Adding To My...
I can't believe that July is half over already! Of course this rapid acceleration toward fall means one thing.....school's coming!
This September we embark on our third homeschooling year. I will be honest, the first two years were a mixed bag of preparation and good intentions. Somehow at the end of the previous year I would vow to be more organized the following year but instead find myself running around like a chicken come fall pleading against time for my curriculum to arrive and the facilitator visit to be delayed. It all worked out in the end but...not gonna happen this time!
I have spent snippits of last week searching curriculum, discovering what we need, the cost and where we can get it. All I need to do is pick it up next week. I am now contemplating what activities and organizations we wish to be a part of this year. We are a soccer family, but this year we opted out because B couldn't handle it. He found the group competitiveness too much to handle and his anxiety was way too high. I'm thinking this year we will opt for less competitive and perhaps more solitary pursuits unless he is really passionate about returning to the pitch. Now if we can only convince him to fully submerse in water we might finally be able to burn through those swim lessons too!
I still consider myself a homeschool newbie, even after two years have passed. Like the new kid in school I sat back and listened to murmurings of group activity but simply wasn't brave enough to step up and join in. Well I think I feel ready to introduce myself now. Recently I meet a small group of women from the local homeschool association. It wasn't as intimidating as I thought. I think this will be my initiation year into all things homeschool mum. Instead of just working within my bubble I'm going to reach out, get stuck in and see what happens. Always a fear inducing prospect, but hey I can put my big girl (or in my case really big girl) knickers on and open myself up to something good.
Of course as with anything in my life, the first step in getting going is getting organized! Sometimes my idea factory seems to run dry, so I browse the Internet for some creative and purposeful inspiration. Here are some of the cool things I've found today:
Sorting Bin System - As Presented by Risa
I really love this system! We have those rolling drawer cabinets that are made of plastic. You know the ones sold at Walmart with drawer fronts molded into a basket weave hoping to hide their utilitarian existence. It doesn't work I assure you, and quite honestly neither do the drawers that stick like a crock shoe to a glue trap! I did happen across another smart homeschooler who actually had similar bins to the ones above only they had labelled them with vinyl lettering, oooooh cute!
Activity Bin - Fort Wayne Homeschool Examiner
I love this mobile concept! We often move our activities around the house and grounds (oooh look I sound all posh and wealthy, but really it just means outside enjoying our well loved acreage) so this would be ideal! This is one of those 'why the heck didn't I think of that' moments, because I carry one of these caddies around when I clean bathroom all the time (and if you have boys you know how often you are cleaning bathrooms!).
Weekly Checklist - Early Bird Homeschool
I am the queen of lists. Seriously I should be thrown in jail for crimes against defenseless trees! Toss me into the dungeon as my kingdom is ruled by paper and pen. I love the condensed yet complete nature of this list, so I'm going to create my own based on this very fine example :)
Homeschool Records - I Heart Organizing
How cool is this! At the end of each year I always curse the fact that although we were working, I don't have a firm reference for previous school years (and therefore organized mementos). I mean we had stuff, but of course it was simply put away with the previous years curriculum and not revisited for purpose or pleasure. This is perfect! I'm going to rustle up my own version (listen to me sounding all cowboy boots and lassos) so that my children have a flowing record of their hard work.
So there it is, I'm well underway and I actually can't wait for the new term to start! Just wait until you see the cool things we come up with this year :)
Have a great weekend!
