Back to School Night

Well here it is- one of my favorite nights of the year.  Our kick off to the new school year...

Back to School Night

As a homeschooling family of 5, I needed some traditions to start the school year for the kids (and myself) to look forward to.  This was our second annual Back to School Night, and I must say though it was toned down from last year- it still was a hit!

Once again I enlisted my friend Shannan from Enchanted Cookie Boutique  to make up some school cookies for us.  They were a huge hit!  The kids were so excited to eat their school supplies!

 "Look Mom!  I ate my homework..."

Grant was just excited to eat anything! 

Earlier that day the kids made their own brown bag "school lunch" and filled it with a sandwich, snacks and juice.  I don't know why, but that's always their favorite part :) 

At dinner we talked about the new school year.  We shared what our favorites were last year and I told them a little bit about what fun things were on the schedule for this year.  As they ate their school lunches, I read to them a few books: 

and

Both of these books improve our mindset by allowing ourselves to make mistakes.  We talked about what we can do when something isn't going the way we planned (and not just in school!).  The kids suggestions were: walk away (take a break), ask for help, go do something fun for a while, and look at it from a different angle.  I hope to use these books and the principles they share throughout the year.  

After our school lunches and story time, we headed into the classroom.  For a few weeks I had hoped to surprise them with the few changes I made to the room, but since they're in there almost every free second of the day (it has now taken on the new name, "The Lego Room" this summer), I figured the surprise wasn't as big as I'd hoped. 

This was the most important part of Back to School Night- Father's Blessings.  

Each year before we start school, we come into our little classroom and Chase gives each of the kids (and me!) a Father's Blessing.  He guides us on how to overcome our weaknesses, he encourages us to use our individual strengths, and he calls upon the spirit to guide and direct us through this next year.  

It's always one of my most favorite memories each time.  

After our Father's Blessings, we get to the kids' favorite part of the night- The Books!

Each year I make it a point to find a special Back to School story for each of the kids.  I love this task because it means I get to spend some therapy time at Barnes and Noble.  I go there and grab a number of books off the shelf that I think remind me of each of them.  Then I find a comfy chair and sit and read.  As I read each book, I can see so clearly which book is for which kid. It's like their personalities jump right off the page.  Then, right before I wrap them, I take a minute to write down a little note to them about how excited I am for this upcoming school year.  They love these books and I love looking back on the things I wrote and how far we've come to where we are today.  

Watching them open their books and share them with each other is such a neat experience.  

And just for a moment- time stops.  They read.  They devour.  They engage.  

And then- another favorite time of mine- they come gather all around and one by one we read the books and the inscriptions to each child.  It's a special ending to a memorable night. 

Happy Back to School Night, my little Shillig Scholars! 

- Here's to the 2016-2017 school year -