It went pretty well, for the first day.
I mean, not perfect, but pretty good.
So, here was our day. And a few of the reasons why I believe homeschooling will be a good fit for us. {As always, this is simply what we've chosen. I never judge any parent for the educational choices he or she makes, and I hope for the same in return!}
We started with a school-book scavenger hunt. Kamryn helped.
We sang a bunch of songs. We started memorizing our address, a poem, a Bible verse, and the Lord's prayer. And we did have a bit of this going on. {Reason #1: Lots of wiggles are allowed. They are little kids, for pete's sake!}
We had a little setback a short way in due to a case of the crabbies.
But we took a short break, and things got better. {Reason #2 - breaks can be had whenever needed!}
It was during that crabby period where I started reading aloud from Winnie-the-Pooh. I want to cultivate the ability to narrate back to me what I've read. Well, Kyla wasn't freely narrating, so I started asking questions. When she wouldn't answer, I turned to Kamryn with a question.
Me: Kamryn, what is the name of the bear in the story?
Kamryn: Jonah!
Me: No, Winnie-the-Pooh.
Kamryn: I don't know.
Me: Winnie-the-Pooh.
Kamryn: I don't know!
I have a gorgeous volume containing the first two of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Back when I received it, I never could have imagined using it 18 years {18 years!} later to school my children!
Kyla loved writing in her My Calendar Journal that we grabbed from Homeschool Creations. This was one of her favorite parts of the day.
Kyla did some work on the floor because her table was being used for other purposes. {Reason #3 - The floor is a perfectly acceptable place to do school work!}
When it was time to do handwriting, I got out the small slate that I purchased to go along with our workbook. Kyla laid her hand down on the slate, fingers splayed. I didn't get what she was doing, and instructed her in making the letter "F." When we finished, she asked, "But, Mom, what about handwriting?" It took me a moment, but she again showed me her whole hand. Then I got it. She assumed that hand-writing meant we would be tracing our hands! Makes sense.
We ended our school day with a bit of Frog and Toad. We both enjoy following along on their adventures.
By 11:30 when my phone rang, we were completely done with school for the day. My friend was calling to see if we wanted to join them for some outdoor time at a creek nearby. We ate lunch, smeared on some sunscreen, and headed out for a delightful afternoon. {I have no pictures of Kamryn for some reason. Probably because she permanently attached herself to my leg like a leech [and speaking of leeches...eww...won't go into that story!] due to her extreme fear of our friends' dog and her dislike for getting muddy.}
It was such a lovely way to spend an afternoon. {Reason # 4: The first day of Kindergarten can include 3 1/2 hours of playing outside with friends and still being home in time to make supper!}
If you want to watch Kyla's recap of her first day of school, you can view the video here.
Nice Post!
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