Less TV helps!

I made a conscious effort to greatly reduce the amount of TV the kids (and I ) watch now that Foxtrot doesn't take so much time.  The amount of time they watch has been slowly increasing since Echo was born

 

Once I got up (and their show "Super Why" was done - dad had turned it on for them...)  We had violin practice with Delta.  We haven't in probably almost a month - so he did NOT want to co-operate.  He got told that he wasn't doing anything until he had done that (and we had swim lessons not much later in the day...).   Fortunately he decided to do it.  (I was going to put the baby gate up across his room (which so far he has never climbed - but we don't use it anymore either...) - but he decided to do the practice before I got it out.... and the waiting time was used getting things ready for swim lessons.    We didn't do a lot for the practice, mainly some basic stuff.

 

Swim lessons were next, and a bit of time playing at the Y.  Then it was home for lunch (and 1 more show...)

 

Then let's see....   they played on the organ some, and we also got out their other musical instruments and played a bunch.  (maracas, tamborines, etc).

 

We had a math lesson

 The math lesson was on counting - we counted pennies.  Delta can count well up to 12, then starts mixing up.   Echo can count to 4 - but does recognize that the numbers correspond to the pennies.  (wierd, she can count to 10 if she isn't counting something but just saying the numbers...)

 

I made up a simple word search puzzle - Delta did GREAT.  He found a lot of them with no help, and the last few with a little help.  Echo didn't get the idea, but I didn't really expect her to - she coloured instead.

 

They also played with that mosaic pegboard I bought - Echo just puts the pegs in anywhere - but Delta filled in a rectangle shape with different colours.  And of course, it is great sorting practice as I make them sort it when putting it away.

 

And tonight I read the Alladin story from the Childcraft set.  Sometimes I don't know if Delta is really listening to these longer stories (Echo doesn't) - but I think he gets something out of them.

 

Overall - a lot done!

Asking for homeschooling!

wierd - looks like the last post was cut off a bit.

 

Anyway - Delta has been asking to do homeschooling each day the last few days. 

 

Tonight we finished reading "The House at Pooh Corner"

Good Day

We did good this evening!

 

They played "Ledges" - Delta could pick the words our right away (mind you, it was review for him) and Echo was able to figure them out (and got some extra practice reading the wrong choices....)

 

They then practiced their scripture mastery - Echo does better than Delta who tends to confuse some scriptures together.

 

Then Delta read 6 new sentences from the book - it introduced the sound x makes.   I then went ahead and asked what z says, and what qu says - and he knows them....  so should make the reading the next few days fairly easy.   He is doing better at blending out new words, but sometimes still needs me to help him - and I really don't think that he should....

 

I then gave Delta a "cars" book that no-one is going to read to him.  I think I made a bit of a mistake though.... I bought it as an impulse and a quick flip through.  It is a step 1 reading book - but I see now that with that set of books, step 1 is "getting ready to read" so is read by a parent.  I probably wanted a step 2 book which is for kids that can sound out some words.   So there are some tough words in his book (like bright and night....).  Oh well, it will be a challenge - but not TOO hard I hope.  I did tell him the bright and night words, but am not really helping him on the others.

 

Echo of course wanted a book too - but I explained that she will get her own book when she is at that stage of reading.  We then did some cards, and she learned what "s" says.    I then read her a "little critter" while Delta was working on puzzling out his book.

 

They then played the organ for a while - just playing on it of course.  (I haven't figured out how to teach them it yet!!!)    Then Delta told me that he couldn't play "Armagedon" (by Prism).  I told him I couldn't either!

 

So Delta knows the basic sounds that all the letters make.   I think we will do a lot of practice with them for a while - then the sentences get into the letter combinations etc....

 

 

Echo then wanted to do her car

Canola is not dandilions

We've still been taking it easy so far. Mike has been off the last couple of days...

Today we went to the playground - a different one from normal. Echo liked the clover growing in the field there, and had a close look at a bee (which made me a little nervous...) We also did a bit of driving around, and Delta pointed out the canola fields. (they are bright yellow - and used to be called rape seed). Even though he knew what it was last year, today he thought they were dandilions.... I told them what they really were though. And a bit further on, they were right up near the road, and he was able to see that they were different from dandilions - so that is cool.

Gotta get a routine

Well, not doing as well right now.... but they are getting a lot of run-around time (hey, phys-ed, right?) and a lot of it is outdoors.

We went swimming at the Y this evening - I heard Mike explaining something to Delta, don't remember what it was - but something to do with one of the toys....

I've got to get a daily routine going!

ASL practice

Went to the monday program today - the kids painted treasure boxes - not sure there was much else educational for them.  (there was stuff for colours - but Delta and Echo know them....)      But, I got to practice my sign language - there was a parent there today who is deaf.  I've run into her at 4 different times....  way back when Delta was very young she was at an child (infant) reading program....  then her one child was at the same nursery school as Delta (a different class), and then she was at the baby circle program when I first got pregnant - and now this one now that her second child is 2.   Anyway, I did a bit of interpreting (sort of) for her, and chatted a bit with her.

Knows colours already!

Yesterday, read a bit more of "House at Pooh Corner".  We are almost all done it.   Didn't do too much more - although Delta is trying to read some of his books too, so that is good.

 

btw - just thought I'd mention that I'd probably work on colours or something with Echo - but she knows them already!!!