Ready for the New Year

ok - so the last time I posted it was May and I said that we were trucking along and were planning on schooling through the summer... well... that didn't happen LOL!  We were SO BUSY this summer with vacations, and church camp, and VBS, and birthdays, and so on and so on that we never had time!  When we were home we were recouping from one trip and getting ready for the next!  But I can't complain too much, because even though we did not do school, I never heard the "I'm Bored." and "I have nothing to do" complaints - which was the main reason why I said we were going to school through the summer.

The bad part about us ending up not being in the school room was that I never "closed out" the year.  Also I had my list of books and workbooks and stuff that we were going to need for this year that I had planned on buying throughout the summer, and realized a couple of weeks ago that I never did that!

So the past few weeks I have been busy closing out last school year and planning this school year!  I am excited to say that I am done and we are ready to start school on Monday!!  YEA!!  I am SOO ready to get back to our normal routine!  :-)

For the most part things are going to stay the same.  Seth is in 4th grade (WOW! Can you believe that?!?!).  He will be doing Pathways reading for 4th grade.  There is also an intensive vocabulary curriculum that goes with that and he will be doing that as well.  He will also be in Level 3 Singapore math.   And he will continue in his Explode the Code.

Aaron will finish the last 1/3 of his Pathways 2nd grade reading and then will move right into 3rd grade reading!  He is in Singapore Level 2 (which is actually for 3rd grade!) and he will also be moving right along in his Explode the Code.

The boys will continue to do Learning Language Arts Through Literature Level 3 together.

Alyssa will continue her Kindergarten that we started in May (well I say Kindergarten, she will actually be doing Pathways 1st grade curriculum...she is more than ready for it!)

We will continue Beautiful Feet Early American History all together.  And we are also doing Apologia's Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day for science for all 3.

We have 3 books left in the Chronicles of Narnia series.  We will start reading The Silver Chair on Monday!!

I have some pictures to show you of what I have done different to the room this year. There was a suggestion in the Apologia science book of having your child make a 3-D ocean box that they will be filling with sea creatures throughout the year.  Well I decided to make a HUGE ocean box and found some really cute ocean animal craft ideas on pinterest to put in our ocean box (the book mainly had instructions for clay figures to make...I thought this might be more fun).  I thought since I was having that box that I would just decorate the rest of the room in Ocean theme as well!

First picture is of Alyssa's Corner!  I am so excited of this little space for her!  I am trying to make this a very special year for her (well, and for me too, since this will be my last time to teach this age )-: )  And the world map below really doesn't go with her stuff - I just didn't have anywhere else to put it.

Here is the bulletin board I put over my desk.  I am working on crocheting a fishing net that I want to hang probably from this corner with fish in it and stuff...I will post pics when I get it complete.  I know it looks kind of plain right now.

Here is the big ocean box!  I can't wait to see it filled with our ocean creatures.  I will post updated pictures as we fill it.

 Here is a close up of the paper in the middle of the box - our theme verse for science!  (sorry - didn't realize the pic was blurry...but didn't feel like getting another one right now)

Here is my filing cabinet.  It is starting to look in rough shape so I covered the door fronts in sea blue duct tape and added fishies.  Didn't quite come out as cute as the picture in my head but it works!

I think that is it for today!!

Until next time,

Kellie