We have a tradition at our house that really gets the whole family excited for the arrival of the 1st Day of School; we go out to breakfast as a family before my husband heads off to work. This custom began seven years ago and is a highlight of the year. In the past, we’ve eaten at Denny’s, Fire Mountain and Cracker Barrel several times each. This year the kids had hoped to go to Ihop since we never had one near us in Ohio, but the restaurant was a bit further of a drive than we wanted to go this morning, so we went to Cracker Barrel once again. We already had to climb out of bed at 5:00 a.m. Any earlier and it would be doubtful that we’d get any school completed during the day.
In addition to our breakfast, the kids also get to go shopping and choose a brand new outfit to wear. This is rare for our kids, as we often shop at various thrift stores, especially when we’re in the larger cities. A new outfit is a special treat. The check out girl didn’t quite understand why we would buy new clothes to wear at home, but shopping for school clothes was always a thrill for me.
After breakfast, my husband rushed off to work, while the kids and I ran a quick errand. While in the car, we listened to Shakespeare and Folk Songs, which the kids had a hard time staying awake for this morning. Back at the camper they were a bit more alert. We eased into our school year with a few of the basics, Bible reading, math, art and copy work. By that time, the kids needed a nap. Not so much because they’d woken up so early, but because there was a terrible thunder storm last night that kept all of us awake. I don’t know if it was actually the storm or the puppy that caused our lack of sleep. But, I think our puppy is going to need medication and soon, before another storm hits!
After a quick nap, we began a Civil War study which I thought was appropriate since one of the Civil War battles was fought near the campground where we are currently staying. I found a book called The Civil War Sourcebook by Philip Katcher that I chose to use as our spine. I read a bit to the kids and we discussed causes to the Civil War, the election of Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis and their thoughts on slavery. I also read about the battle at Fort Sumter and beginning of the war. The kids were required to do further research on their own to learn more about Fort Sumter and report back on it. They are also required to write a brief report about either Abe Lincoln or Jefferson Davis. The reports will be the beginning of their Civil War notebooks. I also found a book called Civil War Poetry, an Anthology edited by Paul Negri that I think the boys will really enjoy. One of the poems is called Sumter, written by Edmund Clarence Stedman. The kids are required to recite it from memory on Friday. To finish up our Civil War study for the day, we took turns reading from our individual copies of Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt.
We didn’t have a full day of school, but pretty successful nonetheless. And what’s more, the kids were excited and eager to get back to their studies. We’ll be adding to their studies each week and anticipate having a full work load by September. We typically do ‘school’ year round with time off here and there, so I don’t feel pressured to fit everything in all at once. And there you have it, a glimpse at our first day of school. Our 11th official year! Wow, how time flies!
*If you’re interested in any of the Civil War books I’ve mentioned, I’ve added them to the Amazon widget on the side bar.
© 2009 Tonya Prater/Live the Adventure
Comments
Jul. 13, 2009 - Birmingham Zoo
Posted by momof2b1g
We lived in Huntsville AL just moved from there and though Birmingham is an older Zoo our family enjoyed it very much also I'm glad you and your family had a great time and I love all those free days too we always look to see what's in the area that we can get into for free with our memberships when traveling if your ever in the memphis area the Zoo here is really fantastic