First Day of School

This was our first week of the new school year.  It has been really good so far.  I usually buy lots of cheap school supplies while things are on sale in July, but since we started early I visited the dollar store for a few items for the first day of school.

Thankfully the girls were excited about school and everyone was dressed and ready early.  I think some of the excitement was looking at the new books and school supplies. :)  Yes, they get excited about those kinds of things like mommy! 

Hannah is always the first to get to the school table.  She  loves to come down and let the cat out of the basement and cuddle with him.  She also likes to look at her checked work and complete any corrections before the school day starts!  She is always finished first, and usually well done for the most part.  This is a good thing because it gives her time for reading books or painting pictures! Her favorite item was the new pencil sharpener.  This girls needs a sharp point to be happy!

Sarah is usually the last down, but she comes with a great smile! :)  She often finishes her breakfast at the school table.  I am so thankful I don't have to get this girl on the big yellow bus, because she would probably never eat before I shoved her out the door! LOL  She always gives her best effort though in school and is quick to help others when they need it!  She especially loved the stickers that I bought for the girls to decorate their school boxes.

Mary and Lydia's room is downstairs, so Mary had the first peek at the school supplies.  She was thrilled about everything, but especially about the gum! :)  Mary loves the reading selections in school.  She likes to get on my bed and snuggle with the cat to read her chapters.  I have already read most of her books with the older girls, but we are reading some new ones this year so I look forward to those too! 

Lydia was also happy to see the pile of new items and particularly excited about the little notebook and mechanical pencil.  She has carried it all around the house and invented reasons to write in it.  She loved that it was for her to write whatever she wanted!  Lydia cried a little when we threw away her Kindergarten papers, but she is looking forward to the books and pages she will complete in first grade.  So far her favorite is Aesop Fables because she gets to read it all by herself!

My favorite items were the new expandable folders I bought.  We call these the daily work folders.  There are pockets for the main subjects.  I put their extra paper and "morning work" in the front.  Then any work books or papers can be kept in the folder.  At the end of the day the girls turn the folder in to my check box.  This keeps all the papers neat and orderly.  Then any papers they need to correct I slip in the front pocket with the morning work worksheets.  On the occasion that I have a worksheet for them to complete I just put it in the folder the night before, so it is already handed out at the beginning of the day!

This is what it looks like inside.  In the front you can see the weather calendar that is the first page of the morning work.  There are seven pockets behind that.  You can see Sarah's green Spanish workbook in the pocket.  

Here it is closed.  Since these came from the dollar tree, I am not sure how long they will hold up.  They are much better though than the simple pocket folders we used last year.  They don't have to dig through the papers to find the one I want.  They know exactly which pocket to check.  Love, love, love it! :)

With All My Heart~