No pictures this post. This week has been rough. We have had winter storms, cranky kiddos, major meltdowns, and a lot of discussions. It has been a week to focus on character education for sure. We have been continuing our study of Egypt, reading lots of information and picture books about the topic. We have also just spent a lot of time reading to each other and talking about topics important to the kids. While in the car one day we were listening to Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants, and one of the songs is about making a test for a hypothesis, so I stopped the cd and asked the kids what they want to test. They decided they want to build a doorbell. Well they started it with Daddy, and it has morphed into them building an intercom so that I can call them down without having to yell upstairs. I am amazed by them every day, and frustrated by them, and frustrated by myself. Some days I just feel like I am failing in every possible way, and then they come up with something so amazing and I feel better. So recap of the week:
Monday: we had a playdate at the aquarium and celebrated Martin Luther King Jr Day, kids did their binder
Tuesday: we went swimming at a local pool, kids loved this, and so did we, we had a baking and cooking lesson with the kids, they worked in their brainquest workbooks and did some educational toys
Wednesday: they worked on their doorbell/intercom project, worked in our collection of dry erase books on handwriting math tracing mazes, they did their binder, pattern blocks, listening center, and pirate unit center, which is a collection of pirate themed age appropriate skills work like cutting pasting matching tracing reading etc.
Thursday: puzzles, crafting, lacing center, coloring, reading comprehension activities, character education, and center choice time, they have math magnet tracing and other centers to choose from, this was a jammie day, and much of the day was spent discussing consequences with CJ for his naughty behavior, and trying to figure out why this behavior was occurring, so a lot of time was spent just talking with him, and we never got out of our pajamas
Today: while there are several things on our "plans" I don't think much will happen today, we have to go grocery shopping and Eliza is spending the weekend at my parents' house as a reward for being so good this week, their idea not mine :) We may continue our Egypt unit and do some art, but we will see, it has been a rough week on all of us
Next week we will have another trip to the aquarium and maybe to the Florence Griswold Museum, as we didn't go to our scheduled art class this week due to weather. All of what I list here is what I consider to be activities that are our school time each day, but there are always many other educational opportunities and activities in our house each day. We try to have a home that encourages learning everywhere, and encourages creativity and question asking. Everyday I vow to do better and try to teach the kids the same, to always try their best, and be themselves. It is so important to remember that their love of learning is what will continue them on this journey, not what they know. So we try daily to foster their love of learning and their creative thinking more than their acquisition of specific knowledge. I do find though, that they acquire knowledge at a truly frightening rate. I can't keep up some days :) They are teaching me so much, and I am looking forward to the coming week, learning from what went wrong this week. And the journey continues.
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