In our homeschool, we have 3 twelve week terms...or that is at least what we did this year. :) And today we finish Term 2. We've learned about the human body, and finished another phonics book (Aiden and Maverick). Aiden started learning subtraction and is doing very well and Maverick just started addition and is also doing well. Let's see, we are currently reading Little House in the Big Woods aloud and they like it. Aiden is reading a Boxcar Children book to himself and Maverick enjoys Frog and Toad and Amelia Bedelia books. Aiden enjoys his Reason for Handwriting and likes choosing who to send his special paper to each week. For Maverick, handwriting of any kind is the "bane of his existence." I am going to start a different program with him in third term to test it before solidifying the plan to use it next year. Got my fingers crossed. We just started a new Bible devotional that I think may actually be usable. So many Bible things are either to "storybook" and redundant and boring or far too "deep" for my boys....we may have finally found a happy medium. :)
Overall, it has been a productive winter...albeit a long one. With severe snow and ice storms and power outages (although we got off easy only losing for 24 hours), we have been cooped up for a large part of the last couple months it seems. We are ready for warmer days where we can go outside and play. I am ready to a garden and have big plans (I wonder how they will turn out). In the next term our science is going to be a study of plants (I planned that!) so I am ready for spring and plants and sunshine and time outside.
So we are taking the next 2 days off and will start the last term of this school year on Monday. Oh how time flies!!!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Diggin in my heels vs. getting creative!
When I am faced with a struggle I am much more inclined to dig in my heels and "win" the fight. This is especially true with the children. But if I must win, then, conversely, they must "lose." Granted, sometimes they need to lose to learn about submission to authority and all that but that really isn't necessary all the time.
Today was one of those days...and although I started by digging in my heels about them doing their school work, I stopped myself. I decided to try another way. Maverick was freaked about writing his phonics and, really, so was Aiden. They each had to write 7 or 8 words and I was seriously thinking, 'Oh for Heaven's sake, just DO it!' I gave them the option of doing the work on a dry erase board...still no dice. So, I pulled into a bag of tricks I don't really use all that often and decided to let things be. But they didn't get to play. I gave each of them (Griffin too) a tray with a layer of rice...and told the big boys to write their phonics words in that. Maverick did one that way. Aiden didn't. But they played. They made hand prints, and face prints, and mountains, and "pictures." While they were drawing in the rice, I read their science to them and we talked about it. Then I read the "Little House" book we are reading for our read aloud. And I read twice as much as I usually do without any complaining. Then, I just left them to play in the rice...it isn't hurting anything, they are doing little "experiments" and it is good for Maverick to "feel" things since he freaks so much about how things feel most of the time.
THEN THE MIRACLE OCCURED!!- Aiden left the rice and did his phonics, math and handwriting WITHOUT any nagging or yelling from me...and just a little help when he needed it. When he left the table, Maverick went ahead and did his phonics as well (he doesn't have handwriting now and had already done his math). So school is nearly done on a day when we ALL could have dug in our heels and fought about it. I HAVE to remember this and use it....I much prefer this to what the day could have been.
Still, I think we are all a little overtired and we are going to try napping this afternoon...no reason to not try to fix the "cause" of the original melt down after we have dealt with it. :)
Today was one of those days...and although I started by digging in my heels about them doing their school work, I stopped myself. I decided to try another way. Maverick was freaked about writing his phonics and, really, so was Aiden. They each had to write 7 or 8 words and I was seriously thinking, 'Oh for Heaven's sake, just DO it!' I gave them the option of doing the work on a dry erase board...still no dice. So, I pulled into a bag of tricks I don't really use all that often and decided to let things be. But they didn't get to play. I gave each of them (Griffin too) a tray with a layer of rice...and told the big boys to write their phonics words in that. Maverick did one that way. Aiden didn't. But they played. They made hand prints, and face prints, and mountains, and "pictures." While they were drawing in the rice, I read their science to them and we talked about it. Then I read the "Little House" book we are reading for our read aloud. And I read twice as much as I usually do without any complaining. Then, I just left them to play in the rice...it isn't hurting anything, they are doing little "experiments" and it is good for Maverick to "feel" things since he freaks so much about how things feel most of the time.
THEN THE MIRACLE OCCURED!!- Aiden left the rice and did his phonics, math and handwriting WITHOUT any nagging or yelling from me...and just a little help when he needed it. When he left the table, Maverick went ahead and did his phonics as well (he doesn't have handwriting now and had already done his math). So school is nearly done on a day when we ALL could have dug in our heels and fought about it. I HAVE to remember this and use it....I much prefer this to what the day could have been.
Still, I think we are all a little overtired and we are going to try napping this afternoon...no reason to not try to fix the "cause" of the original melt down after we have dealt with it. :)
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