Off to a good start

It is always with a little trepidation that we begin actual school work each year. I've been doing this long enough to know that my neat and tidy plans and fantasies about how our school time will look are often at odds with messy reality and real children. Some years start out better than others. This was a good year.

I think one thing that helps is that we spend far more time talking about what work we will be doing on the first day back than we do actual work. I think this helps because it gives some time for everyone to process what is going to be expected of them. It stops the automatic reaction of, "I can't do that!" I also played up the 'isn't it cool you are all older kids now and can do so many more things' angle. Who doesn't like to have competency thrown at them?

We did do some actual work today, and it involved paint, so that's always helpful, too. Wednesdays are going to be our marine science day, so that is what we began with... a general overview of the ocean. Since the ocean is made up of water we spent some time talking about atoms and molecules and what makes water and how it can be in three different forms. We also made giant water molecule models.

(photo by G.)

The large spheres are the oxygen atoms, which if you look carefully can see an 'O' labeling them. The smaller spheres are the two hydrogen atoms, which really are marked 'H', you just can't see it. 

I'm afraid that what most of my children will take away from all this, though, is that water molecules look at bit like Mickey Mouse. (Picture them upside down from the way they are in the picture.) I'm going to go with at least it will be memorable that way and call it good.