My boys are officially IN school. Link and Bumblebee are going to a Montessori school from 8:30 to 3:30 every day. While I miss them terribly and feel left in the dark about their school, it has been nice having more time for my two baby bugs :) Anyone wonder why?
Well, in a nutshell, my husband changed jobs. The long story is we are moving out of state, currently in a hotel, and now have access to at least 5 Montessori schools. I couldn't homeschool in a hotel, no matter how big it is.
It's going great though! I knew there was a reason I thought Montessori was so great. I'm finally FULLY experiencing it. Oh, we had our moments at home. Both boys were reading when they started, doing some math, and other things. But now they are so much more independent in their work.
Link is THRIVING with the older kids. He wants to practice his reading and writing at home. He likes doing the big work, especially when an older kid works with him. Its a great environment for him. It has cemented in my husband and I what we were pretty sure of before - Link needs Montessori! I would not put him in a normal school, public or private. I would either homeschool with Montessori (with extra group meetings) or do Montessori private school.
Bumblebee is busy busy bee as well. He wasn't having the difficulties at home that I was having with Link. He was just being neglected because he's four and Link is six, and I felt like I needed to focus on Link. His reading is really progressing. But, he can't really remember what he does as school, so all I have to go on is what he brings home.
If we end up moving, I'm still planning on homeschooling. If we stay... I don't know. I really, really like their school. So we'll see.
Showing posts with label 4 years. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4 years. Show all posts
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Short Bead Chains + 3 Boys in the School Room!
My first experience presenting the short bead chains was such a let down! I was going to title this post "I Have the Whiniest Kid Ever." Link was so excited when I said "Today you get to use your new bead chains!" We got through counting to about 8, and he said "Mommy, don't you know I don't like school?" After taking turns with him a few times, I couldn't take the whining anymore and I finally just asked if he'd like to put it away. He wanted to know if that meant school was over, but I told him he'd have to choose something or I could choose for him. He chose the binomial cube, knob less cylinders, then he read me a few of his readers from LoE set A (he's on B now). The rest of the day was a struggle. Bumblebee was very interested in the 100 chain!
Later, he mentioned again that he thought the bead chains were going to be fun, but they weren't. After explaining that he would learn to skip count using them, he was interested again (he often tries to skip count, but can't.)
The next day, I let Link choose any color he wanted. He asked for the long chains a few times, but I insisted that he had to show me could do the short ones first. He was going to do them all! He chose 1s, 2s, 3, and 5s.
I caught Bumblebee, who is about to turn four, taking short chains off of the cabinet several times. At first I'd tell him no. Then, when I realized that he was taking each off very carefully and folding it up to compare to the square, I decided to let him. Then he said he wanted to skip count, but sometimes he'd skip numbers. I decided to start him with the teen bead stair since he knows those pretty well, but still needs some work. I'll work through the Group 3 section with him even though he hasn't started Group 2. We finished up Group 1from Meg's album last week with the Memory Game of Numbers. I need to check back with Gettman to see if there is anything that we skipped with Bumblebee. He really gets the short end of the stick! I need to start focusing more on where he is in the periods! I'm not sure he's ready for Group 2, but I may at least introduce it.
You may also notice that there is an almost-two-year-old in the school room! Boy does that make it difficult to stay in one place! Beya has his shelves and really enjoys what is on them. But he also likes to constantly see if he can grab something off of the other shelves. He's only been joining us for the past week or so, so hopefully he'll learn soon and calm down a bit. I have a feeling I'm going to have to start rotating his shelves now too!
This is all getting a little difficult for me to keep track of! Bumblebee has learned all of his letter sounds and some counting, just from being around Link. I haven't really focused on him at all! I haven't even made sound boxes for him! Don't ask me how he learned what he has, I'm amazed :)
 |
| Baby in the school room! |
The next day, I let Link choose any color he wanted. He asked for the long chains a few times, but I insisted that he had to show me could do the short ones first. He was going to do them all! He chose 1s, 2s, 3, and 5s.
I caught Bumblebee, who is about to turn four, taking short chains off of the cabinet several times. At first I'd tell him no. Then, when I realized that he was taking each off very carefully and folding it up to compare to the square, I decided to let him. Then he said he wanted to skip count, but sometimes he'd skip numbers. I decided to start him with the teen bead stair since he knows those pretty well, but still needs some work. I'll work through the Group 3 section with him even though he hasn't started Group 2. We finished up Group 1from Meg's album last week with the Memory Game of Numbers. I need to check back with Gettman to see if there is anything that we skipped with Bumblebee. He really gets the short end of the stick! I need to start focusing more on where he is in the periods! I'm not sure he's ready for Group 2, but I may at least introduce it.
You may also notice that there is an almost-two-year-old in the school room! Boy does that make it difficult to stay in one place! Beya has his shelves and really enjoys what is on them. But he also likes to constantly see if he can grab something off of the other shelves. He's only been joining us for the past week or so, so hopefully he'll learn soon and calm down a bit. I have a feeling I'm going to have to start rotating his shelves now too!
This is all getting a little difficult for me to keep track of! Bumblebee has learned all of his letter sounds and some counting, just from being around Link. I haven't really focused on him at all! I haven't even made sound boxes for him! Don't ask me how he learned what he has, I'm amazed :)
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Metal Insets Outside
Link has never been interested in the metal insets. So, when he spontaneously decided that he wanted to do some outside, with crayons, I did not protest. As you can see, Bumblebee learned from his big brother. Link did all the shapes except two, and I think the only reason he stopped was because I distracted him with cherries. He only wanted to trace the frames, but I was just so glad they were getting some use, I didn't press the issue. He asked me several times how to hold his crayon correctly, and would not put it down when he went to switch the shapes out.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Tea Time with Link
Link and Bumblebee received a
Tea Set
and a Coffee Maker
for their birthdays. Both gifts have been a hit! I don't have any pictures of Bumblebee yet, but here's Link having tea with me :) Just think of all the practical life and grace & courtesy lessons that will sneak into our tea time!
and a Coffee Maker
for their birthdays. Both gifts have been a hit! I don't have any pictures of Bumblebee yet, but here's Link having tea with me :) Just think of all the practical life and grace & courtesy lessons that will sneak into our tea time!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
New Works
On Sunday I took the boys outside to play, and while my back was turned, Bumblebee opened the door to go inside and do some work! I added several new works to their shelves over the weekend. For some reason the one that captured Bumblebee was the golf tees and foam. While we were there, Link of course checked out all the new things on Bumblebee's shelves without even looking at his own. With some encouragement we did his works together.
To Link's shelves I returned the felt and push pins and added sandpaper numbers (missing from pic), matching sandpaper letters to little wooden letters and an acorn counting activity.
Link seemed to enjoy doing his work today, but I was very involved. We also didn't make it through the entire box of letters for matching. For each letter that he matched he volunteered a word that began with that letter :) He worked very intently on the felt and push pins though.
To Bumblebee's shelves I added a bit more. Starting on the far left top the new things are: an object box, shape puzzles, and a small abacus. On the bottom shelf the balancing cactus and belt box are new.
On his other shelf I added the foam and golf tees, with no hammer, the peanut can has small holes and toothpicks, and next to that is the lacing orange. The bag below contains cubes and rectangular prisms for sorting.
Bumblebee worked with the foam, peanut can, cylinder block one, and shape puzzles.
After the boys seemed to be winding down I set up an activity for them that I had been thinking about. I set up two stools on one end of the classroom, with a bowl of macaroni on one stool. On the other side of the classroom I set up two stools, with an empty bowl on one and a tray with a measuring cup on the other stool. I showed the boys how to get one scoop of macaroni and set it on the tray. Then I walked carefully over to the other side and set the tray down on the empty stool. Then I poured the macaroni into the empty bowl. I put the scoop back on the tray and took it back to the other stool. Both boys did this about four times. Carrying the tray without spilling the macaroni was the tricky part for both boys. I plan to continue this in various ways, adding a line and changing the measuring cup and macaroni out for other items.
Link is a very active little boy and I thought it might be more fun doing things that involved moving :) Today I decided to try something to peak his interest in his sandpaper numbers. First, I brought 0-4 to the kitchen table. Since it was just his birthday, he's pretty interested in these numbers. Baby Bear is 0, Bumblebee is 1 and about to be 2, and Link was just 3, but is now 4. He learned these five numbers very quickly. Then, later today we played hide-and-seek with the numbers. I brought up the rest and we'd take turns hiding them.
First, I would hide them so that he could see the numbers when he found them. That way I could say "Bring me number 3" and he'd look for that one specifically, passing the others up when he found them.
He is at the stage where he knows what order they go in and can identify them if I say the number. It is harder for him to remember the name of the number when I point at them.
Link LOVES hide-and-seek! I think he could play it all day. We played for a solid hour, then I thought we should take a break so he didn't get too burnt out. I think I'll try this again with some letters and number rods.
To Link's shelves I returned the felt and push pins and added sandpaper numbers (missing from pic), matching sandpaper letters to little wooden letters and an acorn counting activity.
 |
| Link's shelves |
Link seemed to enjoy doing his work today, but I was very involved. We also didn't make it through the entire box of letters for matching. For each letter that he matched he volunteered a word that began with that letter :) He worked very intently on the felt and push pins though.
 |
| Link's push pin work |
 |
| Bumblebee's shelf |
On his other shelf I added the foam and golf tees, with no hammer, the peanut can has small holes and toothpicks, and next to that is the lacing orange. The bag below contains cubes and rectangular prisms for sorting.
Bumblebee worked with the foam, peanut can, cylinder block one, and shape puzzles.
After the boys seemed to be winding down I set up an activity for them that I had been thinking about. I set up two stools on one end of the classroom, with a bowl of macaroni on one stool. On the other side of the classroom I set up two stools, with an empty bowl on one and a tray with a measuring cup on the other stool. I showed the boys how to get one scoop of macaroni and set it on the tray. Then I walked carefully over to the other side and set the tray down on the empty stool. Then I poured the macaroni into the empty bowl. I put the scoop back on the tray and took it back to the other stool. Both boys did this about four times. Carrying the tray without spilling the macaroni was the tricky part for both boys. I plan to continue this in various ways, adding a line and changing the measuring cup and macaroni out for other items.
Link is a very active little boy and I thought it might be more fun doing things that involved moving :) Today I decided to try something to peak his interest in his sandpaper numbers. First, I brought 0-4 to the kitchen table. Since it was just his birthday, he's pretty interested in these numbers. Baby Bear is 0, Bumblebee is 1 and about to be 2, and Link was just 3, but is now 4. He learned these five numbers very quickly. Then, later today we played hide-and-seek with the numbers. I brought up the rest and we'd take turns hiding them.
 |
| Link closing his eyes while I hide the numbers. |
 |
| Sequencing the numbers |
 |
| Tracing |
 |
| Proud of his find |
 |
| Having fun with numbers! |
Link LOVES hide-and-seek! I think he could play it all day. We played for a solid hour, then I thought we should take a break so he didn't get too burnt out. I think I'll try this again with some letters and number rods.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Letter Search
I've mentioned before that I love, love, love the Sound Box Books by Jane Moncure. Lately, when Link and I are reading them, I ask him to find all of the letters on the page that make the sound that we're reading about. He enjoys this, so I thought I'd try adding a Letter Search activity to his sound boxes. I got the idea from My Boys Teacher over at What Did We Do All Day of course :) She made some like this, but in one of her comments she mentioned she couldn't share them. Since I had to make them anyways, I thought I'd share mine :) Enjoy!
Link
Link
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)