in the middle of the floor is for group projects and anything else we can come up with.

I wanted to have a special tradition to start each year, so Josh and I agreed that on the morning of the first day of school we'll celebration with Ice Cream for breakfast.  No objection on the home front to this rule.  At least the "health/nutrition" lesson isn't until October, ha!

I've already learned an important lesson in our journey and we have only just begun.  You want to know what it is?  Of course you do:)

F.L.E.X.I.B.I.L.I.T.Y

After traveling all day on the day I had planned to start school and then having to run errands and go to a doctors appointment all morning/afternoon the next day I was already beginning to feel a sense of defeat.  I quickly reminded myself why we are homeschooling and that a HUGE perk to schooling at home is that we can be flexible.  

With my to-do list piling up (we were hosting small group, which includes dinner for all) and laundry and straightening up the house, not to mention unpacking from our trip, I decided, in my head, to just start school the next day.

When I asked the kids if they just wanted to start the next day they said, "No way!  We are excited for school TODAY!" 

So, we went ahead and dove in with both feet...and had SO much fun doing it!

Zeke with his workbook I found at Wal-mart.

Here's Areyna doing some math cards

(I also found these at Walmart for super cheap)

Zeke is working on some alphabet manipulatives

while Areyna and I worked with her reading on the couch.

Our theme for the next couple of weeks is Apples.

This day we charted out different ways to eat apples.

We made a graph/chart.

Taught the kids how to read and mark the chart.

Assigned each of us a separate color.

Decided if we "really liked", "kind of liked" or "didn't like at all" each category.
Then,

marked how well we liked to eat apples a particular way.

We are also going to cook with apples,

paint with apples,

make apple trees that depict what they look like in different seasons

and

read books and do some searches about apples on the internet.

I was very nervous to get started, and feeling very inadequate, but know that we have prayed through this decision.  I am already getting excited for the other activities we have planned and even more excited to teach our children so many wonderful things that the Lord has created for us to explore!

By the way, happy September everyone!!!