First 2 weeks of school

We are in our second week of homeschooling and what an adventure already.  I am facing some challenges with my little ones.  First is a schedule.  We never really lived by a schedule other than naps in the afternoon.  My two do not like eating breakfast right away when they wake up.  So trying to get them up and eat so that we can start school is a challenge.  I am finding that muffins and a smoothie are the way to go because they can bring it with them (we do school in the basement, thankfully it's a walk out so still bright).  So we seem to start around 9:30 and end at noon.  That's about all they can handle right now.  As they get older and we have more to cover I know that getting started earlier will be key to still finishing by lunch.

We start with Oh Canada and the Lords Prayer.  We do calendar time and the weather and we are learning the days of the week song (tune of the Adam's Family). 

I found a homeschooling mom who created her own curriculum that I bought online and printed and it's working great.  It covers a new letter each week and all the activities coordinate with that letter, like B for butterfly.  I also include work from Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills that I got at Costco for Pre-K.  My character building comes from Kids of Integrity by Focus on the Family.  We are focusing on respect right now and created a chart for our living room/dining room that is a good tool to take the kids to look at when they need a reminder.  And yes even mom and dad need a reminder which Mia is quick to point out. 

Yesterday I told them about Paul from Ghana who we sponsor through World Vision.  We have his picture up and wrote him a letter.  I think talking about him and how different his life is from ours is important for our girls to understand how blessed they are.  Now they can understand why I tell them not to leave the water running and being wasteful.

It is a lot of fun to see those light bulb moments when they really get something and their memories are amazing, if only mine was like that!