The First Day of (Home)school

As our family weighed the pros and cons of remote or hybrid learning during this pandemic, we decided it made the most sense for us to try homeschooling this school year.  The social distancing restrictions of hybrid learning sounded miserable, and we figured if the kids were going to study at home for several hours each day, we might as well do it on our terms and our schedule.

We talked to several friends who homeschool, then researched math and humanities programs that seemed like good fits for our kids. I let the kids each decorate their own school tote to store their books and supplies, then we jumped into homeschooling headfirst today.

I thought of taking our usual "First Day of School" pictures, with each child standing outside wearing their favorite outfit, but this seemed like a more fitting First Day picture for this school year.  It was a chilly morning, and the kids bundled up on our couch in cozy blankets . . .

. . . while Math Teacher Daddy showed them an introductory video for our math curriculum, Math U See.

It was kind of cool to watch Daddy teach the younger kids math principles . . .

. . . while Joy studied math and physics on her own in the next room over.

After Daddy went to work, I took over teaching humanities (reading, writing, art, etc.) using a curriculum called The Good and the Beautiful.  I really enjoyed reading uplifting text and discussing beautiful artwork with my kids.  

Incidentally, while Todd was working on his handwriting workbook, he was annoyed to find that every page has a little drawing assignment.  He didn't want to to color in the owl on today's page until I pointed out that he could make it any colors he wanted.  Then his eyes lit up and he immediately reached for blue and green colored pencils.  I guess with art and schooling, sometimes it's more appealing to do it your own way.

And . . . this is what our dining room looked like after class dismissed this afternoon.  I suspect this school year will be a lot of work for Phillip and me, but I think it will also be a rich bonding experience for our family.