School Has Begun- The Home Schooling Adventure

Our school year has begun.  About a month ago, we were having a "boring" morning- filled with lots of loudness while the baby was taking his morning nap.  I decided to become proactive and before any fighting ensued, I would take out my HUGE stack of workbooks that I had purchased from Target and a home school used book fair and get Bubbie working.  And I gotta say, its marvelous!  Even if we don't continue to home school passed this "school year", I think I will do this every summer!

After looking online through loads of curriculum websites and debating on what to do with Bubbie, I have decided to use the Charlotte Mason approach with a few "text" books mingled in.  I do know for sure that we will use Saxon Math 1.  Again, after a lot of debate and looking through the actual text book for Kindergarten, we have discovered that our son is indeed a math whiz.  We had gotten him a Kindergarten workbook(for those interested- School Zone ages 5-7) and he finished that in a few days.  All by himself!  So, we looked through the Saxon K Math book and discovered the same thing.... he had learned everything in that book at preschool this past year.  Because of the majority of the Kindergarten curriculum he already knows, we are gonna do review this Summer and then call Fall his First grade year.  I do not want to push him, but he is eager and is reading and doing math problems like a pro, so I do not want to hold him back either.

During all this research and stressing, I found out that Kindergarten isn't even required in the State of GA.  HAHA!  Why does everyone send their kids to Kindergarten then?!  Seems like if you have a choice, less people would send their children?!  Anyway, I learned something new.  The State of GA doesn't need written documentation on what we do with our children until he is 6 and only if he has been in public school for at least 20 days.  Otherwise, he does not need to be "known" about until the following school year (I do believe?! Someone correct me if I'm wrong!).

I have found that after working with Bubbie, he is just a typical boy!  Its so funny!  He'll be begging to do more pages in the workbooks, but he is bouncing in his chair!  He just has the hardest time control his wiggles!  I am dreading the summer, because it is already SO hot outside!  It was 100 degrees yesterday!  There is no way this Momma and her 3 small children will be playing outdoors in 100 degree weather!  I have  got to learn that we need to rush outside right after breakfast, play and get worn out and THEN come in and do workbooks.

Bubbie and Peanut will still be in a 2 day a week summer school at their preschool.  He has a "real-live-board-certified" teacher and this give him a chance to play with friends!  Oh and gives me a chance to be almost kidless!  ;o)

We have signed up for several "homeschooling" things for the Fall such as co-ops and groups and made plans for some other activities for Bubbie.  I'm excited to get involved!  I know it will help the fact that we are homeschooling become more real and give Bubbie some friends who are doing the same thing as he is.

I have also worked out a budget on what I want to spend on homeschooling supplies and activities.  I think this will be easy this year, because I don't really need to purchase THAT much!  There is SO much online and through the library.... probably spend more on ink for the printer than anything else!

I do need to work out a plan for having a weekly or at least every other week time without kiddos.  Whether this is a baby-sitter, Nana and/or MDO.... I can't decide what needs to be done, but I will go ahead and admit that I will need a few hours to myself to do either errands or go have a cup of coffee and/or read a magazine ALONE!

I won't work on "lesson plans" or my goals for the year until we have gotten through these workbooks that will help Bubbie review and practice more on writing, sitting still and taking his time!  :o)  Good things to come though and I've got lots of ideas!!!  Just need to find T-I-M-E to plan and wrap my thoughts around what my goals are for the years!