How do you celebrate the first day of homeschool?

[onandon]

My daughter is 5 and we're planning on starting our first day of homeschool in August or September. How have you kicked off the first day of school for your child? Do you buy them a new backpack, school supplies, and take a picture on the front steps? I'd love ideas!

[Lillian J]

We started homeschooling later, and we did a little kitchen science experiment that involved leaving out various ingredients in a few little cakes that were all tasty but different. But with a child that age, I think I'd go on a really fun little outing - the kind of thing she wouldn't be able to do if she were in school - and snuggle together later and read wonderful books to her. Some people like to go off on a little vacation when the school year starts - but little outings could set a similar same tone about being and learning in the larger world rather than in a classroom. Lillian

[LilyGrace]

We celebrate like Christmas.

I get up very early in the morning and arrange all the new supplies on the couch, with a schultuete right in the center. It's a German tradition that we've adapted and changed slightly, filling it with the smaller school supplies, toys, and a *little* bit of candy. I think last year I took a bag of gummy letters and wrapped up sets that spelled things like 'school', 'learn', and 'fun', putting them in tissue paper with little bows on them.

Anyway, that all is arranged bright and early. When The Kid gets up, it's time to rush over and look over everything little by little, play with the games, and find homes for it all. The schultuete is always first, of course! Then comes everything else. We usually start on labor day, too, so we can invite friends over to help us play.

I love the first day of school! It was such a great memory as a kid that I wanted to do something just as special for each year of homeschooling.:

[splendid]

We go camping.

[newcastlemama]

What a fun idea! I was going to take ds shopping for some fun stuff to start the school year so he would not feel like he was missing out--A spiderman lunchbox for our outings, new art stuff,books, games,...I think I will make a cake and have a little party at a park too.

I love your idea LilyGrace!

[ChinaDoll]

I'm planning to let them each pick out their favorite outfit to wear, and one of our crafts will be to decorate posters with their names, ages, and grades, so we can get a picture of them with it - something we could do each year.

I got them each a new folder (to hold their daily math, science and language arts worksheets), pencil box (to hold their slate, chalk, cool pencils and erasers, glue, crayons, scissors, pencil sharpener, glue stick, etc.), a sticker book, and writing pad. I'm going to gift wrap the new pencil boxes (labeled with their names), and then wrap their folders/writing pads and their first reader book/sticker book seperately, so when they walk in, their desks will have three gift-wrapped items and a new nametag.

We'll probably not do a TON of schoolwork that day, but treat it more like school orientation:

Start with our Circle time (Bible story/verse, pledge of allegiance/national anthem)
Open gifts
Do a fun craft
Have a snack
Learn about our new morning chore chart and workbox system
Put their name/picture into their timeline books
Play a few educational board games
Listen to a fun story
Take a nature walk outside
Take our first day of school pics with our posters
Then go to lunch/ice cream with Daddy! :

[elizawill]

i take a picture at the front door, we have pancakes for breakfast....do a little school and then something fun to celebrate.

[Theoretica]

We life learn year 'round, so there's really no end or beginning to our process. I remember doing first day of 'school' stuff when I first started, but honestly it's so much an entrenched lifestyle for us at this point, I can't imagine STOPPING long enough to start again! LOL

[CariOfOz]

Originally Posted by LilyGrace

We celebrate like Christmas.

I get up very early in the morning and arrange all the new supplies on the couch, with a schultuete right in the center.
:

Ohhh, I LOVE this! Consider it totally stolen

[LilyGrace]

Originally Posted by CariOfOz

Ohhh, I LOVE this! Consider it totally stolen

Take it! I stole the schultuete idea after visiting Germany. Just have to say, though, if you're making your own cone, cutting a 70-80degree semi-circle makes a sleeker looking cone than the 130 degree one I made last year!

[CariOfOz]

LOL I can imagine a somewhat fat cone, but it would sure hold a LOT of goodies!

[darcytrue]

Originally Posted by Theoretica

We life learn year 'round, so there's really no end or beginning to our process. I remember doing first day of 'school' stuff when I first started, but honestly it's so much an entrenched lifestyle for us at this point, I can't imagine STOPPING long enough to start again! LOL

we've kept it going this summer as well, with a break for summer camps and other stuff they are doing.

[SagMom]

Originally Posted by onandon

My daughter is 5 and we're planning on starting our first day of homeschool in August or September. How have you kicked off the first day of school for your child? Do you buy them a new backpack, school supplies, and take a picture on the front steps? I'd love ideas!

While we don't have a "first day" we used to be aware of when the local kids went back to school and we'd plan a trip to a museum, amusement park, science center, zoo or some other place we loved that was usually very crowded, but emptied out when school started.

We still go on vacation in September simply because it's less crowded and cheaper.

Our local hs group plans a "Not Back to School Picnic" in September at a local park.

[caefi]

The first "official" day, for us, is always the Monday after Aug 26th. (my DD's birthday) We do school over the summer, but it's a lighter load. End of Aug is when we pick back up full-speed and the outside classes all begin.

We get new supplies, intro to any new books, and we take a picture near a static object that we *should* have forever to show their growth. I do not plan a day's worth of school on top of everything else! I tried that for a few years and it just about killed me.

After the first day of school in 2003 and wanting to give up completely, drag the kids to the local school and forget homeschooling completely - I received this article forwarded to me: http://www.titus2.com/corners/9-03-m.htm

It was just what I needed on that crazy day.

[my3monkees]

A few years ago my kids started wanting to go to school. But after questioning them I found out what they were missing was the excitement and shopping that accompanies back to school for the other kids.
So I figured we could do that also. So after the public schools go back, we get to go "school shopping" during what are normal school hours. New supplies and a new outfit for each child.
We also try to get in a last day at the beach when everyone else is back to school!

[Pinky Tuscadero]

We have a picninc at the beach on the day the public schools start here. With all the propaganda trying to get kids to believe that school is wonderful and fun, I like to remind them of the fun we have by not going to school. It's really hard to overcome the whole "school is fun" stuff that is in all the kids books, etc.

[catholic74]

There are a lot of great ideas here! Thanks!:

[yippityskippity]

This will be our first year : We officially start in mid-August. I let older DD pick a day trip, and she decided that she wanted to go to "cowboy town" (her name for it). It's an old west town where the girls can pan for gold and then we'll ride in a stagecoach. Very fun

[MissRubyandKen]

Originally Posted by LilyGrace

We celebrate like Christmas.

I get up very early in the morning and arrange all the new supplies on the couch, with a schultuete right in the center. It's a German tradition that we've adapted and changed slightly, filling it with the smaller school supplies, toys, and a *little* bit of candy. I think last year I took a bag of gummy letters and wrapped up sets that spelled things like 'school', 'learn', and 'fun', putting them in tissue paper with little bows on them.

Anyway, that all is arranged bright and early. When The Kid gets up, it's time to rush over and look over everything little by little, play with the games, and find homes for it all. The schultuete is always first, of course! Then comes everything else. We usually start on labor day, too, so we can invite friends over to help us play.

I love the first day of school! It was such a great memory as a kid that I wanted to do something just as special for each year of homeschooling.:

This is so beautiful! Thanks for sharing.

[earthmama369]

We go year round, but our homeschool co-op takes the summer off, and on our first day back, we traditionally hit the beach. The kids pick out special first-day-of-coop outfits and get a little something new. Last year was backpacks, this year will be some supplies to put in the backpacks, now that they're a little older.