...with a husband and 5 sons, I am truly outnumbered....stories and thoughts on life from a mom in a houseful of little men!

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

First Day for Our First Grader and Pre-Schooler!








Back to work in our little one-room schoolhouse! We began yesterday, and once again, we're so thankful to be able to homeschool. The boys really love being back into the routine, and it's amazing what they've learned in only 2 days. As expected, the biggest challenge is keeping Spunky Cub, AKA "Toddler in All His Glory", busy. He was a little put-out at his older bros being so busy...and did try a few...ahem...antics...to gain our attention. Never fear--I pulled out the ol' Bean Pit.

If any of you fellow homeschoolers are looking for a way to keep your busy toddlers engaged in constructive play during school, this is it. A friend of ours gave us her extra one, and it is a gem. As you can see, Spunky made himself right at home in this indoor "sand box." Just find a large rubbermaid, fill it with dry beans, add a few sand toys and--wallah! Instant fun. So what's on the agenda for our little scholars this year? First Grader Eaglet is continuing with his Reading, Handwriting, and Math. The little stinker is reading at 4th grade level and LOVES books. We've added in Grammar and Spelling, and we'll be focusing on ancient world history this year. His favorite subject, by far, is Science. He works very hard to finish his other work so he can get to his Science, and he's VERY excited about the human body unit coming up.



Eaglet has begun "official pre-school"! What a big boy he has become. He loves having his own desk and school supplies. He's working on letters and phonics, "pre-writing", and "beginning math reasoning" skills. He loves reading books, particularly anything to do with TRUCKS. If it has nothing to do with trucks, he'll make up a truck-related storyline to go along with it. These boys are a joy; it's an absolute privilege to be their teacher (not to mention their mommy!)

2 comments:

Jodi said...

First of all, LOVE the shirt on Little Eaglet, just the perfect choice for first day of school!

Sounds like your first day went really well! What are you using for Grammar and Science?

And now for the question all mothers are asking . . . HOW did you get the beans off the carpet? Did the boys pick them up one by one?

Way to go boys and mom!

JJ said...

Haha, Jodi! You're right, I neglected to discuss bean clean-up! Well, honestly, it is a snap. You can easily slide them into a pile with your hands and then scoop 'em up. I tried this once with popcorn, and it wasn't so easy. For Grammar? What else? First Language Lessons! And for Science we are using the 1st Grade SonLight along with kits from The Young Scientist's Club and the life science books from Answers In Genesis. So far, I love them ALL. Seemed a bit overkill at first to be ordering so much...but they all work well together and fill in all the gaps. Bobcat loves Science so much. We are very happy indeed.