Our First Day of School Rundown

First of all, I used my actual camera today instead of my phone.  I think that was a mistake.  All the pictures are fuzzy.  Oh, well, we get the idea, anyway.  Here are some moments from our first day of school today.

I know myself well after all these years of homeschooling.  I have hated doing science experiments with my kids from the very first day.  (Mr. H at CHS, I'm looking at you, here.)  Part of my dislike is the extra work and extra mess.  I may have found a solution.  I am always excited for a new week on Monday morning and have extra energy and passion for this job of mine so I have scheduled science experiments for the very first item of our school week each week.  Maaaaaayyybeeee this will work.

We are again doing school across the street and up the elevator on the third floor of our church.  I love to be home, but we are so much more consistent with everything at church.  It is also really nice to have a set place away from home for all our school "stuff."  The kids are also excited to go to church every single day without exception so it makes our daily transition to school really smooth.  

I adjusted the room a little this year to give it a little more casual home feel.  We have reading nooks and corners.  There is a variety of seating.  There is room to spread out on the floor to play or read or randomly roll.  I brought a little fountain and some plants.  Asa even has a cozy basket with a fuzzy blanket that he can put right next to me any time he needs to be right next to me when I am helping someone else.  (He'll be there a lot!)  The windows let in so much light so all my pictures are washed out today, but I hope to get some better ones in the future.  Basia posed at the tiny table, but she spent most of her day in a nearby room all by herself just how she likes it.  This set-up really helped it all feel less institutional, and I think we all enjoyed it.

The teepee is for reading only!

We enjoy a break in the courtyard two or three times a day.  There was a lot of dodge ball being played today.  They also have their awesome wooden car, their beloved peanut ball, the gaga ball pit, and a walkway for scooters and other fun.

The most difficult part of doing homeschool away from home is knowing how to keep the little ones occupied, quiet, and happy when their school is done.  I let them bring Kindles for the first time this year to get a half hour of semi-educational games or shows.  They also have audio books and books to read.  

I have kids who have been looking forward to learning Latin for many years.  Today they officially got to begin.  Zade was so proud when he finished his workbook for the day.  He really felt that it all clicked for him when he expected it to be really difficult.  Yay!  We borrowed the room you can see here for our morning basket time, meal time, and Latin.  This is also where Basia spent much of her day.

For the past several years I have mostly combined all the little ones while giving them their own levels of math and reading materials.  This year we are fully branching out since the older little ones are very much in need of more of a challenge than the youngest three.  This year I am working with them by grade for about an hour each day.  For their time with me, they sit at my table, and I go through the "teaching" I think they might need. It is also a good time for them to show me their work from the day, read aloud to me, learn new math and grammar concepts, and otherwise get the bulk of my attention.  This worked really well (mostly--we still have to work on being respectful of other's turns with mom), but it also makes our school day quite long.  Very long.  So long.  :)  I have 1st graders, 3rd grader, 4th graders, 5th graders, and an 11th grader.  If I give them each a full hour, that's five full hours just for that.  The 1st graders really need me even more than that--especially when we have a day like today...  I was hoping some of the others might not need a full hour, but today the full hour was pretty important.  We'll see how it changes as we get in our groove.  Each child has their check list of school to do when I am working with someone else.  When they finish, there are toys, fidgets, books galore, and art supplies to keep them occupied so I can continue to provide attention to another pair or singleton.

I just gathered a few of my favorite toys from home to have at school.  I chose toys that I love but do not get much play at home.  It was like they had all new toys.  This track and wooden cars were the very favorite of day one.

Busy in their own ways

 

I'm sharing this final picture for honesty sake.  Getting back into the groove of school can take some adjusting, whether you've been away from the routine because of a long weekend, a summer, or a global pandemic.  It is usually especially hard for Edison, but he breezed through the day with no issues this year.  This gives me great hope that age and maturity may get us all to that point.  Actually every other child did really well today.  It was lovely.  The law of 9 kids states, however, that there must always be someone who is having a hard day and often a very hard day.  Today it was this little man.  He and Jotham played for a while at the start of the day while I worked with Edison.  When it was their turn to sit with me at the table, Asa did not make the transition well.  It was very tough for a very long time and really cramped a good chunk of the day.  I love this child, and he snapped right out of it the moment he was ready and cheerfully and easily did everything I had been trying to encourage him to do before.  I have done this long enough to know that getting back into a routine is so, so wonderful, but there will be difficulties as we all adjust fully.  I also learned that I better work with my first graders before they get into their playing!  Otherwise my daily dose of Diet Dr. Pepper goes way too fast.  I have little doubt that Asa will be a delight for school tomorrow.  There will be someone else to step into this place for him.  It's the law.

Here's to a beautiful new school year for us all!