Quote of the day: "Just as eating against one's will is injurious to health, so study without a liking for it spoils the memory" ~ Leonardo Da Vinci

Our schedule has been very busy with softball season and our other regular activities, but I can see rest on the horizon. :-) This is the last week of the softball season, and Memorial Day is two weeks away. Memorial Day has been our school cutoff date. After Memorial Day we take off two weeks of "school". Learning is constant in our home, but during this time I do not plan anything or give any type of assignments. My daughter will still pick up a workbook or her math book on her own. After those two weeks I usually schedule some type of work for a couple of times a week during the summer. Typically it is review like math to stay fresh, or if we need to catch up in any areas. We resume our usual school schedule in mid August.

As I mentioned in previous posts, our schedule this past year was overbooked especially with a new baby. We decided to limit outside activities for the upcoming year. Of course since this decision, every class or co-op possibility has been offered. I'm happy to say that I have not been enticed to enroll my daughter. :-) This year has been a learning experience! Babies change things--especially your energy level :-)

My latest read has been Ignite The Fire by Terri Camp.(www.ignitethefire.com) She talks about seeking God's direction for our homeschool and asking Him for direction in the way we should educate each of our children.She also describes the importance of adding activities that will help children be excited about learning and enable them to better retain the material that they learn. This is where I realized that I needed to add more spark to our studies. She gives a lot of good ideas that can be implemented into any teaching style.

One of my goals for my daughter this year is to incorporate more creative ideas and activities into her studies. This part of the planning has been really fun, and I know she will be very excited with some of the ideas and activities. :-)