This Is Not The Way Momma Did Homework...

When I was a kid...

long, long ago (children want you to know)...

I would sit down with book, paper and pencil to do homework.

Now the kids come home and jump on the computer.

They can access information at a speed that boggles the mind.

They came home the other day and informed me that every classroom in the middle and high school in our new hometown is equipped with a smartboard.

Ummmmm....

say what?

What you talkin'  bout Willis?????

I didn't know what that was until they explained it to me.

(And, Yes, I get that I totally dated myself with the Willis comment.)

Then I realized that we have truly moved into the era of

Minority Report or

The Matrix.

It is so cool!

Back in School...

For our family, back to school means many things. 

Usually we are gearing up for a wonderful year of homeschooling.

However, due to reasons I won't share with you all, my kiddos are heading to public school.

What does that mean?

Well, it means waking up to an alarm.

It means buying school supplies.

It means... backpacks.

The kids don't care either way.

They love being homeschooled, but they enjoy going to school with other kids as well.

I struggled.

There may have been a tear or two shed.

But in the end, we do want to give it a try this year.

We can always bring them home if needed.

So, this morning it was up and at 'em.

Some took it in stride.

Others were basket cases.

My hair.

My clothes.

My hair.

For those of you who know my kiddos personally, I am sure you can make a pretty good guess who was freaking out... lol.

Lily is heading off to kindergarten.

Wow!

She was excited and ready for anything!

I couldn't leave these two out.

They will be doing preschool at home this year... again.

Awww...

ummm....

Hey!

Bry stop choking your sister!

Seriously, people, it happened!

What a bunch of goof balls!

I hope that your family is having a great first day...

Whatever way you choose to educate.

School...

School can look like many things around here. 

Sometimes it is definitely textbooks and pen to paper.

Sometimes, however, it looks like cooking or building with blocks or legos or tinker toys.

Sometimes it looks like guitars and music or worship music.

Sometimes it can be videos or long conversations with mom or dad or even an older sibling.

It can be the computer or a book.

It can be getting under a car with Dad and learning what makes that engine purr.

Don't limit yourself.

Don't assume that school has to look the same or they can't be learning.

Sometimes the best learning comes in ways that don't "look" like learning at all.

Highschool Science Experiment...

The supplies and directions.The mad scientist!
Testing the temperature of water vs. soil...

Why?

I don't know...



...but the mad scientist was happy with her results....
even though science is her least favorite subject.

Still life...

Miranda has been working on a still life art project for school.

She decided to draw and paint some flowers.

First she sketched the flowers.

Then she started the painting process.

She is working on shading and blending colors.

I think she did a pretty good job.

I love that the girls are starting get a little arty.

Now I don't have to be the only one...

painting and sewing and making and creating... and ... and

Well, you get the point.

I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out at first...

I think, in the end, it turned out pretty good for her first

still life attempt!

Way to go!

School Days...

You can teach a student a lesson for a day;

but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity,

he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.

~Clay P. Bedford

Where have ya been?...

Eight kids...

We have one who started college this year, one who goes to public high school, one who does high school on the computer at home, one who goes to elementary school on the computer at home, and one who goes to the local elemenary school, and three toddler-ish aged.

The two who go "out" to school started on Monday.
The two who go at home started on tuesday.
The little kids are adjusting to the new schedule.

Mom may lose her mind in all of the chaos.

Is anything new?

No!