Homeschooling: What our first day looks like

What do you remember from your first days of school?  I mean, the first day of each new school year. . what made those days special?

I remember having a new outfit each year.  Back to school shopping was part of our ritual!  And then of course there was the picture taking.  For me, at least in my high school years, there was the additional fun of the nerves that made me get sick each and every first day of school.  Memories. . .

Homeschooling families all have their own rituals for the first day of the new school year.  Some mark it very quietly, since they may have schooled all year around, and thus there may not be any real "first day". I know some families who try to recreate an actual school-type environment by having their kids leave the house and then return to their school at home.  Others eschew any connection to a traditional school idea at all, and they throw or attend NOT back to school picnics or parties.

We've established our own traditions.  First of all, we never begin school until the Wednesday after Labor Day.  That's the New Jersey rule, and we like to wring as much out of summer as possible.  We like to do some kind of little adventure the day before we officially begin school, which is something my mother always did with my sister and me.  It can be as simple as a beach day or a trip for ice cream!

On our first day, we always begin with going out to breakfast.  It's fun to talk about the upcoming year, our hopes and goals.  When we come home, we go into the school room, where I've set out their first day of school surprises.  These are just little goodies--new pens, notebooks, planners.  After the kids have oohed and ahhed over their new school supplies, we begin to go over our new books and classes; we talk about our new daily schedule and routine.

Our real school year will begin the following Monday, since we organize our curriculum by week.  But it's nice to have our day of celebration and ease into the new routine.

Homeschooling doesn't mean we lose our traditions. . .it just means we create new ones.