Fuzzy Giraffe Elementary

One week down, 35 more to go.

Here's some first day of school pictures.

Claire, kindie:

 Audra, 2nd grade:

 Camille- Audra labeled her sign "Mess School" because she is so good at making messes:

 We started school off on Tuesday. After devotional (which consisted of reading a story from The Friend, a song, and reciting an Article of Faith) I sat the kids down to name our school and create a banner. After some discussion, the kids decided on "Fuzzy Giraffe Elementary." This might be why 5-year-olds are not allowed to name regular brick and mortar elementary schools. I think I will make us all some Fuzzy Giraffe Elementary t-shirts.

Here is their banner. Camille's poster is on the bottom:

 Fuzzy Giraffe Elementary: Develop and learn through nature and authentic opportunities as a family knit in love and unity. (That's a lofty mission statement. We'll see how it turns out)

 I also asked the girls what they would like to learn and do this year. Here are their answers:

Claire
-Catch butterflies
-Catch worms
-Explore nature
-Learn to read
-Pick flowers and put them in a cup
-Do crafts
-Learn to bake

Audra
-Do crafts
-Have music and dance
-Play games
-Learn to flip pancakes


Overall, the first week went well. Not great, but well. There are definitely some things I need to figure out! The biggest challenge so far is keeping Camille entertained. I have learned that if  I spend 10 minutes just with her first thing in the morning, she does better the rest of the day.

It is taking us awhile to figure out our rhythm. I wouldn't say the days are running smoothly quite yet. But, we are figuring it out and it's OK. The first day we pushed through, but I realized it was too much. The second day we had more breaks- we read books while eating snacks outside, which was WAY better than just reading. Also, I need one-on-one time with each child every day. I found some on-line games that one can play while the other works with me. They love being able to be on the computer- even though it is only for a few minutes- and I get time with each kid. Basically, we're figuring it out.

So far, the girls seem to like homeschool. We were eating lunch one day and Audra was saying how much better it is to eat lunch at home because she wasn't rushed and wasn't getting yelled at. This was validated when I met with one of my friends that same night and she talked about how she met her daughter at school to eat lunch with her. It was the second day of school, and she said the lunch lady was yelling and screaming at the kids to be quiet, and they only had about 13 minutes to eat lunch. She was upset, but it made me happy because Audra wasn't there.

Plus, we do get done by around 1 each day. Unless it is a park day with friends, where we switch and go to the park in the morning and then do school later in the day (which works out really well because then Camille is taking her nap!). I love the flexibility!

Ben has every other Friday off, so yesterday I told the girls that as soon as they finished school, we would go to the park and they could play in the river- something they LOVE to do, but we haven't had time to do all summer. They did work hard and were done with their work by 11:30. We packed a lunch and headed out.

 The park has a train, where we take an annual picture:

 They also have a petting zoo:

 We are reading Charlotte's Web for school, and this petting zoo had a tribute to the book which was pretty neat:

 Then they got to go play in the river. Pretty cool recess, huh?

It was fun to think that while her former classmates were still in school,  Audra got to be playing in the river with her sisters.

But, of course, that isn't to say that this week was all kicks and giggles. The girls are expected to do work, and there were a few tears this week. This is a complete lifestyle change, and this will take us weeks, months, and possibly even years to figure out as we tweak and decide what works best for us. Even in just this week, I can see the pros of homeschool and can easily see why so many choose to do it. But, I can also see the cons and why so many people quit homeschooling after a year or two. It's a balancing act.

Soon, the co-op classes will start, as will ballet and piano and all that life has to offer. Once we get in our full schedule and figure out our routines, I think things will run more smoothly.  Until then, we will keep working hard and trying our best. It will all work out, I am sure.