SURPRISES

Aren't kids funny creatures! Just when you think you have them sussed...

Today Joel was doing a maths activity on graphs. It involved the other children too and was basically 'the memory game'. They had to see who could remember the most objects out of 10. I had no doubt that A would do best (and she did) and that P would really struggle. Initially with the removal of single objects from the tray P couldn't see what was missing hardly at all - probably once out of 20 times she got the answer. Then I removed the tray entirely and asked them to recall the whole lot. JI did the worst (typical 9yo bouncy-brain!) and P remembered all but one! I was amazed. This girl is so like her eldest brother it is unbelievable. She has definate memory problems (JA has auditory memory problems) and will forget an entire lesson 5 minutes after it is taught, even if she has done some practical work on it. I always thought she was a tactile learner - now I'm beginning to wonder... HOW did she remember the 9 things? She wouldn't be able to tell me so I guess I'm just going to have to figure it out! Reading has been a real struggle. JP only helped her a little, with its songs and stories, but Headsprout did the bulk of the work this time - and it's visual! Am I going to have to go and buy a mass of multi-media materials for this little one? A visual learner - now that could be a lot more expensive, as most of the materials I have are either auditory (cheap and chearful, but I don't have that many coz it's not our style), or tactile - rods, bricks, shapes, cubes, lapbooks, magnetic words & letters... I could go on and on! She is learning with what we use, because there is of course there is a visual element to it, but I'm wondering if there is something out there that could help her more? I've toyed with Maths-U-See in the past and decided against (more financial outlay), but now I'm thinking again... If she is visual it might be what she needs, but how different is it to Miquon? I need to investigate.

6 years in and still I don't have this home-ed lark down cold! LOL I don't think I ever will. Some days you do one thing and its brilliant the next it falls flat - and vice versa! One day I might find a 'rut' that works for us all - but I doubt it! It feels like this is an ever evolving form. No one year looks quite the same as the one before or the one after, but the kids are learning, growing and developing enquiring minds & a love for Jesus - what more could I ask? :-)

Our morning has consisted of Maths activities (memory games), trampolining (PE), reading quietly, Bible study - CD and book called "When Dragon Hearts were Good", which came out of a short discussion the boys had with Paul at breakfast table about age of the earth! And now they are all doing Dance Mat (PE again and Music - coz it involves a lot of 'listening to the beat') and C is in here with me doing a peg-board picture (ancient things with plastic 'pegs' and a white square board with loads of holes in. It was actually mine when was a kid!).

So is the shape of our Thursdays and the kids really look forward to it. The rest of the week is pretty intense, so so do I!!

Now I need to go make lunch (left over lasagne for those that want and tortillas for those that don't) and tea (cook the chicken, coz tonight's tea only needs to be heated under the grill for a few mins) and then find something fun for the kids to do this afternoon (I really should be more organized) while I sort out the mountain of washing there always seems to be in this house! I have an idea to do 'squirt painting' in the garden if the rain holds off long enough for me to get it sorted. Basically collect old Heinz Tomato Ketchup bottles - the really big ones with the valve-lid - fill with watery paint of various colours and then squirt at huge sheets of paper (back of wallpaper is great if you have some- which I don't, but the Ikea big roll of paper is good to). This is definately an OUTSIDE messy activity that is best done when the grass needs cutting - so all the painted bits get cut off, or when it's about to rain - to wash away the mess! We've not actually done it before, but I'm sure they will all love it!!

While I'm here - this a picture C coloured on poissonrouge yesterday - I thought it was very lovely. As he paints one side the symetry is done for him, but all the same - the colours and placing of them is great for a not yet 3yo I thought :-) I love that website and I can't keep him off of it. It has done wonders for his mouse skills and now he uses it independently. Before he started using it he had no mouse skills at all, but this was such a high motivation for him he learnt really fast!