But when an unmotivated child wants to....

She can label the parts of a spider and spit out words like "cephalothorax" and "abdomen"

My next goal? Folder game with the actual words! I know there is really no need for her to learn to recognize words like abdomen at this point in time, but I have to work with what I have. And you never know, she could very well grow up to be an entomologist.

The Unmotivated Child

Providence is not a motivated learner. She just doesn't care if she is not interested in it. In class, I imagine she would go to that magical world she has invented in her head. Sadly for her, she can't do that when it is just me and her.

I have found that I walk a very fine line between pushing her enough and pushing her too far. When the later happens, she shuts down and stops working. She doesn't want to try again or practice. If it's not easy there isn't anything in this world that will get her to do it. At least until she wants to.

I have to watch her closely. I have to pay attention to her frustration level, which presents itself as refusal to work. And then we stop. This is homeschooling, I don't have to make her keep going. She's not going to learn it anyway, if it becomes a battle.

I think that is a big problem in public education. I worked with kids with learning disabilities for a few years. They were all perfectly capable of doing everything given to them, but they didn't think they were capable. Too many years of hearing they were lazy or wrong made them feel like they shouldn't even try. And I have a feeling it started in Kindergarten. Each year another layer of feeling stupid was added and by the time they were in 8th grade the were DONE. No point in trying, if you are just going to fail, right?

I don't want that for Providence. I want her to feel capable and she wouldn't in a classroom of 22 kids. She won't work when Jackson is in the room. I am thinking it is because she is intimidated by him.

We spend a lot of the day letting her gain confidence in what she is passionate about. She plays and imagines a lot. We have fun coloring and painting and making messes and learning about science stuff that she loves.

Most importantly, I am learning to respect her when she tells me she is done. It takes a lot of self-control to not say, "Come on, let's just do this one more thing." It's never a good idea, because then we have a power struggle on our hands. "Are you done or do you want to do this?" works much better.

She will learn how to read and write. She will learn how to do all sorts of math. She will learn, but it won't count for anything if she doesn't think she is capable.

Schedule- The Reality

8:30-9:00am- Providence rolls her sleepy self out of bed
9:30-10:00ish- Calendar/Story Time
10:30-12:00ish: playground/errands/lunch
1:00ish- math time (I get about 10-15 minutes before it becomes a battle)
3:00- get Jackson
3:30ish- science time
Then the dinner/evening/other stuff
8:30- Magical time where I can get Providence to work. We do reading and writing, because those are her two least favorite things to do. She will sit with me and work for about 45 minutes to an hour.

That's the beauty of homeschool. I don't have to do traditional school at home. We can work at night if we want to. I really think that we made the best decision in keeping her home. Kindergarten would have been far from entertaining.

Unifex Cubes

I love them!

They are great for:
-counting
-sorting
-labeling color
-patters
-addition
-subtraction
-multiplication
-division
-measurement
-estimation
-keeping 2.5 year olds busy with building


pattern time

Fynn loves making patterns, too. (okay, when it doesn't interrupt his building)




I wasn't sure if Fynn could do patterns. I showed him an AB pattern and asked what came next. He knew it right away. Then I had him make his own and he did that with out a problem. We will continue to branch out on our patterns.

Folder Work

Or games. Games is better. Providence loves to play games. In fact, she picked this one up and completed it with out even being asked.

I found the butterfly folders at OfficeMax. I thought the work might easier to swallow if it came in a pretty package.

(see, she's even smiling)
She breezed through this activity, but it's still good practice. This site has some wonderful, free printable activities. Folder games are easy to make on your own. There is no point in doing the work if it's already been done for you, right?

The con to file folder games is that there a little time consuming to make. I covered mine with contact paper, because I had some on hand. It would be easier to just pay the money to have them laminated. It's not just that you cover the folder, you have to cover and cut out all the little pieces. I like them enough to do the work and they will be great for Providence to do at Jeremy's office. I have a couple I am working on for Fynn and an addition one for Jackson. It's just taking me a while to get them all done.

Fun at the River

We went to the playground and decided to go down to the river path. We had so much fun playing and looking at little fish. They ended up soaking wet and Fynn almost took off down a natural slide, but he clung to a rock for dear life. (don't worry, it was about 2 inches deep).

This is what it's about. They will have plenty of time to read and do math drills. Splashing in the river? That's magical.

Homeschooling Day 1

Well, it went about as well as I expected. It is always a good idea to set high goals with low expectations when it comes to anything with children. (at least that's what I think).

Here are some thoughts from Providence:

"Schoolwork is stupid."
"At Kindergarten all they do is play. They don't work!"
"I am not gonna do this!"
"I am tired of this."
"I'm going to bed." (that was the end of the evening when I told her she could go to bed or finish her work)

There were some highlights:
-She had fun learning about spiders.
-When she went to play on the computer (we bartered a little) she picked starfall. Then she kept asking to learn about more and more letters. I couldn't say no.

It will get better, I know. She will learn that mama means business. It's funny because she's upset that she isn't at school and Jackson is upset that he isn't at home. All he really told us was that first grade was boring and a lot of sitting, but PE was fun.

We started our day at the playground. I had to drive to two because Providence wanted to see if there were other kids at the playground. She's ready for her homeschooling friends. (I am looking for some, playdate anyone?)


Atticus took his morning nap.


These two had fun playing together.


We had storytime when we got home. She pretended not to listen, but she enjoyed the book. Fynn lasted for about 3 pages before we had to work on sitting and listening. He made it through with some help and some protesting. It's a goal for Fynn, so we will keep working on it.

We started her science journal. She decorated her cover page in her SPIDERS section. We also labeled and practiced saying the parts of a spider. I think she will have those down in a week or so. We watched some YouTube videos on spiders, which she and Fynn both liked. Spider eating mouse was a favorite.

Fynn worked on his prepositions. We played hide the animals. Fynn gets silly very quickly, so I am still not quite sure what he knows and what he doesn't.


In math, her workbook is mostly review. She breezed right through it, especially after I told her chocolate milk was on hold until she finished. Fynn and I worked on colors and patterns.

We did bible after Jackson got home. We talked about the armor of God. I found these cool printables on this website. I have only browsed the printables and crafts, so I am not making any promises about content. I liked what I saw in the coloring pages and crafts and it's all free. I think I will keep using it.



Reading and writing are the big trouble spots and we tried again at night. It went okay for about 5 minutes and then she was done. We will keep working on it. I did get her to write her name and some Ss for me. I would call it a small success.

I think it did reinforce why we decided to keep her home. With 21 other kids in the class, a teacher just doesn't have the time to make Providence do anything. Providence is perfectly happy not doing anything, unless she is made. It's a bad combination.

Strike That

Well, the queen has decided she wants to learn about spiders. Tarantula spiders.

So about spiders we will learn! (insert slight squirm on my part)

In fact, she wants to get a spider for a pet. I told her to ask her Ma.

So, our spider/insect lessons will entail:

-parts of a spider
-different types of spiders
-what spiders eat
-build a spider web
-build a model of a spider
-learn difference between spiders and bugs
-parts of an insect
-different types of insects
-build an insect
-maybe talk about the different kinds of animals, but that's a little ambitious.

I will incorporate insect/spider words into her copy work and phonics. We will really focus on 6 and 8 (number of legs) and how to divide those into two groups.

We are officially starting school tomorrow!

Schedules

I hear schedules are a good thing, so here goes. I am well aware that I am a loose schedule person. I also know that structure is good.

Work MDO Mon/Wed
8:15-1:15
-Send copywork and review math for Providence to do at work with daddy
1:30-2:00
Math
2:00-2:45
Playtime
2:45
Go pick up Jackson.
3:30
Bible with all 4 children
4:00
Straighten up house, chore time, get dinner ready, outside time
7:00
Baths for kids
7:30/8:00
Phonics for Providence, Homework for Jackson
9:00
Bedtime

Tuesdays/Thursdays/Friday
9:00
Playground/ride bikes
10:30-11:30
Thematic Unit
11:30
Lunch
12:00
Fynn down for a nap, math time with Providence
12:30
Playtime/art time for Providence
2:00
15 minutes copywork for Providence
2:45
Pick up Jackson
3:30
Bible with all 4 children
4:00
Straighten up house, chore time, get dinner ready, outside time
7:00
Baths for kids
7:30/8:00
Phonics for Providence, Homework for Jackson
9:00
Bedtime


I'll let you know how that one goes. Fynn will be working as he choses or when I need him occupied. Atticus isn't napping consistently yet, so I will work those in when I figure it out.

September Goals- Fynn

-Identify colors with color of the week (red, yellow, green, blue, orange, pink, purple, white, black)
-Identify shapes with shape of the week (circle, square, triangle, rectangle)
-Identify letters in his name
-prepositions (in, under, next to, above, below, behind; I am pretty sure he knows most of these)
-practice counting objects
-more and less
-listen to me read one book with out getting up (Fynn, independent to the core, has a hard time sitting through one book)
-basic puzzles

Why goals for Fynn?

Mostly because he doesn't want to be left out. He is going to want to have school, just like his sister. I don't think 3 year olds need to work on academic tasks. There is plenty of research out there on the importance of learning through play and I agree with it. I just need some tasks lined out for Fynn to do when I work with Providence.

September Goals- Providence

Providence:
Planets in Space

Science:
-learn 8 planets, plus dwarf planet Pluto
-recognize names of each planet
-sneak in sounds of letters in the names of planets
-sort rocky planets and gas giants (I know this may be a little above her head, but I am going to capitalize on her interests)
-label and tell facts about the sun
-build model of planets
-record what moon looks like each night

Writing:
-Copywork: names of planets, first and last name, number words one to ten
-Dictate and illustrate story about a girl going to a new planet


Math:
Lessons 1-20, horizons workbook
-identify number and corresponding amount, 1-10
-count to 100
-more and less with concrete objects

Phonics (wholistically):
-build sight word vocabulary
-work on letter sounds in everyday word
-"read" books to Fynn and Atticus using illustrations

Art:
-Create planet out of balloon and paper machae.

Social Studies:
-create maps of room and neighborhood

RE-Post-Why I am homeschooling Providence

Why I am homeschooling Providence

1. She is too well behaved when she doesn't want to work.
I mean, she's so quiet you don't even know where she is. When we tell her she needs to do the dishes she disappears. An hour later, the dishes are still there. Providence has been quietly occupying herself doing something under her bed. Seriously. In a class of 21 other kids, she won't be noticed. That is until she has a pile of work she hasn't completed.

2. She doesn't persist at tasks she struggles with.

Okay, most people don't. I would say she struggles more than most. She doesn't like to fail. Okay, no one likes to do that either. Her solution is to just not try in the first place. You can't fail if you don't try anyway. Sadly, in school this is generally labeled as laziness. I know there are amazing teachers out there who don't see it as such, but in my time working in this district those are the minority.

3. She has a speech delay

This has caused a couple of issues that will prevent her from being successful in public school. First, she doesn't talk very much to grown ups unless she feels comfortable with them. That means she wouldn't say much to her teacher until October. Secondly, people make assumptions about what she is capable of doing based on her articulation difficulties. When they hear her they tend to think she is younger and not ready to do what she is perfectly capable of doing. Thirdly, I am terrified of kids teasing her. The vast majority of kids are kind, but there are a few bad apples in every bunch. I had one in particular in Sunday School that was the epitome of childhood meanness. Watching that one little girl manipulate and tease the rest of the class just one day a week opened my eyes to what one bad apple can do. Providence will shut down and stop doing anything if kids start teasing her.

4. She has learned a valuable lesson from having a speech delay.

She knows people don't always think she is capable of doing things, so she doesn't. Her aide last year (who was her PK3 teacher the year before) knew Providence well. Providence didn't always do a whole lot in class, especially in the beginning. Thankfully, Mrs. Walker was smart to Providence's ways and sat with her and made sure she got stuff done. One-on-one Providence does beautifully. In a class of 22, she knows she can sit quietly and no one will notice that she is doing whatever she wants.

5. She doesn't care.

Providence doesn't work for rewards or verbal praise. I can't figure out (and neither have her teachers) what she will work for. She does it when and if she wants. Looking through her assessments, this is painfully obvious. She counted further in January's assessment than in May's assessment. She didn't label all of her letters in May, even though she did it at home for me. Her Kindergarten teacher just wouldn't have the time to test her multiple times, so that she can catch Providence on a day she wants to preform to her potential.

6. She will show off her full potential when she is interested.

I don't expect a teacher to cater only to my daughter. That's just silly. I can cater to her interests and sneak phonics in when she isn't thinking about it.

7. One bad year will set the stage for the rest of her educational career.

I think public school is a great thing (minus the downward spiral that high stakes testing and likelihood of performance based pay is causing, but that's another post). I will also be the first to say that public school isn't the best fit for everyone. In the end, no matter what type of school children are in, parents are the ones who are responsible for the education of their children. I want her to have a good year and I don't think that will happen in public school.

A beginning

I am about to embark on homeschooling my lovely daughter. In larger communities, there are so many opportunities and organizations for homeschooling kids to get involved with. In at town of 25,000 (of which roughly 60% are retired) that is not the most family friendly place, I am curious to see how this plays out.

The best advice I have gotten is to take it one semester at a time and that's what we are doing.

Here's to an exciting year full of firsts for us!