Sunday, February 18, 2007

A week already?

Has it really been a week, essentially, since I last posted? Wow!

Let me see, what did we do this week? As I wrote in the last post, Monday was scrapped. Tuesday... I know the 15yo worked on social studies, math and science. The 12yo was still not well--he's been sick for almost 3 weeks now with a mix of cold, bronchitis and ear infections. He actually came to the table Tuesday morning to do the regular work routine, didn't say a word, but I looked at his face--pale, which is NOT good for a dark olive-skinned Italian boy!--and I told him to go lie down. He did and slept 3 hours!

Can't remember Wednesday much. Thursday, the 15yo did her social studies exam. The hardest part was keeping my 2yo niece occupied. lol. She kept wanting to go sit with the 15yo, a regular part of her routine. In the afternoon, the 15yo was gone for sports training and my niece kept asking where the 15yo was. So cute. She's going to have a hard time this coming week: the two oldest will be gone on a trip Wed. through the following Tues.

What did we do school-wise? Dd found a vampire lapbook I had done up and has decided she's going to make a penguin lapbook this coming week. (Okay, so that's not this past week, but oh well!) I've been doing more reading with ds. I don't know. It was just one of those weird weeks with all kinds of non-routine things going on. This coming week is going to be different, too: 4-day week (holiday for us tomorrow), with the 2 oldest only on Tues. (15yo will finish up her math and science units before leaving for her trip; the others will just do their usual), Wed-Fri I'll only have 3 kids in the house, which means it'll be like last Monday, homeschooling just my two. I'm actually quite excited at the prospect! It's made me do some reflection, though: what is it that excites me? Is it how I will be able to approach the homeschooling? Why don't I do that already? It's been interesting exploring the issue. One thing I would like to do during the week the two oldest are gone is to establish a lunch and after lunch routine. I want to return to our after-lunch silent reading and then have Writers' Workshop time with at least dd (don't know if ds will be remotely interested).

As I think about little ideas for things to do with my kids during this week, I return back to why don't I do this usually? I spend so much time, I think, trying to get the one to do stuff that I ignore everything else, or at least push it off a little too much. He is soooo dependent. I'm just feeding that dependency. Why do I do that? I think that in the moment, I don't see it as dependency as much as I see it as lack of confidence on his part as well as just wanting to do things with other people. But see, if I focused more attention on dd and ds in learning activities, then he wouldn't be goofing off with them. His skills are still so low and ... I just cut myself off there. It doesn't matter if his skills are low. A grade 1 child with grade 1 skills can still be expected to spend a reasonable amount of time working independently. So this 'an excuse' on my part. Or incorrect thinking. Well I have a week and some to think about this more.

I just remembered: I got my antique math book this week. :D From 1897, Ray's Elements of Algebra (or something like that--can't remember the exact title). Even though the 12yo will only be here one day, I think I'd like to look at some of it with him. He really wants to handle this book and hasn't yet--I only got it Thursday night and we were busy with our party on Friday. I see no reason to wait until he gets back.

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