Wednesday went sooooo well, and I was genuinely concerned that we might find it a fluke. But it wasn't as today went JUST as well.
I have had a lot of questions and also a lot of people mistakenly think that Hannah Grace or myself have some sort of super-human-strength. None of the above is true. Here are some facts that I want to make sure to note:
- The grown-ups get tired. In fact we both tried to take frequent breaks to read and just shut our eyes for a few moments.
- There are definitely moments of drama. For example ... check out this video below. You'll note a few interesting things in this video:
- Ana is a tad frustrated about Roman numerals and needing some guidance. Hannah and I were trying to tell her that it is okay -- even we forget our Roman numerals sometimes.
- Kari was requesting additional instructions regarding her writing assignment. She was feeling like she wasn't able to write what was requested, but she ended up doing a great job!
- Isaac was doing his free-writing time on the "Annihilation of the Disney princesses." I kid you not. I forgot to catch him on film, but he's in the bottom corner smirking like crazy.
- Hannah may or may not say on the video: "Mama, I'm sitting on play dough to flatten it."
- At the end of this video, you will notice Sidge, who I asked to let Ritter out to go potty, has lost Ritter and forgotten he was watching him after a lizard captured Sidge's attention. This is a big deal as the front gate is left open right now for all the workers coming and going at our house. Arabelle is outside all the time by herself, but Ritter can disappear fast and go visit any of the neighbors. Sure enough, shortly after I stopped filming, Sidge came in saying he could not find the dog, and I had to jump on the four-wheeler and drive down the road to find him. Silly Ritter!
- As you watch this video take a look at the positives: community and working together! But don't kid yourself that everything is perfect.
We start off each morning with prayer, the Pledge, and then Drive-Thru History which is a super fun online video program that is really interesting, really well done, and really funny. This scene was especially exciting because it was about the country my ancestors are from (The Netherlands!) and talks a lot about it in this scene. I sent this video (below) to Mr. Tijmen. (Oh and we also worked on letters/pictures for Tijmen today that we plan to send him in a care package.)
We were very excited a few months back, when my Tante Janet (Aunt Jan) stumbled upon a group creating a British homeschool curriculum on character and virtues using The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. So far we are really enjoying the curriculum. And I tell you what, I am really enjoying getting my teaching hat back on. I have realized that I am not a young person's teacher. I am a high school teacher both by trade and in my heart. Having Gabe (7th grade) and Ana (6th grade) here is helping me slip back into that mode. Couple that with the fact that Hannah Grace is able to truly focus on our three younger kids and it works out great. Check out a quick video here of our lesson.
Once we finished with this discussion, the kids found quiet places to answer six questions on a passage from The Chronicles of Narnia. I am putting Abigail (who is considerably younger than the other kids at the table) with one of the older kids and having them "guide" her each time. This really works well. And it allows an older child the chance to "be" a teacher.
I have really decided that this Blog will continue to morph as I continue to age. I started this blog on July 12, 2005! I was not even closing in on my 30's yet. Now I am 41. It has changed and ebbed and flowed so many times. I really think that farming and homeschooling are really going to be dominating the Blog. As my kids age, they want less of their "personal lives" shared ... but I think my life is still pretty interesting, and truly, I am determined, that when I die, I will have a daily journal for my kids and grandkids to read.
I hope ya'll find this as fun as I do.
No comments:
Post a Comment