Gearing up for a new school year.

Funny thing is I started this blog LAST year, and things got SO crazy right after we began classes (Two trips totalling almost 4 months in Russia from Sept til February) and then adapting to life back home with Harry) that it never took off. I figure I better start now, or else the year will fly by! I hope to post at least weekly, to show what we're doing, learning, discovering.

Skip "officially" begins Kindergarten this year, although we're using a Grade 1 curriculum. I did ALOT of research over the summer and ended up with a variety of different publishers. We've got a combination of Saxon,, Lifepac, Alpha Omega, and more. Harry will be doing a Pre-K curriculum, using mostly Hooked on Phonics and "Sing, Spell, Read". Both boys will begin Russian lessons as well, using Rosetta Stone for Kids. I'm excited to be starting my second year of homechooling, and not nearly as nervous as I was last year!

I've been busy getting the classroom ready, and while I still have a few more things to do - the majority is done. The thing is Mike & I are planning to remove a temporary wall in the room - which will open it up to the french doors, giving us less storage, but much more space to work with. The wall went up about 9 years ago, and was never intended to be permanent, and has outlived it's intended purposes. THAT however, is a winter project, so for now, I made the most of what I had to work with!

Harry was more than happy to try out the headphones in the new "Media" area. Since I'm gonna need more "quiet" time to work with Skip this year - on subjects like Math, Phonics & Reading, I wanted a space for Harry to be able to sit and watch some educational DVD's. My intent is to have him watch one-half hour a day (or more if I absolutely have to) and then try and get him to use the other new "area" which I set up for quiet, constructive play.
A look at the boys desk area. Mike hasn't finished resurfacing Harry's new "old" schoold esk yet, so in the interim, he'll use the table at the back like he did last year. It's not ideal, but for a few weeks, it'll do!

The calendar wall on the right, "Helping Hands" weekly chore chart, center, and on the left is Harry's HOP posters to mark his progress in Letters, Shapes & colors.

Another shot of the media area. The couch on the left gives us a comfy place for reading, and is a nice spot to sit together for Bible class. The bulletin board for this month reads: Read your Bible, Pray everyday & you'll Grow, Grow, Grow. It's a line from one of the boys favorite VBS songs this past summer.

View from the entrance to the room.

The temporary wall that will hopefully soon be removed, now serves as my storage area.

This is the other "area" I created for Harry to have room to play quietly while on work with Skip. It is right outside the doorway into the room, and lets me see what he is doing at all times!

And finally, our bulletin board right outside the door. It is where we display their work, and generally is changed every month. Since we're starting so late, this will be the Aug/Sept. design. It says 2009 - Sailing back to school.