Square Oaks Academy

Poppin' in to babble...get comfy!
We have been streamlining our lives again! Those who know me in real life, have seen my reorganization in full living color! I truly love to make life simple. Making it simple means most times throwing stuff away and organizing to help not just me, but the rest of the family flow easier.
The wrench I threw in May was the decision to home school my four kids! This causes great commotion as there will be more coming into our home and that means I have to clear areas and throw things away. You know that got me smiling.
First we did a fashion show...summer and winter we have these...everything pulled out and tried on and shown to mom. The bins for winter are pulled out also. We clear all ripped, horribly stained and tight items right off. The boys take about 30 minutes and we have a list of what is needed to get thru the winter and store the summer items.
The girls, well they are girls. I put together church outfits...that they can choose from together. Then we have a shirt area, pants or capri/shorts area. They go shopping. Each girl takes turn making an outfit...it is folded together and stored in their drawer. When they do laundry, swapping takes place and remaking of outfits happen. This has really been a great thing...so they match and I don't go half the day and notice one of their outfits at Walmart and cringe...eeek...have you had that on all day???????????????...lol
Gabriel and I had a day together before school got out and we pulled all our school supplies and filled a closet! It would work, but was awkward....the door opens and the hall is blocked...Abby's tendency to shove quickly away was going to be an issue.
I knew I needed a bookshelf. I didn't want a regular bookshelf...but started the search for the right thing!
We found it Sunday after church. A store closing, one of the fixtures, for $20! It is on wheels and I can move it around the dining room. I have it already kinda stocked as I await our curriculum.
We also got these nifty tables with the bookshelf thingee (all for one low price)...it needs a name...monstrosity I believe fits! There are two tables and the little one slides right under and nest with the big one! We use the table for scoring, crafts and testing!
This morning I worked out our Do-It list..it goes on the fridge. We have 4 areas of chores; outside, living room, dining/kitchen, bathrooms/hall. We swap out every two weeks. The kids have magnets on the chores needed to be done that day. When chore complete, they move the magnets. In the evening or next morning I set up the magnets for what needs to be done that day. If I do the chore for example, deep scrub the bathrooms, then I move the magnet! lol
The kids like this...and it is one less thing I have to tell them to do...that helps my brain.
Then I did our schedule for school. We have some independant curriculum; spanish, history and spanish, and then math and english need a bit of guidance to begin. I want to be able to work with each a bit each day, just us in areas of interest and struggles. I put up the schedules and they all got excited all over again. The Rosetta Stone Spanish is going to be everyone's favorite!
So.....
I'm ready...and I have a whole month to wait!
oh goodness I forgot!
Square Oaks Academy! That is the name of our home school. We are the Square Oaks Lumberjacks!
When people ask my kids where they go to school, instead of saying we are homeschooled, I pondered it out. Most of their work will be at our square dining room table. I don't think it is oak, but it sounded good. So Square Oaks was born! I told the kids and they liked it and Eric came up with the Lumberjacks! We are going to make a crest and a motto this year!
For those old enough to remember Monty Python, I have that song...I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay...running thru my head! lol