7.21.2010

The School Year At A Glance

It's hot, sticky, sweaty among other unpleasant feelings outside.  My child has taken to leaving the sprinklers on for her to run through periodically throughout the day. When she isn't doing that, she is limp and hung upside down on some piece of furniture somewhere saying "What are we going to do today?"  It's her version of 'I'm bored' or 'Are we there yet?'.
Now I normally can find a whole list of things for her to do when she asks this odious question however lately, I too have been feeling rather limp.  My mind turning slowly to mush as the heat rises.  I quickly pray and prayer of thanks for the hot weather as I know I'll be wishing for it come January and then another prayer for survival.  I cannot wait for the school year to start.

Yes, we home school our daughter so you would think that organization is a year-round thing right?  Wrong.  School is school and home is home and the lines blur all of the time except for scheduling.  You see during the school year we also have daily school work to do, ballet, p.e., field trips etc.  This year we are also including Girls Scouts (Miss G is a Brownie), and she is old enough she officially has to become an official student under an official church school.  So a little more structure is involved.  
For those who do not understand homeschooling, please try to think of it like this:  your child at his/her public school without lines in the bathroom break, water fountain line, cafeteria line (the long one), the line to go to the next class, the line for library, the limited time in the library so no mom, they didn't get the book they wanted 'cause little Susie got it instead, the pushing, the shoving, the Parent Teacher Conferences, etc.  You get the idea.  My child still becomes educated, just at her speed and with a teacher/student ratio of 1:1.  Very very cool in her and my eyes.  
She likes the field trips the most with her favorite place being the Naval Aviation Museum.  I like it because it's free and this year she is mature enough to do little reviews on what she saw and learned.  She also likes the Gulf Coast Zoo otherwise known as The Little Zoo That Could.

We are trying a new book this year.  They have changed as I have weeded through the mass quantities out there available to homeschoolers but finally decisions have been made. Singapore Math,
Daily 6 Handwriting, Christian Eclectic Readers, Noeo Science and DK Science (for variety), Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLTL), and Story of the World Vol. 1 are just a few other items we will be studying from.  Yes, there will be other mini lessons added (just as in public school, don't think they don't) as the lesson creeps up, but these are the basics for now.  I am prayerfully considering each one before I buy.  

Anyways,  even though in the morning my daughter will ask the inevitable question "What are we going to do today?"  Even though I will grimace, I think some park time is in order.  Sunscreen on, bug spray on, ready, set, GO!

No comments:

Post a Comment