Zak and Kaliah continued with some self taught, self paced sign language today. Kaliah has really taken to it - she sat and read and learned the signs in alphabetical order!!
We spent the afternoon at the Nepean Educational Supplies bookstore, looking at books, and I let the kids choose their own work books this year (of course, I still had the final say, but for the most part, they seem to know what they want!) Besides, the little ones picked theirs by me offering them a choice. We also invested in some Base 10 blocks, as we discovered many maths exercises last year that couldn't be completed without them), some jumbo coloured pencils (easier for the little kids to grip too!) and other essential stationery supplies.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Semester 1, Week 2, Monday
Zakari
Zak did well with his swimming practice today - he swam 16 laps of the 25 metre pool! That's 400 metres!! Great effort!
After lunch, I had him complete pages 33 (Dividing VCCV and VCV words - 2) and 34 (Using VCCV and VCV words - 2) from Reading Freedom Book 4, following on from where we left off last year. While he understands the patterns of words (vowel consonant consonant vowel or vowel consonant vowel) he still struggles with the break in the syllables with VCV words. So instead of putting the break after the first vowel and before the consonant (eg sho-vel), he will put it after the consonant and before the second vowel (eg shov-el). However, he has no problems recognising nonsense words in a list.
After a discussion about sign language on the way home from swimming, I got out my Dictionary of Australasian Signs for Zak and Kaliah to look at, and they started to teach themselves some sign language.
Once Zak had completed that, he prepared his dad's meals and snacks for work. Later in the afternoon, he played Sudoku in the Brain Training game on the Nintendo DSi.
Kaliah
We found out today that Kaliah is the only one in her swimming class this term - Bronwyn told her that all the others had gone to school. So it looks like she gets "private lessons"! She has alot to work on to get her swimming up to scratch, in particular her legs.
In freestyle, she lets her legs lag under the water, so she isn't kicking on the surface. As a result, she lets her arms and upper body do all the work. So we have to concentrate on getting her legs kicking more, and correctly. In backstroke, she has a tendency to bend her knees and bring them up towards her body, rather than keeping her legs straight and kicking her feet. So these are things that she really needs to work on in order to improve.
After lunch, she read A Particular Cow by Mem Fox and then wrote about the story. I then had her read the book out loud to me, to practice her oral skills. I find that she reads out loud better if she has had the chance to read it by herself first. Kaliah actually has quite good oral reading skills, she doesn't appear to struggle with larger words, and I wonder if perhaps it is because she has had a chance to figure it out by herself beforehand, without any pressure.
Kaliah and Zak have taken an interest in sign language, and she enjoyed sitting and learning the signs from the Dictionary of Australasian Signs today. She tends to take pleasure in self taught and self paced activities.
She also got her dad's clothes bag ready for work, packing it with a towel and some changes of clothes.
Khaemon
It appears that Khaemon may also be the only one in his swim class this term - for the second week running, he has had one on one tuition! Steph is concentrating on his freestyle arms, using the kickboard to get his arms stretched out in front. He is also doing quite well at backstroke.
In the afternoon, Khaemon played Brain Training on the DSi, and even though it is beyond his years, he seems to enjoy the challenge!
Veygas
Veygas is so cheeky in his swimming lesson - his confidence in the water is unbelievable! His lesson today started off with tears (I think he has a problem with authority!) but Kate soon put a stop to that and cheeky Vevo came out again. He has never had a problem with his head being under water, and I think that the concept of paddling his arms and kicking his legs has finally kicked in!
Saffryn
Saffy's swimming lesson went well today - she is actually starting to respond to some of the games, but her "curling reflex" kicks in when I put her on her back!
Zak did well with his swimming practice today - he swam 16 laps of the 25 metre pool! That's 400 metres!! Great effort!
After lunch, I had him complete pages 33 (Dividing VCCV and VCV words - 2) and 34 (Using VCCV and VCV words - 2) from Reading Freedom Book 4, following on from where we left off last year. While he understands the patterns of words (vowel consonant consonant vowel or vowel consonant vowel) he still struggles with the break in the syllables with VCV words. So instead of putting the break after the first vowel and before the consonant (eg sho-vel), he will put it after the consonant and before the second vowel (eg shov-el). However, he has no problems recognising nonsense words in a list.
After a discussion about sign language on the way home from swimming, I got out my Dictionary of Australasian Signs for Zak and Kaliah to look at, and they started to teach themselves some sign language.
Once Zak had completed that, he prepared his dad's meals and snacks for work. Later in the afternoon, he played Sudoku in the Brain Training game on the Nintendo DSi.
Kaliah
We found out today that Kaliah is the only one in her swimming class this term - Bronwyn told her that all the others had gone to school. So it looks like she gets "private lessons"! She has alot to work on to get her swimming up to scratch, in particular her legs.
In freestyle, she lets her legs lag under the water, so she isn't kicking on the surface. As a result, she lets her arms and upper body do all the work. So we have to concentrate on getting her legs kicking more, and correctly. In backstroke, she has a tendency to bend her knees and bring them up towards her body, rather than keeping her legs straight and kicking her feet. So these are things that she really needs to work on in order to improve.
After lunch, she read A Particular Cow by Mem Fox and then wrote about the story. I then had her read the book out loud to me, to practice her oral skills. I find that she reads out loud better if she has had the chance to read it by herself first. Kaliah actually has quite good oral reading skills, she doesn't appear to struggle with larger words, and I wonder if perhaps it is because she has had a chance to figure it out by herself beforehand, without any pressure.
Kaliah and Zak have taken an interest in sign language, and she enjoyed sitting and learning the signs from the Dictionary of Australasian Signs today. She tends to take pleasure in self taught and self paced activities.
She also got her dad's clothes bag ready for work, packing it with a towel and some changes of clothes.
Khaemon
It appears that Khaemon may also be the only one in his swim class this term - for the second week running, he has had one on one tuition! Steph is concentrating on his freestyle arms, using the kickboard to get his arms stretched out in front. He is also doing quite well at backstroke.
In the afternoon, Khaemon played Brain Training on the DSi, and even though it is beyond his years, he seems to enjoy the challenge!
Veygas
Veygas is so cheeky in his swimming lesson - his confidence in the water is unbelievable! His lesson today started off with tears (I think he has a problem with authority!) but Kate soon put a stop to that and cheeky Vevo came out again. He has never had a problem with his head being under water, and I think that the concept of paddling his arms and kicking his legs has finally kicked in!
Saffryn
Saffy's swimming lesson went well today - she is actually starting to respond to some of the games, but her "curling reflex" kicks in when I put her on her back!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Semester 1, Week 1, Weekend
Zak had his swimming lesson on Saturday, still in heatwave conditions, and the break obviously did him some good. He had improved so much that his teacher promoted him to the next level, Dolphins, where he will now start learning butterfly (a stroke he has been dying to learn for some time now!). He really seems to be putting in alo of effort with his swimming now, which is great to see!
I started to look for some information, via the internet, on computer game programming, or ways in which I can start to teach this to Zak, as he has expressed an interest in programming for a while now. I was ecstatic to find a website where the author has even written a programming guide specifically designed for beginners and children! So now we just need to set aside some time every couple of days in which we can sit down and work through it together, so that his hunger for knowledge doesn't dwindle!
On Sunday, we came across a show on TV called Bad Universe. This particular episode, Death Stars, documented the violent forces that occur throughout the universe when a star dies. Zak wrote a two page report about what he had seen.
Sunday afternoon saw the end of the heatwave, so now we can try and get back into a more regular routine!
I started to look for some information, via the internet, on computer game programming, or ways in which I can start to teach this to Zak, as he has expressed an interest in programming for a while now. I was ecstatic to find a website where the author has even written a programming guide specifically designed for beginners and children! So now we just need to set aside some time every couple of days in which we can sit down and work through it together, so that his hunger for knowledge doesn't dwindle!
On Sunday, we came across a show on TV called Bad Universe. This particular episode, Death Stars, documented the violent forces that occur throughout the universe when a star dies. Zak wrote a two page report about what he had seen.
Sunday afternoon saw the end of the heatwave, so now we can try and get back into a more regular routine!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Semester 1, Week 1, Friday
Ok, this heat is getting beyond a joke!
We had planned a picnic for today, with friends, but we all decided it was best to postpone - it was just too darn hot!!!
The homeschool group, RivKids, that we started going to last year, also started back today, but again, the heat kept us at home ... four kids running around and a baby who doesn't like to be put down (especially in the heat!) .... I just couldn't see myself coping with that today.
The kids all did their chores today though - the cats were fed and watered, the table got cleaned this morning after breakfast .... for the most part though, they didn't move much today. I think all the hot days are catching up with them, cause none of them seem to have the energy to do much, and they are all complaining that it's too hot to eat, so they have basically had loads of water today and a couple of pieces of fruit.
Sometimes I feel sorry for the kids "at school", having to travel in this heat, sit in a classroom with 30 odd other hot bodied children, be forced outside at recess and lunch breaks .... when really, all they want to do is stay cool and go slow. If my kids are complaining about the heat and whinging cause they are too hot to deal with it (well, Khaemon and Veygas anyway - they get terribly frustrated when it's this hot), I can't imagine what kids at school are going through!
But today, I think they all finally learned the importance of doing as little as possible in this heat ... the less you do, the less you argue, fight, whinge etc, the cooler (well, less hot and sticky at least!) you will stay! So again, no formal learning, but a lesson in controlling emotions.
We had planned a picnic for today, with friends, but we all decided it was best to postpone - it was just too darn hot!!!
The homeschool group, RivKids, that we started going to last year, also started back today, but again, the heat kept us at home ... four kids running around and a baby who doesn't like to be put down (especially in the heat!) .... I just couldn't see myself coping with that today.
The kids all did their chores today though - the cats were fed and watered, the table got cleaned this morning after breakfast .... for the most part though, they didn't move much today. I think all the hot days are catching up with them, cause none of them seem to have the energy to do much, and they are all complaining that it's too hot to eat, so they have basically had loads of water today and a couple of pieces of fruit.
Sometimes I feel sorry for the kids "at school", having to travel in this heat, sit in a classroom with 30 odd other hot bodied children, be forced outside at recess and lunch breaks .... when really, all they want to do is stay cool and go slow. If my kids are complaining about the heat and whinging cause they are too hot to deal with it (well, Khaemon and Veygas anyway - they get terribly frustrated when it's this hot), I can't imagine what kids at school are going through!
But today, I think they all finally learned the importance of doing as little as possible in this heat ... the less you do, the less you argue, fight, whinge etc, the cooler (well, less hot and sticky at least!) you will stay! So again, no formal learning, but a lesson in controlling emotions.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Semester 1, Week 1, Thursday
Yet another hot day, and learning of a different kind for the kids today. We attended a Family Capers business networking day and the kids got to meet some new and different "families in business". I think it is good for them to know and see that they can achieve whatever they want with persistence and hard work (and not just take my word for it!)
Of course they got to play as well, which is good for their creativity and imagination, not to mention socialising with other children - learning to share and take turns and co-operate.
Not everything in life is book-learned, and nor is it meant to be!
Of course they got to play as well, which is good for their creativity and imagination, not to mention socialising with other children - learning to share and take turns and co-operate.
Not everything in life is book-learned, and nor is it meant to be!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Semester 1, Week 1, Wednesday
It was so hot today, and shopping day too. It had hit 30 degrees by 9am, and the thought of taking all of the kids shopping had completely overwhelmed me. I decided that I'd leave the three older kids at home and just take the two little ones - I already felt that I didn't have the energy to deal with them all in this heat!
And because of the heat, and everyone's lethargy, I gave the kids a break from traditional "book learning" today and just let them ... be.
When I returned from shopping, the kids all helped to take the bags of groceries inside and put everything away. I do believe that this is a valuable life skill, and definitely teaches them how the household is run, and where things go - fridge, freezer, pantry, kitchen, laundry, bathroom ...
They sat and made their lunches - it was sweltering, far too hot for any mischief! They then lounged around the floor in front of the TV, but I doubt any of them paid much attention to what was on. Later in the afternoon, when it was fractionally cooler (maybe a degree or two!), Zak, Kaliah and I went and did the dishes - me washing and the kids drying. Teamwork. Another lesson in how a household works, and moreso, how teamwork gets things done quicker!
The boys played DS for a little while, and Kaliah lied down on the tiled floor in front of the back door with coloured pencils and a piece of paper, and drew a picture of herself!
Garbage night ... the kids gathered together all of the rubbish from the kitchen, bathroom, laundry and computer desk bins, and the recycling, then made sure the bins went out to the side of the road for tomorrow morning's collection. You have to hand it to them, they'll certainly know what to do when they leave home!
So, although not an academic day, a learning one nonetheless.
And because of the heat, and everyone's lethargy, I gave the kids a break from traditional "book learning" today and just let them ... be.
When I returned from shopping, the kids all helped to take the bags of groceries inside and put everything away. I do believe that this is a valuable life skill, and definitely teaches them how the household is run, and where things go - fridge, freezer, pantry, kitchen, laundry, bathroom ...
They sat and made their lunches - it was sweltering, far too hot for any mischief! They then lounged around the floor in front of the TV, but I doubt any of them paid much attention to what was on. Later in the afternoon, when it was fractionally cooler (maybe a degree or two!), Zak, Kaliah and I went and did the dishes - me washing and the kids drying. Teamwork. Another lesson in how a household works, and moreso, how teamwork gets things done quicker!
The boys played DS for a little while, and Kaliah lied down on the tiled floor in front of the back door with coloured pencils and a piece of paper, and drew a picture of herself!
Garbage night ... the kids gathered together all of the rubbish from the kitchen, bathroom, laundry and computer desk bins, and the recycling, then made sure the bins went out to the side of the road for tomorrow morning's collection. You have to hand it to them, they'll certainly know what to do when they leave home!
So, although not an academic day, a learning one nonetheless.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Semester 1, Week 1, Tuesday
Today was another scorcher of a day (it's still currently 40 degrees as I write!) so I tried to get the kids to do some work earlier this morning, before the heat really set in. Unfortunately we didn't get alot done before they were distracted by the heat and I didn't have the heart to make them sit there and work, knowing that they wouldn't really absorb what they were learning.
Zakari
More maths today from Maths Plus 4 Stage 2, pages 83 (Division), 84 (Angles) and 85 (Millimetres). He learned about the division symbol (you know, the one that looks like a closed bracket with a line across the top?) and how you divide the number on the right side of the bracket by the number on the left side of the bracket and write the answer above the line. I also elaborated on the importance of learning this way, because it comes in handy down the track when you're doing long division. I also told him that if he wasn't sure if the answer was right, then all he had to do to double check was to multiply the answer by the divisor and see if that came out the same as the original number.
There were a few simple errors on this page, mainly things he hadn't double checked, but one or two of them, he had actually second guessed himself and crossed out the correct answer in favour of the incorrect one. Most of these were where the division problems had remainders.
Zak worked quite well through the angles exercises, he has a competent understanding of right angles, and larger / smaller than right angles.
In the millimetres exercise, he is very capable of using a ruler and reading the correct measurement from it.. He also estimates length quite close to the correct length, and translate centimetres to millimetres with no problems.
As the heat had well and truly set in by the time he had finished the maths, I decided that that was it for the day and Zak spent some free time constructing with lego and watching some television.
Later in the afternoon, he prepared his dad's snacks for work.
Kaliah
Kaliah chose to read Night Noises by Mem Fox today and wrote a two page recall of the story. Her spelling was much improved from yesterday - she only had two mis-spelled words today. The main things that I feel we need to work on with Kaliah is her punctuation (she often forgets full stops, so thought and sentences run into each other) and her handwriting letter formation. I understand it's hot, so I am giving her a little bit of leeway for the time being.
Kaliah also had some TV time time today - it really was too hot to do anything - even play outside!
Khaemon
I gave Khaemon a choice today whether he wanted to do any work or not. He chose to work (perhaps cause the others were!) but it was short lived! He traced and copied a few letters of the alphabet in Literacy for Littlies Part A - Early Stage 1, a book which he had completed in about a month last year! But the heat got the better of him and he ended up watching TV and then playing various DS games with Veygas (they sometimes like to connect and it's hard to keep up with what game they are playing sometimes!) He finished the day by flicking through some Disney and Dr Seuss books (we have an extensive library of both!), moreso for the pictures at this stage!
Veygas
Veygas spent about 5 minutes today being artistic with coloured pencils on 4 pieces of paper, before the heat got the better of him. He watched some TV, which he tired of fairly quickly, and then played DS with Khaemon. He spent most of the day hot, tired and whingy, but who can blame the poor child?
------
Tomorrow is our weekly shopping day, so I am looking at making up a worksheet tonight for Zak and Kaliah for them to find the answers for in the supermarket tomorrow. I think I am most looking forward to the air conditioning!
Zakari
More maths today from Maths Plus 4 Stage 2, pages 83 (Division), 84 (Angles) and 85 (Millimetres). He learned about the division symbol (you know, the one that looks like a closed bracket with a line across the top?) and how you divide the number on the right side of the bracket by the number on the left side of the bracket and write the answer above the line. I also elaborated on the importance of learning this way, because it comes in handy down the track when you're doing long division. I also told him that if he wasn't sure if the answer was right, then all he had to do to double check was to multiply the answer by the divisor and see if that came out the same as the original number.
There were a few simple errors on this page, mainly things he hadn't double checked, but one or two of them, he had actually second guessed himself and crossed out the correct answer in favour of the incorrect one. Most of these were where the division problems had remainders.
Zak worked quite well through the angles exercises, he has a competent understanding of right angles, and larger / smaller than right angles.
In the millimetres exercise, he is very capable of using a ruler and reading the correct measurement from it.. He also estimates length quite close to the correct length, and translate centimetres to millimetres with no problems.
As the heat had well and truly set in by the time he had finished the maths, I decided that that was it for the day and Zak spent some free time constructing with lego and watching some television.
Later in the afternoon, he prepared his dad's snacks for work.
Kaliah
Kaliah chose to read Night Noises by Mem Fox today and wrote a two page recall of the story. Her spelling was much improved from yesterday - she only had two mis-spelled words today. The main things that I feel we need to work on with Kaliah is her punctuation (she often forgets full stops, so thought and sentences run into each other) and her handwriting letter formation. I understand it's hot, so I am giving her a little bit of leeway for the time being.
Kaliah also had some TV time time today - it really was too hot to do anything - even play outside!
Khaemon
I gave Khaemon a choice today whether he wanted to do any work or not. He chose to work (perhaps cause the others were!) but it was short lived! He traced and copied a few letters of the alphabet in Literacy for Littlies Part A - Early Stage 1, a book which he had completed in about a month last year! But the heat got the better of him and he ended up watching TV and then playing various DS games with Veygas (they sometimes like to connect and it's hard to keep up with what game they are playing sometimes!) He finished the day by flicking through some Disney and Dr Seuss books (we have an extensive library of both!), moreso for the pictures at this stage!
Veygas
Veygas spent about 5 minutes today being artistic with coloured pencils on 4 pieces of paper, before the heat got the better of him. He watched some TV, which he tired of fairly quickly, and then played DS with Khaemon. He spent most of the day hot, tired and whingy, but who can blame the poor child?
------
Tomorrow is our weekly shopping day, so I am looking at making up a worksheet tonight for Zak and Kaliah for them to find the answers for in the supermarket tomorrow. I think I am most looking forward to the air conditioning!
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