Here We Go!

I reserved this blog name quite some time ago, but never got around to posting because things were crazier than I expected adding a second student to our homeschooling table with two boys 2 and under.

I've spent the last couple weeks preparing for our new homeschooling year. We are year round homeschoolers and are starting again this month. We will cut back to just reading and math at the end of my pregnancy and when Isaiah arrives and take breaks throughout the year.

We've decided that we prefer to take our breaks during non-traditional weeks to take advantage of discounted vacation prices and lower crowds. We also prefer to have many shorter breaks instead of one long break. We spend much less time reviewing concepts to get started again and it always feels like a break is right around the corner.

This year I've changed a few things. Lainey will be starting 4th grade and we are taking steps to more independence. She will recieve a weekly assignment sheet and have some check points throughout the week for accountability. If her work isn't done by the final checkpoint of the week (on Friday) then she will give up free time to complete her work. We are hoping to improve her time management skills and to prevent some battles by giving her control over choosing how to attack her week.

Julianne is still mostly dependent on me for directions and reassurance that she is headed the right direction. She is starting to read, but I find that most of her school work is done right by my side still and that is okay and developmentally appropriate. As her reading skills get better, she will naturally move into becoming more independent.

Another big change this coming year, is that we are leaving literature based unit studies. We loved Heart of Dakota, but I was teaching two different levels and it was crazy this past year with the little tornados.. I mean boys.

Lainey has specifically asked to go back to worktexts and workbooks. She says that she never could really see the end of a unit study assignment and prefers to be told to do pg. 35 #1-20 or whatever. She is my concrete thinker and so I see her point. We are hoping that moving to texts/workbooks simplifies some things because this fall we will have 3 boys, 3 and under. We are definately moving into a different type of season and so while texts/workbooks aren't *my* ideal style of learning, after many, many hours of prayer we are going this direction. A major plus for homeschooling is the ability to individualize learning. While I prefer to learn differently, homeschooling is about my students. *smile*

But have no fear, we are still pretty eclectic in our choices but I think I've pieced together a workable plan.

This past week, we went to the library in our new county. Our girls enjoy going to the library often and being allowed to have your own library card is a huge deal in our family. Lainey had one in our old county, but Julianne wasn't reading yet, so we held off on getting her one.

When we went to the new library, we allowed Julianne to get her own card. We also had Lainey fill out her own library card application-- in pen. She says that she felt quite grown up.

Daddy filled out Julianne's but we had her write her name and then write her name at the bottom and answer questions that Daddy filled in for her. Then both girls signed the back of their cards.

Daddy took some pictures of the process:

(Yes, both of the girls are left handed... interestingly, my boys appear to be right handed.)

Even the boys enjoyed going to the library! I'll be updating the tabs along the top of the blog as well. I plan to post at least once a week but I'm aiming for two times a week. Probably Sunday or Monday and then Friday or Saturday. (A post about the weekly plan and then a post summarizing what we did.)