Another School Year

I have been remiss posting on any blog in many months. But we are on day 1 of week 4 of the 2009-10 school year and I have had a request or two to post some things on this blog.

.

We are once again using Seton materials. Bookworm is technically in fourth grade, but all of her books say Grade 5, so she's adjusting badly to calling herself a fourth-grader for the second year in a row. I think I'll do a post on why we made this decision. And Silly Sally is in second grade this year, but her language arts books are all grade 3.

.

One of the things that has been easy about this school year, so far, is how independent the girls are in completing their work. Having used Seton for several years, they are familiar with the program and about what they need to do each day. I answer questions and I do some subjects with them, but they are doing most of their reading for history, reading and religion on their own.

.

Someone asked them yesterday after mass how the new school year is going and they both responded "I love it!", so clearly we're in a good groove.

.

For those who wonder what our schedule looks like, we get up in the morning and if we are all up in time, we go to 8:15 mass (I'd like to do this more regularly, but the last couple weeks, I've not been sleeping well and thus have dragged in the morning to the point where leaving the house that early just isn't easy enough.). Breakfast, then school work. The girls frequently start their work while they're eating because they've figured out they can do what they want (within reason, of course), only after work is done. So far, I haven't had to tell them which subjects to do when, as long as everything is getting done each day, I don't mind in which order they complete it. By noon, we're winding down and having lunch.

.

After lunch, we have a variety of things along with daily piano practice and finishing any schoolwork for the day:

Monday: schola (children's homeschool latin choir)

Tuesday: art class

Wednesday: piano lessons

Thursday: blissfully free afternoon, parish children's choir in the evening

Friday: finish up work for the week, take math tests, if necessary and free day for field trips and other activities like First Friday Homeschool Mass and Monthly Children's Adoration

.

One of the things I like about Seton is the set up for work. Most of the subjects are completed Monday-Thursday, so you can work on projects and field trips on Fridays. It gives us a flexibility to take lots of field trips and that will be extra fun this year because Bookworm's history is getting much more interesting and since we live in Maryland, we are close to lots of sites that were key in the formation of our government.

.

Both girls are playing soccer again this fall and we are blessed that they are in the same age group/on the same team this year. Games are any night of the week and on Saturday afternoons - usually two games/week.

.

If you have specific questions, please let me know. Otherwise, I think I'd like to start writing more about some of the things we are finding most fun and interesting. I also think I'll have Bookworm write a bit here for some of her assignments.