Back to School Traditions for Middle School Homeschoolers

Homeschooling

Aug 2

It seems surreal to have two middle-school aged children! Getting to this point in our homeschool seems to have happened overnight although I know that's not the case. In our homeschool, middle school starts in fifth grade and ends at eighth grade. It was my oldest daughter idea to start middle school in fifth grade, and I am just going along with it. :)

Today was our first day back to school, and I wanted to start off on the right foot. I am not an advance planner; as the first day was quickly approaching I was still pondering how would I make today spectacular. You probably would've thought that someone who attended two homeschool conferences this year would have herself together, but I don't. Even though I didn't plan our first day out months in advance, I am thrilled the way it turned out.

First Day of Homeschool for Middle School Traditions

All About Me activity sheet

This didn't not die in elementary school. My daughters still enjoy writing about themselves on the first day of school. I like for them to do the activity sheet because it can serve as a reflection piece as they continue to age. I enjoy seeing the way their artwork changes over the years, and their career choices for the future. If your kiddos haven't filled out an All About Me activity sheet, you should definitely add it to the first day traditions. I bought ours from the Dollar Spot at Target this year. Since the pack had enough for a classroom, we'll use them next year too.

Vision Boards

I know vision boards are a big thing at the beginning of a new year and before yesterday I hadn't ever considered doing one for the beginning of a new school year. Yes, the idea really came to me yesterday. No, I didn't have stacks of magazines ready for the project instead I had my laptop and printer ready to print any images that came to my daughters' minds. I also shared goodies from my Illustrated Faith kits like washi tape and stickers. They both loved this project, and I am sure we will do it again next year. I like that they both are setting goals for their education, character, and life.

Time Allocation

So, I got Help Your Kids with Study Skills awhile back, and I loved the section about being wise with time. My daughters have a lot of free time. They aren't always cognizant of the ways that they use their time so today we filled out the time allocation chart so that they can determine how they want to spend their time. It is so easy to fall into the trap of staring at a screen simply for entertainment. They already have time limits for using technology for entertainment, but I know that it is important to find ways to use their other free time. They shared that they enjoyed this activity too. I think it made them feel more mature.

Pictures

Of course, you can't have a first day of school without documenting it with a photo. Over the years, we have taken a variety of first day of homeschool photos. This year, they took their photographs with their vision boards.