Back to school: at home

What do you do when it’s back to school at home?

Two and a half weeks and we are BACK TO SCHOOL! We’re going to start on August 15th, and then have a holiday the next Monday to celebrate our newest Kindergartner’s 5th birthday… or 1st grade. Hard to say. She’s turning 5 but she has first grade workbooks. My oldest one would be entering 2nd grade but has 3rd grade workbooks.

Looking back it is clear that time flies. Remember when Kindergarten didn’t make sense? Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. That’s a song. It’s cyclical, but I don’t want to go on that tangent. At any rate, we will have 2 in ‘real’ school this year and one floating back and forth. It is possible we will have her join us after she turns 3 for preschool. I’m not sure how I feel about that. Maybe I’ll just hide and it will go away?!?

Just kidding.

Here’s what’s coming in back to school:

This year we’re going to be talking US Geography. This is brought on, of course, by the election. At their ages I think they ought to be able to figure out where our country is on a map and maybe name a few states. Ideally our location, too.

I’m taking a bit of a different approach this year, nabbing workbooks instead of doing a ton of printing so far–and trying to get ahead of requesting books so they’ll all be ready in time for school to start. My other evil plan is to borrow from an Un-schooling idea of leaving books around for the kids to read or look at in their spare time. I’ll still read some things, maybe on good non-fiction book on the topic, and a lot of fun stories, but the rest will be take it or leave it. I’m hoping that will have an effect of lessening boredom with the topic being repeated–non-fiction books are superb but often give the same exact facts along with others. You know?

We also ordered a monthly science experiment kit for the next year. That could last us as long as 2 years if we don’t do them all year round and save them for specific months or if we don’t finish all the activities in each month and just do them as we want to instead of trying to push through them all at once. We also got an inexpensive science experiment book. I have an online unit of study that was downloaded and will be picking from that, too. Time will tell how it all works out, but I’m enjoying the process.

All in all it’s going to be a pretty eclectic year. I’m excited that it’s almost back to school time. I can’t wait to hear the public school kids moaning about how awful it is to be in class ALL DAY. I know it shouldn’t make me snarky, but it makes up a little bit for when my kids are whiny about how LONG they have to work.

Save