First day of school

So we had our first day of school.

It was - mixed. 

I certainly cannot just use the math program I bought as it was intended - I have to pick and choose because my boys are too math-smart.  I also have the feeling the programs (Saxon Math and Teaching Textbooks, I couldn't decide and got both) are fairly non-challenging.  But then I had that impression from Singapore Math, also.  Maybe it's my boys? 

I can safely advance David to Lesson 30 of Grade 3 (he's actually in second grade in the German system) and Alan to the beginning of Grade 4 with minimal problems.  There are some few things they will have to catch up on, mainly geometry and US money, as well as calculating with Imperial measurements (however stupid those are) but that's easily done on the side.  So, on the whole that's good once we find our path there.

The history part is a bit too slow, I think.  We do a chapter a day and I'm not sure that's enough. They were pining for more and maybe I should accommodate that?  I'll stick with it for some days and will reconsider over the weekend. 

The spelling and the writing programs are both in the air ship which has not arrived yet.  How long can it take?  We don't know.  So I did some printing work with the older boys which they hated, small wonder.  Jacob, though, loves printing and has done a good job writing captial F's and P's.   We're using Handwriting without Tears and so far, it seems quite good.  I'm doing some remedial work with the older boys - mainly David who has developed the habit of starting his letters at the bottom.  They all love the image of the "frog jump" (starting in the upper left corner, going down and "frog jumping" back up to form an F or a P or a B or so).  Such an easy image that helps them so much.  I think Jacob will have a much easier time printing than the older boys had.

All in all it was good.  I kept my cool even though it was chaotic at times.  I let Alan run circles around the table while he answered text questions.  That's his style and that's the advantage of home schooling - he can do now what is impossible in a classroom.   He did answer all questions on the chapters we read with precision and in detail, so it works and that's all that counts.

I do have the feeling it was a bit unstructured, especially since we tried setting up the wireless printer for an hour in the middle.  Without success, I should note.  Structure shall come with time, says the husband.  We shall see, says I.

But I'm beat!  I will go to bed now, and it's not even 9 pm.

Good night.