Homeschool Prep: Day 1 + A Peek Inside Our New Classroom!

Well, tomorrow is the big day: our first day of homeschooling! I'm excited and anxious and nervous all at the same time! I've prepared about as much as a person could (I think), so I'm hopeful it will go well. There are a lot of variables (a certain 15-month-old, for example), but I believe we're set up for success, and I know God is in this so I really shouldn't have anything to worry about!

The classroom area has come together quite nicely, if I may say so. I love the blue accent wall, our super inexpensive whiteboard solution and the art display wire. The table and chairs are the perfect fit for the room, and I have plenty of storage available for all of our supplies. Here are a few pics!

First, a "before" pic:

And after!

Ready for our first day!

Lots of storage and supplies to help us be successful!

A fun magnet center for my littlest learners...

A few of the hands-on activities to keep us engaged while learning through play!

Of course the day will start with prayer, followed by this:

And, something you'll never find in public schools, that I'm VERY excited to include in our morning routine:

Once the room was finished, it was time for me to really focus on preparing to teach. I'm really happy with my curriculum selections and I've already spent hours pouring through the lessons; however, it was time for me to put together our first lesson plan so I could start to envision the flow of our first homeschool day. I didn't want to plan too far until after we've had a few days of "trial and error" to determine what works and what I need to do differently.

For those interested in my curriculum choices for LO's 2nd grade year of homeschooling, here they are!

• English/Language Arts - Junior Analytical Grammar
• Math - Singapore Math
• Science - Exploring Creation with Astronomy (Apologia Young Explorer Series)
• Social Studies/History - The Mystery of History
• Handwriting - A Reason for Handwriting - Transition (T) Worktext
• Piano - Alfred's Basic Piano Course
• Typing - Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum

I'm planning on working with Chase on a few things, such as Explode the Code primer books A, B and C and online activities with a subscription to Reading Eggs, but my focus this year will definitely be on LO.

Here's a look at the lesson plan I've put together for our first day of homeschool. I will include a morning snack, lunch, outside play along with additional breaks as needed, but if we can complete this plan tomorrow, I will be ecstatic! I also may move things around a bit but for the most part, this is what I hope to realistically accomplish:

I imagine this should be approximately 3 hours of schooling, plus needed breaks throughout the day. I'm excited to get to it and report back on how we did! Please say a prayer for me and the kids as we begin this adventure together! And thank you for following along with our crazy journey!