Getting ready for school...

[Caroline]

I am going into my third year of teaching. I am teaching AP and multivariable calculus this year. My oldest is starting high school. My dd is starting kindergarten a year early at a private school. My youngest is starting preschool.

 

We are making the most of summer. My oldest watched How to be a Superstar Student from teaching company. He did a lot of reading, and worked on NEM from Singapore. My rising third grader did Singapore 3B, made Lego movies, and read. In the past two weeks, he read the first three Harry Potter books. My dd did Get Ready and Get Set for the Code, and we started The Reading Lesson. She is sounding out words. And our two year old has increased his vocabulary by leaps and bounds.

 

For fun, we did six weeks of swim team. We just got back from three weeks at the beach. At the beach, we saw the Space Shuttle launch, swam with a manatee, totally by surprise, and hung out with cousins and grandparents.

 

So now there are two weeks left before I go back, and three weeks left before the kids go back. We are going to relax, get school clothes, shoes, and supplies. I think we might even get a picutre taken with the kids all blonde and tan from the beach.

 

So, what all have you done this summer? When do you go back? What are your plans for the coming year?

[LeeAnn Balbirona]

Actually we still have seven weeks left until public school begins in our local district. I taught everyone at home last year--and didn't really call an end to the school year until just last week--so in some ways it feels like our vacation is just beginning.

 

However, since I am most likely putting them all into public school this fall, I have been doing some prep for the new academic year.

 

 

• I requested immunization records from our doctor.
  
• I called the local preschool for registration forms for the 7 hrs/week 3yo class.
  
• I am frantically trying to get the 3yo toilet trained!
  
• I picked up the supplies list for the middle school and purchased them all. (Even if for some reason I don't end up sending my 6th grader to ps, they are materials I can still use).
  
• I bought backpacks and lunchboxes for the 3yo and 6yo, who've never had their own before. That was fun! (The 3yo chose a "Cars" backpack and the 6yo chose a pink monkey themed set.)
  
• I'm planning a short tutorial in the metric system for my 11yo. We used MUS Epsilon last year--no metric. In PS, metric is introduced in 4th/5th, so she needs to brush up on it before starting math at the middle school. Also decimals. Just one of those kinks in the road of transitioning between two very different curricula.
  

In the meantime, my oldest has been gobbling up the Percy Jackson books and writing stories. My 2nd oldest has taken on an ambitious sewing project. They both went with my hubby to "Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work" day yesterday and followed that up with viewing HP6 at the movie theatre. My youngest girl is making friends with a new boy across the street and swimming and just enjoying summer...and reading up a storm. My son, who is 3yo, is still working on that toilet thing!

 

Still upcoming: choir camp (for the older two) and VBS week (for everyone, including me, since I'm the VBS director).

 

For the coming school year, I plan to have some Bible reading/Saints stories/devotional time in the morning, possibly including the Liturgy of the Hours. After school the older two will work on CLAA's Grammar I online course (Latin) and all three girls have already started CLAA Catechism I, which they'll continue. I plan to give them the LCC literature/history books (which I'd already purchased for this year) to read during winter and spring breaks.

 

I am still thinking and formulating a plan for possibly going back to work. I am looking forward to a few quiet mornings when school starts. As much as I love the curriculum I'd chosen and love being with my kids, I am just craving some peace and quiet. So I have picked my favorite parts of homeschooling and decided to do those before/after school and let the public school take care of the rest (for now).

[FairProspects]

Our co-op preschool doesn't start until the 3rd week of September so our summer is only halfway over! That said, I'm the treasurer for the non-profit preschool and I have to fix all of the tax forms from last year:tongue_smilie:.

 

I'm going to get DS's an eye exam since he may be learning to read this year and will be focusing on more up close things in general. I'm also working on planning the literature/history/geography lessons we will be doing once a week starting in September.

 

Oh, and I got DS #2 potty-trained. Huge accomplishment there!

[MBM]

So, what all have you done this summer? When do you go back? What are your plans for the coming year?

We've had a busy summer in part due to visiting Chicago twice a week.

 

My son finally found his sport -- fencing! He takes lessons Monday through Saturday and will continue this fall.

 

He and I also workout together now that he's reached the age our gym will allow him to use the equipment. Put me on a treadmill in front of HGTV, and I can run for hours! (We don't have cable, and, yes, I'm pathetic.)

 

Ds also goes to the pool or bike rides with friends, or they get together and play video games.

 

What he's done academically so far this summer:

--about two hours of math daily

--Science Fair project due next February

--one hour of Wheelock's daily which has been fun (aiming for one chapter/week)

--four to five days of Classical Writing and Rod and Staff grammar

--read books assigned by his school

----Dandelion Wine / Bradbury

----Outcast / Sutcliff

----Ghosts I Have Been / Peck

----A Fine White Dust / Rylant

----Adam of the Road / Gray

--Men of Rome and D'Aulaire's Greek Myths

--read Realms of Gold as time permitted

--ditched Shakespeare's Richard III

--but added Comedy of Errors!

--saxophone lessons

 

We have visited a number of museums in Chicago, gone to several outdoor concerts, and plan to see Water Fools at the Shakespeare Theater in August which is free to anyone who might be interested. This weekend we went to Milwaukee's Italian Fest and saw the San Gemini flag throwers.

 

School starts August 26th but math (my son is in 7th but takes classes at a local high school) starts September 1st bright and early -- 7:30. Ugh. I am not looking forward to that because I have to drive him there, wait for class to finish and then rush him back to school. Every. Single. Day. Bleah.

 

During the school year, we plan to continue math, Classical Writing/R&S, Wheelock's (one chapter per month), Shakespeare, Realms of Gold, fencing, swimming, and sax. I really need to figure out a way to fit in some geography, though.

Edited July 21, 2009 by MBM