two.

3:04pm: The children have just finished their studies for the day. I'm cleaning up the classroom and attempting to actually prepare something for tomorrow. I feel like a real teacher!
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Drum roll please.....

Our first week of school was a big success!

Ironically, by the second day we were already off-schedule due to grey skies and rain. It hadn't rained in months, so we spent an extra hour working in the garden. (So much for my scheduling prowess, eh?) But we harvested shallots and planted more carrots and radishes. The late start was worth it and we managed to get back on track by eliminating P.E. and recess that day. No worries! As the week progressed, I found that it was easiest to loosely follow the schedule but to also follow the children's lead. Sometimes they wanted to spend more time on a subject and less on another. Ironically, it all worked out in the end.

I also realized pretty quickly that I needed to break up the academics differently, so that there was a nice mix of listening to stories, doing worksheets, and conducting experiments all included in each hour. As we go along, my goal is to introduce more hands-on learning and nature based education.

I will say that teaching two grades at the same time is a little challenging, but I'm mostly focusing on my 1st grader since Pre-K isn't required. Some subjects are a little too advanced for Max anyway, so I figure he can listen and absorb. When it gets to be too much, he can go to his room to build a train track, do a puzzle or play with Legos.

On Friday (our fun day) the children chose to have a cooking lesson. They made banana-blueberry muffins all on their own. I taught them about measurement and chemical processes, how to use appliances and clean up after themselves. They had so much fun, it didn't even dawn on them that it was still "school." What a good reminder that everything we do with our children is a great opportunity to teach!

Yesterday, I spent about an hour organizing the next three weeks worth of schoolwork and worksheets into binders. Today ran infinitely smoother and I imagine the more organized and planned I can get -- the easier this will be. I'm feeling very positive all around!

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Finally, I just wanted to say that I truly appreciated your supportive comments! Homeschooling has come a long way since the 1970's and 80's when most of us were growing up. There has been a sizable increase in the past few years (40% more than in 2003) in the amount of children being homeschooled in the United States. There are tons of curriculum options available now and I think it goes without saying that are a lot of good reasons to do it! It's efficient, significantly less expensive than private school and there's a level of control (knowing what your children are being taught and who is influencing them) that you just can't have in a regular school setting.

One of the things I noticed most about this past week was that I felt very connected to my children. I can't tell you how many times in the past where I've felt bad about being so preoccupied with everything I needed to do (whether it be laundry, photography work, cleaning, catching up on emails, messing around on the computer, etc.) This week they weren't pining for my attention at the end of the day because they had it all day long. That felt really good!

I'm still trying to figure out how I will get everything else done though. This has forced me to manage my time wisely. It is no doubt a sacrifice on my part, but one that feels completely worthwhile and surprisingly natural.

How long will it last? I'll let you know! But for now, all is good...

PS. I promise to add photos to these posts as soon as I get my act together. It's painful to look at the screen without visuals! :)