First Day of School

Yesterday, we started our 2014-2015 school year which finds me with a 4th and 1st grader.  I'm not sure how we got here so, so quickly.  People tell you it goes fast.  Yeah, it sure does.

Here are my babies yesterday morning, ready to begin the day.

Fourth grade has seen a dramatic uptick in the amount of work that is required of Caleb.  He has officially entered a grade where there is identifiable topics that every child in the state of Texas is taught.  Fourth grade is where there is a dramatic shift away from general history topics to a very concentrated effort to teach state history.  Our curriculum is not written in Texas, therefore it does not cover Texas history this year, so I am making an effort to make sure that he is on par with his peers this year, while still covering the history that is written into our curriculum.  This adds quite a bit of work on my part, but it's totally worth it for him!

Last year, Piper was quite bored, working on kindergarten or so she says.  I don't think that it was because the material was too easy, even though it was quite simple, but rather that the idea of school was a challenge and quite different from her flighty, come what may lifestyle she had before school.  All summer, I've been talking up first grade and how fun it would be and showing her all the fun things we would be doing.  This year, she's more responsible for more work (she will enjoy having actual expectations and responsibilities) and will have lots of fun projects, which she loves.

This year, both kids are doing history, Bible and science together.  Even thought Caleb's grade level requires Texas history, Piper is participating too.  Science consists of two curricula: Astronomy and the study of creation, both of which are easy for both kids to complete together.

We haven't quite yet started all the extra curriculars that the kids are involved in, but those start gearing back up next week.  Caleb has been in TaeKwon-Do all summer, but each semester (12 weeks) ends with a break, so this week has been our break and he'll go back on Monday.  Scouts will gear up for him soon as well and we will jump right into weekly den meetings and monthly pack meetings, like normal.  Piper starts dance next week at a new dance school that is a Christian ballet school.  She is also going to start in a weekly art class on the 10th at a local art store.  This Friday, we are going to go to an open house for a group at our church called God's Little Girls, something akin to Girl Scouts, which she won't have the opportunity to participate in this year.

All in all, we are so glad that our normal schedule is starting back up, as summer is a very difficult time for us.  None of us enjoy the random, non-scheduled time that the summer provides, so we are looking forward to a fun year!