Last week I was a total home-body. My daughter and I had colds, but my desire to stick close to home was more than that. The kids and I huddled in the house, reading books, watching TV, playing games, moving furniture and cleaning out closets.
I liken it to that nesting instinct women have before giving birth. I know that the next couple of weeks bring new classes, co-ops and sports, throwing us back into the social circle we’ve been a bit absent from lately. And, last week, I knew I needed some nesting time to prepare for it all.
This is the first year in my homeschooling journey that I have structured plans. I’m inherently an unschooler, and feel confident in that philosophy. But my recent exposure to some wonderful books, programs and inspiring friends has lit a fire in me. Additionally, my son has asked me to do more “school” with him. (Excuse me while I pause and revel in the fact that my son loves to learn…)
So I did some prep work for this year. I now know why other homeschool moms scour the Rainbow Resource catalog each year. There are some awesome books and activities that I’ve been missing out on. While I still won’t sit my kids at a table and “do school,” I am looking forward to curling up on the couch and sharing some of these materials with them:
With Cassie (1st grade):
- Five In A Row: Each week you read one book with your child every day for five days (hence “five in a row”). The teacher’s volume gives you five book-related activities that span social studies, language, art, math and science to do that week.
- Math Games
- Art, geography, and other activities with our homeschool co-op.
- Piano, Tap Dancing, Gymnastics, and Karate classes, as well as Ski Club.
With Logan (6th grade):
- History Odyssey: Ancient world history program (Cassie will listen along to some of this).
- Holt McDougal Math (online videos).
- Ready, Set, Write!
- Web Design and Technology clubs with homeschool co-op.
- Art, Philosophy, Civics and Marketing/Economics activities (and whatever else we come up with!) with homeschool co-op.
- Baseball, Lacrosse, Skiing and Cooking class.
Writing it out like this makes it seem like so much! But our schedule is balanced and has lots of down time built in. I’m excited about this year. Do you have a plan for homeschooling this year?
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