Levi:
An hour before, I catch Levi with a bag or dried apricots. He's already eaten 5...
Later Levi calls me in the bathroom:
"Mom! Why do I keep pooping!?"
I say: "You've eaten too many apricots. Remember I told you, fruit helps you poop?"
"Yes," he giggles.
I say
"Just get it all out. It'll stop."
I think he thought he was going to poop his insides out.
He looked relieved.
Joshua:
He's 3 and we're playing outside in the front yard at a friend's house.
He takes a stick and dips it into the mud and then tastes it.
Then he says:
"Now I want to taste the back yard."
Levi calls me in the bathroom :
"Mom! Smell my hand!"
I take it and sniff and say "what does it smell like?"
he says "marbles."
?
Josh's new knock knock jokes:
Knock knock
Who's there?
Who's.
Who's who?
Can't you tell the difference?
What did the pear say to the other pear in the love booth?
We make a good "pair."
On the way to dropping me off at work Levi looks at the clock and says
"2:36 is my middle name!"
( ..................?= hilarious)
Later I ask Josh if he knows what my middle name is, he says "Frankenstein."
Friday, February 12, 2010
School Day/ Februay 12 : Dreaming of Summer
Josh:
Spelling:
summertime
dismissal
vacation
library
sailing
pond
swimming
pleasure
frogs
mosquitoes
sightseeing
gardening
baseball
watermelon
lemonade
picnic
perspiration
camping
sunglasses
grandparents
barbecue
daylight
sunshine
thunderstorm
vocab:
humidity
Independence Day
leisure
Quiz
Corrections
Language page:
Proper use of "Its" and "It's" review
Proper use of "themselves" and "himself."
Understanding that "Theirselves" and "Hisself" are not words.
Proof Reading and writing in story form.
Write a story about Summertime using spelling words.
Reading:
The Magic Tree House Series
Ghost Town at Sundown #10
by Mary Pope Osborn
Levi:
Brain Quest Flash cards warm up
Sequencing:
building a snowman/ washing a dog
opposites:
First and Last
Full and empty
math: adding and subtracting gum balls
reading:
StarFall.com (using at and an)
small reader books
science:
gravity
Bill Nye video
Lunch
Bill Nye the science guy
HouseHoldHacker videos
making glow in the dark eggs
Math: using fractions of an inch
new measurements of length:
centimeter
decimeter
millimeter
hectometer
kilometer
Planets
Spelling:
summertime
dismissal
vacation
library
sailing
pond
swimming
pleasure
frogs
mosquitoes
sightseeing
gardening
baseball
watermelon
lemonade
picnic
perspiration
camping
sunglasses
grandparents
barbecue
daylight
sunshine
thunderstorm
vocab:
humidity
Independence Day
leisure
Quiz
Corrections
Language page:
Proper use of "Its" and "It's" review
Proper use of "themselves" and "himself."
Understanding that "Theirselves" and "Hisself" are not words.
Proof Reading and writing in story form.
Write a story about Summertime using spelling words.
Reading:
The Magic Tree House Series
Ghost Town at Sundown #10
by Mary Pope Osborn
Levi:
Brain Quest Flash cards warm up
Sequencing:
building a snowman/ washing a dog
opposites:
First and Last
Full and empty
math: adding and subtracting gum balls
reading:
StarFall.com (using at and an)
small reader books
science:
gravity
Bill Nye video
Lunch
Bill Nye the science guy
HouseHoldHacker videos
making glow in the dark eggs
Math: using fractions of an inch
new measurements of length:
centimeter
decimeter
millimeter
hectometer
kilometer
Planets
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
School Day 2/10/10
Magazine
Math
butterflies
clean
reading
Lunch
Video and notes on solar system
Excellent video
Our galaxy the milky way
scale
Excerpt from:
The Solar System
model and mobile kit
First Planet: Venus
"The rocky Planet of Venus is the second closest planet to the sun.
Unlike Mercury, Venus can be seen quite easily in the night sky. In fact, it is the brightest object in the sky after the sun and the moon!
Quick facts:
Distance from sun: 62.2 million miles
Surface temperature: 896+ F
Time to orbit sun: 224.7 days
Number of moons: 0"
Atmosphere is made of Carbon Dioxide.
Gravity is 100X the strength of Earth.
"The thick spinning clouds that make up the atmosphere of Venus trap in the sun's heat, making the surface of the planet scorching hot - so hot it can melt lead."
New favorite website
http://www.howstuffworks.com/
Electricity/ Lightening
Fire Works
No More Kings
Three Ring Government
American Revolution
Benjamin Franklin
The Constitution
Special Treat: Survivor Man
Math
butterflies
clean
reading
Lunch
Video and notes on solar system
Excellent video
Our galaxy the milky way
scale
Excerpt from:
The Solar System
model and mobile kit
First Planet: Venus
"The rocky Planet of Venus is the second closest planet to the sun.
Unlike Mercury, Venus can be seen quite easily in the night sky. In fact, it is the brightest object in the sky after the sun and the moon!
Quick facts:
Distance from sun: 62.2 million miles
Surface temperature: 896+ F
Time to orbit sun: 224.7 days
Number of moons: 0"
Atmosphere is made of Carbon Dioxide.
Gravity is 100X the strength of Earth.
"The thick spinning clouds that make up the atmosphere of Venus trap in the sun's heat, making the surface of the planet scorching hot - so hot it can melt lead."
New favorite website
http://www.howstuffworks.com/
Electricity/ Lightening
Fire Works
No More Kings
Three Ring Government
American Revolution
Benjamin Franklin
The Constitution
Special Treat: Survivor Man
Monday, February 8, 2010
School Day/Febuary 8th 2010
Record some of Joshua's dreams
New word: Dictate
Sentence: Joshua dictates his dreams to me.
Three dreams recorded successfully and posted.
Josh and I watch Les Shroud Survivorman: Canyonland Utah
Josh takes a minute to find it on the map.
Joshua says "My idea was a suquest."
No honey, your idea was a success.
New word and use: Success
How do you spell success? success
That's right, use it in a new sentence:
"My brain lamer is a success!"
Good, what's that from?
It's from Super Mario cartoons
OK...let's get back to Mr. Stroud...
Use video as spring board to teach survival science:
*5 W's to gage odds of survival:
Wood: for shelter and fire
Weather: right conditions?
Widow Makers: falling things, animals
Wigglies: poisonous insects, eatable insects
Water: major player for survival
survivor tip: Use what you have, don't sit idle. (Life lesson)
*What does the cowboy term "ledged in" mean?
Up too high from water. You could climb down but not climb up. To be stuck high on a ledge.
*Who are Butch Cassidy, the Paiute and the Anastasie?
*Utah and it's capitol as well as terrain or topography.
Topography: "is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those of planets, moons, and asteroids. It is also the description of such surface shapes and features (especially their depiction in maps)." (Wikipedia)
*Survival tip: We must be aware of our surroundings in order to build a home. Les has to research the area in which he intends to survive and film, so that he understands the dangers therein. He prepares himself.
Look up Utah in States and Capitals Notebook.
Complete penmanship and character page.
School Skills:
#Have Joshua take notes next time we watch Survivor Man so that he can answer Q's at the end of the video.
Make this a common occurrence to establish good note taking skills.#
Math: Review averaging, mixed numbers and fractions. Complete Work page in Arithmetic Work book Grade Four.
Converting Kilometers to feet:
Les Stroud hiked 48 km's.
How many feet or miles is that?
*Language/ Creative Writing: Using Proof Reading Skills
Write 5 sentences about a time that you were afraid.
Underline each subject one time and each verb two times. Check to see that you have used correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
Copy your sentences in story form in Creative writing Notebook.
Joshua's completed story:
"One day, I was scared. All the lights and electronics were shut off. We couldn't heat up our food, we couldn't heat up our house.it was boring because we couldn't watch any movies. It was very cold in the house. We had to put on blankets. In a few hours the lights turned on."
Mad Libs: Review Parts of Speech
Mad lib:
Reading time: The Magic Tree House series #22: Revolutionary War on Wednesday
History Lesson in 3rd Grade reader/ Quiz on Constitution
Levi's school day:
Levi: "Mom, you know bees kill humans."
Videos on bees: Josh watches too
Great Website: www.kinderplans.com
Honey Bees - Life Cycle
Honey Making(the song on here is a bit annoying...we turned down the volume)
They use a centrifuge to extract the honey.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Cool video of butterfly metamorphosis
Levi : "I'm interested in wolves!"
* find books on wolves when we return library books
*Review Numbers 1 -40 (count on 1-100 chart)
*Levi's Kindergarten Basic skills work book:
*Trace and Write Zero then the word zero
*Review concept of zero/ How many things do I have in my (empty) hand? zero
*Review subtraction with pieces of candy( after lunch)
subtract to get zero
*Review Letters in Alphabetical Order with Connect the Dots
Reading: Abeka/Little Book #6 with the monkeys
Review sounds and letters: Pp Ii Ff Aa Hh Oo Ee Bb Uu Gg Ll Cc
read words and blends
lo
log
lot
loss
Cc
ca
cap
cat
cab
sentence:
Fill it up, Cal.
New word: Dictate
Sentence: Joshua dictates his dreams to me.
Three dreams recorded successfully and posted.
Josh and I watch Les Shroud Survivorman: Canyonland Utah
Josh takes a minute to find it on the map.
Joshua says "My idea was a suquest."
No honey, your idea was a success.
New word and use: Success
How do you spell success? success
That's right, use it in a new sentence:
"My brain lamer is a success!"
Good, what's that from?
It's from Super Mario cartoons
OK...let's get back to Mr. Stroud...
Use video as spring board to teach survival science:
*5 W's to gage odds of survival:
Wood: for shelter and fire
Weather: right conditions?
Widow Makers: falling things, animals
Wigglies: poisonous insects, eatable insects
Water: major player for survival
survivor tip: Use what you have, don't sit idle. (Life lesson)
*What does the cowboy term "ledged in" mean?
Up too high from water. You could climb down but not climb up. To be stuck high on a ledge.
*Who are Butch Cassidy, the Paiute and the Anastasie?
*Utah and it's capitol as well as terrain or topography.
Topography: "is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those of planets, moons, and asteroids. It is also the description of such surface shapes and features (especially their depiction in maps)." (Wikipedia)
*Survival tip: We must be aware of our surroundings in order to build a home. Les has to research the area in which he intends to survive and film, so that he understands the dangers therein. He prepares himself.
Look up Utah in States and Capitals Notebook.
Complete penmanship and character page.
School Skills:
#Have Joshua take notes next time we watch Survivor Man so that he can answer Q's at the end of the video.
Make this a common occurrence to establish good note taking skills.#
Math: Review averaging, mixed numbers and fractions. Complete Work page in Arithmetic Work book Grade Four.
Converting Kilometers to feet:
Les Stroud hiked 48 km's.
How many feet or miles is that?
*Language/ Creative Writing: Using Proof Reading Skills
Write 5 sentences about a time that you were afraid.
Underline each subject one time and each verb two times. Check to see that you have used correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
Copy your sentences in story form in Creative writing Notebook.
Joshua's completed story:
"One day, I was scared. All the lights and electronics were shut off. We couldn't heat up our food, we couldn't heat up our house.it was boring because we couldn't watch any movies. It was very cold in the house. We had to put on blankets. In a few hours the lights turned on."
Mad Libs: Review Parts of Speech
Mad lib:
Reading time: The Magic Tree House series #22: Revolutionary War on Wednesday
History Lesson in 3rd Grade reader/ Quiz on Constitution
Levi's school day:
Levi: "Mom, you know bees kill humans."
Videos on bees: Josh watches too
Great Website: www.kinderplans.com
Honey Bees - Life Cycle
Honey Making(the song on here is a bit annoying...we turned down the volume)
They use a centrifuge to extract the honey.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Cool video of butterfly metamorphosis
Levi : "I'm interested in wolves!"
* find books on wolves when we return library books
*Review Numbers 1 -40 (count on 1-100 chart)
*Levi's Kindergarten Basic skills work book:
*Trace and Write Zero then the word zero
*Review concept of zero/ How many things do I have in my (empty) hand? zero
*Review subtraction with pieces of candy( after lunch)
subtract to get zero
*Review Letters in Alphabetical Order with Connect the Dots
Reading: Abeka/Little Book #6 with the monkeys
Review sounds and letters: Pp Ii Ff Aa Hh Oo Ee Bb Uu Gg Ll Cc
read words and blends
lo
log
lot
loss
Cc
ca
cap
cat
cab
sentence:
Fill it up, Cal.
Josh's very short scary dream
One day I went outside with a rifle
I saw ten million zombies coming into the court
I was so terrified I peed in my pants
Then! I shot a couple of zombies and ran inside the house
Then the zombies broke down the door and they ripped my veins out and chewed on them like speghetti
The end.
This is the end... this is the end...
P. S. I was a military soldier.
I saw ten million zombies coming into the court
I was so terrified I peed in my pants
Then! I shot a couple of zombies and ran inside the house
Then the zombies broke down the door and they ripped my veins out and chewed on them like speghetti
The end.
This is the end... this is the end...
P. S. I was a military soldier.
Joshua's Dream #1/ Joshua's Wedding
Joshua's dream, typed by mom (word for word): (He'd kill me if he knew I posted this)
One day I went to a school.. no this is how it really started I went to a school when I was done I went to my locker. This karate girl said I'm going to come over to your house tomorrow. and I said : "Really?" and she said Yes! :)
And I said OK, well, see you tomorrow I guess.
Dad picked me up and I asked him if a girl was coming over to our house tomorrow.
He said yes.
When I got home I went to bed.
and mom said "You have a long day tomorrow! Goodnight!" and I said "good night!?"
I woke up the next morning (I'm still in my dream mom, as soon I closed my eyes I snapped open to my dream.) I put on my robe and you said that someone was waiting the back yard for me. I got some clothes on and went out the back door.
I saw a wedding group (party). All of a sudden I had husband clothes on(you mean groomsmen clothes)
You know what happens next....(What does happen next?)
You know...The "i do's..."
If your wondering what happens next.. I scream and run to the front door. And I went inside and I slammed it. and I was panicking. And Mom said what's the matter josh? I said, "I'm a husband now!" and I ran to my bed and shoved all the covers on me. And then I woke up.
P.S. I really liked that kiss. :D
One day I went to a school.. no this is how it really started I went to a school when I was done I went to my locker. This karate girl said I'm going to come over to your house tomorrow. and I said : "Really?" and she said Yes! :)
And I said OK, well, see you tomorrow I guess.
Dad picked me up and I asked him if a girl was coming over to our house tomorrow.
He said yes.
When I got home I went to bed.
and mom said "You have a long day tomorrow! Goodnight!" and I said "good night!?"
I woke up the next morning (I'm still in my dream mom, as soon I closed my eyes I snapped open to my dream.) I put on my robe and you said that someone was waiting the back yard for me. I got some clothes on and went out the back door.
I saw a wedding group (party). All of a sudden I had husband clothes on(you mean groomsmen clothes)
You know what happens next....(What does happen next?)
You know...The "i do's..."
If your wondering what happens next.. I scream and run to the front door. And I went inside and I slammed it. and I was panicking. And Mom said what's the matter josh? I said, "I'm a husband now!" and I ran to my bed and shoved all the covers on me. And then I woke up.
P.S. I really liked that kiss. :D
Josh'a Dream/ The fox prince claims his bride...
One day I woke up, as a fox prince.
I was 14 years old.
I went to my Dad. I asked him if I could go outside and play, but I lied. I wasn't going outside to play. I really wanted to go find a girlfriend. So... I went through the forest. One guard spotted me and He told the King. The soldiers went out into the forest looking for me. I hid behind a big rock.I saw civilization, I sat there and thought for a minute and considered going into the castle at the other side of the woods. I asked a bird, where is the other castle, the fox castle? Everybody was pretty much a fox in the kingdom. The birds had no castle. There castles were the trees. Just the foxes were able to go into the kingdom among the humans.
As I thought, I cleaned my rust colored coat.
So, I went to the other kingdom and they said I could stay there for a little while. I stayed for a couple days and then went out in search of another town. I was still on the hunt for a female fox. I wasn't sure why, but I felt I needed to for my happiness. mY father was going to die today and i felt i needed to find a queen to help me in my succession.
I don't think these humans were used to being around foxes that talked. Many were uncomfortable even though they knew many of us could talk.
So I went to a small town were they allowed ships to come into port to be fixed. It was a vibrant town, with good economy and beautiful homes. I went to court and stumbled upon a beautiful auburn colored female fox. She looked perfect for me.
It didn't take too long to see that she had a boyfriend. He was dark, brick red, and muscular. He walked from the main building into the court where she stood. He looked furious at me , probably because by this time I had sauntered over and started speaking with her. Walking towards us, I could hear him challenge me to a wrestling match.
"Brawn against brawn, skill against skill!" he shouted.
Immediately he pounced and caught his sharp claws into left arm. I swung at him with my right paw and clawed him in the cheek. He yelped and kicked me hard with his back legs and I flew into a flag pole that stood 5 feet away. I regained my stance and lunged at him and tried to aim for his beady eyes. I clumsily swung and missed and he knocked me hard against the cobbles. I stood to my feet while he chided and berated me and I could see from the corner of my eye that the beautiful girl fox was quickly losing interest as well as good temper and to ensure another wonderful conversation with her I summoned all my strength and bulldozed the larger fox to the ground knocking him out cold.
What does every princess do when a hero wins the battle? She ran over and kissed me.. And said I have been waiting for a strong smart fox prince like yourself! I told her I have been searching for a princess just like her. Now lets return to the castle because my father is going to die and he intends to put the kingdom in our care.
The end.
I was 14 years old.
I went to my Dad. I asked him if I could go outside and play, but I lied. I wasn't going outside to play. I really wanted to go find a girlfriend. So... I went through the forest. One guard spotted me and He told the King. The soldiers went out into the forest looking for me. I hid behind a big rock.I saw civilization, I sat there and thought for a minute and considered going into the castle at the other side of the woods. I asked a bird, where is the other castle, the fox castle? Everybody was pretty much a fox in the kingdom. The birds had no castle. There castles were the trees. Just the foxes were able to go into the kingdom among the humans.
As I thought, I cleaned my rust colored coat.
So, I went to the other kingdom and they said I could stay there for a little while. I stayed for a couple days and then went out in search of another town. I was still on the hunt for a female fox. I wasn't sure why, but I felt I needed to for my happiness. mY father was going to die today and i felt i needed to find a queen to help me in my succession.
I don't think these humans were used to being around foxes that talked. Many were uncomfortable even though they knew many of us could talk.
So I went to a small town were they allowed ships to come into port to be fixed. It was a vibrant town, with good economy and beautiful homes. I went to court and stumbled upon a beautiful auburn colored female fox. She looked perfect for me.
It didn't take too long to see that she had a boyfriend. He was dark, brick red, and muscular. He walked from the main building into the court where she stood. He looked furious at me , probably because by this time I had sauntered over and started speaking with her. Walking towards us, I could hear him challenge me to a wrestling match.
"Brawn against brawn, skill against skill!" he shouted.
Immediately he pounced and caught his sharp claws into left arm. I swung at him with my right paw and clawed him in the cheek. He yelped and kicked me hard with his back legs and I flew into a flag pole that stood 5 feet away. I regained my stance and lunged at him and tried to aim for his beady eyes. I clumsily swung and missed and he knocked me hard against the cobbles. I stood to my feet while he chided and berated me and I could see from the corner of my eye that the beautiful girl fox was quickly losing interest as well as good temper and to ensure another wonderful conversation with her I summoned all my strength and bulldozed the larger fox to the ground knocking him out cold.
What does every princess do when a hero wins the battle? She ran over and kissed me.. And said I have been waiting for a strong smart fox prince like yourself! I told her I have been searching for a princess just like her. Now lets return to the castle because my father is going to die and he intends to put the kingdom in our care.
The end.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Teaching Day / February 6th 2010
It's Friday morning and I wake up feeling overwhelmed.
I've been working at the restaurant for days and I intend to take advantage of my break; to write, clean, organize and round out my school time with the boys. The laundry needs to be folded and sorted and the clutter is really starting to get to me.
On top of this, there is a possibility that my friend Sara and her boys are coming over today for a much needed play date and I would really like things a little more put together. Thank God I went to the grocery store yesterday...
I've put the house on hold because I've been working more to help pay down our credit card bills. Mostly unnecessary retail therapy, but $400 should be paid down fairly easy. I gave my credit cards over to Scott so that I wouldn't be tempted again. It's hard to turn down spending, what appears to be, free money. Sometimes you're bored and you want to get a pretty new thing or buy someone a present on the strange months when it seems like everyone is having a birthday and you just don't have the money to buy even ONE present. No more. I'll pay them off and and keep them open for credit purposes only. If I have birthdays on the way I'll set aside money before hand. No brain-er right?
Right now, I'm relying on my school books to set a standard of curricula. On my work days, I've given Josh assignments to complete and he's been quite responsible but I still want to be part of the learning process. I feel out of touch and time constrained when I have to plan work in the mix.
It's not totally bad but i know it IS boring for Josh.
What I really want to do is explore Joshua's interests and have him learn semi-untethered to any specific curricula. Math and Writing being the concrete subjects, I think there is a wide margin of exploration when it comes to everything else. I'm not the smartest person in the world but I know my interests and I know how to research and teach myself and I'd like to encourage those basic skills in Joshua and Levi, that way they can be life long learners. I think Reading and writing will have to be the key while I can't be there to monitor their progression.
Thus far their interests and abilities are making themselves known.
Josh is nine years old now, going on ten in April.
He has a greater grasp of whats important. He 's learning to be considerate, responsible, and to set priorities and he also understands that Momma needs help too at times. Our relationship is getting closer and the lines of genuine effective communication are open. I use to get irritated and just say, "Because I said so" won't work with smart boys like mine. I explained to him today that I get impatient with him sometimes because I see all the work we have to do for the school year and I get overwhelmed when he takes entirely too long getting his work done or when he tries to get out of it altogether.
I showed him his math book and all the work pages in it to re-emphasize how much material must be covered for his fourth grade year. I told him that the necessity of the repetitive exercises, are to keep the information fresh in his mind so that he doesn't lose it. He says he won't lose it and already knows how to do everything on the current page. I told him that if he can get 100% on his work page, I will skip all pages with the same type of problems and we'll move on to something new, with only a little review now and then of the previous material.
He liked that idea but it turns out he needed a refresher and I reiterated the importance of doing your work carefully and knowing the material.
My Little Engineer:
Lately Josh is making it more certain in my mind that he has a gift for engineering, just like my Dad. My Dad is an electrical engineer and testifies that Joshua is definitely mechanically inclined.
Later in the day we were talking about Bush Gardens and the Swings that spin in a circle high over the roof tops. He was imagining a big screw going through the middle of the swing machine that allowed it to wind up and down and spin at the same time.
Lately, my Ma in Law told me that at the boy's last sleep over with her, Josh set up a metal frame for the air mattress they were to sleep on, in 5 minutes flat. She just handed him the parts and instructions. Lego's, one of Josh's favorite toys, has more than brought out his aptitude for reading diagrams and following directions. He also has an interest in warfare tactics and cooking. We recently looked up soldier rankings so he could understand the different levels of command. The Internet is so great for answering spur of the moment questions, and aren't most that way? It's the answering of them that we can't be lazy about. I encourage Josh to get up and go to the computer when these golden opportunities for learning pop up.
Levi is also very detail oriented, tactile, smart and hilarious. He's turning into a little man and sometimes I can tell that he shirks responsibility but I'm encouraging him to make the transition now. He has to. Josh was getting irritated by the fact that Levi wasn't held accountable to reasonable expectations. Josh has been a big clue as to Levi's big boy potential. Josh was starting to get resentful of Levi and I, because I wouldn't expect my baby to do much more. Now they have equal share in the cleaning and it's solved a lot of discord as well as brought a lot of Levi's new development to light.
Levi still has some baby like cuddly features though. He'll take his "night night " and rub the satin corners between his toes and I have to discourage him from sucking his thumb every now and then but all in all he's proving to do well in school and has a desire to read. He's picked up on the phonics curricula I have through A Becka, very easily.
So here's my day with a lot of flexibility for exploration and discussion. I usually wait for the kids to kick it off, who, are always on the search for some kind of amusement:
After breakfast, Levi, (my 5 year old) starts some knock knock jokes that don't make any sense:
"Knock Knock" who's there?
"Banana" banana who?
"Bananas aren't you glad say banana?" actual quote
(Note to self: I've been checked out so long, I need to correct this sloppy speaking.)
I ask my oldest to say the whole joke so that Levi can repeat it correctly.
Josh does well, maybe a little to many banana scenarios but he nails it. He's getting so much better verbalizing his thoughts. I had to tell him to take it slow and use as many words as possible.
We'll have to practice some more but I think Levi understood how the joke was supposed to go and I gave him a quick version and let him know the punch line: "Orange you glad I didn't say banana?"
Levi: Big Smile
This is an easy joke to start memorization skills in young ones, besides using poetry and song. A funny joke book for kids will make memorization fun. Many provide limericks and tongue twisters as well. :)
The furnace in the hallway cuts on and the boys run to it to get toasty.
10:00 am
Josh sits down at the kitchen table and starts his Math page:
Subtracting Fractions with Common Denominators, Word Problems, Long Division, and Writing Remainders as Fractions. (A part of the 4Th grade A Becka work text)
He needed a little review on writing remainders as fractions, and he needed a little help with the word problems but he did very well over all. Math is one of his strong suits. The Abeka Arithmetic Curriculum make it very easy to teach.
Levi and I were sitting on the couch and cuddle ready. We have "night night" his little teddy bear blanket with the blue satin trim. Lately I've been using night night as a teaching tool. A puppet if you will, with his very own voice and personality. Sometimes he can be hilarious but other times he can be all business, but he's a soft teacher and knows that Levi is a very smart little boy. Levi seems to be more relaxed and willing to play school time with night night instead of me, but with night night, we found that Levi can not only count to 30 but he can count to 70 on the number chart, with no help from night night and me. He seems to want to impress night night and considers him a companion. I've used him to keep Levi company while he does his school papers and it can be really fun. I don't let night night "wake up" until we start school, so it really is a treat when it's school time.
I've been working at the restaurant for days and I intend to take advantage of my break; to write, clean, organize and round out my school time with the boys. The laundry needs to be folded and sorted and the clutter is really starting to get to me.
On top of this, there is a possibility that my friend Sara and her boys are coming over today for a much needed play date and I would really like things a little more put together. Thank God I went to the grocery store yesterday...
I've put the house on hold because I've been working more to help pay down our credit card bills. Mostly unnecessary retail therapy, but $400 should be paid down fairly easy. I gave my credit cards over to Scott so that I wouldn't be tempted again. It's hard to turn down spending, what appears to be, free money. Sometimes you're bored and you want to get a pretty new thing or buy someone a present on the strange months when it seems like everyone is having a birthday and you just don't have the money to buy even ONE present. No more. I'll pay them off and and keep them open for credit purposes only. If I have birthdays on the way I'll set aside money before hand. No brain-er right?
Right now, I'm relying on my school books to set a standard of curricula. On my work days, I've given Josh assignments to complete and he's been quite responsible but I still want to be part of the learning process. I feel out of touch and time constrained when I have to plan work in the mix.
It's not totally bad but i know it IS boring for Josh.
What I really want to do is explore Joshua's interests and have him learn semi-untethered to any specific curricula. Math and Writing being the concrete subjects, I think there is a wide margin of exploration when it comes to everything else. I'm not the smartest person in the world but I know my interests and I know how to research and teach myself and I'd like to encourage those basic skills in Joshua and Levi, that way they can be life long learners. I think Reading and writing will have to be the key while I can't be there to monitor their progression.
Thus far their interests and abilities are making themselves known.
Josh is nine years old now, going on ten in April.
He has a greater grasp of whats important. He 's learning to be considerate, responsible, and to set priorities and he also understands that Momma needs help too at times. Our relationship is getting closer and the lines of genuine effective communication are open. I use to get irritated and just say, "Because I said so" won't work with smart boys like mine. I explained to him today that I get impatient with him sometimes because I see all the work we have to do for the school year and I get overwhelmed when he takes entirely too long getting his work done or when he tries to get out of it altogether.
I showed him his math book and all the work pages in it to re-emphasize how much material must be covered for his fourth grade year. I told him that the necessity of the repetitive exercises, are to keep the information fresh in his mind so that he doesn't lose it. He says he won't lose it and already knows how to do everything on the current page. I told him that if he can get 100% on his work page, I will skip all pages with the same type of problems and we'll move on to something new, with only a little review now and then of the previous material.
He liked that idea but it turns out he needed a refresher and I reiterated the importance of doing your work carefully and knowing the material.
My Little Engineer:
Lately Josh is making it more certain in my mind that he has a gift for engineering, just like my Dad. My Dad is an electrical engineer and testifies that Joshua is definitely mechanically inclined.
Later in the day we were talking about Bush Gardens and the Swings that spin in a circle high over the roof tops. He was imagining a big screw going through the middle of the swing machine that allowed it to wind up and down and spin at the same time.
Lately, my Ma in Law told me that at the boy's last sleep over with her, Josh set up a metal frame for the air mattress they were to sleep on, in 5 minutes flat. She just handed him the parts and instructions. Lego's, one of Josh's favorite toys, has more than brought out his aptitude for reading diagrams and following directions. He also has an interest in warfare tactics and cooking. We recently looked up soldier rankings so he could understand the different levels of command. The Internet is so great for answering spur of the moment questions, and aren't most that way? It's the answering of them that we can't be lazy about. I encourage Josh to get up and go to the computer when these golden opportunities for learning pop up.
Levi is also very detail oriented, tactile, smart and hilarious. He's turning into a little man and sometimes I can tell that he shirks responsibility but I'm encouraging him to make the transition now. He has to. Josh was getting irritated by the fact that Levi wasn't held accountable to reasonable expectations. Josh has been a big clue as to Levi's big boy potential. Josh was starting to get resentful of Levi and I, because I wouldn't expect my baby to do much more. Now they have equal share in the cleaning and it's solved a lot of discord as well as brought a lot of Levi's new development to light.
Levi still has some baby like cuddly features though. He'll take his "night night " and rub the satin corners between his toes and I have to discourage him from sucking his thumb every now and then but all in all he's proving to do well in school and has a desire to read. He's picked up on the phonics curricula I have through A Becka, very easily.
So here's my day with a lot of flexibility for exploration and discussion. I usually wait for the kids to kick it off, who, are always on the search for some kind of amusement:
After breakfast, Levi, (my 5 year old) starts some knock knock jokes that don't make any sense:
"Knock Knock" who's there?
"Banana" banana who?
"Bananas aren't you glad say banana?" actual quote
(Note to self: I've been checked out so long, I need to correct this sloppy speaking.)
I ask my oldest to say the whole joke so that Levi can repeat it correctly.
Josh does well, maybe a little to many banana scenarios but he nails it. He's getting so much better verbalizing his thoughts. I had to tell him to take it slow and use as many words as possible.
We'll have to practice some more but I think Levi understood how the joke was supposed to go and I gave him a quick version and let him know the punch line: "Orange you glad I didn't say banana?"
Levi: Big Smile
This is an easy joke to start memorization skills in young ones, besides using poetry and song. A funny joke book for kids will make memorization fun. Many provide limericks and tongue twisters as well. :)
The furnace in the hallway cuts on and the boys run to it to get toasty.
10:00 am
Josh sits down at the kitchen table and starts his Math page:
Subtracting Fractions with Common Denominators, Word Problems, Long Division, and Writing Remainders as Fractions. (A part of the 4Th grade A Becka work text)
He needed a little review on writing remainders as fractions, and he needed a little help with the word problems but he did very well over all. Math is one of his strong suits. The Abeka Arithmetic Curriculum make it very easy to teach.
Levi and I were sitting on the couch and cuddle ready. We have "night night" his little teddy bear blanket with the blue satin trim. Lately I've been using night night as a teaching tool. A puppet if you will, with his very own voice and personality. Sometimes he can be hilarious but other times he can be all business, but he's a soft teacher and knows that Levi is a very smart little boy. Levi seems to be more relaxed and willing to play school time with night night instead of me, but with night night, we found that Levi can not only count to 30 but he can count to 70 on the number chart, with no help from night night and me. He seems to want to impress night night and considers him a companion. I've used him to keep Levi company while he does his school papers and it can be really fun. I don't let night night "wake up" until we start school, so it really is a treat when it's school time.
