I do my planning on Wednesday afternoons. I sit down, think on what we got through the prior week, and how that ought to translate to the coming week. Last week, we made it through Lesson 1 of Hooked on Phonics, and three math lessons. This week, I set us up to do another HoP lesson, and four math lessons. No worries.
Math is progressing as expected - still at double time according to the general timetable - but since I'm still trying to find his limits, as opposed to just teaching him mew ways of doing things he already knows, I'm okay with that. I knew he was good at most of the math before we started, so plowing through it is nothing too new.
Reading, on the other hand... I have no idea how to plan at this point. He finished lesson 2 yesterday, and blew through the first third of lesson 3 today. At the rate he's going, he'll finish lesson 3 this week, and lesson 4, possibly 5, next week. This means he will be done with the first half of the level in about two months. Each level is assigned a graded year. He is likely to finish a half school year of reading education this summer. I'm reeling. The next question, of course, becomes "how do I plan for next week?!?" ^_^ I think I'm just going to try to keep up, and see where he goes. He doesn't know he's doing work intended for much older children, and I haven't any intention of telling him, so he just goes ahead and does his work at his own pace... and we'll see how high he flies.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
End of "Official" Week 1
This was our first "official" week as homeschoolers. Why? No monumental occasion, just that my planner started on June 1, so it seemed a good time. We're planning to be year-rounders, sticking to something akin to a 4 weeks on, then 1 week off schedule. What's really nice about this is that the world aligns perfectly to then give me two weeks for soon-to-be-Auntie N's bridal shower and Thanksgiving, and also a two week break for Uncle F and Auntie N's wedding! Even nicer, it gives us a week break every month, PLUS an extra week floating around whenever we want to use it. That puts our school year at 195 days, which means we have 15 days over the regular school year to have sick days, take off on birthdays, or go on impromptu field trips. I love this already. If LP were in regular school this year, we wouldn't be able to go to Thanksgiving OR the shower, and we'd be pushing it to go to the wedding. We certainly couldn't take two weeks for both of them. Then add in that March break does NOT line up with Easter, and there's a lot of family holidays we'd be missing because LP needs to be in school. As it stands, we're able to schedule our breaks whenever we want them, and it's Mighty Convenient!
End of week one.
Week 1 taught me several things.
1) Play Dates in the middle of the school week, while epic fun, are a bitch to make up for. There is no way to do anything resembling lessons after spending the morning with friends, so the day is a write-off. Then, I have to try to accomplish things one day off - so technically, while today is our Friday, we'll finish the actual activities for the week tomorrow.
2) Trying to get anything serious done after preschool SUCKS. Like, MASSIVELY sucks. I had today designed to be a quick-review day, and mostly playing games, because I figured trying to get anything done after the morning was spent in preschool would be difficult. I did NOT expect a 45 minute meltdown over a cookie - a cookie that he didn't even want, mind you - nor did I expect his math lesson to be like pulling teeth - he's usually gung-ho for his math. o.O;;
3) We are completely able to do this. This whole homeschool gig will be totally workable for us. It may not always be easy, it may not always be games, but it is certainly do-able. I am very excited for what this year may bring!
End of week one.
Week 1 taught me several things.
1) Play Dates in the middle of the school week, while epic fun, are a bitch to make up for. There is no way to do anything resembling lessons after spending the morning with friends, so the day is a write-off. Then, I have to try to accomplish things one day off - so technically, while today is our Friday, we'll finish the actual activities for the week tomorrow.
2) Trying to get anything serious done after preschool SUCKS. Like, MASSIVELY sucks. I had today designed to be a quick-review day, and mostly playing games, because I figured trying to get anything done after the morning was spent in preschool would be difficult. I did NOT expect a 45 minute meltdown over a cookie - a cookie that he didn't even want, mind you - nor did I expect his math lesson to be like pulling teeth - he's usually gung-ho for his math. o.O;;
3) We are completely able to do this. This whole homeschool gig will be totally workable for us. It may not always be easy, it may not always be games, but it is certainly do-able. I am very excited for what this year may bring!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
On Reading and Research
So, I've spent the last several months up to my eyeballs in anything I can find related to giftedness, gifted children, and gifted education. The drive to know more, learn more, keep reading... It's intense. I mean, this is my son. He has particular needs, and it is my job as his parent to make sure his needs are met. I've now gone through three websites, two forums, and eight books on the topic. Since mid-March. So, I like to think I've learned a thing or two.
Truthfully, I'm glad I've gotten as much done as I have, and I'm glad we got the assessments run. Both the parental survey of dates that assessed how ahead LP is, and the OT assessment at preschool. They told me things I really already knew (that LP is very ahead, and that he has no business being in a full-day classroom in the fall), but it gave me the oomph to take on the research, and to start planning for his educational needs. Right now, LP is working on a grade 1 reading curriculum, and flying through a kindergarten math curriculum. Even if he slows down to working on one grade level per year (as per public schools), he will likely be a minimum of two years ahead of his age-mates. These kids won't be his peers, not truly. And since our district "doesn't do" acceleration, if I send this child to school, he will spend the entirety of his school career bored out of his skull. They don't have formal identification until grade 3, which means a minimum of four years before the district even considers meeting his educational needs. Needless to say, that's not acceptable. And, since the district won't accelerate, they won't meet his needs even when he is formally identified.
So what now, right? At this point, I'm certain that homeschool is the best option for LP. It meets him where he is, and will allow him to work at his own pace, keeping him challenged without having to languish for years to get there, if he ever gets there at all. This is also, however, one of the scarier realizations I've had. Knowing what I do about our son, I can't put him into public schools in good conscience. I can't do it. But that means that suddenly, we need to succeed at homeschooling. That "oh, if it doesn't work, he can always go to public" option isn't really an option. It'd be like sending a third grader into kindergarten. It's wildly inappropriate, and the child already knows everything - it's a recipe for "behavior problems" and failure to achieve to potential. But... that means I don't have a backup plan any more. Granted, I probably haven't all along, but now more than before, I feel the distinct lack of a safety net, and am really awed by the enormity of the undertaking.
Truthfully, I'm glad I've gotten as much done as I have, and I'm glad we got the assessments run. Both the parental survey of dates that assessed how ahead LP is, and the OT assessment at preschool. They told me things I really already knew (that LP is very ahead, and that he has no business being in a full-day classroom in the fall), but it gave me the oomph to take on the research, and to start planning for his educational needs. Right now, LP is working on a grade 1 reading curriculum, and flying through a kindergarten math curriculum. Even if he slows down to working on one grade level per year (as per public schools), he will likely be a minimum of two years ahead of his age-mates. These kids won't be his peers, not truly. And since our district "doesn't do" acceleration, if I send this child to school, he will spend the entirety of his school career bored out of his skull. They don't have formal identification until grade 3, which means a minimum of four years before the district even considers meeting his educational needs. Needless to say, that's not acceptable. And, since the district won't accelerate, they won't meet his needs even when he is formally identified.
So what now, right? At this point, I'm certain that homeschool is the best option for LP. It meets him where he is, and will allow him to work at his own pace, keeping him challenged without having to languish for years to get there, if he ever gets there at all. This is also, however, one of the scarier realizations I've had. Knowing what I do about our son, I can't put him into public schools in good conscience. I can't do it. But that means that suddenly, we need to succeed at homeschooling. That "oh, if it doesn't work, he can always go to public" option isn't really an option. It'd be like sending a third grader into kindergarten. It's wildly inappropriate, and the child already knows everything - it's a recipe for "behavior problems" and failure to achieve to potential. But... that means I don't have a backup plan any more. Granted, I probably haven't all along, but now more than before, I feel the distinct lack of a safety net, and am really awed by the enormity of the undertaking.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Moving right along
We are well underway with reading and math. We haven't added anything else in, just gone ahead with our general plan to get him ready for the start of the "School Year." As a brief aside, the implementation of a routine strip into our day has helped enormously. Things run much more smoothly around here, and I don't have to keep repeating myself. Love it. Best. Idea. Ever.
Anyway, our reading plan has been modified - he is reading Dr Seuss (thank you Jen!) for practice, and we are using Hooked on Phonics for actual instruction. I thought the DVD component of the HOP plan would help LP significantly - he seems to be a very visual boy. We are now working on whether or not we have the appropriate level of the program for his skill level. At the front of the level book, there is a review from the previous level. LP is able to read the words he should be, but he needs some support to do it. Now, the instructions say he should be able to do this easily. Thing is... LP does not have a "normal" attention span. He is extremely easily distracted for a nearing four year old, and has some issues focusing on things that are not tigers, cars, trucks, or trains. This is all perfectly normal for him, but it makes assessment a lot trickier. For example, one of the words in the review is "rock." I ask him to read the word, showing him rock. He looks at me, and tells me he doesn't know what it says. I ask him to sound it out and he tells me that the line is headed by the number 3, that there are three sides to a triangle, and the box the word is in is orange. So, I refocus him, cover the -ock part of the word, and he says /r/. I uncover the o. He says /o/. I uncover the -ck. He says /k/, rock! He is very much capable of reading the words, but he is just certain for some reason that he can't. He can read cat, hug, run, etc with no help from me. Add on a fourth letter and he's SURE he can't do it. Very odd. But, I'm not sure whether to keep him at the level we have, or bump him back one. I'm not sure if backing up would lead to better speed, fluency, and confidence... or if it would lead to boredom, and money wasted. Ugh.
We have our subjects set for the '12-'13 school year. I've made a very basic scope and sequence for the things I want him to accomplish between now and this time next year. I'm very pleased with this so far, as I'm able to then look at the scope and sequence come December and see how far I have to go, and what needs work. I'm good with that.
Our subject list for the year:
Reading
Writing/Fine Motor
Math
Science
History/Social Studies
Logic
French
Health
I'm ridiculously excited to get things underway. Yes, I know it's painfully obvious, but that's just the way I am.
Anyway, our reading plan has been modified - he is reading Dr Seuss (thank you Jen!) for practice, and we are using Hooked on Phonics for actual instruction. I thought the DVD component of the HOP plan would help LP significantly - he seems to be a very visual boy. We are now working on whether or not we have the appropriate level of the program for his skill level. At the front of the level book, there is a review from the previous level. LP is able to read the words he should be, but he needs some support to do it. Now, the instructions say he should be able to do this easily. Thing is... LP does not have a "normal" attention span. He is extremely easily distracted for a nearing four year old, and has some issues focusing on things that are not tigers, cars, trucks, or trains. This is all perfectly normal for him, but it makes assessment a lot trickier. For example, one of the words in the review is "rock." I ask him to read the word, showing him rock. He looks at me, and tells me he doesn't know what it says. I ask him to sound it out and he tells me that the line is headed by the number 3, that there are three sides to a triangle, and the box the word is in is orange. So, I refocus him, cover the -ock part of the word, and he says /r/. I uncover the o. He says /o/. I uncover the -ck. He says /k/, rock! He is very much capable of reading the words, but he is just certain for some reason that he can't. He can read cat, hug, run, etc with no help from me. Add on a fourth letter and he's SURE he can't do it. Very odd. But, I'm not sure whether to keep him at the level we have, or bump him back one. I'm not sure if backing up would lead to better speed, fluency, and confidence... or if it would lead to boredom, and money wasted. Ugh.
We have our subjects set for the '12-'13 school year. I've made a very basic scope and sequence for the things I want him to accomplish between now and this time next year. I'm very pleased with this so far, as I'm able to then look at the scope and sequence come December and see how far I have to go, and what needs work. I'm good with that.
Our subject list for the year:
Reading
Writing/Fine Motor
Math
Science
History/Social Studies
Logic
French
Health
I'm ridiculously excited to get things underway. Yes, I know it's painfully obvious, but that's just the way I am.
Monday, March 26, 2012
One Day...
One day, I will remember that I have this blog, and update it regularly.
As it stands, I tend to back-burner this place, and I really shouldn't. And so, I'm going to take a step in trying to update more frequently. I'm going to try to be here at least once a week. Wish me luck, 'cause sometimes that doesn't happen.
Anyhow!
Many things are changing in our house. First, I'm waiting for a rheumatologist referral to get a diagnosis for a near-endless litany of things that are wrong with me. I also have an appointment for an MRI, just to make sure I haven't completely screwed up my back. I wonder, and will talk to my doctor about, whether or not my screwed-up knees also factor into this.
Now, the less "hurry up and wait" thing. My Little Prince is... odd. Apparently, he is significantly odd as compared to other three year olds. I've been running to catch up with him for the last year and a half or more, and now we know why. LP is gifted. That's just the sum of it. Now, there's a whole load of BS baggage attached to the term "gifted," but I do mean it in the clinical sense. He is extremely advanced (he is reading CVC words, and is capable of grade 1 math) in some areas, and has the corresponding asynchronous development - he is very behind on his fine motor skill development. He also displays a whole lot of overexcitabilities. He may come out to be twice-exceptional, combining gifted with ADHD, but it is still far too early to tell for sure.
In practical application, this means that LP is neither emotionally nor physically ready to start a full-day junior kindergarten (that's right, 6.5h of school at 3.5-4 years old) in the fall. I'm fine with that, as I've been planning to home school him all along. But in the meantime, I also cannot sit by and neglect my son's very real need for input. Just like when he is dirty, I don't let him stay covered in schmutz, or when he was in diapers, we didn't let him stay in dirty diapers all day... I have to provide the things he needs - be it a bath, a new diaper, or intellectual stimulation. To this end... This fall will see our first official year of home school. I shall be opening Rowena's Browncoat Academy in the fall, student body of 1. LP will have daily reading, math and science - at his own speed, of course - as well as occasional stops in worksheets for handwriting to try to build some of his fine motor skills. He will also be in preschool two days a week, and we will have swimming one day a week, and home school meet-ups once (or more) per week.
I seem to get a lot of blowback on this, but really, it's not exactly like I have a choice. Our local public system is not ready to handle a reading three year old, they don't accelerate, and the only time they place gifted children in classrooms together is after they're in the fifth grade. I'm NOT going to sit idly by and let my son's educational needs go unmet until he's ten. I'm not willing to do it. I'm also not willing to send him to school to be bored, told he's a troublemaker, or worse than all of it, have him believe he's a troublemaker, and hide his abilities in order to "fit in" with the kids around him. I have some work ahead of me, but if I'd thought having kids was going to be easy, I was disabused of that notion several years ago... when I actually, you know, had a kid. I understand that a lot of people are going to think a lot of bad things about me (that I'm pushing my son, that I'm stunting his growth by not putting him in a classroom with same-age and not same-ability children, that he's not really gifted, I just make him study, I'm not genuinely interested in his best-interests, but only in how he can fit some mold I have in my head - and so on; and yes, I've heard ALL of these, even just in the last 6 months). I get it. But this is my son. I'm not going to fail him so that other people will think better of me. That is probably the worst thing a parent could ever do - deliberately neglect their child's needs in order to "fit in better" with their own peers. I go into this knowing it is what is best for him, knowing there are pitfalls, and things I have to be sure we do, and I go into this knowing full well that if it doesn't work out, public school will always be there. It is not my preferred method. Not at all. But that doesn't mean it holds no value - just that it's not my go-to for my child. People are going to think and talk all kinds of bad about me. I know they will. But you know what? Meeting LP's needs, and putting him before my own self-esteem is what I signed on for. It is what I'm going to do. And we will love it, and we will have a wonderful time... just as surely as there will be days we hate it, and just say **** it all, we're going to the park. But, LP's needs will get met, and that is all that matters.
As it stands, I tend to back-burner this place, and I really shouldn't. And so, I'm going to take a step in trying to update more frequently. I'm going to try to be here at least once a week. Wish me luck, 'cause sometimes that doesn't happen.
Anyhow!
Many things are changing in our house. First, I'm waiting for a rheumatologist referral to get a diagnosis for a near-endless litany of things that are wrong with me. I also have an appointment for an MRI, just to make sure I haven't completely screwed up my back. I wonder, and will talk to my doctor about, whether or not my screwed-up knees also factor into this.
Now, the less "hurry up and wait" thing. My Little Prince is... odd. Apparently, he is significantly odd as compared to other three year olds. I've been running to catch up with him for the last year and a half or more, and now we know why. LP is gifted. That's just the sum of it. Now, there's a whole load of BS baggage attached to the term "gifted," but I do mean it in the clinical sense. He is extremely advanced (he is reading CVC words, and is capable of grade 1 math) in some areas, and has the corresponding asynchronous development - he is very behind on his fine motor skill development. He also displays a whole lot of overexcitabilities. He may come out to be twice-exceptional, combining gifted with ADHD, but it is still far too early to tell for sure.
In practical application, this means that LP is neither emotionally nor physically ready to start a full-day junior kindergarten (that's right, 6.5h of school at 3.5-4 years old) in the fall. I'm fine with that, as I've been planning to home school him all along. But in the meantime, I also cannot sit by and neglect my son's very real need for input. Just like when he is dirty, I don't let him stay covered in schmutz, or when he was in diapers, we didn't let him stay in dirty diapers all day... I have to provide the things he needs - be it a bath, a new diaper, or intellectual stimulation. To this end... This fall will see our first official year of home school. I shall be opening Rowena's Browncoat Academy in the fall, student body of 1. LP will have daily reading, math and science - at his own speed, of course - as well as occasional stops in worksheets for handwriting to try to build some of his fine motor skills. He will also be in preschool two days a week, and we will have swimming one day a week, and home school meet-ups once (or more) per week.
I seem to get a lot of blowback on this, but really, it's not exactly like I have a choice. Our local public system is not ready to handle a reading three year old, they don't accelerate, and the only time they place gifted children in classrooms together is after they're in the fifth grade. I'm NOT going to sit idly by and let my son's educational needs go unmet until he's ten. I'm not willing to do it. I'm also not willing to send him to school to be bored, told he's a troublemaker, or worse than all of it, have him believe he's a troublemaker, and hide his abilities in order to "fit in" with the kids around him. I have some work ahead of me, but if I'd thought having kids was going to be easy, I was disabused of that notion several years ago... when I actually, you know, had a kid. I understand that a lot of people are going to think a lot of bad things about me (that I'm pushing my son, that I'm stunting his growth by not putting him in a classroom with same-age and not same-ability children, that he's not really gifted, I just make him study, I'm not genuinely interested in his best-interests, but only in how he can fit some mold I have in my head - and so on; and yes, I've heard ALL of these, even just in the last 6 months). I get it. But this is my son. I'm not going to fail him so that other people will think better of me. That is probably the worst thing a parent could ever do - deliberately neglect their child's needs in order to "fit in better" with their own peers. I go into this knowing it is what is best for him, knowing there are pitfalls, and things I have to be sure we do, and I go into this knowing full well that if it doesn't work out, public school will always be there. It is not my preferred method. Not at all. But that doesn't mean it holds no value - just that it's not my go-to for my child. People are going to think and talk all kinds of bad about me. I know they will. But you know what? Meeting LP's needs, and putting him before my own self-esteem is what I signed on for. It is what I'm going to do. And we will love it, and we will have a wonderful time... just as surely as there will be days we hate it, and just say **** it all, we're going to the park. But, LP's needs will get met, and that is all that matters.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
It's been far too long
The only real thing that's new in our neck of the woods, now that we're into the new year... is SCHOOL!
January 13 was our first "official" homeschool day. LP has been asking to be taught to read for a while now, and dangit, I'm not going to tell him no, he can't learn to read, so we started regular reading lessons. Every "weekday" (I'm defining weekday as each day Skeeve works) we're doing half an hour of reading - except for Tuesdays, when LP has preschool and then he has a friend come over to play. He's doing exceptionally well, and has plowed through the first 35 lessons of The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, and has read the first four books in the Bob Books level 1 books. He doesn't care for OPGTR, and I can understand why - it's very much direct instruction, and not at all fun. If I have the option, I'm going to invest in significantly more sets of Bob Books, and use OPGTR for skill introduction and concepts, but the Bob Books for his actual practice and the bulk of his lesson time.
Once we get a tax return filed and refund received, we'll pick up the curricula he'll need for the remainder of this year, plus next year. We're looking at picking up materials for math, science, history, and language arts - all things that would be covered in public. Seems like a lot, but at his age, it's really only about 2.5h in a day, which is pretty nice.
This evening, as I'm browsing Facebook (as one is wont to do when lazing around for a change), one of my friends is registering her littlest for kindy. As he's only a year older than LP, it occurs to me that it'd be about that time here, too. So I go look it up. Sure enough, if we were registering him for JK instead of doing JK at home, he would be registering this week. So I went to look up the school, see which he would be going to. He would, apparently, be heading to Arthur Stringer PS in the fall. Then I looked closer. He'd be headed to full day junior kindergarten in the fall. This fall. My son, who has a hard enough time keeping it together for his two and a half hours twice a week preschool class, would be expected to enroll in six and a half hour per day, five days per week kindergarten. Excuse me? Not so much in this house, thanks. Especially when their statement on accommodating parents who do not want their child in full-day school reads as "well, this is our program now, so get with it." Never have I been happier to have a plan in place for LP's education. Putting him into full day kindergarten six months from now would be a debacle. I don't think I've seen this boy sit still for more than half an hour EVER - including if the TV is on - nor have I seen him go more than 20m without screaming or yelling. He'd spend a month in JK and his teacher would call me in to discuss how to medicate my "obviously ADHD" child. Except that he's not ADHD. He's a little boy. So what if he's not developmentally ready to sit in a chair for a couple hours at a clip? HE ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE. I saw all these things about our school district, and where LP would be attending, the programs, the hours (9-3:30, M-F!), the lack of flexibility in or even retention of a half-day program... And was just shocked. And... not relieved, exactly, but close. I was relieved I don't have to send him into this mess. I was relieved that not only do I have a plan for him, but I have a support group of homeschooling parents to call on, and I will soon have the ability to take LP to homeschooler play-days at the museum. He will not only have his existing friends, but he will make new friends, and when he does, he won't have to worry about all the other kids going to school and him not, because more and more of his friends WON'T be going to school. He'll have friends and social times, he'll have solid education that is flexible to accommodate his needs, and neither of us will have to try to navigate the world of the public school, which would take a boy like my LP and try to drug him into fitting into a box quietly.
So, all in all, this update says "we've started our homeschool adventure. I'm ever so glad we decided to go this route."
January 13 was our first "official" homeschool day. LP has been asking to be taught to read for a while now, and dangit, I'm not going to tell him no, he can't learn to read, so we started regular reading lessons. Every "weekday" (I'm defining weekday as each day Skeeve works) we're doing half an hour of reading - except for Tuesdays, when LP has preschool and then he has a friend come over to play. He's doing exceptionally well, and has plowed through the first 35 lessons of The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, and has read the first four books in the Bob Books level 1 books. He doesn't care for OPGTR, and I can understand why - it's very much direct instruction, and not at all fun. If I have the option, I'm going to invest in significantly more sets of Bob Books, and use OPGTR for skill introduction and concepts, but the Bob Books for his actual practice and the bulk of his lesson time.
Once we get a tax return filed and refund received, we'll pick up the curricula he'll need for the remainder of this year, plus next year. We're looking at picking up materials for math, science, history, and language arts - all things that would be covered in public. Seems like a lot, but at his age, it's really only about 2.5h in a day, which is pretty nice.
This evening, as I'm browsing Facebook (as one is wont to do when lazing around for a change), one of my friends is registering her littlest for kindy. As he's only a year older than LP, it occurs to me that it'd be about that time here, too. So I go look it up. Sure enough, if we were registering him for JK instead of doing JK at home, he would be registering this week. So I went to look up the school, see which he would be going to. He would, apparently, be heading to Arthur Stringer PS in the fall. Then I looked closer. He'd be headed to full day junior kindergarten in the fall. This fall. My son, who has a hard enough time keeping it together for his two and a half hours twice a week preschool class, would be expected to enroll in six and a half hour per day, five days per week kindergarten. Excuse me? Not so much in this house, thanks. Especially when their statement on accommodating parents who do not want their child in full-day school reads as "well, this is our program now, so get with it." Never have I been happier to have a plan in place for LP's education. Putting him into full day kindergarten six months from now would be a debacle. I don't think I've seen this boy sit still for more than half an hour EVER - including if the TV is on - nor have I seen him go more than 20m without screaming or yelling. He'd spend a month in JK and his teacher would call me in to discuss how to medicate my "obviously ADHD" child. Except that he's not ADHD. He's a little boy. So what if he's not developmentally ready to sit in a chair for a couple hours at a clip? HE ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE. I saw all these things about our school district, and where LP would be attending, the programs, the hours (9-3:30, M-F!), the lack of flexibility in or even retention of a half-day program... And was just shocked. And... not relieved, exactly, but close. I was relieved I don't have to send him into this mess. I was relieved that not only do I have a plan for him, but I have a support group of homeschooling parents to call on, and I will soon have the ability to take LP to homeschooler play-days at the museum. He will not only have his existing friends, but he will make new friends, and when he does, he won't have to worry about all the other kids going to school and him not, because more and more of his friends WON'T be going to school. He'll have friends and social times, he'll have solid education that is flexible to accommodate his needs, and neither of us will have to try to navigate the world of the public school, which would take a boy like my LP and try to drug him into fitting into a box quietly.
So, all in all, this update says "we've started our homeschool adventure. I'm ever so glad we decided to go this route."
Monday, September 26, 2011
Dear Aggressive Unschoolers
(Yes, I have come back with a rant. Sorry about that.)
I understand that you are an unschooler. I get it. I understand that you think my son will teach himself anything and everything he needs to know, and if he is stuck, he will ask for help. I understand your educational philosophy. However, I neither have the dedication or selflessness to make it work, nor do I agree with this philosophy. I do not believe that my son will eventually teach himself calculus with no instigation from me. I do not believe that he will suddenly radically change his personality just because I have adopted your philosophy. When things get difficult for my son, he does not press on. He says "screw this," and goes back to things he enjoys - things that are reassuring and easy for him. If we did not prompt him, he would not go back to those challenging things. So, my three year old, who is one small leap from taking off reading, will NOT teach himself to read with no input from me. He just won't. He needs more of a challenge than his board books are providing, and significantly less challenge than Robert Jordan, Laurell K. Hamilton (GAH!) or Piers Anthony. As I do not have these materials in the house, and cannot afford to go purchase a mountain of standard children's books for him to rip apart, my option is the library. And since they make you pay for the books your child destroys (be it tearing out pages or coloring in them), that is also less than ideal. So when I crack out the workbooks or computer programs to help him along and give him a challenge? Don't tell me that I'm totally overdoing it and harming him. I am offering him a challenge. Am I sitting him down and forcing him to complete workbook pages? NO, HE'S THREE. Am I doing my best to offer him a challenge that he can have fun with so he won't just skip it and move on to something else without ever learning more than "EFF /f/ EFF!"? You bet your ass I am.
I don't spend my online time telling you about the unschooled kids I know from down the block who can't tell their letters from their numbers at ten, don't bother telling me how much "damage" I'm doing in just providing a challenge for my son - you know, the kid *I* live with, *I* know, and *I* love, but who is just "this chick on the internet's kid..." to you. 'Cause really, that's just rude. I don't ask you to provide me methodology, statistics or outcomes for the average unschooler, I just accept that you're going to do what you're going to do. Don't start going into how HORRIBLE mainstream education is, and how it totally doing a disservice to our children with me. First of all, I'm an effing homeschooler. I have as much to do with mainstream education as you do. Second, again, that's just rude. I know more about my son than you do. This includes his penchant to abandon things that are inherently challenging if they are not presented properly, and is the impetus behind my purchase of the Explode The Code online program. He is one small leap from being able to read, and if putting him in front of the computer with the program is enough to get him to make that leap? I will do it a hundred times over. Plus, "Mommy, I want to read." is a common refrain around here. If that's not his asking me for help in the best way he can, then I don't know what is. As it stands, I was agreeing with you on the article in question and lamenting my late start - we're all in agreement that trying to force kids to read before they're ready is useless. I was lamenting that my toddler taught himself his letters at 18mo, and I've been playing catch-up with him ever since. Berating me about my terminology and intentions when I'M AGREEING WITH YOU is stupid and really does nothing to help anything. It does not change my opinion on unschooling, and in fact cements the notion that a good number of unschooling parents are sanctimonious jerks who think their way is the only healthy way. Congratulations, your lack of comprehension is setting your cause back quite a way.
So, dear aggressive unschoolers, how about you back the heck off? I don't give you grief about how you're educating your children (or is it 'facilitating your children's inherent desire to learn' now?), how about you extend the same courtesy to me?
I understand that you are an unschooler. I get it. I understand that you think my son will teach himself anything and everything he needs to know, and if he is stuck, he will ask for help. I understand your educational philosophy. However, I neither have the dedication or selflessness to make it work, nor do I agree with this philosophy. I do not believe that my son will eventually teach himself calculus with no instigation from me. I do not believe that he will suddenly radically change his personality just because I have adopted your philosophy. When things get difficult for my son, he does not press on. He says "screw this," and goes back to things he enjoys - things that are reassuring and easy for him. If we did not prompt him, he would not go back to those challenging things. So, my three year old, who is one small leap from taking off reading, will NOT teach himself to read with no input from me. He just won't. He needs more of a challenge than his board books are providing, and significantly less challenge than Robert Jordan, Laurell K. Hamilton (GAH!) or Piers Anthony. As I do not have these materials in the house, and cannot afford to go purchase a mountain of standard children's books for him to rip apart, my option is the library. And since they make you pay for the books your child destroys (be it tearing out pages or coloring in them), that is also less than ideal. So when I crack out the workbooks or computer programs to help him along and give him a challenge? Don't tell me that I'm totally overdoing it and harming him. I am offering him a challenge. Am I sitting him down and forcing him to complete workbook pages? NO, HE'S THREE. Am I doing my best to offer him a challenge that he can have fun with so he won't just skip it and move on to something else without ever learning more than "EFF /f/ EFF!"? You bet your ass I am.
I don't spend my online time telling you about the unschooled kids I know from down the block who can't tell their letters from their numbers at ten, don't bother telling me how much "damage" I'm doing in just providing a challenge for my son - you know, the kid *I* live with, *I* know, and *I* love, but who is just "this chick on the internet's kid..." to you. 'Cause really, that's just rude. I don't ask you to provide me methodology, statistics or outcomes for the average unschooler, I just accept that you're going to do what you're going to do. Don't start going into how HORRIBLE mainstream education is, and how it totally doing a disservice to our children with me. First of all, I'm an effing homeschooler. I have as much to do with mainstream education as you do. Second, again, that's just rude. I know more about my son than you do. This includes his penchant to abandon things that are inherently challenging if they are not presented properly, and is the impetus behind my purchase of the Explode The Code online program. He is one small leap from being able to read, and if putting him in front of the computer with the program is enough to get him to make that leap? I will do it a hundred times over. Plus, "Mommy, I want to read." is a common refrain around here. If that's not his asking me for help in the best way he can, then I don't know what is. As it stands, I was agreeing with you on the article in question and lamenting my late start - we're all in agreement that trying to force kids to read before they're ready is useless. I was lamenting that my toddler taught himself his letters at 18mo, and I've been playing catch-up with him ever since. Berating me about my terminology and intentions when I'M AGREEING WITH YOU is stupid and really does nothing to help anything. It does not change my opinion on unschooling, and in fact cements the notion that a good number of unschooling parents are sanctimonious jerks who think their way is the only healthy way. Congratulations, your lack of comprehension is setting your cause back quite a way.
So, dear aggressive unschoolers, how about you back the heck off? I don't give you grief about how you're educating your children (or is it 'facilitating your children's inherent desire to learn' now?), how about you extend the same courtesy to me?
Monday, July 26, 2010
Love.
Today is a wonderful "milestone" day.
Today, LP asked for something he wanted, and meant it. He asked for nursies and a nap. He has nursed, and is now sleeping. He also asked to have his diaper changed.
I did a basic assessment prior to starting anything. LP knows 22 letters to mastery. He is missing "A," "G," and "M" to mastery, though he has some idea what those letters are. He has no clue about "C" and "T" he has, but I didn't ask him about it, so I'm a day behind in the marking. x.x;; Sheesh.
I am making pizza for dinner. I'm looking forward to it. ^_^
I also heard LP say something quite clearly. Something I've never heard him say before. Today, my baby boy looked at me, smiled, and said "I love you."
Some days, being mommy is the best job in the whole world. Even when you have to change the dirty diapers.
Today, LP asked for something he wanted, and meant it. He asked for nursies and a nap. He has nursed, and is now sleeping. He also asked to have his diaper changed.
I did a basic assessment prior to starting anything. LP knows 22 letters to mastery. He is missing "A," "G," and "M" to mastery, though he has some idea what those letters are. He has no clue about "C" and "T" he has, but I didn't ask him about it, so I'm a day behind in the marking. x.x;; Sheesh.
I am making pizza for dinner. I'm looking forward to it. ^_^
I also heard LP say something quite clearly. Something I've never heard him say before. Today, my baby boy looked at me, smiled, and said "I love you."
Some days, being mommy is the best job in the whole world. Even when you have to change the dirty diapers.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Learning!
Well, it looks like I'm going to have to alter the plans I'd made for LP for the next "school" year. I was planning to do a new letter with him each week, a color every month, shapes along the way, and run with it from there. At this point, he can identify rectangles and squares, circles, triangles, and pentagons. He knows several letter sounds, off the top of my head, this is R, K, D, O and "umbrella." Yes, he brings me the U and tells me "uh-bella." He recognizes red, yellow, purple and blue on sight, has a vague understanding of pink and orange, and is having a devil of a time with green (he keeps identifying it as red, or choosing red when asked to find green). By the time the "school" year starts, he may well have a handle on a much more significant number of letters, and hopefully have a few more colors as well. This does, however, kind of scrap the slow-and-easy approach I was going for. The speed with which he picked this up is astounding - my parents left here about 10 days ago. I bought LP an ABC puzzle about two days after that. This is a basic 26 piece peg puzzle that has pictures under the letters. He now picks up those earlier mentioned letters and brings them to me, with an appropriate sound - rrrrr for "R", kye for "K", duckie/doggie for "D" and ah for "O" (yes, the short O sound). So in something like a week, LP has picked up four or five letters and their sounds. This child astounds me at every opportunity, and i think we may wind up covering each letter and a few words that start with that letter each week instead of just the letters, and focus on numbers and red/green much more than I'd planned. I was so worried about pushing him, that I was expecting too much too fast, and suddenly? I find that he is already knowing more than I'd planned, and I'm probably actually very far behind because I spent too much time trying to make sure he was ready, and not focusing on what I wanted him to be ready FOR. 9.9;;; Well, now we make up for lost time, and see if we can get his talking (expressive) up to his listening (receptive). 'Cause right now, I can understand him about half the time. Anyone else? Good luck, man. Good luck. XD
Friday, May 7, 2010
A book.
I want a book.
One specific book.
One specific, homeschooling philosophy book.
I have the book for Waldorf. I have the book for Montessori. I want the book for Classical.
I want The Well-Trained Mind.
If I shop online, I can find it in Canada for about $31. If I go to Chapters (our local B&N type bookstore), I can find it on the shelf for $45. If I go to the ONLY education store in town, I find nothing.
It is available in the library, though it's checked out until kingdom come. I also don't have a library card, and am TERRIBLE with library books.
I want to get it on ebook so I can drop it in my iPod and read it while I wait for Skeeve to get out of work, while it's lights out for LP, but I'm not tired... so I can read it anywhere and not have to lug a big book around.
The ebook version saves approximately $1. So screw that, I like print books, and convenience alone isn't enough to move me to an ebook.
So my options are, essentially, spend $45 or don't get the book. Great. Just great. I don't typically HAVE $50 lying around, especially not now. Needless to say, I'm ticked. In Canada, it's $45 for the PAPERBACK. In the US, it's $30 for the hardcover. Considering the value of the respective dollars, I'm getting horrifyingly ripped off ($1US=$1.03CAD, therefore $30US=$30.90CAD, so I'm getting ripped off by at least $14 ) and that's just comparing hardcover to paperback. I shudder to think hardcover to hardcover.
There is likely nothing I can do about it, but I sure do feel the need to grouse about it.
One specific book.
One specific, homeschooling philosophy book.
I have the book for Waldorf. I have the book for Montessori. I want the book for Classical.
I want The Well-Trained Mind.
If I shop online, I can find it in Canada for about $31. If I go to Chapters (our local B&N type bookstore), I can find it on the shelf for $45. If I go to the ONLY education store in town, I find nothing.
It is available in the library, though it's checked out until kingdom come. I also don't have a library card, and am TERRIBLE with library books.
I want to get it on ebook so I can drop it in my iPod and read it while I wait for Skeeve to get out of work, while it's lights out for LP, but I'm not tired... so I can read it anywhere and not have to lug a big book around.
The ebook version saves approximately $1. So screw that, I like print books, and convenience alone isn't enough to move me to an ebook.
So my options are, essentially, spend $45 or don't get the book. Great. Just great. I don't typically HAVE $50 lying around, especially not now. Needless to say, I'm ticked. In Canada, it's $45 for the PAPERBACK. In the US, it's $30 for the hardcover. Considering the value of the respective dollars, I'm getting horrifyingly ripped off ($1US=$1.03CAD, therefore $30US=$30.90CAD, so I'm getting ripped off by at least $14 ) and that's just comparing hardcover to paperback. I shudder to think hardcover to hardcover.
There is likely nothing I can do about it, but I sure do feel the need to grouse about it.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Again with the hiatus...
That's it. I'm not saying I'm going to try to post more often anymore. Every time I do that, it winds up being way too many months between posts. Sheesh.
In The Land of Might and Magic, things have been... interesting.
In December, we took the Little Prince to see an allergist. I fell down the basement stairs. My grandfather fell down some outside patio stairs:
I had a sore hip for about three weeks, and still have some soreness in the area. Nearly six months later. Wow.
My grandfather broke his wrist and hip. Because of this, and the fact that he turned 91 this past year, he never left the hospital.
LP was determined to have No Allergies. When I asked why it was that he had these reactions (including hives, for crying out loud!) if he had no issue with dairy, I was told that not only did he have no allergies, but he should immediately be given approximately 12 vaccines, and I was to reintroduce dairy ASAP. I took my son from the office and didn't look back. We will try a new allergist in the summer, possibly in the fall. In the meantime, we did NOT vaccinate LP, and we did NOT reintroduce dairy. Neither of those things were in LP's best interest.
After this, things started going pear-shaped around here. When my grandfather passed away, we were not able to leave the country for his funeral. Some of Skeeve's family decided this would be a great time to abuse me.
At LP's first birthday party, he spent much of the time having his toys (old and new alike) taken from him, and being hit. At Thanksgiving, the same was the case. At American Thanksgiving, the same was the case. At Christmas, we added shoving to the mix. At a January party, we kept all those things and added LP being pulled down the basement stairs to land on his face. Skeeve and I decided that while the child doing the hitting, shoving, and pulling was only a year older, it really didn't matter. Until the hitting, pushing, and pulling could be resolved, LP would not be near this child. Not because the child was bad, or because we didn't like the parents. But because it was causing LP harm (including scrapes and bruises), and he was starting to hit as well. Apparently, putting our son's safety first was a "mistake." I am currently a pariah. I likely will continue to be so. The current theory being floated is that I'm "making" Skeeve avoid people, and I'm "forbidding" him to talk to them. Really, the truth of it is that one person in particular took it upon themselves to abuse me so much that neither Skeeve nor I want anything to do with them. Ever. As in, for the rest of our lives kind of ever. We have not seen most of the related people since mid-January. I'm realizing that this was an amazingly healthy decision. Not only was the instigator in this fight trying to put their convenience over the safety of a child, but they had spent years subtly tearing me down. I'm rebuilding. At least I'm resilient.
However!
We are moving on to bigger and better things. Our preschool plans have been scrapped. Waldorf, while I love the idea of child-led learning, was not a good fit for us at all. I've been reading a Montessori book, but it seems to be boring me to tears. Next up, reading a starting book for classical education, and probably heading that route. I wanted to have all this set up already, so I knew what I wanted to do, had plans in place to get into some sort of vague routine, and... Not so much. So now I wait and see about getting the book I want to try next, and the curriculum materials from there. It seems like a lot of stuff a lot early, but I want to try to at least get into some semblance of routine. I keep trying that, and it keeps not taking. I keep hoping that something will take and we'll be able to get things into place soon.
In the meantime, we're playing the reading game. It is, at its core, whole language reading. LP has now had two successful days reading "mommy" and I'm hopeful that means it will stick. If it does, we move on to "daddy," and then identifying which is daddy and which is mommy, and so on down the line. I'd like to work on letters, numbers and do more work on colors, but I'm not sure when we'll get to that. Right now, it's all there, and just very casual. We'll see what we get, I suppose. I'm just apparently fantastically bad at schedules. Someday.
LP is learning now to talk more. He has about 40 words he uses regularly, in addition to a bunch of signs. He runs, he claps, he draws (though mostly scribbles!), he chatters and plays. He can fit all 12 pieces into his shape sorter without much frustration, and he stacks Mega Blocks into one long block and one roof block to make a car, or a mouse (click-click!). He sits on the floor, holds books right side up, and flips through the pages. He dances, he tries to sing, and he naps somewhat regularly. It's a whole new ball game every day here.
This summer, we're hopeful. There is a lot we want to do, and all of it is currently not do-able. We're hoping to take LP camping, and have a birthday party by Hammie and Grampa's house, and, in the best case scenario, we're hoping to move near Hammie and Grampa as well. I suppose we'll just have to see what comes our way.
In The Land of Might and Magic, things have been... interesting.
In December, we took the Little Prince to see an allergist. I fell down the basement stairs. My grandfather fell down some outside patio stairs:
I had a sore hip for about three weeks, and still have some soreness in the area. Nearly six months later. Wow.
My grandfather broke his wrist and hip. Because of this, and the fact that he turned 91 this past year, he never left the hospital.
LP was determined to have No Allergies. When I asked why it was that he had these reactions (including hives, for crying out loud!) if he had no issue with dairy, I was told that not only did he have no allergies, but he should immediately be given approximately 12 vaccines, and I was to reintroduce dairy ASAP. I took my son from the office and didn't look back. We will try a new allergist in the summer, possibly in the fall. In the meantime, we did NOT vaccinate LP, and we did NOT reintroduce dairy. Neither of those things were in LP's best interest.
After this, things started going pear-shaped around here. When my grandfather passed away, we were not able to leave the country for his funeral. Some of Skeeve's family decided this would be a great time to abuse me.
At LP's first birthday party, he spent much of the time having his toys (old and new alike) taken from him, and being hit. At Thanksgiving, the same was the case. At American Thanksgiving, the same was the case. At Christmas, we added shoving to the mix. At a January party, we kept all those things and added LP being pulled down the basement stairs to land on his face. Skeeve and I decided that while the child doing the hitting, shoving, and pulling was only a year older, it really didn't matter. Until the hitting, pushing, and pulling could be resolved, LP would not be near this child. Not because the child was bad, or because we didn't like the parents. But because it was causing LP harm (including scrapes and bruises), and he was starting to hit as well. Apparently, putting our son's safety first was a "mistake." I am currently a pariah. I likely will continue to be so. The current theory being floated is that I'm "making" Skeeve avoid people, and I'm "forbidding" him to talk to them. Really, the truth of it is that one person in particular took it upon themselves to abuse me so much that neither Skeeve nor I want anything to do with them. Ever. As in, for the rest of our lives kind of ever. We have not seen most of the related people since mid-January. I'm realizing that this was an amazingly healthy decision. Not only was the instigator in this fight trying to put their convenience over the safety of a child, but they had spent years subtly tearing me down. I'm rebuilding. At least I'm resilient.
However!
We are moving on to bigger and better things. Our preschool plans have been scrapped. Waldorf, while I love the idea of child-led learning, was not a good fit for us at all. I've been reading a Montessori book, but it seems to be boring me to tears. Next up, reading a starting book for classical education, and probably heading that route. I wanted to have all this set up already, so I knew what I wanted to do, had plans in place to get into some sort of vague routine, and... Not so much. So now I wait and see about getting the book I want to try next, and the curriculum materials from there. It seems like a lot of stuff a lot early, but I want to try to at least get into some semblance of routine. I keep trying that, and it keeps not taking. I keep hoping that something will take and we'll be able to get things into place soon.
In the meantime, we're playing the reading game. It is, at its core, whole language reading. LP has now had two successful days reading "mommy" and I'm hopeful that means it will stick. If it does, we move on to "daddy," and then identifying which is daddy and which is mommy, and so on down the line. I'd like to work on letters, numbers and do more work on colors, but I'm not sure when we'll get to that. Right now, it's all there, and just very casual. We'll see what we get, I suppose. I'm just apparently fantastically bad at schedules. Someday.
LP is learning now to talk more. He has about 40 words he uses regularly, in addition to a bunch of signs. He runs, he claps, he draws (though mostly scribbles!), he chatters and plays. He can fit all 12 pieces into his shape sorter without much frustration, and he stacks Mega Blocks into one long block and one roof block to make a car, or a mouse (click-click!). He sits on the floor, holds books right side up, and flips through the pages. He dances, he tries to sing, and he naps somewhat regularly. It's a whole new ball game every day here.
This summer, we're hopeful. There is a lot we want to do, and all of it is currently not do-able. We're hoping to take LP camping, and have a birthday party by Hammie and Grampa's house, and, in the best case scenario, we're hoping to move near Hammie and Grampa as well. I suppose we'll just have to see what comes our way.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Continuing changes in the land of Might and Magic.
We've now been dairy free for about a month. The changes in the Little Prince are astounding. He not only has focus now, but he's able to communicate - that's right, LP has started signing to us. Right now, he only uses "more," but he's starting to get the hang of the idea that more does not apply strictly to food, and that there are other signs he could learn. He also understands nodding and shaking his head as yes and no, and is starting to vocalize "no" although I don't think he's applied any real meaning to it yet.
IBS issues in the house are very down, and while I don't have much trouble with the non-dairy diet so far (though I do miss the ease of making a quick mac-and-cheese or ordering a pizza), and LP has no clue either way... Skeeve is having a rough go of it. His current desire is for a bowl of cereal. With milk, of course. We combated the need for ice cream with sorbet. The need for chocolate with a good dark chocolate, and cookies... Well, that's a little harder, but apparently Oreos are on the go list, so it could be worse for him. Apparently, it's very hard to break the dairy hold.
Home preschool is going well. We have a calendar now, and while I think that my curriculum is good for preschool... I'm a little hinky on keeping it for K+. I love that it's online and downloadable. But... I'm not sure it's going to cover the things I want to cover, the things LP will need. Obviously I know how to integrate math and reading into life, and science as well, but... There are things I think he needs to know how to do that aren't covered - at all - by the general Waldorf-type curriculum. While I think it is a wonderful idea, I'm not convinced that it will work for us going forward. Obviously I have a while to think on this, but... I like to have plans in place so I don't HAVE to worry about it anymore.
IBS issues in the house are very down, and while I don't have much trouble with the non-dairy diet so far (though I do miss the ease of making a quick mac-and-cheese or ordering a pizza), and LP has no clue either way... Skeeve is having a rough go of it. His current desire is for a bowl of cereal. With milk, of course. We combated the need for ice cream with sorbet. The need for chocolate with a good dark chocolate, and cookies... Well, that's a little harder, but apparently Oreos are on the go list, so it could be worse for him. Apparently, it's very hard to break the dairy hold.
Home preschool is going well. We have a calendar now, and while I think that my curriculum is good for preschool... I'm a little hinky on keeping it for K+. I love that it's online and downloadable. But... I'm not sure it's going to cover the things I want to cover, the things LP will need. Obviously I know how to integrate math and reading into life, and science as well, but... There are things I think he needs to know how to do that aren't covered - at all - by the general Waldorf-type curriculum. While I think it is a wonderful idea, I'm not convinced that it will work for us going forward. Obviously I have a while to think on this, but... I like to have plans in place so I don't HAVE to worry about it anymore.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Needing a "notes" function
So my scheduler is wonderful, but has two problems thus far. First, it's designed to let you print off a transcript at a moment's notice. This is all well and good, but this means there's a spot for the student's SSN/SIN in addition to first/last name. So the whole thing is password protected via SSL - like you find on bank websites. Also, in and of itself, not a bad thing. However, the SSL expires approximately every hour. Therefore if I want to mark down completing activities... I have to log in again. So I can't leave the scheduler up, mark completion, then save... as the day goes on. Nope, have to log back in (losing any changes made since last time, BTW) every time I turn around. Not digging that at all. I'm figuring to print out the schedule, mark completion on the paper, and add it to the program at the end of the day. Save myself some sanity.
Problem two? There seems to be no notes function. So I can do activities with LP all day long... but I have nowhere to make notes on how it went, or any changes to lessons I want to make to keep the whole thing effective and fun for him. Just great.
See, while yesterday was spatial awareness via stacking cups, today was spatial awareness via shape sorter. Yesterday was a great time for both of us, and 15 minutes was easy. Today... not so much at all. Fifteen minutes was too long, some of the shapes (we have a somplex sorter that was sort of a "best to be done" option) - like the pentagon, the plus and the star - are difficult for him, and it just wasn't a good run today. I would like to note that in the planner, but I can't. So now I debate getting a school-type planner for expressly this purpose and seeing what we get from there. Maybe I just don't know where to look in the tracker, though. More poking about to be done.
Anyhow, I think today's lessons are going to be poor, and I think that's for two reasons. First, I'm exhausted - because second, LP did NOT sleep well. Bad combination. Add to that the fact that I'm distracted (we need to try a new recipe for rice milk, the one we have is just too thick!), and... It's just not going all that well today. Happily, it's just a preschool thing, so we can mix and match and rearrange to suit our needs.
Problem two? There seems to be no notes function. So I can do activities with LP all day long... but I have nowhere to make notes on how it went, or any changes to lessons I want to make to keep the whole thing effective and fun for him. Just great.
See, while yesterday was spatial awareness via stacking cups, today was spatial awareness via shape sorter. Yesterday was a great time for both of us, and 15 minutes was easy. Today... not so much at all. Fifteen minutes was too long, some of the shapes (we have a somplex sorter that was sort of a "best to be done" option) - like the pentagon, the plus and the star - are difficult for him, and it just wasn't a good run today. I would like to note that in the planner, but I can't. So now I debate getting a school-type planner for expressly this purpose and seeing what we get from there. Maybe I just don't know where to look in the tracker, though. More poking about to be done.
Anyhow, I think today's lessons are going to be poor, and I think that's for two reasons. First, I'm exhausted - because second, LP did NOT sleep well. Bad combination. Add to that the fact that I'm distracted (we need to try a new recipe for rice milk, the one we have is just too thick!), and... It's just not going all that well today. Happily, it's just a preschool thing, so we can mix and match and rearrange to suit our needs.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Day 1 of "pre-school"
It's "pre-school" because it's not really preschool at all. It's using the Earthschooling curriculum as a guide, scaling it to what LP is ready for, and going from there. Our days are going to be spent on things with wonderful and complicated names like "spatial awareness" and "phys ed; body awareness"... that are really just wonderfully overcomplicated ways of saying "today we play with stacking cups," and "we're going to learn about 'up'!" Today is our very first day. It starts off well, waking up a little late because someone was up too late last night... then breakfast. We get all set, and play a little, then go play specifically with the stacking cups, exploring what fits in which cup, how they stack, how they fall down, and the noise they make when you smack them together. Fabulous time! Then, I got up to get a drink. Now, my entire first floor (where we are 90% of the time) is laid out in a circle. There's a wall between the kitchen and the living room that is full of cabinets and countertops, but both sides of the kitchen are open. I come back out of the kitchen, and LP is clinging to me like I'd left him, gone to the store, purchased my drink, walked back - the long way - and then stood outside drinkng the drink before I came in. Odd. Okay, fine. Much love and hugs for LP. Next... he starts trying to nom on me. Not biting hard, but still. Okay, this is usually hungry behaviour... we just ate, but why not? So I put him in his high chair with the last of his breakfast that he didn't eat. He eats a few pieces of cereal, then falls asleep. He has been sleeping for about half an hour now, which shoots the rest of the schedule right to hell, but... That's okay. We'll go for our nature walk when we pick Skeeve up from work - we can take a little walk through the park! Then when we get home, we can work on "up" (or do up while we're at the park doing our walk!) and he can draw (I've hung kraft paper on the wall for him, and Auntie S bought him washable crayons!), we can explore cooking, and then Skeeve can help him with his words if he's not too burnt from a long day, then a walk, after four hours of sleep. Otherwise, I can read aloud to him, and we can work on his words after dinner. It'll be kinda nice, I think. Good thing this isn't the kind of school that has strict timelines!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
