our staple

Our first couple of days of official school-ish types of projects has gone great!  Too my great shock, Buddy seems to be disappointed that he doesn't have more to do.  I really believe in a play-based kindergarten year, but he's not buying it so far!  I'll assess the situation after a couple of weeks, tweak where it is needed and see what we come up with.
We are outside as much as our weather allows right now.  We are still at miserable temps (yesterday it was 105), and after 30 some odd days of straight 3 digit temperatures, it just feels like it will never let up.  Like we are going to be stuck in summer forever.  However, if we can get out of the house before 9, it is only in the 90's and pretty pleasant!  We are enjoying mornings of catching lizards,

chasing dragon flies, and gardening (and by gardening I mean ripping out dead plants!).

Yesterday, Moonpie and I spent some time putting together our math manipulatives for the year.  Instead of investing in base 10 blocks, I busted out our pantry staple -  beans.

This is something I would do when I taught school.  Even though we had access to the base 10 blocks, there is something about the process of making your own that adds to the level of understanding.

When I am approached by parents that are considering homeschooling, but are put off by the costs, I always remind them that every homeschool looks different.  Just as every child is different, every budget is different.  For us, we opt to put our small budget towards really great books.

The rest is up to me.