The boys got up at their usual time - 7:00ish. Luke was up earlier; Paul was up later. They had their breakfast, played a bit, got dressed, made beds, brushed teeth, etc. Around 8:40 we sat down for our "morning meeting". The boys greeted each other, we looked at the newspaper headlines and noted the progress of several sports teams. We also discussed the weather forecast. We reviewed the plan for the morning and then started our "teaching lesson" for today - Manners. (and boy can they use this lesson)
We discussed what manners are, what some examples of manners are and why we think manners are important. We concluded that manners are about acting in a way that 1) considers how the other person feels and 2) keep us all from being bossy and demanding at the same time. This was sufficient, so we moved on to doing some seated work at the dining room table. This was good because Ruth needed her breakfast at this point! With my help (reading some words Luke didn't know and helping Paul learn to write an X) the boys decided which behaviors listed on a sheet show good manners and which don't. Examples are: "saying YUCK! to the food at the dinner table" (which Paul does) and "covering your mouth when you cough" (which Paul does)...among your traditional "please/thank you" examples. After completing and discussing this, we learned how to shake hands appropriately and then the boys colored a picture of two children behaving nicely on a bus...this prompted us to discuss why it is important to behave well in the car. Luke has really taken to coloring, so this activity was met with favor.
After our "teaching lesson" it was time for "centers", but I don't really have centers set up, so we did "free play". Luke asked if we have an art center, but as I stated, we do not, so I guess this weekend I need to work on setting up some centers. After about 10 minutes, Ruth crawled to me and cried to be picked up...this means she is ready for a nap, so I got her down for a nap while the boys enjoyed their free play.
It took about 10 minutes to put Ruth down and when I returned it was computer time. They both use the Starfall.com website, but Paul is learning his letters and Luke is doing the early fluency reading. They did this for about 15 minutes while I unloaded the dishwasher and prepared their snack. While we ate our snacks, I read them a chapter from Ramona the Brave and then it was time for writing practice. They both wrote 10 words about weather - Luke wrote them free hand and Paul traced them. Luke's handwriting looked really good and Paul actually got a lot closer to holding his pencil the correct way!
By this point it was 11:00 and time for outside time. Ruth was not awake yet, so they went out and rode bikes and played while I checked e-mail and did other computer work. Once Ruth woke up (about 15 minutes later), outside time included swimming and we all got in the pool. Swimming took us to lunch time and Richard came home to join us. After lunch, all the kids went down for a nap and I watched a bit of mindless television and did some work on the computer...and here we are! Ruth is awake now and I expect Luke will emerge any minute as he knows he can come out at 3:30.
The day has gone really well (of course, Luke and Paul have not *always* used their manners today, but it is a work in progress) and have not flown by nor dragged on...just the right length for an enjoyable summer day at home together. It took me about 2 hours yesterday to plan out 5 days of morning instructional activities, but that doesn't seem too bad.
2 comments:
Good job, teacher! I am now sad that I didn't leave the "frog" center that jennifer and I put together when she had to do it for a grade, and it is now in my garage. maybe i will have room to bring it when we come on the 21st for rachel's bb camp!
I am so impressed! :)
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