Daddy had a surprise day off last Friday - Yay!
We voted on what to do with our special day. Ice Skating? Movies? Day trip? Beach?
Drum roll please........ beach + bonfire was the winner!
I'd love to post photos, but we took them on our "borrowed" cell phone. Our real cell phone had to be sent in for repairs, and this loaner one from Docomo is all in Kanji - can't figure out how to access the photos we took. Grrrr, frustrating.
Maybe I can give you a visual with words:
Drove up onto the beach and parked next to our bonfire site. Kids took off to play on the shore while daddy got the fire started and I set up "camp". The baby was in awe of the mighty roaring ocean.
After the kids got cold and the sky grew dim, we started roasting our hot dogs. Mmmm, they are so much better roasted on an open fire. We tried to bribe Aden to eat a hot dog. We promised him a new Wii game (seriously?? Bribing a child to eat a hot dog is so ridiculous. He is not a fan of meat.) He wouldn't do it!!
We had some Smores for dessert and sat around the bonfire with sticky fingers. Out come the wipes!
Daddy grabbed his mandolin and started to play the songs he's been learning. It was such a beautiful night. We broke down camp and did a little star gazing before heading back home.
I love that we are able to take days off of school whenever we want to seize these great moments. :)
That was Friday... now it's Monday.
Another Monday, yay! God is good, we're doing great, but I've got a case of the "blah's".
Aden finished his work by noon today, he's such a little smarty pants. Camryn isn't feeling well, so she's laying down right now and has only finished two subjects today, Language & Bible. Kid's chores are done and daddy is on day shift. Praise the Lord for that! We all do so much better when our schedule is "normal". :)
School is going well. I'm thinking about getting some more books for Aden. The Lifepacs that came in are wonderful, but Aden is up for more challenging work. I'm going to supplement a few Abeka K5 things to go along with what we are doing. (Blend Ladders, readers, maybe more?). I've found a lot of free stuff online, since I know exactly what to look for. I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable with homeschooling.
I'm posting our schedule here for two reasons. 1) So that the family back home can see what we're up to. 2) It might help someone else set up a schedule for their own homeschool. :)
I don't post the times, because it changes daily for us. When we have a late night at church, or a day of family fun, we'll get started an hour or so later than normal. On average, book work doesn't start until 9-10 am. The kids' day is started around 7 am everyday, at least that one is constant. :)
Camryn's Days (4th Grade):
Get up, get ready.
Eat breakfast, clean room.
Self care (brush teeth, wash face, etc), chores.
Pledges, Songs, & Prayer (with mom, Aden, & Jo)
Bible
Language
Math
Lunch
Social Studies (History & Geography)
Science
Break
Piano Practice
Art or Health (switch every other day)
Break
Typing
Free time
This changes on days when we have appts, friends over, etc. But it's been going well so far.
Aden's Days (K5):
Get up, get ready.
Eat breakfast, clean room.
Self care (brush teeth, wash face, etc), chores.
Pledges, Songs, & Prayer (with mom, Camryn, & Jo)
Language
Math
Break
Flash Cards (he's loving addition already, and he's only 4! Yes, we're only doing the zero and one addition families, but he still amazes me.)
Japanese (We were doing this with Camryn too, but she already has too much in her schedule.)
Lunch
Reading
Free Time
Guitar
Free Time
Josiah's Day:
Pretty much just eat, sleep, & play. He loves song time and reading time. The rest of the time he plays well on his own. He'll be walking soon! Then I'll really be a busy mom...
Have a great week everyone! ;)
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A New Groove
While everyday we are doing basically the same things (the 3 r's and such), at times I see the need for a revamping of our schedule or adding something new to keep things interesting.
Over the weekend I read some books on housekeeping, personal care, and homeschooling. I was moved to try some new things to get the kids excited about helping around the house. One statement in the book on housekeeping really got me - productive and responsible children will grow into productive and responsible adults.
So chores, NOT slave work, are needed. Even though it seems so much easier to just do everything myself, I am not helping my household by doing that. The more my kids help, the more they feel needed here in our home.
I've done chore systems at different times, but here is what we are doing right now and my kids LOVE it (so far) :)
I made three "flower pots" out of Styrofoam cups, one for Aden, one for Camryn, and one marked "chores". In the morning, they will pick three "chore flowers" from the "chores" pot to do at our designated chore time. They will place it in their flower pot and do their morning chores.
The "chore flowers" are just flowers made from construction paper and taped to a dowel. These flowers have age-appropriate chores written on them (wipe walls, pick up toys, dry dishes, fold laundry, etc.).
Aden loves it, and even though Camryn is older - she really got into it as well.
By the way, I found this system online somewhere - I can't take credit for coming up with it. :)
Another change, we incorporated Japanese into our day. We did that a few years back, we tried out two different programs, but it was just too much. I ended up giving that up.
Now we are using a program that just takes 10 minutes of review a day. Then practicing a few Nihongo words every day.
The DOD schools, from what I hear, don't offer Japanese until 7th grade here. Anyone know if that's correct or not? The only (few) kids I know that have learned Japanese are those that are put into all-Japanese schools off-base. They are saturated by the culture that way and forced to learn it. That is one thing I wish we had done, at least for a while. But, oh well, they've still experienced a lot of the culture here. Any of you Misawa folks have info on Kumon?
We live about 10 minutes off-base and have a good mix of Japanese and American neighbors on our street. Also, Camryn's piano teacher is Japanese, she comes every Monday. So... we have ample opportunities to practice. It's easy not to because so many of the Japanese here speak English. :) But... new goal... times almost up here! We need to take advantage of it.
Piano practice is going better since implementing a reward sticker system. She gets a dollar for each sticker on her chart, for 1/2 hr of practice. She can make around $30 a month if she's faithful to it.
Working so far... we'll see. :)
Have a great day everyone!
Over the weekend I read some books on housekeeping, personal care, and homeschooling. I was moved to try some new things to get the kids excited about helping around the house. One statement in the book on housekeeping really got me - productive and responsible children will grow into productive and responsible adults.
So chores, NOT slave work, are needed. Even though it seems so much easier to just do everything myself, I am not helping my household by doing that. The more my kids help, the more they feel needed here in our home.
I've done chore systems at different times, but here is what we are doing right now and my kids LOVE it (so far) :)
I made three "flower pots" out of Styrofoam cups, one for Aden, one for Camryn, and one marked "chores". In the morning, they will pick three "chore flowers" from the "chores" pot to do at our designated chore time. They will place it in their flower pot and do their morning chores.
The "chore flowers" are just flowers made from construction paper and taped to a dowel. These flowers have age-appropriate chores written on them (wipe walls, pick up toys, dry dishes, fold laundry, etc.).
Aden loves it, and even though Camryn is older - she really got into it as well.
By the way, I found this system online somewhere - I can't take credit for coming up with it. :)
Another change, we incorporated Japanese into our day. We did that a few years back, we tried out two different programs, but it was just too much. I ended up giving that up.
Now we are using a program that just takes 10 minutes of review a day. Then practicing a few Nihongo words every day.
The DOD schools, from what I hear, don't offer Japanese until 7th grade here. Anyone know if that's correct or not? The only (few) kids I know that have learned Japanese are those that are put into all-Japanese schools off-base. They are saturated by the culture that way and forced to learn it. That is one thing I wish we had done, at least for a while. But, oh well, they've still experienced a lot of the culture here. Any of you Misawa folks have info on Kumon?
We live about 10 minutes off-base and have a good mix of Japanese and American neighbors on our street. Also, Camryn's piano teacher is Japanese, she comes every Monday. So... we have ample opportunities to practice. It's easy not to because so many of the Japanese here speak English. :) But... new goal... times almost up here! We need to take advantage of it.
Piano practice is going better since implementing a reward sticker system. She gets a dollar for each sticker on her chart, for 1/2 hr of practice. She can make around $30 a month if she's faithful to it.
Working so far... we'll see. :)
Have a great day everyone!
Monday, September 20, 2010
First Tests Went Great!
Camryn received four A's and one B in her first round of tests. We haven't tested the electives yet (health and art), only Bible, Math, Science, Language, and Social Studies.
Science was 100%. Great job Camryn!
So... all you moms out there who force their son/daughter to take music lessons. How do you make your kids practice? We spend around $40 a month on her piano lessons, and sometimes I feel that its a waste because she HATES to practice. She's been in lessons for almost four years, and her progress is much slower than I'd like.
I have to force her to practice. We have so many other things going on that make it hard to be on top of her for "extra" stuff. Ideas??
Science was 100%. Great job Camryn!
So... all you moms out there who force their son/daughter to take music lessons. How do you make your kids practice? We spend around $40 a month on her piano lessons, and sometimes I feel that its a waste because she HATES to practice. She's been in lessons for almost four years, and her progress is much slower than I'd like.
I have to force her to practice. We have so many other things going on that make it hard to be on top of her for "extra" stuff. Ideas??
Monday, September 13, 2010
No Books For Aden
After waiting all this time for his books, we found out that they had been shipped back to the company. Our wonderful post office... well, I won't go there. We never got a slip saying that the package was here. The address WAS correct and we check our mail daily, so ???
After talking with my mom, we decided it was best to go ahead and put him on the same program as Camryn. So now I am waiting for THAT package to get here.
I'm so ready to leave Misawa. :) Just a few more things we'd like to do before we go, then we're off to our next adventure. I'm hoping that we'll get to climb Mt Fuji... we'll see!
We've done the zoo, the caves, wild horses, and the local children's parks (Tonami, Statue of Liberty, train, Hachinohe).
We haven't done Sapporo Ice Festival, Mt. Fuji, and the Salmon Festival. So... more than half of what we wanted to do has been done. Not too bad considering how many times we've had to use our vacation time to travel back home to the states.
Camryn is doing well, working on corrections right now. We went and timed her on walk/running the mile. She's supposed to do it a few days in a row to see how fast she can get (Health). I'm thinking I will make this a weekly thing once this experiment is over. Aden actually got into it and didn't quit! He's wanting to do it with her.
Any other homeschoolers want to join us? We can make it a race!
Well, time to do some History w/ Aden. :)
Hopefully I'll be posting soon that we got his Lifepacs in! :)
After talking with my mom, we decided it was best to go ahead and put him on the same program as Camryn. So now I am waiting for THAT package to get here.
I'm so ready to leave Misawa. :) Just a few more things we'd like to do before we go, then we're off to our next adventure. I'm hoping that we'll get to climb Mt Fuji... we'll see!
We've done the zoo, the caves, wild horses, and the local children's parks (Tonami, Statue of Liberty, train, Hachinohe).
We haven't done Sapporo Ice Festival, Mt. Fuji, and the Salmon Festival. So... more than half of what we wanted to do has been done. Not too bad considering how many times we've had to use our vacation time to travel back home to the states.
Camryn is doing well, working on corrections right now. We went and timed her on walk/running the mile. She's supposed to do it a few days in a row to see how fast she can get (Health). I'm thinking I will make this a weekly thing once this experiment is over. Aden actually got into it and didn't quit! He's wanting to do it with her.
Any other homeschoolers want to join us? We can make it a race!
Well, time to do some History w/ Aden. :)
Hopefully I'll be posting soon that we got his Lifepacs in! :)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Two Weeks In...
Well, we are getting into somewhat of a rhythm.
First, the negatives:
1. My husband had to go and get put on swing shift, so things aren't running as smooth as I'd like...but we're still moving forward.
2. Aden's books are taking FOREVER to come in. They were shipped out Aug 1, and it's now Sept 2. He says that they aren't coming, lol. :)
The positives? Well, Camryn and I are getting alot closer.
We may look alike, but our personalities are quite different, so some days are hard. She's hands on, creative, and full of energy. Spelling and language are her least favorite (MY favorite) and she's quick to understand math concepts, science, geography, and of course, art. She is almost done with her first set of books (there are ten sets for the year - she does 2-5 pages a day, per subject). Overall she is doing fantastic.
Aden, well, let's just say he's gotten a lot more Wii time than ever. I've given him work pages and I read with him, but we are lacking structure. He is a quick learner and loves reading, so I'm not stressing too much about how late he's gonna be starting. Books...please come!!! Tomorrow would be nice! He's like me, he needs a good schedule and lots of busy work.
And Me? Thanks for asking...
Right now my living room is a disaster. The kids are making a diorama... not sure what the theme is, I just gave them materials and told them to go at it. Camryn is a great leader when it comes to art projects.
Oh... so it's a dining room. They just brought it in to show me. With a Japanese-style door, lol, and miniature furniture. Very detailed with pics on the walls and checkered floor tiles. Love it! They are too cute.
Camryn made me a spice bag for my desk after learning about spices in History/Geography today. It smells yummy, I think she used cinnamon. Or maybe pumpkin pie spice. Either way, I love it.
What a blessing to have my kids with me all day. :)
First, the negatives:
1. My husband had to go and get put on swing shift, so things aren't running as smooth as I'd like...but we're still moving forward.
2. Aden's books are taking FOREVER to come in. They were shipped out Aug 1, and it's now Sept 2. He says that they aren't coming, lol. :)
The positives? Well, Camryn and I are getting alot closer.
We may look alike, but our personalities are quite different, so some days are hard. She's hands on, creative, and full of energy. Spelling and language are her least favorite (MY favorite) and she's quick to understand math concepts, science, geography, and of course, art. She is almost done with her first set of books (there are ten sets for the year - she does 2-5 pages a day, per subject). Overall she is doing fantastic.
Aden, well, let's just say he's gotten a lot more Wii time than ever. I've given him work pages and I read with him, but we are lacking structure. He is a quick learner and loves reading, so I'm not stressing too much about how late he's gonna be starting. Books...please come!!! Tomorrow would be nice! He's like me, he needs a good schedule and lots of busy work.
And Me? Thanks for asking...
Right now my living room is a disaster. The kids are making a diorama... not sure what the theme is, I just gave them materials and told them to go at it. Camryn is a great leader when it comes to art projects.
Oh... so it's a dining room. They just brought it in to show me. With a Japanese-style door, lol, and miniature furniture. Very detailed with pics on the walls and checkered floor tiles. Love it! They are too cute.
Camryn made me a spice bag for my desk after learning about spices in History/Geography today. It smells yummy, I think she used cinnamon. Or maybe pumpkin pie spice. Either way, I love it.
What a blessing to have my kids with me all day. :)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Sick Day :(
Only on week one of the school year, and we already have a sick day!
Guess I need to call the school and let them know, pick up her absent work, and get a doctor's note. Oh wait... no I just have to rework the dates in her books and start again as soon as she feels up to it. lol :)
The kids were out playing in the sprinklers and kiddy pool yesterday at a friends house. I was thinking that Aden might get sick from it, but low and behold... it was Camryn who ended up sick today. That's alright, they had a good time and I'm sure the sickness will pass soon.
A lesson in thoughtfulness:
Last night I was doing the third sinkful of dishes (we don't have a dishwasher), and I sighed and said "I wish I had a daughter that would see me working so hard and say 'Mom, can I help you? You look tired, go sit down and I will do this for you'." My daughter got up and sighed loudly, rolled her eyes, and came to help dry the dishes.
We had a good talk about how I have OCD and she has more of an I-don't-care-what-the-house-looks-like attitude. Instead of getting upset with eachother, we laughed about how we have such different outlooks. She said that she thinks I LOOK for things to do. Really?? I guess I can see where she gets that from, I'm always looking around to see what needs to be done. But my view is, I need to see it before someone else does or before it gets worse. She said that the mess doesn't bother her at all. I'm thinking its a kid thing and she'll change her view as she gets older (I HOPE!).
Now, at the beginning of all this, I could have kept my mouth shut, kept doing the dishes, feeling like a slave and a martyr, and getting upset. But last night I chose to keep a light heart and make a joke of it. What a blessing it was to have that talk with Camryn last night. It showed me that most of the time I am way to serious about my work and I need to lighten up a little. And I think it showed my daughter that its good to notice what others are doing and pitch in whenever possible.
Well, off to do the dishes, laundry, cooking, and some deep cleaning that I've been putting off... :)
Guess I need to call the school and let them know, pick up her absent work, and get a doctor's note. Oh wait... no I just have to rework the dates in her books and start again as soon as she feels up to it. lol :)
The kids were out playing in the sprinklers and kiddy pool yesterday at a friends house. I was thinking that Aden might get sick from it, but low and behold... it was Camryn who ended up sick today. That's alright, they had a good time and I'm sure the sickness will pass soon.
A lesson in thoughtfulness:
Last night I was doing the third sinkful of dishes (we don't have a dishwasher), and I sighed and said "I wish I had a daughter that would see me working so hard and say 'Mom, can I help you? You look tired, go sit down and I will do this for you'." My daughter got up and sighed loudly, rolled her eyes, and came to help dry the dishes.
We had a good talk about how I have OCD and she has more of an I-don't-care-what-the-house-looks-like attitude. Instead of getting upset with eachother, we laughed about how we have such different outlooks. She said that she thinks I LOOK for things to do. Really?? I guess I can see where she gets that from, I'm always looking around to see what needs to be done. But my view is, I need to see it before someone else does or before it gets worse. She said that the mess doesn't bother her at all. I'm thinking its a kid thing and she'll change her view as she gets older (I HOPE!).
Now, at the beginning of all this, I could have kept my mouth shut, kept doing the dishes, feeling like a slave and a martyr, and getting upset. But last night I chose to keep a light heart and make a joke of it. What a blessing it was to have that talk with Camryn last night. It showed me that most of the time I am way to serious about my work and I need to lighten up a little. And I think it showed my daughter that its good to notice what others are doing and pitch in whenever possible.
Well, off to do the dishes, laundry, cooking, and some deep cleaning that I've been putting off... :)
Monday, August 23, 2010
First Day of Fourth Grade
First day of school today for Camryn! We've been waiting on Aden's books to get here, but I finally decided that we've waited long enough.
Camryn got started, and I did a few work pages with Aden and had reading circle time. It worked out nicely.
By far, Camryn's art class is the most intriguing of the curriculum. She learned about straight and curved lines. She had a drawing assignment right off the bat, and really enjoyed it. It only took her two hours to complete all of her work for the day... but I re-assured her that things will prove more difficult as the year goes on. :) She's quite happy with the amount of work so far. lol, just wait!!
So... fourth grade, am I smarter than a fourth grader?? Why didn't I know that cucumber is a fruit? And asparagus is part of the lily family? Wow, I felt really dumb a few times today, but that's alright. Now I know~! :) Keeps me young, and I love being able to give one-on-one attention to the kids. I know exactly what they need, where they fall short, where they excel, and how to help them!
Camryn is creative, smart, loving, loyal, and artistic. She did great today, so proud of her!!
I do have a college education, but what qualifies me to teach my kids is my love for them... not how much school I have under my belt. If anything, my formal education hinders me from seizing teachable moments. I tend to make things structured rather than giving my kids the freedom to learn from actual LIFE... what a concept!
Anyways, off my soapbox now. :)
I am so excited today, and I know that will fade as the drudgery of monotonous daily schedules sets in. :)
The only way I will make it through is with God's help and a heavenly focus.
One last note - Josiah was an angel today! I decided last night to go ahead and start him on formula. There are many reasons (humidity, teeth, time, etc). Today was his first full day of bottle feedings and regular food, and he was a champ! I had tried one time about a month ago to give him a bottle (this was after being bitten :)), and he didn't want anything to do with it. I had little hope that he would take to the bottle today, but I guess it was just God's timing. It worked out so perfectly and he's had no adverse reactions (as of yet).
Great day, all in all, and looking forward to tomorrow!
Camryn got started, and I did a few work pages with Aden and had reading circle time. It worked out nicely.
By far, Camryn's art class is the most intriguing of the curriculum. She learned about straight and curved lines. She had a drawing assignment right off the bat, and really enjoyed it. It only took her two hours to complete all of her work for the day... but I re-assured her that things will prove more difficult as the year goes on. :) She's quite happy with the amount of work so far. lol, just wait!!
So... fourth grade, am I smarter than a fourth grader?? Why didn't I know that cucumber is a fruit? And asparagus is part of the lily family? Wow, I felt really dumb a few times today, but that's alright. Now I know~! :) Keeps me young, and I love being able to give one-on-one attention to the kids. I know exactly what they need, where they fall short, where they excel, and how to help them!
Camryn is creative, smart, loving, loyal, and artistic. She did great today, so proud of her!!
I do have a college education, but what qualifies me to teach my kids is my love for them... not how much school I have under my belt. If anything, my formal education hinders me from seizing teachable moments. I tend to make things structured rather than giving my kids the freedom to learn from actual LIFE... what a concept!
Anyways, off my soapbox now. :)
I am so excited today, and I know that will fade as the drudgery of monotonous daily schedules sets in. :)
The only way I will make it through is with God's help and a heavenly focus.
One last note - Josiah was an angel today! I decided last night to go ahead and start him on formula. There are many reasons (humidity, teeth, time, etc). Today was his first full day of bottle feedings and regular food, and he was a champ! I had tried one time about a month ago to give him a bottle (this was after being bitten :)), and he didn't want anything to do with it. I had little hope that he would take to the bottle today, but I guess it was just God's timing. It worked out so perfectly and he's had no adverse reactions (as of yet).
Great day, all in all, and looking forward to tomorrow!
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