Final preparations

Summer is officially almost over. Public school kids have returned to their classrooms, and while we homeschool and don't start until a little later, it's going to be a whirlwind week and a half until it's time for new books and a fresh new start. Moose will be in 4th grade this year, Bee in 1st , and Bear nominally in kindergarten but starting out at his own pace. This will be our first year doing formal instruction for three kids, but it's all curriculum I've used before, so I'm feeling comfortably optimistic.

Bear showing off his artwork.

A big first for our family this year us having a child in public school. Cricket, age 3, will be attending a special needs Head Start class two mornings a week. He'll be able to receive his speech therapy and other early interventions there both days, then come home on the bus to be with us for lunch. It will be so much less stressful than packing the whole crew up and driving into town for speech! In the meantime, I'm trying to order backpacks and supplies, get used to the idea of early mornings, and schedule babysitters for this week's orientation and IEP meeting. It's definitely a big change. We do finally know what days he'll be attending, if not what day he actually starts, and I'm extra grateful that it dovetails nicely with our existing weekly schedule. Trying to merge public school and homeschool schedules has been a bit nerve-wracking, but we'll get it worked out.

 Top: Inspecting the butterfly garden at the library.
Bottom: Cricket working on "trac-trac."

Also in the next few weeks are Moose's audition for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Bee's first dance class. We have friends staying over for a few days, the resumption of both of our homeschool co-ops, doctor and dentist appointments (Cricket's first), field trips, and Frontier Girls/Quest Scouts. I'm hoping I can use this blog as a record of our homeschool, as well as a way to share our adventures. Wish us luck! It's going to be a wild ride.

Bee, off on another grand adventure