Back 2 Schoolin

I cannot believe I've been homeschooling for 3 1/2 years! Time has surely flown by! Brady is now a big 3rd grader & my sweet Rylan is a kindergartener! 

This year we using My Father's World as our core (Brady is doing Adventures & Ry is doing K). Both boys are also using Horizon's math & Brady is doing their spelling & vocabulary program while Rylan is using Hooked On Phonics for reading. He was super proud of himself for reading his 1st story!

The night before our 1st day I decorated with balloons & streamers & made the boys' favorite muffins! They were elated the next morning when they woke up! It made our 1st day to a new year extra special!

I like to mix the boys' curriculum so they can do as many fun activities together as possible. Rylan's began with Creation & each day they decorated the number of the day that matched what God had created. Their work turned out extremely cute!

 

After Creation, each following week focuses on a letter with a certain theme. So far we've done S-sun, M-moon, L-leaf, & A-apple. Brady's curriculum also focused on space so I made sure to line it up with the weeks Ry did sun & moon. I made moon dough for sensory play & checked out a space kit from the resource center. They did not want the space unit to end so I extended it a week longer & just reviewed Rylan on all the letters of the alphabet, but focused on the sounds he's been practicing in Speech Therapy.

During our leaf week we didn't do too many activities because I like to save them for our Fall theme we do each October. The little boys did make fall trees using their arm & hands for the trunk & branches & then used Do-A-Dot markers for the leaves.

At the end of our apple theme we bought 6 kinds of apples: kiku, red delicious, golden delicious, honey crisp, Granny Smith & gala. The boys observed the color of the apple 1st, smelled it, then tasted it & then decided if the apple was hard or soft, & sweet, sour, or plain. Their favorites were the honey crisp & the kiku.

In Adventures we studied about Vikings & it was one of my favorite days! They colored Viking masks & once they had them on they were in full character!!! I was in tears from laughing at them! 

Lately we've been learning about early American pioneers & Native Americans. I'll post those pics the next time I update.

I often get asked what I do with Keller while the big boys do school. Most of the time he plays on his own or he sits at the table with them coloring or playing with learning toys. There are times where I'll work one on one with him on counting, colors, or shapes, but it's always done through play. There are days when I'll put on an educational show for him or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. :) A momma's gotta do what a momma' gotta do!

Here he is "helping" Rylan paste!

Everyday is different, no set schedule, but a pretty solid routine. With nursing Chapel, some days simply have to follow her lead...well, her nap times :). Here's a cute pic I captured of all 4 blessings at the table.

I really am thankful The Lord has called me to this! Even on the days my patience is thin, they're wild, & I've had little sleep, being with them is still a blessing I try not to take for granted. My purpose each day is to love them, serve them, teach them & enjoy them!

Have a blessed week friends!!