We met with the public school last month and officially requested acceleration. We still are not sure public school is the right option but if she does go to public school, it would not be in first grade. We took her test scores and had a pretty good meeting. Now K has to do some aptitude testing. We are going to use the Iowa acceleration scale to determine if we should accelerate and to what grade level. Since we've done the cognitive and achievement testing, we have to do the aptitude testing and the parent and teacher sections. We just filled out a package of papers on her behaviors and strengths and her personality.
She loves to do testing so that's one good thing. She's actually asked if she could do some testing at some of the schools we visited.
The other major positive for me was a conversation I had with K a couple weeks ago. We've been visiting schools and talking about starting first grade in the fall. She said Mom why would I do first grade in the fall? Last year I kind of did kindergarten because I worked with all the kindergarteners every day so aren't I doing first grade this year? So, I think she will be pretty open to accelerating to second grade.
Negatives: She doesn't want to go to a school with desks. Montessori doesn't have desks and she keeps commenting on this when we tour schools.
In French class she has to ask permission to leave the room and go to the bathroom and I think someone walks her down the hall. She hates this. She says she should just be able to go when she needs to go.
These could both be major issues for public school. She may have a harder time with rules than I originally thought.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Visitors
We've had visitors since Wednesday. The kids are loving it but we've been very busy. We saw Night at the Museum yesterday. It was Ok, K definitely picked up on history and things. She was very excited that Dick Van Dyke would be in it since she loves him in Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. K & C are really enjoying The Story of the Orchestra book. We've been listening to it constantly in the car. K's teacher mentioned her answering all the questions in music class last week. She knew the sounds (and names) of the cello and double bass. Her teacher mentioned that she is coming back out of her shell. She was answering questions again. Her cousin came to visit at her school too. She liked that.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Day with Grandma & Pap
The kids spent yesterday with Grandma and Pap. D and I had a dinner last night so I took them out in the afternoon. K has been learning sewing and I think an intro to knitting with Grandma. Last night they were working on cross stitch. I'm so glad K has the opportunity to learn and appreciate all these things with Grandma. Grandma makes dresses and PJs and they are K's most prized clothes b/c they are homemade. K takes the time to wear clothes Grandma made whenever she is going to see Grandma. Last night she wore the flannel dress PJs that Grandma made her. They are so cute. For Christmas this year Grandma made matching dresses for all her granddaughters (there are 6 but she didn't do one for the newborn so just 5) The girl cousins at Christmas were 7, 6, 5, 4, 2 and 4 months. I have to find the picture of that and post it here.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Sushi
I made sushi for dinner tonight. C was asleep when we had to leave for K's French class. He transferred OK so I just dropped her off today and rode around. I got the car washed and then decided I could run in and out of the specialty fish shop. They had sushi grade tuna so I got some. I was going to cook it tomorrow b/c of Lent. I forgot we had plans tomorrow for dinner so I switched and made sushi tonight. I made it last year with Erika (Japanese exchange student) and I took a sushi class last year. The rice is the hardest part. The family loved it! It wasn't perfect. Since I didn't plan for it, I didn't have all the ingredients and I couldn't make spicy tuna rolls, . But my tuna rolls turned out OK. I had nori and wasabi.
Before we left for French, K told me they are going to do a recital. She doesn't want to go on stage so she wants to quit French. I reminded her of how much fun she had on stage at her ballet recital. Two answers, no friends there and she knew ballet much better than she knows French. Both are probably true. She started ballet late last year and didn't really know that many girls in the class. And, the French class is a stretch for her. I can't decide if she's learning or not. A lot of the girls in the class are older and have been taking French for awhile. So, I think she either is learning a lot or is just skating along, following their lead but not really learning French. I'll have to do some things here at home to figure it out.
Before we left for French, K told me they are going to do a recital. She doesn't want to go on stage so she wants to quit French. I reminded her of how much fun she had on stage at her ballet recital. Two answers, no friends there and she knew ballet much better than she knows French. Both are probably true. She started ballet late last year and didn't really know that many girls in the class. And, the French class is a stretch for her. I can't decide if she's learning or not. A lot of the girls in the class are older and have been taking French for awhile. So, I think she either is learning a lot or is just skating along, following their lead but not really learning French. I'll have to do some things here at home to figure it out.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Another day off
No school today because of the ice and fog! C said that's OK we can just homeschool. That was a nice thing for me to hear! We did music and math. K is still working on fractions. C is working on recognizing and writing 1-10. We did a preschool math workbook. He likes dot to dot and they really helps to learn numbers.
We went to visit Gigi (great grandma) today. They had fun, dancing and putting on a show for her. I think she enjoyed the visit but after an hour she was ready for us to leave. They are so loud and have so much energy.
We went to visit Gigi (great grandma) today. They had fun, dancing and putting on a show for her. I think she enjoyed the visit but after an hour she was ready for us to leave. They are so loud and have so much energy.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
More Books
I forgot to mention that I found a great Music book for K & C. It is Story of the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music! . The kids are really enjoying it. It has a CD with it to listen to the different instruments in the orchestra and songs from composers. So far, we've been focusing on the instruments. It's easier for C. I may spend more time on the composers with K.
K said she was interested in taking violin lessons. I've been asking her about taking violin lessons but she's been doing piano. Piano has not been going well since December so I thought maybe I'd make a switch. I'm not sure. This is the debate. D's aunt had 4 kids and she told me she required them all to take piano from 1st through 8th grade. They could add another instrument too but they had to do piano. She said it was as important as reading or math to her and she stuck by it. It does teach discipline. They are all 4 very musical now, maybe they would have been even without the piano lessons. I wonder if I should stick to piano and be stricter about practicing. Part of the problem is D is the teacher and if K is not interested in doing class on Saturday, he lets it go. I think she wants to do class but like everything else playing with Daddy would be more fun. So, should I give up on D teaching her and enroll her in piano lessons before I take the step of violin lessons? K has some friends taking violin so I know some violin teachers that are supposed to be very good but I don't know any piano. As with everything else, we are already overbooked and this is with just 1/2 day Kindergarten. I'm not sure how to manage it all next fall. I have to prioritize.
K also checked out 4 books on her card. Mirette on the Highwire , Happy Birthday, Josefina!: A Springtime Story , The Hurricane Mystery (Boxcar Children Mysteries) and a book by Cynthia Rylant. These are from 4 different areas of the library so she could learn more about the areas. I let her make the choices. The Josefina book is for March for book club.
K said she was interested in taking violin lessons. I've been asking her about taking violin lessons but she's been doing piano. Piano has not been going well since December so I thought maybe I'd make a switch. I'm not sure. This is the debate. D's aunt had 4 kids and she told me she required them all to take piano from 1st through 8th grade. They could add another instrument too but they had to do piano. She said it was as important as reading or math to her and she stuck by it. It does teach discipline. They are all 4 very musical now, maybe they would have been even without the piano lessons. I wonder if I should stick to piano and be stricter about practicing. Part of the problem is D is the teacher and if K is not interested in doing class on Saturday, he lets it go. I think she wants to do class but like everything else playing with Daddy would be more fun. So, should I give up on D teaching her and enroll her in piano lessons before I take the step of violin lessons? K has some friends taking violin so I know some violin teachers that are supposed to be very good but I don't know any piano. As with everything else, we are already overbooked and this is with just 1/2 day Kindergarten. I'm not sure how to manage it all next fall. I have to prioritize.
K also checked out 4 books on her card. Mirette on the Highwire , Happy Birthday, Josefina!: A Springtime Story , The Hurricane Mystery (Boxcar Children Mysteries) and a book by Cynthia Rylant. These are from 4 different areas of the library so she could learn more about the areas. I let her make the choices. The Josefina book is for March for book club.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
My books
The next book for my book club is Patty Jane's House of Curl This is supposed to be a light read since we just read Snow. We missed the discussion of Snow because of the snow. How ironic. We're going to talk about both books in March.
K and I went to the library yesterday. Since it was just the two of us, I had more time to explore. I got Geography of Religion: Where God Lives, Where Pilgrims Walk I read a review of this book and it sounded very interesting so I'll have to see how it is. I was surprised the library had it. I also got a cook book by Rachel Ray and 2 multiplication books for K. I also spent time showing K where her books are shelved. We found where Caldecott and Newberry award winning books are kept. We went through where American Girl series are and where books with CDs are. K & C both love books with CDs now. C loves to listen to them when he goes to bed. He's been listening to Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from the Andes Mountains . He loves this book/CD.
K and I went to the library yesterday. Since it was just the two of us, I had more time to explore. I got Geography of Religion: Where God Lives, Where Pilgrims Walk I read a review of this book and it sounded very interesting so I'll have to see how it is. I was surprised the library had it. I also got a cook book by Rachel Ray and 2 multiplication books for K. I also spent time showing K where her books are shelved. We found where Caldecott and Newberry award winning books are kept. We went through where American Girl series are and where books with CDs are. K & C both love books with CDs now. C loves to listen to them when he goes to bed. He's been listening to Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from the Andes Mountains . He loves this book/CD.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Books
Valentine's Day went pretty well although school was canceled so they did not have their party. School was out T, W, Th of this week because of the snow. Our road is still covered. They are having the party on Tuesday b/c Monday is a holiday. K and C each made 27 Valentines for the party. K made 27 individual ones. She is very into "olive you" for I love you. It's from her Valentines joke book. Some of hers are very long and pretty. For C, I cut out hearts and he glued them to a card. I couldn't get him to write his name 27 times but he did write it for special cards. Then, we had a search and find for their Valentines. I had cut out hearts and put clues on them and hid them through the house. Their big Valentine and piece of candy were on their pillows. They loved it. I wrote some riddles for K and she did a good job solving them.
Since we had no school on Wednesday we made pizzelles. We had them set up for one per bag to take to school but now with the party moved to Tuesday we gave them to K's French class, our friends, Grandma & Pap and ate some! They were very good. I need to make them more often.
For V Day their other grandparents sent a package. A Thomas book for C and a Junie B. Jones Valentine book for K. What to do? I got a Junie B. last year at the library. I read the first chapter to her and then put it away. Of course she started saying "my stupid brother". It was a disaster. So I banned them for now. I think when she's older she can look at them and point out the grammatical errors and the wrong way to talk but last year she was definitely impressionable and she's trying to learn correct grammar. Last month Grandma took them to B&N and bought K Captain Underpants. I put it up and then K was asked so how did you like that book? I'm not sure what to do. I know Gma means well but just has not read the books. I gave Gma a hard time about Captain Underpants but I can better understand Junie B. Those books are everywhere and even in the schools. I'm going to let K read this Junie B and just talk to her about it. I think she may be old enough to understand it now. But why waste time on those books when she has some great books waiting to be read? She's reading Charlotte's Web now and the writing is SO much better. We've been doing vocabulary from that book and looking for compound words. She even did a mid book summary and speech on the book. Why isn't it called Wilbur since he's the main character she asks? I'm afraid of the answer when she gets to the end.
Since we had no school on Wednesday we made pizzelles. We had them set up for one per bag to take to school but now with the party moved to Tuesday we gave them to K's French class, our friends, Grandma & Pap and ate some! They were very good. I need to make them more often.
For V Day their other grandparents sent a package. A Thomas book for C and a Junie B. Jones Valentine book for K. What to do? I got a Junie B. last year at the library. I read the first chapter to her and then put it away. Of course she started saying "my stupid brother". It was a disaster. So I banned them for now. I think when she's older she can look at them and point out the grammatical errors and the wrong way to talk but last year she was definitely impressionable and she's trying to learn correct grammar. Last month Grandma took them to B&N and bought K Captain Underpants. I put it up and then K was asked so how did you like that book? I'm not sure what to do. I know Gma means well but just has not read the books. I gave Gma a hard time about Captain Underpants but I can better understand Junie B. Those books are everywhere and even in the schools. I'm going to let K read this Junie B and just talk to her about it. I think she may be old enough to understand it now. But why waste time on those books when she has some great books waiting to be read? She's reading Charlotte's Web now and the writing is SO much better. We've been doing vocabulary from that book and looking for compound words. She even did a mid book summary and speech on the book. Why isn't it called Wilbur since he's the main character she asks? I'm afraid of the answer when she gets to the end.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Ballet Observation
Today was K's ballet observation day. We were able to go in and sit and watch the class. Usually the blinds are closed so you have no idea what they are doing. They have been learning a lot. They went through the different positions and moves they are learning. K is doing pretty well. She is having fun and that is what is important. C and I were the only ones there. D couldn't make it and both sets of grandparents are on vacation. This was a disappointment for K but the recital is coming soon and I'm sure they will all be there.
Friday, February 09, 2007
K's Blog
Today I showed K the blog I set up for her last July. She was very interested at first but then I spent too much time working on getting things set right and she lost interest in it. She may be too young for this. She has really enjoyed having her own email address and emailing C's godfather and her friends so I thought she might like this too.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Snow
Well, K & C have been off school all week. Monday and Tuesday the schools were closed because of the cold - it was in the single digits most of the day. Then Tuesday around noon the snow came in. It kept coming until around 7 p.m. so they were off today too. We have about 5 inches on the ground. We played in the snow but it is still very cold. C gets cold easily.
So, 3 days in the house all day is exhausting.
I've been reading Snow by Orhan Pamuk for book club. It is a very appropriate time of year to read it since it is snowing in both places. It's an intersesting book. I'm ready to hear some other opinions about the writing style. Book Club is Tuesday so I have to focus on finishing it. The main character is a poet and we've been talking about poetry at home. K wrote a poem the other day. We were working on rhyming poems. There's a poetry contest coming up and I thought maybe it would give her an incentive to work on her poems. I haven't told her about the contest yet, I'm not sure she's interested. I wanted to see if she would get interested in writing more poems first.
So, 3 days in the house all day is exhausting.
I've been reading Snow by Orhan Pamuk for book club. It is a very appropriate time of year to read it since it is snowing in both places. It's an intersesting book. I'm ready to hear some other opinions about the writing style. Book Club is Tuesday so I have to focus on finishing it. The main character is a poet and we've been talking about poetry at home. K wrote a poem the other day. We were working on rhyming poems. There's a poetry contest coming up and I thought maybe it would give her an incentive to work on her poems. I haven't told her about the contest yet, I'm not sure she's interested. I wanted to see if she would get interested in writing more poems first.
Friday, February 02, 2007
A day in the life
Today
Breakfast, dress, calendar (since it's Groundhog Day, we turned on the TV and found out no shadow and spring is coming!) Of course it is snowing and cold here today. K asked to go visit Chicago b/c they were talking about it on the news (hmm...that's an idea)
K School
C Work on drawing and writing 45 minutes, we worked on birthday cards, he's doing a great job drawing faces now, even adding some eyelashes today. He still gets frustrated easily. He wrote his name one time.
Play with trains/toys 30 minutes
Sesame Street/Snack 10 minutes
Help clean up/wrap presents etc
Pick up K
Make bread in our bread machine, 24 hour clock discussion 20 minutes
We put the bread in at 12:40 and it was supposed to take 3 hours 20 minutes to bake so K had to figure out when it would be done. She did it a couple different ways, one way being adding 12:40 and 3:20 and ending up with 15:60 and translating that into time. We discussed the 24 hour clock and how Europe uses it but America uses the 12 hour clock and then says a.m./p.m. She really wants to visit Europe and see all these things I keep explaining. Of course she wants to go to Paris the most since she takes French.
Lunch
Baking Day
We made muffins for breakfast for tomorrow - very messy, but fun, they have to take turns and put in the right amounts.
Math class - 30 minutes Today we used fraction manipulatives. I'm trying to teach C the different fractions so he can understand what they are (not sure it went in but he had fun playing). K knew everything and kept telling me she already knew it all but I was trying to teach her how to add fractions and which parts are the same 2/4 = 1/2 etc. (I'm not sure it went in either, adding fractions using just math is complicated, but the 1/4+1/4 = 2/4=1/2 went in I think)
Chocolate Chip Cookies - we used an easy mix
Science Class - Cheetahs. K asked about cheetahs today at lunch, what animals do they eat? I knew rabbits but I wasn't sure what else. So we discussed grasslands and animals that live there with our Encyclopedia and then used the internet links to get more info and play some games. They LOVE to do this. This class wasn't as informative as the anatomy class but I think they learned some and liked it. Cheetahs can eat gazelles, we weren't sure if they could eat big animals too or just stuck with the small ones.
C nap
K play/reading time
Mom computer/clean up/make dinner/finish folding laundry time
Dinner
K read Magic Tree House #4, she almost read the whole book, she likes them now but would prefer to just read to herself. She's supposed to be reading aloud to us for practice and to check vocabulary. She reads a chapter aloud and then wants to keep reading to herself.
C & D played dinosaurs
Watched 1 vs. 100 K answered the kid questions
Bed at 10
Breakfast, dress, calendar (since it's Groundhog Day, we turned on the TV and found out no shadow and spring is coming!) Of course it is snowing and cold here today. K asked to go visit Chicago b/c they were talking about it on the news (hmm...that's an idea)
K School
C Work on drawing and writing 45 minutes, we worked on birthday cards, he's doing a great job drawing faces now, even adding some eyelashes today. He still gets frustrated easily. He wrote his name one time.
Play with trains/toys 30 minutes
Sesame Street/Snack 10 minutes
Help clean up/wrap presents etc
Pick up K
Make bread in our bread machine, 24 hour clock discussion 20 minutes
We put the bread in at 12:40 and it was supposed to take 3 hours 20 minutes to bake so K had to figure out when it would be done. She did it a couple different ways, one way being adding 12:40 and 3:20 and ending up with 15:60 and translating that into time. We discussed the 24 hour clock and how Europe uses it but America uses the 12 hour clock and then says a.m./p.m. She really wants to visit Europe and see all these things I keep explaining. Of course she wants to go to Paris the most since she takes French.
Lunch
Baking Day
We made muffins for breakfast for tomorrow - very messy, but fun, they have to take turns and put in the right amounts.
Math class - 30 minutes Today we used fraction manipulatives. I'm trying to teach C the different fractions so he can understand what they are (not sure it went in but he had fun playing). K knew everything and kept telling me she already knew it all but I was trying to teach her how to add fractions and which parts are the same 2/4 = 1/2 etc. (I'm not sure it went in either, adding fractions using just math is complicated, but the 1/4+1/4 = 2/4=1/2 went in I think)
Chocolate Chip Cookies - we used an easy mix
Science Class - Cheetahs. K asked about cheetahs today at lunch, what animals do they eat? I knew rabbits but I wasn't sure what else. So we discussed grasslands and animals that live there with our Encyclopedia and then used the internet links to get more info and play some games. They LOVE to do this. This class wasn't as informative as the anatomy class but I think they learned some and liked it. Cheetahs can eat gazelles, we weren't sure if they could eat big animals too or just stuck with the small ones.
C nap
K play/reading time
Mom computer/clean up/make dinner/finish folding laundry time
Dinner
K read Magic Tree House #4, she almost read the whole book, she likes them now but would prefer to just read to herself. She's supposed to be reading aloud to us for practice and to check vocabulary. She reads a chapter aloud and then wants to keep reading to herself.
C & D played dinosaurs
Watched 1 vs. 100 K answered the kid questions
Bed at 10
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Article on Education
The Wall Street Journal recently ran a 3 part series on education by Charles Murray. The last part of the series was on gifted education. I found the article very interesting. You can find it here:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110009541
This is a debate we have - stay in age appropriate grade level and always be so ahead that you gain confidence but you also gain elitism. Or, accelerate to the appropriate intellectual level and then... will you feel average or not be as confident in yourself? I feel that people in certain professions need to be very confident, almost arrogantly so. When D was in the Navy, pilots tended to be extremely confident/arrogant. It could be difficult to handle but for that job, they needed to believe they were the best of the best or they would die. Other jobs require that type of arrogance - surgeons, fire fighters, etc.
C had a good day at school today. He even said he had fun. Grandma took K to a pottery place.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110009541
This is a debate we have - stay in age appropriate grade level and always be so ahead that you gain confidence but you also gain elitism. Or, accelerate to the appropriate intellectual level and then... will you feel average or not be as confident in yourself? I feel that people in certain professions need to be very confident, almost arrogantly so. When D was in the Navy, pilots tended to be extremely confident/arrogant. It could be difficult to handle but for that job, they needed to believe they were the best of the best or they would die. Other jobs require that type of arrogance - surgeons, fire fighters, etc.
C had a good day at school today. He even said he had fun. Grandma took K to a pottery place.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Home again
D came home Saturday night, he left on Tuesday. The kids were so excited to see him. We had a busy time with him gone, they did a good job being home with just me. We were out Friday night for my Mom's birthday.
So, his trip went pretty well and big decisions are coming, possibly a move. I'm not sure what to do. I think it will be better for us in the long run but I am so worried about schools. I say (D says) well we can just homeschool but I guess I'm not comfortable with that. I want to give schools a chance first. I have to try or I'll regret it.
I just got interrupted to go find Spot for K. She was crying. She usually doesn't mind if she can't find him at bed time but tonight was one of those exceptions. Everything is fine now.
So, his trip went pretty well and big decisions are coming, possibly a move. I'm not sure what to do. I think it will be better for us in the long run but I am so worried about schools. I say (D says) well we can just homeschool but I guess I'm not comfortable with that. I want to give schools a chance first. I have to try or I'll regret it.
I just got interrupted to go find Spot for K. She was crying. She usually doesn't mind if she can't find him at bed time but tonight was one of those exceptions. Everything is fine now.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Such a helper
Yesterday we had dinner at a friend's house. Her daughters are 10 and 8. K loves to draw with them, they were teaching her how to draw a puppy. She loves it. (Their Dad is something of an artist so they have lots of art supplies around the house). I've been trying to do more art with her at home. K got watercolors and pastels for Christmas but we haven't had time to do them yet. I have to do them with just her so C has to be otherwise occupied, i.e. sleeping. They both love art. We finally joined the Kids Club at the local art museum and did the first tour. They loved it.
Today C and I went grocery shopping. He is so interested in grocery shopping and cooking. He loves it. Hopefully, he'll continue to have that love. He walked the entire time at the grocery and helps me pick things out. He's really a help. He likes to wash all the fruit when we get home and then he puts things away in the refrigerator. He is very opinionated and very comfortable with his opinions. He's a big help when I cook too. He likes to cut things or he'll dip the fish in the panko crumbs. I have to remember to let him help and to encourage him to love cooking. D likes to cook so maybe it comes from him.
K has a new book from school. I mentioned to the teacher the other day that she was getting tired of her schoolbook. Today she told the teacher she wanted to switch so they switched her to The Magic Tree House chapter books. I tried these with her about a year ago and she wasn't that interested. She could read them, she just wasn't that into the story line and there wasn't enough pictures. We'll see if she likes them this time around. She's not that into fantasy books so that may be part of it. She may be a little too rational. The book I had last year had them back in dinosaur time and she couldn't get over that people didn't live when the dinosaurs lived. D and I tend to not read a lot of fantasy either so maybe she gets it from us.
Today C and I went grocery shopping. He is so interested in grocery shopping and cooking. He loves it. Hopefully, he'll continue to have that love. He walked the entire time at the grocery and helps me pick things out. He's really a help. He likes to wash all the fruit when we get home and then he puts things away in the refrigerator. He is very opinionated and very comfortable with his opinions. He's a big help when I cook too. He likes to cut things or he'll dip the fish in the panko crumbs. I have to remember to let him help and to encourage him to love cooking. D likes to cook so maybe it comes from him.
K has a new book from school. I mentioned to the teacher the other day that she was getting tired of her schoolbook. Today she told the teacher she wanted to switch so they switched her to The Magic Tree House chapter books. I tried these with her about a year ago and she wasn't that interested. She could read them, she just wasn't that into the story line and there wasn't enough pictures. We'll see if she likes them this time around. She's not that into fantasy books so that may be part of it. She may be a little too rational. The book I had last year had them back in dinosaur time and she couldn't get over that people didn't live when the dinosaurs lived. D and I tend to not read a lot of fantasy either so maybe she gets it from us.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
School
C's first week of school has been so different for me. Tuesday when I dropped them off, he refused to let me unbuckle him and cried that he didn't want to go to school. So, I went in and of course he was immediately fine and didn't even notice I was there. That day he was called on for wrestling with another little boy (he already knew him and they play together) but of course he cried. He doesn't like other people to discipline him. Today he had snack with a little 4.5 year old girl and was called on for running in the classroom. K never got in trouble. When she finally talked too much with her friend after a year in school, the teacher and I were ecstatic. She was finally comfortable enough to be talking when the teacher was talking. C must be quite comfortable already.
Since I observed class on Monday, I got a better look at K working. She really takes up a lot of the teacher's time, she's finished with her work and wants more. BUT she is always alone. It's like having a 3rd grader in the classroom. The teachers have been doing their best to work with her. They are throwing math at her, really trying to challenge her. Monday she was doing squares and cubes of numbers. She has not been interested in reading. She has not been reading that much at home, she never wants to read me her school book. I think she may find it boring, the stories are not that interesting but they are short stories with comprehension questions at the end and she really needs that. I'll have to come up with some more ideas on sparking her interest in reading again. I think we've been doing so much Math lately that we haven't had as much time for reading. We went to the library tonight and she jumps around on the types of books. She has been really into playing lately, constantly asking me if she can just play. We did Spanish and math class yesterday and then it was time for dinner and I asked her to set the table. She cried because she didn't get enough time to play. Of course when we were doing class, she kept asking me for more work.
Since I observed class on Monday, I got a better look at K working. She really takes up a lot of the teacher's time, she's finished with her work and wants more. BUT she is always alone. It's like having a 3rd grader in the classroom. The teachers have been doing their best to work with her. They are throwing math at her, really trying to challenge her. Monday she was doing squares and cubes of numbers. She has not been interested in reading. She has not been reading that much at home, she never wants to read me her school book. I think she may find it boring, the stories are not that interesting but they are short stories with comprehension questions at the end and she really needs that. I'll have to come up with some more ideas on sparking her interest in reading again. I think we've been doing so much Math lately that we haven't had as much time for reading. We went to the library tonight and she jumps around on the types of books. She has been really into playing lately, constantly asking me if she can just play. We did Spanish and math class yesterday and then it was time for dinner and I asked her to set the table. She cried because she didn't get enough time to play. Of course when we were doing class, she kept asking me for more work.
Monday, January 22, 2007
First day of school and Kaya
Today was C's first day at Montessori school. He did so well. I was very impressed with him. He's not shy like K. I remember her first day. (I observed both of them through the mirror/glass). K just sat on the floor and waited for the teacher to notice she was finished. C goes right up to the teacher and asks questions. He really interacted with the other kids too. Of course, tonight when you say did you like school? he says No. Just like I thought he would.
Tonight was Book Club. The book was Kaya and Lone Dog. K has a Kaya like doll so she really enjoys Kaya. They had deer meat, salmon and dried cranberries. K liked deer meat. They also made medicine bags. She really enjoys this group and is slowly starting to open up to some of the girls. It usually takes her some time to open up. Now that we are not carpooling to school - Coleman switched to afternoons - she's finally comfortable carpooling and even went out to breakfast with Coleman and his Mom on the last carpool day.
Tonight was Book Club. The book was Kaya and Lone Dog. K has a Kaya like doll so she really enjoys Kaya. They had deer meat, salmon and dried cranberries. K liked deer meat. They also made medicine bags. She really enjoys this group and is slowly starting to open up to some of the girls. It usually takes her some time to open up. Now that we are not carpooling to school - Coleman switched to afternoons - she's finally comfortable carpooling and even went out to breakfast with Coleman and his Mom on the last carpool day.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Snow
We finally have some flurries today. It has been so mild this January and rainy. I like it being mild. Hopefully February won't be as black a month for me this year. We have been so busy with all these decisions and things going on. We've been reading Guiding the Gifted Child, Smart Boys, Smart Girls, Genius Denied A Nation Decieved and on and on. I was reading The Well Trained Mind too. I really liked it but I'll have to get back to that after we figure out everything else.
K spent the night with her cousin at Grandma's on Sunday because of the holiday. She was emotional when she returned. She wanted to stay longer and the crying goes on and on. I'm not sure how to help. I'm supportive and then after hours of it, I start to lose my patience. I know she is very emotional and I have to let her cry it out sometimes but it's hard when it doesn't end.
C had special time with just Mom and Dad. I think he really enjoyed it. He's such a joy. We were watching football and Dad was trying to get C interested and said "Go Bucks!". C said "Dad, the Bucs aren't playing in this game". So true.
I'm so confused about the school situation. I still have not done my resolutions for 2007.
K spent the night with her cousin at Grandma's on Sunday because of the holiday. She was emotional when she returned. She wanted to stay longer and the crying goes on and on. I'm not sure how to help. I'm supportive and then after hours of it, I start to lose my patience. I know she is very emotional and I have to let her cry it out sometimes but it's hard when it doesn't end.
C had special time with just Mom and Dad. I think he really enjoyed it. He's such a joy. We were watching football and Dad was trying to get C interested and said "Go Bucks!". C said "Dad, the Bucs aren't playing in this game". So true.
I'm so confused about the school situation. I still have not done my resolutions for 2007.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Top Things from 2006
1 Watching K and C grow and learn. Spending time as a family.
2 Getting K tested and starting down that path of doing. Researching and learning about her special needs. Joining a support group.
3 Family reunion
4. Visited my sister and her kids 3 times this year. The cousins have a good relationship.
5 Spending time with cousins and family in the area.
6 Building a relationship with grandparents.
7 Recognizing my own issues and my own baggage from childhood.
8 Painting many rooms in the house.
9 Going to Disney World and having a great family vacation.
10 Swimming laps. K swimming on the swim team. C jumping off the board and gaining confidence.
2 Getting K tested and starting down that path of doing. Researching and learning about her special needs. Joining a support group.
3 Family reunion
4. Visited my sister and her kids 3 times this year. The cousins have a good relationship.
5 Spending time with cousins and family in the area.
6 Building a relationship with grandparents.
7 Recognizing my own issues and my own baggage from childhood.
8 Painting many rooms in the house.
9 Going to Disney World and having a great family vacation.
10 Swimming laps. K swimming on the swim team. C jumping off the board and gaining confidence.
Back on schedule
I just realized that I have not written in awhile. School started back on Wednesday. C starts school Jan 22nd. I don't think he is very excited about it though. He'll be going 3 days a week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. K and I have been making more of an effort to homeschool in the afternoons. We did an hour of math on Wednesday. I have the Singapore Math 1B book. I got it in December and she's 1/2 way through it. D thinks it is too easy but I think there are concepts in there that we have not covered. K is still doing lots of math at school too. She's always asking to do math. We are also working on writing a book. I need to work on my resolutions and top ten from 2006.
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