5, 4, 3, 2, 1...BLAST OFF!

After days of preparing, last minute online ordering and cramming, day one of Homeschooling 2012-2013 is now under our belts!  It was a full day for both kids and the teacher.

We are doing a few new things this year, mostly with Miss Jenna.  We have switched to the BJU Grade 8 Distance Learning kit.  This isn't what I would have chosen since I'm more of an eclectic homeschooler, but it's what looks like might be the right fit for her.  She was busy from about 9:30 to 3:00 and enthusiastically finished all of her work without so much as one complaint.  She was even highly entertained by the fact that the videos were slightly outdated, which gave her a good laugh (sorry, BJU!).  She said, "MOM...these videos were taken back in the 80's or something! The teacher has highwaters on, and the pictures are really old!" She also decided that since some of the teachers were longwinded in their classes that she would watch them in a faster speed.  I think it's nice that you have the option to do that (I actually did that during the teacher's orientation...shhhhh.....). Or, she discovered for greater entertainment, if you watch them in slow speed they look and sound drunk!  It's going to be a fun year, I can feel it in my bones!

I'm able to satisfy my eclectic itch with Jared's curriculum.  We're doing a little of this and that- but mostly sticking to what we've been doing.  He's very excited about studying Ancient History right now.  We did a lot of reading today, but it was interesting to him.  We're also going to try woodworking and wood carving at his request.  I plan to order some tools for his birthday next week.  We now have a shed out in our back yard, and Dad wants to turn it into a man cave/woodworking area for him.  Woodworking is something that's "in the family genes" so I find it facinating that this is something he became interested in on his own and I really hope he develops a great interest and skill in this area.  I think it's a valuable skill for every boy that he'll use for the rest of his life. 

Along with homeschool prep, we have been in the midst of moving, unpacking and settling into our new place.  What a huge project that was!  Even after heavy purging, donating and dumping of loads of junk I was still unprepared for the amount of STUFF we had to move. Downsizing to a smaller home is no easy task.  But, we have the hard part behind us and have begun nesting into our new home.  Here is a short tour of our humble abode:

 

 

 

 

Office/Library/Jared's School Room

 

 

Jenna's School Room

We have been quite busy chasing off groundhogs/plugging up tunnels, cutting back trees and doing lots of yard & house work.  We've had some great family time as the kids have been pitching in and we have a nice neighborhood for long bike rides.  I'm now looking forward to the cooler fall weather and starting up our first fire.

~The End