Annie's Nature School Party

We finished the fall semester at nature school with a fun class party! I can't believe she's been attending for 5 semesters! Where does the time go? She loves the focus this year of the "ologies". They study a different one each week. We're so proud of her!

Dallas Museum of Art

The children love the DMA! It is always a fantastic learning experience!

Craft Time!

Working on our Advent Calender!!

Month of October

Yikes! Can't believe how fast time is flying! We are still here...just as busy as ever. Annie is reading and already into beginning multiplication! Maggie is catching onto her letter sounds and is working on her numbers. They are both really digging the art scene lately. We got a great idea from a friend, and went for it! Annie just loves working with paints and canvases, so here is the art! Love it!

First Field Trip

I took the children to the zoo a couple of weeks ago for a field trip and am just now getting around to post! It was so fun....not crowded, so they could run pretty freely! They saw lots of cool animals...and loved the safari. There was a brand new baby giraffe. ;) We finished the trip with a picnic lunch at the children's area. They have a very cool man-made river that Samuel loved, loved, loved! I would take one of those in my backyard, please! :)

Nearing the end of September?!

WOW! September has been flying by like crazy! We have been on the go and learning so much. One thing we are doing with Annaliese is following her lead. For example, she has been super interested in learning about native trees, so we are doing exactly that! We're reading books about trees (both fiction and non-fiction), doing art projects with and about trees, incorporating trees into math, etc. It's fun to have impromptu themes!...especially when they're inspired by a 5-year old!

We've also been working on handwriting, phonics and reading. Annie is really into writing and will work on spelling words all day long. Maggie knows all her letters and most of their sounds, and is doing a great job of learning alongside her big sister.

For math, we are mostly creating our own curriculum, although we still use pieces of the RightStart program. Everything we do is very hands-on.

I need to start updating more, because this post seems very vague. I guess it's great to be so busy that there's no time to update. But, I do like looking back to see what we've done, so I will be better!

Now, on to the Library we go!

First Day of School 2011-2012

And so our 2011-2012 school year begins!

Annaliese is learning the states!

We are so ready for this school year!

It's Almost Time!

To Rock and Roll, that is! We are gearing up for another fun-filled homeschooling year! Annaliese has come so far...and I think this year will be even greater than last. She is writing and reading more and more on her own...I'm just so proud. I think our "official" year will begin after Labor Day. Today we had a little adventure and went to the local teacher store. Holy Moly! It was so fun. I used to love setting up my classroom at the school, and I felt that same giddiness as I planned for this year with my own children. We are psyched. This year Annie's father is also taking a part in the homeschooling adventure! He is such a great, natural teacher! We are thrilled at how everything is working out.

Nature/Science School, Dance, Violin and Art Classes are a few extra-curricular things on the agenda for the year! We'll be traveling lots, as well.

In the next week I will be deciding on our "schedule" and curriculum. Last year I mixed and matched quite a bit. I'll most likely do that again this year. Still lots to decide on and organize! Anyone out there with K-1 children?

Stay tuned!

Brainstorming

With the summer break comes time to refreshen our thoughts! My idea was to continue with curriculum throughout the summer. That changed a little. Yes, every day is a homeschooling day for us, but we are not sitting at the table with our books. We are having some great adventures, exploring the world around us and traveling here and there. With this, it has enlightened me, as well. Annie seems to be completely in her element when we are doing experiential education. As with most kids, she relates to it and can have an immediate understanding and application...it just makes sense. Once the official school year begins again, we will still focus on a curriculum and have some sit-down time, but we will most definitely be spending much more time focusing on the world around us. :)

I'm also working on getting our house organized. Since we are all at home..in a small home...we have to utilize every square inch of our space. I am de-cluttering, removing anything that has no purpose. I am in simplifying mode!! I keep all of our homeschooling supplies in an armoire cabinet, and we only pull out what we need when we need it. We use the whole house as our homeschooling headquarters. So, it's very important to me that we all have space to move and THINK without clutter. How do you organize your home for ease? Anything you can share? I love collaborating and getting new ideas. :)

Hope you're having a great summer!!!

Field Trips and Experiential Learning

The children and I have been taking lots of field trips this spring. Lots of times just to the creeks or parks to explore, where they can observe different habitats and the creatures and plants that occupy them. They love doing this.

We've also been working on our regular curriculum, which is going so great. She loves playing school, too, so she is actually teaching Maggie what she learns and is reading to her often.

We will continue homeschooling through the summer months. Annie loves it. Here are some recent photos of the girls enjoying craft time and the SciTech Discovery Center.

Can you believe summer is almost here????








The children and I have been taking lots of field trips this spring. Lots of times just to the creeks or parks to explore, where they can observe different habitats and the creatures and plants that occupy them. They love doing this.

We've also been working on our regular curriculum, which is going so great. She loves playing school, too, so she is actually teaching Maggie what she learns and is reading to her often.

We will continue homeschooling through the summer months. Annie loves it. Here are some recent photos of the girls enjoying craft time and the SciTech Discovery Center.

Can you believe summer is almost here????

Nature/Science School Celebration

We made it to the end of Annie's Nature School Spring Semester. She has learned so much...it seriously impresses me. Here are some photos from the family day! Congratulations Annie!!! We are so proud of you!