Tropical Storm Fay came visiting in August. She went across the state of Florida in a wild path before finally landing in Jacksonville. We pulled all our outside things, ie porch chairs,basketball goals, into the garage in anticipation for Fay. All of our out-of-the-house activities were cancelled. Thursday and Friday, it was rain, rain, rain, wind, wind, wind. Chris's office closed down early on Thursday and continued to be closed all day Friday. We only lost power for two hours on Thursday, so considered ourselves quite lucky. Many areas of Jacksonville were without power for a few days. The pond in our back yard came quite close to flooding and we watched it warily on a hourly basis. There were a few tornadoes spotted so we were on alert for that as well.
I spent the end of July and most of August researching curriculum to use for schooling for both Chandler and Cooper. Chandler will be in 5th grade, while this will be Cooper's first official year doing schooling as a K5er. I pretty much know what I wanted for Chandler, as he has been homeschooling long enough that I know what works for him and what doesn't, plus he is such a EASY student, there isn't much that doesn't work for him. But that being said, there is always something new out there for homeschoolers so I can't help but research that. It is the natural shopper in me. As far as Cooper, he is such a different creature than Chandler, I am pretty sure anything that DID work for Chandler, is not going to be a good fit for Cooper. But that is the beauty of homeschooling, we can do what is right for the individual not the group. I finally narrowed down what we will be using for both boys, and the next step was to find the best deal. I lurk on Ebay, price compare several websites, look for coupon codes, etc. I am such a freak about it, I keep a Excel spreadsheet for what the item is brand-new, regular- priced versus what I actually paid for it (ie used, or on sale). Gotta love getting a good deal! Check out my list on the right for the curriculum choices for each boy.
In addition to what we will do at home, the boys were able to choose classes from our weekly homeschool co-op that meets every Friday. Cooper will be doing a Music and Movement class as well as a Tumbling Class (see the pattern...gotta keep him moving!), and Chandler will be taking a Chess class as well as Marine Biology. Max will spend his time in the 2/3 year old preschool class doing fun things, while I will have one FREE hour just to myself and then helping the 2nd hour as a assistant in a art class. Chandler will also be taking a Homeschool PE class offered through the City of Jacksonville Recreation Department, and both boys will be taking a piano course offered by the City as well. Both boys will be playing Fall baseball. We gave Cooper a choice between baseball or soccer. Much to my disappointment, he choose baseball. I love baseball, but I think soccer is such a fun sport at this age to watch. But ours is a baseball-loving household, so baseball it is. Max is along for the ride. As long as I bring snacks, he will enjoy himself wherever he is. So our fall schedule will be busy and fun.
Our first official day of school for this year is Monday, September 1st. I said "official" as we pretty much do schoolwork year-round with a week off here and there when we need to take it off. Our summer schedule is much lighter, but nevertheless, we do schoolwork. Stayed tuned for pictures!
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