We’ve made it through our first two weeks of homeschooling using a new curriculum. I like the flexibility of The Well-Trained Mind, but it still has some challenges. For example, C has not quite grasped the idea of narrating a story back to me. This may be because of his ADHD and confidence issues. I’ve started having him narrate the story for a few wordless books in order to teach him the process. It seems to be helping some, as well as making him more attentive during a reading.

There were some ideas that I had that helped a lot for our first few weeks. After painting the table and the door with chalkboard paint, I ordered some chalk markers online. Every other day or so, I would write something new on the kitchen table, such as these math problems. The kids both enjoyed solving them, as well as using the surface of the table for their own problems and artwork.

In his grammar lessons, C will be learning a new poem every few weeks. I thought it would help him if I wrote them down on the door in his room. I guess that helped because he already knows this one!

I’ve had trouble the last couple of years keeping the kids’ books separated and organized. I was still debating what to do about storing them when I discovered storage boxes from Packaways. Lately, I’ve been storing a lot of things in cardboard boxes since they fit about anywhere. The Packaways boxes have the versatility of cardboard, but are made of a durable, flexible plastic. I used a 21 gallon box for C’s supplies and 16 gallon one for W. Since we started classes two weeks ago, the books have all remained in their respective boxes. Since the two boxes came in two different colors, the kids are immediately able to tell which box is theirs.

The boxes hold a ton of books without showing any signs of strain or wear. At the end of the school year, I can either pack up their books in the boxes or fold them up for storage until the next school term begins. I like the flexibility of a great box that I can keep year after year, yet still store with ease if I need to.

We are definitely taking baby steps this year. Little routines such as the chalkboards and good organization methods are key to making our homeschool work. I think with a little time, we will see some great things this year!

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