First Official Day...

We have actually been doing school for over 3 weeks. However, I was reading a blog the other day about making the first day of school special for homeschoolers just like you would if they were in public school. This really struck me as I would normally have bought new outfits, new backpacks, lunch boxes, supplies and taken tons of pictures. I realized that I should do no less just because they are schooled at home and not away.

So, I decided Tuesday would be our "official" first day. I made them actually get up and get dressed in their new outfits (I know shocking!). Then I had a full day of surprises!

This is them holding their ears because I also told them that I was going to sing everything in honor of the special day. They were less than thrilled as you can see:

I made them cinnamon rolls in the shape of their grade like I normally do for their age on their birthday. This year were a little round and hard to shape.

3 for third:

and a really round 1 for first:

When they looked in their first workbox they found notes that said, "Go to the front porch and smile so Mommy can take you picture." They were very cooperative since this was much better than real schoolwork!

Here's my big first grader in her stylish new hat:

Here's my handsome 3rd grader who looks so big to me:

Of course, this is a much truer representation of these two:

I adore this picture and could cry that it is blurry!

I love this picture because he is actually smiling while being kissed!
Next up, I trusted them with my camera (shocking!) and had made up a little photo scavenger hunt. They had to find some things that had to do with school like their favorite nonfiction book or their favorite lapbook they made last year:
Other things were just random like find the number 11:

They had a great time on the scavenger hunt and want to do one every day! I think there may be one coming up in the future ;)

Another workbox was a writing activity where they had to write their goals for the school year. I was pretty impressed by them.

Ashton's were:

1. Learn the books of the Bible. 2. Learn about butterflies. 3. Learn to swing.

I think you can read Jackson's:
Then for the grand finale they had a scavenger hunt with clues hidden around the house. I wrote the clues in rhyming couplets (we'd been talking about those) with the last rhyming word missing. For example, the first one was "to find your prize you have to figure out a clue, one is hidden on a bed that is ____" (Jackson's bed is blue), etc.
They peeked and saw the prize in their fort so while they were following other clues I rehid it. Here they are reading a clue that said, "You found the clue and think you are as smart as a fox, but I rehid it and now it's inside your _ _ _ _ ____________." Their prize was a container full of new school supplies including really nice goggles for their upcoming swim class. They were pretty excited.

We all had a fun day. I need to work in more fun days like this. They are still talking about it. I definitely think I made it special, and I have the pictures to prove it!

Let There Be Light...

So, today was our first day so what better way to start the year than by studying the start of everything in the creation story. Everyone was very excited for our first day. The kids couldn't wait until our 9 o'clock start time so they began teaching the babies! It was really sweet. After circle time complete with silly songs to get us moving, Bible story and memory verse work the big kids settled into their copywork while I did Tot School with the twins. I think it might have been their favorite thing they did all day copying their Bible verse and illustrating it! Who knew? They both did their absolute best handwriting which was beautiful! We're copying Bible verses and stories and illustrating them every morning. They are in a binder which they are excited will become their own illustrated Bible!

Next, I worked on math and sight words with Ashton while Jackson worked independently on Wordly Wise, handwriting, and reading comprehension followed by playtime on the lap top. Everything went so smoothly and was much easier than I expected. Jackson worked really hard without complaint. Ashton was probably the most challenging part of the day (as I knew she would be). She just slumped down and wasn't excited or eager about anything. This was really puzzling because while I was planning Sunday she voluntarily worked next to me for an hour completing an entire math workbook. I think she is so scared of getting something wrong that she just doesn't want to try (she probably gets that from me). She wasn't awful but I was disappointed that she wasn't more into it.

Finally, it was time for recess. They built an obstacle course while I spent recess cleaning my bedroom!

Of course, the babies chose today to wake up from their nap early. So, we took a much longer lunch break than I had planned, but that's OK. Then we did our Tapestry of Grace in the afternoon. Our history lesson was on Creation and our science lesson on Pangaea. We are making creation pizza books. This was a really big hit. Here they are showing off their Day 1: day and night.

I knew Ashton would like this since she got to do art, but I was surprised at how meticulous Jackson was about it. He truly took his time and put a lot of thought and planning into every aspect. Today we only did days 1-3, but we'll show it off when we complete it.

Overall, I thought it was a very successful day. I didn't have to twist their arms too bad, yet! Two things I wasn't happy with were we didn't write in our journals today and I don't feel like they spent enough time reading, but we'll get there! In fact, I may make them read to me at bedtime tonight. Who says school has to end before dark?