Last week we kicked off our new school year!
I have seven formal students this year...
Vincent and Gianna are in 9th grade -- high school! I am so happy to be doing these next (last!) four years with them.
Cate and Xavier are in 6th and 5th grade (Form 2) and Bridget, Clara, and Andrew are in 3rd, 2nd, and 1st (Form 1).
My Kinderleben cuties are 4 and 3 and can't bear to be left out of anything!
Baby Emilia (6 months) decided that right now would be a good time to start cruising along the furniture, pulling herself up on anything and everything, and generally just getting into all the things. We love her spunk but also look forward to her naptimes every day. ;)
We always take a photo on the first day of the children with the books they are most looking forward to from their shelves. It is fun to look back at the end of the year to see if those books end up being favorites.
We also kicked off our first day with a special breakfast and some first-day goodies.
And then it was on to to the good stuff... History, science, Bible, math, literature, chalk drawing, folk dancing, singing games, recitation, Plutarch, Shakespeare, geography, nature study, brush drawing, picture study, composer study, and more! We are serving a full feast here and it is delightful.
My big kids are basically running their own schedule and keeping their own logbook and timetable. Their first week back went GREAT. I was so pleased with their work.
This is Andrew's first formal year of learning -- he is in Form 1B. He was so excited about everything, but especially about his "real" nature notebook kit, which in our house is a school-age privilege. (Before that, they have to content themselves with colored pencils and little spiral notebooks.)
We had a very full week and I finished each day desperately in need of quiet time! But that is par for the course here -- we have a bustling home with lots of people truly LIVING in it. I did try to take it easy on other obligations and on online time/social media last week to create a bit of extra quiet in my brain, and I set aside some time each evening to just sit and read a bit.
This weekend during my weekly prep time, I made a few small tweaks to the timetable and printed out new copies, but other than that, I didn't need to adjust much of anything. We'll see how this week goes! It always takes a few weeks to get those final kinks in our routine all sorted when I am dealing with this many students. But we had an amazing week and I can't wait to see what this year brings to all of us.
(As always, I am grateful for the CMEC community and the encouragement and vision I find there -- I felt quite clearly this week how "broad and balanced" this life of learning really is!)
I’m a year away from starting homeschooling and have been doing lots of reading. I intended to start Ambleside but have seen lots of people doing the CMEC. What is the difference between them. I saw that CMEC keeps everyone on the same timeline for history which I like. Are there other differences?
ReplyDeleteHi there! Have you seen the CMEC website or the Sample Packet they offer? The packet includes several videos that walk you through the various offerings and give a good sense of the similarities and differences between the two programs. The same history has been great for us. It also is very easy to combine -- which is very helpful for me, with multiple students. But also, a big difference is the live community offerings, like the monthly Mother's Education Course, fall mini-retreat, etc. I help run those community events and they are a real highlight for me as a mother and educator! :)
DeleteNice to see you back with a new school year. I learned those last four years go by so quickly. You are truly a wonderful model for homeschooling. I "almost" wish I was just beginning instead of finishing our last few months before we graduate our youngest. I am looking forward to following along to see how your year goes.
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks, Donna! I am just so happy to be able to do this alongside my kids. The years already feel like they're flying by and I know that will get only more true as I begin to graduate them!
DeleteI love all her hair :) Were all your babies mobile early? I feel like my later babies have just been REALLY motivated to keep up with siblings, but I've never had a cruiser at 6 months (which I'm okay with, lol).
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you posted that Sensory Sand set - I was looking for something for my little ones to enjoy when they got to use the sand trays - but I couldn't find anything small scale enough that also didn't seem to come with a bunch of junk pieces. I'd love to hear how you do Kinderleben things into your school day, the guide and autumn supplement have been great!
The brush drawing practice pads, I was confused about those so I never ordered them. Are they just for practicing the strokes without using up paint?
One thing that keeps causing issues these last few weeks of starting school - dinner - Do you meal prep on the weekends? I seem to have NO energy left at the end of a full school day to make a decent meal.
Do you save all your nature notebook work for when you return home?
The CMEC has been a huge blessing this year to us already - I feel like I've spent my summer reading CM and PNEU articles (not a bad way to spend a summer - but it sometimes felt like drinking from a fire hydrant!) I have had to do several tweaks here and there, and I still feel like I am scrambling and staying up too late every evening to prepare, but I am already seeing so many fruits from the program, none the less. Hopefully I can get all the kinks worked out and a plan in place for things to be more smooth.
Hi Leslie!
DeleteI have one later walker, but all of the rest have been up and moving very early! Like you said, I do think they want to keep up with all the others. :)
I will have to do some Kinderleben posts this year. My 4yo works alongside us for an hour of the day, and my 3yo for about a half hour. The rest of our school time is when they are playing outside and when my 3yo is napping. I have a special Kinderleben box with items like those listed in the guide, and then a few other things (like the sand tray) that come out when we are working with sand. My 4yo also does quite a few of our lessons along with us -- definitely all of our singing, dancing, drill, clay, chalk, etc. :)
Yes, the magic mats are for practice. My kids not only practice the strokes but also make all kinds of designs. And since it all disappears, there is something so nice about them -- it takes the pressure off of the process. They are great for my beginners, but even my older kids really enjoy it because it feels relaxing and they can work on their form and posture or just experiment. :)
I meal plan on the weekend and cook mostly really easy dinners. :) Some of my strategies that have helped over the years:
:: I use my crockpot once a week to make a meal that can last for two dinners (even for my big crew!). Those days I start dinner in the morning when we make breakfast.
:: Once a month or so, I will make a big pot of chili or pasta sauce for the freezer so that I can pull something like that out once a week and just make the sides at dinnertime.
:: For the other nights of the week, I plan simple things that my kids can help with. My older girls and I make dinner together on those days, and it goes really fast having multiple people working on it.
I will also say that the first couple weeks of school are really tiring for me no matter WHAT prep I do, so it may get easier as you go along like it does for me! :)
For nature journals: we usually journal in the field when we are out with our group on Friday mornings, but right now, picnic tables are still roped off and parks are not allowing congregating. :/ Last week we met a couple friends but mostly just let the kids run around and explore, then brought a few things home to journal. We are doing a special study on seeds, nuts, and fruits, so we have been gathering samples to study. :)
And I had a very similar summer to yours. :) Glad now to be in the midst of lessons and looking forward to all the upcoming CMEC community events! I find that once I feel confident in the books and methods for the year and have settled on a good timetable, I spend much less time prepping than I do in the beginning. I hope you will find the same! :)