Coloring

This morning we laid in the floor and colored for more than an hour. It started off simple, then we wound up doing so much more. We kept is casual and low key and just talked and explored as we colored. Alex found a word search in one of her activity books and I circled an A for Alex and asked her if she could find other A's. She did. Then she said, "Let's find P for Pat." I was thrilled for her. She must have remembered this from dinner Sunday night. How wonderful. So we looked for P's and then picked a few other letters to search for. We colored big and small, dark and light. This sparked a game of "Daddy's hair is short, but Mommy's hair is ____." "Day is light, Night is ____." And so on. This went on as long as I could come up with analogies and they did great. We chose and experimented with different colors. I took turns coloring with Alex and then Emma and over again. It was great. No TV, no radio, no distractions... just me & the girls.
Alex had PT this afternoon & Emma had OT. We went to the pool with Nonnie & the girls played with Caleigh & Caden. We read books tonight with Nonnie and Alex & I sang "America the Beautiful" for her. That is currently Alex's favorite song. We also said the Lord's Prayer and sang the Doxology. That is a new one that both girls are quickly picking up on and really love.

The Educated Child

I'm reading a great book called The Educated Child. It isn't about homeschooling, it is just about educating your child. Of course right now I'm ready the preschool section, which applies to the stage of development my girls are in. The principles it addresses are wonderful. Some are...
-Parents are the first and most important teachers.
-The early years build the foundation for all later learning. Make it sturdy.
-Learning requires discipline; discipline requires values.
-Follow your common sense.
-Content matters: what children study they will learn.
It stresses the importance of taking the time to read to your children and gives great suggestions to make the most of that time. This is something that we already do and will continue to do.
One of the best ways to teach is by example. I shouldn't just read to my child, she should also see me reading. I should just tell her how to behave, I should lead by example. Children imitate.
There is great info on fostering the love of learning, which if you have been following our journey you will know is one of my highest priorities. A parents' love, protection and care are invaluable.
We all know that patience is key, but sometimes it is hard. Kids ask lots of questions and need lots of answers. Repetition is crucial in questions, reading, etc. Experience is key. Reading a book about animals is great, going to the zoo and seeing those animals is even better.
Play is the business of childhood. It encourages exploration, provides exercise, feeds the imagination, offers interaction, it's fun. A great deal of learning at this stage of development comes from play!!!
Trial and error are a big part of learning. Let your child make mistakes and help her learn from them.
****No two children are alike!*****
Don't be too pushy. It makes reference to another book that I love, The Hurried Child. Older book, but a great book.
The book also addresses specific subjects and age appropriate activities. Science. Grasping the principle isn't important, right now they are building a foundation of experience and the principles and concepts will come later. Also some basic, but important, ideas on building listening and speaking skills, incorporating math into life and getting ready to write. Preschool art. Sometimes I wonder if what we are doing is good for anything when it comes to art... but I realize that all that doodling, painting, play dough squishing, pasting, etc. is fostering creativity, feeding their imagination and working fine motor skills. It also lets them experiment, problem solve and make their own decisions. It often isn't the finished product that matters, but the process of making it! I've also found that the girls and I tend to start with an art project and wind up incorporating and learning so much more. Fun stuff!
So, I'm learning a lot. I'm learning what more I can do & better understanding development and preparation for later learning. I'm also thinking that I'm not doing too bad of a job here. What a wonderful journey we are taking together!

My little artists

I didn't think today would be very productive, learning wise, but I was wrong. This morning was slow, but we got out and did some yard sale shopping and then came home to make Jessica a birthday card. Jessica, if you are reading this, please be surprised when you get it :) An attempted quiet time... not too successful. Emma seems to be past napping. Ugh. Then we went to the pool for a few hours. The girls love playing with the other kids. They shared their ball with a little girl and played catch for a while. Then we made some new friends. A little girls named Hope and her mother. Hope is two, and she and the girls played quite a while. On the way home we stopped at Walmart for a few things. On the way out we put some school supplies in the donation box. Alex got to put in a school box and Emma put in some markers. I made sure to explain to them that we were giving them for kids who don't have school supplies. They seemed happy about that. Once home we had a snack and then painted. I stripped them down to almost nothing, spread butcher paper in the floor and got the paints ready. They each painted two pictures. They had lots of fun, I just have to loosen up on the making a mess thing. After a much needed bath we played in their room the rest of the evening. We did simple puzzles (Alex is a whiz and Emma is improving greatly). Emma found a lacing card so I got the rest out and they each laced a string through a card. I noticed that since we last used them (a few months ago) that Alex now follows the pattern and actually laces around the shape instead of random lacing through the holes. Emma is still pretty random, but they both did well with the fine motor skill of getting the string in the hole and pulling it through. Then LOTS of reading. We pulled out a book of animals that I had put away. That book does a great job of categorizing animals (spotted, striped, large, small, frogs, birds, etc.) I tried to tell them the actual names of the animals instead of the general name of bird or fish. We do great at repetition when it comes to reading books so I'm thinking they will pick up on the specific names of animals. Then about 45 minutes of other books before brushing teeth, reading bedtime books and saying prayers. They both went to sleep very quickly tonight. A day full of fun will do that to little girls!

Time with Emma

Today while Alex was finishing therapy I took Emma to the grocery store to shop for fruit. We walked through the produce section and looked at all the fruit and bought things to try that we don't usually eat. Like kiwi. I let her hold and feel each item we bought and we talked about how it felt, what shape it was, what color it was, etc. We kept to the fruit today because I'm trying to teach her categories. When we picked up Alex and came home we went through the fruit all over again. Each of the girls got to touch it all and taste what they wanted. Again talking about texture, shape, taste & color. After going through the kiwi, pears, banana, grapes, blueberries, oranges, peaches & apples, they chose to have the strawberries with their dinner.
Alex had ST, OT, & PT today. Emma had PT & ST.

Kindergarten waiver

I forgot to post that on Tuesday I went to the school admin offices and filled out the waiver for Alex to start Kindergarten a year late. That way we have an extra year that she isn't held accountable and we can re-evaluate next year after a year of homeschooling.

Great morning

This morning we started our school time with the new Highlights magazine. It is great for stories, nursery rhymes, hidden pictures, activities, etc. One thing we learned about today was shadows. This afternoon when we are outside I will make a point to notice shadows with them. The magazine also always includes a game. I cut out the game pieces and we played twice. There was a game board with blocks from start to finish. I was the car, Alex was the truck and Emma was the train. We drew picture cards to tell us who got to move ahead. They did really great and loved it. Alex won once and Emma won once, so it worked out great. Then we did the suggested activity. I didn't have containers so I cut a paper towel roll in half. Then we tore construction paper into pieces. I added a little bit of water to Elmer's glue and they used paint brushes to paint glue onto their roll and stick paper on it. They really loved it, got to use the paint brushes, stick the paper, and get sticky! They are drying now but Alex can't wait to show hers to Poppy. After cleaning up that project we laid in the floor for about 30 minutes and read books. Random books really, mostly the new books we just got. One about wind, one about whales, and then just some fun books. One book we have been reading for the last few weeks is the words to America The Beautiful. Alex is starting to sing along. It is a great way to talk about what Daddy is doing in the Army... protecting America.
This afternoon Alex has ST, OT & PT and Emma has PT & ST.

New week

We survived and enjoyed Vacation Bible School last week. It is lots of fun but also exhausting. Saturday we did our first school project in a week. We made posters about the girls. They each go their own. I would start a sentence about them and they had to finish it. For example... My name is ___, I am ___ years old, My favorite food is ___, etc. I would write it on the poster, draw the picture, etc. and they decorated. Emma cracked me up, she was laying on her belly resting her head in her hands and when I would ask her a question she would say, "Hmmm, let's see..." and then give a silly answer to make Alex laugh. One question was... I live in ____. I wanted Alex to say Arkansas, but instead she said, "a house." Well, yes. That is true. So we drew a house and then decided her house was in Arkansas. After our posters were complete I let them put stickers all over them and we hung them on their closet door to admire.
This morning we did a short amount of speech homework. We are trying to get Alex to make predictions about what happens next. We used cards with examples like... a little girl playing in the mud with her dog... next she has to take a bath. The cat jumped on the table and bumped the flower vase... next the vase falls and spills. Etc.
This afternoon Alex had PT, Emma's OT was canceled. Then we went to the pool with LeLe, Caden & Caleigh. Fun fun.

Attention is in short supply

This week is vacation bible school at church. Every night from 6-8:30. The girls also have therapy Monday through Thursday in the afternoons. That leaves us going to bed much later than usual and completely exhausted. This morning we tried to do some school work and we weren't very successful. They can sit still (probably because they don't have the energy to move) but can't pay attention or answer a question to save their lives. We tried to do some pages on what goes together. The first page went fine. There was a picture of a house and then some objects that I cut out. They had to say whether the object belonged in the kitchen or the bedroom. Emma got to hold the glue stick and Alex got to place the object. She did fine for 5 items but got mixed up on the dresser. She put it in the kitchen. In her defense, I have a dresser in my kitchen. So while that answer may have technically been wrong, she was actually right. After that it went down hill. Just about every answer was "I don't know." We finished up the page we had started and called it quits. I don't think I will attempt much more school work this week since there is so much else going on.

Wednesday

Rainy day today. We stayed home this morning, pretty low key. This afternoon Alex had PT and Emma had OT. Alex doesn't like her Monday/Wednesday therapist and has gotten to the point that she gets upset about going with her. She just misses Alissa, but about 3 more weeks and Alissa will be back from maternity leave and things will get back to 'normal'.
This afternoon/evening we played outside for a little while. The girls got new balls at the store and wanted to play with them so we got them out. They are really big balls, but the girls chased them all over the front yard. They would bring them to me and I would kick or throw them and they would do it all over again. Bath time, cleaned their room, read lots of books, brushed & flossed teeth, prayers & bed time.
I was able to organize the office the last few days and get all of our school stuff in order, this should make school time easier because I can find what I'm looking for.

Tuesday

We went to Fayetteville this morning to run errands and visit my grandparents. This afternoon Alex had PT, OT, and speech and Emma had PT & speech. No other school work today.

Monday

This morning the girls and I sat on the couch and read the newest Highlights magazine. We read the poems and stories, searches for the hidden pictures, picked the 'silly' things out of the silly picture, and then tore out the game in the back. I cute the pieces up and we we played several games of 'match the socks'. There were probably about 10 pairs of cards, each with a sock on it. The girls had to pick a sock and then find it's match. The first couple of times we played with all the cards facing up so that Emma could look through and find the match. It was a good chance to work on same/different. Then we played with the cards down, like a game of Memory. That was harder of course and they were beginning to lose attention by that point so I didn't push it. Oh, these games are also great for taking turns and even helping each other. Sometimes if Emma can't find it Alex helps her and then Emma gets to keep the match.
This afternoon Emma had OT and Alex had PT. Then we went to the pool and met Alissa and the kids. Alex, Emma and Caleigh played in the water and Caden played with some of this other friends. We saw our old hair dresser, Sandi, and her one year old little girl. My girls played with her for a little while, too. Cheryl (part time physical therapist) was there and always sits with us and plays with the girls. We convinced Alex to let us take her into the deeper water, so Cheryl held Alex & I held Emma and we ventured out to the rope in the middle of the pool. They practiced kicking and 'swimming' and had a great time.
See? School work, quiet time, therapy, fun/social time.

Potty training

A couple of weeks ago I made potty charts for the girls and we hit the potty training again. They didn't argue about going and Alex always does 'something' when she sits on the potty, but Emma almost never does anything but sit there for a few minutes. Each time they at least tried to potty they got a sticker. After 10 days of that we are no closer to being potty trained than we were before. They will usually tell me when they have to go poop, but never when they have to pee. I just keep reminding myself that this is a motor control problem and they can't help it. We will keep trying as we go, maybe we will get there at some point.
Over the holiday weekend the girls rode in the Lincoln Riding Club play day. Alex loves it, Emma tolerates it. It is great fun and great therapy for them. You don't realize what muscles it takes to ride a horse until you do it and are completely sore! Kyle & Misty have invited us to come to each play day (every other Saturday night) and let the girls ride. I think it will help with muscle strength, balance, coordination & confidence.

July 4th!

This morning we did a fourth of July craft. We made Uncle Sam masks. I tried to explain a little bit about today, how it is America's birthday and America is where we live. I think mainly what they mastered is that their masks are Uncle Sam and Uncle Sam says 'Happy 4th of July!" Good enough for now :)

Other than the 4th theme the masks were fun because they got to use glue sticks, stickers, cotton balls, paper & paper plates.
They still have some energy left so we may try to learn the Pledge of Allegiance. I figure if they can say the Lord's Prayer that we can try for the pledge.
This afternoon we are going to Dad's for lunch and I'm not sure if we will brave the rodeo tonight or not. There is a chance for some rain so we will just wait and see.

July 3rd

Today was mainly a day at home. We organized some toys (and then unorganized them again) and then each of the girls had physical therapy this afternoon. This evening we played at new game of dominoes where the girls had to match pictures instead of the normal dots on real dominoes. Before bedtime reading we looked at a new zoo activity book I got at a yard sale. Some pages were craft projects to do, but there were several pages we did together. One activity was looking at 'family pictures' of animals at the zoo. The mom and dad were shown and they had to pick the child (animal) that went in the correct picture. Then one to find the tigers & lions hidden in a jungle picture. We looked at the other pictures and picked out animals and chose which were big & little and counted how many there were. The girls were really exhausted so we didn't go any further than that. We read bedtime books for about 30 minutes and then brushed and flossed and the girls just went to bed. It is a little earlier than usual, but they were both yawning and couldn't pay attention or sit up straight, so we called it a night.

July 2nd

Dottie & I took the girls to the rodeo day at Parson's Stadium this morning. I was designed for kids with disabilities and the girls got to ride horses, ride in the stage coach & wagon, pet the dogs, etc. They had a blast.
This afternoon Alex had PT and Emma had OT. Then we went to Alissa's and the girls played with Caden and Caleigh in the sprinkler. Lots of fun today!

Tuesday morning school work

This morning we started school with the Hooked on Phonics color and shapes book. Then we followed an activity suggestion in the book and made our own color book. Each of the girls took turns coloring pages of certain colors. Alex made 5 pages (black, blue, pink, purple, red) and Emma did 4 pages (green, brown, yellow, orange). I wrote the color name at he top of the page and together we thought of different objects that are that color. I did my best to draw them and the girls colored them. Then we colored the cover page together. I punched holes in the side and tied it with ribbon and we read their book several times. They were so proud. Here's a picture.