Back to school

We have started our school year - Brother is in 4th grade, Sister in preschool, Husband continues his studies at the University and I begin my second year as an instructor.  These days our life is about travel and school - we learn in everything we do!  We continue to use Moving Beyond the Page for the bulk of homeschooling and we like the fact that the curriculum is all planned out.   This year we are also using Singapore Math in conjunction with Khan Academy.  Certainly the Junior Ranger programs through the National Park Service are valuable science and social studies lessons.  When we are traveling, completing these lessons makes our trip even more educational.

Brother also uses duolingo to learn Spanish.  One thing we failed to do last year is continue Brother's piano lessons, so that is high on the priority list this year. We also will continue physical activity - swimming, hiking, bike riding and basketball.  We live in too small of a space to be indoors all the time - it's good to get out and move whenever possible!  Also we were given a Wii from a family member this summer; this will give us some indoor physical activity options as well. 

Brother really wants to continue homeschooling and we love the flexibility.  He is a great student and he really tries.  While it is challenging for us at times we are getting better at setting the schedule, understanding the curriculum and leading him through it.  We are trying to set up get-togethers with friends on a regular basis to ensure he and Sister have time to play with other kids. 

In the meantime the priority is to clean out our storage unit (eliminating a monthly expense) and determine what we can keep and what we can part with of our remaining stuff.  Our other huge goal for this year is to make progress on our building project on The Land.  It looks like we will take a trip up there in the next month to start planning our moves.