Zoo Tales

Perhaps scheduling a field trip but requiring that we do schoolwork first wasn't my best idea today.  We rushed through our work this morning.  The kids were clearly antsy.  But we got through the basics and headed to the zoo in time for the dolphin show.  Sadly, when we got there, the early show had been canceled.  I wasn't going to let the universe conspire against us, this being our second trip to the zoo in as many weeks of school, and so we opted to wait the 3 hours until the next show.  We saw stingrays, big cats, pinnipeds, goats, the children's zoo, and much, much more.  We ate lunch, the kids climbed their favorite tree, and then, finally, it was time for the dolphin show.  I wish I could say the 3 of us were all fresh and happy and excited but by that time of day (and in the 95+ degree heat), we were more wilted than fresh,  more crabby than excited.  The dolphin show was great, as usual, and though we ended our day tired and hot, I also got plenty of pictures for the yearbook and our mission can now be marked 'accomplished.'

Tomorrow, we have a full day of school.  I discovered that I need to supplement Thing 2's curriculum.  We are able to complete his work easily by lunch time and sometimes before that.  I need to keep him busy, so tonight I found myself scouring the shelves at our library for puzzles, books on the letter M (his letter for the week), and phonics workbooks to pull games and activities from.  I came home with some great things and then spent the evening making copies and creating games (i.e., the lily pad game for discerning consonants and vowels, and the Consonant Shopping Trip).  Tomorrow should be fun!

I find myself constantly evaluating whether I like homeschooling or not and whether the kids and I will last more than a year.  If I had to share my thoughts today, I would say that I am lovin' it!  I treasure the time I get to spend with my children, I enjoy learning alongside them, and I love how school helps to organize our day together.  I was always the sort of mom who confessed, somewhat sheepishly, that I didn't especially like to play with my children.  I suppose I doubted myself based on that and thought my distaste for play marked me as 'not likely to succeed at homeschooling.'  What I am finding instead is that maybe I simply didn't know what to do with the kids all day.  Doing school together gives us a plan for spending quality time together and it is truly wonderful (at least so far)...