School Day #10

  Today is our 10th day of our homeschooling experience, and we are loving every minute of it! I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be able to homeschool my children.

  People ask sometimes what a day of Kindergarten homeschool is like. Here's how today went:
1) Up at 6 a.m. to do some housework before time to get the girls up at 6:45 a.m.
2) Sit down to breakfast at 7 a.m. As we are nearing the end of our meal, we had Bible Study (Gen. 9:18 -28, The Sons of Noah). While I do breakfast dishes, the girls get dressed and ready for school.
3) "Morning Meeting" at 8 a.m. This included time for each:  attendance (I mark our chart), calendar (day of the week, month, date, year, and "Count the School Days So Far"), weather (we have a weather chart), Pledges (American, Christian, and Bible), opening prayer, then "A-Manner-A-Day".
4) Art - Today they used markers, glitter glue, and "gemstones" to decorate a wood plaque (Maddy's was a pile of candy and Kenna's was a cupcake).
5)  Math - We used the pictograph we had made earlier in the week and practiced reading a graph. We also explored with Teddy Bear counters (we used Teddy Grahams and snacked along the way, too) and Pattern Blocks.
6)  Handwriting - Practiced printing the letter "E", in both upper and lower cases.
7) Science - Observing everyday, familiar things. Today we took note of "Same and Different".
8) Reading - Read "Marie, Simply Adorable", "Rat-a-tat, Cat", "A Frog in the Bog", and "Let's Eat". We usually only read two books aloud, but the first two are about Disney's Marie from Aristocats and they were very short. "Let's Eat" also helped us explore some new Spanish words. We then worked on labeling objects around the classroom (family room) and living room with those items that begin with the letter we are working on. Also worked with our Leap Frog Word Whammer ( an educational phonics toy). We work on sounding out words and recognizing "sight words" all day long.
9)  Spanish - Continued to practice on the color words.
10) Social Studies - Studied about the children of Russia. Watched a National Geographic Kids video on Russia's volcanoes, and later in the day Maddy sent a postcard depicting a scene from the Russian culture to 6 of her friends/pen pals she just hooked up with this afternoon (all people I know and using our homeschool e-mail account).
11)  Computer - Learned more about digital pictures. Once school is "out" for the day, Maddy practices her mouse skills by playing about 30 minutes of educational computer games.
12)  Music - We did "strike up a note" off and on throughout the day. Singing "Days of the Week" and "Stars and Stripes" during "Morning Meeting", playing children's favorites during lunch break, and listening to music during P.E.
13)  Maddy journals each day in a Primary Journal. She draws her favorite part of the day and then signs her name to the page. I "transcribe" any notes she wants added.
14)  P.E. is the final subject of the official school day. Outside whenever possible, today was drizzling. We used the giant balance ball indoors.

Seems like a lot to fill the day. But remember, I am not having to corral and help a dozen or more children with their worksheets and lessons. Kenna joins in class when she wants to - usually for Bible Study, Morning Meeting, Art, math (especially when there are Teddy Grahams to eat!), reading aloud (takes place in Dad's recliner with the girls on each side snuggled in), and P.E. (good for her balance and legs). Sometimes, computer (she's very impatient and gets frustrated easily because she doesn't have the control she wants to work the mouse, but it'll come). At other times she either does her own playing but comes to me often with "dishes" she's made or to help her with whatever she is playing with. I don't mind the disruptions. Although she is always welcome to join us, I don't push her to do it all...after all she's only 3 and will be doing all this when it's time for her to start kindergarten. She has her own student desk, and her own supplies. Sometimes, she sits at her desk while Maddy and I are doing a subject and colors or plays quietly. Her "school job" right now, as far as I'm concerned, is just to be a kid.