Notes from the Trenches, Vol. 2

Since today is a national holiday, I'm giving the kids the day off of school.  I haven't decided yet if we're going to catch up tomorrow or if I'll just re-boot my lesson plan making up for the missed day.

I tried out my new religion plan this week.  The first day we focused on learning a prayer, the second day we read a story from the old Testament and the third day we read from the new Testament.  I like the rhythm and it keeps the kids thinking about  what we're studying and why.  I'm keeping it. :-)

We also did math this week, using Saxon K.  Because I actually did all my lesson prep in advance it was much easier than winging it, which was what I was doing before.  It worked seamlessly into our work week.

This week we didn't have any "weak" points per se, unlike last week.  While I feel good about that, we did run into a couple of other snags.

Yesterday, the 6 year old Robbie and 4 year old Bri both started having trouble focussing about 2/3 of the way into our school time.  I'm not sure if it was the fact that we have out of town company or the couple added subjects this week.  Either way, they ran out of steam, so I backed off.  We did all the essentials, but some of the optionals fell by the wayside.  Which is fine.  That's why they're "optionals".

Also, 15 month old Kitty has developed an aversion to school time.  I think she feels left out when she's not the center of attention.  It's okay, though.  She will get used to it.

3 year old Marty still loves read aloud time and poetry time.  And I found out yesterday that he will do coloring sheets if, and only if, I hand him the crayon at the same time as I hand him the page.

Have a great week, everyone.  Happy lesson planning!

Five Favorites: Homeschool Newbie Edition II

Thank you to Hallie at Moxie Wife for hosting this week!

1. Work Sheet Works

This nifty little website lets you make your own handwriting sheets (if you click on the one that says "Handwriting Practice").  You get to customize how many lines appear, what the worksheet will say, how big the text is, the works.  The best part?  It's FREE.  Easiest part of my lesson planning week is to plug in what I want the kids to work on writing this week.  There's all kinds of other good stuff, but I go there for the customized work sheets.

2. The Dollar Tree

For manipulatives for my 15 month old, this place is hard to beat.  They have basic craft supplies and right now they're starting to gear up for the school year, which means flash cards, handwriting pads, work books and school room accessories that stay in my budget.  While I still don't buy sketchy tooth whitening or grooming supplies, this is my go-to to keep my busy baby busy.

3.

This I borrowed from a friend and dusted off this week to help with my weak math lessons.
The content is varied enough that it keeps it interesting for my six year old student, but scripted enough that I can teach a math lesson even with every things else going on in the background.  It's heavily focused on manipulatives and playing with numbers, so it's a fun introduction and won't induced later groans and "Math? Do I have to?"'s from reluctant math students.

4.

One of the joys of having very young students is being able to match them with things that they love and things that they are good at.  To see that lightbulb moment when they know they are learning and they feel happy and strong because they are learning.  This poetry compilation was put together by Laura Berquist, foundress of Mother of Divine Grace homeschool program (and my boss).  She walked the homeschool walk with her kids and this book is a collection of poems that she taught her kids over the years and has something for each grade level.  For example, did you know Robert Lewis Stevenson wrote poetry for small children?  He did, and they're part of this collection.  My littles are learning his sweet little poems and being able to recite poetry is one of the best parts of their day.

5. Dessert: Door County Renaissance Faire

At the end of the school week, our reward is going to be going to the Door County Renaissance Faire for a "field trip".  It's important to remember that part of learning is having fun and experiencing new things.  Plus, we've been working on costumes all week.  The kids have a say in the creative direction of their costumes and they love watching the outfits come together.  We talk about things like planning for the weather, what kind of colors they are hoping for, etc.  It's a bonding experience for me and for them, plus they get to exercise their creativity in a new way.  The six year old actually drew pictures of a coat he was hoping for (and that boy has swagger!  It was a very stylish coat.).  Plus, the theme this year is pirates. Yargh!



I did not receive a promotional consideration for any of these products.  I did not get paid in freebies or otherwise for these product reviews.  The content here is solely the result of wanting to share with other homeschooling parents things that I have found helpful.  But if you click on my Amazon links I might get a couple pennies if you buy stuff.

7 Quick Takes: the Panic Edition

So, I guess it's Friday.  Again.

But this time, I'm blogging.  Win!

Go visit Jen for some more quick takes linky fun!

 So, in order to get ready for the school year, I need to:

1. Order syllabi for my new classes.  This is good because the new classes are a direct result of people liking me and wanting me to teach their kids for another year.  But it's only good if I'm prepared to do that.

2. Order books and supplies for my own kids' school year.  It's all on Amazon, so, that's a start, right?

3. Get my fancy headset in the mail to teach my online classes.  WHERE IS MY HEADSET?  TRAINING IS ON MONDAY!



4. Assemble book shelves and rearrange the office to resemble a space that a child would find conducive to learning peacefully in.  

5. Start lesson planning for my brand new job, actually teaching on-line classes.

6. Listen to many, many hours of overviews on how to teach what I'm teaching.

7.  Breathe.  It's important.

I guess what it boils down to this year is getting ready to TEACH ALL THE THINGS!

Here goes nothing.