I've been wanting to write an update for a while, if for no other reason than I've been havin' so darn much fun, but also not wanting to write lest I get overly analytical about our lives. That's a constant trap for me because I'm a psychology nut and kids are the best. experiment. ever! So sometimes I have to work very hard to get out of my head and just enjoy them. Today I'm giving myself a break. :-)
The kids are growing by leaps and bounds, some of them literally. I suspect that within the next year Tex and I will be sharing both shoe size and height. He'll turn ten in June. And I'm short. But still! He's growing in lots of other ways, too. Some of you know Tex personally and know that I sometimes find his personality to be challenging (and yes, I know, he's always sweet at your house, don't rub it in), and there's no question that he struggles with a certain awkwardness when it comes to dealing with other human lifeforms (let's just say I have a particular sympathy with Leonard from The Big Bang Theory), but he is a good-hearted kid who really does want to get along with his friends and have good relationships with his family. That it is shining through so bright these days is such a relief. :-) I see him trying to take a deep breath more often when his temper gets hold of him. I see him choosing, when his sister is annoying him for kicks as siblings sometimes do, to turn it into a game for as long as he can stand before asking her to knock it off. I see him trying to talk his way through arguments instead of headbutt through them. I hear him acknowledging his imperfections and laughing about them instead of getting angry and hurt. He's maturing, and he's doing it in part because he's surrounded by people willing to (mostly) talk him through it instead of only punishing him for it. I've known for a while now that school would have been inappropriate for Tex for this reason in particular. He has needed these years to overcome his difficulties in negotiating the social landscape of this world, and I can see that he's finding his voice and his place, figuring out what he's good at and what feels useful to him. I think he's starting on a big journey of finally having overcome the effect that preschool and our overly strict parenting style had on him (to clarify, we weren't the Pearls, we just were much more strict with the conventions than we are now and that wasn't a good fit for our unconventional child), and being able to really explore himself.
Both Tex and Noodle are into the online multiplayer games Minecraft and Roblox, just to name the top two. These are games where they get to create a character (a LEGO-ish fellow) and then go out into the various worlds to play games, fulfill quests, solve puzzles, or even blow things up. The boys watch videos on YouTube about their videogame passions and play together side-by-side at their computer stations. Noodle in particular is a computer whiz and gets such joy out of manipulating the computer to make it do what he wants. He wants to set up servers and install mods and add memory and learn how to build stuff and beat the game. There are days when he is at his computer almost non-stop! And honestly, yeah, it used to bug me, but he's getting so much out of it that I don't worry anymore. He's found a passion to pursue at the age of seven and I think that's awesome!
Monkeygirl is having a great time of it lately as well. She's four now, so she's finally old enough to sign up for our local TaeKwonDo classes, and after just a couple of classes she is having a ball and so excited about her class. Watching her confidence in class, her willingness to try over and over again when she doesn't get it right, her silliness and complete self-assurance in the face of language barriers, stricter discipline than she's ever seen, and high expectations is so thrilling!
My little Monkey is also having great fun learning math skills on the new Team UmiZoomi math app for the iPad, even practicing addition and subtraction skills. I have to give special thanks to my parents for buying us the iPad this summer for homeschool, and to our family and friends for keeping us in iTunes cards so that we can find new fun games to play. I can see the learning the kids are doing with this new tool and it's really fun for them. In fact Noodle now knows more about US geography than I do, thanks to a wonderful game called Stack the States. I've still got 'em on the nicknames, though. Yes, I take my victories where I can get 'em, why do you ask? We also all really enjoy the logic games like Where's My Water, World of Goo, Cut the Rope, and SpongeMarble. Since I think the most important goal for homeschooling is to help my children learn to think logically and independently, these games provide invaluable problem-solving skills. Fair warning: they also cause insomnia in adults as you try to get through just. one. more. level!
And if there are still any lingering concerns about their academic smarts and whether or not they are on par with the national standards, you can quiet your worries. Daddy-O watched an episode of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" with the boys and they did great! :-) They did that while on a trip to Nashville where they saw the scale reproduction of the Parthenon at Centennial Park, visited the children's science museum, and even attended a Predators hockey game. It was a great boys' weekend for them while Monkeygirl and I hung out at home.
Okay, I gotta go now. The boys are playing Just Dance 3 in the other room and I really want to go get my groove on! Hope you're all enjoying your journey!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wrapping It Up
So the "school year" is wrapping up, so it's time for another little update, but I'm finding it very hard to want to focus on listing academic achievements just now. I've been doing some pretty heavy reading the last couple of days, and it's really changing my focus. Or more accurately, sharpening it.
See, I'd like to lead off with the reassuring statement about how Tex has become a darn proficient reader now, in his own time, and is even starting to think of himself that way. We were going through our rarely-read children's books to find some to give away for victims of the recent tornadoes, and something happened that has never happened before: Tex wanted to keep books so that HE could read them. He's never talked about wanting to read independently before. Ever. He has clung to the idea of me reading to him for years, in fact I think he was planning to have me in the dorm room next to his if he goes to college, so that I could read text books to him at bedtime. :-) "Insecure about reading" doesn't even begin to describe him. "Hostile" maybe comes closer. So it's with no small amount of joy that I realized two days ago we had had a banner day: Tex told me all the jokes off his Popsicle sticks after HE read them himself. He didn't ask for help before trying, he gave it a shot and it made sense for him, he comprehended the words and was able to express them accurately to me later.
But that doesn't really change the basic fact that Tex is not naturally proficient at language-related tasks, and I really want to start actively playing to his strengths as a spatial learner. I love that he's brought himself this far and that he's starting to feel confident about something that's been a big challenge for him the last couple of years, but I'm also worried that I'm not doing enough to support that learning and help him feel powerful and intelligent. I feel like if he could take it to the next level, having some concrete tools to employ when trying to decode language, then he would feel even more self-reliant and independent, and wouldn't look to me to be his savior in these situations. But he's so resistant to any kind of pressure that I've been hands-off in order to let him know that I don't expect his brain to operate on my timeline. And that's kind of what the whole point of homeschooling was with him, was to get him to a point where he felt well-equipped to handle what would be expected of him in public school, and not feel abandoned or neglected. And that's not to say he would be forced to go to school once he reached that point, just that it wasn't an option until then. And now I'm seeing that with a little more focused work on my part, there's a light at the distant end of the tunnel. That's pretty cool. But more on that "urge to push" in a minute.
Speaking of reading, it turns out Noodle is just one of those kids who "get it". I was like that; I don't know what age I started reading, I just remember that words on a page made sense to me. It appears Noodle is much the same, as his reading has gone from basic C-V-C words last summer to full on reading of whole paragraphs at present. Of course he struggles with the odd word, but most of them just flow right in his eyes and out his mouth without a break. I realize now what a gift that is in this world, to have words just open themselves up to you. I think it will allow Noodle a lot more choice for a while, and I hope I don't forget that he still needs my interest in what he's learning even if he doesn't need my help.
Okay, now that the reading is covered, what else have we been doing? Well, the big thing that was coming up after my last entry was Disney World! I can't believe what a burst of imagination has come on the tails of that trip. The kids still watch the Disney behind-the-scenes videos on Netflix at least once a week, they talk about their favorite rides and what they're going to do next time when they're bigger (we're hoping to take another trip in 3 years or so), and the other day Tex and I even had a conversation comparing the strengths and weaknesses of Disney and Universal as we saw them. He argued that while WDW definitely has the best rides for kids his age, Universal had the more impressive architecture, citing Hogsmeade/Hogwarts in particular. I maintain that Universal should only get credit for having hired the staff from the movies to design the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and that overall Disney does a much better job of selling their themes. Then he pulled out the Dr. Suess area at Universal and I rebutted with Epcot's World Showcase. In the end we agreed to disagree.
Anyway, it's been a fun surprise to me to see what caught each child's fancy at WDW. While we were at the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor on our last night at Disney, and Tex got asked by a monster comedian what he wanted to be when he grew up, he answered without hesitation "a costume designer". Now, dressing up is something that Tex has always loved to do, and we maintain well-stocked dress-up boxes for all the kids, but it's like our trip to the theme parks really brought it to life for him. He focuses on the little details of the costumes he sees in movies and tv shows, and on figuring out how we can recreate them at home. This is one of those times I wish I was good at sewing.
But now, let's go back to the sharpening of focus I told you about. I suppose it's natural as one begins to live out the Unschooling lifestyle, but I've been thinking more and more lately about what is really important to us. I was in the bookstore yesterday and I picked up The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. I had heard about the book and it's author, and even read a couple of excerpts on the internet, heaping scorn on the head of the woman who would do such things to her child for the sake of being thought to be a good mother because her children were successful. For shame! But in reading the jacket of the *actual* book instead of just relying on the internet (funny how that works), I saw that this wasn't just a clueless, disconnected mother feeding her own ego. Amy Chua parented her daughters the way she did, forcing them to practice lessons and achieve greatness at the cost of their own relationship, because she thought that being successful was more important, would be better for her children, than having a strong relationship with her built on unconditional affection. Part of me feels overwhelmingly sad that she thought so little of herself, that being a whole person to her children seemed worthless, but that's not really the point. She wanted the best for her babies. And by her definition they have been successful, so I guess that's a comfort to... someone.
But here's the thing. I'm going the other way. I've made just as conscious a choice and I'm choosing the relationship. This is not to say I'm going to give my children everything they want in the hopes they'll like me, it just means that I'm choosing explanation and honest discussion over manipulation and extortion. I've recently discovered that the phrase "you're not your child's friend" really rubs me the wrong way. No, I'm not going to ignore the fact that I have more life experience and (hopefully, sometimes) wisdom than they do, but I'm not going to pretend that my voice is the only one worth listening to. I wouldn't do that to a friend. Not one I wanted to keep, anyway. So I'm not going to choose paths for my children and push them so hard down them that in my ignorance about my children's desires I push them away from me. I won't sugarcoat the realities of life, but I also won't pretend they don't have a choice about which lessons to learn on their own. I choose being a safe haven over being a driving force.
See, I'd like to lead off with the reassuring statement about how Tex has become a darn proficient reader now, in his own time, and is even starting to think of himself that way. We were going through our rarely-read children's books to find some to give away for victims of the recent tornadoes, and something happened that has never happened before: Tex wanted to keep books so that HE could read them. He's never talked about wanting to read independently before. Ever. He has clung to the idea of me reading to him for years, in fact I think he was planning to have me in the dorm room next to his if he goes to college, so that I could read text books to him at bedtime. :-) "Insecure about reading" doesn't even begin to describe him. "Hostile" maybe comes closer. So it's with no small amount of joy that I realized two days ago we had had a banner day: Tex told me all the jokes off his Popsicle sticks after HE read them himself. He didn't ask for help before trying, he gave it a shot and it made sense for him, he comprehended the words and was able to express them accurately to me later.
But that doesn't really change the basic fact that Tex is not naturally proficient at language-related tasks, and I really want to start actively playing to his strengths as a spatial learner. I love that he's brought himself this far and that he's starting to feel confident about something that's been a big challenge for him the last couple of years, but I'm also worried that I'm not doing enough to support that learning and help him feel powerful and intelligent. I feel like if he could take it to the next level, having some concrete tools to employ when trying to decode language, then he would feel even more self-reliant and independent, and wouldn't look to me to be his savior in these situations. But he's so resistant to any kind of pressure that I've been hands-off in order to let him know that I don't expect his brain to operate on my timeline. And that's kind of what the whole point of homeschooling was with him, was to get him to a point where he felt well-equipped to handle what would be expected of him in public school, and not feel abandoned or neglected. And that's not to say he would be forced to go to school once he reached that point, just that it wasn't an option until then. And now I'm seeing that with a little more focused work on my part, there's a light at the distant end of the tunnel. That's pretty cool. But more on that "urge to push" in a minute.
Speaking of reading, it turns out Noodle is just one of those kids who "get it". I was like that; I don't know what age I started reading, I just remember that words on a page made sense to me. It appears Noodle is much the same, as his reading has gone from basic C-V-C words last summer to full on reading of whole paragraphs at present. Of course he struggles with the odd word, but most of them just flow right in his eyes and out his mouth without a break. I realize now what a gift that is in this world, to have words just open themselves up to you. I think it will allow Noodle a lot more choice for a while, and I hope I don't forget that he still needs my interest in what he's learning even if he doesn't need my help.
Okay, now that the reading is covered, what else have we been doing? Well, the big thing that was coming up after my last entry was Disney World! I can't believe what a burst of imagination has come on the tails of that trip. The kids still watch the Disney behind-the-scenes videos on Netflix at least once a week, they talk about their favorite rides and what they're going to do next time when they're bigger (we're hoping to take another trip in 3 years or so), and the other day Tex and I even had a conversation comparing the strengths and weaknesses of Disney and Universal as we saw them. He argued that while WDW definitely has the best rides for kids his age, Universal had the more impressive architecture, citing Hogsmeade/Hogwarts in particular. I maintain that Universal should only get credit for having hired the staff from the movies to design the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and that overall Disney does a much better job of selling their themes. Then he pulled out the Dr. Suess area at Universal and I rebutted with Epcot's World Showcase. In the end we agreed to disagree.
Anyway, it's been a fun surprise to me to see what caught each child's fancy at WDW. While we were at the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor on our last night at Disney, and Tex got asked by a monster comedian what he wanted to be when he grew up, he answered without hesitation "a costume designer". Now, dressing up is something that Tex has always loved to do, and we maintain well-stocked dress-up boxes for all the kids, but it's like our trip to the theme parks really brought it to life for him. He focuses on the little details of the costumes he sees in movies and tv shows, and on figuring out how we can recreate them at home. This is one of those times I wish I was good at sewing.
But now, let's go back to the sharpening of focus I told you about. I suppose it's natural as one begins to live out the Unschooling lifestyle, but I've been thinking more and more lately about what is really important to us. I was in the bookstore yesterday and I picked up The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. I had heard about the book and it's author, and even read a couple of excerpts on the internet, heaping scorn on the head of the woman who would do such things to her child for the sake of being thought to be a good mother because her children were successful. For shame! But in reading the jacket of the *actual* book instead of just relying on the internet (funny how that works), I saw that this wasn't just a clueless, disconnected mother feeding her own ego. Amy Chua parented her daughters the way she did, forcing them to practice lessons and achieve greatness at the cost of their own relationship, because she thought that being successful was more important, would be better for her children, than having a strong relationship with her built on unconditional affection. Part of me feels overwhelmingly sad that she thought so little of herself, that being a whole person to her children seemed worthless, but that's not really the point. She wanted the best for her babies. And by her definition they have been successful, so I guess that's a comfort to... someone.
But here's the thing. I'm going the other way. I've made just as conscious a choice and I'm choosing the relationship. This is not to say I'm going to give my children everything they want in the hopes they'll like me, it just means that I'm choosing explanation and honest discussion over manipulation and extortion. I've recently discovered that the phrase "you're not your child's friend" really rubs me the wrong way. No, I'm not going to ignore the fact that I have more life experience and (hopefully, sometimes) wisdom than they do, but I'm not going to pretend that my voice is the only one worth listening to. I wouldn't do that to a friend. Not one I wanted to keep, anyway. So I'm not going to choose paths for my children and push them so hard down them that in my ignorance about my children's desires I push them away from me. I won't sugarcoat the realities of life, but I also won't pretend they don't have a choice about which lessons to learn on their own. I choose being a safe haven over being a driving force.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Catching up and looking forward
It's been months, I know. Sometimes I don't post because I'm busy, sometimes because there's just not much new to report. Lately it's been the former, for sure! Seems like ever since the holidays started we've just been going-going-going around here and I don't have 30 minutes together to sit down and post. But it's getting ridiculous even by my loosey-goosey standards, so here we go! As usual, forgive the bouncing around, I guess when I go this long without posting I forget what all I want to report. :-)
Tex is just amazing. No, the kid isn't the most socially able, and I admit I have a hard time with that, but his brain is freakin' awesome!! He has an innate understanding of mathematics and physics that I could never even dream of having. He can recite (and more importantly, understand) Newton's Laws of Motion, he's still doing multiplication and division in his head for fun, and he's started exploring geometry and angles now as well. A lot of this new geometry information comes from doing woodworking with his grandfathers and uncle, and the physics knowledge gets a workout as both Tex and Noodle recently designed their Pinewood Derby cars for Cub Scouts.
Also for Cub Scouts, we recently went on a Fire Station Field Trip with a homeschool group, and let me tell you how much my boys impressed me. The tour leader, Tory, was asking kids about what to do if there's a fire. Tex is an old hand at fire safety, so he piped right up with the "stop, drop, and roll" technique if one's clothes are one fire. But then Tory asked, "what do you do if there's a fire in your house?" And oh, my Noodle. I wish you could hear his squeaky little voice explain: "well, you could... well, this wouldn't really be possible, but if you could get a big jar and put it over the house, then the fire wouldn't have oxygen and it would go out!" Tory's response: "Get this kid an application." ;-) They then had a great time exploring the whole fire house and three different fire trucks.
In other news, both boys are now reading very capably. It obviously comes very naturally to Noodle, while Tex has to work a little harder, but they're both doing really well. I'd say that Noodle is a little above grade level and climbing fast, while Tex is right at his grade level. The great news is that Tex still loves a good story, and we're about halfway through the newest Rick Riordan book, The Lost Hero, which picks up where the Percy Jackson books left off, but now with a Roman bent instead of Greek. This has really captured Tex's imagination and just today he asked me to pick out some books on ancient Rome and Greece at the library. He also wants to add some ancient Greek and Roman dates to our timeline, like the building of the Colosseum and the eruption of Vesuvius, so we need to get some thumbnail pictures printed out to go with those dates.
Tex's love of dinosaurs and World War I and II aircraft has recently been rekindled as well. We recorded a couple of shows off the Military Channel, one on Pacific theater WWII aircraft and one on the European theater, and he's been watching the show Dogfights with his grandfather again. It's been a couple of years since I've seen him staging dogfights with his toy planes, so that's been a treat. And he's really looking more into the paleontological side of dinosaur study, and says that he'd like to be a paleontologist when he grows up. There's no doubt in my mind that he'd be great at it with his attention to detail and ritual, seems like those traits would be useful in a profession that requires meticulous cataloging of findings.
Noodle's big obsessions lately have been animals and Club Penguin. A new series of shows have become popular in our house: Dogs 101, Cats 101, and Pets 101. They detail the characteristics and needs of a variety of species and breeds of animals, and since the thing Noodle wants most in the world is a pet of his very own upon which to lavish large amounts of love and time, this is good preparation for him. We've made multiple trips to PetSmart for him to look around and design the correct habitat for a variety of animals including hamsters, fish, lizards, hermit crabs, dogs, and cats. He also plays "puppies" with his friends a lot, and they'll make themselves a doghouse and get bowls of food and water and have a grand old time. Of course the "teacher" in me makes note of the fact that this meets the national standards of learning about animal habitats. ;-)
And who have I forgotten? Oh, yes, the Monkeygirl. The silly, smart, loud, joyful, kind Monkeygirl. She is such a blessing on our house!! Of course at 3 years old she's learning through play all day long, so it's hard to make up a laundry list of all she knows. But she's got numbers, letters, colors all down pat, and lately she's been pointing to words and asking me, "Mommy, what dis say?" She's also an excellent singer, and we are treated to choruses of "Old McDonald Had a Farm" all. day. long. Sometimes we just get "eieio, eieio, eieio" for a minute straight, but sometimes she regales us with the sounds of llamas, roosters, and even babies on the farm. Monkeygirl's sense of humor is amazing, and her compassion and concern for others is truly beautiful. I love to see her and her brothers interact because the love shining off them when they're together makes my heart feel full to bursting! Oh, and the Sunday School coordinator at our church tells me repeatedly that she is the most articulate 3 yr old she knows, which is always nice to hear.
So, we have a big adventure coming up in a month and a half. We are going to Walt Disney World!!!! I cannot wait to get my kids in those parks and watch them have a blast. Tex is charged up about Epcot with all its futuristic rides, Noodle is charged up about the Kim Possible Secret Agent mission in Epcot's World Showcase, and Monkeygirl is just barely aware that we're going to be going on a special trip one day. I'm excited to see all the live animals at Animal Kingdom and go on the safari with the kids, and yeah, okay, I'm also excited to be a Kim Possible secret agent. I know that whether it's planned or not this trip is going to provide some huge learning opportunities for my kids. It already started tonight when I explained Tom Sawyer island in Magic Kingdom, and the fence-painting scene that inspires the WDW cast members to hide paint brushes all over the island for visitors to find and exchange for prizes. So there ya go, a little bit of classic literature with your vacation planning. ;-)
Tex is just amazing. No, the kid isn't the most socially able, and I admit I have a hard time with that, but his brain is freakin' awesome!! He has an innate understanding of mathematics and physics that I could never even dream of having. He can recite (and more importantly, understand) Newton's Laws of Motion, he's still doing multiplication and division in his head for fun, and he's started exploring geometry and angles now as well. A lot of this new geometry information comes from doing woodworking with his grandfathers and uncle, and the physics knowledge gets a workout as both Tex and Noodle recently designed their Pinewood Derby cars for Cub Scouts.
Also for Cub Scouts, we recently went on a Fire Station Field Trip with a homeschool group, and let me tell you how much my boys impressed me. The tour leader, Tory, was asking kids about what to do if there's a fire. Tex is an old hand at fire safety, so he piped right up with the "stop, drop, and roll" technique if one's clothes are one fire. But then Tory asked, "what do you do if there's a fire in your house?" And oh, my Noodle. I wish you could hear his squeaky little voice explain: "well, you could... well, this wouldn't really be possible, but if you could get a big jar and put it over the house, then the fire wouldn't have oxygen and it would go out!" Tory's response: "Get this kid an application." ;-) They then had a great time exploring the whole fire house and three different fire trucks.
In other news, both boys are now reading very capably. It obviously comes very naturally to Noodle, while Tex has to work a little harder, but they're both doing really well. I'd say that Noodle is a little above grade level and climbing fast, while Tex is right at his grade level. The great news is that Tex still loves a good story, and we're about halfway through the newest Rick Riordan book, The Lost Hero, which picks up where the Percy Jackson books left off, but now with a Roman bent instead of Greek. This has really captured Tex's imagination and just today he asked me to pick out some books on ancient Rome and Greece at the library. He also wants to add some ancient Greek and Roman dates to our timeline, like the building of the Colosseum and the eruption of Vesuvius, so we need to get some thumbnail pictures printed out to go with those dates.
Tex's love of dinosaurs and World War I and II aircraft has recently been rekindled as well. We recorded a couple of shows off the Military Channel, one on Pacific theater WWII aircraft and one on the European theater, and he's been watching the show Dogfights with his grandfather again. It's been a couple of years since I've seen him staging dogfights with his toy planes, so that's been a treat. And he's really looking more into the paleontological side of dinosaur study, and says that he'd like to be a paleontologist when he grows up. There's no doubt in my mind that he'd be great at it with his attention to detail and ritual, seems like those traits would be useful in a profession that requires meticulous cataloging of findings.
Noodle's big obsessions lately have been animals and Club Penguin. A new series of shows have become popular in our house: Dogs 101, Cats 101, and Pets 101. They detail the characteristics and needs of a variety of species and breeds of animals, and since the thing Noodle wants most in the world is a pet of his very own upon which to lavish large amounts of love and time, this is good preparation for him. We've made multiple trips to PetSmart for him to look around and design the correct habitat for a variety of animals including hamsters, fish, lizards, hermit crabs, dogs, and cats. He also plays "puppies" with his friends a lot, and they'll make themselves a doghouse and get bowls of food and water and have a grand old time. Of course the "teacher" in me makes note of the fact that this meets the national standards of learning about animal habitats. ;-)
And who have I forgotten? Oh, yes, the Monkeygirl. The silly, smart, loud, joyful, kind Monkeygirl. She is such a blessing on our house!! Of course at 3 years old she's learning through play all day long, so it's hard to make up a laundry list of all she knows. But she's got numbers, letters, colors all down pat, and lately she's been pointing to words and asking me, "Mommy, what dis say?" She's also an excellent singer, and we are treated to choruses of "Old McDonald Had a Farm" all. day. long. Sometimes we just get "eieio, eieio, eieio" for a minute straight, but sometimes she regales us with the sounds of llamas, roosters, and even babies on the farm. Monkeygirl's sense of humor is amazing, and her compassion and concern for others is truly beautiful. I love to see her and her brothers interact because the love shining off them when they're together makes my heart feel full to bursting! Oh, and the Sunday School coordinator at our church tells me repeatedly that she is the most articulate 3 yr old she knows, which is always nice to hear.
So, we have a big adventure coming up in a month and a half. We are going to Walt Disney World!!!! I cannot wait to get my kids in those parks and watch them have a blast. Tex is charged up about Epcot with all its futuristic rides, Noodle is charged up about the Kim Possible Secret Agent mission in Epcot's World Showcase, and Monkeygirl is just barely aware that we're going to be going on a special trip one day. I'm excited to see all the live animals at Animal Kingdom and go on the safari with the kids, and yeah, okay, I'm also excited to be a Kim Possible secret agent. I know that whether it's planned or not this trip is going to provide some huge learning opportunities for my kids. It already started tonight when I explained Tom Sawyer island in Magic Kingdom, and the fence-painting scene that inspires the WDW cast members to hide paint brushes all over the island for visitors to find and exchange for prizes. So there ya go, a little bit of classic literature with your vacation planning. ;-)
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Eagle has landed!
Psssst! Don't tell Tex, but I think he may have crossed over into being a confident reader! I noticed yesterday that when his brother was playing a video game and couldn't read something, Tex didn't hesitate to lean right over his shoulder and read it aloud for Noodle. And when I complimented Tex on being such a great reader and helpful brother, I actually got a smile instead of a sullen look or loud, contrary "I am NOT a good reader, I HATE reading!" And then today I was spelling out a word I didn't want Monkeygirl to hear (for the record, "princess", because that's just the kind of mama I am) and Tex immediately piped up with the word! Something about the wiring from Tex's ears to his brain works SO much better than the path from eyes to brain. He's always been able to repeat almost word for word any information that he hears and is interested in, and can remember it long after it has lost its tenuous grip on my synapses. In any case, I was stunned to hear him put it all together so fast, and thrilled for what this confidence could mean to him in the coming months of learning. I don't know that any of my kids will ever be the bookworm that I am, but I'm hoping they'll at least consider reading to be a useful and painless tool for growth.
In other reading news, we've begun the Harry Potter series. I'm rereading the entire series and I'm pretty sure we won't be going beyond the second book for a while. Which is fine, as there are a lot of other wonderful books out there to explore and read. But even after just a week of reading, Tex is really enjoying Harry Potter. I overheard him yesterday trying to teach Noodle how to ride a broomstick and play Quidditch. :-)
In other reading news, we've begun the Harry Potter series. I'm rereading the entire series and I'm pretty sure we won't be going beyond the second book for a while. Which is fine, as there are a lot of other wonderful books out there to explore and read. But even after just a week of reading, Tex is really enjoying Harry Potter. I overheard him yesterday trying to teach Noodle how to ride a broomstick and play Quidditch. :-)
Thursday, September 16, 2010
I think I'm getting the hang of this now!
Unschooling, that is. It's been quite an adventure, I must say, and it's certainly still a work in progress. Carrying the freedom over into our parenting has been a particular challenge, but one that I think is going to have to happen because I can't see how it would work to Unschool during the day and then revert to "what I say goes" behavior once we hit the dinner table. How confusing that would be for our children! It IS an effort, especially with Tex's argumentative nature to make all our work seem pointless some days, but I'm seeing enough overall progress in our relationships and the happiness of our home to remind me to keep the faith.
Academics are going well, such as they are. Tex's reading continues to improve, and his love of stories is growing and growing. We're three quarters through The Tale of Despereaux and Tex is thoroughly engaged. (Can I pause for a minute and tell you how much I LOVE reading to my children??? Granted, there's not much I like more than reading anyway, but being able to read aloud and have someone giggle with me is just priceless. I don't think I'll ever want to stop!) He's always been so adept at focusing on the story and building his own pictures while I read, it amazes me. Plus he likes my French accent. :-)
Tex continues to advance in math, as well. He's adding three-digit numbers, continuing to memorize the multiplication tables, he's understanding more about decimals and integers, and his fractions are really coming along. Oh, and our timeline! I admit I've been lax about adding items to it, but not a week goes by that Tex doesn't have a suggestion for something that should be up there. Last week he suggested I add the start dates for the Korean, Vietnam, and World Wars; this week he wants the first space flight and the moon landing to be written down.
Noodle is picking up reading, as well, at his own pace. He told me the other day that "I'm not reading, I just see the words and they make sense". Well. Okay, then. Noodle is also getting interested in addition, and most days will do me the favor of letting me know what x + y equals. Yesterday he told me that his Papa told him 8+8=16, then he asked what 8+9 equals. "Well, if you had 8 and 8, and that's 16, and then one of those numbers grew one more, then what would that be?" "Seventeen!" he exclaimed, with a huge smile on his face.
Both boys are enrolled in Taekwondo now, as well. Noodle is surprising me with his enthusiasm! This is my little guy who usually isn't a "joiner", doesn't really have much use for someone telling him what to do, and gets along quite well doing his own thing, thankyouverymuch. But he works hard in Taekwondo! Tex finds it more of a struggle, frankly, especially since his class is more fitness-focused and disciplined, and Tex would prefer a lower-pressure environment. But he's starting to make progress after a few weeks of classes, now, and I think he's feeling the reward of his persistence. In any case they both promised they would stick it out until Noodle's birthday in November, and I'm hoping that by then they'll be over the awkwardness and sure about whether it's something they want to stick with or not.
Monkeygirl is having a blast, I must say. She's almost three and has such a spirit of confidence about her! I love that I can see that for what it is: not willfullness or cheek, but a positive sense of self that empowers her to say "this is the way *I* like things, and my voice matters, too!" I can't help but think of the benefits she will have, growing up as my most free child. The only one never to have been schooled (both her brothers were in preschool by this age), the one who has experienced the least amount of yelling and strife in the house, the one with the fewest limits on her joy. Like our Noodle, Monkeygirl has an amazing sense of humor that she loves to share with her family. She's also beginning to explore letters such that she can now identify a handful reliably (O, T, M, B, A, X, Z, F, H, and Q, at the very least) and even some of their sounds.
Both my boys are also official Plants vs. Zombies lovers. Once again the persistence comes out in ways I would have never imagined. And before anyone scoffs at the limits of learning that a video game can spur, go play that game yourself, mister/ma'am! LOL It requires fast, strategic thinking and even makes MY heart beat faster! I'm proud of how they've stuck with it and learned to make decisions based on what kind of obstacles they're facing. So there. I've said it. My children have learned a lot from zombies. :-)
Academics are going well, such as they are. Tex's reading continues to improve, and his love of stories is growing and growing. We're three quarters through The Tale of Despereaux and Tex is thoroughly engaged. (Can I pause for a minute and tell you how much I LOVE reading to my children??? Granted, there's not much I like more than reading anyway, but being able to read aloud and have someone giggle with me is just priceless. I don't think I'll ever want to stop!) He's always been so adept at focusing on the story and building his own pictures while I read, it amazes me. Plus he likes my French accent. :-)
Tex continues to advance in math, as well. He's adding three-digit numbers, continuing to memorize the multiplication tables, he's understanding more about decimals and integers, and his fractions are really coming along. Oh, and our timeline! I admit I've been lax about adding items to it, but not a week goes by that Tex doesn't have a suggestion for something that should be up there. Last week he suggested I add the start dates for the Korean, Vietnam, and World Wars; this week he wants the first space flight and the moon landing to be written down.
Noodle is picking up reading, as well, at his own pace. He told me the other day that "I'm not reading, I just see the words and they make sense". Well. Okay, then. Noodle is also getting interested in addition, and most days will do me the favor of letting me know what x + y equals. Yesterday he told me that his Papa told him 8+8=16, then he asked what 8+9 equals. "Well, if you had 8 and 8, and that's 16, and then one of those numbers grew one more, then what would that be?" "Seventeen!" he exclaimed, with a huge smile on his face.
Both boys are enrolled in Taekwondo now, as well. Noodle is surprising me with his enthusiasm! This is my little guy who usually isn't a "joiner", doesn't really have much use for someone telling him what to do, and gets along quite well doing his own thing, thankyouverymuch. But he works hard in Taekwondo! Tex finds it more of a struggle, frankly, especially since his class is more fitness-focused and disciplined, and Tex would prefer a lower-pressure environment. But he's starting to make progress after a few weeks of classes, now, and I think he's feeling the reward of his persistence. In any case they both promised they would stick it out until Noodle's birthday in November, and I'm hoping that by then they'll be over the awkwardness and sure about whether it's something they want to stick with or not.
Monkeygirl is having a blast, I must say. She's almost three and has such a spirit of confidence about her! I love that I can see that for what it is: not willfullness or cheek, but a positive sense of self that empowers her to say "this is the way *I* like things, and my voice matters, too!" I can't help but think of the benefits she will have, growing up as my most free child. The only one never to have been schooled (both her brothers were in preschool by this age), the one who has experienced the least amount of yelling and strife in the house, the one with the fewest limits on her joy. Like our Noodle, Monkeygirl has an amazing sense of humor that she loves to share with her family. She's also beginning to explore letters such that she can now identify a handful reliably (O, T, M, B, A, X, Z, F, H, and Q, at the very least) and even some of their sounds.
Both my boys are also official Plants vs. Zombies lovers. Once again the persistence comes out in ways I would have never imagined. And before anyone scoffs at the limits of learning that a video game can spur, go play that game yourself, mister/ma'am! LOL It requires fast, strategic thinking and even makes MY heart beat faster! I'm proud of how they've stuck with it and learned to make decisions based on what kind of obstacles they're facing. So there. I've said it. My children have learned a lot from zombies. :-)
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Whose principles are these, anyway?
There are many challenges to Unschooling, and I think this one might just be the biggest for me so far. It's the idea that one kind of learning is as valuable as any other kind of learning, because different people need different information, and learn different things from the exact same presentation of information. That parents should not dictate the majority of their children's educations.
Now, I realize some of you are going to find this to be topsy-turvy, but bear with me for a moment. Let's take Tex as an example, and his process of learning to read. Now, y'all should know in advance that I love reading. Reading is the thing I do when I don't have to do anything else. If I sit down in front of the tv, or to eat, or on the toilet, I feel I am lacking if I don't have a book or at least a magazine for my companion. Tex, on the other hand, has always valued the story, but not so much the process of reading. He knew his letters when he was 2 (because he asked, and we answered) and he knew the sounds they made when he was 4 (because they taught that in preschool, and sometimes he wanted to know). He's had a good reading basis and as his parents we did everything we could to help him along in the reading process. He's played reading games on the computer and the kitchen table, we've read Easy Reader books and story books and chapter books, because reading is very important to us. The challenge is this: until he was naturally ready to read, all the games and encouragement and quizzing and pressure, all they really did was make him feel that he was less than a child who could read. Oh, he loves the stories and would have someone read to him all day long, probably, if any of us had that kind of time and vocal stamina, but reading has been a by-the-by sort of thing for him. It just wasn't something he needed to do, and it wasn't something he wanted to do, and I don't think our pressure and desire for him to read made him learn any faster. What they did do was make him feel slower. Noodle is reading now, at 5 1/2, words that Tex didn't figure out until last year, and he's done it with none of the pressure, none of the coaching, and none of the feelings of inadequacy.
I hate sports. I'm not really good at any of them, I don't like learning the rules and regulations, I don't even like watching a great many of them. The Olympics are just my sports-speed: lots of variety and they only happen once every couple of years. I understand the importance of exercise and its value to the body, but beyond that I just don't. like. sports. But... just because I don't see the fun in them doesn't mean I shouldn't smile when my child tells me that his favorite team won the game, or celebrate when he climbs a rock wall all the way to the top, or bowls a better score than he ever has before, or finds the baseball card he's been after for months. I don't value sports, but I shouldn't discourage my kids from enjoying them.
So I have begun to see how it is that parents can damage their child's healthy sense of wonder and inquisitiveness by how we value different things and expect or demand our children to do the same. Do I think it's important to finish a really tricky level of a video game? Heck, no, I don't. But have I watched my husband stay up until 2 a.m. trying to get all gold stars on Mario Kart? Oh yes, I have. And I don't shame him for it. It's his life, it's his sleep deficit, they're his priorities. Why would I not allow my children to have the same freedom in as large a portion as they feel secure in handling? That's key, by the way, that you don't give children more freedom than they are capable of feeling secure with. And that's not a coded way of saying "as much freedom as they can have and still make the right choices according to MY values", it means that I have to watch my child to see if they are loving the freedom or feel they are being left to twist in the wind.
So it started this summer that we removed restrictions for "screen time": tv, video games, and computer time. We had originally only allowed them to have, maximum, about 45 minutes of video game play at a time, but when the restrictions were lifted I noticed that my kids have quite a spirit of persistence, WHEN it's something they are motivated to complete. They spent hours in focused work, figuring out the little tricks for each level, getting faster. We had discussions of teamwork, and the difference between encouraging and discouraging your playmates, and how to handle the frustration of losing. Why should I tell my son that it is more important to finish a chapter in a book than it is to finish a level on a video game, simply because I do not value video games as much as he does, and when he is learning so much from playing them? Is it fair to interrupt my child in an activity which he considers urgent, and engaging, and worth his time, in order to have him participate in an activity that I find more worthwhile? Assuming that health and safety are not at issue, WHY do parents have such a hard time letting children develop their own values?? WHERE did we get the idea that our children are supposed to grow up to like and value the same things that we do??
It's not easy, this shift. I have had to realize that joy is the most important thing. The joy my son gets from completing a level on LEGO Batman is the same joy I get when I finish reading a really good book, so why would I want to deny him that joy simply because it wouldn't be joyful for me? I wouldn't be very happy if someone insisted that I had to play video games all day long, if they found them to be more valuable and had that sort of authority over me. So it become a matter of giving my children the freedom to find their own joy, and not to judge if what brings them joy is not something I would have chosen for them. It is choosing to be a joy enabler, instead of a joy crusher.
Will I have limits on this? Clearly. I hope my children will not find joy in damaging the body or mind of another living creature, or themselves for that matter, and in those kinds of extremes of course I would take action. But I shouldn't care too much if they want to spend their time watching Wallace & Gromit and Fantastic Mr. Fox for a year, especially since I don't know if it could potentially lead to them designing and filming their own stop-motion animation and eventually a career in the film industry. I hope my children will come to know the power of Christ in their lives and work hard to be who He has called them to be. But I shouldn't worry too much if they do as I did and spend years exploring the possibilities, even if those years extend beyond mine and I never see them come to Christ. In fact it will be much better if I simply choose to live my life according to the principles I have chosen, to follow Jesus and love all my fellow men with the abundance and faith which He has shown to me, rather than shaming others (my children included) for not finding the same answer I have found. I would hope that as my children grow and become more mature, that they will take more responsibility for the care of the space we share, and be more conscientious of the work they create for others. But I shouldn't take 60 seconds from both our days and interrupt what they're doing to clean up a mess which I could have cleaned up in 10 seconds because doing so was valuable to me.
It probably sounds foreign to many of you. A few of you probably don't understand how this could NOT lead to children who are entitled brats. My only response is that if I ever feel I'm being taken advantage of, then I will discuss it with my housemates and trust in our love for each other to help us find a solution that works for everyone. I'm not out to coddle my children or remove all the strife from their life. I just think it makes a difference when you believe in what you're working for, and that my children should have the opportunity to feel that sense of purpose rather than having to work almost exclusively towards goals that I have chosen as the most worthy. I'd rather they get to be themselves all their lives instead of spending years trying to find joy in my expectations. And if I can just get that tattooed on my hands I might have a prayer of remembering it next time I find a swath of LEGO, ripe with value and sharp edges, all over our playroom floor. And when I DO remember, I will feel the joy of being successful at something I value: peace.
Now, I realize some of you are going to find this to be topsy-turvy, but bear with me for a moment. Let's take Tex as an example, and his process of learning to read. Now, y'all should know in advance that I love reading. Reading is the thing I do when I don't have to do anything else. If I sit down in front of the tv, or to eat, or on the toilet, I feel I am lacking if I don't have a book or at least a magazine for my companion. Tex, on the other hand, has always valued the story, but not so much the process of reading. He knew his letters when he was 2 (because he asked, and we answered) and he knew the sounds they made when he was 4 (because they taught that in preschool, and sometimes he wanted to know). He's had a good reading basis and as his parents we did everything we could to help him along in the reading process. He's played reading games on the computer and the kitchen table, we've read Easy Reader books and story books and chapter books, because reading is very important to us. The challenge is this: until he was naturally ready to read, all the games and encouragement and quizzing and pressure, all they really did was make him feel that he was less than a child who could read. Oh, he loves the stories and would have someone read to him all day long, probably, if any of us had that kind of time and vocal stamina, but reading has been a by-the-by sort of thing for him. It just wasn't something he needed to do, and it wasn't something he wanted to do, and I don't think our pressure and desire for him to read made him learn any faster. What they did do was make him feel slower. Noodle is reading now, at 5 1/2, words that Tex didn't figure out until last year, and he's done it with none of the pressure, none of the coaching, and none of the feelings of inadequacy.
I hate sports. I'm not really good at any of them, I don't like learning the rules and regulations, I don't even like watching a great many of them. The Olympics are just my sports-speed: lots of variety and they only happen once every couple of years. I understand the importance of exercise and its value to the body, but beyond that I just don't. like. sports. But... just because I don't see the fun in them doesn't mean I shouldn't smile when my child tells me that his favorite team won the game, or celebrate when he climbs a rock wall all the way to the top, or bowls a better score than he ever has before, or finds the baseball card he's been after for months. I don't value sports, but I shouldn't discourage my kids from enjoying them.
So I have begun to see how it is that parents can damage their child's healthy sense of wonder and inquisitiveness by how we value different things and expect or demand our children to do the same. Do I think it's important to finish a really tricky level of a video game? Heck, no, I don't. But have I watched my husband stay up until 2 a.m. trying to get all gold stars on Mario Kart? Oh yes, I have. And I don't shame him for it. It's his life, it's his sleep deficit, they're his priorities. Why would I not allow my children to have the same freedom in as large a portion as they feel secure in handling? That's key, by the way, that you don't give children more freedom than they are capable of feeling secure with. And that's not a coded way of saying "as much freedom as they can have and still make the right choices according to MY values", it means that I have to watch my child to see if they are loving the freedom or feel they are being left to twist in the wind.
So it started this summer that we removed restrictions for "screen time": tv, video games, and computer time. We had originally only allowed them to have, maximum, about 45 minutes of video game play at a time, but when the restrictions were lifted I noticed that my kids have quite a spirit of persistence, WHEN it's something they are motivated to complete. They spent hours in focused work, figuring out the little tricks for each level, getting faster. We had discussions of teamwork, and the difference between encouraging and discouraging your playmates, and how to handle the frustration of losing. Why should I tell my son that it is more important to finish a chapter in a book than it is to finish a level on a video game, simply because I do not value video games as much as he does, and when he is learning so much from playing them? Is it fair to interrupt my child in an activity which he considers urgent, and engaging, and worth his time, in order to have him participate in an activity that I find more worthwhile? Assuming that health and safety are not at issue, WHY do parents have such a hard time letting children develop their own values?? WHERE did we get the idea that our children are supposed to grow up to like and value the same things that we do??
It's not easy, this shift. I have had to realize that joy is the most important thing. The joy my son gets from completing a level on LEGO Batman is the same joy I get when I finish reading a really good book, so why would I want to deny him that joy simply because it wouldn't be joyful for me? I wouldn't be very happy if someone insisted that I had to play video games all day long, if they found them to be more valuable and had that sort of authority over me. So it become a matter of giving my children the freedom to find their own joy, and not to judge if what brings them joy is not something I would have chosen for them. It is choosing to be a joy enabler, instead of a joy crusher.
Will I have limits on this? Clearly. I hope my children will not find joy in damaging the body or mind of another living creature, or themselves for that matter, and in those kinds of extremes of course I would take action. But I shouldn't care too much if they want to spend their time watching Wallace & Gromit and Fantastic Mr. Fox for a year, especially since I don't know if it could potentially lead to them designing and filming their own stop-motion animation and eventually a career in the film industry. I hope my children will come to know the power of Christ in their lives and work hard to be who He has called them to be. But I shouldn't worry too much if they do as I did and spend years exploring the possibilities, even if those years extend beyond mine and I never see them come to Christ. In fact it will be much better if I simply choose to live my life according to the principles I have chosen, to follow Jesus and love all my fellow men with the abundance and faith which He has shown to me, rather than shaming others (my children included) for not finding the same answer I have found. I would hope that as my children grow and become more mature, that they will take more responsibility for the care of the space we share, and be more conscientious of the work they create for others. But I shouldn't take 60 seconds from both our days and interrupt what they're doing to clean up a mess which I could have cleaned up in 10 seconds because doing so was valuable to me.
It probably sounds foreign to many of you. A few of you probably don't understand how this could NOT lead to children who are entitled brats. My only response is that if I ever feel I'm being taken advantage of, then I will discuss it with my housemates and trust in our love for each other to help us find a solution that works for everyone. I'm not out to coddle my children or remove all the strife from their life. I just think it makes a difference when you believe in what you're working for, and that my children should have the opportunity to feel that sense of purpose rather than having to work almost exclusively towards goals that I have chosen as the most worthy. I'd rather they get to be themselves all their lives instead of spending years trying to find joy in my expectations. And if I can just get that tattooed on my hands I might have a prayer of remembering it next time I find a swath of LEGO, ripe with value and sharp edges, all over our playroom floor. And when I DO remember, I will feel the joy of being successful at something I value: peace.
Monday, August 9, 2010
First Day of "School"
So the public schools went back in session today, which always puts me in the frame of mind to get our learning kicked back into gear as well. This doesn't really mean anything other than me being less on the computer and cleaning up the house and more available to say "yes" to board games and setting up projects and going places. I may also strew more learning toys about in strategic locations and invite more involvement into my own projects, although in truth I'm making it a personal goal to be more open to assistance in my "grown up responsibilities" at all times.
I was astounded today to see how much Noodle's reading has progressed! It all started when we were returning from MonkeyGirl's parent/child gymnastics class (she's SO excited to be back!!) and the boys asked if we could play Silly Sentences when we got home. Sure, we can do that! So we get home, set out the puzzle-style words designed to fit together in a limited number of ways (articles only attach to adjectives and nouns, and nouns to verbs on the other side, then prepositions, which feed back into articles), and off they go putting sentences together. We don't take turns, we just all do our best to make the silliest sentences we can. Stuff like "The furry, blue banana climbed on the sad, scary duck." Except the game doesn't include commas, which bothers me. They have periods, why don't they have commas for multiple adjectives?? Yes, I am a grammar nerd. Learn to love it.
Anyway, back to the Noodle, he was doing a great job reading almost all of the words in the game, and even with the pieces that had pictures on them (nouns and colors) I could see him moving his lips to sound out the accompanying words. Then after lunch we played another game, it's some pirate octopus treasure game with beginning and ending sound blends that you can mix up to form multiple words (sw- goes with -ing, -ap) and again Noodle worked to sound out his own words and mine. We played that game three times!
Tex played with us once and in contrast to last year when he was still working hard to read each blend, most of them come to him quite instantly now. He's still not ready to give up the security and speed of someone else reading to him, but I'm confident that he is making steady progress. He is certainly interested enough in storytelling! We're almost finished with the last of Nick Riordan's Percy Jackson books, and I'm curious to see where we'll be going after this. Tex definitely likes to have adventure in his stories, so I'll probably continue in my hunt to see what sort of series are out there that would appeal. My particular challenge is to find something that might be interesting to both the boys, as our books usually end up being bedtime material and it's easier if they're both engaged. The big hits over the last year were the Star Wars junior novelizations, the Narnia series (though we stalled out at Voyage of the Dawn Treader), and How to Train Your Dragon. I may try to talk them into The Tale of Desperaux next, since it's funny and adventurous (AND has illustrations, a big draw for Noodle). Or we may finish The Odyssey if they want to continue the Greek theme, or D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths. So many options.
Tex and I also had a fraction discussion today. This kid loves fractions. He was telling me how much of his banana he had eaten, and he started with an estimate of 3/4, then said "no, it was a little more than 3/4, I think. Like two and a half thirds." I came back with "oh, ok, so that would be 5/6". He thought about that for a minute and said "thank you for making that a simpler fraction, but do you know what? Even though what you said makes more sense, it's actually much easier to say 'two and a half thirds' than it is to say five sixths." I couldn't even argue with that. The word "sixths" is a pain in the tokhes and should be avoided at all costs.
I was astounded today to see how much Noodle's reading has progressed! It all started when we were returning from MonkeyGirl's parent/child gymnastics class (she's SO excited to be back!!) and the boys asked if we could play Silly Sentences when we got home. Sure, we can do that! So we get home, set out the puzzle-style words designed to fit together in a limited number of ways (articles only attach to adjectives and nouns, and nouns to verbs on the other side, then prepositions, which feed back into articles), and off they go putting sentences together. We don't take turns, we just all do our best to make the silliest sentences we can. Stuff like "The furry, blue banana climbed on the sad, scary duck." Except the game doesn't include commas, which bothers me. They have periods, why don't they have commas for multiple adjectives?? Yes, I am a grammar nerd. Learn to love it.
Anyway, back to the Noodle, he was doing a great job reading almost all of the words in the game, and even with the pieces that had pictures on them (nouns and colors) I could see him moving his lips to sound out the accompanying words. Then after lunch we played another game, it's some pirate octopus treasure game with beginning and ending sound blends that you can mix up to form multiple words (sw- goes with -ing, -ap) and again Noodle worked to sound out his own words and mine. We played that game three times!
Tex played with us once and in contrast to last year when he was still working hard to read each blend, most of them come to him quite instantly now. He's still not ready to give up the security and speed of someone else reading to him, but I'm confident that he is making steady progress. He is certainly interested enough in storytelling! We're almost finished with the last of Nick Riordan's Percy Jackson books, and I'm curious to see where we'll be going after this. Tex definitely likes to have adventure in his stories, so I'll probably continue in my hunt to see what sort of series are out there that would appeal. My particular challenge is to find something that might be interesting to both the boys, as our books usually end up being bedtime material and it's easier if they're both engaged. The big hits over the last year were the Star Wars junior novelizations, the Narnia series (though we stalled out at Voyage of the Dawn Treader), and How to Train Your Dragon. I may try to talk them into The Tale of Desperaux next, since it's funny and adventurous (AND has illustrations, a big draw for Noodle). Or we may finish The Odyssey if they want to continue the Greek theme, or D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths. So many options.
Tex and I also had a fraction discussion today. This kid loves fractions. He was telling me how much of his banana he had eaten, and he started with an estimate of 3/4, then said "no, it was a little more than 3/4, I think. Like two and a half thirds." I came back with "oh, ok, so that would be 5/6". He thought about that for a minute and said "thank you for making that a simpler fraction, but do you know what? Even though what you said makes more sense, it's actually much easier to say 'two and a half thirds' than it is to say five sixths." I couldn't even argue with that. The word "sixths" is a pain in the tokhes and should be avoided at all costs.
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