GBA opens for the 2008-2009 School Year

Home » The Homeschool Years » GBA opens for the 2008-2009 School Year

This post: GBA Opens for the 2008-2009 School Year is part of our series THE HOMESCHOOLING YEARS and was originally published in 2008.

These original blog posts came with me from my “blogger” days. They were written from the heart, as a way to record the memories in real-time as they were happening. Their intended audience was simply family and close friends. Because they are an ESSENTIAL PART of Happy Hive Homeschool’s evolution, I have kept them in their original form with minor edits if needed. You may see the post repeated in a more recent more descriptive post as well. I hope you can indulge a mother in her memory keeping.

Updated 2021

It’s hard to believe I have been blogging for over 13 years. If I had started blogging to “get rich” surely it would have happened by now… But back in 2008, when this post was written, I started blogging to preserve memories. You see I had three beautiful children. (I still have them, they are just all many years older than THESE pictures!) I was a BUSY Homeschool Mom.

My hobby of choice at the time was scrapbooking. It is STILL my hobby of choice. I started blogging as a way of pre-scrapbooking shall we say. I could put the pictures and a quick summary of the event onto my blog and when I was ready to scrapbook it would be safe and sound “on the net”.

Looking back at these early posts and how they don’t -fit- into the “Happy Hive” design, or structure doesn’t bother me. This was the nitty-gritty down and dirty reality of my homeschooling years. There was no Instagram perfection back then. I was winging it. So if you *think* – wow – Christy had it all together, she must have been an awesome homeschool mom…. SNORT… I come back and look at the posts I’m leaving on this blog so when I DO catch up and scrapbook, I’ll remember my reality.

When a pencil sharpener brought joy.

Before we knew Douglas would need 2 eye surgeries and his vision still isn’t above legally blind in one eye….

When times were simpler and a rock painted like a chicken represented nature.

Everything is learning and these old posts remind me of that. I hope they remind you too. Enjoy….

Douglas’ First Day of Kindergarten

September 2, 2008

4 Years Old

Teacher: Mrs. Crabtree

Another wonderful year of Home Schooling started today! Today my “baby” started Kindergarten – and I didn’t even cry — that’s because, as usual, we were all here at home!

We are using the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne as a basis for all studies this year and the kids are very excited and involved in their learning.

The Bugs woke up excited as can be to a PILE of new school supplies on the table. We took pictures showing off our favorite new item.

Lauren’s favorite new supply was a pencil sharpener.

Megan’s favorite was a ruled notebook

and Douglas’ favorite was the set of glitter glue – boy I’m in trouble with this one!

Since the bugs had not seen Mrs. Crabtree for a whole month they wanted sharing time:

Lauren, who is beginning the Second Grade, went to the playroom and gathered toy dinos and proceeded to tell everyone the Stegosaurus has a brain the size of a walnut – she was sorry she did not have an actual walnut so we could see – believe me she rattled off some fact or another for each dinosaur.

Megan, entering First Grade, went to her room and gathered “nature” items – lots of rocks, because the “Earth’s Crust is Rocks” (in case you were wondering!) You can see a rock painted as a chicken, a gift from one of our friends, and a flower sticker from Aunt Valerie – because “Flowers are nature”.

Douglas brought his shirt for sharing because it is a dinosaur shirt and we are beginning this year with Dinosaurs.

Every morning, school starts with prayer and a call to Daddy, we mark his location on our wall map and then fill him in on all the happenings! Today Daddy gave the bugs each a “talking to” so they behave for Mrs. Crabtree.

Douglas points to today on our calendar… and gathers supplies to stuff in his backpack….

Here are the bugs hard at work in the classroom… notice the feet. I love home schooling! No need to buy new school shoes! (Don’t worry I didn’t actually save money – I just bought more crayons and markers, and pencils…)