IT's BACK....

OK, so I have previously posted my concern to ever again regain the desire to home educate my children! Well, it is easing it's way back into my life! I have done our first week of "summer school" last week! We did quite well! Nathan is in football now and that routine of his has helped a lot! Brianna has enjoyed file folder games and an All About Me lapbook as well. This week I plan to add in Micaela with her ETC A,B,C book set. I am learning that with this many kiddo's in different levels, I need much more time to get things done than I previously needed! The problem of course is this little man who thinks sleep is over rated and that my arms are his domain! So, hopefully as summer ends and as Sep comes around he will be better at resting and playing without me! I just thought I would share that YES, when you are DONE, IT can return!
I went to Gheens (teacher resource place in KY) today and laminated more games, name plates, etc and really got myself in the groove for next week' school work!
You can find the fun file folder games that I am using at Shanna Clark's website
http://integritasacademy.wordpress.com
In HIS love,
Leah

VENTING....

OHH I am so ANGRY! I woke up and thought here we go, great school day! We are going to get on track. I had told the kids after camp that we were going to start school back up so that our time off in Disney and our slacking last year due to having the baby etc. would all hopefully even out! Well, DAY 1... I just wanted N,11 to do a math lesson, his first lesson in Writing Strands and play a file folder game! Well, WS went OK... Math is still going an hour later!

Shanna Clark's File Folder Games ROCK!

Will IT come back again...

OK, I am supposed to be doing school on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer!
I have done notta thing! I say this also as we still have not finished our last years work (that being the reason for the summer school!)
I have that feeling of becoming the school bus mom or just having my kids desire to self educate in about 10 years! Will the desire to teach return? Is this JUST summer time? It is the end of June and I do not think that it has hit me that it is even SUMMER time yet! Although my school desire is nill to none! Anyone else feeling this burn out...this gonner of an emotion? I need to take a dip in the pool...I have not yet...maybe that will give me my summertime feel and I will become a motivated educator again!

Our Schoolroom

When I first started homeschooling I wanted to see other homeschool families schoolrooms, know what a "school day" looked like at their house, etc etc. Dana Britt recently posted schoolroom pics on her blog and got me wanting to show off my creation that we have been working on for the past couple of years! So, here is the
SWEETMAN SCHOOLHOUSE SCHOOLROOM:

You go down the stairs...


Into the kids familyroom...



And there you go...


The little ones have things to do...

Our dry erase board and shelves and we use a table for our work area...

Brianna at times also uses the little desk...

We have a sink area, nice for art...

You can also see our "library" on the shelves in the kids familyroom area!

On the otherside of our fridge I have ABC-123 mat puzzle pieces with magnets for sentences, and hooked on phonics, etc as a center area for the kids to use also.

FIELD DAY 2009

This would be the result of a dream that Nathan and I had... when we pulled Nathan out of 2nd grade in December of the school year, as spring came along we thought "What about Field Day?"
So, my friend Bethany and I said "OK, time to get one together!" We have since held Field Day at Fairdale Christian Church for the past 4 years!!! This past year was different though because Bethany and I had to let Field Day go. We both grew by leaps and bounds family wise this past year, as a matter of fact Bethany was in Africa picking up her two new sons during this event!
A wonderful large homeschooling family, The Clark's, made a choice to plan field day 2009! Our homeschool group Home For His Glory also helped and sponsored the event! Many hands went into the pot to pull it off! God even blessed us with no rain until about 5 minutes after they had cleaned up!
It was so super! We had a blast, although it was quite muddy out that day! The kids really look forward to and enjoy this time with our homeschooling community! It is after moments such as these that I am reminded how God loves us and has given us so much! Some people struggle to belong, fit in and have friends. God has blessed our family with a whole community of people to love and share our homeschooling journey with! Thank you HFHG and especially the Clark family for all of the hard work put into this years Field Day!!


Check out the mud on Nathan ;)


Toddler Tank :Brinley Gale- Toddler Tank is the BEST!!

Awards! Micaela!

Awards! Brianna!

Ball Game: Micaela

Toss: Nathan

Marble Toes: Brianna