The harder I try, the behinder I get.
This week was a struggle. I did indeed get my quarterly written, but I have to mail it tomorrow as this turned into the week of sickness. I was first, for a change, but I don't think it helps any. It struck in the evening on Wednesday and got worse as time went on. By the next morning, the worst was over, but I still was not back to normal, and I was exhausted besides.
Today, I'm quite a bit better, and even thought to be a little creative with the math lesson and not just have them draw thie polygons, but got the geoboards, which we haven't used in a long time, and had the kids make the shapes on them.
This was a good idea, and it seemed to make a large part of the lesson go more smoothly, but we hit a wall with Luke at the second half. He started to complain that he wasn't feeling good. Like the caring, loving mom I am, I forced him to continue until it became quite clear that he wasn't pretending or faking. The kid didn't feel good. So, while Emily went to Nana's house to help Grandpa dig a path through the snow to the birdfeeder, Luke stayed home, didn't complain about not getting to go, and then fell asleep. I think sleeping was probably the best thing he could have done, and while he is still sick now and had a fever, he was still able to eat some dinner and take some meds which I was not able to do at all when I was sick.
At this point, I don't even remember what we did for school other than math. It has been snowing so much here in the Hudson Valley that it seems like most days are spent stuck in the house (although the kids did go out most every day to play or help). I never loved winter, but I don't think I minded it as much as I do now. Season of slippery ice, snow and sickness.
It feels like it's too early to be wishing for spring, but here I am, doing it anyway. I want to sit outside and feel the sun on my face, and a warm breeze. I want to hear the buzz of insects and to start a nature journal with the kids and go, oh, ANYWHERE...
Friday, January 21, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Day 89, 90
So yesterday turned into a bit of a 'work' day for the kids, though I doubt that they would see it that way. We made our last thank-you cards from Christmas, and then they designed t-shirts.
I should say that the only reason I had the stuff out for the t-shirt project is because we are getting a jump on spring cleaning (or maybe we're late for last year's, but anyway...) so the cabinets in our dining room which have hitherto been full of much junk and craft odds and ends are now half actual dining/kitchen stuff, and half craft odds and ends.
The kids ended up making dinosaur t-shirts as their grandfather gave them a huge bag of plastic dinosaurs the night before. There's nothing like running with a theme.
Today we had orchestra. We didn't just have regular orchestra, we had super-long, blow-out-your-lips orchestra. I have to say, it was really good for me to play for so concentrated an amount of time, but I wouldn't want to do it all the time. The kids were troopers, actually, though I hear they gave up towards the end. No one could blame the trumpet player, but the violinist claimed boredom. Not really an acceptable reason to stop playing. But it was nice that they also got to play outside for a while, and Emily and I got to sing with her old chorus group which we are hoping we can fit into our schedule this semester.
While it does make our Wednesdays rather hectic, we'll have three days a week that are relatively unscheduled as far as outside activities.
We were/are hoping to get our planning meeting done this Wednesday for our group (which is the activity we will need to cut down to make chorus fit) but I'm not so sure the weather will cooperate. All we can do is wait and see!
Tomorrow, other than regular school stuff, I'll have to get to my second quarterly! Hooray!
I should say that the only reason I had the stuff out for the t-shirt project is because we are getting a jump on spring cleaning (or maybe we're late for last year's, but anyway...) so the cabinets in our dining room which have hitherto been full of much junk and craft odds and ends are now half actual dining/kitchen stuff, and half craft odds and ends.
The kids ended up making dinosaur t-shirts as their grandfather gave them a huge bag of plastic dinosaurs the night before. There's nothing like running with a theme.
Today we had orchestra. We didn't just have regular orchestra, we had super-long, blow-out-your-lips orchestra. I have to say, it was really good for me to play for so concentrated an amount of time, but I wouldn't want to do it all the time. The kids were troopers, actually, though I hear they gave up towards the end. No one could blame the trumpet player, but the violinist claimed boredom. Not really an acceptable reason to stop playing. But it was nice that they also got to play outside for a while, and Emily and I got to sing with her old chorus group which we are hoping we can fit into our schedule this semester.
While it does make our Wednesdays rather hectic, we'll have three days a week that are relatively unscheduled as far as outside activities.
We were/are hoping to get our planning meeting done this Wednesday for our group (which is the activity we will need to cut down to make chorus fit) but I'm not so sure the weather will cooperate. All we can do is wait and see!
Tomorrow, other than regular school stuff, I'll have to get to my second quarterly! Hooray!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Day 88
This was a relatively quiet day, of which we need more. The new strict phase netted me a math test, a math lesson, writing, a craft, Aikido attendance, and music practice, all with limited trouble! Staying the course is my issue, and I'm determined. What I need to do is remember to look back in my archives when I get off course and things go haywire. Hey, future-self! Don't mess around! Get back to being strict and kind!
Anyway, we just got the What Your Fourth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of A Good Fourth-Grade Education (The Core Knowledge Series). We've got the Core knowledge sequence: Content guidelines for grades K-8 outline for all the grades as that's what we use for planning the school year (letter of intent and all that), but for some reason I delayed getting the book itself this year. It gives me a secure feeling knowing that all the things we do on our own are underlain with the foundation of these books. It really makes me feel that we are covering all the bases. The series was actually aimed at educators in schools as well as those who home school. If I recall correctly, they were hoping to create a complete curriculum that could result in well-educated children regardless of what school they were in (ie low or high income, etc.).
Really, this is a stress reducer for me. That's cool.
Anyway, we just got the What Your Fourth Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of A Good Fourth-Grade Education (The Core Knowledge Series). We've got the Core knowledge sequence: Content guidelines for grades K-8 outline for all the grades as that's what we use for planning the school year (letter of intent and all that), but for some reason I delayed getting the book itself this year. It gives me a secure feeling knowing that all the things we do on our own are underlain with the foundation of these books. It really makes me feel that we are covering all the bases. The series was actually aimed at educators in schools as well as those who home school. If I recall correctly, they were hoping to create a complete curriculum that could result in well-educated children regardless of what school they were in (ie low or high income, etc.).
Really, this is a stress reducer for me. That's cool.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Day 84, 85, 86, 87
The post-every-day thing obviously doesn't work for me. At any rate, we've had a lot of arguing lately, and I've come to the conclusion that I'm just not strict enough. Of course, after reading this article, I'm pretty sure I could never be termed 'strict', but I'm going to aim higher than I have before.
In the new 'strict' regime, the kids are not allowed to go in their rooms until a certain amount of work is done, or they ask permission and the length of time is determined. Refusal to do work will now result in doing housework. Luke found out that math was preferable to cleaning the floor around the toilet. In this new world, we got to math, writing, history and a cleaner bathroom.
What's funny is that I find that the kids respond very well to this strictness. The trick is for me to keep it up. Unfortunately for me and probably a lot of families, keeping up with strict guidelines is hard. A friend of mine summed up my issues, though, when I had been complaining to her one day. She said, "I probably shouldn't tell you this, Jen, but home schooling is hard!" This was one of the best things I've heard from a fellow homeschooler. Home schooling is hard. I'm not on an island of trouble all by myself. The trick is to find what works and stick with it.
In the new 'strict' regime, the kids are not allowed to go in their rooms until a certain amount of work is done, or they ask permission and the length of time is determined. Refusal to do work will now result in doing housework. Luke found out that math was preferable to cleaning the floor around the toilet. In this new world, we got to math, writing, history and a cleaner bathroom.
What's funny is that I find that the kids respond very well to this strictness. The trick is for me to keep it up. Unfortunately for me and probably a lot of families, keeping up with strict guidelines is hard. A friend of mine summed up my issues, though, when I had been complaining to her one day. She said, "I probably shouldn't tell you this, Jen, but home schooling is hard!" This was one of the best things I've heard from a fellow homeschooler. Home schooling is hard. I'm not on an island of trouble all by myself. The trick is to find what works and stick with it.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Day 82, 83
Shovelling, Part II
While our part of the shovelling may not have gone well, the kids did brilliantly. They both helped clear off the cars, clear off the front stairs, and Emily cleared off Nana's bushes. Just goes to show me that there is hope. We did also do further thank you cards, but we have more to do, so I'm going to post a couple of pictures of them after we're done. Two more each to do, so we're making progress!
In Other News...
Today, so far, has been what I would term a successful day. Ok, we don't have math or English done, but we can't measure every day by that, and the day isn't over. They seem ok at the moment knowing that they will have to sit at the table after dinner and work. That won't change until later.
No, the reason today is a successful day is because:
A. No one argued about going to orchestra.
B. Everyone participated and did well at orchestra.
C. When we got home and it was like herding cats, I didn't scream my head off.
What we did manage to do today is covering the Earth's insides. We read some of a book called Planet Earth/Inside Out by Gail Gibbons. It's pretty good, covering the interior of the Earth, plate tectonics, and, at the end, the three families of rock (igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary). After we read the section about how the interior of the Earth is composed, we did a project called Edible Earth.
We started with paper plates, which we marked out with proportionately accurate-ish lines demarcating the inner and outer cores, the mantle, and the crust. We added the approximate temperatures of each:
And voila!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Day 81
Day of the snows again. This time, the kids were well enough to take advantage of the many inches of snow that descended upon us. The last time we got snow, which was just after Christmas, Luke was sick and Emily was still recovering. They lamented the fact that they couldn't go outside. Today they made up for it in spades by going out twice, sledding, rolling, writing with sticks, pretending to be rats, clearing snow, shovelling for Nana and generally running around. They had hot chocolate the first time they came in. Actually, it was Hoth Chocolate, from the Star Wars Cookbook.
It's so easy, I can't believe I tried to make complicated hot chocolate when the kids were little. All it is is milk with vanilla, cocoa powder, and sugar. It's easy enough to guestimate the amounts, and they think it's super special. I very much prefer it to giving them chocolate from a bottle with who knows what chemicals involved. It's also a recipe that we made together the first time. Luke made a few recipes from that book, which we got from the library. At this point, I'm thinking we need to get it for him because he's starting to get into cooking and wants to prepare dinners as does Emily. More on this in the future, without a doubt!
The other thing we did, which we have done in the past, is insist on math being done by the end of the day. We were trying, on advice, to simply let it go, but I just don't get the whole let-them-fail-and-they'll-figure-out-it's-important philosophy. Maybe I'm too 'school', but I think they have to do their work. They both managed to do so. Since this was day 2 for Luke, he managed to get pretty cheerful, which meant that Emily took a nosedive in the attitude department. Luckily for her, she decided to snap out of it, and managed to get her math done so she could play the Xbox K'nect, which she loves. She's never liked a video game or system quite as much as she likes this one! It also makes her fairly active, so it's cool all the way around!
Despite some screamage here and there, the day seemed to turn out pretty well! Tomorrow, Shovelling Part II...
It's so easy, I can't believe I tried to make complicated hot chocolate when the kids were little. All it is is milk with vanilla, cocoa powder, and sugar. It's easy enough to guestimate the amounts, and they think it's super special. I very much prefer it to giving them chocolate from a bottle with who knows what chemicals involved. It's also a recipe that we made together the first time. Luke made a few recipes from that book, which we got from the library. At this point, I'm thinking we need to get it for him because he's starting to get into cooking and wants to prepare dinners as does Emily. More on this in the future, without a doubt!
The other thing we did, which we have done in the past, is insist on math being done by the end of the day. We were trying, on advice, to simply let it go, but I just don't get the whole let-them-fail-and-they'll-figure-out-it's-important philosophy. Maybe I'm too 'school', but I think they have to do their work. They both managed to do so. Since this was day 2 for Luke, he managed to get pretty cheerful, which meant that Emily took a nosedive in the attitude department. Luckily for her, she decided to snap out of it, and managed to get her math done so she could play the Xbox K'nect, which she loves. She's never liked a video game or system quite as much as she likes this one! It also makes her fairly active, so it's cool all the way around!
Despite some screamage here and there, the day seemed to turn out pretty well! Tomorrow, Shovelling Part II...
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Day 78, 79, 80
We are masters of our universe! Actually, maybe just the planet. I've been looking for a way to construct an Earth model so the kids can get an idea of the internal workings of the planet. I finally hit on what I thought was a winner last night. Paper plates. Sounds very hokey, but it's really only a little hokey. The idea is you make a model with three paper plates that turns out to be 3D.
Well, I thought it was a cool idea. The web site has a lot of other cool ideas, too, mostly regarding astronomy. Anyway, I announce this idea, and get a rather cold reception. "I'm not doing it!" is what I remember most. We're still going to, maybe tomorrow, and I'll take pictures. They'll enjoy it. Then again, we're getting snow tomorrow, so who knows?
So I decide on a new tack. I saw somewhere that you could make an edible planet, using a chocolate chip for the Earth's core, a marshmallow for the mantle, and melted chocolate chips for the crust. Seems ok, but, as I told my rapt audience, we're missing something. You need an inner core, which is more solid, and an outer core, which is more liquid. Then you need the mantle and the crust. How could we do it?
Luke decided to combine the two ideas into one project. He suggested we use a paper plate to hold our edible model, and use marshmallows for the mantle in a circle on the plate, with a pile of chocolate chips in the center for the inner core. Emily solved our liquid problem by suggesting chocolate sauce (how appropriate! Chips for the solid, sauce for the liquid!). Our only quandery is the crust. I think we have to crush graham crackers for putting around the marshmallows, but I was outvoted. They'll think of something they like better by tomorrow, I guess!
Well, I thought it was a cool idea. The web site has a lot of other cool ideas, too, mostly regarding astronomy. Anyway, I announce this idea, and get a rather cold reception. "I'm not doing it!" is what I remember most. We're still going to, maybe tomorrow, and I'll take pictures. They'll enjoy it. Then again, we're getting snow tomorrow, so who knows?
So I decide on a new tack. I saw somewhere that you could make an edible planet, using a chocolate chip for the Earth's core, a marshmallow for the mantle, and melted chocolate chips for the crust. Seems ok, but, as I told my rapt audience, we're missing something. You need an inner core, which is more solid, and an outer core, which is more liquid. Then you need the mantle and the crust. How could we do it?
Luke decided to combine the two ideas into one project. He suggested we use a paper plate to hold our edible model, and use marshmallows for the mantle in a circle on the plate, with a pile of chocolate chips in the center for the inner core. Emily solved our liquid problem by suggesting chocolate sauce (how appropriate! Chips for the solid, sauce for the liquid!). Our only quandery is the crust. I think we have to crush graham crackers for putting around the marshmallows, but I was outvoted. They'll think of something they like better by tomorrow, I guess!
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