Ok. So the laid back watch the kids for clues idea only semi worked today. My body really needs a routine although my mind doesn't like having one. Compromise needs to happen here so that my child and my adult (inside me) can get along well and accomplish good things.
Where does the compromise happen? I need a daily routine that can be flexible while scheduling in some non routine time. Time to just let life happen I guess. But right now so much seems scattered. I will take time to sort through it and get back to you on how I plan to tackle this issue.
A brief update on the rest of today:
Ben worked on figuring circumference and areas of circles. Allen practiced multiplication facts online. Charlie worked on his addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts aloud with me. We all read Little Men together (Ben had to read the last part on his own due to misbehavior). I read from My Guinea Pig to Charlie. I read from The Hobbit to Charlie and Allen. We all read from our Bibles but did not discuss today. I think I will ask them about it at bedtime. We also watched the construction across the street from time to time, watched the plumbers go in and out of our house while putting in a new water heater, watched Word Girl and Maya and Miguel, played Wii, encouraged "Tiger" the guinea pig to get comfortable with us by offering celery (She came out and took it from me!) Now the boys are all off to Tang Soo Do.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Today
It is 9:06. Allen and Charlie have logged reading points and discussed friction and heat after watching some workers outside construct a metal building . Allen has dictated a book review (typed by me). Ben has practiced washing a shirt by hand and learned how to treat an oil stain on his shirt. Now he is off to read his Bible, start his Biology Study Guide, and practice some guitar. Allen and Charlie are making a fort in the large tree branch that daddy cut down this weekend.
I am thinking of using this day as an experiment. I want to stay relaxed. I want to love on my children. I want to enjoy the day the Lord has given me. Watching my children as they move through their day will be my main objective in deciding what comes next for them in their learning today. I will be keeping my goals in mind: daily Bible reading (summary and discussion included), read aloud Little Men (discuss vocabulary and narrate), Guinea Pig study (read together from My Guinea Pig and observe the animal), practice math facts (computer maybe). I also would like to discuss their character goal and how to keep developing it. I haven't talked with them about this since last month. I think this needs to be placed on higher priority than math or science.
So, here I go to soak up the day and my family!
I am thinking of using this day as an experiment. I want to stay relaxed. I want to love on my children. I want to enjoy the day the Lord has given me. Watching my children as they move through their day will be my main objective in deciding what comes next for them in their learning today. I will be keeping my goals in mind: daily Bible reading (summary and discussion included), read aloud Little Men (discuss vocabulary and narrate), Guinea Pig study (read together from My Guinea Pig and observe the animal), practice math facts (computer maybe). I also would like to discuss their character goal and how to keep developing it. I haven't talked with them about this since last month. I think this needs to be placed on higher priority than math or science.
So, here I go to soak up the day and my family!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
One Thing at A Time...or maybe two or three
Time for some reflective writing. I have been reading many blog posts about starting up a new routine in anticipation for developing ours for the year. The last three days we have established somewhat of a routine: Get up and have breakfast and morning jobs finished by 8:30. Bible Reading/ Journaling/ Discussing were next. Then a trip to the park. Reading aloud occurred sometime after the park. We also did chores around lunch time. The rest of the day was all mixed up with various things like shopping, picking up vitamins, free time, cooking, Bible class, parties. I think I will make a graph of what we did to help later.
I think I need to spend more time thinking about what I really want from our days and our next three months. I know I want my kids to be engaged in learning. I want them to go after things they are interested in that will increase their ability to do those things and their ability to learn things in the future. I want them to gain the confidence that they can find out whatever information they need to help them be successful in useful activities. By useful, what do I mean? I mean something that benefits the people around them in our home, in our church family, in our homeschool group, in our extended family, in our community, in the world. I want my boys to spend the majority of their time serving others or learning to do things that will benefit others. I want them to do things that will show God's glory to the world around them. Serving themselves with computer games and TV is irritating to me. When I see them spend so much time on it, I view them as lazy. I get disappointed that they can't think of anything else to spend their time on. Then "mom guilt" sets in. "Maybe I haven't exposed them to enough interesting things to do," I think to myself. It tires me to think of how to stir them into activity without forcing it upon them. I am a whole picture type of person. When I can't get the whole picture, frustration sets in and blocks the view of how to accomplish any tasks that will lead us to the end result I desire. One thing at a time should be my motto. That is how I am wanting to school anyway.
So what will that one thing be for this next week? I want to keep going with our morning routine, Bible reading time, and read aloud time. Things I would like to add are jurisdictions and getting all of the morning routine done before 8:30 without any reminders. These fit into my healthy home goal for our family. So many times when I have the boys help me with chores (I will from here on out call them "service opportunities", a term I got from hodgepodge.me), groaning ensues from my children and impatience and perfection rise in me. I forget that this is part of training my children which is more important than book knowledge by far. It is also an opportunity to for me to love and serve my children if I teach rather than demand and guide rather than pick out everything they did wrong. Now if I can let this be enough for next week. My personality prefers to jump in and change everything at once. This has never really worked for me without many tears and dramatic fits raging through the house. So, I will do my best to keep it to this for next week.
I am still uncomfortable with them spending all of the extra time playing on computers. I need to work on a solution to this problem. I will think on that later today.
I think I need to spend more time thinking about what I really want from our days and our next three months. I know I want my kids to be engaged in learning. I want them to go after things they are interested in that will increase their ability to do those things and their ability to learn things in the future. I want them to gain the confidence that they can find out whatever information they need to help them be successful in useful activities. By useful, what do I mean? I mean something that benefits the people around them in our home, in our church family, in our homeschool group, in our extended family, in our community, in the world. I want my boys to spend the majority of their time serving others or learning to do things that will benefit others. I want them to do things that will show God's glory to the world around them. Serving themselves with computer games and TV is irritating to me. When I see them spend so much time on it, I view them as lazy. I get disappointed that they can't think of anything else to spend their time on. Then "mom guilt" sets in. "Maybe I haven't exposed them to enough interesting things to do," I think to myself. It tires me to think of how to stir them into activity without forcing it upon them. I am a whole picture type of person. When I can't get the whole picture, frustration sets in and blocks the view of how to accomplish any tasks that will lead us to the end result I desire. One thing at a time should be my motto. That is how I am wanting to school anyway.
So what will that one thing be for this next week? I want to keep going with our morning routine, Bible reading time, and read aloud time. Things I would like to add are jurisdictions and getting all of the morning routine done before 8:30 without any reminders. These fit into my healthy home goal for our family. So many times when I have the boys help me with chores (I will from here on out call them "service opportunities", a term I got from hodgepodge.me), groaning ensues from my children and impatience and perfection rise in me. I forget that this is part of training my children which is more important than book knowledge by far. It is also an opportunity to for me to love and serve my children if I teach rather than demand and guide rather than pick out everything they did wrong. Now if I can let this be enough for next week. My personality prefers to jump in and change everything at once. This has never really worked for me without many tears and dramatic fits raging through the house. So, I will do my best to keep it to this for next week.
I am still uncomfortable with them spending all of the extra time playing on computers. I need to work on a solution to this problem. I will think on that later today.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Boundries and Goals
Today we spent some time assessing how to move forward and accomplish our goals for our family and ourselves. Jeff and I sat on the porch. I did most of the talking and he listened as I sorted out the frustrations and desires that were in my head. After listening and seeing that I wanted input, he did some talking and suggesting what to do next as well. Below is some of what we came up with.
Most important areas of our family life:
1. growing relationship with God
2. growing relationships with each other
3. growing relationships with others (cub scouts, GRACE, Sunset)
4. creating a healthy home (taking care of our physical home inside and out including gardening, yard, and house care)
5. performing arts
We are planning to use this as a guide for what to include and not include in our days. This will be our "school" in a sense. Whatever we decide to teach our children will stem from these areas. If it doesn't fit these, we will do our best to say no. It is a place from which to spring forward in our scheduling and daily living.
I have been feeling unmotivated yet anxious to move on to a routine this week. I know I need to set some boundaries for myself in order to move out of this murky place of feelings. So, in that regard, I have decided to start slow and concentrate on getting the amount of water I know I need each day in the way I know I need it as well as exercising and spending at least 30 minutes relaxing. I think 3 things instead of 10 - 20 or just 1 will work well for me. And as far as a routine for the kids and I during the day..... I will write more about that next time. I need to get myself to bed.
Most important areas of our family life:
1. growing relationship with God
2. growing relationships with each other
3. growing relationships with others (cub scouts, GRACE, Sunset)
4. creating a healthy home (taking care of our physical home inside and out including gardening, yard, and house care)
5. performing arts
We are planning to use this as a guide for what to include and not include in our days. This will be our "school" in a sense. Whatever we decide to teach our children will stem from these areas. If it doesn't fit these, we will do our best to say no. It is a place from which to spring forward in our scheduling and daily living.
I have been feeling unmotivated yet anxious to move on to a routine this week. I know I need to set some boundaries for myself in order to move out of this murky place of feelings. So, in that regard, I have decided to start slow and concentrate on getting the amount of water I know I need each day in the way I know I need it as well as exercising and spending at least 30 minutes relaxing. I think 3 things instead of 10 - 20 or just 1 will work well for me. And as far as a routine for the kids and I during the day..... I will write more about that next time. I need to get myself to bed.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Life Planning
Planning life for the next few months has me thinking. Here are some ideas or websites I may use:
The Three R’s by Dr. Ruth Beechick
The Three R’s by Dr. Ruth Beechick
Bible, Library, Internet!!!
Trust the Lord to give us what He wants us to have.
Remember many hands/minds make light work!
Olympic Games 2012 lapbook - http://www.ajourneythroughlearning.net/suoy20lawist.html
Character notebooking pages - http://notebookingpages.com/archives/1188
Variety of notebooking pages - http://notebookingpages.com/shop
Chickens lapbook - http://www.homeschoolshare.com/chicken.php
Lessons from the hen house (using your backyard flock to teach all subjects) - http://lessonsfromthehomestead.com/e-books/lessons-from-the-hen-house/
Math worksheets (all ages) - http://www.math-drills.com/
Math teaching website with videos/ practice/ worksheets 9.95 per month if you want badges (can do some practice and watch videos free) - http://www.adaptedmind.com/gradelist.php
Math teaching website, no videos, just practice with explanations if you get something incorrect (can do 20 practice problems per day free) 9.95 per month, $2 per month each for extra children - http://www.ixl.com/
Homeschool Freebies - http://www.soyoucallyourselfahomeschooler.com/resources/homeschool-freebies/
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Should I make Chewy Oatmeal Raisin and Cranberry Granola Bars
http://www.spain-in-iowa.com/2012/03/naturally-sweetened-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-and-cranberry-granola-bars/
or
http://www.spain-in-iowa.com/2012/03/naturally-sweetened-chewy-oatmeal-raisin-and-cranberry-granola-bars/
or
Soaked, Whole Wheat, Orange Cranberry Crème Fraîche Scones
http://www.spain-in-iowa.com/2009/08/soaked-whole-wheat-orange-cranberry/
or
Blueberry Pecan Muffins with Stevia?
http://www.divinecaroline.com/45003/79335-blueberry-pecan-muffins-stevia
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