We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. ~Isaiah 64:8



Wednesday, August 28, 2013

the small things

Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.

JRR Tolkein,  The Hobbit

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Oh, the un-boxing (a school-year planning post)

It goes so slowly.

Of course it doesn't help to have school to plan for.  And with a start date only 1 weeks away....well, the boxes (those not homeschool-related, anyway) are languishing while I get all the books in order, pages copies, files prepared, and notebooks set up.

Want to take a peek?



The girls will be studying the Middle Ages and Renaissance in history and Ecology & Astronomy in science.
Most of these books I've read with one or several of the kids before, so it is really fun to cycle back through them.  (see my boxes peeking out back there...mocking me.)


Here's my new homeschool set up.  No homeschool room means we are juggling with where to store our daily needs.  This cabinet is in the laundry room just off the kitchen where the girls and I will mostly do their school work.  The boys may work here or in their rooms.  Age has its privileges!

Part of the set up is a set of files for storing their work.  In the past I haven't always been good about sorting this out and keeping up with it during the year.  Usually it just goes into a general file for each child to be sorted (or not) at the end of the year.  But this year I did this:



Each child has his or her own color: Red for Athos, Blue for Faramir, Yellow for Artemesia, and Green for Kalliope.  (Extra yellows in the back for general or group records)

And my Challenge Director supplies are looking good!  I've discovered Washi Tape - so much fun!  I'm using it to jazz up all those boring black and white binders.  It does make a remarkable difference...makes everything seem so coordinated and intentional.  All for $3 a roll.



Also, dolled up the girls' binders with their own design of Washi tape...



And then there are the boxes... and boxes.  I swear I'm never moving again.  Not until I've graduated the last child, anyway.