9:00 Today everyone is finished with chores and ready to start school on time.  After pledges, we listen to our memory work on CD and then read our Bible lesson.

9:15 Ryan works on his math worksheet, while I teach Evan his math lesson.  Ryan is learning to work more independently this year, but asks questions when he needs to.   Aidan joins us at the table and colors a picture.

9:30 Both Ryan and Evan work independently on their handwriting.  This gives me a chance to do some preschool skills with Aidan.  Today we are working on cutting skills and counting.

9:37 Tap, tap, tap.  Evan signals that he has completed his work by tapping lightly on the table.  The tap signals me that he is ready for his next assignment without interrupting the work that is going on around him.

9:40 I set up box full of blocks in the corner for Aidan, so that I can work with Evan on his phonics lesson.  Ryan finishes his handwriting and moves onto his Latin root words.

9:43 “No noise in the schoolroom,” I remind Aidan as he gets a little over zealous in stacking and knocking down his blocks.

9:45 “No noise in the schoolroom,” I remind Aidan again.  He decides to take his blocks into the living room, so he can knock them down more freely.

9:50 Time to teach language lessons to Ryan.  Today we are working on slant rhymes, a concept that he thinks is very funny for some reason.  He writes a great sentence using his slant rhyme words.  Evan is finished with his phonics lesson and spends a few minutes playing with Aidan in the living room while he waits for me to finish with Ryan.

9:52 “I go potty.  I get a sucker,” Aidan yells from the bathroom.  We are working on potty training and suckers are a huge motivator for Aidan.  I get his sucker quickly and go back into the school room to finish Ryan’s language lesson.

10:00 Ryan reads Henry and the Clubhouse silently, while Evan reads aloud to me.  Aidan listens in on Evan’s reading while he plays in the living room.

10:00 Ryan reads Henry and the Clubhouse silently, while Evan reads aloud to me.  Aidan listens in on Evan’s reading while he plays in the living room.

10:10 Ryan practices his piano, playing each song three times.  I read a The Carrot Seed with Aidan and we talk about the colors in the book.  Orange and brown are the only colors used in the book, so we color things that are orange and brown.  Then we check on the bean seeds that we are sprouting in the window.  Two of the seeds have sprouted roots, and one looks like it will sprout today.  Aidan is very excited.  By this time the boys have finished their work and they are playing upstairs.

10:25 Since everyone is playing quietly; I quickly put some dishes in the dishwasher and wipe off the counters.

10:30 I set up a Preschool computer game to keep Aidan busy while I am reading with the boys.  We use a literature based curriculum, which means all of our history and science studies come from real books, not textbooks.  Our favorite time of day is when we curl up on the couch together to read great books.  Over the next two weeks, we are doing a Unit Study about the Olympics, so we start out reading a book about the Olympics.  After reading, the boys use some colored rings to build a huge Olympic flag.

10:45 We continue reading a book of children’s poetry.  This week we are studying the five senses in Science, so we read a biography of Louis Braille.  We finish our reading time by studying a painting by Degas.

11:00 Ryan and I watch a movie about Degas, while Evan and Aidan watch a Leapfrog Reading video.  While the boys are watching their movies, I answer a few work emails and straighten up the living room and school room.

11:30 Ryan and Evan use birdseed and glue to write their names in Braille.  While they are working, I help Aidan with some cutting and gluing. 

11:40 “I go potty.  I get a sucker,” Aidan says again.

11:50 I have an order to pick up at Staples, so we decide we will get some lunch while we are out.  While we are riding, the boys listen to our history assignment on CD.  This week we are learning about the ancient Egyptians.  We grab lunch at Sonic and three starving boys eat on the way home. 

12:30 We are working on an Olympic lap book. To make a lapbook, the boys create mini books that cover details of what they have learned.  We put all these mini books into a large folder and use it for review about each subject. Today the boys color the Olympic flag and copy the Olympic motto.   School is officially over for the day.