A Few New Things

I know I shared the overall plan of what we're doing for school this year, I've also started a few new things that have helped this past week or just made our school time a little more fun:

• They have cool subject binder covers.
  

This may not be that popular with high school students, but for elementary and middle school students, having something fun that you can decorate yourself is a big deal.

• We have an "I wonder..." board. You know all those interesting/random questions your kids ask you that deserves an answer but not in the middle of a math lesson? Well, we set up a cork board, provided some slips of paper, and now when there is a question, they write it down and pin it to the board. During some down time, one of the older kids or myself can choose a question, Google it, and voila - one of the perks of homeschooling has been recognized without derailing a whole hour of work.
• The little guys have a duplo challenge. I constructed some fairly simple duplo creations, took pictures of them, printed and laminated them. Then I loaded up some baskets with the photos and the duplos needed to replicate what's in the photos. Dan is getting really good at studying the cards and working to build the exact picture on the card! I know it's teaching him some good skills, but mainly I'm happy that it keeps him constructively occupied for a few minutes.
• I work with them. While the big girls are growing in independence (and it's about time, too!), I'm choosing to work along side them in certain areas. I practice the Latin prayers, read the musical biographies, and try to draw the pictures. Modeling being a learner, I hope, will take some of the fear out of being learners themselves.

What fun things are you doing to make this school year fun?