Wednesday, February 23, 2011
twist and shout multiplication/auditory learners
Just ordered this Leapfrog Twist and Shout Multiplication, for multiplication fact memorizing (and some division). Seems like the perfect thing for auditory learners! Anyone have one at home?
children and chores--what's working
I've seen many posts on managing children's chores, and plenty of pre-made charts and gadgets advertised to make it all easier. The money was never there to invest in these things, and I never found the time to make anything permanent or durable.
We've tried different lists over the past few years, including paid chores and unpaid chores. But each time, life with littles undermined consistency.
Still, the boys have made their beds and put their dirty clothes in the hamper for the past two years. But guess what? They still need reminding some days; it isn't automatic yet! For that matter, flushing the toilet and washing hands afterwards isn't consistent yet either. I've found that teaching boys hygiene and personal chores is quite the endeavor!
Rather than try another list of pre-set chores, I decided to retain just the two unpaid bed and hamper chores, and add others as needed, for the opportunity to make money. There are times I really need help with different things, like right now. I want a system that works for me.
My boys will have the burden of supporting their families someday. To prepare them, we need to teach them to exert themselves, even when they don't feel like it. They need to have a yes attitude toward opportunities for work.
And my girls too, for that matter. Caring for a home and family is hard work, starting right after the honeymoon. The pressure on a wife is not as burdensome as that on a husband--nobody forecloses on your home if you fail to clean it properly--but her work ethic needs to be strong. She can't eat the bread of idleness and still hope to bless her family.
After the fall in the Garden of Eden, God made work the main theme of our lives. Children should enjoy their childhood's, true, but we can't shield them from what real life entails: work!
These thoughts swirling in my head, I decided to try something new. I put a piece of plain white paper on the fridge with a column for each of the three older children. When a need arose, I asked who wanted to do the chore, and I gave my offering price. If more than one child responded, I split the money--only crediting children who did a nice share of the work, without complaining.
Each time a chore was completed, I listed the date, chore and the money due, on that child's column. No one has been paid yet because I don't carry money--just my bank card! At the end of each month, I'll make sure I have the dough in hand, ready for pay day.
Here is what the chart looks like right now:
Paul, age 7
2/6, inside windows, $2.50
2/7, folding pajamas, whole family, $.35
2/9, checking mail in snow, $.10 (I don't pay for this chore if the weather is good.)
2/10, vacuum living room, $.15
2/18, clean yard, $1.00
2/19, help with Beth, $.10
2/22, clean whole playroom, $.20
Peter, age 9
2/14, fold towels, $.15
2/19, fold towels, $.15
2/20, vacuum playroom, $.10
2/22, vacuum hall, entry way, living room, $.20
Mary, age 4
2/15, put sleds away, $.10
2/18, help clean yard, $1.00
2/20, help clean up Legos sister dumped, $.05
2/22, help clean playroom, $.10
As you can see, Peter and Mary got into the game later than Paul. It impressed them that brother was earning so much money, so they decided to exert themselves.
In fact, Peter decided to let Momma know he was open for business. He made up a cardboard sign yesterday, with an open and closed flap taped to the bottom:
Every time I pass his sign, I smile and want to squeeze him. So cute! (Except that we just reviewed done last week as a sight word, and I thought he mastered it. For some reason he can spell them orally, better than on paper.)
I'm having fun with this system, and I'm impressed with their developing work ethics. No more nagging or complaining! As far as the money goes, well....I know that is controversial. My conscience is at peace with this.
Another thing they must learn about is money management. Learning to put aside 10% for church tithe and 5% for savings will serve them well in the years to come.
We've tried different lists over the past few years, including paid chores and unpaid chores. But each time, life with littles undermined consistency.
Still, the boys have made their beds and put their dirty clothes in the hamper for the past two years. But guess what? They still need reminding some days; it isn't automatic yet! For that matter, flushing the toilet and washing hands afterwards isn't consistent yet either. I've found that teaching boys hygiene and personal chores is quite the endeavor!
Rather than try another list of pre-set chores, I decided to retain just the two unpaid bed and hamper chores, and add others as needed, for the opportunity to make money. There are times I really need help with different things, like right now. I want a system that works for me.
My boys will have the burden of supporting their families someday. To prepare them, we need to teach them to exert themselves, even when they don't feel like it. They need to have a yes attitude toward opportunities for work.
And my girls too, for that matter. Caring for a home and family is hard work, starting right after the honeymoon. The pressure on a wife is not as burdensome as that on a husband--nobody forecloses on your home if you fail to clean it properly--but her work ethic needs to be strong. She can't eat the bread of idleness and still hope to bless her family.
After the fall in the Garden of Eden, God made work the main theme of our lives. Children should enjoy their childhood's, true, but we can't shield them from what real life entails: work!
These thoughts swirling in my head, I decided to try something new. I put a piece of plain white paper on the fridge with a column for each of the three older children. When a need arose, I asked who wanted to do the chore, and I gave my offering price. If more than one child responded, I split the money--only crediting children who did a nice share of the work, without complaining.
Each time a chore was completed, I listed the date, chore and the money due, on that child's column. No one has been paid yet because I don't carry money--just my bank card! At the end of each month, I'll make sure I have the dough in hand, ready for pay day.
Here is what the chart looks like right now:
Paul, age 7
2/6, inside windows, $2.50
2/7, folding pajamas, whole family, $.35
2/9, checking mail in snow, $.10 (I don't pay for this chore if the weather is good.)
2/10, vacuum living room, $.15
2/18, clean yard, $1.00
2/19, help with Beth, $.10
2/22, clean whole playroom, $.20
Peter, age 9
2/14, fold towels, $.15
2/19, fold towels, $.15
2/20, vacuum playroom, $.10
2/22, vacuum hall, entry way, living room, $.20
Mary, age 4
2/15, put sleds away, $.10
2/18, help clean yard, $1.00
2/20, help clean up Legos sister dumped, $.05
2/22, help clean playroom, $.10
As you can see, Peter and Mary got into the game later than Paul. It impressed them that brother was earning so much money, so they decided to exert themselves.
In fact, Peter decided to let Momma know he was open for business. He made up a cardboard sign yesterday, with an open and closed flap taped to the bottom:
Get vacuming, folding, clening windos, garuding (gardening), clening rooms dun here.
Prise list:
folding 10 cents
clening rooms 50 cents
gardening 25 cents
vacuming 25 cents
clening windos 10 cents
Every time I pass his sign, I smile and want to squeeze him. So cute! (Except that we just reviewed done last week as a sight word, and I thought he mastered it. For some reason he can spell them orally, better than on paper.)
I'm having fun with this system, and I'm impressed with their developing work ethics. No more nagging or complaining! As far as the money goes, well....I know that is controversial. My conscience is at peace with this.
Another thing they must learn about is money management. Learning to put aside 10% for church tithe and 5% for savings will serve them well in the years to come.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
elementary literary choices
I stumbled across this 1000 good books list while reading a review of a Jigsaw Jones mystery. I perused the list for elementary 4-6 and was very impressed with the thought and effort put into the compilation of this resource, offered by a group of 25 homeschooling mothers. It's well worth your time to click over there.
Also, you might find this site useful, which levels children's books for you with just a title. Just mark the parent box at the front page, and then on the next page you type the title of the book, or the title of the book series. It brought up the whole series when I typed "Jigsaw Jones Mysteries". BL stands for book level.
Keep in mind that if a book is within your child's interest level, it could be anywhere from several months below grade level to a year or so above grade level. As long as kids are reading a good portion of their material at or above their grade level, a few lower books aren't going to matter. The bulk of a student's new vocabulary words come from your read alouds, which should be two grade levels above your child's reading level, or higher, depending on interest level. Never abandon the read alouds! They work to increase vocabulary even in high school students.
Now, about that Jigsaw Jones mystery review I searched for. Here is an excerpt from it, relating to one of the books:
I looked for reviews because I brought home four Jigsaw Jones mysteries from our library, hoping to move Peter beyond this OCD reading slump by offering a faster-paced, shorter book. While the Boxcar Children are definitely good books, some of them contain slow moving chapters, which can frustrate an afflicted boy struggling to get through text....at least right now.
Some writers are experts at weaving a tale, others are good at structuring sentences or writing dialogue, and still others are good at pacing. Rarely will you find mastery of all the elements constituting good fiction. When you do find it, it's usually in the later works of a prolific author really interested in the writing craft, and not just the selling market.
I have a unique dilemma with my Peter. In order for him to approach conventional spelling, I need to use a solid spelling program consisting of sound families and sight word review. More importantly however, I need him to read a large amount of print. If he's not seeing the sound families over and over in context, as well as the sight words, his spelling woes will continue. Isolated spelling lessons aren't enough practice for strong auditory learners, IMHO.
Similarly, a chapter or two a day of required reading isn't going to move him much further either, in terms of spelling mastery. I need volume from him right now, without pushing it on him. Without any pressure.
So, can I really deny Peter a fast-paced, enjoyable book--one he'll be glad to devour--just because it contains the word "yeesh"? Or because the character dislikes love poems? I wish I could! I don't adore fluff literature any more than the next mother, but I'm committed to helping my children get hooked on books, for many compelling reasons, as long as their own character isn't compromised.
Junie B. Jones--a character many Christian mothers despise--doesn't offend me because I think the author makes it clear that Junie B. is not to be emulated--she's no hero. She's so silly and naughty and out of touch, that she's funny in an Amelia Bedelia kind of preposterous way.
I would be bothered by a sassy character my own child was encouraged to emulate or look up to. Whether that character is the boy from the Jigsaw Jones series or not, I can't tell yet. I've decided to have Peter read the first book aloud to me (since he's reading aloud anyway, right now), so I can neutralize any less-than-stellar aspects of the characters' personalities. If by the end of the book I'm not comfortable, we're back to the drawing board. It seems to me that Peter was affected by this OCD thing for about a month the last time. If I can just keep him reading through this one....
Hopefully we can go back to the Boxcar series after this. Since many of that series were written decades ago, the kids are respectful in a Laura Ingalls Wilder kind of way. Times have indeed changed, and not to the advantage of discerning parents. This whole reading material thing is one very tedious issue! I love me some picture books! It was so much simpler when my kids were younger!
It's my responsibility, and my pleasure, to expose my children to great works of literature, but I don't expect them, at ages 7 and 9, to choose only classics for their pleasure reading. I certainly wasn't choosing Charles Dickens-caliber books when I was nine years old. In fact, I didn't start reading for pleasure at all until the fourth grade, with my run of Nancy Drew mysteries. That hooked-on-books miracle helped me excel in school for years to come. There's no question that reading a lot changes things.
The mother quoted above goes on in her review to make some solid points, to her credit. She is obviously a very caring mother.
Also, you might find this site useful, which levels children's books for you with just a title. Just mark the parent box at the front page, and then on the next page you type the title of the book, or the title of the book series. It brought up the whole series when I typed "Jigsaw Jones Mysteries". BL stands for book level.
Keep in mind that if a book is within your child's interest level, it could be anywhere from several months below grade level to a year or so above grade level. As long as kids are reading a good portion of their material at or above their grade level, a few lower books aren't going to matter. The bulk of a student's new vocabulary words come from your read alouds, which should be two grade levels above your child's reading level, or higher, depending on interest level. Never abandon the read alouds! They work to increase vocabulary even in high school students.
Now, about that Jigsaw Jones mystery review I searched for. Here is an excerpt from it, relating to one of the books:
The first thing I didn’t like about it was the use of the word, “Yeesh,” throughout the book by the main character. This was just part of a slightly bad attitude that showed towards his teacher. After the teacher reads a couple love poems, the main character thinks, “Give me a break, I mean who talks like that anyway? Yeesh.”
I want to instill a love and respect for Shakespearean literature in my children. This book is counterproductive to that end.
Further, the teacher instructed the class to write their own love poems. The character thought, “Me? Write a mushy, gushy love poem? Oh brother.” I want my children to do what their teacher says and I want them to do it cheerfully with a good attitude.
I looked for reviews because I brought home four Jigsaw Jones mysteries from our library, hoping to move Peter beyond this OCD reading slump by offering a faster-paced, shorter book. While the Boxcar Children are definitely good books, some of them contain slow moving chapters, which can frustrate an afflicted boy struggling to get through text....at least right now.
Some writers are experts at weaving a tale, others are good at structuring sentences or writing dialogue, and still others are good at pacing. Rarely will you find mastery of all the elements constituting good fiction. When you do find it, it's usually in the later works of a prolific author really interested in the writing craft, and not just the selling market.
I have a unique dilemma with my Peter. In order for him to approach conventional spelling, I need to use a solid spelling program consisting of sound families and sight word review. More importantly however, I need him to read a large amount of print. If he's not seeing the sound families over and over in context, as well as the sight words, his spelling woes will continue. Isolated spelling lessons aren't enough practice for strong auditory learners, IMHO.
Similarly, a chapter or two a day of required reading isn't going to move him much further either, in terms of spelling mastery. I need volume from him right now, without pushing it on him. Without any pressure.
So, can I really deny Peter a fast-paced, enjoyable book--one he'll be glad to devour--just because it contains the word "yeesh"? Or because the character dislikes love poems? I wish I could! I don't adore fluff literature any more than the next mother, but I'm committed to helping my children get hooked on books, for many compelling reasons, as long as their own character isn't compromised.
Junie B. Jones--a character many Christian mothers despise--doesn't offend me because I think the author makes it clear that Junie B. is not to be emulated--she's no hero. She's so silly and naughty and out of touch, that she's funny in an Amelia Bedelia kind of preposterous way.
I would be bothered by a sassy character my own child was encouraged to emulate or look up to. Whether that character is the boy from the Jigsaw Jones series or not, I can't tell yet. I've decided to have Peter read the first book aloud to me (since he's reading aloud anyway, right now), so I can neutralize any less-than-stellar aspects of the characters' personalities. If by the end of the book I'm not comfortable, we're back to the drawing board. It seems to me that Peter was affected by this OCD thing for about a month the last time. If I can just keep him reading through this one....
Hopefully we can go back to the Boxcar series after this. Since many of that series were written decades ago, the kids are respectful in a Laura Ingalls Wilder kind of way. Times have indeed changed, and not to the advantage of discerning parents. This whole reading material thing is one very tedious issue! I love me some picture books! It was so much simpler when my kids were younger!
It's my responsibility, and my pleasure, to expose my children to great works of literature, but I don't expect them, at ages 7 and 9, to choose only classics for their pleasure reading. I certainly wasn't choosing Charles Dickens-caliber books when I was nine years old. In fact, I didn't start reading for pleasure at all until the fourth grade, with my run of Nancy Drew mysteries. That hooked-on-books miracle helped me excel in school for years to come. There's no question that reading a lot changes things.
The mother quoted above goes on in her review to make some solid points, to her credit. She is obviously a very caring mother.
Monday, February 21, 2011
a day of grace
I'd been working so hard lately, really trying to bless my family with socks, underwear, and pajamas always in their drawers, bathroom sinks and toilets always clean, a dusted-vacuumed-straightened living room, and wood floors free of long-standing crumbs. My youngest had been playing with her sister more, and keeping herself occupied with beloved bathroom chores, like pottying and brushing teeth. There was simply more time to devote to household chores, and just as that happened, God worked with me on living more sacrificially to bless my family.
If anyone noticed the cleanliness and orderliness of the house, they didn't say anything, except for Peter, who mentioned that the laundry containers were remaining relatively empty. It's possible that only Peter shares my affirming-words love language, so I don't really expect compliments from my housemates. My husband is not an especially appreciative man, but neither is he critical. The worst kind of husband for me would have been a critical, sharp-tongued man. I can count on one hand how many times my husband has criticized me in the last twelve years. So, I feel loved enough by my fellow earthlings, and it helps knowing that God is pleased when I use my time unselfishly.
Right about the time we arrogant humans think we're pretty hot stuff--making progress and all--God mixes it up a bit. Have you noticed that?
My two-year-old is now in the midst of a molar-teething frenzy. She's getting more miserable by the day, as one second-year molar prepares to break through the gum. The three other molars are all in different stages of readiness, below the gum. I can't even take a shower without her crying uncontrollably. She doesn't want me out of her sight for long, and she's back to waking quite frequently at night.
Further, although she still loves to brush her teeth, there's a lot less independent pottying going on.
And the house?
It's going downhill again, despite my stronghold on new routines.
The other night I actually had to leave the kitchen in a colossal mess over night, after overcooking a large chicken in the crockpot, because Beth woke up twenty minutes before the chicken was due to be done, and in settling her back down, I fell asleep for an hour. (Husband gets home very late most of the time.)
I jolted awake, smelling the chicken. Rushing to the kitchen, I feared the worst.
Yes, that's right. Dry, dry, dry. The thing was actually boiling--on low!
Just as I finished separating the meat from the bone, and started some bone broth on the stove, Beth woke up again!
I gave up, people! This was the third wake-up before midnight. I put the meat in the fridge and decided to call it a night. My face and teeth were already clean, thankfully.
This chicken and messy-kitchen fiasco occurred on the eve of my PMS ride, and that certainly didn't help my dejected frame of mind. Frustration abounded as I went off to bed with my hurting sweetie.
It felt like the walls were crumbling down. (I know...forgive the melodramatic in me right now.)
Powerless....that's how I felt.
Much of the last two years, I've felt powerless.
Life was getting a little saner on the homemaking front, and now this whole teething thing! Suddenly, I couldn't even cook a chicken right!
Every person here, except for me, just loves meat....especially chicken. While I eat meat regularly, I've always been neutral to it. Not so, my housemates. They didn't notice a cleaner house, but dry, yucky chicken, they would notice. And the kids would definitely say something about it. "This chicken is terrible!", is what I expected to hear the next day. Not even soup would revive it, I feared.
To top it all off, in my haste to leave the kitchen and quiet my fussy child, I put the gas burner on level 4 for my 24-hour broth. I usually put it on level 2.
My husband woke at six in the morning, detected a really strong chicken odor, and went to investigate. All the broth had boiled away! What a waste of nine dollars, for a hormone and solution-free chicken! It was pretty much worthless now, except that my husband loves chicken enough to eat it dry.
Don't you love that kind of man?
All this wordiness to say.......we don't live on our own merit. If we're good at something, it's God. If we're failing at something.....well, that's usually God too.
I guess I was getting prideful about having a clean house? And getting too involved in keeping it that way, at the expense of time with my children?
Aren't you glad God tends our hearts so well?
I'm so grateful for his pruning ways!
My husband felt sorry for me the next morning. He read my dejected heart and knew what the two culprits were. While he couldn't do anything about my hormones, he did delay his work departure and amuse our teething toddler for an hour, while I set the kitchen to rights.
He got less sleep that night as a result of his later start. But I felt cherished and understood, and that was priceless to both of us.
I managed to smile through my day, remembering his kindness.
It was God's grace.
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
....so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
1 Corinthians 2:5
If anyone noticed the cleanliness and orderliness of the house, they didn't say anything, except for Peter, who mentioned that the laundry containers were remaining relatively empty. It's possible that only Peter shares my affirming-words love language, so I don't really expect compliments from my housemates. My husband is not an especially appreciative man, but neither is he critical. The worst kind of husband for me would have been a critical, sharp-tongued man. I can count on one hand how many times my husband has criticized me in the last twelve years. So, I feel loved enough by my fellow earthlings, and it helps knowing that God is pleased when I use my time unselfishly.
Right about the time we arrogant humans think we're pretty hot stuff--making progress and all--God mixes it up a bit. Have you noticed that?
My two-year-old is now in the midst of a molar-teething frenzy. She's getting more miserable by the day, as one second-year molar prepares to break through the gum. The three other molars are all in different stages of readiness, below the gum. I can't even take a shower without her crying uncontrollably. She doesn't want me out of her sight for long, and she's back to waking quite frequently at night.
Further, although she still loves to brush her teeth, there's a lot less independent pottying going on.
And the house?
It's going downhill again, despite my stronghold on new routines.
The other night I actually had to leave the kitchen in a colossal mess over night, after overcooking a large chicken in the crockpot, because Beth woke up twenty minutes before the chicken was due to be done, and in settling her back down, I fell asleep for an hour. (Husband gets home very late most of the time.)
I jolted awake, smelling the chicken. Rushing to the kitchen, I feared the worst.
Yes, that's right. Dry, dry, dry. The thing was actually boiling--on low!
Just as I finished separating the meat from the bone, and started some bone broth on the stove, Beth woke up again!
I gave up, people! This was the third wake-up before midnight. I put the meat in the fridge and decided to call it a night. My face and teeth were already clean, thankfully.
This chicken and messy-kitchen fiasco occurred on the eve of my PMS ride, and that certainly didn't help my dejected frame of mind. Frustration abounded as I went off to bed with my hurting sweetie.
It felt like the walls were crumbling down. (I know...forgive the melodramatic in me right now.)
Powerless....that's how I felt.
Much of the last two years, I've felt powerless.
Life was getting a little saner on the homemaking front, and now this whole teething thing! Suddenly, I couldn't even cook a chicken right!
Every person here, except for me, just loves meat....especially chicken. While I eat meat regularly, I've always been neutral to it. Not so, my housemates. They didn't notice a cleaner house, but dry, yucky chicken, they would notice. And the kids would definitely say something about it. "This chicken is terrible!", is what I expected to hear the next day. Not even soup would revive it, I feared.
To top it all off, in my haste to leave the kitchen and quiet my fussy child, I put the gas burner on level 4 for my 24-hour broth. I usually put it on level 2.
My husband woke at six in the morning, detected a really strong chicken odor, and went to investigate. All the broth had boiled away! What a waste of nine dollars, for a hormone and solution-free chicken! It was pretty much worthless now, except that my husband loves chicken enough to eat it dry.
Don't you love that kind of man?
All this wordiness to say.......we don't live on our own merit. If we're good at something, it's God. If we're failing at something.....well, that's usually God too.
I guess I was getting prideful about having a clean house? And getting too involved in keeping it that way, at the expense of time with my children?
Aren't you glad God tends our hearts so well?
I'm so grateful for his pruning ways!
My husband felt sorry for me the next morning. He read my dejected heart and knew what the two culprits were. While he couldn't do anything about my hormones, he did delay his work departure and amuse our teething toddler for an hour, while I set the kitchen to rights.
He got less sleep that night as a result of his later start. But I felt cherished and understood, and that was priceless to both of us.
I managed to smile through my day, remembering his kindness.
It was God's grace.
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
....so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
1 Corinthians 2:5
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Sock Puppet Tutorials
Multiple choice questions for you.
1. Why would I show you a picture of freshly laundered hats, mittens and scarves?
A. I am pulling a Pioneer Woman move and offering a Cleaning-Out-My-Closet Giveaway.
B. I wanted you to guess which items belong to which child.
C. All the snow melted here, and these long-lost twenty pieces were found plastered to the soppy grass.
Answer: C
The little people around here can't be bothered, apparently, to bring in their gear after romps in the snow. This store of items accumulated outside over the last six weeks!
2. Why would I show you a picture of this adorable, yet sadly mis-designed sock puppet Peter put together while I nursed Beth to sleep?
A. My kids asked me to show it to you.
B. I wanted to illustrate why we could be featured on the "Un-Crafty Crow".
C. I spent forty-five minutes searching the Internet for directions on how to properly design a sock puppet. Because I like you so much, I wanted to show you examples of both the proper and improper way to make yourself a child-delighting sock puppet.....just in case you're without a vehicle and in the house with four young kids, hours and days on end--meaning you're desperate for activities that don't involve them running through the house like wild hooligans.
Answer: C
After my intensive study, I decided to follow this photo tutorial, involving a glue gun, an oval piece of cereal-box cardboard, and an oval piece of felt, to make a Kermit-the-Frog start for my children's awesome sock puppets. They get to do all the fun stuff--raiding my craft supply in the process!
Here are some decorating ideas and other tutorials:
The Lady from Sockholm sock puppet
Wikihow Make a Sock Puppet Video
Sock Puppets from Danielle's Place
If I, a very uncrafty mother, can do this, so can you! It's a skill that will "bless the socks off" your kids for years to come! Think of the possibilities! Puppetry, or any type of theatre, is a fun and very effective way to develop language skills in your children! All ages will benefit.
Next week, we'll look at homemade puppet theatre possibilities!
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