Do you want the good news or the bad news first? I always think I want the good news first. Then the whole time I'm listening to the good news, I'm worrying in the back of my mind about what the bad news could be. So, I'll spare you the angst and start with the bad news, first. (Oh, and welcome to my own special brand of crazy :)
We had our first tears shed during school this week. On Monday, one of our test subjects was having trouble grasping a new concept in math. After a few frustrating moments, he burst into tears. We have a rule in our homeschool, which I've been rattling off since we began. There is no crying or whining during school. If you cannot work with a cheerful spirit, then your options are: pray with mom for a change of heart and keep working, pray on your own for a change of heart and keep working and/or go to your room for a rest or to read. So I reiterated the rule and he pulled himself together within a few minutes. The lesson continued to be challenging all week but I am proud of how he kept at it!
Now for the good news- and there's plenty of it!
After we picked up RA from school on Monday, we headed to the library for some books. TS 2 has always been a reluctant independent reader. He often chooses books that are below his reading level simply so that he can breeze through it and say, "I finished the book!" In the Writing with Ease Curriculum I am using with him, he is being exposed to passages from some wonderful children's books and seems interested in most of them. We borrowed two of these books on Monday and he is currently enthralled with the adventures of Doctor Dolittle. It is so much fun to see him captivated by a book, to hear him laughing out loud as he reads in the next room and to listen to his recap of the story each afternoon!
We wrapped up our Monday with dinner and a play date with friends and fellow homeschoolers from our church. We all enjoyed the fellowship. And even when there was the occasional skirmish among the children (there were 11 of them all together!), my friend reminded me to let them alone to "get socialized!" Laughter is good for the soul :)
Tuesday was a productive day at home. The highlight of Tuesday was RA's participation in an after-school American Girl Doll club. Since she just had a birthday and she has her Papa and Abuelita wrapped around her little finger, she had her very own American Girl doll, Molly, to bring to the club with her. She came home with a grin from ear to ear!
We also had Piano Lessons again on Tuesday. I'm so pleased that the boys are both super motivated to practice and are hitting the keys on their own several times a day.
Wednesday brought the switched up schedule with it again so I could attend my Bible study. (In case you're wondering, we are reading Spiritual Parenting together and I love it so far.) The boys and I worked together before and after the study. Then they did some independent work while I was gone such as DEAR time (Drop Everything And Read), Piano Practice, Online Math Drills, etc. We finished up when I got home. I even had the opportunity to grab a quick lunch with two moms from school in the afternoon and it was truly a blessing. These types of days are life giving for me and I am truly grateful for them!
On Thursday afternoon, we went on our first Field Trip! After completing our work in the morning, we had a quick lunch and headed to a local piano store for a presentation on the history of the instrument, a glimpse at the inner workings of the piano and the opportunity to listen to it played by a skilled pianist. The boys even got to tickle the ivories on some beautiful pianos after the presentation. We enjoyed our first field trip and learned a lot in the process.
Before our field trip, though, we were treated to RA's Superstar Interview in Kindergarten. Over the weekend we made a poster that was all about RA. It has been prominently displayed in her classroom all week. On Thursday morning, her teacher and classmates "interviewed" her while we watched and listened. It was very sweet- especially for me since I've seen all three of my children take part in this now!
Friday is co-op day and once again we were blessed with sunny Fall weather. The boys finished up their Medieval Tapestries in Art.
TS 1 in learned more about gravity in Gizmos and Gadgets while TS 2 learned about pollen and the parts of a flower in his Honeybee class.
And the free time that was so elusive when the test subjects were in school was available in abundance again this week :)
We had our first tears shed during school this week. On Monday, one of our test subjects was having trouble grasping a new concept in math. After a few frustrating moments, he burst into tears. We have a rule in our homeschool, which I've been rattling off since we began. There is no crying or whining during school. If you cannot work with a cheerful spirit, then your options are: pray with mom for a change of heart and keep working, pray on your own for a change of heart and keep working and/or go to your room for a rest or to read. So I reiterated the rule and he pulled himself together within a few minutes. The lesson continued to be challenging all week but I am proud of how he kept at it!
Now for the good news- and there's plenty of it!
After we picked up RA from school on Monday, we headed to the library for some books. TS 2 has always been a reluctant independent reader. He often chooses books that are below his reading level simply so that he can breeze through it and say, "I finished the book!" In the Writing with Ease Curriculum I am using with him, he is being exposed to passages from some wonderful children's books and seems interested in most of them. We borrowed two of these books on Monday and he is currently enthralled with the adventures of Doctor Dolittle. It is so much fun to see him captivated by a book, to hear him laughing out loud as he reads in the next room and to listen to his recap of the story each afternoon!
We wrapped up our Monday with dinner and a play date with friends and fellow homeschoolers from our church. We all enjoyed the fellowship. And even when there was the occasional skirmish among the children (there were 11 of them all together!), my friend reminded me to let them alone to "get socialized!" Laughter is good for the soul :)
Tuesday was a productive day at home. The highlight of Tuesday was RA's participation in an after-school American Girl Doll club. Since she just had a birthday and she has her Papa and Abuelita wrapped around her little finger, she had her very own American Girl doll, Molly, to bring to the club with her. She came home with a grin from ear to ear!
We also had Piano Lessons again on Tuesday. I'm so pleased that the boys are both super motivated to practice and are hitting the keys on their own several times a day.
Wednesday brought the switched up schedule with it again so I could attend my Bible study. (In case you're wondering, we are reading Spiritual Parenting together and I love it so far.) The boys and I worked together before and after the study. Then they did some independent work while I was gone such as DEAR time (Drop Everything And Read), Piano Practice, Online Math Drills, etc. We finished up when I got home. I even had the opportunity to grab a quick lunch with two moms from school in the afternoon and it was truly a blessing. These types of days are life giving for me and I am truly grateful for them!
On Thursday afternoon, we went on our first Field Trip! After completing our work in the morning, we had a quick lunch and headed to a local piano store for a presentation on the history of the instrument, a glimpse at the inner workings of the piano and the opportunity to listen to it played by a skilled pianist. The boys even got to tickle the ivories on some beautiful pianos after the presentation. We enjoyed our first field trip and learned a lot in the process.
Before our field trip, though, we were treated to RA's Superstar Interview in Kindergarten. Over the weekend we made a poster that was all about RA. It has been prominently displayed in her classroom all week. On Thursday morning, her teacher and classmates "interviewed" her while we watched and listened. It was very sweet- especially for me since I've seen all three of my children take part in this now!
Friday is co-op day and once again we were blessed with sunny Fall weather. The boys finished up their Medieval Tapestries in Art.
TS 1 in learned more about gravity in Gizmos and Gadgets while TS 2 learned about pollen and the parts of a flower in his Honeybee class.
And the free time that was so elusive when the test subjects were in school was available in abundance again this week :)
Hope you have a wonderful weekend with the ones you love!
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