First Two Weeks

We have now completed our first two weeks of school. Yes, week two was sewing camp...BUT I can't imagine anything that she would have learned more from in a 5 day period. She made: 1-purse, 2-tissue holders, 1-skirt and an entire dress...WITH applique! This week she has three more days of sewing camp and she's making a pillow case and a pair of pajama pants. She is pleased enough with her dress that she plans to wear it to church tomorrow. I haven't seen the skirt on her yet but its cute on the hanger. The purse and tissue holders are adorable.

As far as "real school work" she has started working on both History and copywork exercises and a corresponding piece of literature. We will be adding Math, Science and Spelling at the beginning of week 4. Her copywork consists of copying her history narration once she has dictated it to me. She isn't aware of it yet but I already see her handwriting improving. Practice. Just gotta keep up with the practice.

Her fine motor skills have had a marked improvement. This year she can cut straight lines. Last year not so much. We have had an ongoing issue with this since she was in preschool and I'm glad to see she's finally maturing out of it.

As for me I'm working on creating a healthier lifestyle for us as a family. This week's action items include menu planning, finding a place for us to exercise regularly and getting an appointment with my counselor for a "tune-up" to deal with some issues that have surfaced in my own personal growth and recovery. I have high hopes that if I continue to be proactive about this situation I will see results that will make both me and my doctor happy.

I'm going to Jackson...

*hums a Johnny Cash tune in her head*

Ok...enough with the musical interlude...but I am going to Jackson TN tomorrow with two of my homeschool mom friends to their conference and curriculum fair. I'm excited. Road trip with friends, sans kids, to shop homeschool stuff. What's not to love about that?

I have almost all the pieces in place for DD's homeschool year that starts on Monday. I still need to buy "Spelling Power" and I'm hoping that the Jackson fair will have it. I didn't really get to shop our fair because I was working. I am the Administrative Assistant for MHEA and I was on the clock all weekend running our informational booth at our fair.

This will be a new adventure for us. With DD going into middle school this year we've mutually decided that she needs a bit more structure. Some folks would say that no longer makes me an unschooler. I disagree. If the decision for more structure is mutual I think it absolutely fits in with the idea of child led learning. Her desire for this more structured environment comes in part from her hopes of being a CSI when she grows up. Forensic science fascinates her at the moment and she knows that she is weak in some areas like math that she needs to focus on more intentionally for awhile. I'm excited but apprehensive. I'm not sure that my dominant random learning style will be able to sustain the structure. We shall have to see.

*breaks into song again* I'm going to Jackson, turn alooose of my coat, I'm going to Jackson, good-bye that's all she wrote....

One week until the 2008/2009 School Year Begins

I have selected July 14th as our starting date this year. We've been in the office for a bit over 6 weeks by then and the transition to that new routine is fairly solid so its time to make it into what it will be for the remainder of the "school year". I'm also tentatively working on a co-op plan for History/Science with some friends of similarly aged children that I hope goes well. I'm calling it Friday Funschool and I'm very excited about the potential.

I've got Story of the World by Bauer and Ancient Science by Jim Wiese that will be the spine around which we build the rest of our year. Math-U-See is also in the blend as is English from the Roots up. For Bible we'll study the stories that fit chronologically into the ancient history timeline. Speaking of timelines. I bought the complete timeline figures CD from homeschool in the woods along with the amazingly beautiful timeline book from Mystery of History and we'll be doing a ton of stuff with those resorces. Jess is pretty excited about having art as a formal part of school. I bought her a set of 36 colored pencils and 36 watercolor paints that are specifically restricted to her school stuff. No playing around with these and losing them. She has plenty of others to do that kind of thing with.

This probably sounds odd coming from an unschooler but I'm a complete curriculum addict. The difference is the way we approach the curriculum. They are resources. Starting points. Nothing more. No "complete the book" mentality here. We are very excited about the ancients because this is a favorite time period for Jess and there are unfinished projects (a trojan horse model for one) that are begging to be finished that we get to "count for school". LOL! I'm planning a visit to the Egyptology Institute at the local university as well as a weekend field trip to the Parthenon in Nashville in conjunction with this year's studies. A life mask project and the making of a chicken mummy just sound WAY cool to my little budding forensic scientist.

It should be an excellent year.