As Matt says, "Enrollment is up at our little academy and we aren't adding any staff!" So I've got a few things to figure out as we transition to 5 at the homeschool desks :) We walked into this week nice and slow. Math, a little spelling/handwriting, and a whole lot of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We started Charlie on Monday and finished before lunch today. It was the perfect read-aloud start and exactly what is sweeter than a roomful of sibs listening and laughing together?
But read-aloud isn't going to get us through the entire semester, and we will be adding to the course load each week until we ramp up to full speed. In the meantime I'm thankful for a few weeks to adjust expectations (mine and everyone else's) as we get started in this new phase.
With an imminent move (unless a miracle happens we are looking at moving to a new apartment by early June) I'm not making any major changes to the schooling layout.
My big kids moved right back into their desk area on the school porch.
These girls are tackling a huge math text this year!
And I set my two new students up at the kitchen table - strategically placed at opposite ends for maximum concentration potential :)
One thing I tried this week and I'm definitely keeping is that each boy is assigned a "sister" for the week. My vision for this is that there would be 15-30 minutes of content (some days? most days?) where the boys work alongside a sister. This gives me a chance to work individually with someone else, and gives the girls a chance to develop some teaching skills too (how to correct, how to encourage, how to challenge, how to motivate...).
Lydia already made up a little sight word flash card game for Luke. And while there are definitely times that no one will settle for anyone other than Mom, both these guys are pretty smitten with the big sisters too.
Here's to week two!
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