On the Move
My oldest 2 had a few tests to complete this morning, so that threw my schedule off for the bottom 2 kids. The change meant working into the evening with their studies. I ended up teaching a math lesson to my youngest son on the floor at my daughter’s dance studio. I just try to fit the topics in anywhere I can, and we grocery shopped for 20 minutes in between dance and soccer.
Hoping to see the bed soon!
Playing catch-up and saying no
I was on one of our local co-op sites early this morning reading about the classes that they’re offering, and some of them sounded interesting. I had a fleeting thought that it would be nice for the kids if we were participating in some outside group classes. Then, the reality check hit me that next year I’ll be teaching 4 different grade levels, and there’s no way I can do a decent job in home studies and have the outside responsibilities of co-op classes, as well. Sometimes, you just have to say “no”‘because no is the right thing to say. We can’t be involved in everything. Maybe if I only had a couple of kids to teach, but I’ve got 4 minds to shape, so I have to be very selective on where we spend our time.
Today, for example, I decided to keep us home for the afternoon and evening and skip extracurriculars. My second son is getting over a stomach thing, and I still needed to work with my oldest on math. It was a gorgeous day outside, but we needed to cover a large amount of academics. Keep in mind that I’m one-on-one with each kid the majority of the time, so even when they are getting a break, I’m not because I’m moving to the next child. I spent all afternoon going from different subjects with each child, and I was constantly moving from room to room or getting back up from just sitting. I finished fractions around 10 o’clock with my second grader, and this was after I was reviewing fact families and number bonds with my first grader.
I still have quite a ways to go in our studies before we can say they’ve completed what they need to know for this school year (according to Calvert). My husband knows I’ve been in serious teaching mode lately, because it’s hard for me to shift gears from homeschooling to anything else. My mind is just constantly going on this, especially when I feel stressed about covering what I want or need to cover. I don’t even think I changed out of my sweatpants all day-that’s lovely. We did watch Looney Tunes after dinner. My girlfriend had sent over a left-over quiche which I was very appreciative of. I love free food, especially if it gets me out of dinner planning!
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Hello Kitty at 2 A.M.
It’s in the wee hours of the morning, and I’ve just finished wrapping birthday presents for my daughter. She’s having a little party with some girlfriends later, but we always do the family thing. We made a flying trip through the local 24 hour Wal-mart (not a huge fan) to buy a couple of happies around midnight. This we did just prior to our arrival back home from the road trip. I think we drove about 19 hours in 2 days. I smell like a combination of Taco Bell and sweat-not pretty so desperately needing a shower. Now, back to the reality of house projects and academics. Lots to ponder from the sites we’ve just seen, but we will first celebrate with my daughter and eat cake. I love cake.
Discovering your child’s personality type
I’m up late (2:00 a.m. with green tea and tostitos) reading on the 8 types of personalities according to Jen Lilienstein of KidzMet. I downloaded her book tonight, The Parent’s Playbook for Learning and am going through the types that I think my oldest 2 kids are. Her book gives insight into choosing appropriate extracurricular activities based on their specific personality characteristics. This is an area where I’m struggling. I’d like to help them find areas that interest them, and that complement their traits. I think doing so would really enhance the experience for them and may lead to other areas of interests and expertise development down the road.
Lilientstein’s book is a manual of sorts. I’d recommend reading it and consider purchasing based on what I’ve seen so far. Her insight is giving me a sense of direction for future choices. Of course, check your local library first to see if they have a copy. But, what a great concept to think about as you are teaching your child and trying to get them plugged into areas of value.
https://www.kidzmet.com/content_pages/view/about-us
www.amazon.com/Parents-Playbook-Learning-Jen-Lilienstein
First day of Excelsior co-op
Today we began fall semester classes at our local homeschool cooperative, Excelsior. We meet weekly and offer a variety of subjects. Many hours go into planning the co-op. I was up until 2 a.m. getting my chemistry class together. Two teachers and I taught on the scientific method and performed the egg-drop experiment. It’s nice to be relearning things as an adult. Doing so makes you really appreciate the acquisition of knowledge and knowledge itself. How do you like my mad scientist look?
Spa Day
Had my first ever microdermabrasion treatment today at a local spa. Yummy.
Finally decided to be proactive on this age thing. Of course, their robes are way too big for me. I look like a 10 year old wearing my mother’s clothes!
Happy Mother’s Day.
Ivy League Homeschooling 