Back to School

We survived the first day!!  Baxter is definitely going to throw a challenge in our ability to get school work done, but he was a pretty good sport!  We started our day by getting chores done after breakfast and heading downstairs at about 8:00 to get started. Each kid had a writing assignment waiting on their desk.  Rachel had to write about what she did this summer, Ford wrote his full name and our new address, Ruby traced the word Monday, and then we all shared our work.  We looked at the calendar together and browsed all the new books and folders.  Rachel and Ford each watched a math lesson and completed a lesson in their books (Rachel started a new book and Ford picked up where we left off.).  Ruby and I worked on counting to 20 and read a book with those numbers.  I showed Rachel her reading log where she writes a summary about the book she reads independently.  She has chosen to read the American Girl series about Caroline and summarize a chapter each day.  Ford started a new box of Bob books.  Each kid got a workbook with activities they can complete independently while I'm working with another kid, so they each tried a page in that.  Ruby and I read Curious George's First Day of School together and I used the story to help Ford see how we would be filling out his story chart in Language Arts.  For Social Studies Rachel made a Venn diagram to compare maps and globes while Ford looked at them and told her things he noticed ("the map is flat and the globe is round").  Ruby practiced her city, state, and country and we all located each on the United States wall map.  Baxter hung in well and ate a snack and took a short 20 minute nap.  Then we went out for recess and took a walk around the neighborhood and climbed trees.  When we got home it was lunch time.  The big kids played outside for a little while so that I could eat some lunch.  We read a chapter from Little House in the Big Woods and Baxter and Ruby went to sleep. I let Rachel get up after resting 45 minutes and we read about her science unit together on Living Thngs and Habitats.  Then Baxter woke up, so we entertained him, then Ford got up and we read his information about What Animals Need.  He drew a picture of a monkey and things monkeys need (bananas, trees, air, water) and Rachel drew and labeled a picture of a forest.  Then it was back outside until Ruby woke up.  Somewhere in there we also did some handwriting exercises and practiced violin.  I feel like we accomplished a lot when I write it all out like this, but we definitely had our challenging moments!!