Back to School--First Grade

Six weeks of summer was plenty for us.  We were able to do all sorts of fun things, and I think we were all ready to get back at it.

We didn't go back to school shopping this year.  First, because we didn't need a single school supply.  Not one!  Second, because it was the middle of July when we went back to school, so thinking of shopping for fall clothes didn't really make sense. So I figured we'd just do a "Back to School" (homeschool) alternative and make some special shopping day in the fall when the rush has died down and we actually need a few things.

We did stick with our tradition of having ice cream for dinner the night before school.  Of course this is a tradition that both kids love.

We also did our back to school pictures.

I went back and forth for a while trying to decide on curriculum.  I taught first grade for 6 years, and I love everything about it.  So picking and choosing would have been a lot of fun for me.  Ultimately, I kept being drawn back to My Father's World.  I'm still keeping an open mind each year, but for this year, I think this is really what God wants for us and our family.

Some of it is still on the easier side for Olivia, but I really want her to know all of the rules and not just skip it because she's a good reader.  So we are learning the  phonics rules (even though she's reading at a second grade level) and then just challenging her with other things when we feel it necessary.

Besides buying the curriculum, I think the only other thing I did was add a bookshelf.  I needed something taller than the cubes to hold my teacher's manuals.  Also, the kindergarten caterpillar came down and a line of painters tape went up for our (history/Bible) time line.

Logan has 3 trays to choose from, or he sits at the table with us and does art type stuff--stickers, dot art (his favorite), water painting, coloring, scissor practice, etc.

Let the fun begin!