Our first day of school for this year, our eleventh year of homeschooling, is Monday, August 19. The summer flew by all too fast! I am still in the mood to enjoy extra free time, and my kids are still in the mood to sleep late (very, very late). So, to help this foot-dragging Momma build a little excitement, I made sure our traditional first day activities are ready to go:
- Breakfast: Homemade cinnamon rolls
- School shirts
- First day photo
- “All About Me” page
For homemade cinnamon rolls, I use this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Money Saving Mom. Years ago when I first started using it, I had a bread machine. Now, the night before, I mix the ingredients in my mixer with a dough hook and then let it rise for 45 minutes before rolling it out. After the rolls are cut, I place them on a cookie sheet, cover, and place in the fridge overnight. In the morning, I pull them out and set the pan on the counter to warm up and rise for 30-60 minutes before putting them into the preheated oven to bake. This is absolute first-day-of-school tradition number one: start the day with a warm, frosted cinnamon roll.
For school shirts, we have made them in the past with iron-on images printed on special paper, made with fabric markers, tie-dye, and even with spray bleach and splatter paint on black shirts one year to look like nebulas. Last few years, we would occasionally skip this tradition. Last year was one of those years. This year is my oldest’s senior year, her last year of high school, her last year of homeschool. By George, we are having school shirts this year. However, I decided this year to skip the shirt making and opted to order these shirts from Amazon instead.
I need Miss Frizzle’s inspiration. 2024 has been emotionally hard and stressful, and took something from my mojo that I am still trying to get back. Life is going to be messy anyways, might as well make it our school motto this year.
Our first day photos are always taken in our yard with the girls holding signs to show which grade they are in. Here is the photo from 2014, our first year homeschooling.
A few years ago, I decided to just print the number have them color it, or have them draw the grade number themselves and illustrate it. I like the personal touch they add to their signs, and this little tidbit of their personality is captured in the first-day photo. I take a group photo that is hung in our school year, along with previous year’s photos, as well as individual pics.
The individual pics are printed and added to a page that the girls fill out called “All About Me”. The page has the kids fill in blanks about their favorite things. The girls have usually placed these in the covers of their binders, and these also make wonderful keepsakes as they show another snapshot of their personalities as that age. For many years, I used a form that I found on Pinterest, however this year I finally made my own. It can be found in this freebie in my TPT store.
I planned a full day of lessons on Monday this year, just jumping in with both feet this year. I’m hoping that it goes well!
North Star Homeschool Resources 