Today we started back to school!  I forgot how much work it is!  Thankfully my mom is here to help out with some of the lessons.  She was entertaining the little ones while I worked with the big ones.  I am terrible at being prepared.  But part of the problem is, I don't know how to prepare.  I like to wing it.  But I know things would run smoother if I was prepared.  How do you people do it?  How do you school some kids and keep the other kids busy at the same time?  How do you keep them sitting quietly?  Things actually went rather well today, despite my pleas for help.  :-)  It's just that right now in my life I am desperate for organization and schedules, but I am so awful at it! 

This year, I bought Teaching Textbooks for D.  I still love Saxon math, but with the other kids schooling to do, I needed something easier on me.  I actually just ordered it today, so I will have to let you know how it goes.  But it is CD Roms and it actually teaches the lesson, has him do practice problems, lesson problems, and most importantly to me, it checks his work.  He tried the sample lesson online and is really excited about it.  He will also finish up his Learning Language Arts through Literature book that I got for him in January.  I really like that book.  When he finishes, I will get him the next book. 

N is moving on into Saxon 3.  It's the last Saxon that I will be doing with him.  Next year, he becomes independent.  He is so happy to be doing school again.  It's awesome.  I am still using First Language Lessons since it is for 1st and 2ND grade.  We like it and I plan on using it for the other kids as well. 

For science we are going to start out with our nature journals.  When the weather turns nasty, we will move on to a volcano/earthquake lapbook.  After that, I have Christian Kids Explore Chemistry that I will hopefully use this year.  (We never got to it last year) 

We are putting off our Story of the World for right now to do A Child's Geography:  Explore the Holy Land.  I did a couple lessons last year, and then I realized it was May and the school year was almost over, so I saved it until this year.  When we finish that, we will continue Story of the World Volume II. 

They will still have copywork, reading, and writing. 

Princess C and Toddler B will be starting Saxon 1.  Mostly Princess C, but Toddler B will be sitting in on the lessons and learning with her.  C will also be practicing writing.  She has hit the point where she wants to do things neatly and carefully, so that helps.  B is just a nut.  Today, we were doing lesson 1, and I was trying to get him to repeat the date and the year and other things.  He would shout out goofy answers like, "2000 and mama!"  or "Tuesmama!"  Oy.  This should be fun.  And since we are speaking of fun, C and B are doing a shape book of some sort.  It is filled with songs and rhymes with a few worksheets thrown in.  They know there shapes, but the worksheets have them tracing shapes and letters.  I am also going to go through the alphabet with them, and have them memorize a scripture for each letter.  We will be using Psalty's song to help them memorize them.  C will be learning to read this year using Abeka's reading and Bob books. 

I have the book, Drawing with Children that I would like to fit in somehow.  We used it once or twice last year and the kids really enjoyed it.  But it's so hard for me to fit in the regular need-to-do things, that it's practically impossible to fit in optional, fun things.  So, we will see how it goes. 

I think that about sums it up.  What are you using?