Enough Of The Slack - We're Back To Schooling

After a relaxing two month break from schooling year round for the last 18 months, today marks the first day of our 2006-2007 school year. Two months was just enough for a real break, and I mean a break from EVERY thing (including daily duties like making beds and chores). The kids deserved a little slack and a true summer siesta.

There was no locking of the doors this term. The kids had a chance to eye up things that I laid out in preparation for the new term. While the Grace and Jack voiced many times how much they couldn't wait to get started with schooling again, the fanfare was more tempered, compared to entering the 2005-2006 year. The day was honestly picture perfect...Faith took an unheard of two hour nap, and the children and I spent a great morning together.

We eased into the day with an art project I came up with while traveling down the Walmart craft aisles - a wooden circle, white paint, glue, and the decorative flat bottomed glass pieces you find in the vase and flower arranging aisles. In minutes, the children had a colorful glass coaster. The glass pieces also double as excellent math counters because of their weight and colors.

The children also enjoyed our hands on geography lesson as they created their own World Maps using a continent rubber stamping set.

In full Charlotte Mason gear, we played our first round of The Wild Seed game teaching the importance of seasons and how the elements and environment affect a plant's life cycle. Take the idea of Candyland and kick it up 3 knotches.

After an introduction to Mary Cassatt with a few games of I Spy, we hit the hard stuff. The next hour entailed the usual in copywork, reading and math. Jack took some coaxing out of his perfectionistic tendencies as he refamiliarized himself with writing freehand. Turns out rough housing with Daddy is a motivating reward for freehanding the letters D, E, and F. Grace enjoyed her first composition book with space for drawing pictures. Below are two lines from a poem by Christina Rossetti, and an accompanying drawing by Grace. (Remember the days of having a fresh new marker set?)

It feels good to be back in the saddle again. Nothing is truly more rewarding then hearing similar words from my children. But, after staying up until 1:00am last night, readying up the room, I'm dirt tired. I have a feeling that I am not alone though, as homeschooling moms across the nation gear up for the school year.

Happy first day of school to all of you other schooling mothers that started in August!!! (Now go get some sleep.)