Rowing... sort of

This summer like most summers we will be doing some academic catch up of sorts. Not that I ever think there is a point that we will catch up to, but there are a few things I want to fine tune before the next school year. My priorities are on most occasions highly different than that of the schools (not that either are wrong, or unimportant). My kids are all at different stages, Landon is way ahead, Rev is two (you know), and Cotton cannot accurately be defined by an age. Binding it all together in a day that is both organized and stimulating for all of them is difficult. I have decided to follow (loosely the Five in a Row home schooling curriculum.) I say loosely because while I loooove the books they have outlined they aren't all a perfect fit for my boys. We started this week with Blueberries for Sal, and did one thing a day revolving around Blueberries. Tomorrow we will be trying our hands at canning. Wish us luck. It went pretty well and I like the no pressure approach. The next few books I have in mind will not be from the five in a row list, but hopefully have the same spirit, considering my boys love space (Landon) and Laundry (take a wild guess) I will have to be bit more creative. My hope is that experiencing these books will be helpful to the kids in the different stages that they are in. Landon will be able to explore things on a deeper level, Cotton will hopefully begin to get a feel for content, and Rev, will just enjoy the process.

As for the academic stuff, we are sticking to the basics. Let's face it folks, I have no intention of cutting out blueberries and making up counting games, I am just not that into it. So we are sticking with math on the computer, and worksheets..(imagine Cotton rolling his eyes), coupled with a healthy dose of math in our every day living..ie cooking, and of course laundry:) and Bob books for reading. Both Cotton and Landon are basic readers, I am pretty sure that they will fly through the books, but I chose these books because I really felt that they would serve a dual purpose for Cotton, improving reading skills, and articulation which continues to be a big issue for him. I plan on keeping it light, nothing that cannot be done during Rev's nap.

I am really hoping not to repeat last summer, it was stressful and disjointed, and I felt so overwhelmed. I am hoping to keep a nice rhythm to the day, and my sanity to boot.