South Carolina is the first state we will learn about. We are going to learn about one state per week. We're going to do a lot of our learning through reader's, fun books about each state, and art and crafts. We will learn some of the state's history, landmarks, rivers, capital, attractions, and the different cultures. We will also learn about it's location and pinpoint places on a map. I think the girls will enjoy making their own outline maps and adding to them as we learn about the states. This will also help us learn about the United States as a whole. I Can't wait to show off their state map art!
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This is going to be our work station. It's almost complete. I still need to finish up my back to school shopping to replenish the crayon and marker supply. I guess I'll need to buy a couple of more pairs of scissors as well since somebody hides them when they give Barbie a trim. After that, I'll be spending some time at the library checking out our readers for the week that I do not have.
I didn't get to do all I wanted to before school starts, but I guess it can be a work in progress. I still need someone to paint the room violet and light blue (those colors bring relaxation and set the mood for learning), I desperately need a book case (preferably the cubed Expedit from Ikea), and I need to get the girls their own chairs so I can put mine back at the dining tabl. Other than that, we are set to start! We have all we need and more to have a successful year! ....and here's to them, hopefully, getting easier! My goodness! I started my lesson plan a week ago. I work on it late at night and into the morning, and it usually takes around 4 hours. Time spent covers everything from how I wanted it to look in my plan book and how my table would be set up, to who will do independent work while I one-on-one and what fun stuff we can do that doesn't look like "schoolwork." I'm still working on that part. I am just glad I know what we're doing next week and in what order! That is such an accomplishment. I have it set up so that when my plan book is open, the rows just continue onto the next page. Now I can just copy and paste the table and change what I need to. I look for my planning to go to about 2 hours per week...of course, I'm a noob so that could be wishful thinking. Four days before school starts and I finally put up my calendar days! Shipped in 3 short days from Texas. I went out looking for a cheap laminator today, and they were out of stock. I decided to purchase the "no laminator required" pouches, and they got the job done. I put some Velcro stickers on the back and me and the 3 girls stuck them on. I can't wait to do calendar time every morning! Calendar time at my house includes many "together" activities. Here is what I have planned to do during our calendar time:
Today’s date Yesterday, today, tomorrow Recognize Patterns Days of the week Months of the year Weather Season Count the days Skip counting Miscellaneous Songs (ABC's for Libby and other fun songs that help us learn about calendar information) Some articles just have a way of making you think, "This is about ME! How'd they do that?" It's nice to know that there are other people out there that feel, think, and sometimes "do" like me. They really do help me in the words they write, and I want to share with you what I've found.
This one really hit home. With one baby, one preschooler, and two magnet school students, mornings were crazy around here during school. My preschooler had to be at school at 8:15 and dismissed at 11:15--up town. My elementary school student had to be at school at 8:00 and dismissed at 2:30--CLEAR across town. I passed FOUR other elementary schools to get to this one! My middle school student had to be at school by 8:15 and dismissed at 3:30--all the way back toward our home. And, we always got a late start for so many reasons. "Hurry up" was a phrase I said everyday and sometimes 10 times in one morning. My stress was stressing the kids. Then in the evenings, at bedtime, we went through it all again. Everyday my barked orders were coated in "hurry up." Then if we went somewhere it was the same way. I always had stuff that I needed to do. I am slowly learning how to just relax. I don't want my kids to be stressed out and I don't want them to grow up and be like me. I actually knew I felt this way before I found this article, but when I did find it, it was gold! The Day I Stopped Saying 'Hurry Up' This article sums up a lot of the reasons I chose to homeschool. It wasn't because I hated public schools, I just hated the way we lived our everyday lives. I hated that my girls always had to compete with other students when raising their hand and sharing the correct answer. I hated it when they weren't chosen for something. And, I love to be around my kids. I miss them during the day, and I want to see them read their first words or launch their first rocket! I want them to be free of the pressures; free to be who they want to be because it's what makes them happy. When I started listing pros about homeschooling, they greatly outweighed the cons....not really sure I had many cons....except for maybe missing out on public school. But, school can be so bad for kids anyway. Mainly during that awkward period in their life when they are changing and finding their cliques. And since girls are more likely to experience the bad stuff, like mean girls and low self-esteem, that made homeschool look even better! I'm no doctor or lawyer, but this article did touch on many of my feelings. 18 Reasons Why Doctors and Lawyers Homeschool Their Children The next article really helped push me over the fence when I was trying to decide to homeschool or not. I love what she says about socialization. It really just makes sense! Why I Homeschool These articles really got me going on my search for answers. It has links to other great articles that help a person decide if homeschooling is right for them. It was a very important find that helped me when I needed it! Should I Homeschool Or Not? — Part One Should I Homeschool Or Not? – Part Two The following articles also helped me in pursuit of something better. I tried to find out everything I could about homeschooling before I decided that I wanted to go for it. If you are unsure, please read them! I know they will help you decide if it's right for you. Comparing Homeschooling vs Public Schooling: Ten Reasons for Homeschooling Children HOME-SCHOOLING: Socialization not a problem What About Socialization? 3 Reasons NOT to Homeschool Ten Good Reasons to Homeschool Cost of Homeschooling VS Public School Is Homeschool for You? The Worst Reason to Homeschool Homeschool Hubbub: Am I Qualified to Teach? Notes from a homeschooling mom: I am not qualified to homeschool Everyone needs a little boost every now and then, and I have received that and more just by reading blogs by other homeschoolers. When I first thought about taking the dive, I went straight to the ones that were swimming it. I learned that there are so many ways of educating my children! I also learned that homeschools can be very different. I was so used to the public school system way of doing things, that anything else seemed wrong. But, I was the one who was wrong.
Simple Homeschool Confessions of a Homeschooler Carolina Homeschooler The Marathon Mom Homeschool Diaries |