(Not) Back to School

We're a few weeks into our curriculum for the year, because my girls decided they wanted to get ahead and be able to take more days off of school when Tim and I are off work, but today is our official "Back to School" day.

This is what our school area looks like.  Last night, the little guy wasn't feeling well and I stayed home with him while everyone else went out for pizza.  While they were gone, I moved this bookshelf over beside "my chair."  My chair is where most schoolwork occurs, and I really wanted the books to be shelved within reach of my chair instead of being stacked around it all day.

If you use it, you probably know exactly what is on that middle shelf.  This is our first year using Sonlight.  So far, we are loving it.  I waited to start Sonlight until my second daughter was in K, because my plan is to combine my girls and then combine my boys later on.  Here's what we're using for curriculum:

• History, Bible, Read-Alouds: Sonlight Core A
• Brooke's LA: Sonlight LA 2 w/ 2nd grade readers, Explode the Code, A Reason for Handwriting and All About Spelling.
• Lauren's LA: Sonlight LA K w/ readers K, Explode the Code and Handwriting Without Tears
• Math: Horizons (K and 2)
• Science: Apologia Swimming Creatures
• Spanish (Brooke): Rosetta Stone
• Art: 123 I Can... series.  
• PE: Playing outside as much as possible, gymnastics for the girls
• Other focuses without specific curriculum: Cooking, Housework and Sewing

We are houseparents to children who are in public school, so we loosely follow a public school calendar.  Our PS kids started school today, so we are, too.  However, our PS kids are off to school (20 minutes ago) and my littles are still snoozing.  Last night, I made them some little goody bags for back to school.  (The PS kiddos got some, too, but they're teen boys, so they just got the treats.  Not sure their teachers would be keen on us sending them to school with Flarp.  Yeah.)

The goody bags are just some things we had around (like Pop-Its) and some inexpensive things I got at Wal-Mart last night when the slightly ill toddler and I went grocery shopping.  I wrote the first letter of their names on the lids of their play-doh, flarp and bubbles, in Sharpie, because a few hours into this day, when this stuff is strewn everywhere, I'm not going to remember what color Flarp everyone had.  Helpful in settling property disputes as well as determining who put their Play-Doh on the cat's tail.  The goody bags contain:

• Pop-Its (like Snap Pops)
• Silly false teeth for the girls, Matchbox cars for the boys
• Bubble Gum
• Smarties (see what I did, there? Yep, the teens gave me that patronizing "I know, you think this is funny... I'm going to pretend I think it is, too, because I want to eat the candy" look.)
• Flarp
• Mini Play-Doh from a party pack
• Bubble Wand

And they are up!  Silly teeth were the first priority!  :-)