Recess. A homeschool mom's sanity-saver.

Our pool is taken down now, but I wanted to share what we do for recess when the weather is warm :)  We take an hour and a half break...from 11:30-1:00 for lunch, some kind of physical activity, and free time (which means rounds of Little Big Planet).  I can't tell you what a difference this has made in our day.  The kids work from 8:30-ish straight thru 11:30, so they're ready for a nice break.  When we get back at it, they work hard for another couple hours.  It makes the day go fast, but there's a lot less cranky whining. :)  Here's what I do while they swam....

It really helps to have an extended period of time with no schooling responsibilities.  I can check email, blog, take a quick rest, finish projects, or shower (yes, I school the kids in jammies or stinky sweats most days).....it's great motivation to finish morning work knowing we have a decent chunk of time to chill out.

In other news, my daughter who was beginning her junior year at the local public school has decided to come back home.  So we're scrambling to get curriculum together for her.  She's basically focusing on SAT prep using Grueber's, but I'm also having her do English Comp and Lit, American History, and Algebra 2.  It's been quite a change to go from just one last year to four....but it keeps my life exciting.

I've also tweaked our curriculum a bit more, and our daily schedule is now a comfortable routine.  And since we've added another kiddo to the homeschool mix, we've retrofitted (neato word, eh) our dining room into another school room/office.  It looks more like a computer lab, but we're still finishing it up.  When the makeover is finished, I'll share more about it.  I'll leave you with a bit of footage....