We’re officially starting school on Monday!  I’ve spent the past few months doing research, gathering materials, rearranging/decorating our school (dining) room and getting more and more excited about the impending change…and now it’s finally here!  :oD  Ok, ok, enough with the exclamation points.  ;o)

I’ve made my first lesson plan, jotted down a rough schedule of how I expect our mornings to go, and planned some fun outings for the week.  We’re starting out nice and slow, with a kindergarten review, to make sure that Brody isn’t missing any fundamental concepts of the curriculum before we jump head first into 1st grade.  For our core curriculum, we chose the Core Knowledge series; and will be supplementing that with the Singapore Math, Peterson Directed Handwriting, and All About Spelling programs.  The plan is to gradually incorporate each subject one at a time as we wrap up the review, but of course only time will tell how it actually works itself out.

My main goals are to create an environment where our children can develop their natural love for learning, and enjoy the process as much as possible.  Oh, and I can’t forget the part where I’m not supposed to get myself in a tizzy over the details like schedules, organization, and how on earth I’m going to keep the house in order.  ;o)

I thought a journal page would be a nice way to start the day, so I made a page that can be displayed individually or compiled in a folder/notebook.  I was looking for a layout that provided space for writing as well as drawing (Brody would much rather draw than write), but wasn’t having much luck so I made my own.  Feel free to make use of it, pass it along, etc.  It’s pretty plain, but could easily be spiced up with some clip-art or different colors.  For the plain pdf version click here, for the PowerPoint version that can be edited click here.

Here are a couple pictures of our little ‘classroom’  :oD