HomeSchool Week: A Peek in our Classroom

I daydream of a class room with chalkboard walls, a dozen globes and vintage educational posters. Right now, that Is not a part of our reality.

We don't have a room dedicated to school. We don't have spare rooms right now. In a few years we will be in a new home with extra space...if we don't have any surprise adoptions ;)

Right now we are blessed to have a bedroom that is bigger than anyone would ever need. We use half of it as our offices and home school room.

This is Rhiannon's portion of the room. On her desk we have any textbooks or activity books we are currently using, her chalk board and white board and her globe.

In her drawers you can find her paper, crayons, pencils and anything else an average kindergartner would need (except her scissors of course. Those are required to be in a locked cabinet...foster parent problem haha)

Hanging on her wall she has her alphabet pennant banner we made last year and clipboards to show of her good work. Soon enough we will have my chalkboard up, we are just trying to find the right place.



In my section of the room, I have my desk which is loaded with everything from invoices and orders to foster and home school paper work. This is my main hub. I blog here, I manage our home here,I teach from here.

On the desk you will always find my bibles, home school calendar, chrome book, the cute little props and most likely a mess that has exploded out of my creative mind moving to fast for its own good.

Choosing Joy Scripture from Thorns of Grace

In the drawers, lots and lots of paper work and handbooks and records. It's a chaotic mess that only I can navigate.

The white drawers next to me, all of our activity books and craft supplies.  We also have learning games and stuff like that in there. It's my type Z personality trying to be a Type A.

Hanging on the walls: a reminder board, another calendar (because the day planner, phone and google calendar aren't enough) and daily or weekly to do list.


This is our space. It's not perfect but we love it.

Where do you spend most of your days?

Scheduled

Hi. My name is Kristen. And I am a homeschool mom.

  

This past year we introduced Rhi to the joy of learning with a very relaxed Pre-PreSchool. This upcoming year? Well it's the real deal. She will be in full blown homeschool/preschool. Earlier in the week I put together our homeschool calendar. THE hardest part of homeschooling so far. I kid, well a little. It was tough. Deciding what weeks should be spent in school and out of school proved to be quite the challenge. Luckily, if it's not working, I can change it. Yay for homeschooling flexibility!

So we now have a calendar that works for us...I think. This is what our school year will look like:

In School- August 27-October 5 (6 weeks on)
Vacation- October 8- October 19 (2 weeks off)

In School- October 22-November 16 (6 weeks on)
Vacation- November 19- November 23 (1 week off)

In School- November 26- December 21 (4 weeks on)
Vacation- December 24- January 4 (2 weeks off)

In School- January 7- February 8 (5 weeks on)
Vacation- February 11-February 22 (2 weeks off)

 In School- February 25- March 22 (4 weeks on)
Vacation- March 25-April 5 (2 weeks off)

In School- April 8-May3 (4 weeks on)
Vacation- May6- May 17 (2 weeks off)

In School- May 20-June 21 (5 weeks on)
Vacation- June 24-July 5 (2 weeks off)

 In School- July 8-August 2 (4 weeks on)
Vacation- August 5- August 23 (3 weeks off) 

Putting together our own calendar gave me the freedom to have a school year structure that works best for our family. There are lots of perks for us.
Shorter Vacation times, meaning less time for Rhiannon to forget what she has been learning all year. Vacation days planned around our family vacation times.
Vacation time surrounding both kids birthdays (a perk I threw in there for them).
 And those are just a few.

I didn't add any government holidays to the calendar. We will deal with those on a month to month basis and make up the off time with weekend field trips and such.

Have I mentioned how much I love the flexibility? Everything is made for us. To fit us. And if it's not working I can change it.

Now that our calendar is setup, our curriculum is here and we are scheduled for CHEA next month, I feel so much more equipped and ready.

So 2012-2013 school year, Bring it! But not too hard, I'm still scared of you.