We are
closing in on our first official day of school for the 2009-2010 school
year. I always get so excited to start a
new year! It’s a chance to improve
ourselves over last year. I like to take
the summer time to read more from or about Miss Mason, and learn how to better
educate my children. I enjoy reading
either re-reading A Charlotte Mason Companion or I read some of Miss Mason’s
writings. (You can read her whole six
volume series free online here.) I’ve
always learned something new about how to better apply Charlotte Mason’s
philosophy to our schooling, and I’m excited to use what I’ve learned with my
children!
We
started a couple of years ago to make Labor Day our first day of school. Some people may think this strange, as the
rest of the world is taking a holiday, but this works well for our family. Daddy always has the day off from his day
job, so he can be home with us - it’s wonderful to have him here as we embark
on a new year! He gets to be in on
getting our school notebooks together. Every
student starts with one 3-ring binder that they get to decorate a cover for. Some of our children like to color theirs by
hand, others like to use the computer to make a cover. Daddy helps everyone get their boxes together
with all their books and writing stuff and paper in their box for the first
term. Daddy is also able to begin our
year with a blessing for everyone in the family – even me! It’s wonderful to have my husband bless me
the first day, and the children just glow as he is blessing them! This blessing is not a big formal ceremony;
he just speaks words of encouragement and asks the Lord to bless each one of us
as we embark on a new year of schooling.
After
everyone has their notebook together, we take each child’s picture by a sign
with our school’s name and the school year on it. We do some read aloud, and have a short
narration from each student over the age of 6 – sometimes the younger ones chip
in on their own, too! We may do a little
math or copywork. I believe this year we
will all do a nature walk together, as we now have a few acres of woods to
discover! We have a special supper to
end the day, and we all get to bed early to get a good night’s rest for the
next day – a full day of academics!
What do
you like to do to start your school year off right?
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