1st Day of School 2014

Today was our first day of the 2014-2015 school year. I have to admit, we are spoiled by a homeschool schedule. This year is way more work for all of us. I have a 5th grader, 3rd grader, Kindergartner, and Preschooler all doing full curriculum. See our subject list here! Add to the top of that, a 4 month old who nurses around the clock during the day. Yep. It was busy. We did spend a little time doing 1st day photos this morning and have more subjects on Mondays since it is a day we don't normally have to go anywhere, but gosh, we didn't finish school until 2:50!! It was like being in traditional school again, lol! I'm sure it'll get faster as we get a routine going.

Zoe and Ellie are using workboxes this year. All three kids used these our first year of homeschooling. There's a picture of mine on that first year's post - you can see it here.

Cian and Grace are sticking with their printed daily assignment sheet from Homeschool Tracker Online that we used last year. HST Online is SUCH A TIME SAVER!! All my lesson plans are done for the whole year!! I spent a week doing it this summer and now it's done for the whole year AND the lesson plans are saved for the rest of the kids when they are in those grades. If you are interested in it and decide to get it, can you go through my link? (It gives me a referral credit towards my own renewal! Thanks!) It is here.

Special Snacks for the 1st Day of School

I saw this idea on Pinterest and LOVED it! The websites with the printables I used are saved on my back to school Pinterest page - here's the link or the specific ones I used are linked directly to the sites below.

 "Looking forward to a WHOPPER of a great year."

(From simplysprouteducate.com)

"You are one smart cookie."

(From darlingdoodlesdesign.com)

Here are our yearly back to school photos on the front porch:

CLASS PHOTO

I do the year in school signs with the kids. I have seen these ALL over pinterest and got all the big kids printables from there. I have them pinned on my Back to School page you can find here.

Since Fionnuala is not in a grade- she's a baby, I thought it would be funny if she still had a sign. Hers says, "I'm just AUDITING this year."

Here's a few pictures from our 1st day:

One of the few things that keeps Fionnuala happy besides being held.

All 4 kids at the table this morning doing school work. :-)

Ellie doing the calendar! It is her 2nd favorite thing! Cutting with scissors is number 1, but I was unable to photograph that for fear of loosing a finger or a child during her excitement of cutting!!

Ellie is doing the Letter of the Week curriculum from confessionsofahomeschooler.com

I used it with Zoe and really liked it. It's so nice now to use it again since I laminated it all the first time around.

Another activity from LOTW. 

Zoe and I can TAKE TURNS with the reading! So proud of this little reader!!

I added in a music curriculum for the littles. Fionnuala loved sitting in the swing while the other two and I did sing songs and sang to her.

And finally- a Teach Academy tradition, DONUTS on the first day of school! YUM!