Another Year Begins

Kelty’s first day of school was this week.  We now officially have a first-grader in the house.  She is going two afternoons a week to the public school to take classes like art and music and hands-on science labs with other homeschooled children.  We love the program, and we love that it is free.  We are also trying out a Colorado state-funded curriculum this year called Little Lincoln.  The curriculum is totally online and came with a whole bucketfull of hands-on supplies.  Kelty will be watching a Sesame-Street type learning video on the computer for about 15 minutes a day, then have workbook pages and hands-on activities to do related to the lessons taught online.  I am excited to have something a little more structured this year, and, again, the free-factor is big for us right now.  In fact, the state even gives you a voucher for a new computer and a check towards your monthly internet bill.  Gotta love Colorado right now!

In addition to the Lincoln curriculum, we will also be adding our own study with Bible in reading the books Leading Little Ones to God (theology for children), Missionary Stories with the Millers (real-life stories of people in other countries sharing their faith), and The Message version of the Bible. (Interested in why/how we communicate our faith to our kids?  Read HERE my thoughts on the topic. ) We hope to do some nature journaling, Charlotte-Mason-Style, in our glorious outside while using Anna Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study (a fantastic science resource), once a week, as well . . . hopefully. 

Check out all that came to do schooling this year through Little Lincoln!  Paints, art and science supplies, colorful workbooks, a magnetic calendar, lots of math manipulatives, and even a fossil kit.