The Homeschool Mother’s Journal 2011-2012 — Week 3

In my life this week… I’ve been working on cleaning out bookshelves, taking care of myself, and getting ready for a trip out of town next week. Trying to brace myself for teary children at the airport.

In our homeschool this week… we had our first session of Zoo School which was really awesome for Ben. He learned about the scientific method in a rudimentary way by making goo and got to touch a snake (these are the highlights of the experience — according to Ben). Katie continues to work on her tot school curriculum, and demonstrated to P that she is learning to recognize her alphabet.

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share… Relax. Seriously. I find that homeschool goes so much more smoothly if I relax and try not to tie heavy expectations to activities, etc.

I am inspired by… Angela at Satori Smiles

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing… We went to Zoo School which was great for Ben and not as great for Katie. Unfortunately, the zoo was closed, so Katie couldn’t wander through like she usually does. She was exceptionally good about sitting in the classroom and only freaked out when they brought in the snake (which was fine because Mom wasn’t doing a whole lot better; have I mentioned that I’m terrified of snakes). Katie had her second dance class and it went very well. She is very happy in her class and it seems to be an excellent fit of instructor and skills for her.

My favorite thing this week was… having lunch with my best friend. It was awesome to see her and to spend some time with her.

What’s working/not working for us… We’re still struggling with the shift in workload from K to 1st, but it’s getting a little easier. It’s taking us two weeks, minimum to get through a unit that I thought would take a week. So, I may have been overly ambitious or we may just need to take a slower pace right now. I’m not sure which. We’ll see as we keep going.

Things I’m working on… I’m currently working on a quilt for Katie. My goal is to have the strips pieced before I leave for Michigan on Wednesday.

I’m reading… Seasons of a Mother’s Heart by Sally Clarkson.

I’m cooking… Not much at the moment. Hoping to make a couple of treats for while I’m away.

I’m grateful for…
Good friends. P taking time so that I can go on this trip (even if it’s for work and not for fun).

A photo, video, link, or quote to share… Ben did an excavation project from Little Passport’s Egypt kit this week. It was not on the schedule, but he seemed to need some fun time as a shift of focus/emphasis. He enjoyed it a lot. In this photo series you can see what he found:

To find out what’s happening in other homeschools, check out The Homeschool Chick’s post and link list!

*Links to books are ALWAYS Amazon affiliate links.I make virtually nothing for linking there, but maybe someday I can buy one of my books that way :).