Cana
This pictures pretty much sums up our week. Brent has been tired enough to take some afternoon naps. Both kids got sick by the end of the week. I think they just took on too much and got a little run down.
The 6-week binder system is working smoothly. After 3 years of experimenting, I think this might be it. Having said that I take the risk that next week we'll have a meltdown. The binders have all the assignments for the entire 6 week unit, organized by weeks. Instead of carrying around 6 weeks worth of work, the kids have small binders that just have that weeks' work and any incomplete work from previous weeks. I grade a week after they are done completing it. I no longer have to wait until they are done with their binders since they move completed weeks into the big binder when they are done. I am also currently working on the next 6-week binder. We begin the next unit on September 27th. Brent will be studying inventions and Callie will be studying Ancient India. I've ordered most the books I will be needing and am setting up assignments for each week. Much less stressful than planning for tomorrow (or today) with the kids waiting.
Cana
I can't believe we are nearing then end of August. This month has flown by and we're all exhausted. It just now feels like the schedule is starting to work, though I must say I wasn't kidding about being exhausted. Brent has started taking power naps in the afternoons and the rest of us want to. We are almost half way into the second week of homeschool plus electives at public school. Of course this only applies to Callie, however, we are all feeling the impact of this on our day.
Callie is really enjoying her classes. She loves her two art teachers. One is a drawing class and one is an arts and crafts class. She is also enjoying her Violin class. Today was the first time she picked up her instrument. Exciting. The Library period has turned out to be a blessing. Plenty of time for quiet school work and a room full of books for her to use for 70 minutes. The only disappointment so far is that her lunch is during the 7th grade lunch and not with her 8th grade classmates. She has joined the student council, plans on joining a few clubs and is thinking about going out for golf. As if she didn't have enough going on already. She is volunteering at the Animal Shelter and is doing Girl Scouts. I'm tired thinking about it.
For his part, Brent has been quite happy with the new schedule. He says it's quiet with Callie gone. He is getting his work done much faster than before. I don't think Callie was noisy alone.
Our schedule looks like this:
5:30am - Callie's alarm goes off
6:30am - Brent gets up
7:00am - Breakfast
8:00am - Brent starts school, Callie heads to RMMS for Creative Art/Painting, Crafts, & Violin.
Noon - Lunch for Brent
2:00pm - Callie is done at RMMS and the kids take a 30 min break
2:30pm - chores
3:30pm - School for both
4:30pm - Brent is done for the day. Callie takes a break
5:30pm - Football for Brent until 7:00pm, if no Girl Scouts- homework for Callie until 7pm
7:30pm - Dinner
8:30pm - Bedtime
Saturdays are when Callie does her volunteering at the shelter. We'll see how clubs and golf fit in.
Cana
I knew eventually that with Brent studying insects they would eventually need to come into my home. Thanks to a friend, our first guest is a centipede (I think). He used our dissecting microscope to get a good look. Very interesting.
Cana
Week 1 was tough to get through after having so much time off. I don't know how teachers do it! We have a little unfinished work from last week, but that is why we started early. The hardest challenge will no doubt be next week, when Callie has to be somewhere everyday by 8am.
I completely see the reasons behind year-round school. It wasn't just one thing that slowed us down this last week, it was everything. Handwriting is rough, time-management skills are poor, heads are a little slow. I had intended to maintain a small amount of daily writing, reading and math; I wish I had.
I'm sure we'll get up to speed.
