Waterplay

With the weather warming up, I've been doing some water play activities with the girls. Nothing beats water for keeping kids happy! Their favourite at the moment is washing their doll's clothes (and often the dolls and teddies get thrown in for a much needed bath as well). I place a large bucket or basin on the grass, fill it with water and give Amy and Emma a piece of soap. They gather all the dolls clothes etc and the fun begins. Using pegs is really good for strengthening little hands, and it's very rewarding for kids once they get the hang of it. Here's a pic of Emma admiring her handiwork.



Miss Jessie isn't included in this activity as she would get straight in the water and it's a little too cold for that, but she gets her very own water activity up on the deck, so she's not complaining!

Amy's latest hairstyle

After weeks of preparing Amy emotionally, we finally got rid of her braids last week. Helen (the lady who does her hair) came around on thursday morning and spent just over two hours creating her new hairstyle. As with last time, lots of DVDs and snacks helped to keep Amy glued to the chair for the entire time!




Helen twisted Amy's natural hair with black wool to make these coils. they look so pretty, and will also help to straighten her hair a bit, making putting in braids easier next time. Amy is so pleased with the result, and we all think she looks gorgeous! (And of course, Emma is now asking for "short hair".)

Trampolining to Vivaldi

Emma is going through a phase of wanting to dance (do ballet) everywhere and all the time. So today she was dancing in the kitchen and asked me to put on the Vivaldi CD ( I got the idea from www.simplycharlottemason.com of learning to appreciate the music of different composers by listening to their music for 6 weeks at a time. i.e. six weeks of Vivialdi, followed by six weeks of Bach, etc), when I had the idea of taking the CD player outside, and jumping/dancing on the trampoline with the music playing in the background. The girls loved it and we spent almost an hour outside, jumping and dancing and pumping up the volume. It was such a lot of fun, we'll definitely be doing it again!

Smoothie Junkie

I just can't have enough of them. I have one every morning for breakfast, and often another one in the evening after supper (I eat with the kids at about 5pm so by the time Craig's come home and eaten his supper, I'm ready for another one!)

These days I usually throw the following into the blender:
* a banana or two
* an orange or two
* a handful of almonds
* a cup or two of water
And if I'm feeling creative and have any of these on hand:
* a guava
* some dates
* some frozen berries
* passion fruit
And sometimes even
*a handful of baby leaved spinach

Yes you read right: SPINACH!
It's got such a mild flavour that it doesn't affect the delicious fruitiness of the smoothie, and what a great way to get your greens! If you think I'm the only one crazy enough to drink green smoothies, check out www.greensmoothiegirl.com - some people are so committed to their green smoothies it's practically become a religion.

It's been about two weeks since I made the decision to make a concerted effort to stay about from deserts and chocolates and cake and biscuits etc etc, and to regard them as TREATS, not everyday necessities. So when I feel the need for something sweet, I start throwing things into the blender!

"Baking" - we're on a roll!

We made date balls yesterday, which were a great hit.
1 cup dates (preferably having been soaked for at least an hour, or overnight)
1 cup oats
1 cup coconut
Blend together, add a tiny bit of water into the blender or food processor if necessary. Then let the kids have fun rolling the balls - and watch out that too many don't end up in their mouths. We had one sore tummy after this as Emma just couldn't control herself!!

I find that eating a few date balls takes away my craving for chocolate (anybody else have similar cravings, or am I the only woman on the planet??!)

Undue pressure

"Don't fret or worry (be anxious for nothing). Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. (The peace of God, which transcends understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus.) It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."
Phil 4: 4,7 (Message; NKJV)

"Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God...casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."
(1 Pet 5: 6,7)

I have been struggling so much over the past few weeks with feelings of anxiety and inadequacy regarding my children's education. Even though they are so young I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself to "get it all right", do all the right activities with them to build the necessary skills, and provide exactly the kind of stimulation they need at exactly the right time. Basically it's been rooted in a feeling that because we've chosen not to send them to nursery school (whereas all but one of my friends' kids are at nursery school) I have to prove that I'm doing the right thing and providing the same kind of stimulation that they'd get in that kind of environment.

On Friday I listened to a talk on CD by Ivana Reis, the author of Love2Learn, and she hit the nail on the head: many people feel this pressure when they start homeschooling - they feel that their kids need to be "perfect" in behaviour and academic performance, to prove to the world that homeschooling is a good choice. This is exactly the kind of pressure I've been putting on myself and my children. This has resulted in me not enjoying my kids, because of being frustrated with them when they don't meet my expectations. And hey, they're only THREE!!!

It's taken a few emails and a couple of hour long phone conversations with a dear friend who is also homeschooling, for me to realise this and start untangling feelings from truth.

It also struck me that my children are learning so much every day, just in living everyday life. They talk nonstop (like most three year olds!), commenting on everything that's going on around them. My life is a conversation with them, and in talking with them I can hear that they're unravelling the mystery of the world around them, translating everything they see and experience into something meaningful to them. They're also adding to their skills every day, and are so proud of their accomplishments. Dressing themselves, pouring their own juice, brushing their teeth, "helping" me in the kitchen - "Look Mom, I'm such a big girl!" They've learnt so much in their short lives - and all of this has happened without any formal instruction! It's happened just by living together, talking and listening, reading stories, going for walks, visiting friends, going to the shops, drawing and finger painting, cutting and pasting, eating meals together and most of all, playing.

All this brings to mind Deuteronomy 6:7, which speaks of how we should teach our children the commands and promises of God:
"And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart [you can't teach your kids what isn't real to you]; you shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."

This is such a beautiful model of parents educating their children. It's echoed so powerfully in the model Jesus gave us of discipleship.

Lord, forgive me for relying on myself to achieve goals which you've never called me to in the first place. As of today I want to be found at the foot of the cross, relying on Your incredible grace, Your unconditional love, Your voice to tell me "This is the way, go in it." Please help me to see my children from Your perspective, and forgive me for trying to use them as a measure for my own sense of self worth. Thank You for your abundant blessings.

Hannah's Rules

Craig & I attended a presentation last week by Graeme Codrington called "Hannah's Rules", about a new generation of ethical consumers who are interested in more than just buying a product. They want to know what impact their purchase is going to make on the environment, how they can contribute to a "greener" world, living sustainably, how companies whose products they are buying treat their employees etc.

Some things he mentioned that families can do to start making a difference:
* Start a family boycott list, of companies whose products you as a family will boycott because they do not meet your "earth or people friendly" standards
* Start a list of companies you will support because of their ethics and values (earth and people orientated)

And something I want to start, is a list of things we are doing and need to do as a family to respect the earth:
* sign up with www.resolutionrecycling.co.za
* stop using plastic packets when shopping
* use natural products for cleaning the house and ourselves!
* grow some of our own vegetables

Websites to check out:
www.nick2015.com
www.treehugger.com

We love the zoo!

Over the past three years we've spend uncountable hours at the Johannesburg Zoo. It's just ten minutes away from home and there's always a lot to see and do. Plus all the walking guarantees that the girls will have a great nap afterwards - essential when I want to curl up with a good book!!

Activities for 26 May - 30 May

Monday:
Song
Story time
Chalk numbers: Write the numbers zero to 5 on the driveway with chalk. child traces with the finger, then walks on the numbers, "tracing" them as they walk. Say the numbers repeatedly. Give the kids chalk and let them draw over the numbers.
Act out a story: e.g. Oscar and Hoo.
Autumn wreath: Collect autumn leaves, twigs, etc. Cut a large circle out of a paper plate, leaving a ring. Paint glue around the ring and paste the leaves etc. onto it.
Preparing coloured ice cubes for bathtime:
Get a jug of water, some food colouring and a medicine dropper. Show child how to drop food colouring into the water, and then carefully pour the water into the ice cube tray. Use the frozen cubes later in the bath.

Tuesday:
Song
Storytime
Cooking: Bean soup
Place an assortment of uncooked beans in two bowls. Kids to sort beans, and then throw all the beans into the slow cooker. Then add chopped veggies and stock. Switch on and voila! Enjoy bean soup for lunch.
Playdate: Christine

Wednesday:
Song
Storytime
Pouring rice: Place different sized plastic containers, like yogurt containers, soft cheese containers, etc on a tray. Give the child a pitcher or large container of rice to pour into the smaller containers, which he then covers with the corresponding lids. This can also be done with beans or elbow macaroni.
Chasing balloons in the garden.
Shelling peanuts: An edible activity! Get a picture of an elephant, and explain how elephants love to eat peanuts. Sing: "Found a peanut" to the tune of "My darling, Clementine".

Thursday:
Song
Storytime
Paper mosaics
Playing catch in the garden with balls of various sizes.
Threading beads: one blue, one red, one blue, etc. Then one blue, one red, one green, one blue, etc.

Friday: (Bible Study)
Song
Storytime
Pouring rice
Sorting socks into pairs

__________________________________________________________________________________

Songs: Rig-a-jig-jig
As I was walking down the streeet,
down the street, down the street
A little Amy/Emma/Jess I chanced to meet
Hi ho, hi ho, hi ho

A rig-a-jig-jig and away we go,
away we go, away we go
A rig-a-jig-jig and away we go
Hi ho, hi ho, hi ho.

(You could also meet a horse, a dog, a cat, a cow, etc: "Meow, meow and away we go..." etc)

Heads and shoulders(from My Little Body)

In a cabin (from Toddler Action Songs)

Activities that work!

Paper mosaics: Kids cut or strip paper from magazines into little pieces, paint glue on the back of the pieces and then stick them on. We've done this once and it kept the kids busy for almost an hour! They pasted the pieces randomly and loved it - but after they've done this activity a few times I'll encourage them to make a mosaic in the shape of a rainbow, the sun, a border for a drawing, etc.

Washing up: I push two chairs right up against the sink, put towels on the floor, half-fill the sink with water, some dishwashing liquid and plastic containers, cups etc. This also keeps the girls occupied for almost an hour.

Nature walk: We walk around the block (about 1km) collecting anything that looks interesting, which we then bring home and put on the windowsill of the playschool room.

Painting

Playdough

Drawing

Zulu club starts

Last week we had our first session of Zulu club, in our home. Eleven children came, and we had a blast! Teacher Caroline is so thrilled to be teaching kids again (she taught Amy and Emma at playschool for a year, up until March this year) and the kids were so excited to see her.

Goals for preschool homeschool

I love these goals from www.shirleys-preschool-activities.com:

1. Love and Obedience

Teach your children to love one another and obey their parents. If you allow them to be selfish (which we all are by nature) and disobedient, then having them at home during their preschool years will not be a pleasure for anyone.

This is not a quick “first step” to successful preschool years. Preschool training is an ongoing process. There are plenty of books and materials on this subject if you need help in this area as building good sibling and parent-child relationships should be one of the major goals for preschool training in any family. It is a Biblical mandate that we should ‘love one another’ and that children should honour and obey their parents.

2. Social Behaviour

Your child should learn to enjoy his relationship with his parents and his siblings.

All the social skills he needs, he can learn in the safety and security of family relationships and interaction with friends, relatives and acquaintances of the family. He can learn correct forms of address for different people, proper manners and good behaviour by living alongside you.

As adults, we don’t necessarily socialize every day, yet we still maintain good friendships and children can do the same by socializing with family friends as often as we, the parents do.

Let your preschooler help you with your work – tidying the house, peeling vegetables, pottering in the garden or the garage. Let her accompany you to the post office, the bank, the library, the supermarket etc. and train her to behave properly in public.

(There was a time when I used to keep a wooden spoon in my handbag, just so that my children would know that the same rules and consequences as we have at home, also apply when we are out in public. Only once did I need to take a child into the ‘ladies restroom’ to use it in private and the lesson was learnt. I know corporal punishment is forbidden is some states and countries, but the principal is that children must know that there are consequences for bad behaviour no matter where they are.)

“Research has shown that children who have grown up to be productive, well-adjusted adults are those who have been drawn into the parents' world; their daily activities, work, and interest; rather than having parents who centered their world on the child.” Diane Hopkins, The Baby is the Lesson

Many believe that children won't learn to socialize and interact well with other children, unless they have opportunities to play with their age-mates during their early childhood development.

However, there is evidence to show that the type of socialization that occurs is often negative and leaves children feeling threatened and insecure and often they show angry behaviour. I have observed this in children of my friends who go to playgroups. To me, the homeschooled preschool-aged children that I know are much more self-confident and thus less aggressive with other children than the preschool-going ones and their characters are better trained.

3. Helping and Working

Let your child discover during his preschool training that he can make a meaningful contribution to family life and teach him to be self-disciplined.

They say that self-discipline is the best discipline. Little ones can learn to tidy up after themselves by picking up their toys. A friend of mine has a rule that her girls can only take out one set of educational toys at a time and only when they have put away the other toys.

Train your children to have a good work ethic by giving them regular household chores that contribute to the smooth-running of your home. Even a toddler can learn to dump a diaper in a bin or place dirty clothes in the laundry basket each day.

At preschool age, a mother should work alongside her child, helping, directing, training, encouraging and praising junior for her efforts….and don’t always redo the task for her, if it is not perfectly done, rather praise your child for her achievement and her helpfulness. Also, if you have a good attitude towards your work it will rub off on your child.

There is also a wise saying that says we should allow our children help us while they still want to. This means that our work may take longer or may not done to perfection by the child, but the benefit of the time spent will be reaped in the future as the child becomes more proficient and able to do tasks alone to help you. So “Lifeskills” should be one of your goals for preschool training too!

Allowing them to help also helps them develop self-confidence, self-worth and a sense of being capable. Many adults lack those traits because their mother did everything for them, or redid what they had done if it was not done to adult standards.

Give your child specific instructions, especially for big jobs like tidying a room. Rather say to your child, “pick up the clothes” and then “pick up the toys” instead. When there is a big mess to clear, I often say to my children, “put away 5 (or 10 or 20) toys first” and when that is done, then I give them another number of items to pick up. Breaking the task into smaller ‘bits’ makes it less daunting.

4. Train in Humility and Forgiveness

This should be part of #1. We need to model humility and forgiveness – when we get angry or frustrated or provoked to be unloving in any way, we need to be humble enough to admit our fault to our children and ask forgiveness of the person concerned. They, in turn need to be trained to release their hurt or anger and express forgiveness to the person who is asking it. No grudges or sulking should be tolerated.

5. Create a Child-friendly Environment

Learning is child's play, so give your children plenty of free time to play and entertain themselves. Limit their TV viewing, playstation, or any other electronic entertainment and rather encourage them to play outside or amuse themselves with other more traditional indoor activities – toys, games, drawing, coloring, painting, dressing up etc.

Many of us forget that educational activities are only one part of training up a child and that they are sometimes best left until a child is older than 8. In fact, a child’s creativity could be stifled if he is constantly given directions and instructions regarding the ‘proper’ way to do something.

A child who is always given instructions and kept occupied may display less initiative and innovation and instead of enjoying freedom to explore and discover, he may rather look to those in authority over him for what to do and how to do it. He may begin to ‘fear’ doing something ‘wrong’ instead of investigating other possible options and exploring creatively.

Children need the freedom to explore nature in their surrounds, to experiment in their own way with art supplies and to be creative and imaginative in their play during their early childhood development and beyond!

6. Encourage a Love of Learning

It may seem obvious to want this to be one of your goals for preschool training, however, learning should not be forced but inspired! Read, read and read to your children – not to pump their heads with facts and information, but rather to stir up in them a delight for books and stories.

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." (Emilie Buchwald)

Studies show that the biggest determining factor for a child's success in reading in school is if they have seen a parent reading in the home on a regular basis.

Reading aloud encourages children to be attentive and develops their concentration skills as well as auditory perception.

Reading fosters good language development, building children’s vocabulary and grammar through exposure.

Reading also exposes children to the ideas of authors, giving them food for thought and stimulus for their own imagination. They can learn about other places, people and eras through the world of books.

Reading helps improve comprehension and cognitive abilities. It helps children to anticipate possible outcomes for various scenarios and improves problem solving abilities. It also helps develops analytical skills and logic.

And not least, reading helps to build family relationships, giving you a wealth of common knowledge to share and refer back to as well as creating time for cuddling up together and being physically close to your children. When you are reading, you are not reading TO your child, you are sharing a book WITH your child, which is a great way to build your relationship!

7. Relax and Trust That Your Child Will Learn

Parents need to relax and trust that their children will learn what they need to learn in their own time.

I know that there is tremendous pressure from all sorts of well-meaning people encouraging moms to put their children in preschool or teach them STUFF, for all sorts of apparently good reasons, but the more I research preschool and homeschooling, the more I find that many of them are misled and that there are flaws in their thinking.

Trying to give children a “head start” is often counter-productive in the long run. Academics have a place in children’s development, but should not crowd out the other things that children need to experience. All parents need to do is to create a stimulating environment for their children and then relax and let children grow and learn at their own pace.

8. Become a Good Role Model

As a Christian, I believe that learning to be a Christ-like person is the most valuable lesson to teach my children!

This is something that is an ongoing process, learned day by day and moment by moment as they watch their parents exercising patience, coping with interruptions, giving comfort and encouragement, and trying to meet each child’s needs.

I believe that parenting is character training for adults!

As we learn to die to self and serve others with humility and a good attitude, so they will learn what is right. They are watching and observing every little detail of our facial expressions, intonation, body language – which is why it often so amusing when we ‘see ourselves’ in them – but all the more reason for us to be aware of what we are modeling and to be humble enough to admit it when we fall short of our ideals!

Our children need to see us ‘walk the walk, not just talk the talk!’

Jessie - 10 months old

Jess, all dressed up in Mutti's beret. She looks so beautiful - how Mutti would have loved to have seen her wearing it!

Craig holding Jess up in a tree at the zoo, near the elephants. To get a better view, like Zaccheus, perhaps?


Jess munches on a stray piece of cucumber that dropped from the table while her esteemed older sisters were busily doing some chopping for me.

What is the Charlotte Mason approach?

"Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life." (Charlotte Mason's motto)

The more I read about homeschooling and all the various approaches, the more I'm drawn to Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy and practice. Here's a brief summary I got from the Simply Charlotte Mason website:

"Charlotte emphasized treating each child as a person, not as a container into which you dump information. She believed that all children should receive a broad education, which she likened to spreading a feast of great ideas before them. Charlotte encouraged parents to have an active role in teaching and training their children in academics, fine arts, faith, citizenship, and habits of character.

You can summarize Charlotte’s approach to education in three words. Charlotte believed that “Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life.” By “atmosphere,” Charlotte spoke of the environment our children grow up in. She knew that the ideas that rule our lives, as parents, will have a profound impact on our children. “The child breathes the atmosphere emanating from his parents; that of the ideas which rule their own lives” (Vol. 2, p. 247).

By “discipline,” Charlotte emphasized the importance of training our children in good habits — habits that will serve them well as they grow. In fact, she likened good habits to railroad tracks that parents lay down and upon which the child may travel with ease into his adult life. Good habits are a powerful influence on our children and must play an important part in their education. “It rests with [the parent] to consider well the tracks over which the child should travel with profit and pleasure” (Vol. 1, p. 109).

By “life,” Charlotte wanted to remind us that “all the thought we offer to our children shall be living thought; no mere dry summaries of facts will do” (Vol. 2, p. 277). And the methods that Charlotte used presented each subject’s material as living ideas. Here is where the reading, writing, and arithmetic come in, along with all the other school subjects. But notice two important points: first, they are presented as living thoughts; and second, those school subjects occupy only one-third of the big picture of education.

All three components of Charlotte’s three-pronged approach are vital in the education of our children. Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life. What a well-balanced, all-around approach!"

For more about Charlotte Mason and her approach to education, click here.

And if this grabs your interest, read her Educational Manifesto.

Working together

One of my favourite things is seeing my girls working together. I was so pleased this week when Emma decided to do a puzzle, got it off the shelf by herself, and started working on it without my help. Soon Amy finished the puzzle she was working on and climbed on the table to help Emma.


Yesterday we went to a bead shop and bought a few simple "bracelet kits". We worked on them just before lunch. Look how pleased the girls are with themselves:




Miss Amy wore hers proudly the whole day, but after we took this photo Emma insisted on keeping her bracelet in her pocket (I wonder if she's going to have the same indifference to jewelry that I have?!!)

Favourite websites

Ambleside Online
An online Charlotte Mason curriculum. The women who put this together are truly amazing!

The Educational Life
One mother's blog about homeschooling her four young children, using Charlottle Mason's approach.

Homeschool Curriculum for Life
The website of Wendy Young, an incredible South African woman. This is a really lovely website, and was my introduction to Charlotte Mason.

Montessori Mama
Wonderfully creative, clever ideas of things to do with children, the Montessori way.

What we're reading this month

I've just finished reading "A Charlotte Mason Companion" by Karen Andreola. Highly highly recommended for anyone interested in children and education.

My little helpers

Every day I see new opportunities in our home environment for the children to learn something or practice something, to gain new skills and with it, self-confidence and the sense that they are making a contribution to the family. And is there anything more wonderful than seeing a child grow in this way? It's a tremendous privilege to be at home with my girls and to nurture them - body, mind and spirit - during these years of incredible growth in every way.

This week for "practical life skills" we've been doing some cleaning activities (mopping and sponging), as well as more chopping and other food preparation in the kitchen. (One day Amy started out chopping tomatoes and next time I looked, she was squeezing the tomatoes to make tomato sauce - an extension of our "squeeze the sponge to get the water out" activities!)

The girls can't get enough of these types of activities - and of course, the more water that's involved, the better. Let them play with water a lot - they have such fun, they learn so much, and it's really easy to clean up (unless of course something expensively digital gets in the way)!

Baseball!

A few weeks ago we joined the McClarty family at the local sports field to play some baseball. With lots of kids and only a few adults who knew the rules of the game, a lot of fun was had by all!

Thanks for the pics, Cassey!

Church family camp

We had a wonderful time a few weeks ago at the church family camp. It took place at the CYARA campsite in the Magaliesberg and there was lots for everyone to see and do and experience. It's the first time that Amy and Emma have gone off for long periods of time to play without us being present all the time. It was a really nice break! It was also really lovely to see them, particularly Amy, connecting with slightly older friends - she followed them around the whole weekend. Puppy love and hero worship are the words that come to mind!

A camp, or any get away, is a great opportunity to connect with friends and acquaintances on a deeper level than just the "hi" and "bye" that all too often make up our interactions at church. Sharing three meals a day together really brings people closer!

Montessori environment at home

I'm working on bringing in a number of Montessori elements in our play/school room at home, e.g.: all activities have a home, a place where they are returned to after being worked with (I'm trying to teach the girls to only work/play with one activity at a time - what a challenge!!!), materials are neatly presented on a tray or in a basket, accessible to the children so that they can work independently.

The first picture shows my developing "Practical Life" section - with spooning, pouring, pegging, sponging and beading activities. There's also a basket (on the far left) with boxes of different shapes - the idea is to take all the lids off, shuffle them around a bit, and then have the child put the correct lid on each box. A great matching activity.







We recently added a shelf below the windowsill - on it are:
knobbed cylinder activity (only one, I still need to get the other three!)
and a few different wooden puzzles.


Then there's "Care of the environment" (not the planet - just our environment at home - do not despise the day of small beginnings!! We'll get to recycling etc later). At the moment I just have child-sized brooms, feather duster and mop, and a dustpan and broom. The idea is for the kids to be at least partly responsible for keeping their environment clean. This teaches not only responsibility, but is also great for gross and fine motor skills and best of all, the kids love it.


Emma struts around with a broom most of the time we're in the playroom these days - I guess that's what she needs to learn right now! My philosophy is: It's okay to make a mess, but the person who made the mess must be responsible for cleaning it up (with a little help from mom, of course).









Another key component of both the Montessori and Charlotte Mason (CM) approach is exposing children to really great art and music during their early years. And instead of teaching kids about great art, one should simply have these works form part of the child''s everyday environment. So, have the works of the great artists stuck on the wall at the children's level, and classical music (and other great music - does Cedarmont Kids: Toddler Action Songs count??!! That's our current favourite...sorry Mr Bach, we'll get to you soon...) playing in the background at mealtimes or in the car or whenever. I've done this with Vivaldi - for about six weeks we listened to a Vivaldi CD every morning when eating breakfast... next up is, you guessed it, Bach!


Here's my attempt: I took out a book about Van Gogh from the library, and had copies of four well-known pictures made and laminated. I've stuck three of these in the playroom , and one in the kitchen (on the cupboard next to where the "snack table" is).

Alphabet trays

I've been thinking alot about how to introduce the alphabet in a fun way, and the other morning came up with the idea of "the alphabet tray." Every morning I place a sandpaper letter on the tray together with at least two items starting with that letter. This way the girls can see the letter, trace around it with their fingers, hear and say the sound, and hear the letter in the context of a few words. The first day we (naturally!) did "a", and I placed an apple and a picture of Amy on the tray. The apple didn't last long!


The second day I put a ball and a bowl on the tray with the letter "b", and the today a picture of a cat, and a carrot, with "c". I think I'll repeat these three letters a few times until they've got the idea. We're only spending a few minutes on this a day, just to introduce the concepts.

Autumn craft

Here are Amy and Emma proudly showing off their Autumn crafts (made with toilet rolls, hand tracings, and leaves and flowers from the garden)...


"Look, Mom, I've got binoculars just like Grandpa Rob!"

Blocks and cooking!

I've been reading lately that blocks are the best toy for little kids to play with - haven't bought any till now because I have to be honest, I just didn't see the point (would far rather read to my kids!!) But today I saw the light!! I finally bought a set of blocks last week while we were in the Midlands, and today sat down on the lounge floor and played with the girls. They were so enthusiastic about playing with the blocks, I was really amazed! They started out building towers and then wanted to make houses for their plastic animals. This kept them occupied for ages - Emma kept saying, "I know, I know, let's ... " and then experimenting with different shapes. It was so sweet to see, and I could see they were processing a lot about the relationships between shapes and space just by handling the blocks (shades of Montessori, methinks...)


The house Amy built for her giraffe. Note that the giraffe is enjoying his first meal in his new home - Amy made sure to place the tree right under his nose!

I've also discovered another great activity which the kids love - chopping vegetables! Now instead of putting on a DVD while I'm preparing supper, I give the girls something to chop - cucumber, bab marrows, whatever. Emma's attention span seems to miraculously increase when we do this activitiy!

Kinds of activities to do with Amy & Emma (and Jess!)

This is a work in progress...

Here are the different things I'd like to do with my kids regularly:
Devotions (daily)
Reading stories (daily)
Music - singing, dancing, making music
Art & crafts
Baking
Gardening
Practical Life activities- cleaning, pouring, spooning, threading, etc
Sensorial activities
Other Montessori activities
Puzzles

First day of homeschooling!

Today was my first "official" day homeschooling Amy & Emma. Before I forget, I want to record what we did and how it went...(As I'm writing they're having their nap - oh blissful naptime!)

While we were having breakfast I read the girls today's portion in "Devotions for Preschoolers" (thanks, Mom! This was Amy's Christmas present last year) and then "The Whale and the Snail" - a current favourite picture book from the library. They really love being read to at meal times, so I plan to do this regularly.

After breakfast we made some bread (Rose's honey bread) - initially I thought it would be a good idea for the girls to help me measure the ingredients, but this quickly resulted in chaos - so I put the ingredients in and gave them each a turn to mix. Loved this.

Then I remembered that the lawnmower needed to be collected from the service shop - and Brian was needing to mow the lawn today. So we jumped in the car and went to collect it.

When we got back the bread was ready - just in time for a snack! (Cannot survive the morning without a snack or two.)

Then I made each of the girls lie on a piece of paper, and I traced their outline. They were so impressed with the result that instead of colouring and decorating the pictures as I'd planned, they worked on tracing their own hands and feet, my hands and feet, and Amy even took flowers out of the vase and tried to trace those! (Good precursor for nature study, methinks...)

Then I dashed to the shops to get a few things (fridge is empty after Easter weekend), leaving the kids at home with Maureen. I left the blocks out for them to play with.

When I got back I got things ready for the kids to paint outside, using their new easel. They absolultely loved this, spent ages outside painting while I got lunch ready and played a bit with Jess.

(Stripped down to their panties, of course!! I don't know what we're going to do when the weather gets colder - move inside, and use lots and lots of newspaper and huge aprons, I guess...)


After much admiration of their painting - they each painted their own painting and then decided to paint the easel as well, it's now got patches of yellow and red all over the one side - we went inside and had lunch. Then I read the girls another story - the Princess and the Pea - and finally, put them down for the long-awaited nap.

Phew!! We had a lovely morning, and I think what helped is that I've recently been reading a lot about beng very relaxed about the preschool years. I'm seeing that they really need to have fun, and that I need to learn to follow what they're interested in and what they're happy to do. Having said that, I'm still working on making some Montessori materials and am looking forward to introducing some alphabet and number work, but will do it very slowly.

Charlotte Mason / Montessori?

I've been reading alot about the Montessori approach over the past few weeks, and really like some of the ideas. I like the idea of the Montessori environment - everything geared to the child, all furniture etc child-sized, activities easily accessible from low shelves, etc...and I also appreciate Montessori's emphasis on encouraging the child's natural desire for independence, and for engagement with "the real world" and "real things". The child's mantra is "I want to do it myself" and according to Montessori, this should be encouraged and faciliated. Also, the materials are fascinating - so simple and yet incredibly carefully designed for learning, not content, but structure...engagement with the materials helps the child to learn to structure what she is learning about the world...I'm not explaining this very well, still just beginning to understand.

But I also really love the Charlotte Mason approach - this is where my real passion lies: a literature-based approach to education. I was wondering whether these two approaches - Montessori and Charlotte Mason - could complement each other when I came across this post: http://rusticanda.blogspot.com/2006/01/cms-letter-to-editor-regarding.html. It seems that Ms Mason had very passionate views on Montessori, and they didn't include a marriage of these two educational philosophies! Still, I plan to use some Montessori ideas in our playschool / homeschool journey, while focusing on lots of play and exposure to lots of great children's literature...O such heady ideals! Let's see what reality brings...

Habits I want to instil in my children

Charlotte Mason speaks alot about how important it is to intil good habits in our children when they're young. Most of what we do each day is based on habits, so let's make sure they're good ones!



These are some of the habits I want to instill in my kids over the next few years (this is an open list, and will keep growing I'm sure!)

• First time obedience


• Scripture memorisation and application in daily life:

This week we're memorising Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!" Next week we'll be doing "Be kind to one another" (I'll have to find the reference!)

• Eating only at mealtimes and snacktimes (NOT throughout the day).


• Three juicecups per child per day, placed where they can reach them so that they can help themselves.


• The habit of kindness towards others.

Blogging - me??

Well, the bug has bitten! I decided to start blogging as a way of reflecting on my everyday experiences. I find that when I'm not writing, it's as if life just speeds past, days pass in a blur, and before I know it a year has passed and I can't for the life of me remember what happened! Writing is a way of slowing things down, taking hold of something that's happened and observing, recording, and reflecting on it.

I also want to savour these "growing years" in our family. I'd like to be able to show some of these reflections to our kids when they're older, as a way to encourage "remember when" conversations and show them what it was like when they were little. I want a place to record all the cute things they say, the incredible things they're learning, and what the world looks like through the eyes of a toddler. As I write this, Amy is three and a half, Emma is two and three quarters, and Jessie is 8 months. It's 5:30 in the morning, I've been awake since 4am, and this is pretty much how every day starts for me these days!