Today was our first day of school! Our original plan was to start in September once we were settled in Japan, but we changed our minds. We realized we would like to have more flexibility to take days off throughout the year. The state of Colorado requires that we log 172 days of school and if we waited until September to start, we would only have 23 days to work with. We also knew there would be some kinks to work out and that some days might feel like a wash.
Schedules, Spreadsheets, and the Start of Something New
I’ve mentioned before that we are a family that thrives on routine. Combining that with the fact that the kids are only used to traditional school, we knew that starting with a set schedule would work best for our family. My friends that are seasoned home-schoolers (I’m talking to you, Katie!) probably do things in a much more relaxed manner. Maybe we will get there, but for now this is how we’ve started.
Like the type A people we are, Dave and I created a Google spreadsheet that broke the day into scheduled times for each subject. This document was shared with the kids so they could see what their days would look like. We made a simple lesson plan for the week that briefly summarized what we would cover. We started the day at 8am with the plan to wrap up at noon for lunch. Overall, it went pretty well. We realized we need larger blocks of times for some subjects, while others went quicker. I’ve always had tremendous respect for teachers. Whether that is in a traditional classroom or a homeschool environment. I’m sure by the end of this that respect will be tenfold.
Learning Beyond the Basics
Dave and I both came up with some elective courses to offer and let the kids choose one for the semester. Alexis chose Home Economics (taught by me), and Braxton chose Intro to Astrophysics (taught by Dave). Dave and Braxton will be learning/exploring cosmos related topics, such as the solar system and galaxies. Alexis and I will be working on cooking, budgeting, time management and other home related topics. Today she researched a local Costa Rican dish she plans to make for the family sometime this week. Then she prepared deviled eggs to go with our lunch.
Rating our First Day
After lunch, Dave and I chatted over coffee about how the first day went and made some adjustments to the schedule. I imagine there will be a lot of adjusting as we learn and grow. We gave ourselves an overall rating of 7 out of 10. Not bad for the first day! We asked the kids what they liked best/least. Braxton’s favorite was astrophysics and his least favorite was math. Alexis’ favorite was math and her least favorite was writing.
Braxton was excited to get outside to play with the pack of boys he’s become friends with in the condo complex. I am so thankful that he has these kids to play with! Alexis worked out, spent some time reading, and then we went swimming.
We went out for pizza for dinner at a local place that has buy one get one free on Mondays. It was the perfect way to end the day!
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The first day of school was awesome and I cannot wait for more astrophysics!!!
Hooray for school starting again! Seems like you have some great things planned for school. Do you think you will assign your kids certain books/articles/genres to read, or let them choose? Isaac loves that Braxton is studying astrophysics. Do his buddies speak any English or is he getting a lot of Spanish practice in? So glad he found some friends!
We will assign them some things based on the countries we are in, but let them have a choice too. Alexis also wants to make sure she reads novels that are typically read in 8th grade. Two of Braxton’s friends speak English and Spanish, the rest only Spanish. When do your kids start school? !
Very cool.
(also, Dave, good job sporting the Rams around the world this year)
I love that Braxton has some friends to play with! That’s so important! How’s the language barrier been?
Oh my goodness I’m so excited about this!!! Ahhh it makes me want to start school today! 🤣so proud of you and I’m actually jealous of your meticulously kept spreadsheet schedule, I’ve always wanted that kind of structure, it just really does not work for this crew. So so pumped for this chunk of your year and to follow along. Big hugs and lots of encouragement being sent your way!!
Thanks, Katie! I’ve already thought at least 10 times – ‘what would Katie do?’ Ha!
Very impressed on how organized everything is!! Enjoy the school year with many adventures!