Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Lighten our darkness.

This is a theme for us at the moment - fire! We have been on retreat as a family, and (longer post to come) have spent a lot of time lighting fires, and praying about various things, including reading Pentecost and praying for the Holy Spirit to fill us anew and take us forward as a family.


Today I need to hang on to that, so I am lighting a fire here and now!


Junk Food

Of the educational kind.

At least that is what it is to me. I think teachers might call it something different "Getting on Activities" but that fills me with a bit of guilt if I let it!

Anyway. In view of all the sickness, theirs and mine, I decided we need something just readily getdownable from the shelf. Especially as LittleH#2 is so keen he wants to ask me for work all the time, so if I need to get something else ready I can let him get on with something from where he left off while I get the next thing out / printed off. I am glad he has this enthusiasm, it is giving me (LittleH#1) more direction and momentum.

So I went to the education shop, and bought Spelling Rules book A for LittleH#2, and Book C for LittleH#1. Both are a tiny bit easy in some ways, but LittleH#1 brought the first two books home from school when we left, and he loved doing it. Still does. LittleH#2's book is definitely too easy in many respects but he does need easy letter and writing practice, so there are still benefits in letting him do the book for fun. It is officially a Reception book, and he is officially in Reception. Though goodness knows where his English is on the scale.

I also bought some convenience maths food. Maths Plus. Again, a book we got from school for LittleH#1 and worked through, and I disliked a number of things about it so supplemented it with other things. I have stuck with the 'other things' but for a few different reasons I still think we should probably have that book on the shelf, for use in seasons! I got Books K and 1 for LittleH#2 (again book K has started off far too easy so it is the equivalent of a fun activity book in the early pages, though it is introducing concepts we probably ought to get through albeit quick). Later on in the book the ability level bears no relation to the first pages, so I do think it is a strange scheme. LittleH#1 is on Book 2.

The first morning, even with tonsilitis, I found LittleH#2 in the dining room at 6.15am setting himself up and beginning Spelling Rules. LittleH#1 is frustrated that his brother is already about 8 or 9 units into the book. Of course they are easier and a bit shorter, but also he is more motivated. I think that as long as it doesn't get out of hand, that little bit of competition (or maybe iron sharpening iron, even at their age) is quite good.

Anyway. They are decent curriculum books but not my curriculum of choice, hence seeing them as junk food. What they will do is ensure that some of the basics go on all the while, leaving me to do more creative and meaningful activities with them when I can, with less of the guilt that creeps up on me when we do it naturally.

Bible time is good again. We have had some brilliant reading times together, and they are really getting the hang of rotating a verse each and keeping up. Their reading is wonderful.

As for 'not junk food' I have ordered the First Language Lessons (Jessie Wise, I think?) from book depository for LittleH#2, although I think we will also benefit from doing it together with LittleH#1 because I would like to work on his oral language a bit - he freezes up when asked questions verbally sometimes, like narration.

I have plans also to do the Australian Traveller book / curriculum with them (kind of Australian five in a row), I just have to pluck up the courage to order it. I had a lovely time reading just to LittleH#3 yesterday afternoon "Are We There Yet" by Alison Lester, another Australian travel book.

Other self starting things they are doing at the moment is devouring space books (again, although this time LittleH#2 is a competent reader and told me some sun facts over breakfast). They were reading them this morning before 7, and I got the facts over my porridge - about sun spots and flares. I told them they are not allowed to learn before breakfast. ;) They loved that, I am not sure whether I should encourage play rebellion but anyway. That's my humour and there we are.

Later today we will face the music at the dentist. I am sure some school will come out of that. Maybe he can teach them to brush their teeth better than I can.

Hotwheels Maths!


I mentioned the hotwheels maths and haven't come back yet to say what we did. So here it is.


I wanted to introduce the idea to LittleH#2 of collecting data, and I was inspired by the boys at play a little while ago with their hotwheels track, complaining that the same lane or car kept winning.


I set them the task (this was possibly the hardest part!) of choosing only 4 cars and we decided which lane they would go on. I wrote them all on the white board (the cars had fantastic names that the boys copied down on the sheet I prepared for them). We did a number of races, and recorded which car won each time.


I then asked them to tally the number of races each car had won, and we recorded the data that way. Next step will be to make a simple bar chart displaying the race data.


It's all quite easy for LittleH#1 but I don't have a problem with that, he can work independently without my help, he can help LittleH#2 and it is revision for him.


Little H#3 was able to join in - we had him as the race starter, and I took photos of them all. Anyway, simple or not, it was a good afternoon's activity for them all together and is one of those (maybe not quite so rare) scholastic bliss moments. A terrible video, but here's one of the races all the same!!