This year Goldilocks will be in Preschool! My firstborn Darling has been asking to 'learn' since she could speak the word, & in the last year has become frustrated by my unorganized attempts to playfully educate her. As a result of her readiness & appetite for learning, Lone Ranger & I decide that the time had come to begin our venture into the homeshooling world. Truthfully this year is as much for me as it is for her. This first year is a chance to get my feet wet...to fully grasp & begin to employ our chosen method (Classical Christian). I'm beyond thrilled with our curriculum (Memoria Press), especially since it is the only one that got Lone-Ranger-Approval. *Side Note: John has a degrees in Secondary English & Secondary History* I have shown him every curriculum catalogue that has come in the mail for the last 4+ years only to have him promptly flip to the literature selections, & then shrug. My hubs knows good literature. When the Memoria Press catalogue came, I was nearly shocked when his eyebrows raised & said 'this is it.' I've spent the summer making lesson plans & preparing for our school year, & I cannot wait to dig in...neither can my Goldilocks.
I feel great about my preparations of the curriculum...about what I'll be teaching, but for the last couple of weeks I've been stumped our in-home setup...where I'll be teaching. Goldilocks is so ready & eager for school that I do not doubt her ability to remain focused...I'm the one whose going to have the trouble. In the back of my mind I'd just assumed we'd sit at the kitchen table or even on the couch, & then this summer I noticed how easily distracted I am...I'm the woman who at the end of the day began a million tasks but only halfway completed all of them. If we're at the table, I'm going to want to clean the kitchen...if we're on the couch, I'm going to want to blog. I need a place for us to do school. I started out by creating a little nook for Goldilocks in the playroom, but quickly realized that we had a problem on our hands in the form of 2 devious little Darlings: Sweet 'N Sassy & Belles 'N Whistles. They adore Goldilocks...they want to be where she is & do what she does. They want to 'do school' too. The Lone Ranger & I have always planned on using our current playroom as a schoolroom one day, but we hadn't counted on needing it for that purpose just yet. During the Winter months, we live in the playroom, so a playroom it must remain, but we also need a separate school place...so that's what stumped me...until this morning! Thanks to an OCD brain & Pinterest inspiration, I think I've come up with a perfect solution for the time being...
2013-2014 Schoolroom/Playroom
During this time we will also do our Virtue of the Week. Each week we will discuss, define, & apply a new Christ-like quality. Beyond academics, I want my girls to know Jesus...I want them to strive to become more like Him.
We'll conduct our Morning Meeting here. I have a sneaky suspicion & hope that Sweet 'N Sassy will participate in this time.
This is my desk area that holds my teaching manuals & my planner...my favorite feature is the rolltop that keeps little hands away. *My precious Grammie gave me this desk as a high school graduation gift...I think of her every time I see it.
Above my desk is a sign that says, 'If your Bible is falling apart chances are your life is staying together.'...a good personal reminder of one main reason we are doing this homeschooling thing.
This book shelf holds Goldilocks' school books as well as toys. It was time for a toy rotation & we have been conscious of keeping the volume of toys at a minimum so luckily most fit on the shelves & others are in the closet to be pulled out upon request. *I built this bookshelf (with the help of my Pap) for the Lone Ranger for our first Valentine's day.
I'm really pleased with the aesthetic of the room & in my mind it will work, but the true test will come next week when we actually begin school. The only flaw I can think of in my arrangement is this:
Our play kitchen now resides in the living room behind the couch, but since this morning the girls have been playing with it more than ever...so I can live with that. :o)
I've had some people ask what our days will look like & what the two little Darlings will do while Goldilocks & I do school. I fully expect that to be my biggest challenge. I'm hoping that incorporating them into our school time, such as the Morning Meeting, will help. I think the Busy Buckets will also go a long way towards keeping them occupied. I've kept the vast majority of the toys in the room as well, so between all of that I am hoping for the ability to concentrate...at least for chunks of time . There will be distractions. There will be intermissions...that's just the beauty of homeschooling. Next year Sweet 'N Sassy will join us & the year after Belles 'N Whistles as well...then we can really get down to business :o) As for what our day will look like, here's my ideal plan as of now...it'll probably change...I'm almost sure it will.
5:00-7:00 a.m. : I get up, make coffee, read my Bible, watch the news, enjoy a little social media
6:30-8:00 a.m.: Darlings gradually begin to wake up & trickle into the living room. They usually just lay around until they are good & awake...while they do this I finish my morning routine. In our house everyone is up by 8:00...that's just our rule.
8:00-9:00 a.m. : breakfast, get dressed, do hair, brush teeth, make beds, do dishes,15 minute pick-up of the house, daily chore from cleaning schedule
9:00-11:00ish: School Time on MWF, Play time on Tuesdays, Errands & Groceries on Thursdays
11:00 a.m. : Lunch & then playtime until naps
1:00 p.m. : Naps/Quiet Time
2:00-4:30 p.m. : Playtime
4:30 p.m. : 15 minute pick-up & quick clean, I start making preparations for supper. The Darlings usually watch a movie during this time.
6:30 p.m. : Supper & then time with the Lone Ranger
7:30 p.m. : Bedtime routine: jammies, chocolate milk, stories, prayer time, lights out
8:00 p.m. : Peace & Quiet...Snuggling on the couch with my handsome husband :o)
Some will read that schedule & think I'm crazy...maybe that I'm uptight. You'd be right. I'm definitely OCD in my need for organization & a
for organization & a schedule...that's how I function. I thrive on having a plan. My girls seem, by nature or by nurture, seem to be much the same. The truth is that we've been functioning by that schedule the last couple of years & the only real change is intentional school time rather than playtime. For us it works. You might be wondering where playdates & spontaneous trips fit in...Most of our playdates occur in the morning before lunch & naptime, & now will usually be scheduled on Tuesdays & Thursdays so not to interefere with school. Spontaneous trips don't happen around here a whole lot...not because of my OCD but because we live 20 minutes from the nearest town...we're rural people. Because every trip to town is just that, a trip, I plan most outings for a day when I have to be somewhere anyways or if possible on grocery day.
I've been blessed to have several homeschooling moms take me under their wings...their guidance & support is priceless. Each of them does school in a different way, with different curriculums, methods, schoolroom setups, & philosophies on homeschooling, but they all have a common belief; Homeschooling is not a part of your life...compartmentalized into a section called 'education'...it is your life...every experience within life is an opportunity to educate. I wholeheartedly agree. My girls learn precious lessons simply from being...as we cook, as we clean, as we craft, as we create, & as we consciously command...they learn. Your children do the same. I know that this homeschooling lifestyle is not for everyone...every family has a unique calling...but I am so thankful & so excited that it's the one for us.
I pray for the mothers that send their children to school each day. Despite the different paths we are on; Public, Private, Parochial, & Home...we each have the same objective & are endeavoring to ensure that our children are taught above all else how to be godly & holy people. Let us join together in upholding one another. I ask that you pray for us, for me, as we approach our new beginning...
Be Blessed!
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