Life in a Crockpot: It was all a bad dream

The Barefooted Browns First Day of School - Monday, August 3, 2015

Last night I had a bad dream.
I dreamt we had put all the children in public school.
They had been going four days, one child had been sick for 3 1/2 days, and I was in tears.
Everyone was miserable.
We were on the way to school to bring them back home when I woke up, all upset.

I may very well enjoy a day (or days) of solitude and quiet, but OH what'd I'd be missing if I sent them away to strangers every day.

Our school year has begun and lots of other things have happened. So here's the update.

Where to begin is the problem.
This post will just be that yearly, back to school, overload of information. And I'll link to another post with all the ~~fun~~ other stuff.

We know that this fall is going to be busy. Being a leader in our Community Bible Study class took up a LOT of my time last year, plus Papa will have a knee surgery in October (with another next spring on the other knee) and we will be taking care of him for a little while afterwards. And we've got field trips, work on the house, and ministry with The Daddy so we started school a little early.

Crazy Lady

There was a point early in July that I panicked. My family was all well aware that it was July because the
crazy woman they live with kept saying, "It's JULY!" and running in circles.
The new school year was quickly approaching, along with all the living life that comes with our largeness, and the end of the last school year was in pieces all over the place. And outside commitments were casting big shadows on everything. (I just realized my last two post, and lack of post, may have come from my overwhelmedness).

Since we've been doing the homeschooling thing for a while now there are somethings we have begun to reuse - just tweaked from year to year. Like our schedule (which is VERY important for this Fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants crazy lady), the checklist (or weekly lesson plans, one for each student), attendance sheets (very colorful doesn't mean better, but this has worked for me for years), school calendar (helps me plan), "Mama's Home School Brain" (aka "my brain" - has also worked for YEARS - this is where all this other stuff is stashed), and dividers (one for each child for the Mama, and the kids have one for each subject in their own binders).

The children are not all officially started in school (state law: Compulsory Attendance Ages: "between 6th and 16th birthdays." Official Code of Georgia Annotated � 20-2-690.1. So we don't sign them up until the school year after they turn 6 years old) BUT all of them have stared school.

On Monday, August 3rd, early in the morning (like 8:30) the Brown Home Academy began our 2015-16 school year.
We have a new habit of waking the kids at 7 a.m. to pray with The Daddy before he goes to work (unless he goes in early or stays home - then everybody gets to sleep a few more minutes). Then we send the big ones back to the rooms and encourage them to have a quiet devotional time (some go back to sleep) while Mama and the littles sit on the couch and read in The Child's Story Bible (they actually listen, mostly. Josiah often falls back asleep before he makes it to the couch. And I have had to correct this story Bible, but still find it helpful - Know the Word!)

Breakfast & Chores and the day has begun.

Here's this years line-up:

Ava - 11th grade and duel enrolled with Toccoa Falls College Online (begins the 24th)

Autumn - 10th grade

Elijah - 8th grade

Alex - 8th grade

Lora - 5th grade

Jorja - 4th grade

Jacob - 1st grade (finally)

Josiah - Kindergarten (it's taken TWO weeks to learn the sounds for A & B!)

We are trying a few new things this year. Like Writing Strands for the bigger kids and a Morning Board for the littles.

Teaching Central - during the day there's a chair in there, but we have to use it for supper

Top Left: Morning Board; Top Right: Judy Clock I found for $1.50 at the thrift store
Bottom Left: The book cases, the right book case is where the kids stash their stuff
(the big boys shelf looks rather bare, maybe they need more work?)
Middle: I put all the pieces to the morning board on card stock and keep it in a folder.
Middle right: We are also doing (or trying to remember to do) timed math quizzes once or twice a week
- my little weirdos think these are fun (they get two minutes to do as much as they can)
And the bottom (to fill space) is our school verse, 1 Peter 2:9

Josiah is his father's child

For those of you with to much time on your hands (and for posterity) here's our curriculum list for this year with links (cause that's cool). And I'll through in some pictures from our first day so you can skip this boring part and keep smiling.

Language Arts - everybody (but Ava) is using QueensHomeschool Language Lessons,
Middle and High School are using Writing Strands, Memoria Press Literature Guides
Jorja also uses the Literature Guides
Lora is using the Rod and Staff Reading Text

Highschool girls

Jacob, Lora and Jorja are also doing QueensHomeschool Handwriting Printing and Cursive

(Ava is taking Composition this Fall through TFC - we ran out of things to teach her for Language Arts - "Alas, the student has surpassed the teacher")

Math - Middle and High - Life of Fred
Elementary - Math for a Living Education

Science - still loving Apologia
Ava - Chemistry
Autumn - Physical Science
Elijah & Alex - General Science

Middle School boys

All the little - Zoology 1: Flying Creatures (we started this last year but life happened and we never got close to finishing - try, try again).

History - Autumn is continuing History for Little Pilgrims (again with life happening - though so far she has been more responsible for it and the boys are enjoying it just a little more - maturity does happen, in fits and starts).
Autumn is also doing American History
Ava is taking several short courses Economics (this with this), World Geography (1/2 semester w/TFC), and American Government (this and this)
Elijah, Alex, Lora and Jorja are finally on Book 3 of The Story of the World

5th & 4th grades

Electives - Spanish - middle and high school
Drama - everyone (except the principal) will be in His Last Days Passion Drama Labor day weekend.
and we are debating doing the Easter Play and Egg Hunt this year
PE - we might do PE with the homeschool group or Emmanuel College.
Art - Ava and Autumn have been given the task of teaching the other children from an art book, they must plan ahead and be ready to teach every Thursday.

Bible - I've saved the best for last
We are currently working through Vol 3 of the What We Believe Series.
This will be our 10th study with Community Bible Study (I think we started in the middle of the year so technically we're in our 9 1/2 year - I started in January after Jorja was born - NINE years ago this month!!! Good grief!) This year, beginning Aug. 26, we will be studying Romans. I'm still the Associate Teaching Director and I'm so excited to start another year.

1st grade and Kindergarten

Our class cannot currently support a Teen class (ages 14+ or 9th-12th grade), which means I'm looking for some other study for the big girls. Please pray as we seek God's guidance.
There are other Community Bible Study classes all over the place, day/evening, men/women/co-ed.
Check this link for a class, prayer group, or how to start a class near you.

Is that it?

For now . . .

Here's some more cuteness for your enjoyment.

First Day of School 2015-16
Top: Jorja checking out her new box'o'stuff; Alex and Ava cracking books
Middle: Josiah got to hold the Bible for pledge time on the first day; Lora's box'o'stuff; Lora doing reading
Bottom: Little doing something else under ~~bossy's~~ Jorja's direction so Mama could help others; Autumn doing Spanish