The Homeschool Plan 2018-2019

A new school year is coming quickly! This year we have a 1st grader, preschooler, and baby in tow. Here's the plan!

John - 1st Grade

John is entering his second year with Mother of Divine Grace. We discovered last year that he is a little math nerd and he is beyond excited to have a "much bigger math book AND a test book!"
(I don't think he gets it from me, folks.)
We are branching out on some of the classes this year, and John will be doing a science and nature observation course with a local nature center. This will be our first time using outside resources for an academic subject, so it's exciting for everyone!

Therese - Preschool (year 2)

Therese is starting the new MODG preschool program this year. It's a new program, and a deviation from my usual system of add-in-a-few-workbooks-and-do-letters-and-numbers. But Therese felt that her school wasn't "real school" like her brother, and she felt a little left out. Now she gets an (age/developmentally appropriate) version of the program her big brother is using.

Felicity - Babyhood (year 2)

Not really part of the schoolers yet, but gets to spend her mornings in the kitchen with us anyway.
Her job is to get mobile this year and generally keep being awesome.
I think she'll do fine. ;)

Extra-curricular Activities

Ballet

This is John's third year of Ballet school, and Therese's first. We are switching studios this year so that they can have overlapping classes (can I get a scheduling hallelujah?!). Their new school is much closer to our house, and allows me to have a break from the downtown rush hour drive. We loved MDT though, and will probably go back if the kids want to continue to performance division level.

Homeschool Days

Minnesota is a great place to homeschool, and, now that we don't have a newborn, we get to take advantage of homeschool specific days! Our area parks, nature centers, and rec centers have programs like Winter Family Fun Days (snowshoeing and sledding at a farm), maple syruping, honey harvest, sports clinics, etc. We are planning on getting a lot of our science on outside!

Things I Haven't Heard of Yet

Because we start a solid month before anyone else in our area, it's hard to know what all of our options will be until closer to Fall. So it's very possible that the kids/family will participate in something I haven't heard of yet.
Expect the unexpected!

Organization

I mentioned in a previous post that we're doing some things differently this year. A big one is starting to homeschool at our kitchen table in our new house! I'm still a fan of each kid getting their own books all in one box. 

These Target bins are so hardy and cute!

I have a mini-book shelf of books that I use for multiple kids, and a cabinet of things only mom may bring out. Mostly art and science kits.

The kitchen has much more space than any of our previous homes, so I can finally upgrade the kids to having their books and supplies stores on freed up furniture, and I get to commander the utility cart for my own use!

Planners, basket of post its, notecards, washi tape, and labels, and jars for highlighters, pens, and dry erase markers up top.
Master homeschool notebook, music notebooks, audition notebook, dry erase boards, receipts organizer, and music folio on the bottom.

I still have our busy boxes from last year, since those were a great success in having easy distractions for the younger set, but I have been ruthless with paring down on the art supplies. Some things are worth having a decent stash on hand (like construction paper), but others just cause more trouble than they're worth (looking at you paints!)

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Who else is getting pumped for school?! Perhaps it's the nerd in me, but the start of a new school year is better than New Years Eve in terms of fresh beginnings. Are you trying anything different this year?