We started school on Tuesday for everyone. This is my 20th year of home schooling! Yikes! I've learned so much in that time. I've been challenged beyond belief. You try educating teen aged boys, adhd boys, a boy on the autism spectrum.......and babies in there in the mix.
Addis & Abi were excited to start. We did some math and phonics. Capital I, little i. Teaching six kids with two babies and a teen who is teaching herself is not for the weak. Making it through a morning is a huge accomplishment.
We did have piano lessons our first day so had to be out of the house around noon. So much to do and only me to do it. Do the next thing. One foot in front of the other. (Can you tell I'm talking to myself here?) (I'm just including you on the conversation I'm having with myself.)
Yesterday AWANA started, but first we went to SDCC to watch Jesse's team play soccer. We ended up eating our dinner on the grass so we could make it to AWANA on time. I had made fried chicken the day before and made some potato salad to go with it. Yummy! That Abi Mulu loves her some potato salad. My goodness that girl can eat.
Cubbies went well. We had eight children in our club. We went over the wordless book, what sin is, and they met Cubbie bear. J.H. and H.S. AWANA started back for the first time in a long time. We pushed for this because at SDCC they give scholarships for AWANA memorization awards. Every scholarship counts when you're paying $$$ for private Christian college. So James, Joe & Sarah are in those two groups. Addis & John are in T&T and Joel & Abi are in Sparks. Sparkilators as I like to call it.
We had Class Day today. That is where we get together with other homeshcooling families for classes twice a month. I teach Living Books 1-3 where we are reading Charlotte's Web. The kids got a kick out of me talking fast like the goose in the book. I gave them a coloring page to color on while I read. They did FANTASTIC!!!!
For second period I led the learning games class. Oh Mylanta! 44 kids were in there with a good dose of them being boys. Then Anna & Adah were brought to me by the 2&# year old teacher. Sarah had them first period, but when she disappeared they went in to melt down mode. Not unusual for the circumstances. I had brought my two umbrella strollers to contain them and they came in most handy. I have some tweaking to do for this class, because I want it to be more than controlled chaos. I want the kids to love it. I want it to be relaxing and fun for them. I want to do some smaller groups if I can get more helpers.
For third period I had ALL boys! Fourteen of them! Can you believe it? They were in grades 4-6. We read the first three chapters of My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. James gave me a thumbs up and said he really enjoyed it. I gave the boys permission to lay on the ground, sit at the table, whatever as long as they weren't disruptive. Some of them layed on the ground with their chairs over their heads, um okay...... I gave them notebooks, a pencil and crayons to doodle with. Many of them drew things from the book that they imagined in their minds. I couldn't have asked for a better group of guys. I was so proud of them!
Oh, and by the way, I dropped my classes at the college. I just could NOT keep up with the discussion group part of the online class. Jesse on the other hand is doing quite well at college. He received a 97% on his first paper in NT Survey. Good job, Jesse!
Now I have chili cooking on the stove, the cornbread is hot in the cast iron skillet and the house is quiet. Such a nice time of the day. Enjoy your evening!
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