It's raining here...so indoors and loads of fun
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Schedule changes? Mediation to the Rescue
So, summer is approaching and that means a change in scheduling for us.
Not really anything big, just little things.
But sometimes as a mom of little kids I can forget that I can't keep our schedule all to myself.
It's REALLY important thatI communicate to my kids that they know what to do each day.
Because if they don't...
it's "Mom, I'm hungry. Mom, she touched me. Mom, there's nothing to do."
That drives me up the wall, around the bend and off to zone-out land.
So, to combat that, I need to have a scheduled routine that let's my kids know what they should be doing and when they should do it.
(Insert a song and dance for Teri Maxwell, creator of Managers of Their Home. I love you, Teri! You are a genius!)
Because there's no greater pleasure for a mom then pointing to the schedule board when they say, "I'm hungry." (Fruit bowl on the table or wait until designated snack time. 10 points for mom for not losing her cool!)
or..."there's nothing to do" is met with a quick journey to the schedule to see that, oh yes, it's reading quietly time (25 points for mom for not rolling her eyes and saying "Oh please!"!)
...and my kids fight less when they have something to do...otherwise, they get bored and hit each other. (Note to self: find ways to cultivate creativity that don't involve bodily harm)
So, all of that above spiel is to lead up to this tiny little blog post point:
*When you need to make adjustments to your schedules, mediate them!
How do we do that?
Oh, you'll have to come back later this week when I reveal more mysteries of the deep.
Muahhahahahaha!
**I may or may not be writing on a full night's sleep
Wednesday May 26
Tuesday (with a little bit of Monday thrown in) May 26
Colouring
And a discussion on why we do not need to refer to the juicing pulp as something akin to the very end of the digestion process. (Points for bridging technique, loss of point for lack of manners and the dear hope that they do not talk like this in public, please,please,please)
Makes us want to read this book
Monday, May 24, 2010
Questions, questions, questions
So, as I admitted earlier, I kind of checked out mentally for a bit. I'm told by others it happens a lot to homeschool moms.
Relief for me at the thought that there is safety in numbers.
If we all have meltdowns then I guess we are not insane!
Maybe....
Anyway, here's a great question I asked myself.
How do I get back into the swing of things? How do I start mediating again?
The answer being so obvious and with a bit of an oxymoron twist: Questions.
Ask questions.
I set aside time for both daughters to do an activity where all I did was ask questions. Not once providing an answer for them but having them figure out the answer.
I had to go back later and bridge and put meaning into the whole lesson.
But that's the beauty of Mediated Learning.
You can return to prior conversations and say, "You know, I was thinking about what we talked about and how it relates to...."
So, if you don't know where to start with Mediated Learning...go back to the beginning. Don't tell your kids anything. Just ask questions and see where it leads.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Wednesday May 19
Today was so much fun! We loaded up the car early and headed to the city where excitement awaited us.
First a stop at a farm and a visit with a friend before rushing off to a...
While the kids who came on buses from the schools stood in line, we, homeschoolers snuck off and studied the stained glass windows. Hehe! Another great reason to homeschool
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