Aspasia Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Do you have a set day? How far in advance do you set it? Any rituals to kick off the new year? Pictures? I'm super casual about it, and sometimes that makes me feel guilty. Just wondering how common the new-school-year flair is, I guess. Just how deprived are my kids? ;) (Maybe I should get it together and then I wouldn't worry about deprivation.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 I'm pretty casual, too. Sometimes I remember to take pictures and post them on Facebook. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 We start the day after our church's first day of the church year. Clear as mud? So we have our first day of the year party at church September 1st, then begin school September 2nd. We don't really have any rituals. I guess they draw self-portraits for their binder. I do try to make it a "fun" week. We watch more things like magic school bus, documentaries, ect. We will watch fantasia to kick off our study of the orchestra this year, for example. I'm also more likely to do big messy projects- I have the energy still, lol. We are going to make a paper mâché globe in geography and I guarantee I will never touch paper mâché again this year. We do more rituals the last day- about me fors to fill out, end of the year pictures, special breakfast. At the beginning I'm too busy planning the schooling to plan rituals ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 It has changed from year to year, honestly. I keep trying to make it be something but it's been sort of tough, honestly. It moves. We're always just flowing into the next thing it seems like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 We have often attended our local area's "Not back to school day," which is a giant picnic at a beach. It's a great time to meet-up with other moms and families in the area that you don't usually get to see regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Not a big deal for us, because I figured we were learning all the time so how would I know when we *started*? (or when we *ended*, for that matter). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 We school informally from mid-May through July. Formal lessons resume the first Monday of August. We do a fun hands-on project the afternoon of the first day. Otherwise, our special thing is to have a field trip the first day of public school. We go to one of the venues we have avoided during the crowded summer months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbeym Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 We're very casual about the first day of school. Usually it's breakfast at IHOP and then whatever else is scheduled for the day. This year it's brunch because DS has choir across town at 1pm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 I am starting Tuesday and would like to do something fun also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Not a big deal here. We have a start date, usually based on when summer camps are over in June. I take pictures the first day. That's about it. We usually start something new that day, but some things will be carry over from the previous year (which ended 3-4 weeks earlier). When my oldest was in school, I didn't make a huge deal either. I'm not a make a big deal over every little thing type of mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coralloyd Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 We school year around. I view school as part of our life. We just take breaks whenever they are needed. We actually took two months off this summer to go on an rv trip. We do this every year, but this year I dropped the ball. Usually, we do a little school work a few times a week while gone.This time we barely did any. I will never do that again! We had to do so much review! No, school for us is something we just do everyday we can with no fan fair. My kids get excited when they start a new book or curriculum, but none of that is at exactly the same time. I don't feel they are missing anything. They get to do and see a lot that other kids never will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 I clean the schoolroom and straighten/rearrange the shelves with new curriculum. We have a nice breakfast, and talk about the new stuff we are going to be doing. On the first day, we also have a nice lunch and a better than average tea treat. We do shorter lessons, but we do everything. The thing they most look forward to is that I give each of them a gift of half useful/half fun school supplies. Some stuff from the past years (not all of this in one year!)...library totes, tea mugs and tea, art supplies, pretty gel pens (some Moonlight ones that write on black paper), Thinking Putty, general school supplies that happen to be extra cute, hall passes (LOL), gum (LOTS of gum), Post-It notes (ditto)... A few years ago I gave them each a little Safari tortoise and I got the Mama Tortoise, and those are our mascots. The big hits this year were the Emergency Brains and neurons and insulated straw tumblers. I am happy to make a big deal about it. We like rituals here. Plus, my kids' friends are all public schooled, and I like giving them a somewhat similar bit of excitement to celebrate the seasons of life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 We really don't do much. I am big on traditions and things, but the first day of school never seems like a huge deal to me. I kind of wish that I had taken pictures the first day, but I didn't. I may this year if I think about it. I like the idea of doing a special breakfast. I may try that this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 We school year-round, but I do try to make the first day of a new grade special. We might have something special for breakfast and/or lunch; there are some little new school supplies; I take a picture on the front porch. I ask a few interview questions and show him all the new materials (some of which he may already have peeked at). This year I am going to make some changes to the big bulletin board in our school area. So, you know, not a bouncy castle or anything, but it's definitely a first day of school. We are people who like to be systematically oriented to new experiences. =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 A big deal. I give gift bags full of little goodies and we usually have some kind of party. In the past I've made yummy drinks and snacks. This year we went to IHOP for pancakes. It's always fun. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivey Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 It's not a big deal for us. We'll start next Monday or Tuesday, depending on when my older boys finish repairing and painting the fence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 We usually start the Monday after summer classes end. There's a party, the weekend, then back to school. It's not a big deal. We just ease into our new school stuff. This year, we didn't do summer classes, missed the party, we were sick, then I needed time to prepare, so we started a little late. I lost my camera, so no pictures. I wasn't ready, so we only did two days and only had half of our subjects. It took us about two weeks to get up to speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Ours is usually very laid back and full of sighs, lol. But I think we're going to join a Not Back to School picnic this year... at the end of our second week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalLynn Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Sometimes the first day of school is celebrated by going to the beach. ;-) I'm pretty relaxed about most "celebrations" and rarely make a big deal about anything, with birthdays and Christmas being the exceptions. This year I'm just going to make waffles and that'll be it. My little one will be 15 in two weeks, so I don't think she minds not having balloons and posters and goody bags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 We school year round, but I make a big deal of the day the public school kids go back. It's kind of like our own personal Not Back to School party. We go out to eat for breakfast at Denny's. This year I'm doing a school supply scavenger hunt. I take pictures of them holding their new grade level. Then we're going to the Houston Zoo for the day since there will be NO one there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Above The Rowan Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 We have often attended our local area's "Not back to school day," which is a giant picnic at a beach. It's a great time to meet-up with other moms and families in the area that you don't usually get to see regularly. Weird. We do this too! We have a Not Back To School picnic at a beach in our town. Makes me wonder which part of Ontario you are from, perchance we are neighbours ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 We school year round, too, but we do view the local first day of school as the start of our "new" school year. We do pics (in pajamas), and they get their new school supplies in some fun way - we've done schultutes, scavenger hunts, wrapped as gifts, all kinds of stuff. Then we do a little bit of work and go to the park. The first week of Sep is our annual Not-Back-To-School Vacation. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 The first day of school is a pretty big deal here. Our calendar is similar to the local public school, but they started at various times this past week and we are starting Monday. We start the day with a special breakfast and then jump into learning. I give out weekly schedules (in pdf form) and they will get the first one emailed to them tomorrow. Our summer schedule is pretty laid back. It mostly revolves around dd's gymnastics schedules, with lots of in eruptions for camps, mission trips, vacations, etc. The change to the school schedule with a morning start time and structured days is a big deal for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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