Another week has flown by...

Wow - another week has gone by way, way too quickly. We did some homeschooling, but we also had a lot of other adventures!

Monday - Homeschool Aquarium Day! We saw all kinds of creatures, from leafy seadragons (so, so cool!) to playful otters (Fairy's favorite). The kids explored tidepools, and tons of educational exhibits. Perfect way to start off our new academic month - our "months" go by the charter school "academic months", not quite by the calendar, so we are technically finishing week one of month three this week. My (used) copy of One Small Square Seashore showed up in the mail the same day!

Tuesday - In the morning, we headed off the 4H Food Decorating. The kids got a variety of cookie shapes, and bags of frosting with different tips. They had a blast decorating the cookies! Then we came home, and actually sat down at the dining table for lessons. Elf did math, writing, reading, geography, and science (e=mcq). Fairy did a couple of letters in her OM Main Lesson Book, math, geography, and a page about otters. I ordered a copy of Phonics Pathways for Fairy too, as she is struggling a bit with letter/number recognition, reading, etc. The charter school has offered, if there is no improvement by the end of the year, to have her assessed, if M and I choose to do so. We do have a history of learning disabilities in the family, on both sides, so while this thought does upset me, I wouldn't be terribly surprised.

Wednesday - They headed off to the charter school in the morning, for gardening and art. Elf is finishing a ceramics project in his art class, and planting a fall/winter veggie garden with a friend in gardening. Fairy did some wet-on-wet watercolors this week, and a flower garden with her friends! Then we took a break, the kids carved pumpkins with my mom, and then Fairy went off to ballet and tap, while Elf read and made a few notes on his reading.

Thursday - We went flying! Not one of the three of us (myself included) had ever been on a plane, so the opportunity was not to be missed. A friend from my college cohort flies from time to time, and took us up in a Cassna Skyhawk. Despite a little motion sickness on my part, it was awesome! Elf got to copilot, and had an ear-to-ear grin the rest of the day. Fairy took pictures, and I took pictures and tried to feel okay. I loved the view from up there... it was truly amazing!

Today - a few lessons, and an afternoon at the park.

Next week, no special plans, finally. We are back to our "normally scheduled" lineup!

Homeschool Day at the Aquarium...

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday...

Unexpected front yard visitors (technically just inside the neighbor's yard)

Wow, another week has passed!

We were a bit better last week about getting some lessons done. And we have goals set for this week, so all should be well there. I am redoing the chore charts I made to have morning chores and afternoon chores, and I am adding dance practice (10 minutes a day) to both kids' academic charts. Yes, I know it isn't really academic, but they're supposed to practice - it was given to them as "homework", and homework is academic, right? See, I do use logic, though it may be a bit twisted sometimes. Speaking of dance classes, Fairy is really enjoying her new higher level class - still mixed tap and ballet. She says it is more challenging, but really enjoyable. And she says while she loves dance, gymnastics is her passion (yes, she said passion). So maybe, just maybe, I'll find a way to put her in regular gymnastics classes in January, instead of just taking her to drop-in homeschool gymnastics, which is still pretty good as it is with the same instructors, etc. she would have in the "real" classes.

I came out of my bedroom this morning to find Elf reading Homeschooling: A Patchwork of Days, so that he could "see how other kids homeschool". I thought it was funny, because that is why I bought the book, and why I read other homeschooling blogs! Fairy said she'll stick with reading Bob Books for now. And I finally am getting it... I have been semi-panicking at her lack of ability to connect letter names and sounds with printed matter, but she can read the Bob Books, so I think she's learning much the same way I did, many, many years ago... by memorizing the books and then figuring out which word is which. If it works, then I guess all is okay, though I am stubbornly keeping on with phonics and letter work.

Going to be a busy week. Today was roller skating, and I have a class this evening. Tmorrow, Strega Nonna on stage, and 4H Engineering. Wednesday art and gardening classes, Friday is gymnastics and Park Day. Saturday, maybe a science workshop, and Sunday a Halloween party. I have my witch costume all ready to go, and the kids are going to be zombie pirates! Halloween is probably our all-time favorite holiday. Who doesn't like an excuse to be someone, or something, else for a day?

Oh, and my kids are questioning me about magic and paganism. I blame the book Wizardology entirely, as Elf has been reading it to Fairy. I have dabbled in it myself off and on for years, to the point that we still celebrate the change of seasons and full moons, so maybe this is a sign I should dabble a little more?

A fresh week and a fresh start...

We kind of forgot about homeschooling last week. Too busy cleaning the house, getting over headaches (me), putting log rounds in a circle around our backyard firepit, tearing out all the annuals that were done, just too busy in general. I think we "hit the books" twice.

So today is the beginning of a new week, and so we're starting fresh. I have my plans for the week all made out, and it looks like Wednesday will be the only really-busy-day-with-no-chance-to-homeschool (art classes, pumpkin patch field trip, Fairy's new midlevel dance class). This afternoon - afternoons are our best homeschooling time - we have: language arts (which includes phonics and spelling); math; history; and handwriting planned. Tomorrow will be the same, except we'll have science instead of history!

For me, having the house clean actually really helps. I feel more motivated in general to keep it that way, and do other things, like fun projects with the kids, because I am not bogged down in "oh, my house is a dreadful mess". Chore charts are helping too! Right now I am debating - start our long waited Greek vases? Make cookies? Cook up a batch of playdough and put some pumpkin pie spice in it? Hmmmm.... the possibilities are endless, except that I have a class at 6 today, and a paper to finish editing. Maybe we should just do our lessons and see what happens from there!

I am trying really hard to better manage time, driving, etc., as well. We've been doing two field trips a month, on Wednesdays. I am now (starting in November) going with ONE field trip a month, on Mondays. The kids don't want to give up any activities, so we're just not adding any more at all. I'm moving my once-a-month Global Arts and Crafts class from a Wednesday afternoon to a Tuesday morning, since on first of the month Tuesdays, we don't have to be anywhere else. I am also finally - yes, it has taken me this long - using the calendar M got me for Christmas last year, which has room to write all our activities, so I can see them all laid out.

Maybe there is something to organization? Have a good week!