Collage Friday - Planning, Reunions, & Deals
Friday, August 2, 2013 at 5:00AM
This has been my teacher prep-planning week.
The kids have each been in camp Monday-Thursday (9-12), so this gives me the solid time I need to clean out school areas, arrange books, and start working in my planner.
Anna has done a week of tennis camp, and Grant a week of baseball camp. Needless to say, everyone is very tired at night and the house has been quiet.
That's nice for a week, but when you send your kids to these outside camps you are quickly reminded again of why you chose to homeschool in the first place. (You know what I mean.)
*This post contains affiliate links.
What I Use for Planning
My approach to planning has been much more laid back in the past. With a seventh grader this year I need to be more diligent about planning. I also feel our year will run more smoothly if I invest this time up front.
The Ultimate Homeschool Planner - I am using the planner for moms and also have the student planner for Anna. I love this system and am hopeful I will be able to keep up with this. It's simple and easy.
Classical Conversations Foundations Guide - This will be my homeschool Bible this year for Grant. With each week laid out specifically I can transfer ideas to my planner and add supplemental activities.
*Planning for Anna is underway, too. We have a Challenge parent meeting tonight (Thursday at the time of this writing) and will find out more and get her guide then, too.
It feels very good to have so much planned for me already.
I listened to Leigh Bortins on a CD this week and I loved it when she said:
Theology is the mistress of all other studies.
Yes. I want my children to see God in everything and know that everything points back to God. I am so very excited about this year.
Homeschoolers in Our Family
Every summer we attend a family reunion.
Generations ago there were 13 children in the Earnest family - now, each of those children's children and grandchildren, etc... gather for a large reunion each summer.
We sign in at the reunion on a sheet according to which sibling we belong to.
This is my husband's side of the family. I used to not enjoy the reunions and actually dreaded going,(I am ashamed to admit this.) but as I have gotten older I have appreciated them more and always have a good time.
Family is important. It's everything, really.
The top photo is our immediate family -- grandparents, aunt and uncle, etc...
As we walked into the reunion this year Grant noticed a game of No Stress Chess set up on one of the tables. Right away he was very excited that there was another chess player attending.
I went to the table and started talking with the children. When I asked them what grade they were in they hesitated -- and this was my first clue:
They must be homeschooled.
Upon talking more with them - yes - they were homeschooled. I met their mother (who is a distant cousin of my husband's) and we had such a nice conversation and so much in common. The kids enjoyed each other and it turned out to be such a neat connection for all of us.
Homeschoolers just stick out, don't they? And not in a bad way - quite the contrary.
Anna also made a new little friend - a second cousin of hers from California. What a little cutie.
I just had to take a picture of my plate, too. This reunion entails some SERIOUS Southern cooking. Fried Chicken, Corn Pudding, Deviled Eggs, Dressing, Banana Pudding, etc...
Craziness. But oh so good.
Odds and Ends
In between planning there was a lot of living going on.
I love looking back on our weeks and seeing just how very blessed we are.
1. A sweet reader recommended The River to me last week. I ordered it -- it's an EXCELLENT book and will be the first book Anna will be reading for back to school. I can't wait to discuss it with her. It's story of faith, loss, and hope. It's perfect for your pre-teens, teens, and even YOU. I zoomed through the book in three days.
2. Grant's baseball camp is a favorite of his. He went one other week this summer. His coach this week was wonderful and it was a small group of kids. Grant thinks it's funny because the coach (instead of calling them boys and girls) calls them "Dudes and Chicks". Grant's week has been pretty much perfect.
3. Grant heading to baseball camp.
4. Anna heading to tennis camp.
5. Anna at the piano - my daughter LOVES her music. I snapped this shot of her practicing one evening. I don't recall loving music this much at her age or practicing this much, either. I am so thankful for this anchor in her life.
6. Lots of drawing went on this week using Art for Kids. Do you know about this site? It's awesome!
7. Grant's Minion drawing was featured on the Arts for Kids Facebook page. Woohoo!
Back to School Deals and Steals
Lots of deals to share with you since back to school is upon us.
Notebooking Pages is having a back to school sale - August 1-15. August 1-2 you can also get $25 off your membership. This is a good deal!
This weeks eBook bundle of the week is all about homeschooling. Snag these 5 great books (one of them is Notebooking Success from my friend Jimmie!) for $7.40. This is also a very good deal!
Finally, my SQUILT music appreciation curriculum (Volume 1: Baroque Composers) is on sale through August 2 for just $4.99. That's only $.50/week for a 10 week music appreciation curriculum course where you don't have to do any work - it's for the mom with little or no musical knowledge!
Snap Circuits are STILL on sale at Amazon. We LOVE them!
The kids have spent lots of time over the past couple of weeks building all kinds of things. {I'm feeling a post coming on!}
I think that's it for this week.
Next week starts bright and early Monday with Anna getting her braces. I didn't think it would be nice to start school that very day, so our first official day of school will be next Wednesday.
Have you started school yet?
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Reader Comments (10)
What a lovely full week. And how wonderful to have some extended time for school planning. I'm trying to fit mine in between other activities and could really do with some solid time. Planning at 1am does not make for a very productive time! Thanks for hosting, and have a great weekend.
Good luck to Anna on Monday! Love reunions...looks like fun...
Mary,
Thanks once again, for hosting CF and for sharing your HSing planning style and resource.
Funny thing, as you mention about HSers, I mention something in the 1st post that I linked about that same thing,. As we traveled and got to talking with people we met here and there, several of them actually asked us if our kids were HSed b.c they are "outgoing and polite!!"
Interesting! We just think they a re acting they way they should be...but I guess Hsers DO stand out b.c there's something different in a mature, confident way ( ? ) about how they carry themselves and interact with others....
Thanks Mary.
God bless and Have a wonderful weekend!
xoxo
We are starting next Wednesday too, also due to the orthodontist. I decided it wasn't good to start school and promptly have a schedule interruption for a braces adjustment.
I'm excited to hear how Classical Conversations goes this year for you all. I'm really not sure about it for us, but it could be an option later.
Have a great weekend!
I love family reunions! I wish my family had them more regularly. Thanks for hosting a wonderful carnival .. I've participated for the first time. :)
Thanks for the book recommendation. We're always looking for decent fiction for pre-teen and teen Christians.
Blessings,
Toni
I'm glad you had a fabulous week. The family reunion sounds great. Thanks for hosting another Collage Friday. Have a nice weekend! betty jo
Our family reunion is coming up in a couple of weeks- and I am so excited to go! We stay at a camp, and the kiddos play with cousins and go fishing, and we too eat a ton of good Southern food!
(Then my kiddos are gone for 5 days- I am SO EXCITED to have this time to PLAN!!!)
So glad you are enjoying the family reunions now. And how exciting to meet homeschooling relatives. I'll be helping to plan a reunion for my family next year and I'm going to remember that little tip about signing in under the siblings names. That's helpful as the family grows.
It's such an exciting time of year. Thanks for hosting this link up every week. Love it!
Your hs planning looks almost like mine. CC and TUHP! Both are being used and filled in. Just got through w/ the CC practicum last weekend and loved it. Can't wait to see all you do w/ Grant during Foundations. I know you'll have fantastic ideas!