As a homeschool family, we are in our house 24/7, 365. My boys are very creative. Their creativity in my eyes is spelled M-E-S-S!!!!! It seems one mess is picked up and another one is "invented." This week my sons have invented a motorcycle rider complete with a real motorcycle hemelt and a "body" made of books and toys. It drives me crazy because it is in the middle of Jordan's room and we all have to step around it to get out the back door to the yard. As if that wasn't enough, today it grew arms--hangers, my hangers. We have floor check nightly and the boys get paid $1 a week for keeping their floors picked up. However, "creations" are not mess and all around the "creation" is clean. What's a mother to do???
Now keep in mind that's just one mess. Yesterday, Jordan became interested in an old mill that was operated by an enormous waterwheel. So interested was he that he built one in my living room--with his father's permission---and also built a bakery to go with it. . . in the corner of my living room. Since Wednesday is my "stress" day due to AWANA, I came close to a meltdown. . . well, let's admit it, I had a meltdown. I demanded it picked up by bedtime, then changed my mind and demanded it be picked up before we left for church. And, it was picked up. . .Jordan is a tremendouse picker-up. He gets all the credit. He's fast and thorough.
But, after church, my children received another brainy idea. While watching "MythBusters" for only ten minutes, my kids decided to pile up the covers and pillows on our loveseat and "pretend" to dive into "syrup." Yeah. . .
Today, the focus for Jordan has been creating a rocket ship out of 50 tiny, little cups. For Landon, the focus has been creating a submarine out of about 24 tiny, little cups with toy propellers on the back and tape---lots of tape. The child is tape-crazy is you ask me.
Trying to take all this in stride, I am reminded of the missionary Nate Saint. His mother never discouraged any of her seven kids from their "inventiveness." In fact, she often helped them to make their inventions. If you've ever read about Nate you know that he grew up to become a very inventive and resourceful bush pilot in Ecuador. His resourcefulness most assuredly had been fostered by a mother who took a deep breath and dived right into the madness of messes. In other words, she didn't sweat the small stuff.
Messes will come and go. As a mom of two "inventors", I need to foster the "stuff" that will make my boys problem solvers. I never know what the Master has in store for my little dudes. It could one day help to reach others with the gospel of Christ.
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
First Grade Schedule Evolution
I'm still going through first grade goodies and posting them for future reference. I was recently asked if I had a "strict" schedule that I follow each day in order to homeschool. The answer is: Yes, I have a schedule. But NOT a strict schedule.
What I mean by that is my family is somewhat flexible. The first mistake I made in homeschooling this year was to set a time for certain activities to happen. This is great for many families, just not mine.
At the beginning of the year, Landon, my then 3 year old was at the YMCA for four hours a day. During this time, Jordan and I completed school in 4 1/2 hours and made sure to get it done BEFORE Landon got home. Landon was a distraction to me and Jordan because he likes to pester his brother. I felt that teaching my older son to read and do some of the "heavier" first grade math lessons (figuring out greatest and least of a number, etc.) needed to be done with less stress. Also, I really needed to get some confidence under my belt--Jordan and I were both learning and adjusting. We also had no break. I was very strict and we had no art or music during school time which I hated. Those subjects are SO important.
Our first schedule went something like this:
7:45 Drop Landon off at the YMCA
8:00 Bible and prayer, Bible coloring sheet
8:45 Calendar, Sight Words, Spanish Words, Address, Phone Number, Emergency Number
8:45 Reading/Phonics/Language lesson
9:15 Math
10:00 Science/Computer
11:00 Handwriting
12:00 Worksheets-phonics and math
I hated this schedule. Jordan hated this schedule. Handwriting was a nightmare because I expected my six year old to sit down and just do the work. I didn't know I had to teach him to stay on task to complete schoolwork. I thought he had learned that in kindergarten in public school. I was wrong. He needed some hand holding and has since learned to stay on task and now handwriting gets down within 15 minutes. And I have hair left in my head!!
When I discovered Jordan couldn't complete handwriting by himself, I devised a system to help him complete his worksheets as well. I would simply explain the worksheet a couple times one section at a time. On my dry erase board, I would then draw lines or numbers, whatever was on the worksheet. I would work the examples out on the board and then let him answer on his own worksheet. Afterward I would write the answer. This did many things for Jordan not the least of which taught him to focus and he learned worksheets are a breeze when you concentrate. He saw just how fast we could get done and he didn't dread worksheet time.
The second change to our schedule came in November. We decided not to send Landon to the Y. It was becoming financially difficult to pay for the YMCA among other things. At first, I was tense. Landon is playful and a pest. A lovable pest. If Jordan is counting to ten Landon is throwing in all kinds of numbers and letters--you know the type?? I thought I could school them together. But it caused too much frustration. Jordan wanted to do the simple, fun things Landon was doing and vice verse. I think at this point in the year we had no schedule. That's terrible but true. Some days I didn't know if I was coming or going with Landon. He was unruly during school time. If I schooled them together it didn't work. If I schooled Landon before Jordan, then Jordan would get mad. If I schooled Jordan first, Landon wanted and needed attention. If I let them play first and then do school. . . . you get the picture. It was a MESS. Thankfully, between Landon's birthday and having new toys, having Thanksgiving and Christmas, we made it through.
In January, I was adamant that we were not going to have ten cows just to get school done. I tried spending time with Landon first and it seemed to help. . . for a week. I tried having different boxes of toys or crafts for him to do. Nothing was working. My husband worked nights at the time and when he would get up he would keep Landon busy with him. Which was great. But I couldn't wait for him to get up every morning. Our school days were LOOONG. 8:00-3:30. Sometimes 8:00-4:00. It was stressful and had strained me till I was mad every waking hour. And I still was not schooling Landon.
Finally, my husband was put on a different work shift. Jordan and I began getting up at 6 a.m. to do school. By the time Landon woke up we were well on our way to being more than halfway done. Somewhere in February, my prayers were answered. Landon settled down. He stopped contradicting me--well, enough for me to do school with him. Also, the weather warmed up enough for Landon and I to do school on the trampoline after I'm done with Jordan. Jordan and I are able to get through with school in 4 1/2 hours. Since February our schedule has calmed down. We don't wake up at 6 a.m. anymore but we are done by 2:00 at the latest. I just had to take a chill pill. I don't freak out if we haven't started by 8:00 or 8:30. I just go with the flow. I just make sure we do things in a certain order regardless of the time of day. So, after pulling my hair out and having thousands of cows and coniptions. Here is our beloved first grade schedule. My it has evolved hasn't it.
Bible/Prayers/Coloring sheet
Art
Handwriting/Spelling
Poetry
Math/Math Worksheet
Break--30 minutes for Mama's sanity- and snack time for Jordan
Reading--A Beka reader
AWANA verses
Karate words
Handbook for Reading
Art Appreciation (Come Look with Me series for Children)
Science/Experiment or History
Health
Spelling Words
Phonics lesson/Phonics worksheets
Free from school!
What I mean by that is my family is somewhat flexible. The first mistake I made in homeschooling this year was to set a time for certain activities to happen. This is great for many families, just not mine.
At the beginning of the year, Landon, my then 3 year old was at the YMCA for four hours a day. During this time, Jordan and I completed school in 4 1/2 hours and made sure to get it done BEFORE Landon got home. Landon was a distraction to me and Jordan because he likes to pester his brother. I felt that teaching my older son to read and do some of the "heavier" first grade math lessons (figuring out greatest and least of a number, etc.) needed to be done with less stress. Also, I really needed to get some confidence under my belt--Jordan and I were both learning and adjusting. We also had no break. I was very strict and we had no art or music during school time which I hated. Those subjects are SO important.
Our first schedule went something like this:
7:45 Drop Landon off at the YMCA
8:00 Bible and prayer, Bible coloring sheet
8:45 Calendar, Sight Words, Spanish Words, Address, Phone Number, Emergency Number
8:45 Reading/Phonics/Language lesson
9:15 Math
10:00 Science/Computer
11:00 Handwriting
12:00 Worksheets-phonics and math
I hated this schedule. Jordan hated this schedule. Handwriting was a nightmare because I expected my six year old to sit down and just do the work. I didn't know I had to teach him to stay on task to complete schoolwork. I thought he had learned that in kindergarten in public school. I was wrong. He needed some hand holding and has since learned to stay on task and now handwriting gets down within 15 minutes. And I have hair left in my head!!
When I discovered Jordan couldn't complete handwriting by himself, I devised a system to help him complete his worksheets as well. I would simply explain the worksheet a couple times one section at a time. On my dry erase board, I would then draw lines or numbers, whatever was on the worksheet. I would work the examples out on the board and then let him answer on his own worksheet. Afterward I would write the answer. This did many things for Jordan not the least of which taught him to focus and he learned worksheets are a breeze when you concentrate. He saw just how fast we could get done and he didn't dread worksheet time.
The second change to our schedule came in November. We decided not to send Landon to the Y. It was becoming financially difficult to pay for the YMCA among other things. At first, I was tense. Landon is playful and a pest. A lovable pest. If Jordan is counting to ten Landon is throwing in all kinds of numbers and letters--you know the type?? I thought I could school them together. But it caused too much frustration. Jordan wanted to do the simple, fun things Landon was doing and vice verse. I think at this point in the year we had no schedule. That's terrible but true. Some days I didn't know if I was coming or going with Landon. He was unruly during school time. If I schooled them together it didn't work. If I schooled Landon before Jordan, then Jordan would get mad. If I schooled Jordan first, Landon wanted and needed attention. If I let them play first and then do school. . . . you get the picture. It was a MESS. Thankfully, between Landon's birthday and having new toys, having Thanksgiving and Christmas, we made it through.
In January, I was adamant that we were not going to have ten cows just to get school done. I tried spending time with Landon first and it seemed to help. . . for a week. I tried having different boxes of toys or crafts for him to do. Nothing was working. My husband worked nights at the time and when he would get up he would keep Landon busy with him. Which was great. But I couldn't wait for him to get up every morning. Our school days were LOOONG. 8:00-3:30. Sometimes 8:00-4:00. It was stressful and had strained me till I was mad every waking hour. And I still was not schooling Landon.
Finally, my husband was put on a different work shift. Jordan and I began getting up at 6 a.m. to do school. By the time Landon woke up we were well on our way to being more than halfway done. Somewhere in February, my prayers were answered. Landon settled down. He stopped contradicting me--well, enough for me to do school with him. Also, the weather warmed up enough for Landon and I to do school on the trampoline after I'm done with Jordan. Jordan and I are able to get through with school in 4 1/2 hours. Since February our schedule has calmed down. We don't wake up at 6 a.m. anymore but we are done by 2:00 at the latest. I just had to take a chill pill. I don't freak out if we haven't started by 8:00 or 8:30. I just go with the flow. I just make sure we do things in a certain order regardless of the time of day. So, after pulling my hair out and having thousands of cows and coniptions. Here is our beloved first grade schedule. My it has evolved hasn't it.
Bible/Prayers/Coloring sheet
Art
Handwriting/Spelling
Poetry
Math/Math Worksheet
Break--30 minutes for Mama's sanity- and snack time for Jordan
Reading--A Beka reader
AWANA verses
Karate words
Handbook for Reading
Art Appreciation (Come Look with Me series for Children)
Science/Experiment or History
Health
Spelling Words
Phonics lesson/Phonics worksheets
Free from school!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Socializing the Homeschooler
When I began considering homeschool for my children a few years back, the one thing I kept running into was the "socialization" issue. Yes, I worried a little bit about "socializing". I listened to mothers and close relatives spill their views as to why not to homeschool. I even entertained that my children might not enjoy homeschooling for a lack of "friends".
But, then, I remembered how I, a public school graduate, remained shy and anti-social until my college years. The same is true of my mother, father, and sister. We are shy people. Yet all of us attended public school. Is shyness a gene inherited from parents and passed from generation to generation?? I'm not sure and I would love to read more on the issue.
With my two boys, the differences in temperment and personality are so clear and marked. Jordan does tend toward the shy part of the pond BUT is extremely verbal--mind you, not articulate. He just loves to TALK and ask questions--lots of questions. He loves being around other kids and just playing. My younger son, Landon, doesn't have a shy bone in his body. No where to be found. He, too, is very verbal but extremely articulate for such a young child. My husband and I are convinced he's a brainiac. He, too, loves playing with other children and doesn't mind at all bossing them around or asking their name. He will even make up "stories" to mimic other children. Such as telling a little girl that ". . . Yeah, I have a sister. She's at my blue house." Nothing about that statement is true but he identifies himself with other children and I think that for now that's great.
This past week, I got to observe my children's socialization skills at work and I couldn't be more pleased. Watching them play at McDonald's, the beach, and Chick-Fil-A and interact with various children from different backgrounds, I am not the least bit worried about their "socialization." My children shared, were kind and thoughtful, excessively playful and happy. They did not tattle, scream, hit, cry, kick, attack or stomp off mad at any time. They interacted and solved problems (i.e. verbal disagreements) with ease. I observed my oldest son taking care of his brother. I watched as they obeyed my rules and tested the waters of what someone new was doing. (Swimming in the ocean a little beyond what I had deemed safe.) I also observed my children interact with other adults. Keep in mind these were adults they had never met before. They reacted with kindness and respect. Not at one time did my children shrink back from others or act "shy."
I love that my children have the social skills necessary for their age. They are not perfect by no means. And yes, my children are tattle-tales and we have "sharing" problems just like other families--they are typical children. All in all, my children are developing social skills at their own developmental stage. They are not being rushed into certain types of socializing that would damage their character and cause them to be fearful. I, along with most all of the homeschool mothers out there agree, socialization is not an issue when it comes to homeschooling.
But, then, I remembered how I, a public school graduate, remained shy and anti-social until my college years. The same is true of my mother, father, and sister. We are shy people. Yet all of us attended public school. Is shyness a gene inherited from parents and passed from generation to generation?? I'm not sure and I would love to read more on the issue.
With my two boys, the differences in temperment and personality are so clear and marked. Jordan does tend toward the shy part of the pond BUT is extremely verbal--mind you, not articulate. He just loves to TALK and ask questions--lots of questions. He loves being around other kids and just playing. My younger son, Landon, doesn't have a shy bone in his body. No where to be found. He, too, is very verbal but extremely articulate for such a young child. My husband and I are convinced he's a brainiac. He, too, loves playing with other children and doesn't mind at all bossing them around or asking their name. He will even make up "stories" to mimic other children. Such as telling a little girl that ". . . Yeah, I have a sister. She's at my blue house." Nothing about that statement is true but he identifies himself with other children and I think that for now that's great.
This past week, I got to observe my children's socialization skills at work and I couldn't be more pleased. Watching them play at McDonald's, the beach, and Chick-Fil-A and interact with various children from different backgrounds, I am not the least bit worried about their "socialization." My children shared, were kind and thoughtful, excessively playful and happy. They did not tattle, scream, hit, cry, kick, attack or stomp off mad at any time. They interacted and solved problems (i.e. verbal disagreements) with ease. I observed my oldest son taking care of his brother. I watched as they obeyed my rules and tested the waters of what someone new was doing. (Swimming in the ocean a little beyond what I had deemed safe.) I also observed my children interact with other adults. Keep in mind these were adults they had never met before. They reacted with kindness and respect. Not at one time did my children shrink back from others or act "shy."
I love that my children have the social skills necessary for their age. They are not perfect by no means. And yes, my children are tattle-tales and we have "sharing" problems just like other families--they are typical children. All in all, my children are developing social skills at their own developmental stage. They are not being rushed into certain types of socializing that would damage their character and cause them to be fearful. I, along with most all of the homeschool mothers out there agree, socialization is not an issue when it comes to homeschooling.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Let Me Introduce You to My Boys
First of all, let me introduce you to my boys. Jordan is six years old and we are working on his first grade work with our Abeka curriculum. Jordan is extremely sweet and thoughtful but he has excessive energy and is a bundle of excitement equipped with a megaphone of a mouth. Trust me, whatever he does for living, he needs to use his voice--this child loves to talk LOUDLY. And, if I could find a way to bottle up his energy and sell it, I'd be a millionaire in no time. But, Jordan has trouble concentrating. He's not ADD but he's not missing the mark by far, let me tell ya.
Jordan enjoys learning. I've homeschooled him since birth except for last year when he went to the public school for kindergarten. At the end of the year, most kids learned to read those easy readers--but Jordan never did and his handwriting was never corrected in ps and he never could count to thirty correctly. At the time I was in college part-time and assumed he would want to go back to school. But one day on the way home he said, "Mama, I want you to be my teacher next time." After talking to my husband, Jordan was elated. He told me, "Mama, Daddy said you could homeschool me." I was sooo afraid. I mean, come on, teaching a child to read is MAJOR. I didn't want to make any mistakes. But, I am happy to report he is doing really good in reading and everything else. He just needs that one-to-one ratio. Public school was a distraction for him--all the kids, the sounds, etc. He couldn't think about learning. So, that's where I'm at with him.
As a side note, I have decided we must change curriculums. Don't get me wrong Abeka is great. But, Jordan is a hands-on learner. Abeka is school work. I don't really want him to just do school work. I want him to learn to enjoy just learning. Learning is fun and enriching and it's not workbooks and textbooks all day long. I want to see his character grow and mature into the man God wants him to be. I've researched and prayed and frankly, gotten bug-eyed over looking at all the curriculums. So, next year we are going to start with My Father's World curriculum. I am excited. It's exactly what I want in a curriculum and it includes Bible. Matter of fact, the whole curriculum is written from a "Biblical perspective." Thank God. The main issue I have with Abeka is that Bible is not included in the standard parent/child kit. It's so important to me to give my kids a view of the world from God's perspective. It's how I wish I had been taught.
Now, let me introduce you to my wild child, "Lil' Toot" or as his birth certificate says, "Landon." Landon is four years old going on thirteen. He is extremely smart and notices minute details that boggle my pea-brain. He is hard to teach. (I need some prayers, here!) He is very vocal but in a negative, whiny, excuse-laden, "I know, I know. . . " kind of way. He has an answer for everything and everyone. Heaven help us when he's speechless. The world must be crumbling away. The sky must be falling if words don't come from this child's mouth. He doesn't comply with "Hush" or "Be quiet" ever. I have tried everything I know with him. Disciplining Landon is like telling a raging elephant not to stampede. I pray daily for guidance and wisdom and patience. Lots of patience. I honestly couldn't make it some days if it weren't for God's endless supply of strength, mercy, wisdom, and my wonderful husband. Please don't take this the wrong way. I love and adore this child. He is the zaniest. He's a real hoot and can be so much fun to be with. But he is a challenge. I used to wonder why he was such a "toot." And then I read a quote that goes something like this, "Children are sometimes used by God as heavenly sandpaper. . . " Well, God is certainly polishing up a lot of areas in my life and teaching me so much through this child.
Landon is a blessing--a delightful blessing, as is his brother, too. I am truly thankful that God has blessed my life with them. Just a thought, but if you have a "challenging" or "difficult" child would you like to share what has or hasn't worked for you?
Jordan enjoys learning. I've homeschooled him since birth except for last year when he went to the public school for kindergarten. At the end of the year, most kids learned to read those easy readers--but Jordan never did and his handwriting was never corrected in ps and he never could count to thirty correctly. At the time I was in college part-time and assumed he would want to go back to school. But one day on the way home he said, "Mama, I want you to be my teacher next time." After talking to my husband, Jordan was elated. He told me, "Mama, Daddy said you could homeschool me." I was sooo afraid. I mean, come on, teaching a child to read is MAJOR. I didn't want to make any mistakes. But, I am happy to report he is doing really good in reading and everything else. He just needs that one-to-one ratio. Public school was a distraction for him--all the kids, the sounds, etc. He couldn't think about learning. So, that's where I'm at with him.
As a side note, I have decided we must change curriculums. Don't get me wrong Abeka is great. But, Jordan is a hands-on learner. Abeka is school work. I don't really want him to just do school work. I want him to learn to enjoy just learning. Learning is fun and enriching and it's not workbooks and textbooks all day long. I want to see his character grow and mature into the man God wants him to be. I've researched and prayed and frankly, gotten bug-eyed over looking at all the curriculums. So, next year we are going to start with My Father's World curriculum. I am excited. It's exactly what I want in a curriculum and it includes Bible. Matter of fact, the whole curriculum is written from a "Biblical perspective." Thank God. The main issue I have with Abeka is that Bible is not included in the standard parent/child kit. It's so important to me to give my kids a view of the world from God's perspective. It's how I wish I had been taught.
Now, let me introduce you to my wild child, "Lil' Toot" or as his birth certificate says, "Landon." Landon is four years old going on thirteen. He is extremely smart and notices minute details that boggle my pea-brain. He is hard to teach. (I need some prayers, here!) He is very vocal but in a negative, whiny, excuse-laden, "I know, I know. . . " kind of way. He has an answer for everything and everyone. Heaven help us when he's speechless. The world must be crumbling away. The sky must be falling if words don't come from this child's mouth. He doesn't comply with "Hush" or "Be quiet" ever. I have tried everything I know with him. Disciplining Landon is like telling a raging elephant not to stampede. I pray daily for guidance and wisdom and patience. Lots of patience. I honestly couldn't make it some days if it weren't for God's endless supply of strength, mercy, wisdom, and my wonderful husband. Please don't take this the wrong way. I love and adore this child. He is the zaniest. He's a real hoot and can be so much fun to be with. But he is a challenge. I used to wonder why he was such a "toot." And then I read a quote that goes something like this, "Children are sometimes used by God as heavenly sandpaper. . . " Well, God is certainly polishing up a lot of areas in my life and teaching me so much through this child.
Landon is a blessing--a delightful blessing, as is his brother, too. I am truly thankful that God has blessed my life with them. Just a thought, but if you have a "challenging" or "difficult" child would you like to share what has or hasn't worked for you?
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