Homeschool Preschool Unit 11--The Time of the Judges

I am using Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, various forms of Spanish, & reading aloud from a chapter book for my 4 year old son. 

This week focuses on the letter I & Gideon, Samson, & Ruth in the Bible.

First, I must say that on Saturday I realized I hadn't yet set up anything for Unit 11.  I normally do it Wednesday or Thursday.  Somehow I had forgotten.  I was a little under the weather last week, so I suppose that had something to do with it.  So I started working on setting up Unit 11 when I then realized that somehow I completely forgot I had a craft planned for last Friday, the last day of Unit 10.  We learned about God not letting the sun go down, so I had planned a cute sun craft.  This was really fun because it's made using cut outs of Lil J's traced hand prints.  I had 3 extra crafts scheduled last week, whereas I usually have 2.  So I guess that's how I forgot.  After I did 2 I thought I was done for the week.  This week, Unit 11, I have 3 scheduled once again, I'll have to be extra careful & make sure I don't forget any this week.  Anyways, so we did the sun craft on Saturday. 

On Monday we started off with a new fingerplay.  He read the words portion of reading lesson #83.  We read about Gideon choosing his army in the Bible.  We did an activity where Lil J had to show me what body parts I named.  He did very well, except he didn't know 'wrist', 'ankle', & 'waist'.  I guess I don't use those terms much with him.  Then he practiced writing "I" & "i".  He also wanted to write "J" & "j" since they are on the same tracer sheet, but it doesn't show in the photo.  Then we did a strange activity.  It said to draw a blue wavy "water" line across the bottom of the paper.  Then it said to draw a red smiley face on the upper left portion of the paper.  Then it said to trace your hand print on the upper right portion of the paper.  Lil J did all of this by himself.  Then it said to draw a circle around the hand print--I helped out with this.  And the point of all this was that God used the way men drank at the river to help Gideon choose an army.  I don't really see the connection there......but we did this activity anyways & then discussed what we had read in the Bible again.  Then we did an extra craft--making Gideon's torch.  I know our one & only lesson about Gideon doesn't mention his torch, but it was such a cool craft that I chose to include it anyway.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson, then we did Spanish, & then our songs.  A song about Judges & our usual books of the Bible & God made the universe.  I asked Lil J to bring me his tambourine, but he insisted on only drums today.  He set up both drums, the big one for him & the Indian drum for me.  Later I will read aloud from the Black Stallion & that'll be it for Monday.

 

On Tuesday we continued with our fingerplay, he read (& nailed) the words portion of reading lesson #83 (will be moving on to lesson #84 on Wednesday).  We read about Samson in the Bible.  We had a math activity about weighing stuff.  We managed to weigh a pound of cars LOL!!  He did 'Hide & Seek I', and 'count on me', drawing 2 weights in each box & adding up each box & then all the boxes.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson, then he colored a picture of Samson while I read to him in Spanish about Noah.  Then we did our songs--one about judges & then books of the Bible & God made the universe.  He again wanted drums rather than tambourine.  Later I'll read aloud from the Black Stallion, I think we'll be finishing it up this Friday & then we'll have to choose a new book.  I'm considering "Little house in the big woods", my fave from the Little House books.

 

On Wednesday we continued with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #84, we read about Samson in the Bible.  We made a "bean I"--I put glue in the shape of "I" on a paper & Lil J placed pinto beans on it.  We discussed what we read in the Bible & about Samson's God-given talents & our own God-given talents & we prayed & thanked God for our talents.  We also discussed the need for using our talents to glorify God & not for our own selfish desires.  Then we acted out what we read in the Bible, building pillars & Lil J pretending to be Samson & knocking them down.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson, then we did Spanish, & then our songs--a song about Judges, the books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  This day he wanted me to use the tambourine while he drummed.  Later I will read aloud from the Black Stallion. 

 

On Thursday we continued with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #84 (& will be moving on to lesson #85 on Friday).  We read in the Bible about Ruth.  We did our devotionals & then he practiced writing "I" & "i" & I added on numbers as well.  We discussed what we read in the Bible & made an extra Ruth craft.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson.  Then we did Spanish, then our songs.  We did the song about Judges, the books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  I also added on a 10 commandments song.  I've been wanting to find one & do it because I think it's an important thing to be memorized & memorization is easiest with singing.  There is a 10 commandment song on the CD set that came with our curriculum but I really don't like it.  So I found one that I like on YouTube.  I am planning to continue doing it daily with our other songs.  And then I read aloud from the Black Stallion.  Tomorrow we will finish up our last chapter of it & then we are planning to watch the movie. 

On Friday we continued with our fingerplay, then he read the words portion of reading lesson #85.  Then we read more about Ruth in the Bible.  We made a wheat stalk on paper, because Ruth collected wheat to make bread for herself & her mother in law.  Of course since my son & I have celiac disease I took this time to talk about that as well.  I am trying to find ways to educate my son on the fact that he cannot tolerate gluten & dairy.  Today was masking tape "I" day, Lil J always loves this day.  He had his cowboy riding on a motorcycle driving all over it.  We discussed what we read in the Bible, then we did Spanish & then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson.  Then we did music--judges, books of the Bible, God made the universe, & 10 commandments.  Then I read the final chapter of the Black Stallion aloud.  We are going to watch the Black Stallion movie today.

I should add that Ruth is not a judge & on Thursday & Friday of this week there was no song to correlate. I did the judges song because A) we already did it Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday & B) I really really like the song.  

 

That's all for this week.......next week we learn about Samuel.

Homeschool Preschool Unit 10--Joshua leads Israel

I am using Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven, Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons, various forms of Spanish, & reading aloud from a chapter book for my 4 year old son.

This week is a review week, focusing on letters E, F, G, H, the number 10, & Joshua.

On Monday we started a new fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #81, we read in the Bible about Joshua.  Being a review week, we reviewed the E, F, G, & H devotionals.  For week to week devotionals I use both devotionals offered by Heart of Dakota, but for reviewing I only use ABC verses.  Then we reviewed A-H in handwriting, using the tracer sheets I made.  Then he glued 10 men onto his number 10 page (10 men to represent the Israelite men).  Then he read the sentences/paragraph portion of reading lesson #81.  I had to remind him to focus, but he did better than last week I am happy to say.  Today happens to be Columbus Day, so I gave Lil J a very brief run down of what that means & then had him color two pages about Christopher Columbus.  I had tried to find a craft for Columbus day, but only found 2 & while I did like one of them it required 2 milk cartons, which I don't have.  And I didn't want to go spend money on milk just to dump it down the drain in order to make this craft.  So then I looked for coloring pages & liked the 2 I chose.  Then we did Spanish & there was no song to go with today's lesson, but we did sing Books of the Bible & God made the universe.  I do believe Lil J knows both songs all the way through.  I am so proud of him!  Later on we will continue reading from The Black Stallion.

 

On Tuesday Lil J was begging to do school outside.  He's actually been asking for a long time now, but I always forget & he usually remembers half way through our school session & it's just too late at that point.  The weather is gorgeous here right now, so we headed outside & prayed, did our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #81 (& totally nailed it, moving on to lesson #82 tomorrow).  Then we read about Rahab helping the spies in the Bible, he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson, & then we did Spanish.  Then we headed inside to do our masking tape letter on the floor.  Since it's review week it says to choose a letter from A-H.  Lil J said he wanted to do "G" & he drove one of his choo choos on it.  Then it said to build the wall of Jericho out of crackers & peanut butter.  I happen to have no crackers in the house right now.....and we don't even eat peanut butter.  We do eat almond butter BUT I have very little on hand right now & didn't feel like making another batch right now just for this.  Plus, who's gonna eat all these crackers & almond butter?!?!?!  So I scrapped this idea & we built the wall out of his blocks & added on Rahab's red rope using a red pipe cleaner.  We were supposed to act out what we read in the Bible, but I chose to just discuss it instead.  And then we did our songs--a song about marching around the wall of Jericho, the books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  Since I've been singing those last 2 songs without the CD I've been thinking that a tambourine would sure be nice.  I used to have one, but I think I got rid of it when I moved....about 8 years ago.  Then I remembered that Lil J has one, a small one that came with the drum he got for his first birthday.  I went to grab it but as soon as Lil J saw me using it he wanted to use it.  So I sang & he danced around playing the tambourine.  It was very nice.  Later on I will read aloud from The Black Stallion & that's all for today.

Lil J's version of review week: his Buddy is baby Moses in the basket & the couch is Noah's ark.  So he's got baby Moses in the basket in Noah's ark to protect it from the flood, LOL!!!!

On Wednesday we continued with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #82, we read in the Bible about Joshua leading the Israelites across the Jordan river (& God drying up the water for them to cross).  Lil J picked "G" again as his review letter, I put glue on a paper in the form of "G" & then sprinkled baking soda over it.  I used a blue glitter glue, but the baking soda didn't really adhere very well.  Not sure if that's just how baking soda is or if it's because I used a glitter gel glue.  It would've looked much better if I had just done the glitter glue alone without sprinkling anything over it.  We were supposed to act out & discuss what we read in the Bible this day.  We did discuss, but I passed on the acting out.  We've been a little under the weather & just didn't feel like it.  Based on our discussion I could see that he had a good understanding about the lesson anyways.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson.  Then we did Spanish & listened to our songs--a song about crossing the Jordan river, the books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  As soon as Lil J knew it was music time he ran to get his tambourine.  But this time he wanted ME to play the tambourine rather than himself.  He chose to ride his horse during music time this day.  Later on we will continue with the Black Stallion. 

On Thursday we continued with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #82 (& will be moving on to lesson #83 tomorrow), we read in the Bible about the wall of Jericho coming down.  He did 'hide & seek review EFGH' & 'count on me', drawing horns in the boxes & adding up all the horns.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson. Then we did an extra craft, making a horn, & then we acted out what we read in the Bible.  We built a wall out of blocks & he marched around it 7 times & then blew his new horn & the wall came down.  He really enjoyed this (& even after school was over he kept doing it over & over).  Then we did Spanish & our songs--a song about the wall of Jericho, the books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  Along with the added tambourine by me, Lil J blew his new horn during the songs.  He really enjoyed doing that.  Later I will read aloud from the Black Stallion & that's it for Thursday.

 

On Friday we finished off the week continuing with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #83, we read in the Bible about God not allowing the sun to set.  We discussed the concept of time & he watched 1 minute pass on a stopwatch.  We discussed what you can accomplish in one minute.  When I asked which letter he wanted to review for handwriting he wanted "G" (he seems to really love G LOL).  And we did some acting out of what we read in the Bible.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson, then we did Spanish.  There was no song for today's lesson, so we just sang our usual books of the Bible & God made the universe.  And then he was asking to paint, so I set him up to paint.  I love it when he paints.  Later I will read aloud from the Black Stallion & we'll be done for this week.....

 

.....onward to next week & learning about the time of the judges...........

Homeschool Preschool Unit 9--God's Laws

I am using Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, various forms of Spanish, & reading out loud of a chapter book for my 4 year old son.

This week's lessons focus on the letter H, the number 9, & Moses.

On Monday we started off with a new fingerplay, he read words in reading lesson #79, we read in the Bible about Moses & the 10 commandments.  He practiced writing "H" & "h" on the tracer letters I made.  He did 'count on me', drawing 2 stones (stones because the 10 commandments were written on stones) in each box, then counting the stones in each box & then counting ALL the stones together.  Then we did an activity that I didn't feel really conveyed about God giving the 10 commandments to Moses, but we still did it anyways.  Lil J applied stickers to a sheet of paper, as many as he wanted, & then he counted them all.  Then he split them into groups of 10.  He had put exactly 20 stickers so he had 2 groups of 10.  Then we did an extra Moses craft together & then he read sentences/paragraphs in his reading lesson.  Then we did Spanish & then our songs--a song about the 10 commandments & our 2 usuals.  We just need to still read out of the Black Stallion later & then school will be done for the day.

On Tuesday we continued with our fingerplay, read the words portion of reading lesson #79, which he totally nailed, so we'll be moving on to lesson #80 on Wednesday.  We read in the Bible about the people praying to the golden calf & about Moses talking to God.  We did devotional time, using both books. I am so amazed because Lil J is reading more & more out of the devotional books! Even though he is reading in his reading lesson book I am amazed to see him reading in another book like that. Then we did a "raisin H", where I drew a big H & put glue on it & Lil J placed raisins in the glue.  He had to tell me that he doesn't like raisins (even though he's never actually tasted them) the entire time he was doing this, despite the fact that I kept telling him he didn't have to EAT them, just to put them on the H.  We discussed what we read in the Bible & prayed specifically about what we read.  We did an extra Moses craft-a toilet paper roll Moses.  I sooo love toilet paper roll crafts & so does Lil J!!  Then he read the sentences portion of his reading lesson--he did EXTREMELY WELL today, focused the whole time, because I made home-made lollipops on Sunday & he was asking for one right before we started school & I told him if he behaved & stayed focused during reading he could have one.  I am glad to finally see that he is actually capable of such a thing.  I just need to find the right incentive or motivation.  And no, I don't think candy is a good idea, at least not on a regular basis.  Then we did Spanish & then our songs--10 Commandments, books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  And later I will read aloud from The Black Stallion. 

 

On Wednesday we continued with our fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #80, we read in the Bible about the Israelites bringing gifts for the Tabernacle, he did 'hide & seek H', which he's really good at. He glued 9 bottles of perfume on the #9 page--perfume bottles because that was brought as gifts for the building of the tabernacle.  We built a tabernacle & sprayed perfume on it also.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of reading lesson #80.  He was not at all focused & it was very difficult.  I told him if he didn't focus that there would be no TV today.  About the last third of the sentences he got very focused.  I will give him the opportunity later to repeat the lesson in a focused manner if he wants to earn back his TV privilege.  I feel I need to teach him to focus properly on his schoolwork.  I know that he is perfectly capable of doing so, he just doesn't want to.  Then we did our songs--10 commandments, books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  And later I will read aloud from The Black Stallion.  Incidentally he asked to do 'count on me' today--I reminded him that we already did it on Monday, but I thought it was cute that he asked for it, thinking we had forgotten to do it. 

 

On Thursday we had a rough day.  My son is going through a phase of intentionally challenging me & he was determined to undermine school on this day, as part of his challenging.  I will spare the details, but I did manage it well, although it was still challenging in my opinion.  We did our fingerplay, we read the words portion of reading lesson #80, we read about God leading his people in the Bible, he practiced writing "H" & "h".  We acted out & discussed what we read in the Bible.  I once again modified the acting out activity.  I let his toys act it out rather than me & him acting it out, it's just easier to keep him focused that way.  Then he read the sentences/paragraphs portion of his reading lesson--he did VERY well on this today.  Then we did Spanish, then our songs, & later I will read aloud from the Black Stallion.  That is all for Thursday..........

 

On Friday we continued with the fingerplay, he read the words portion of reading lesson #80 (which he totally mastered, will be moving on to lesson #81 on Monday), read in the Bible about the Israelites not trusting God & wandering for 40 years.  He made a grapevine because we read about the Israelites finding grape vines in the land of Canaan.  Today was masking tape H day, which my son loves.  He drove his motorhome all over the H.  We discussed what we read in the Bible today, he read the sentences/paragraph portion of his reading lesson, he struggled a little with focus/concentration during this, but not as bad as usual, so I'll call that progress.  We did Spanish, & listened to our songs--one about wandering for 40 years & our 2 usuals.  Later on I will read aloud from The Black Stallion.

That's all for this week.........next week we learn about Joshua.........

My Art Project

Several months ago, I'm not sure exactly when, but I'm pretty sure it was sometime within the last 12 months, I ran across information about a project that I fell in love with.  It correlates with the homeschool curriculum I am using for my son.  If we continue at the pace we are going it will probably be Lil J's 2nd grade curriculum.  If we happen to slow down before getting there it could possibly end up being his 3rd grade curriculum I suppose.

As I've mentioned before (many times I'm sure) I am sooooo not crafty.  I've honestly never had any experience with crafts prior to beginning our preschool just 8 weeks ago!  I used to see people make things & talk about things they made & even if they told me how they did it or what they did I could never understand.  Just the things they use (like "mod podge") have weird names & I've never heard of them, nor do I understand what they are for or what they do.  I used to love watching Martha Stewart & while I would use some of her recipes & loved watching her cook, when it came to crafting I was always in awe, but also clueless.

I know there have been times in the past when I wanted to try to do a project, but there would always be a step involved that went too far beyond my understanding & I would just give up (usually never get started because I would read all the way through & see the step I didn't understand & never even start!). 

This particular project I decided to find a way to do, even though it was way beyond my understanding.  Every single step of this project had obstacles for me.  But I prayed & I persisted, mostly because I wanted soooo badly to make this for my son & hang it in his bedroom.  I've watched my hubby build so many things for our son.  And while that is wonderful it leaves me longing to craft things for him as well.  I am no wood worker like my hubby, that's for sure.  So I find it challenging to come up with ideas for what I can make for him by myself.

A lot of times when I'm trying to do something & I don't understand or know how to do it I'll run it by my hubby & he'll explain it better or help me.  This was one project that he couldn't help me with.  But in a way I'm glad, because that makes it completely from me.  It feels good to know that I did it all on my own.  Not in a prideful boasty way, just a sense of satisfaction that I rarely get to experience.   It has also built a craft confidence in me.  I now feel more adventurous when it comes to taking on crafts, which is a good thing for sure.

So the first step was to print out this woman's character cards that correlate with the curriculum I am using.  This was also obstacle number one as I couldn't open the files to print for some reason.  I left her a comment or emailed her or something (I can't remember exactly) & she ended up emailing me the files directly & I was then able to print.

Then I had to laminate the character cards!  I have no experience with this sort of thing at all.  Once again my old self was wanting to quit & walk away from this project, but I wanted to make it bad enough that I persisted.  I asked my hubby if he happened to have a laminator.  (He often has stuff like that & I don't know it cuz it's packed away somewhere)  He said he didn't have one, but to check Costco.com, they should have one.  I checked there & they had one for $100.  So we didn't have one & buying one was totally out of my reach.  I prayed & just a matter of days later one of the blogs I follow in regards to homeschooling listed school supply must-haves.  They had a laminator listed that was supposed to be good quality for less than $30.  I ended up getting it & then laminated my cards. 

After this step I needed to get a 24 x 36" canvas, acrylic paint, mod podge, & an acrylic sealer.  Budget wise I had to wait a while to get to this step.  My laminated cards sat around for a while.

Finally I headed to Michael's & found a canvas, only to see that it was $65!!!!  There was no way I could afford to do this project at this rate.  My heart sank as I stood there contemplating what to do.  I prayed & then I noticed there were more canvasses with different labels on them.  I ended up finding one in the size I needed for around $18 (& with a coupon I ended up paying $8!!!), thank God!  I headed to the paint & looked at the blue shades but couldn't really find one that I loved, so I went with grey.  I felt it was a nice neutral shade & I happen to love grey.  Then I got the mod podge & the sealer.

First I laid out the cards on the canvas, to see how they would go & how they would fit.  I realized I had one card too many, so I had to decide which one to leave off.

My next step was to paint the canvas.  All I had was tiny sponge applicators, it took a really long time to do it.  And it looked a little streaky because of the tiny sponge applicator, but since it's mostly going to be covered up I didn't really mind.  I left it to dry & the next morning headed back to Michael's & grabbed a large sponge applicator & a large paint brush.  I actually ended up using the paint brush to apply the mod podge. 

I had to put a layer of mod-podge on the paint & stick the cards into it.  I knew I needed to make sure I had the cards lined up properly both horizontally & vertically, so I did a row in both directions first. 

Then I filled in all the rest, putting mod-podge underneath them.

Then I was supposed to put a layer of mod-podge over them.  At this point I was totally convinced I had destroyed my project.  It was so cloudy white.   I was devastated but left it to dry, praying it would clear up as it dried.

As I went back checking on it periodically I could finally see that it was clearing up!  God had heard my prayers!!  I was soooo relieved!

I did about 4 coats of mod-podge, allowing it to dry between each coat.

Once the mod-podge was completely dry I sprayed on the acrylic sealer.  I did about 4 coats of the sealer.  And this is the final product! 

And at last, hung in Lil J's room, just where I had envisioned it the first time I set eyes on this project!!

 I think it balances out so nicely with the bulletin board since they are very nearly the same size.

  All in all I am also thrilled at learning new technique.  This is definitely a technique I will keep in mind for future possibilities.  Putting a paper of some sort onto a canvas.  Lots of possibilities there!!

Homeschool Preschool Unit 8--The Exodus

I am using Heart of Dakota's Little Hands to Heaven, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, various forms of Spanish, & reading out loud of a chapter book.

This week focuses on the letter G, the number 8, & Moses.

On Monday I was excited to try out my new idea in regards to the reading lessons!  So we started our school time in prayer (I don't know if I've ever mentioned that before, but we ALWAYS begin our school time in prayer)  And then we did our fingerplay.  THEN I pulled out the reading lesson--to do the words.  Lil J immediately started crying uncontrollably.  I couldn't believe it.  I asked him WHY he was crying & he wouldn't give me an answer.  His attitude was terrible--he was being outright defiant & disrespectful.  I sent him to his room, telling him when he was ready to change his attitude he could come out.  About 5 minutes later he came out, apologizing & said he was crying because he was starving!  It was 11:30, which is a little early for lunch for us, but sometimes we eat as early as noon.  He said he wanted to eat egg.  I served him a 2 egg omelette & a bowl of vanilla goat yogurt.  He must've REALLY been starving because he inhaled all of it!!  I went ahead & had some soup for my lunch at this time.

Once Lil J was done inhaling eating we started all over again--praying, fingerplay, then came reading the words (lesson #78).  It went very smoothly with no difficulties or issues.  Then we read about Moses in the Bible--the last of the plague, the death of the firstborn sons & Passover.  Then we did a math activity & discussed birth order in families.  He then practiced writing "G" & "g".  He was getting artistic with "g", LOL.  Then we did 'count on me'--drawing 2 doors in each box & then counting them & basic addition adding them all up.  Then we did Spanish, then reading sentences (paragraphs).  At the last few sentences he was starting to lose his focus.  I just cheered him on & he did it.....this plan was great today, I sure hope it stays that way.  Then we listened to our songs--the Exodus, books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  The Exodus is the last song on the first CD, but I went ahead & sang Books of the Bible & God made the universe without the CD.  Lil J had to run & get his drum for this, LOL!!  He asked me to get my guitar, but I didn't.  I don't know the chords for these songs or else I would've.  And then our final portion of school was that I read out loud of our new chapter book--The Black Stallion.  It has 18 chapters, so it should last us 3-4 weeks. 

On Tuesday we continued with our fingerplay, then reading 'words' (lesson #78), then reading about Moses in the Bible.  Then we did our weekly devotional time, using both devotionals as usual.  Then I drew a big "G" on a sheet of paper & covered it in glue.  My son applied cotton balls to the glue G, making a "cloud G" as my son calls it.  Then we did some acting out of what we read in the Bible.  Then he read his 'sentences/paragraphs'.  Just like yesterday he started off great, but was struggling to focus on the last couple of paragraphs.  But overall I think splitting the reading lesson in half has really helped.  What a difference!!  No tears or attitude!!!!  Then we did Spanish & then our 3 songs.  And later we will do our reading aloud, at least one chapter in the Black Stallion. 

 

On Wednesday we continued with our fingerplay, read words in the reading lesson (lesson #78), then proceeded to read more about Moses in the Bible, but my son was having a fit that we weren't reading the sentences in the reading lesson......he didn't seem to understand that we were still going to do them, just later.  He was so upset that I had to send him to his room to cool off.  Once he came back, calm & ready to proceed, we continued--reading about Moses (leaving Egypt, being led by the pillar of cloud & pillar of fire).  We did some acting out of what we read in the Bible, although I chose to have his toys act it out rather than my son act it out (just for the purpose of maintaining calmness & focus).  Then he did "hide & seek G", which he's really good at.  Then he glued 8 pieces of jewelry to his #8 page (jewelry because as the Israelites left Egypt they were given jewelry & other gifts).  I used to glue these on for him.  Then the last couple of weeks I would put the glue on them & let him place it on the page.  But last week I finally bought some glue sticks (I usually use a liquid glue--either elmer's school glue or gorilla glue) which are less messy, so today I let him do the whole thing.  He was really proud of himself.  Then we read sentences, he nailed lesson #78 today, will be moving on tomorrow.  Then we did Spanish & an extra craft.  I like to do 2 extra crafts each week, but I was only able to find one that tied into this week's lessons.  So I actually made this craft up all by myself.  Since creativity is usually so hard for me I was pretty proud of myself. It's the pillar of cloud on one side & the pillar of fire on the other side. And my son knew exactly what it was based on what he learned today in school!  Then we did our songs--one about the Red Sea & our 2 usuals-books of the Bible & God made the universe.  Later we will read more in the Black Stallion. 

 

On Thursday we continued with our fingerplay, did the words portion of a new reading lesson (#79), read about Moses in the Bible, did masking tape G on the floor.  [My son has been asking for masking tape G since Monday, LOL!!]  We did some acting out & discussing of what we read in the Bible.  We did 2 crafts today--one that was part of the curriculum & an extra one that I added on.  They were both about the parting of the red sea--what we read about in the Bible today.  I am very glad I added on a craft because the one in the curriculum didn't work out & I had to throw it away.  It said to use "shiny white painting paper"; now me being so ignorant about craft stuff has no clue what that means.  A more technical name for it would've at least allowed me to have asked for help at the craft store.  But help is extremely hard to come by in Michael's, especially educated & knowledgeable help.  So I instead used my watercolor paper and it didn't work out. Then we did the sentences portion of the reading lesson--this was a bit of a struggle, lots of new words took more focus I guess & focus is hard for him, but he got through it.  Oddly the first half was the hardest part, whereas it's usually the second half that is hardest for him.  Usually he starts out full steam & then starts to wear out & grow weary about half way through.  Whereas today he started out slow & distracted & then seemed to get warmed up halfway through.  Then we did Spanish & our songs--the red sea, books of the Bible, & God made the universe.  The craft that didn't work out involved paint, so then Lil J was all into painting & kept on painting picture after picture.  I love to see him paint.  It's definitely an avenue that I want to encourage him in since he loves it so much & gets so into it.  Later we will read more of the Black Stallion.  Lil J isn't quite as into this book as he was James & the Giant Peach, but I'm hoping it will grow on him.  It is a more serious story than the peach was.  But I'm hoping he'll get into it & after we finish it we can watch the movie.  

On Friday we continued with this week's fingerplay, we read the words in reading lesson #79, we read about Moses in the Bible (about manna & water from the rock), Lil J practiced writing "G" & "g" again & I went ahead & had him practice his numbers as well since I realized we hadn't done it yet this week.  We did some acting out & some discussing of what we read we read today.  Lil J collected "manna" off the floor into a basket & we discussed what it would be like to eat the same thing every day--although I think this was wasted on my son as he would be perfectly happy to eat the same thing every day.  Then Lil J read the sentences in his reading lesson & then we did Spanish & there was no song to correlate with today's lesson, so I just sang books of the Bible & God made the universe while Lil J hopped around on his hoppy ball.  Later we will read more in the Black Stallion.  He seemed a little more interested in it yesterday than he had been so far. 

 

All in all it was a great week & Lil J is very excited to learn about the 10 commandments next week.  

Time Management

I've known for some time now that I was going to have to make some changes to my daily schedule at some point.  It was just a matter of when.  When were the challenges I was facing going to bother me enough to do something about it is what it really came down to.

The start of October, a brand new month, a new slate as it were, seemed the perfect time to do it.  Also because it started on a Tuesday.  I knew I didn't want to initiate my change of schedule on a Monday.  So on the last day of September I slept in leisurely for the last time.  Now when I say "sleep in" I understand this is a very relative term.  For me, sleeping in means until 7 or so. 

Usually at 7 I would get up, bathe my son, feed him, bathe myself, do whatever errands or house chores needed to be done, do preschool, eat lunch, then there would always be something that I needed to tend to after lunch.  Then after that I was prepping dinner & then I'd spend some fun time with my son, then I'd be making dinner, then putting my son in bed, then spending what precious little time I get with my hubby, & then off to bed to do it all over again the next day.  Everything was always so rushed & no matter how hard I tried I could never accomplish everything I needed to, not even half of what I needed to.  I felt like a hamster stuck on a wheel.....running as fast as I can but getting nowhere.  Then there's also the matter of working out.  I stopped working out on a regular basis last November (I've been working out since I was 19).  My health was declining & I didn't feel it was a wise choice to continue working out given the circumstances.  I've learned much since then & my body has healed tremendously in the past almost-year-time-span, enough to the point where I do feel it's safe to work out.  So I know I need to get back on the horse & get back in shape.  I just feel so flabby & unfit, not to mention the lack of energy & the sleep struggles that come along with not working out for me.

So on October 1st I got up at 5 am.  (Incidentally the night prior I somehow managed to stay up until past 1 am--this is an extremely rare occurence for me & the temptation was there to use that as an excuse & just sleep in, but I still got up at 5 am.  I did a 70 minute workout, then showered.  Shortly after my shower my son was already up (he's an early riser) & I found myself rushing, which I was trying to avoid.  Plus, the time I was showering is the time my hubby is normally showering for work.  He just happened to sleep in a little later because he had also stayed up until past 1 am.  So I've now decided to get up at 4 am on the days I want to workout & 5 am on the days I don't workout.

Now, I'm a morning person.  I love to be up early & see the beauty that morning has to offer.  My entire day is just different--happier--when I do so.  I also want need to spend time with God.  So I don't mind getting up early at all.  I do, however, wish my son would sleep in just a tad longer, just to give me a little quiet time to myself in the morning.  But so far that's just not happening.

So today is October 2nd, I slept extremely well last night, which is wonderful.  And I had such a wonderful day yesterday, so relaxed yet I got so much accomplished, & I just so enjoyed my day yesterday.  Today I did not workout, and I did sleep until 5:30.  But I plan to continue with this, to be more productive & just to have more joy in my daily life.  I may occasionally allow myself a day to sleep in, but for the most part I think I'm gonna love this new schedule!!

I haven't spent much time on facebook for some time now--very hit & miss on there.  But I did decide to announce my new schedule plan yesterday.  It's amazing to me how negative people are about stuff like this.  How/why is it that people think getting up early is such a bad thing??  Part of me regrets sharing it on fb, but I am still hoping it will inspire someone who needs to change their schedule & needed encouragement to do so.  That was the whole reason behind me sharing it.