So, on Friday, we officially reached our halfway point of Homeschooling Year #5.
Which meant today I had to organize our next semester.
We have had a pretty good, but also way too busy, year thus far. Next semester, I somehow want to try and scale back and leave more time for nature studies, art, playing at the swimming pool, etc. I am not sure yet how I will be able to do that.
Some insights thus far:
-Claire has decided she wants to no longer do math as the first subject of the day. Normally, because it is our hardest subject, we do that first to get it done with. She told me a few weeks she doesn't want to do that. She wants to start with easier subjects and work her way up. I was leery of this idea, but it actually seems to be working really, really well.
-Thank goodness for our weekly recess! We have a great group of homeschool kids in our area, and we get together every Tuesday for recess, and it is so much fun for the kids. They climb trees, make up games, have teddy bear picnics, and all sorts of great things. It is really fun to watch, and the girls really, really look forward to it every week.
-Spelling is getting very tedious. I can't decide if I think it is important enough to stress over any more or not. I know it is important, but so are a million other things. And, at some point, you have to make choices of what to let go of. You can't do everything.
-I am thinking of making major changes for next year (as in, when we start our new school year in the summer). I absolutely LOVE our curriculum- especially the part where I do zero lesson planning. But, it is intense. Especially our writing. Audra and Claire are writing 3 paragraph essays using prepositional starters, who/which clauses, -ly adverbs, etc. every week. It makes for great writing, but also sometimes reluctant writers. With Audra entering 7th grade next year, I know my opportunities for having a relaxed, fun curriculum are growing slimmer and slimmer. I am thinking next year we may take a much more relaxed approach to our homeschool. Still learning, of course, but not with as much intensity. Of course, just thinking of it makes me start to hyperventilate. That's why we can't possibly start this until next year so I have time to think about and process the idea.
-Camille is really coming along with her reading. She really likes the hour of one-on-one time each day that we work together on reading, writing, and grammar without her sisters. I also enjoy being able to have individual time with her each day. Thankfully, Claire and Audra do a great job of working independently on certain subjects while we do this.
-Audra is definitely ready for some more advanced work- especially with reading. I am thinking of signing her up for some on-line classes that have group discussions and such for her. She does get some of that at Cloverleaf which is great. Her teachers at Cloverleaf absolutely adore her. She is in the middle school program now and really seems to enjoy it.
There are never enough hours in the day to get everything that we want done, BUT- we are generally done by 3 every day. With no homework, that does leave them the afternoon and evening to play and/or do whatever nightly activities we have. I have a bit of stress over getting everything done each day, as we do have a very full curriculum. But, at least we aren't drilling into the night and ruining our family time. Fall typically is our busiest season, by far, so I'm hoping things slow down this semester.
Either way, I truly am grateful for this life we have. We are truly very, very blessed.
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