Back to School Countdown

I have homeschooled my little girl for the past 4 years and loved most minutes of it.  Last year we had her audition for a public magnet school that focuses on the creative and performing arts, thinking that if she got in we would consider sending her to public school.  Well, she got in for violin, and we decided to give this public school thing a try.  She started last week and, so far, she is enjoying it.  It helps that she gets to go to lots of arts classes and the people she is there with also love the arts, so she is happy.

To help get her excited about going away to school (and to give her some extra love and advice) I started a back to school countdown for her.  Each morning for the 10 days before school started I left a note and a present by her bed.  They weren't big presents, but they were meant to remind her of certain things which the notes explained.  A lot of them had to do with spiritual things, thing to help comfort her when she was in a new situation.  She was getting a bit anxious during the weeks before school started, so I was trying to help her out.

Here's a list of some of the things I gave her, along with why I gave them to her:

pencils - to remind her she's writing her own story

mood necklace/ring - to remind her that she can choose her mood

erasers - to remind her that it's okay to make mistakes

gum - to remind her to stick to her principles

lip balm and life savers - to remind her that prayer can be a lifesaver and be a balm to a worried soul

colored pencils/markers - to remind her that it's good appreciate all kinds of friends. Everyone is different and unique in their own way and together make things beautiful.

a box of "bottle caps" candy, which I changed to "thinking" caps - to remind her that she'll need to focus and work hard.  You could also use smarties.

For more back to school survival kit ideas, click here.

 So far, she's doing pretty well at school, although she does lament her lack of free time.  It's definitely been an adjustment and we'll reevaluate at the end of the year if we want her to continue at this school or come back home.

first day! We sure miss her at home.