Friday, September 5, 2008

First Week of School

We started school on Tuesday. The week went rather well, even though Grace woke up on our first day with a pretty nasty cold. However, she was a trooper and plowed through her schoolwork with diligence, all week long. I did condense her studies for the week; we focused on the basics of reading, writing, math, spelling, and grammar. We will add in the rest of her curriculum as she gets to feeling better.



With Grace being sick, I was even more thankful that we homeschool. Had she been going to a public/private school, she would have missed the entire week! Being at home, she was able to set her own speed for doing her schoolwork, taking little breaks when she needed to. So not only did she get the comfort of being home while she was sick, but she's not behind in all of her studies.


Jacob was very excited about starting kindergarten. He loves that he has his own books and papers to do for school. I'm starting out with just the basics for him also, so as not to overwhelm him these first couple of weeks. As we get more settled into a routine, I will introduce other subjects for him to explore.


I was a little nervous about what our days were going to look like, now that I have two full-time students. However, it seems as though we have found a pretty good rotation that allows me to be available to each of them, when needed.


Of course, there is Miss Abby to tend to, also. I've been trying my best to keep her involved in her own learning enrichment activities. However, there is only so much a 3 year-old - or atleast my 3 year-old - can do before she is ready to move on to the next thing. Often times the next thing is her sister's pencils or her brother's math manipulatives, while they are trying to use them. So I need to organize some more learning stations or activities to keep her occupied.



I'm looking forward to this year of learning and spiritual growth, not only for our kids, but also for myself. It never ceases to amaze me how much God teaches me, while I am teaching them.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love hearing how you homeschool your kids. Tim and I want to homeschool our kids, and although I can ask my mom some questions, it would be helpful to hear about homeschooling little kids, as we were older when we started (although 4th and 6th grade isn't that much older).

Homeschooling has definitely paid off for you guys; I am always so impressed with how smart, polite, and well-behaved your kids are whenever I see them.

Alissa

Nicki said...

Thanks, Alissa! It is always reassuring to hear things like that. Sometimes I can be so filled with self doubt and think that I'm just royally screwing my kids up! :) Jeff is always quick to remind me that God is working in them...in spite of me! So, like anything else, I give Him all the glory.

When it comes time for little Sam to start school, I'd be glad to help you in anyway. Just ask!