Monday, August 31, 2020

School Has Started .... It's Going to Be Different This Year




We do school year round.  I have always encouraged staying on top of math and reading during the summer.  Well it's the official start of balancing a full course load.  Of course it's different this year.  I am down to only two students!!  Caty is in 7th grade this year, and Lydia in 9th grade.  I planned out special treats for the first day of school.

Each kiddo got a new pencil box that locks, a lap desk, and a lot of markers, pencils, and drawing/art supplies.  I also found some cute notebooks, folders, and binders for each one.


Breakfast was a hit.  Just canned cinnamon rolls that I created a large cinnamon roll with.  But Brayden has asked for this several times since.


I gave them "packed" lunches for lunch time.



Their back to school treats 


For dinner we had square school pizza, salads, and fruit cups.


This year for Geography we are using Guest Hollow High School program.  I plan on doing this over a two year period.  There is a A LOT of material in the program.  It's a bit overwhelming for the girls and so I thought spreading it out would be a great option.  The book list is quite large, so we spend so much time a week on this.  I include videos like the Geography Now series on Youtube.  We have been using this series for a couple of years.


Our first week in Geography found us in Belize.  We also talked about the different types of maps.  I made Fry Jacks, a popular street food.


We have a few sports that have started back up again.  Softball, soccer, and bowling have all started back.


We are also using Guest Hollow's High School Chemistry in the Kitchen series.  There is so much material here.  Video links, science experiments and just fun information.  We will be taking it slow through this also.  Since Caty is not even considered high school yet, we are working at a good pace for both girls.


This week they did an experiment in buoyancy.  One glass is water, the other is filled with salt water.





We are using Teaching Textbooks for math for both girls.  Caty is struggling a bit with math topics, as is Lydia.  So we are working through slowly and practicing to mastery the basics.


Caty is taking a weekly class on Outschool to help with her vocabulary development.  I almost forgot, and she took the class in the van before we went Goodwill shopping.  She wanted to find some things to makeover.

A new back-to-school tradition was a sleepover.  Well we can't due to Covid.  So we hosted a virtual sleepover.  I put together bags for each "guest" with candy, popcorn, nail polish, and even a pair of cozy pjs.  They held their sleepover on Zoom.  It was fun.  I even included cereal for their breakfast.


They played games, watched movies, and did their nails.  They had fun!



The next day brought a day of painting.  We are trying to paint Lydia's room and I needed to paint the kitchen also. 



I'm liking the way the kitchen is turning out.  I still have trim to paint and I'm trying to find a wall border I like for this also.


Brayden and Caty made dinner for us that night.  Caty learned how to fry potatoes and Brayden made his homemade chicken and dumplings.



This is different this year.  I'll be working full-time and homeschooling.  I am able to teach both on Outschool and for a local co-op online.  So I have to force myself to be super organized to tackle it all.  Lots of praying and lots of coffee for me this year!!  Bring it on!!





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