Today is the first day of school for my kids … all four of them this year, since Luke and Lila will be doing a small preschool program at home called Little Hands to Heaven. Elijah is entering fifth grade and Kennedy’s entering fourth. Where have the years gone?
This is our second year of homeschooling and I’m excited about the year ahead. We’ve made some changes in curriculum (an entirely new curriculum for Kennedy, and Elijah’s curriculum is now all on DVD) and I think this will be an improvement. Kennedy’s curriculum gives me some added interaction with her and allows me to supplement certain elements, making it fun and valuable for both of us, and Elijah’s curriculum frees him up to work on his own and frees me up to work with the other three. We learned some valuable lessons last year about what worked and what didn’t.
This year we’ve also renamed our homeschool. Last year we called ourselves Dukes Academy … and on the rougher days, Phil, tongue-in-cheek, would refer to it as Dukes Faithless Academy. There’s really no benefit to naming our homeschool, except to give us more unity. This year we’re calling ourselves Hidden Treasures Academy based on Colossians 2:2-3:
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
I prayerfully found that Scripture this morning and think it perfectly suits our hopes for homeschooling.
We’ve just completed the first day and the kids are geared up and excited about the year ahead.
As always, on the first day of school, we celebrate with a tradition that started the day Elijah went off to preschool for the first time (at age 2 1/2). Every year we celebrate with a school-themed treat. This year we’re eating cupcakes from the most recent issue of FamilyFun.
And I tried something new this year. In Germany, on the first day of school parents give their children a paper cone called a Schultuete (there should be two dots over the second ‘u’ but I have no idea how to do that in blogger), filled with candy and school supplies. I saw the idea in Wondertime magazine and I thought it would be a fun surprise for the kids. They loved the Schultueten and hope that it becomes a tradition.
We’re off to a great start and we’re looking forward to a fun year of school!
I’ve started truncating my posts … please pop over to my blog to read the rest!
I love your scripture and your paper cones!
… oh! And your cupcakes. 🙂
What a great first day! Love the name of your school too! I hope to do something fun for Sam on his first day too. Thanks for the good ideas!
It sounds awesome Randi! I look forward to hearing about your successes and trials throughout the year. I think you encourage us all.
Fun Blog. I am not sure but I think that dress used to be Ellisyn’s. She wore that in pre-school two years ago for her Easter program. If it’s not, we had one just like it. It brings back such good memories. I can’t believe Lila is getting so big and Ellisyn too. Have a great school year.
Love the name and scripture. And I saw those cupcakes too – although I always bake a 1st day of school cake…so I’ll have to wait for a special day to make them!
Wonderful ideas! Your kids are blessed to have you for a teacher. I hope you have a wonderful year together.
Okay…I want to re-do 4th grade with you and Kennedy! What a fun curriculum….I love all the American Girl stuff and I’m not even a big doll fan. Red Pine Camp, where Edith was this summer, is now owned by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. Ms. Rowland is the American Girl creator and a Red Pine Camp alumnus!Funny how she’s touched the lives of three of my favorite people…KK, you and Edith!
The cupecakes look yummy.
If I am really energized this year, I might just try them – probably not though. 🙂
Feel free to share any of the preschool items with the rest of us via your blog. Love to get new ideas!