Back to School

A big part of me was hoping that we wouldn't completely ditch all school activities during the break, but as usual Christmas "break" was a complete misnomer and I spent most of the holiday running around like crazy. On those rare days which weren't packed the very last thing I wanted to do was try to get the kids to do school. Especially as I knew we wouldn't be able to get into a regular routine until this week. I entertained hopes of starting up a few activities last week, if not the official routine, but as we all got hit with a puke flu the most we managed was a trip to the library and making several thank you cards together-- each of which included a proper letter from Theo.

This morning we are back at the grind, at least for the next 5 weeks before the baby comes. I have no idea what we'll do after that and have determined not to think that far ahead. In the mean time we have a somewhat regular weekly schedule and this morning's tasks are Spelling Test and Word Building along with some phonics exercises. So far, predictably, it's been a grandiose fight to get Theo to do any small exercise. I've had to argue with him the whole day. However, we have three outings planned each week and in addition to those I have included days for science classes which will include no written work, but rather book-reading and some easy demonstations and experiments. Before the baby comes I hope to get us through learning the parts of the fish, the frog, the turtle, and the bird in preparation for a trip to the aquarium, as well as a few simple chemistry and physics experiments. After the baby comes our "science" focus will be on plants as we try to get our garden going.

Here are some photos of our holiday activities:

Reading to friends

Trip to Manning Park

Walking in the woods 

Trip to the aquarium

                                                       
                                                        Theo making thank-you cards