Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Year Four: Nice and Easy? That's Not How We Roll

How nice to meet someone so undeterred by things like…reality.
-The Lorax

And so it begins. We've waited for this day and spent the years before this preparing for this wonderful moment in time. 

KINDERGARTEN! 
I will admit, my little sidekick was disappointed in the beginning because we were continuing his education at home. However, I have made some changes to our plans and he has adjusted quite well. 
Not having to wear shoes to school is an obvious plus. 

First things first. My kid is a potato. His words, not mine. Oh to be five and ever so silly!

Now, for those big changes I spoke of. We are actually a part of the public school system. (cringe) BUT, we are online. I researched schools in the area and found none that met my (probably high) expectations. So, I switched directions a bit and searched for online schools in the area.
We settled with K12. It is still early days with it all so I won't give you my full opinion (yet). 
He does have a wonderful teacher and we are doing well keeping up with the schedule and curriculum. 

The boxes from the above picture were organized into the red drawers you see here. I had to make some room, please do not judge me from the looks of my closet! 

Now this, is more or less what we use on a daily basis. Seems like a lot but it really isn't so bad.  

 This is our schedule. Yeah, it made my eyes go big like that too.
Being a part of the public school system (still a little cringe) we are supposed to work a minimum of 6 hours a day since that is comparable to the hours he would spend in a physical school. 

Let me tell you a little secret: he doesn't spend that long on any of these projects so far. SHH!

You see, because I have homeschooled him since before he was 3, he knows just about everything we have covered so far. Because of this, he finishes his work with extraordinary speed. Which is okay with me because then we can play! 
And before you ask... No, I'm not having him moved to a higher grade and I don't want to because I feel as though he needs to mature a little more and I don't want him to be in a place where he'd be uncomfortable if/when he does begin school in a physical classroom. 

Moving on! Here is some of what we do with our school day:




Most subjects have an online and an offline activity. It gives us plenty of wiggle room for breaks when necessary and taking extra time when needed. 

Oh yes. We still play. 

 Sidekick is learning to focus, listen, have patience, and general ninja skills! No big deal. :)

Starting in October, he will be taking a weekly class in Robotics! I don't even know what all he will be learning but in his trial session, he played with robots, magnets, and computer bits to make lights and sounds. He's very excited!

 We have some traveling coming up next week. Mimi will be in charge of making sure he gets his school work done while I have an Intensive and attend class from 8-5 for the week. Like a "real" job. That's going to be a lot of adulting and I am unprepared. HA!

Once we are back home and settled, I will make sure to fill you in on the happenings. 
It's always an adventure!


Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Year Four: A Big Year Ahead + Big Changes

“But we are all fortunate in one way or another. The task for most of us is to identify in what way that is, would you not agree?”
-Alexander McCall Smith

Oh happy Summer! Your days are coming to an end. I will not miss the oppressing heat but, I will miss the simplicity of our days. As our new school year begins, we are (yet again) in a new home and in a new state. North Carolina has been kind so far and we are working hard to get the most out of our time here. 


First up: Our first family race! Mr. Sidekick shaved 10, yes TEN, minutes off his race time from last year. Sweet boy was hot and over it all but kept pushing to get to that finish line. He makes me so proud.


We are always finding new spots to enjoy nature and places to explore.


My little boy is on his way to karate master! Oh, it'll take a while, hahaha. I'm excited to watch him learn and grow with this new opportunity. 


Yep, this momma is 32. My boys made me this cake and it was both lovely and delicious. 



I asked for a family beach day for my birthday and that is exactly what I got.
It was soul-filling. 


 AHH! We had our best friends visit before they made their way across the country back to their home in Alaska. Sigh, the word Alaska just sounds far away. But, I am grateful that our boys got to make some memories to tide them (and us) over until we see each other again. 


 OK, OK! School! That's why we are all here, right? 
Sidekick is starting kindergarten! I can hardly believe it. We are doing things a little different this year. New home, new rules, new ideas. First of all, I am not planning the majority of his curriculum anymore. We enrolled in North Carolina Virtual Academy. However, he has requested Spanish lessons so that part is on me. Here is a bit of what we were doing before his classes began:



Sidekick wanted Spanish so, he got it! We started with number matching. He finished this with ease thanks to years of Dora and Diego! Did I mention he's reading? No? Oh, well he's reading. He can sound out larger words (with help when needed) and smaller sight words are easy peasy for this kid. I think I'm just here for feeding purposes because I feel like he pretty much teaches himself. 
~*~*~*~
Below, are the yummy phases of the the moon. Another Pinterest find {here}
We downloaded a plethora of fun activities from here. 

 

I took the pictures (in Spanish) and had my sidekick find the matching English words. We played this a couple of times and then I let him glue them on (for "safe keeping", he said). 


Next up, our new adventures with our new school and how we survived our first week! See you soon!