Hello! Welcome to homeschooling and to MFW!
It is definitely overwhelming when you open that beautiful box of books and start thumbing through the teacher's manual (TM). I just wanted to add a couple of things on to what Tricia said, which was all great advice!
I try to skim through the entire TM once and then go back through the first pages and the first few weeks several times throughout the summer. Then, I like to take some time to spread the books out on my kitchen table. I start reading through the TM. The pages at the beginning about how to prepare for the year and the notes in the first week are so very valuable! When I get to week 1 and start looking through the grid, I look at the pages that are to be read in each book. If I read through the first couple of weeks in the TM and look at the books that are referenced, it really helps me to wrap my mind around it better.
Also, the copyright in the TM gives you permission to copy the weekly grid schedule pages (as long as you will not lend, sell, give away the original TM or the copies), so I copy the grid schedule pages and put them in a binder to be my lesson planner. A couple of weeks before I plan to start school, I sit down with my grid pages and pencil in the math, language arts, and other notes.
We try to start school for the year on a Wednesday or Thursday to give us a light start to our school year. The first day of school we always take a fun field trip, usually to the zoo, but sometimes to a place that really fits well with what we'll be learning that year. Our first year we did ECC, I took my kids to a travel agency. The agent we talked to gave us a tour and talked to us about planning vacations for people. She gave us a lot of magazines and brochures from other countries, which came in handy throughout the year as we studied other countries. A travel agency is a great field trip when you study ECC! Also, besides the field trip, on those first few days of school, I just get my kids started on their math and language arts. I start whichever core program we're using at the beginning of the following week.
Don't feel that you have to complete one week on the grid into one actual week. If you get off a day, just do the next day in the grid on the next day you do school.
Throughout the summer, look through the idea pages and archives for ECC on this message board. You'll finds lots of ideas for making ECC a great and fun year for your kids. As Tricia mentioned, use a notebook and jot down ideas you'd like to incorporate in your homeschool.
Since it is your first year homeschooling, I would definitely give your kids a light and fun start to the school year. Don't be a slave to the curriculum. it is a tool for you. MFW is a wonderful tool that helps homeschooling to be much smoother and easier than if you were putting it together yourself, but it is a tool. You are the teacher. Feel free to slow things down and break a day on the grid into more than one day of learning, if needed. Take time to take field trips and do fun things! Have fun "traveling" to the countries. Really just make your school year your own.
Keep coming back here with questions. Those of us who have been homeschooling for quite awhile will be happy to share our experiences and suggestions with you.
Enjoy your summer, and enjoy your preparations for the school year. Take a deep breath, take it in small chunks, and it will be fine.
