Busy Bees

We have been busy bees lately.   Most of our time has been scheduled time, which is not necessarily good or bad, but it does make one desire some down-time.   When I flipped my calendar to April today, I noticed that there was not nearly as much scheduled(YET) as there was in March, and that was great for me.  The next month will be when we're doing the majority of the rest of Lukas' school work.  We'll continue working until the end of May, but I know that his focus is going to go downhill quickly as the weather gets warmer.  Plus, he will finish his kindergarten math soon, and he's already reading very well.  I love that I can pace our schooling according to his academic needs.  What a blessing!

So what have we been doing with our time?  School has been fun lately.  Whenever a major holiday is approaching, I always try to do some extra crafts and art projects.  Last week I decided to make paper mache Easter eggs with the kids.  I know; I'm crazy.  You don't have to tell me.  It was messy, but it was so fun!  Being a smart mommy, I waited to do this project until Eric was home in the evening.  It made for a nice, messy evening of family fun.  Of course, we painted them while he was working, so that was all on me.  The kids did a terrific job with this project!

Yesterday, we had an open house for our homeschool co-op.  I am so glad that we decided to participate!  It didn't take much prep time at all (although, waiting until the night before did make for a late night for me).  Lukas got to share his school work with his grandparents, some cousins, and his Uncle Jeff and Aunt Cathy.  Both kids loved that!  It was a great opportunity for him practice explaining what he has learned to others.  I really think it was very good for him in so many ways.

Speaking of our co-op...I have found that many people don't realize that homeschoolers have opportunities to participate in homeschool cooperatives.  The organization that we are a part of is called HOME ON THE ROCK (HOTR), and each group that is part of HOTR is named after a gemstone.  Our group is called Jasper, which I think is kind of cool.  We meet once a week for 8 weeks in the fall and 8 weeks in the winter/spring.  In the fall, Lukas took a music class and a literature class each week.  During the session that is ending this Tuesday, he and Ava have been learning about Community Helpers and Animal Habitats.  They love going, and I love that they are making friends and growing up with some great families.  It is also good for me because I have time to interact with other homeschooling moms, some with much more experience than I have.  Most communities offer similar programs for homeschoolers, and I think it is a great opportunity!

Check out the SMILEBOX I created this afternoon.  I have a new camera, so I've been taking pictures like crazy over the past week(as if I didn't already take enough photos...LOL).  This smilebox has photos from our paper mache project, open house, and our trip to the playground today.  Enjoy!