Kristin's First Day of Kindergarten...at home that is!!

We started Kristin's home schooling last Monday on August 18th!  She is so excited about finally being in Kindergarten.  She is SO cute!  I must say though - that it is particularly exhausting (for me anyways).  It isn't the actual work of teaching her Kindergarten that's difficult (man - that would be pathetic if it was!), but it's forcing myself to go to bed earlier than normal, so I can wake up at a more horrendous hour 5 days a week...for the rest of my children's' lives! That's the difficult part for me to get used to!!  I've enjoyed not living for the weekend like I used to when I had a paying job.  Well - I guess I did trade in working 8 hour days 5 days a week for a 24/7 job when I became a mommy, but still - I've gotten used to not looking forward to anything more than the days when Jason is off work (which can be very random)! Now I look forward to the weekends again!  Just to be able to sleep in a little bit longer and not have to get up, exercise, shower and feed Kristin and I, so we can hurry and start school, so we can get a little one on one time before Katie awakes and graces us with her presence (and countless demands).  ;)  But besides my laziness, we're actually enjoying doing school at home...thus far.  Yes - it has only been one week and things could change (especially when the next baby arrives in February - eek!), but for now - I think we'll be okay! 

Kristin's first day of Kindergarten (one of the many perks of being a home schooler: not having to wear shoes to school)!!  ;)

She's just a wee bit more excited about this than I am...  ;)

Showing off her new school room

Some more of the school room (you can't see it, but we also have the alphabet all along the ceiling edge)


Our school calendar

Kristin working on her first assignment

Her picture of Goldilock's in the Three Bears house

Recess time!

Back to work, practicing her cutting skills (and making a silly face as usual) ;)

Day 2

On Thursday night, we met up with my friend Cami and her kids (Kristin's little friends) at Chuck E Cheese. We had dinner and then let the girls run around until we closed the place down!  It was nice to get out of the house. We didn't get out much while Jason was working nights.   

Katie can't get enough of Mr. Cheese!

Kristin pedaling for her and Carol on the bike/helicopter ride

The next evening, Cami had us over (as well as a couple other Moms and their girls) for a pajama party.  The girls all put on makeup, painted their nails and then afterwards they ate movie snacks while watching every girls favorite Disney movie, The Little Mermaid!  Did I mention that Little Mermaid is MY favorite movie?  I can watch it over and over...and over!  It's the best!  ;)

Kristin and Carol putting on makeup (Kristin looks slightly confused)  ;)

Kristin trying to learn a few tricks from Carol

So back to school.  Our routine is pretty much the same everyday.  We start off with the Pledge of Allegiance, then we figure out what day it is on the calendar.  Then we have some sort of discussion before we begin the lessons.  After that we do math, language arts (reading stories and answering questions about them), break for recess and snack time and then we do some more language arts (practicing writing capital and lowercase letters and listening to and reciting poems).  Then depending on the day of the week, we either do arts and crafts (M and F), Science activities (T and Th) or Music (W).  And we finish off each school day with a game or activity.  So far, I'm not completely impressed with our curriculum's arts and crafts activities (who knows - maybe they'll get better), so far now I'm going to supplement with some arts and crafts projects that I find out of crafts books or kids magazines.  On top of her usual swim lesson on Tuesdays and gymnastics on Wednesdays and Fridays, I'm also having us do one cooking activity every Thursday and in the next week or so we're going to start going on a field trip every Monday (to the zoo, children's museum, library etc).  For our first cooking activity, we made pretzels (one of Kristin's favorite things to get at the mall). 

Our first cooking activity: Pretzels

Kristin mixing the ingredients

Kneading the dough

Rolling out strips of dough...

and twisting them into pretzels!

Look at that pretzel!

Getting the water and baking soda ready...

to boil the pretzels for 30 seconds on each side

Bake them in the oven for 15 minutes...

and they're done!

Kristin has never owned a pair of shoes with laces in them.  She's only had either velcro sneakers or sandals.  So when one of our discussion activities was to practice tying a shoe lace (for just 5 minutes each morning on Thurs and Fri), I thought Kristin was going to get all upset and frustrated.  I was not looking forward to it!  But she seemed to catch on pretty quick and then on Saturday evening (after playing some dress up), she came out and said, "Look! I tied my own tap shoe!"  I couldn't believe it!  I made her untie it and do again in front of me, so I could see it for myself - and she did it again!  I was so shocked and proud of my little nerd girl that I just had to take a picture of her accomplishment!  So here it is folks, here's what Kristin can do after no more than 10 minutes of practice!!  Now I'm curious - I need to go call my Mommy and find out how long it took me to figure out how to tie my shoes!  Kristin either catches on really fast...or I'm the most amazing teacher EVER!!  Yeah - that has to be it...  ;)