Weekly Wrap Up: Learning New Things

The past month we have done sporadic "school" but have been working on some much-needed changes in routines, discipline, and training of the girls. I have realized that this was an area in which we lacked and disobedience and general foolery were taking over our lives. Both Bill and I were on the verge of burnout and for me the thought of adding another one to the bunch was almost too much to imagine. Specifically bedtime had become an issue and we would generally not get the kids to sleep until 10 or 11pm, then they'd wake up still at 7am. So in essence our "homeschool" has been teaching the kids to obey and listen to Mommy and Daddy because we love them and know what's best for them.

This has not been an easy season and many tears have been shed by Mommy. I'm sure my pregnancy hormones don't make it any better. The title for this blog, "Learning Together" is appropriate because we are all learning, every day. And some of those days really stink.

Thankfully though, the entire future of our children and their education is not defined by one specific day. For me it's been a lesson in trusting Jesus. When I think about why we are feeling called to homeschool, it's largely because we want to ensure that our children have a strong foundation in Jesus, which can only be accomplished through Christ's grace and us as parents leaning on Jesus. I am not a perfect parent, but Jesus is the perfect God and it I can, in my failures point the kids to Jesus so that they learn to trust him too, then I've done my job. Choosing to homeschool, at least in the first few years of their schooling, is simply giving me more opportunities to show my kid Jesus, because we are around each other more. The academics are important, but with all respect to the educational system, don't mean anything unless our children's hearts are right with Jesus.

I'm also (hopefully) under no illusions that by homeschooling we will have perfect children who will never sin or face hardship. Sometimes, especially in the last few months, I've despairingly felt like I've failed because their behavior is difficult at times. This is especially difficult to face when their behavior is embarrassing in public or when friends are over. It feels like people are judging me, when they probably don't even care, and if they are judging me then that's their problem. On the flip side it's difficult to fight pride when the girls do something good. Caley is very sweet and has a tender heart and it's beautiful to hear her pray and love her sister. During those times it's easy to take credit for that good behavior, when really I know that it's only because of God's grace.

So, we haven't really done the "reading book" on a regular basis, but we are all definitely learning. We have been reading a lot of books, coloring, dancing and singing songs, telling stories about the knife, fork and spoon, and learning a lot of practical ways Jesus loves us. We are learning about forgiveness and obedience. Those lessons are more important than ensuring Caley knows her letters and numbers, at least for now.

Enrichment

My next article is up at Missionary Moms:

Teaching Preschoolers Through Activities

Enjoy!

Weekly Wrap Up: A Week of Firsts

We had many "firsts" this week, and it was a very fun week!

Monday we did school at home and did some fun projects such as counting with stickers, making a turkey hand (which Caley cut and glued independently!), handwriting and drawing shapes, letter sorting and the reading book. We also did some dancing. It was also the first night of our new new community group meeting at our house. Caley and Amelia had a lot of fun playing with their friends, including their new friends Mina and Max. Mina is almost 5 and Max is almost 3 and their parents are expecting a new baby a week before we expect baby boy Gerlach to arrive. Perfect!

Tuesday we did our usual women's group and the girls also played Starfall and Sesame Street. They really enjoy the playlists on sesamestreet.org and I love how I am able to monitor what they're watching and learning. God also taught me that I should not get prideful of my skills as a parent, because when I do, He'll be sure to knock me down and make me humble. I was especially grateful for my women's group this week.

Wednesday we finally made time to attend the library storytime. It's been about a month since our schedule has allowed us to attend, and I know the girls had a fun time. The theme was monkeys and the girls did a wonderful job of attending to Teacher Monica and sitting quietly during the stories.

Thursday we had playgroup and did a bunch of Thanksgiving activities. We also talked about what we are thankful for and how we can be a blessing to others using the blessings God has given us. We collected food to donate to the Mukilteo Food Bank and also made pilgrim and Indian hats and bonnets. Thursday night I took Caley to her first play at a local middle school! (She'd been to a play as a 6-month-old baby, but this one is the first she'll probably remember.) We saw "Cinderella" at Evergreen Middle School in Everett. It was very well done, especially considering the kids are 6th-8th graders! Caley got to practice sitting quietly and applauding at the appropriate times, and we both got all dressed up for it!

Friday we had friends over for a meeting so the girls got to play with other kids. In lieu of doing the Phonics book we did Caley's reading with a storybook and I had her read some of the words. It was more difficult than I thought it'd be, I think partially because the font is different than in the Engelmann book. The Engelmann book starts with "funny" font that is more phonetic and gradually changes to regular font. It will just be a matter of time until she can transfer. However she is doing very well at gathering information from the text and understanding the pictures, which is a great reading skill to have.

Friday night Caley attended her first sleepover! Her friend Bella turned 4 and had a few girls over. Caley has had friends spend the night here before but she's never slept at someone else's house without us, except at Grama and Papa's and Nana and Grampa's. I think I was more nervous than she was! She did great!

Saturday morning on the way home from the party we all got our hair cut, and it was Amelia's first haircut! I was a little nervous, but she did great! And best of all she and Caley look super cute with a bob.

So it was a fun week! Hope you had a good one too!

Weekly Wrap Up: Reading Success!

It was such an encouraging week for us with Caley's reading. Things have seemed to click and she's understanding so much more, especially with blending the letter sounds into actual words. When she succeeds it's so much more enjoyable for me to teach her, and I'm so thankful to be the one teaching her to read because I would hate to be missing this part of her education.

So we had a good week. Here's how it went:

Monday my friend Mani watched the girls for a few hours as a birthday present to me. It was really wonderful of her, thank you Mani! I skipped off to prepare for my bible study and wander through a bookstore, it was very enjoyable! We also made a "Thankful Tree" with cards and pictures of things we are thankful for. A few of my favorites of Caley's were "the baby in Mommy's tummy" and "that Jesus died for me." Amelia did some cute drawings of boats and water, and she also colored her hands and face. :)

Tuesday we did our usual routine but I squeezed the reading book in before naptime and Caley did so well! It was so encouraging! She sight-read a few words like "little" and "sand" and did a nice job blending. I will try to get a video of her reading up soon. I should also mention that the reading book is also giving us opportunities to talk about other words that are the same as what we read, noticing that many words are the same except for a letter or two (rhyming), learning that pronouns tell us about the characters in stories (when "she" is used we know the character is a girl), and using words in a sentence. These are essential concepts she needs to know and it makes reading so much more fun when it actually means something!

Wednesday we did errands and while on a trip at Target smelled some body sprays. There were about 6 scents on an end-cap and we smelled all of them and picked which one we liked best. We could tell what it would smell like because of the picture on the bottle, it was a fun exercise in the girls using their senses.

Thursday we had playgroup at our house and it was a very small group, which was really nice too. The girls used their feeling sense to identify objects in a bag, and they did the memory verse of 1 Chronicles 29:13 "Our God we give thanks, we praise your glorious name." They also made a foam turkey hand and Caley did most of it by herself, including cutting out her handprint. I was very impressed! They also got to learn about and explore wheat, and later Caley pointed out the wheat on a box of crackers. It's so fun to see her remember things! Later in the day we played Shape Shuffle, a new game from Value Village where the girls match shapes on cards. It's perfect preschool math! Oh and by the way, the book selection at VV is totally rad and cheap! I got 10 classic books I can't wait to share reading with the girls as they age.

Friday we went to Noelle's birthday party which was a ladybug theme and had a great time. Rachael had the girls decorate the ladybug cake with candies, and Lenora and Caley played together especially well which is such a blessing! A year ago I was worried they would never get along. Thankfully I was wrong. I also got to snuggle with Rachael's nephew Evan, he is so cute! My baby was kicking while he was sleeping on me, as if to say, "Hey! That's my mommy!" Afterward they went to Fred Meyer Playland and I got an hour "off" to plan my bible study, it was great! They had fun and I was very productive. Later we did her reading book again and she again showed how much she's learned and how things have clicked.

This week also, Adam has been staying here and the girls love having him here. They say, "Hello Little Little Adam!" and love giving him hugs and kisses.

Hope you had a good week!

Weekly Wrap Up: Sick Week and Well Week

I'm a bit behind on updating what we've been doing...sorry blog world.

The week of Halloween the sickness hit our family, and it felt like a ton of bricks. When Mommy's not feeling well, not much gets done. Great Grandma Evelyn did visit for a few days which was very fun and the girls loved having her here, and thankfully she didn't get sick. It allowed me a few days of naps without worrying about the girls, thank you Grandma! Wednesday of that week was "Movie Day" and Caley was so excited! She said, "Thanks for being a nice mommy and letting us watch movies all day." My friend commented, "At least she said thank you." Toward the end of the week I was feeling better and we did a lot of reading books, and it was wonderful to snuggle up with my girls on the couch and share a good book. We also had finished Charlotte's Web so we began The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the original version, by L. Frank Baum. We watched the Judy Garland movie too. Currently we are on chapter 7 and the Cowardly Lion has joined the group. Caley really seems to enjoy it, especially the beautiful color illustrations by W.W. Denslow. It is a sincere hope of mine that my girls (and this baby boy, and any other children we may be blessed with) love and appreciate literature. It is with this hope I am looking into curricula for next year and beyond, there are a few I will talk about another time.

Last week we were all feeling much better and got back on track with activities. Here's how the week went:

Monday we did handwriting and tracing shapes on a whiteboard. We also played Boggle Jr and Caley did a wonderful job of finding the correct letters, even using the timer. In the afternoon we visited Baby Ethan, their friend Bekah's new baby brother. They mostly played with Bekah while I got to snuggle little Ethan, he's such a sweetie!!

Tuesday we went to women's group, and Wednesday we babysat at another women's group. I had a OB appointment early in the day so Caley went to James' house to play and Amelia came with me to the appointment. It involved a blood draw, so I didn't want to wrangle both of them while being strapped to a chair with a needle in my arm. Good call.

Thursday we went to playgroup and I had planned the activities. It was a fun morning of potato prints, making butter from whipping cream, playing with friends, and smelling scents in baby food jars. They smelled vingar, lemon, vanilla, soy sauce, and orange. The girls had a great time and it was fun to see all their friends after being stuck in a house for so long the previous week. We had to miss the pumpkin patch outing, which thankfully I didn't tell them about, so they didn't miss much. I missed getting pictures of them in the fields with their friends, it'd become somewhat of a tradition.

Friday we did activities and I tested Caley on her handwriting. That is, asking her to write a letter and not helping in any way. She competently did C, L, M, S, H, Y and Z. I'm sure there are others she can do, these were just the ones I picked for that day. We also made real potato heads and creations with marshmallows and toothpicks. Amelia mostly ate the marshmallows...but Caley understood the architecture part and didn't eat them. Friday afternoon we hauled to Bellevue to visit my cousin Amy and her son James at the playland at Bellevue Square. Amy generously gave us 5 garbage bags full of baby boy clothes! This little man is going to be set! It was so fun sorting them and putting them in his closet and drawers. Boy clothes are so cute!

It was a fun week and it's nice to be back to normal.

Weekly Wrap Up: Fall Days

We had a fun week! Uncle Adam stayed a few days and Caley was very interested in "Daddy's friend." He might live with us for a few months this winter--woohoo free babysitting! haha

Monday Daddy took the day off to spend with Adam and we did some lessons. Caley is working on handwriting and she did W, M, J, Z, and S. I'm very impressed with how well she's doing! I think having the slate to practice with helps immensely because it gives a distinct area to write and she can practice making straight lines by drawing along the wooden frame of the slate. The phonics book however, is become a little more frustrating. Caley is having a hard time with sounding out the entire word instead of just sounding out each letter separately. It's probably normal, just testing my patience. I think we will continue using that book but I need to look at it as an exercise in trusting God and leaning on him to give me patience. It also may be because of the time of day we're doing the reading book, lately it's been right before nap and she's a little wired. Hopefully things will get better soon. On Monday we made non-scary spiders by twisting four black pipecleaners together to make eight legs and then beading them. Caley loved it!

Tuesday we went to women's group and Wednesday we did storytime and errands. The girls were very patient on Wednesday as I dragged them to multiple stores looking for things and not finding them. One being maternity clothes. What is up with Old Navy?!

Thursday we went to playgroup where the girls learned more about spiders, made a spider web rubbing and searched for spiders outside. We even found a bird's nest! We also got to visit Daddy at work! That was the best part of the week, for me and the girls. On the way home we stopped and ooohed and aaahed at the beautiful fall leaves along the road. Later at home we made a tree picture.

While we were walking along the tree-lined road I tried to tell Caley how there are so many leaves, more than we can count, but that Jesus knows all the leaves, just like He knows us. It made me think about how God made this world to give Him glory. The leaves are so beautiful, with beautiful colors and textures, each leaf is different. Likewise each person that God created is unique, with different colors and textures and personalities. It made me feel very loved that although I am just one leaf, God knows me and loves me as his child.
Thursday night we had our inaugural fire in the firepit! Daddy has been working hard on this addition to our backyard and it's going to bring us many fun evenings in the future.Friday we had a fun day of lessons and activities. We played Twister which worked on learning left and right and colors. Caley surprisingly knew which one was her left and right foot, with some reminders. They also took turns spinning the spinner and making Mommy play the game. I'm sorry I don't have a picture of me, 6 months pregnant, playing Twister. Actually if there were any pictures of that, the last place I'd put them is the internet! We also made a plate of food which worked on learning food groups. After playing with pictures of food they went on a "food hunt" in the kitchen and found fruits, vegetables, bread and meat.

After an early nap we headed to the local retirement center to help with a pumpkin painting activity with the residents. It was fun to meet some new people, especially people who love little kids! And the girls had lots of fun painting too!

Next week we are getting a visit from Great Grandma Ev, which should be a lot of fun. Have a good weekend!

Weekly Wrap Up: Let's Be Friends!

Recently Caley has been saying, "Let's be friends!" to Amelia, especially while they're dancing and running around. It's the sweetest thing to see my children love each other. They hug and squeeze and kiss and say "I love you" and "You're my best friend." Of course they also get mad at each other and hit sometimes, but what can be expected from 2 and 4-year-olds?

We had a good week this week. Sunday the girls helped make Mexi-pizza and Caley's job was cutting olives (under close supervision of course). Food seems to taste better when it's a group effort! Monday we did activities at home, played some games and worked on handwriting. Caley is to the point with our handwriting curriculum that she is writing on a blackboard with chalk. I'm really enjoying the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum, it makes it fun and follows a child's readiness in a slow, comprehensive manner. I would kind of like to get help Caley learn lowercase letters too, since those are the ones mainly used in writing. This week we wrote the letters in her name- CALEY GERLACH. I was surprised at how quickly she caught on and didn't get frustrated. The slate board is a good size to help her learn the correct curve of letters. For being only 4, I'm impressed with her skills in this area.

Tuesday we had bible study and the girls played with some friends. Then we visited a new baby in the hospital- Isaiah Daniel Willett. Welcome to the world Isaiah! We got to hold him and "investigate" what a new baby looks like. I made a point to show Caley his umbilical cord and the leftover vernix in the folds of his neck and toes (Isaiah, though a big boy, was 3 weeks early). On Monday we had been talking about babies and belly buttons, so it was neat to see a new baby and his cord up close. It was also good practice for when they will visit their baby brother in the hospital soon. :)

Wednesday we went to Caley's orthodontist check-up. She has an underbite that will need some work eventually and this was our 2nd trip to the office, just to check on her progress. The doctor said she won't need to have anything done for at least another year, maybe longer. We had slept in a bit and left the house without breakfast, so afterward we went to Starbucks. Then we did storytime at the library, which the girls had fun at. I was very tired...so it was nice to have a bit of a break.

Thursday was playgroup day, and the topic was "The Mixed-up Chameleon" by Eric Carle. We did finger painting and animal charades. Caley has mastered the current memory verse- Proverbs 23:19- "Listen my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path." They also learned about Jonah who learned to listen to God.

Friday we did activities at home and Caley worked on handwriting and cutting with scissors. I drew lines on black, orange and white paper and she had to cut on the lines. Some were dotted, others were curved or jagged. Then we made a paper chain with a pattern. We also took a trip to the library and Caley helped put together our snack. Yummy!

Next week we are taking a trip to the retirement center to paint pumpkins, happy Fall!!

Weekly Wrap Up: "Sick" Days

This week was especially fun for us, partly because we had an unexpected day at home. Days at home seem to make the week (at least for Mommy) go a little better because it makes things feel less frazzled. However if there are too many in a row we tend to get cabin fever!

Monday we took a trip to visit the baby by seeing the OB/GYN. The girls were very well behaved at the office and that just makes everything better and everyone happier. We stopped at the pet store in Kirkland, Denny's Pet World. This is one of the best pet stores I've found. There are so many pets to see at this store, from an uncaged macaw named Tiki to bunnies, mice, small birds, and a huge room of fish; it's a fun place to go. We saw some doves which I pointed out to Caley were the bird Noah sent out from the ark, and they loved seeing the mice and guinea pigs running on their wheels. When we got home we did some coloring and counting with stickers and read some Charlotte's Web. We're about 2/3 through the book. Honestly, I'm liking it less than Little House, but Caley likes them both the same. I'm hoping she'll want to read Little House on the Prairie after this book is done.

Tuesday we stayed home because Amelia had had a fever Monday night and I didn't want to risk it becoming something worse. By morning she was fine, but we took it easy. We did a tea party! It was so fun and good activity to teach the girls concepts in a fun way. Caley helped prepare the snacks (cheese, pineapple, crackers, and hummus) by putting toothpicks in, and she also helped set the table. During the party she practiced pouring tea and cream and used her manners. We also listened to classical music during the party and talked about what we were eating and I helped her describe it (crunchy, chewy, sweet, salty).

Wednesday we babysat some kids and Caley had fun playing from friends she doesn't see too often, specifically James, Dakota, Odessa, and Dexter. On the way out Odessa yelled to Caley, "You're my best friend!" It was so cute and heartwarming! Also Wednesday night Caley and Daddy had another date while Amelia and I went to church. While we were gone they had arranged Caley's artwork and photos on a wall upstairs! It looks great! Caley helped sort the crafts by type, whether color, size, or "doesn't fit anywhere else."
Thursday we had playgroup where the theme was the book "Little Cloud" by Eric Carle. The girls made cloud crafts and played very well with their friends, and even talked with their friends Fiona and Avery on Skype!

Friday we had friends over for a meeting and Caley again played with Dexter and Odessa. I think Caley has a crush on Dexter...and I'm thankful I get to see it and talk to her about it. I remember having crushes in kindergarten, it makes sense that Caley is starting to notice others. And I think Dexter is a sweet little boy. We also did Caley's phonics book and she sight read "little"!! It's encouraging to see her improve and enjoy reading as well.

Have a good week!

New Name!

I decided the "Caley's Classroom" name for our blog wasn't exactly descriptive of how we do things around here. Amelia is as much a student as Caley and Mommy's learning a lot too! We hope you like the new name!

Weekly Wrap Up--Happy Fall!!

This week it actually started to feel like fall, we turned on the heat! Thankfully it's not on all the time though, but autumn is my favorite season so it was a happy change, I guess.

Monday we went to a friend's house and helped clean in preparation for their move. Caley and Amelia helped by wiping down the walls with sponges! A large part of my philosophy in homeschooling is teaching character and service, both by helping friends and people we don't know.

Tuesday we went to a friend's 5th birthday party and the girls dressed up like princesses, their costumes were my dance costumes from kindergarten. They looked so cute! It was especially fun to see Amelia play with some older girls and she picked up on a few of the games and had fun sitting at a big table eating snacks.

Wednesday we went to storytime where the topic was fish. Caley had a fun time decorating a fish craft, she used many colors and called it "fireworks." Wednesday night she and Daddy went on a date to the toy store. They also tried bowling but it was too busy. Amelia and I went to church and I helped in her class where they did some art and played "night-night." It was fun to have some one-on-one time with her.

Thursday we had our first playgroup of the year, our new official name is Proverbs 22. It was at our house and I was the leader. We read the book "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear" and did some listening exercises and made a book and read it at the end of group. Caley also learned about listening to God through the story of Samuel. She did a good job of listening and playing well with her friends, she and Lenora played hide and seek. There are a few new members to playgroup this year, some new boys, which changes the dynamic of the group. It went very well! Also many of the kids are ready for more challenging activities so we are trying to make the activities suitable for the different ages of kids, with harder tasks for the older kids and easier ones for the younger kids. Yesterday the kids got to practice writing their names and the older ones took home "homework" which was just a workbook page about preschool math.

Today, Friday, we had a regular school day and Daddy got to stay home, which was a nice treat. We did some patterning and matching with cards, the phonics book, Bible stories and the memory verse Proverbs 23:19, "Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path." We also had fun reading about chickens and eggs, kites, fish, and we made a kite and a paper airplane. It was a fun, organic lesson day. We also played outside a bit and I discovered that Caley is really good at kicking a ball! This is very exciting, since it may mean she will be a soccer player like her mama.

I am looking forward to the Mars Hill Homeschooling Parents Meet and Greet tomorrow to connect with other homeschooling families, network, and ask questions. I'm hoping to glean some wisdom from families who actually know what they're doing, since I more often than not, don't. I'm especially insterested in how other families have handled balancing all the usual responsibilities while homeschooling. I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed at the thought of doing school next year with 3 kids while balancing other commitments like leading bible study, writing, service, and staying on top of housework, meals, etc. My outside commitments this year are things I really hope to continue, but if push comes to shove, may need to be cut out (or at least scaled back) if I can't effectively serve my family.

This homeschooling adventure is as much mine as it is the girls!