A Week Under Our Belt
The first week of homeschooling for this, my 16th homeschooling year, was a huge success. Did we get tons done? Nope. Did we follow my "plan"? Nope. Did I even have a well written schedule with daily times and subjects to follow? Nope! Finally, after 15 years of trying to be on top of everything, following a tight schedule and worrying about the "big picture" I got with the program. Which program is that, you may ask? The one that says relax and enjoy your child. Take it outside. Stop to jump on the trampoline. Veer off task and watch a great history video that captivates your child. Let him ease into the change of schedule and he'll be a much happier camper.
The start of a new school year is exciting for me. I love the new books, clean planners, fresh ideas. I can't wait to start and I usually have big ideas. At the table by 8:30. Getting in all the subjects. Big projects started. I literally burn my kid out by the end of the week, especially this son who transitions slowly out of summer mode. So this time we eased in. We took our work onto the deck and spent a few minutes laying back in our chairs and watching the clouds, reflecting on how lucky we are to be together and this free from the grind. We did our subjects. Got in math and reading every single day. We jumped back into colonial history, where we had left off in the fall but veered off to watch a great America Unearthed show I had DVR'd on /Vikings and how they may have been the first Europeans to settle in the new world then we took a screwdriver and practiced making some Viking ruins on a tree stump in our yard. We snuggled under blankets in our cold air conditioned house when the mid-September temperatures climbed near 100 degrees in a last burst of summer heat and humidity. There we listed to chapter after chapter of the second book in the Copernicus Legacy series by Tony Abbott. We did some acid and base science experiments with an old science kit we found and which must have had some expired items because half of them failed miserably! We did some cartooning. We had an impromptu "welcome to football season" dance party in the diningroom. We tried to do a Magellan worksheet using longitude and latitude and sprawled on the floor looking at the atlas and climbed on chairs perusing the wall maps. What we discovered was we have nothing that gives good clear coordinates and it's on our shopping list for this fall!
Friday came and I did have it in my mind that although we had to stop for lunch by noon because we had to leave for a class at 12:30 that we were going to get a lot done. A lot!! Wrong. We both overslept. It was a beautiful almost fall morning so when we finally got it together and welcomed in the granddaughters I watch a few days a week no one wanted to be inside. It was a cool, clear morning on the deck and the date was September 11th. I happened on a post with a video about that fateful 9/11 tragedy. Dakota wanted to watch so together we watched in silence, lost in our own thoughts as we watched the tragedy unfold again and again. Rebecca, my 23 month old granddaughter, didn't want to play in her playhouse on her bike. She brought her adorable little blond haired self over to Dakota and begged Uncle "Kowa" to "pweese jumpy, jumpy" and he asked to please not have to tell her no so off he went with three little girls in tow to the trampoline and then spent an hour shrieking and squealing and jumping around and around. By the time I got them back in it was after 11. I can't even remember what came up then, but the next time I looked at the clock it was almost noon! So while I fed the girls and made his lunch he did his math and picked at a pb&j sandwich and then we were out the door for his EcoAdventures homeschool class.
While he was in class I took the girls to Kinderfarm Park where they enjoyed the nice weather and a reprieve from an afternoon nap. When we went to pick him up he got invited to a friend's house in Beltsville and he and his friend were so excited I couldn't say no. So the girls and I went back home without him. The end. Friday afternoon. Week one of homeschooling fifth grade. And we hadn't stuck to a schedule and we hadn't gotten lots done and we hadn't stressed over the little things or really over anything at all. I have learned from my past mistakes....and it only took me 16 years! And while part of me feels a little stressed about it, the better part of me knows that we had an enjoyable week. We spent time together and we made a few happy memories along the way. That's really what it's all about after all.
The start of a new school year is exciting for me. I love the new books, clean planners, fresh ideas. I can't wait to start and I usually have big ideas. At the table by 8:30. Getting in all the subjects. Big projects started. I literally burn my kid out by the end of the week, especially this son who transitions slowly out of summer mode. So this time we eased in. We took our work onto the deck and spent a few minutes laying back in our chairs and watching the clouds, reflecting on how lucky we are to be together and this free from the grind. We did our subjects. Got in math and reading every single day. We jumped back into colonial history, where we had left off in the fall but veered off to watch a great America Unearthed show I had DVR'd on /Vikings and how they may have been the first Europeans to settle in the new world then we took a screwdriver and practiced making some Viking ruins on a tree stump in our yard. We snuggled under blankets in our cold air conditioned house when the mid-September temperatures climbed near 100 degrees in a last burst of summer heat and humidity. There we listed to chapter after chapter of the second book in the Copernicus Legacy series by Tony Abbott. We did some acid and base science experiments with an old science kit we found and which must have had some expired items because half of them failed miserably! We did some cartooning. We had an impromptu "welcome to football season" dance party in the diningroom. We tried to do a Magellan worksheet using longitude and latitude and sprawled on the floor looking at the atlas and climbed on chairs perusing the wall maps. What we discovered was we have nothing that gives good clear coordinates and it's on our shopping list for this fall!
Friday came and I did have it in my mind that although we had to stop for lunch by noon because we had to leave for a class at 12:30 that we were going to get a lot done. A lot!! Wrong. We both overslept. It was a beautiful almost fall morning so when we finally got it together and welcomed in the granddaughters I watch a few days a week no one wanted to be inside. It was a cool, clear morning on the deck and the date was September 11th. I happened on a post with a video about that fateful 9/11 tragedy. Dakota wanted to watch so together we watched in silence, lost in our own thoughts as we watched the tragedy unfold again and again. Rebecca, my 23 month old granddaughter, didn't want to play in her playhouse on her bike. She brought her adorable little blond haired self over to Dakota and begged Uncle "Kowa" to "pweese jumpy, jumpy" and he asked to please not have to tell her no so off he went with three little girls in tow to the trampoline and then spent an hour shrieking and squealing and jumping around and around. By the time I got them back in it was after 11. I can't even remember what came up then, but the next time I looked at the clock it was almost noon! So while I fed the girls and made his lunch he did his math and picked at a pb&j sandwich and then we were out the door for his EcoAdventures homeschool class.
While he was in class I took the girls to Kinderfarm Park where they enjoyed the nice weather and a reprieve from an afternoon nap. When we went to pick him up he got invited to a friend's house in Beltsville and he and his friend were so excited I couldn't say no. So the girls and I went back home without him. The end. Friday afternoon. Week one of homeschooling fifth grade. And we hadn't stuck to a schedule and we hadn't gotten lots done and we hadn't stressed over the little things or really over anything at all. I have learned from my past mistakes....and it only took me 16 years! And while part of me feels a little stressed about it, the better part of me knows that we had an enjoyable week. We spent time together and we made a few happy memories along the way. That's really what it's all about after all.
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