A bit on our school this year

So with all the new blogs starting up, I thought I should go ahead & use my own blog for sharing. We have started school and this week will finish up our 3rd week already! So far we're mostly enjoying it, but I've had a few stressful days that have made me fear having a new baby in the house and school too. In the end my thoughts always take me to "one day at a time" or even one moment at a time and to "trust in the Lord with ALL my heart and lean NOT on my own understanding".
       On a high note, we have started notebooking this year & I am loving it! (When we do it that is :0) It's SO easy to get caught up in the workbook mentality & "school at home" mentality, but it is NOT what works best in this household! Especially not with my adding a new "little" every other year or so. AND my babies tend be colic AND I tend to get postpartum depression...SO....I need something flexible that the kids can do mostly on their own AND do NOT complain about!
      Our notebooks may not look like others, but we are just starting out and I want it to be pleasurable and easy. So these are my requirements: put out a good effort and use ones OWN creativity. THAT'S it! And it has brought about written and artistic endeavors that any mom would be proud of. SO easy, fun, and doable!
       Another change I'm intending on doing, but have yet to test out is, nature study. Where one sits and studies nature AND records it in some way. Either by writing, drawing, or both. (And is actually science, language or art! Yay!) I went & splurged on palm size sketch pads, drawing pencils, and nice colored pencils. My hope is that the kids would use the skills they have to do something worth keeping. Hence, both the notebook and nature study ideas. Less me and more them!
       I also added art dvd's. So far we did one video session and drew along with the dvd. We all enjoyed it, but thought it got a bit long. Yeah, even for me! Anyway, I'm excited to have an excuse for some less "serious" school when we want and can legitimately still call it school! Lol!
      One more thing I added is copywork. This isn't entirely new for us, but I haven't done it so purposefully before. I splurged (again!) and bought the oldest 5 composition books. Colten and Emily got leather covers because they're in high school, but the other kids' actually only cost me $.50 each and are regular composition books, but the binding is still sewn nicely. Anyway, I want them to want to do their best work in them so I bought them something nicer than your ordinary notebooks. I have read that copywork is good for spelling, writing, and grammar (Besides handwriting, of course!) AND if you have them copy the Bible or other worthwhile writings they also may get history, science, poetry, Bible etc.
       Last, but not least, I am requiring Colten & Emily to do an in-depth Bible study on a verse of their choice every day for 20 min. They will copy the verse, look up and write down any words they don't know or are interested in knowing more about, and look up any reference verses. I want them to journal their thoughts about what they are learning as they go. I told them it's for their own benefit and use and that I won't be looking at it. 
          So that is all the "new" things I have added for this year. We may (will) change things as we go along, but for now that is what we're looking at. Of course, we still have math, science, language, assigned reading etc. depending on who you may be, or what "grade" you may be in. Oh, and I bought a big bouncy ball for the kids to do four square with in the basement when the weather is bad. I know I'm probably in over-drive. I tend to do that when I get so close to having a new baby!! Only 8 weeks left! But I'll leave THAT for another day ;0)