New Horizons

We spent almost an hour and a half at the senior center today.  We brought some pumpkins, and helped fold pamphlets for mailing, and everyone kept saying how cute the kids are, and are they twins?  My grandmother was so proud, that it made my day.  It made it okay that our schedule went out the window today.  We still got quite a bit accomplished.  We did some work with the letter N, reading N stories, and singing the sound.  We also spent a lot of time on shapes, sorting attribute blocks, and finding the shapes all over the house.  We also covered three dimensional shapes, rectangular prisms, cubes, cylinders, etc.  We read several books and took it easy today.  It was a very nice day.

I also am going to be taking on a new challenge.  A friend, Miria, has a son Mason who we have playdates with.  Miria works full time and her daycare is being provided by her sister in law who needs to go back to work.  So she asked me if I could do with Mason what I have been doing with CJ and Eliza.  So we will be doing school for three starting next week.  We are going to have a trial week to see how it goes, but I think it will be great for all of them.  It will require a little more prep and organization, but I am looking forward to the challenge.  I think it is important for CJ and Eliza to see that people all learn differently, and that different people have different skill sets, different knowledge, and different ways of solving problems.  This is a tough concept for them since they know the same things and work together so often.  They practically share a mind sometimes.  We are all looking forward to the challenge, and I am excited to try out some new lesson plans.  I found some great free or cheap resources online, and will post the sources soon.  Meanwhile I have some more work to do before bed.  Thanks for sharing our journey!

Rhyme Time

I continued to the next lesson from readinglessons.com today.  We listened to and sang Down by the Bay, paying close attention to the rhyming pairs.  We played a rhyming game from the Disney website, and another two rhyming games from the PBSkids website.  (Where they also have printout activities to go with the Cat in the Hat show!)  We used rhyming word cards to make our own verses to Down by the Bay, which the kids thought was hilarious.  We spent time all during the day listing all the words we could think of that rhymed.  When I asked them what rhymed with bay, they came up with tons of words.  We talked about how words are made up of several sounds, and that the ending sound is important in rhyming.  Onset and rime in teacher talk.  We matched pairs of rhyming cards and played games with them as well.  We also sang lots of songs that have rhymes, and read several nursery rhymes together.  Both kids noticed how often they use rhymes while watching the Cat in the Hat.

During our math time we focused on patterns.  I drew a simple two shape pattern, and they told me what came next.  Then I made a slightly more complicated pattern and they again had to continue it.  They were able to identify and continue many patterns, and of course this helps them identify shapes and colors too.  We talked again about shape attributes, and sorted some shapes.  We spent a lot more time on lesson stuff today, since it poured all day and we had to stay inside.  Again, our schedule worked really well, and we were all able to accomplish a lot today. 

We also talked about science.  On Sesame Street the episode was about the Happy Scientists, and they talked about hypothesis and investigation.  Now since we watch Dinosaur Train, the kids know what a hypothesis is, and were excited to see this somewhere else.  All day CJ has been making hypotheses and testing to see if he was right.  We also listened to their bug music.  A great cd we borrowed from the library, and then had to find since they loved it so much.  They know so much about animals, animal types, and science in general.  Rich and I are going to figure out a simple science experiment we can do with them some weekend.  In November, after all the amazing Walktober activities we are going to do.  This weekend we will visit one of the Farmer's Cow farms, and Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm.  The kids are excited to see the animals.  I am excited to get some turkey pot pies! 

Tomorrow we start some more intense work with individual letters.  I am really hoping to get CJ more interested in writing, since he is so interested in reading.  It still amazes me that he is able to read and spell so many words.  For math activities we are going to continue talk about patterns, and talk about sets.  Compare and contrast items in a set, and identify things that don't belong.  For example a square, a rectangle, a triangle and a rhombus.  The triangle doesn't fit, because it is the only shape that isn't a quadrilateral.  I am trying to teach them to describe and explain their thinking.  Metacognition is the most difficult part for most children, and adults.  It is not easy to think about your thinking, but is vital to lasting knowledge.  I have some printouts that go with the Down by the Bay song to help with this activity, as it requires the child to identify the part of the set that doesn't belong.  I will have them explain why it doesn't belong.  Later I will have them put some of their rhyme cards in sets.  There are several vehicles, animals, and other items that will be easy to sort.  I know we will be using those websites to do more literacy games as well.  The kids loved them and it helps teach computer literacy. 

So to recap, love the new routine, and it seems to be working for everyone, naps and bedtime have been smooth.  Meals have been handled easier, as is the no food anywhere but kitchen rule.  And the kids are less bored, so less cranky and whiny, which makes me happier and less stressed.  Continuing with the rhyme time theme I wrote a sappy little poem for my sweeties.  They are so empathetic, and always want to help people.  They are sweet to each other, and to people they don't know.  CJ and Eliza do not want to go trick or treating, because they want to be home to give away the candy.  They said it is their favorite part about Halloween.  We are bringing our extra tiny pumpkins from the garden to the senior center tomorrow, so that the seniors can enjoy them.  The kids are thoughtful in a way beyond their years, and we of course want to foster this, so any suggestions on age appropriate service projects would be greatly appreciated.

The kids are cute, adorable true,

and oh so clever and smart.

But my favorite thing about them is, 

the amazing breadth of their hearts. 

Every day they amaze us all

With all they learn and know.

And even more they show concern

For others as they grow.

I want them to be safe and well

and to be an amazing team.

And every day they show me up,

With kindness beyond my dreams.

Organized Chaos

Last week it dawned on me why the kids weren't behaving as well, and why it seemed like I had too much to do and not enough time.  The kids were bored and I was disorganized.  Both stemmed from our general lack of a routine.  Now we have always had a basic routine of our day, but since we started the alphabet days, where we had a much more structured day, the kids seem to respond much better to having that schedule of expectations.  I of course do better when I have a plan, and time built in to the day to complete what I need to.  So last week I did lesson plans, not too in depth, but a basic guide of what I wanted to accomplish each day.  I am also using lessons from readinglessons.com, a fantastic free resource.  I mapped out a basic daily schedule, and while I am not going to be rigid about it, it is nice having a plan and an idea of how I want my day to go.  It also means that we plan time for our daily reading, our outside time, and Sesame Street.  I know I will have an hour to do a lesson.  I know I will have an hour to get dinner ready.  It takes off a lot of stress.  I even built in time for me to exercise.  And I have to tell you that it really worked well today. 

I got up at 6, exercised, did some yoga, had coffee with Rich, and had a bath all before the kids got up.  We had breakfast, cleaned up, and did the first lesson.  We watched Sesame Street, then went on the porch to play (since it was raining and we couldn't go in the yard.)  We had lunch, then went upstairs to play with play dough.  We read a Butterfly Alphabet Book, and the kids went down for a nap.  And nap they did, they went right to sleep.  Last couple of weeks nap time has been rough, crying, fussing, and no sleeping.  Which of course led to some extremely cranky evenings.  After they napped, which gave me time to fold 3 loads of laundry and diapers, we made a red poster.  They love all the number and letter posters so we are starting color posters.  On large piece of red construction paper we glued computer paper that the kids drew pictures on with red crayon.  I wrote out names of things they told me that are red, and the word red.  It looks pretty good.  I also wrote a sentence telling what the kids drew.  After that we did another mini lesson, and some free play time upstairs in the playroom while I put laundry away.  When Rich got home he took them for a walk so CJ could use his new umbrella, and I got started on dinner, and some cleaning.  The kids watched Animusic, while I got dinner ready, and we ate dinner at a reasonable time, got cleaned up and had some time to play with the kids before bath, stories and bed.  The day ran really smoothly and we all got a lot accomplished with a minimum of fuss.  It felt pretty great.

The first lesson today from readinglessons.com was all about listening, and involved sound patterns, identifying sounds, identifying missing sounds, and being a good listener.  We sang Baa Baa Black Sheep, they had to tell me when I made a mistake.  We sang Old MacDonald, and I would describe an animal for them to sing about.  We had a couple of worksheets to go with it from the Kididdles website, that matched a number to a picture showing that many.  They went with the songs, and the kids loved them and did great.  The other mini lesson I did today was to introduce the kiddos to charts and graphs.  Sid the Science Kid mentioned them and the kids seemed interested so I made a super simple chart and graphs showing the same information, involving the favorite colors of CJ, Eliza, Memere, Pepere, Mommy and Daddy.  Two of us like red, two blue, one pink and one green.  The kids already know this information so I was able to show them a bar graph, circle graph, and basic chart.  While this is beyond what they need to know, I like to capitalize on anything they show interest in, and they enjoyed learning about them.  It sets the stage for later on when it will make more sense.  We hung the graphs and chart on our learning wall with everything else, so they will see them all the time. 

This past weekend the kids slept over at Meme and Pepe's so that Daddy and I could go to a concert.  They Might Be Giants was at Mohegan Sun, for free in the Wolf Den.  One of my favorite bands ever.  One of my favorite things about them is their focus on educational music that caters to adults and children.  They do the music for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, among many other things.  We bought the album Here Comes Science, which has a song about being a paleontologist, a song about what shooting stars are, and it goes on and on.  We listened to it today, and once I explained that these people really aren't scary giants, no matter what they call themselves, the kids loved it!  If you don't own any They Might Be Giants albums, you really should find one.  Awesome!

So while we were organized today, it was still as chaotic as one would expect with a two year old and three year old as precocious as my two are.  I really feel though that this new schedule and planning will benefit us all so much.  Chaos is fine, as long as it has some purpose.  Kids need some time to decide what to do, make choices, make mistakes, and just play as children should.  But kids also need and want to be told what to do.  They need to feel safe and taken care of, and to have clear expectations, and limits.  Having a plan helps us all with creating clear expectations and it makes me feel more in control.  It makes me feel like I am driving on this journey rather than just being along for the ride.  And that is a great feeling.

The Hansen Farm

So the kids have finally calmed down their temper tantrums.  Tomorrow we have dental appointments, Eliza's first cleaning, CJ's second.  Starting Monday we will have a whole new daily schedule.  I need to do this for my own sanity.  I will not be strict about it, but I need to make time for certain things in my day, namely exercise.  I also need the kids to know that they will be expected to do activities of my choosing at certain times.  It needs to be an expected part of our lives.  The kids loved knowing what to expect with our letter days, and I think they miss that.  I know I do.  During nap time today I spent quite some time planning "lessons" for the next couple of weeks.  I figured out what I want to do each day, and built myself a sort of schedule so that I know I can do all that I need to.  I think this will help me be more organized and consistent with the kids learning.  I want it to be so integrated into our day that education is second nature to us all. 

So we spent some time outside today, and I took some wonderful pictures, that I thought you might like to see.

They were pretending to be farmers today, and then Eliza decided she would be an explorer in the beautiful jungle garden.  CJ then became an entomologist, so he could study all the amazing insects in the yard.  His words, not mine!  One of our projects next week is to use insect stamps or stickers to make a number book.  One monarch butterfly, two bumble bees, etc.  I think they will love it!  Plus it will lead into so much about insect attributes and life cycles.  Metamorphosis is already a word they are familiar with, so we will be able to study it in action in the yard.  Woo hoo science! 

We counted all the different types of vegetables today and discussed what we can still do in the garden now that summer is over.  We talked about how we need to plan for our garden next year.  Eliza requested that we grow purple string beans, as that is one of her favorite veggies at the farmers' markets.  CJ's request is more red beets and orange carrots! 

Tomorrow, they have planned our entire dinner.  Chicken tenders, mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots and broccoli, with homemade pudding for dessert.  We talked about menu planning, and making a grocery list after you plan your menu.  These life skills are so important and often not taught to children anymore. 

Thank you for reading this tangle of thoughts today, tune in next week for a more cohesive and informative read.  For now, just enjoy some pretty pictures!

The Dichotomy of the Toddler

The past few days have pretty much been one long power struggle.  They decide they won't eat, so I decide they stay in their chairs until they eat.  I say it is time to clean up, and they decide it is time to dump out all the toys.  Eliza now thinks that saying I don't feel good is a magic phrase that means she doesn't have to listen.  CJ thinks that he gets to eat only what he wants to, whenever he wants to.  It is difficult because I don't want them to feel unloved and I don't want to destroy their creativity or independence, but they WILL listen, and they WILL do what they are told.  They need this to be safe, they need this for me to be able to teach them effectively, and they need this so I don't throw them out the door.  It is lucky for them that they made it through the day alive today.  We read, and they decide they are done with that book.  I tell them to show me a letter, and they say they will show me a letter they choose.  AAAUUURGGH!  Long frakking day!  Actually week, it has been almost a week of this.  I shouldn't complain, because they are so sweet and smart and generally well behaved, but I guess that is why this is so difficult, because they are usually such good listeners.  I just don't want my kids to be brats, I love them too much for that. 

We are having another playdate this week, which we are really looking forward to.  In fact I asked the kids today if they would like to have a special snack or meal that day, and Eliza wants cheese and crackers.  I told her we had no crackers, so she said, that's ok Mommy, we can make some.  So we are.  Just call me a glutton for punishment.  Having a two and three year old help me make wheat thins is not an easy task.  But well worth it I think.  We are making some whole grain newton cookies tomorrow.  I love baking with the kids, since we talk about so many things while we do it.  We discuss numbers and science and nutrition.  We talk about temperature and measuring, and why we do things a certain way.  They ask great questions, and they LOVE to help out.  Today they helped me clean the deck, and we talked about why the weather is changing.  We talked about autumn and what happens in autumn, Halloween and Thanksgiving.  We talked about deciduous trees again, and we talked about what needs to be done in the garden and why.  I really integrate education into every aspect of our day, whether I intend to or not, just by the way I talk to them, question them, and inform them of things.  This would be a great system if they didn't totally ignore me some days.  I am exaggerating, they don't ignore me so much as try to steer the conversation to what they want.  Normal, I know.  They go from being maniac monsters to being so sweet with each other.  CJ started crying because he couldn't have what he wanted, so Eliza brought him his favorite toy, gave him a hug, and said it is ok, I love you big brother.  Seriously.  CJ always wants to share things with Eliza (unless she actually wants the toy he is playing with) and they always give hugs and kisses to each other.  But then it will take an hour of screaming and fussing and stress before they eat a meal they always love.  They certainly have extremes.  We get through the day with a lot of patience, some threatening when the day has gotten too long, and lots of laughter when possible.  I am honest with them.  If I get too angry I tell them.  They need to leave me alone for a bit to calm down.  They know when to stay out of my face.  Then they will run up, give me a fierce hug and say I just love you so much Mommy.  Does it get any better than that?

Terrifying Tantrums

So I was far too exhausted Friday to even attempt to update this blog.  We went to playgroup at Wequonnoc, and the kids had a great time.  I was able to talk to some other moms and discuss some ideas for potty training and field trips.  All was going well, though Eliza kept mooching snacks off of every adult who would pour her juice and get her a graham cracker.  When it became time to clean up and get ready to go, we had some difficulty getting both of them to help.  CJ was asked if he would like to help, and he said, "I would like to, but no I can't."  As everyone was laughing I explained to him that it was ok to help before he finished his snack.  So he helped clean up, and then Eliza began a temper tantrum.  As I was trying to deal with that, CJ finished cleaning up, and went to fix himself a snack, pouring Goldfish crackers all over the table.  He doesn't do this at home!  I was so embarrassed, and it took forever to get both of them ready to go.  I literally had to wrap my hand tightly around Eliza's bicep and carry/drag her the 1/2 mile home, since we walk to playgroup.  She continued with this full out screaming temper tantrum for another 20 minutes at home.  She kept trying to throw herself on the ground crying while we were walking home, and I was getting a little freaked out.  By the time they woke up from their nap, which was way too short, and both of them were still exhausted, the only education we accomplished was discussing ancient Chinese culture while I held Eliza and we all watched Mulan.  Saturday CJ had a total meltdown temper tantrum during dinner at my parents' house.  By today, we just were all exhausted, and the kids are finally getting the lesson of do what we ask when we ask because we always have a good reason.  We spent the day working in the garden, and cooking, and playing some video games.  We have also made a new rule, no food or drink anywhere but the kitchen or dining room, and only at the table, unless we are having a floor picnic.  I have spent the week trying to get the house a little cleaner and more organized, and we need to keep it that way.  I just keep reminding myself that the kids are only two and only three, and any amount of educational activity we do is more than they would be getting at daycare.  They are younger than most preschool students and they know so much.  I will not beat myself up for not making every day lesson filled.  I will do what I can when I can, and I will have happy, healthy children who know how to help in the house, and how to amuse themselves.  And they will make mistakes, and we will have bad days, but our house will be full of love and laughter.  We will take care of each other, and be good examples for each other.  We will try and make the world a better place and learn from our mistakes.  We will sing and read and write and play and bake and cook and garden.  We will do all these things together, and become a stronger family.  And Mommy will not freak out when the kids have the inevitable temper tantrums.

Mommy Growing Up

What a day.  CJ is continuing to tell us stories, with clear beginnings, middles, and ends.  Eliza continues to listen actively to him.  We went on some errands that came up today, and spent some time in the car.  So we counted mailboxes, trees that have started to change colors, and we looked for many things of differing colors.  We counted items we saw at the playground, and we talked about the seasons.  We learned about deciduous trees, and what happens to them in autumn.  We even talked about some history driving through the historic parts of Norwich today.  I really missed having that quiet day at home I was looking forward to, and all the activities I had planned, but life rarely does what I want it to.  The kids have to learn that lesson, and so do I.  I just hope every day, that whatever I do will be enough.  I know there is no way to always do it right, but I just want to do as much as I can for them.  A day lost here and there won't affect things in the long run, but as I struggle to find the right way for us, I sometimes fall back on the type of teaching I was used to in the public school system.  I fear the "wasted day", but there is no such thing in our homeschooling.  Every day they learn, and every day they teach me something new.  They are both growing so fast, and they are turning into such amazing people, but I miss my babies that napped on my shoulder and needed me for everything.  I cry a little every time they say no Mommy I can do it myself, even though I am crazy proud.  I am growing up along with them, and wow what a ride.