Homeschool Begins!

So, I have been trying to get my life house back in order the last few months and it's been a super slow process. You don't get much done in a day between laundry, dishes, preparing 5 meals, homeschooling, etc. etc. etc. It's always catch-up and it's hard to get anything extra done. But, I'm trying. Remember my beautiful office photos last summer? Well, I never quite got to those two other bookshelves and now I'm trying to downsize to just two shelves altogether! I'm not sure I can do it. We are trying to slowly get our house ready to sell over the next year or so, and having an office that looks like it threw up childrens books probably won't help sell it. We are trying to store books we aren't using now for the kids, but I am a little worried we will never get them back out of storage. Anyhoo, the office has been my project the last month. And will probably continue to be my project for at least another month...sigh. I'll spare you the scary pictures this year!

Well, we started school as soon as we got back from Illinois at the end of July. So, we are technically into week 3, but I still haven't added history, science, spelling or bible. Right now they are just working on their workbook subjects while I continue to prepare everything else for the year. We still need to finish the second half of Adventures in My Father's World and Sonlight Science K before we move onto Galloping the Globe next year.

Sid the Science Kid is in 3rd grade this year, Princess Pea is in 1st and Angelica Pickles is doing PreK this year. The only thing formal Angelica Pickles will be doing is starting Horizons K. Besides that, we will be exploring books/themes and starting reading instruction. Sid the Science Kid and Princess Pea each have about 1.5hrs of one-one-one work to complete with me each day and another 30-60min of independent work. I do bible, character training, read alouds and science with the oldest four kids together (2-7yrs old). Here are their separate subjects for the year:

Sid the Science Kid, 3rd grade
Horizons 2b and 3 (currently finishing the rest of the 2nd grade book)
Language Smarts C
All About Spelling
A Reason for Handwriting Transition
MFW Adventures/Galloping the Globe
Junior Bible Quiz
Piano
Daily Personal Devotions

Princess Pea, 1st grade
Horizons 1
Language Smarts B
First Language Lessons
All About Spelling
A Reason for Handwriting Manuscript A
Explode the Code 1, 2 &3
MFW Adventures (grade level appropriate)/Galloping the Globe
Junior Bible Quiz
Sonlight Science K (finishing second half)

Angelica Pickles, PreK
Horizon K
Bob books

I'm still playing with our schedule this year, but I found out last year that a block schedule works much better in our house than a minute by minute play. That way, when baby needs rocked to sleep I don't screw up the rest of the day! Here is what it looks like so far:

Morning Routine, 7-9am
Shower and Devotion for Mom
Breakfast and Vitamins
Preschool Bible Story, Rules, ABC Bible Verses, Pledge with everyone
Clean up/Helping Habits (chores), Brush teeth
Preschool with Angelica Pickles

Block 1, 9-11:30am
Bible and Character Training with everyone
Princess Pea- Language Smarts and All About Spelling
Sid- All About Spelling and Language Smarts
First Language Lessons with Princess Pea and Sid
My Father's World History with Princess Pea and Sid

Lunch Routine, 11:30-1pm
Helping Habits
Read Aloud with everyone
My Father's World/Sonlight Science with everyone

Block 2, 1:30-3:30pm (littles napping)
Princess Pea- Math, Handwriting, Explode the Code independently
Sid- Math, Handwriting, Devotions, Piano independently
Review Independent work
My Father's World Book Basket with Princess Pea and Sid
Princess Pes- Reading Instruction
Sid- Narration and Writing
Junior Bible Quiz

So, we will work with this schedule next week and see how it goes! I'm excited about getting back into full-time school. My house just moves more smoothly and happily when school is in session! Must be because we are both teachers. =)