First Grade, here we go!

So this is my first year of homeschooling a la Charlotte Mason. Cutlet is 6 and has just begun 1^st grade. We did Kindergarten last year using My Father’s World, a combination of Classical, Charlotte Mason, unit studies & traditional methods. I was glad to get my feet wet with a curriculum that was all planned out for me, although I found myself toward the middle of the year tweaking and adding and adjusting more and more. In the end, it seemed the curriculum I had bought was more of just a general guideline for me to follow. I was grateful for that; however, I also felt even more strongly that the purer form of Charlotte Mason was calling my name... so I stopped altogether.

This was mid-summer. I was beginning to get nervous about the struggle to finish the curriculum before I should be starting the next one. I had to re-think... to re-plan... to remember what my goals and philosophy of education were. And that it is all for the benefit of my children, not just to finish a curriculum package. I also must admit that the peer pressure of everyone else getting their children ready for school kept me working toward getting our school year going sometime in the fall! 

As it were, a late-summer move and early fall vacation pushed our start date back until October 2.  I wish we could have started earlier. I was ready in my heart, but my house was nowhere near in order! (And my brain just cannot function if my house is out of sorts).

So we are beginning our 2^nd week of school now. Our first week went incredibly smoothly (insert BIG surprise here…along with a sigh of relief and thanksgiving!), and we all enjoyed ourselves too! {BONUS points!}

I know many bloggers had their Week of Homeschool Schedules posted back in August. Oh, how I wish I could have participated! But, alas, life has given us a different set of circumstances. And so now, I give you... (drum roll, please!) the amazing (using your best circus announcer's voice) Bishop Bairn Academy... SCHEDULE!!!! (cheer, please!) 

TUESDAY

Old Testament (read stories from the Bible)

Spanish (my own thang! Posts on this are coming soon)

History (alternating weeks between World History & Church History)

Math (Singapore 1A)

Poetry (A Child's Garden of Verses, one or two poems every day)

Copywork

P.E.

Reading (Simply Charlotte Mason's Delightful Reading)

Geography (Paddle to the Sea)

WEDNESDAY

Artist Study (Simply Charlotte Mason's Picture Study Portfolios - currently: Giotto)

Spanish

Literature (alternating Parables from Nature and Aesop's Fables)

Math

Poetry

Copywork

P.E.

Reading

Folk Music

THURSDAY

New Testament (read stories from the Bible)

Spanish

World History

Math

Poetry

Copywork

P.E.

Reading

Handicraft (still working on some ideas here. Currently: baking!)

FRIDAY

Composer Study (classical music - currently: Debussy)

Spanish

Literature (Aesop's) alternating with Natural History (Burgess' Bird Book)

Math

Poetry

Copywork

P.E.

Reading

Art (using Drawing with Children)

SATURDAY

Nature Study

Spanish

Literature (Just So Stories) alternating with extra time for catch-up lessons

Math

Poetry

Copywork

P.E.

Reading

Music (hymns - currently: For the Beauty of the Earth)