School Around Here!

Life is in an awesome groove. We've refined our school schedule to damn near perfection and I am LOVIN IT!!! The kids seem to thrive on it and all around we are all accomplishing more these days than ever before. We're totally eclectic in our schooling choices, so please mind not what "curriculum" we use or dont, we are busy living with a passion. We have mixed it up with reading, writing and math but there are some core things we love these days: The Story of the World, Life of Fred, and reading the classics!! Plus art projects, unit studies, you name it.

Here's a peak:

Right now we have a schedule of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: we wake up have breakfast together and from 9-12:30 we "do school". During that time we complete our core subjects a variety of eclectic ways. I am becoming stricter on not participating in any activities during these time slots to respect our education time and discipline ourselves. It's working out great!! Thursday is our homeschool co-op with more than 20 families and 115+ children. It is a great social and learning environment that acts a lot like unit studies. Friday we play board games and read a ton as school. Now, before you say "board games aren't school", let me assure you THEY ARE! My children learn sportmanship, colors, counting, rules, boundaries and how to have a good time all at once. I'm certain they have all learned their colors from Candyland. Scabble Junior and Monopoly Jr have become staples in our lives for spelling and money handling. And frankly, Uno is pretty cool too :)

Daunika's focus this week has been grammar lessons and proof reading for mistakes. She can read flawlessly but her spelling and grammar are in need of assistance. Then again, I realize she is seven, no biggie. She loves to bust out a highlighter to her own work though and find her mistakes. She is enormously good at this self correction after the fact and we've been working hard at making sure she knows mistakes happen but they aren't a sign of intelligence or stupidity.

Aurora wants to learn to read. She is frustrated that Daunika can read and she can't. Though I'm not sure she is "ready", she is passionate about trying and that is fantastic. We are going for it! Who cares how long it takes.

Declan is counting to 15 these days, knows all his colors, and can sing most nursery rhymes with ease. I'm stunned by his eagerness to read about trains and all things related to trains. Such a little man.