Little guy Thursdays

See, I can blog!  I have managed 3 days in a row!

Even though there is a good chance no one actually reads this blog.  Its a little like chicken soup for the soul.  A great way for me to get my jumble of thoughts out in a semi organised way.  That is why this blog can be a little all over the place - it's a lot like my brain!

Anyway, I have decided for those imaginary people that are actually following (maybe perhaps?) it might be nice to share what we are doing with our 3 year old while his big sister is doing her school work each day.  I know a lot of home schoolers to be worry about this equation a lot!  I know I did!
So Thursdays are going to be Anthony's day. 
Each week I will try and show some photos and explanations of what he does to keep busy and have fun - or little guy school, as we call it in our house.'

Anthony actually gets up to a ton of fun stuff each day.  As a child that absolutely point blank refuses to go to Kindy, he gets a lot of hang out at home with big sister and Mummy time.
I try and put out some activities for him to do while Samantha is doing her school work each day, or some days he likes to do reading eggs.  After much thought we decided to get him his own subscription this year.  He mostly sticks to the 1st map over and over, and likes to play in the school house.  It is all educational though - which I don't think he has quite figured out yet :)
His activities include puzzles, matching games, writing practise, colourings and the like.  One of his favourites is actually putting things into muffin trays with some little tongs I bought him from the $2 shop.
Next year he will be doing a preschool curriculum from Confessions of a Homeschooler, but this year is playtime for him.

So watch this space for interesting preschool activities.  I will try and post where I got things from just in case anyone is interested.  If anyone wants more information, please just pop a note in the comments section and I will try and answer any questions the best I can.

So, after all of that, this week I haven't taken a single photo.  My excuse is toilet training.  The thing that will test any parent to the point of breaking! 
However, because Anthony is dragged around all of Samantha's activities.  And because most of his friends in the group we spend our time with are little girls, today we went and spent a lovely morning (and most of the afternoon) at my close friends house.  The major benefit of this for Anthony is that it is also his besties house :)  And his besty is actually a boy - woohoo!
Here is a photo of the two of them playing today.  They are obviously a Ninja and Mike the knight!  Anthony is the older but smaller of the two - he he.

 

 

Blessings,
Sterryn

Wordless Wednesday - Best Friends till the end!

I love that my children are the best of friends 90% of the time - and that
Ninja turtles and Little pet Shops can be in a game together :)

Boring old Homeschooling......

I read a interesting post the other day in one of my many home school links.  It was talking about those people that home school because they feel they have been called to it - yet don't really enjoy it.
This really struck a chord with me, because while passionate about it, I feel like I lack a certain skill in regards to this journey.  I don't think it is something that can't be fixed, I just feel like I haven't completely managed to 'unschool' myself properly yet.
It made me really sit and think about why we are on this journey and what I need to do to make it less 'schooly'.

Firstly the main reason we are on this journey is because I couldn't in good conscience send my daughter to our local school.    Now I am sure that it is a fantastic school for a lot of children, but I know my daughter.  I know how sensitive she is and I didn't want her to have to go off to school and learn to harden up!  I feel like a 5 year old little girl should be able to be sensitive, and that it is way to young to learn that the world is hard and some people are mean!
I worried myself sick for months about sending her, but never even realised that home schooling was an option.   When hubby suggested we look into it and we began researching it, I still didn't really think it was an option.  I was still looking at other schools around our area for Samantha.
Well this is where I suddenly realised that I was being led down this path for a reason!  I just needed to listen!  God had been whispering in my ear the whole time, that this was what was right for our family.  I just typically didn't open myself up to listening to him!  Once I accepted that this was the path he has planned for me everything literally fell into place.
I developed a real passion for everything homeschooling - I love it!  I love the whole ideal of it, and especially the idea that I am keeping my family together and teaching my children in a way that suits them and our family.

So decision made.... this is where it got harder!

I went to school!  At 5 I was trundled off with my new backpack and pigtails (not new) and school was where I stayed until I was 17.  I didn't particularly love school - it was just something I had to do when I wasn't rollerskating.
Unfortunately, that school system taught me that you follow the norm!  So even homeschooling, I was out there trying to find curriculum that fit into the 'box' for my child.
Now admittedly I stumbled across some good curriculum, and it does suit Samantha at this stage, but when she asked me the other day when we are going to do something 'fun' for school work I was stunned!
I realised that whilst we are ticking all the boxes for her learning what she should be, I had actually sucked all the fun out of it for her.  She might as well be at school!

So we are trying very hard to  shake things up a bit!

We are still covering our reading and maths curriculum, albeit in a slightly more fun ways.  This means more story writing, games and general silliness.
There is a lot more arty things - which is Sam's 'thing', and we are actually starting to use the unit studies I have been hoarding on my USB stick.

Sam has chosen to learn about Dolphins.   This is supposed to be a one week unit study (if you do nothing else a day), but because of the other things we are doing this will last us approximately 4-5 weeks.
So far this week we have watched videos of dolphins, learnt fun facts, rediscovered the story of Genesis 1 and learnt how to draw dolphins.

Samantha came to me today and said, "Mummy, today was so fun, can we do more like that tomorrow?".

My day was made!   That little sentence made me realise I need to chill out!  Enjoy this journey with my children, make it interesting as well as informative, and most of all make it fun!
This combined with our weekly activities will make this journey a much more relaxed fun environment for all of us - Hooray, and praise God!

Tomorrow is Kiwi sports (Hockey), swimming and a trip to the library.  If we are very lucky we might get some school work done too :)

Blessings,
Sterryn

Soccer time at Kiwi sports.

Very early in the morning (like still pitch black)...

is the perfect time to draw a Ninja Turtle!

Back to basics, we made play dough, and then played with it :)

Anthony's new Farm play set - yes the 6 year old loves it just as much!

Wordless Wednesdays

I have seen this done on several blogs I follow, and I love it!  It also means that my goal to post at least once a week is easily fufilled - lets hope for more though :)

Today is brought to you by the letter B - for Ballet exams, and here are some pictures of my very excited princess moments before she went in for her big exam yesterday :)

And one of the little monster - just cause I can!

Sterryn :)

Little Ballet dancer

Wow, so much for that post a week comment!

The sad thing is that I had actually thought I could do it!  It has been so crazy around here in the past few weeks that I expected to come in here and find it had only been a week!
Anyone that thinks homeschooling families lie around all day and do nothing must not know any!

The last week has been full on!  Samantha's ballet exams are now only 1 sleep away and I have a slightly nervous but very excited little girl tonight!    Her biggest concern about the exam is not being able to wear underwear under her leotard :)  I think I am more nervous than she is!

She has worked so hard!  Has practised every day for the last 3 weeks, even when she didn't really want to.  And please don't think I have been pushing her, because beyond me telling her to get herself dressed ready to practise she has done it all herself.  The complaining stops the second the music starts!
She knows this exam inside out and I know she is going to do well no matter what.  I watched her at her mock exam on Saturday and she was amazing!  The only comments on her marking sheet were that she needs to stop talking (hehe) and lift her knees in her skips a little more.   Watching the other little girls in her group stumble through in comparison to my little girl confident and happy made me so proud I actually thought I might burst! 

I will post a photo of her in her official uniform tomorrow, but here are some sneak peeks from the last few days of practise :)
I love the kooky combination of clothes she chooses to practise in.  Its so far removed from her actual uniform that it always looks hilarious :)

 

Dancing is a bit part of our household in general.  I guess with my background in rollerskating I just can't stay still when good music comes on.  Apparently I have passed this 'gene' on as this is my children watching the Polkadots today...

 

Anthony is pretending not to dance and hiding away so I can't see him.

And as for the 3rd and most recent child in our household, here is Charlie up to his normal crazy antics of getting as high as possible and then not knowing how to get back down...

Samantha and Anthony noticing the latest cat antics!

Charlie - 'help me!'

More to come tomorrow - with gorgeous photos hopefully :)  Wish us luck!

Sterryn

Cats and holidays etc

Goodness, yet another month has flown by!

July was all a bit mental in our house!  We had Daddy's 40th birthday as well as numerous other birthdays including my own.  (Quite happy to let that one go by!). 
My lovely homeschooling friends made me gorgeous cakes for my birthday and I had some lovely presents from friends and my in laws - we won't even mention that my family (parent/grandparent) forgot - yet again!

July also heralded the school holidays (not that it means too much to us).  All the school holidays truely meant in our house was that both kids ended up sick as dogs!  You name it we had it - including a horrible coughing bug that struck everyone and lasted almost the entire time.  Add to that a good dose of croup for the little man, and an ear infection for my big girl :(
I was well and truly ready to see the end of all of it!  Yay for August!

July also welcomed kittens to our household.  Charlie and Gizmo joined our family in early July.  (I should break the bad news now that unforunately Gizmo has now left home and is happily settling in to his new home).  Turned out 2 kittens meant a whole lot more work that anyone in our house was prepared for!
Both children love poor Charlie, who is very clearly a few sandwiches short of a picnic - bless him!
He is tormented, picked up and loved nearly to death on a daily basis, but he can still be found hanging around both children most of the time.

Both the boys.  Identical twins - sigh!

Apart from the excitement we have really just be plodding along with school work.  July was hard work, but August seems to have brought in new fun to our school room.  We have started switching up a few things to make it fun - today Samantha wrote a story complete with a picture for her handwriting today :)

Samantha also has her ballet exam in a few weeks so has been practising most days for it.  I am so proud of her, she is putting in the hard work at it, and is doing amazingly!  She not only knows everything she needs to know, but is truly starting to look like an actual ballerina :) 

Here is a quick snap shot of July.

Charlie helping with reading eggs :)

Twins, Charlie on the right.

Daddys birthday cake - Icecream cake!  Woohoo :)

Trying out the accessories for Estelle's Cowboy Party!

Anthony ready to go to the party!

Cowgirl Samantha. - And Charlie!

Anthony stacking our new Math U See blocks.

Cheeese!

Our Postcard swaps.  That has been an amazing thing for Geography :)

Anthony putting pom poms in muffin cups :)

So that was our month in a minute :)  My new goal - a post a week!  Can she do it - *hopefully*!

Sterryn :)