Monday Amy didn't feel well, and school was more focused on the other 2 girls. We played with puzzle blocks. Noel decided she wanted to write cursive. (Fancy and pretty? yes please.) We had one-on-one classes together. Noel picked Chutes and Ladders; Eliza picked Sequence for kids.
Tuesday was a Joy School day. Plus we had Sam over a little later.
Today was my choosing day. I picked a math game that Amy then Noel ditched out of. Eliza won. Not too popular today. The science lesson on the other hand - total interest. We tried to make devices with loops of strips of note cards and straws. We were trying to make things that could fly. I let the girls just experiment. (And neighbors came over to try a little later.) I may do another lesson where I show how it works. We talked about the law of gravity.
Family Reading time was a math story.
Family work was in the kitchen.
Reading and writing class we wrote to Grammy and Papa. Amy read from the Book of Mormon. Some picture books were read.
Eliza and Vidalia and I played Go Fish for one-on-one class.
Fun day.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Thursday February 19, 2015
Choosing Day: Amy
Class: State Page - New Hampshire
Family Reading - Fairy Realm
Family Work - kitchen
Lunch
Amy and Noel had some scripture study together. Noel, Eliza and I drew some pictures. I wrote to my parents. Noel and I had a little interview. We watched a video from http://ideallifevision.com/. We're hoping to make our ideal life visions and record them.
It's been a challenging day with some good stuff happening too.
Class: State Page - New Hampshire
Family Reading - Fairy Realm
Family Work - kitchen
Lunch
Amy and Noel had some scripture study together. Noel, Eliza and I drew some pictures. I wrote to my parents. Noel and I had a little interview. We watched a video from http://ideallifevision.com/. We're hoping to make our ideal life visions and record them.
It's been a challenging day with some good stuff happening too.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Tuesday February 17, 2015
Choosing Day: Noel
Game: Go Fish
Lesson: Truth or Dare Jenga (we work on being silly and expressing ourselves by answering questions. This is a good thing, especially for Noel.)
Family Reading Time: Fairy Realm. Discussed military vocabulary and practiced a little of commands. We discussed what did happen and what will happen. Made some predictions. Talked about the suspense we felt last time about what would happen and if we liked what came about. (We did.)
Family Work: Living Room and Hallway.
Lunch.
Reading and Writing Class: Amy and Eliza were extremely slow getting their stuff. I was all over the place taking a shower and getting Benjamin to bed. Noel did a writing prompt in her notebook from Truth or Dare Jenga. I read a little of my math book. Eliza finally colored a picture. Amy and Eliza read from a massive pile of picture books. Noel and I are playing Monopoly for 1 on 1 class. I practiced my singing stuff while we played.
Game: Go Fish
Lesson: Truth or Dare Jenga (we work on being silly and expressing ourselves by answering questions. This is a good thing, especially for Noel.)
Family Reading Time: Fairy Realm. Discussed military vocabulary and practiced a little of commands. We discussed what did happen and what will happen. Made some predictions. Talked about the suspense we felt last time about what would happen and if we liked what came about. (We did.)
Family Work: Living Room and Hallway.
Lunch.
Reading and Writing Class: Amy and Eliza were extremely slow getting their stuff. I was all over the place taking a shower and getting Benjamin to bed. Noel did a writing prompt in her notebook from Truth or Dare Jenga. I read a little of my math book. Eliza finally colored a picture. Amy and Eliza read from a massive pile of picture books. Noel and I are playing Monopoly for 1 on 1 class. I practiced my singing stuff while we played.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Monday February 16, 2015
Last week we had school. There were some highlights. I just didn't blog about them. 1 thing I remember is a Pinkalicious marathon on Thursday. We invited some friends over plus had a couple cousins to babysit. It was a success.
Choosing Day: Mom
Game: 10,000. (Some play a similar game called farkle.) It's a dice game I've played forever. I taught the kids some of the basic rules and lowered the score you have to get to win. Amy won in 2 turns. That's crazy and awesome. They did pretty well. Eliza counted the dice instead of scoring it the way the rules say. I'm proud of her for counting.
Lesson: Family History Lesson - looked for a story about my great-grandpa that my dad told about. Didn't find it. Looked at pictures of ancestors in the book.
Reading Time: Little Britches. Discussed "getting even," "standing up for yourself," swearing, people quizzing students to judge teacher. (My girls are fiercely loyal to me as a school teacher. :))
Family Work: Cleaned my room.
Reading and Writing Class: I wrote some thoughts about principles about money and read Teach the Children. Last week we started 1 on 1 classes. Everyone choose one to do with Mom. Today Noel and Eliza chose fairy tale movies, and Amy chose Clue. (The clue obsession is going strong.) I chose to practice my singing as I typically do.
I feel like I change things about school every day. Sometimes it's unsettling. Sometimes I am sad for what we used to do that we don't any more. So often I think of ideas to try to make it better. So often I am frustrated with what's not going well. Right now I am frustrated at how much resistance and talking back I get. (This is not new.) I want to limit the scope of the choices the kids can make when they get to choose so I have more say and structure and also make expectations clear about appropriate behavior. I want to enlist them to help make school better and clarify consequences for inappropriate behavior. Those are my latest thoughts. I am about to start a joy school unit on obedience and decisions so this is perfect.
Choosing Day: Mom
Game: 10,000. (Some play a similar game called farkle.) It's a dice game I've played forever. I taught the kids some of the basic rules and lowered the score you have to get to win. Amy won in 2 turns. That's crazy and awesome. They did pretty well. Eliza counted the dice instead of scoring it the way the rules say. I'm proud of her for counting.
Lesson: Family History Lesson - looked for a story about my great-grandpa that my dad told about. Didn't find it. Looked at pictures of ancestors in the book.
Reading Time: Little Britches. Discussed "getting even," "standing up for yourself," swearing, people quizzing students to judge teacher. (My girls are fiercely loyal to me as a school teacher. :))
Family Work: Cleaned my room.
Reading and Writing Class: I wrote some thoughts about principles about money and read Teach the Children. Last week we started 1 on 1 classes. Everyone choose one to do with Mom. Today Noel and Eliza chose fairy tale movies, and Amy chose Clue. (The clue obsession is going strong.) I chose to practice my singing as I typically do.
I feel like I change things about school every day. Sometimes it's unsettling. Sometimes I am sad for what we used to do that we don't any more. So often I think of ideas to try to make it better. So often I am frustrated with what's not going well. Right now I am frustrated at how much resistance and talking back I get. (This is not new.) I want to limit the scope of the choices the kids can make when they get to choose so I have more say and structure and also make expectations clear about appropriate behavior. I want to enlist them to help make school better and clarify consequences for inappropriate behavior. Those are my latest thoughts. I am about to start a joy school unit on obedience and decisions so this is perfect.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Thursday February 5, 2015
Today we played a game called Dice War. It's like War but with dice. Tried it out. It's ok.
Read a chapter of Fairy Realm and part of a chapter about a mathematician.
By family work, Amy was off pouting. We cleaned the family room and moved school downstairs.
Today at reading and writing class I let everyone sign up for a 1 on 1 class with me. Amy chose memory. Noel, a rolling around game. Eliza wanted a writing lesson. We looked for matches with our little letter cards and then wrote them.
I feel like I am never content with school and always frustrated that the kids don't do things the way I want them to. The balance of giving choice and following kids' interests mixed with wanting to inspire and invite them and wishing people would obey is so hard. I love lots of what we do but get frustrated nearly every day. I think some of it is unrealistic expectations. Also, we do some things well for a while then abandon them and do other things well. Trying to get better mixed with trying to be ok with how things are is hard too.
This week we tried to make it so we do group learning in the morning with everyone coming and individual learning time during reading and writing class. That's been an improvement.
I think one challenge is everyone thinking they get to weigh in on every little thing then making a mountain out of a molehill. (We taught the kids that phrase last night, and they wanted me to use it.)
This week Eliza had a library trip at Joy School, Amy had an orthodontist appointment, we had a short school day Wed. with Benjamin sick and snuggly. Just a little reading and one game.
I hope I can change my mindset and my systems and be content with school.
Read a chapter of Fairy Realm and part of a chapter about a mathematician.
By family work, Amy was off pouting. We cleaned the family room and moved school downstairs.
Today at reading and writing class I let everyone sign up for a 1 on 1 class with me. Amy chose memory. Noel, a rolling around game. Eliza wanted a writing lesson. We looked for matches with our little letter cards and then wrote them.
I feel like I am never content with school and always frustrated that the kids don't do things the way I want them to. The balance of giving choice and following kids' interests mixed with wanting to inspire and invite them and wishing people would obey is so hard. I love lots of what we do but get frustrated nearly every day. I think some of it is unrealistic expectations. Also, we do some things well for a while then abandon them and do other things well. Trying to get better mixed with trying to be ok with how things are is hard too.
This week we tried to make it so we do group learning in the morning with everyone coming and individual learning time during reading and writing class. That's been an improvement.
I think one challenge is everyone thinking they get to weigh in on every little thing then making a mountain out of a molehill. (We taught the kids that phrase last night, and they wanted me to use it.)
This week Eliza had a library trip at Joy School, Amy had an orthodontist appointment, we had a short school day Wed. with Benjamin sick and snuggly. Just a little reading and one game.
I hope I can change my mindset and my systems and be content with school.
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