First Week of Homeschool.....WE DID IT!

So stress set in on Sunday night as I anticipated Monday morning's first day back to our school schedule...yep I was worried.  Of course I was, we've had fun just playing around and getting loads of outside activities. I will count the hours we have spent doing different things like camping, fishing, kayaking, gardening, reading, etc... as hours in our home school but the schedule is a must now.  We have had more free time and I felt it the past couple of weeks as kids started looking, acting, and saying they were bored.  But starting a schedule means mom has to be on top of her game.  So here's what our first week consisted of and looked like.  Yep you heard me our home school has a look right now!  lol

First off............We start our day with scripture study, where everyone reads as a family 1 Chapter in our scriptures.  We divide the chapter into 6 parts so that everyone in the family reads equally.  Some of us struggle with this and some of us thrive here, but it's an amazing start to our day.

Next..............Everyone starts their day household responsibilities while I start breakfast, then everyone eats and finishes those responsibilities.

Third............The kids head to the basement where they have decided to set up specific desks.  So last week my oldest daughter said I think we should all have our own desk or space to do our school work.  In the past it's been the kitchen table, because it was easy.  But I decided to give it a try.  Some of them picked their spots and I place the others where I thought would be convenient.  The same daughter also suggested we trade spots once a month like we do our household responsibilities, so that's the goal.  They decorated and organized their desks last week preparing for Monday to get here.  It has definitely helped them sit and do their work by having their own little space that they set up.  I of course had to take some things away that would have distracted them but for the most part they did it themselves.

Fourth...............We start school.  Difference between last year and this year.  I'm on my game.  My goal is to be prepared for the week ahead of time so that I can put the material in front of them and they take off with it. We have started Math Mammoth for our math.  I am pushing through this with my older kids to try and get them into something more advanced (not sure what yet).   For History we are going to be doing a couple of things.  I love the Story of the World  series and hope to start back reading it to them soon. But I also feel the push to have them understand our AMERICAN History RIGHT NOW.  And because of current events and the dangers of our Country not sticking to the constitution, we are starting off with this.  I have the kids currently doing a lap book I downloaded from Currclick for The Declaration of Independence, which I plan on doing more lap books on American History.  I also am in the process of getting "All About Spelling" so we will be starting that and catching up on our spelling so that we can read better and learn a few missed concepts.    For reading we are doing the same thing as last year.  Grab your book and read for an hour each day.  It's my quiet time!!!  And i love it.  After they are finished reading then they write a summary of what they read so I know if they really did read and they get in handwriting and grammar at that time as well. 

That's our day in a Nutshell. I know it won't always go perfect, but this week has gone really Good and I think it's because I am finally feeling organized and I am preparing better than I ever have.