This week of homeschooling went great! I couldn't have asked for a better week...and to top it all off...my kids actually learned something! I was impressed with both girls and have come to the conclusion that they do not take after me when it comes to their learning abilities. I have to be honest...they get it solely from Paul. I mean, I didn't know that helium weighs less than air and that is why helium balloons rise! Wow! I also learned that if a child can't hop on one foot then they aren't ready for reading. Not sure how true it is, but hey....it sounds good to me. That means Kristen is ready for reading...Lauren is not. Anyways, we learned a lot of good things this week. Yes, I do mean we. It is sad when I have learned something from a kindergarten/preschool lesson, but I am not ashamed! Knowledge is wealth...right.
Kristen has embraced learning with so much enthusiasm and curiosity. Actually, I think she just loves her "school box" full of crayons, scissors, pencils and glue. The questions of the day, every day, are "When are we going to use our school box?", "Are we going to use our school box now?", "Now is it time to use our school box?". I think I have heard every variation of that question at least 10 times a day. Every morning when I tell them to zip their lips and turn up their listening ears Kristen spends a lot of time turning up her ears. She happily tells me that "They go up really loud for school." (If only I could get them to go up really loud when I tell her to clean up). This week has been mostly a review week for Kristen. She has enjoyed doing the worksheets and I am very impressed with her writing skills, her ability to follow directions, her knowledge of some letters and her ability to recognize all numbers. I have realized where she falls in learning and can now push her a little farther to learn more new and exciting things. She really is a sponge taking in everything you say. Nothing gets her more motivated than telling her when she finishes something she will get a sticker. Oh, to have the only worry in life be which sticker you will pick out next!
(Don't be fooled by this picture, she is a lefty and I am finding it hard to show her how to write.)
Lauren ended up knowing more than I knew she knew. (Whoa, that's a lot of knowing in one sentence). She knew big and small and could sort accordingly. I am pretty sure she already knew the shape of a triangle, but we'll just pretend she didn't and learned it in one week. On one activity I explained to her that she needed to circle the biggest picture on her worksheet then turned my head to help Kristen do something, when I looked back she had all the biggest ones circled. I have come to the conclusion that she is one of those kids that you talk to and explain something to over and over, all the while she just looks at you like she doesn't understand...then boom...you realize that she comprehended what you said the first time...she just didn't want to do it. She quietly takes everything in and is becoming good at getting me to think she doesn't know how to do it. Just recently I learned, by telling her she couldn't get a brownie until she put things back where they went, that she does know how to clean up and where things go. I would make excuses, "It's all too overwhelming for her" or "She really doesn't know where everything goes." That little stinker had the wool pulled over my eyes, but not any longer. I am on to her game and she might be undefeated but that's gonna change!
I had a lot of anxiety and felt very overwhelmed before starting homeschooling. I was sure I was going to be bald soon because my hair was (and still is) falling out at a rapid rate due to stress. In fact, my purpose in starting a week early was to see if it worked for us, and if not, to have time to enroll Kristen in school...just in case. I didn't know how I was going to accomplish everything I needed to get done in a day (making breakfast, lunch and dinners, laundry, 4 feeding for Dallas, baths, teeth brushing, getting myself ready, cleaning, homeschooling, preparing for homeschooling, having time to spend with each kid). As I said, it was all VERY OVERWHELMING! But, I have found that I get all of this plus some other things done, and still have plenty of time in a day. I am pretty exhausted come bedtime, but I have been sleeping better...that's a plus. The most overwhelming thing was that it is a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. I mean, if they don't learn the things they need to learn it will be my fault. If they are behind, it will be because I have failed in some way to get them to learn. I don't have a teaching degree, but read an article that said parents are the ones that teach their children the most important things in life. Someone may sit down and teach them the multiplication table, but who my kids become in the future is because of what starts in the home. That is so true and I want my kids to grow into good responsible adults who love the Lord above anything else. Hopefully we are on the right track.
This was the favorite activity of the week. Painting! Lauren painted for a good 30 minutes. Maybe a future Picasso?
Lauren's circles and Kristen's letters. Both girls pretty much did these worksheets on their own.
Their pictures of what God's house looks like. Kristen's on top and Lauren's on the bottom. They loved them some glitter!
