School 2012-2013

Life is rolling along SO fast!

I have a few posts I'd like to post before I get back to current life.

Here are pictures from the last school year before I post our back to school pics this year!

I loved school growing up, and I think about lots little things my kids will miss doing homeschool.

One example is spirit week, pajama day, bring your bear or show and tell and such.  

SO, I decided we were going to do those days at home!

I didn't take pictures of very many, but my favorite was probably backwards day!

Love that Rachel even got into it when she came.

And, yes, Wint's onesie is on backwards too!

They got all into it, and had the craziest ideas and took it too far.

But, we did have dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner.

Jackson is making pancakes from a Nate the Great book.  

He read all of them last year and loved them so much!

One of my favorite school days, we loaded everything up and went with to work with Gray!

He was working at a fun place a little ride away.

Parks looks SO little!

It was a fun day out and to play in a different place when school was over.

They were worn out!!!

We studied Astronomy, and I LOVED it so much!

Most days Parks was pretty content just playing upstairs or outside.

Wint usually took a nap in the morning, so that was helpful.

But sometimes he joined Parks...and that was a good thing....sometimes.  ;)

Once a week, our sweet friend, Rachel, came over to play with the boys in the morning and eat lunch.

We loved our days with Rachel, and we miss her SO much!!!

We studied Greece in History last year, and built a Trojan Horse!

Jackson got his craft on...any time I'd let him!

Here, he's painting a peacock box and decorating it.

Enjoying craft supplies he got for Christmas from Uncle Jake and Aunt Christina.

I also taught him to sew last year. 

His first project was a felt Christmas tree ornament.

Gray and I sleep under the Christmas tree one night after putting it up.

So, we left the mattresses out for fun, and a different school day!

Love Sam's writing.  I used to think we'd never be able to read it!

He came a LONG way last year, and it's awesome this year!

I did my first and only sticker chart thus far--it wasn't necessarily for school.

The kids had to read everyday for x amount (usually an hour) of time to get a star.

After each 10 stars, they got a reward (notebook, ice cream trip, little toy, etc).

Also, to get ipod time (afterwards) they must have had successfully earned a star.

Great motivator for those that don't love reading or stillness.

I don't do well with charts, but this served us well!

For more than a year and a half, they have "reading time" every afternoon while the little 2 take naps.

And, I get a little breather.  :)

This was us on one of our rewards!

Do the kids REALLY grow that fast????!!!

One of my favorite things about school is that we read a lot together.

I don't do all the experiments that our book recommends, but we did get to do the classic volcano!

Awesome!

So short, so not to scale with the giant rocks, but we worked with what we had and loved it!

Sarala reading in her "hide out" with Rachel

Jackson's Nate the Great books

Magic Tree House is a favorite of our new reader books too.

This is when we packed up our house to go to the US.

Even though we still did a little school in the US, Sam graduated from K before we left, 

so we could keep with our traditions at home.

So proud of our new reader!