Day one of first grade . . . duhn duhn duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun

Well, it's day one. We did homeschool last year, but it was through the K12 program. This is a public school you do from home, which I consider very different from homeschooling. This year, we are doing an independent study program for 1st grade.

"We" is the Oplingers - Ryan, Brittani, Stevi, and Olivia. Stevi is our 1st grader, Olivia is 17 months old and very likely to be a challenge to the process lol. Stevi is a very smart little girl, very verbal, and very independent. She is going to be fun to teach, and fun to watch learn. As I speak, she is "pretending" to play store with Olivia.

Today is going to consist of our "Back to School" routine. We are going to the park for an Activity Day first (free neighborhood Kid's club here in our community) from 10:30-11:45. We will walk for some exercise first. Then, when we get home, we'll do lunch and get started after the baby lays down for her afternoon nap. This is one of the best things about homeschool. We have the ability to be flexible and do things in the order we want to.

We'll go over some math, spelling, reading, and history just to recap where we left off last year. Then I think we'll watch Lady and the Tramp. Not sure how/if I can tie that in to school, lol, but who knows. It's a classic, right? Call it culture. Lol. We'll see how this first day goes! I'm excited and nervous to be doing independent study with no formal "curriculum". But it's okay, I looked online at our State Standards for the year, outlined it all, and set goals by trimester so we know what benchmarks we have to hit and when. Next I'll look online and see what standard tests there are and what it takes to enroll her in them.

For the record, I don't particularly care what she scores on these tests, I just want an official record in case State requirements for homeschool ever change. Here in Idaho, we aren't required to notify anyone of our intent to homeschool or to keep up with any kind of standard tests. I just believe it's better safe than sorry. I want my girls to be able to go to school in a college if they want.

Well, this was a bit of a rambling post, I'm sorry! Just felt like there was a bit to get off my mind. Wish us luck!!!