I think scheduling a day during the month to clean is pretty brilliant. Especially for the "nothing hanging over your head" reason she listed. We've been doing "Saturday's work" on Friday for awhile now so we didn't waste "Tim time." But I've found that a little frustrating because then it feels like I'm the only one who has to get the kids to work. I get tired of forcing people to do things. I also don't like it because it uses up a school day that I'd rather use to do fun school things--like art and music appreciation.
The only thing that worries me is trying to get that much cleaning done in one day. Ouch. Miriam can clean a bathroom but I like to do it every other time to make sure it is done really well. If she did it one month it would be like two months with a subpar bathroom. Then again--I could probably get used to that. :) I'm going to have to toy with this idea and see what I think. It would be a long day every month. It would open up Saturdays during the summer to more yard work without feeling like we are trying to accomplish everything inside and out in one day.
I'm glad there is another homeschooler in the world that doesn't do academic subjects until the afternoon. I like to do other things in the morning--piano, devotional, music time, and then a group activity based on science or history. The afternoon is for math, LA, spelling, handwriting, etc.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Once a Month Cleaning
I wrote a blog post on this article I read (see below). Do you guys spend much time thinking about this? I really function better with a certain level of cleanliness. I think everyone has different levels and that's great. My mom was helping a sister in her ward clean and pack before a move and she was, well, horrified by the state of that sister's house. She called me wondering if her priorities were totally whacked and if she had incredibly high standards of cleanliness and perfection that no one could ever hope to meet. Uh, no. She just had a different standard.
But my actual thoughts were more along the lines of balancing the need to have a relatively clean house that's used and lived in but not trashed, and the need to have time to do the fun stuff in life. We were talking about the adult skills and the reason I have not done them as much as I would prefer is really a matter of time constraints.
So currently my basic daily schedule looks something like this:
8am Morning Prep (dressed, bed, breakfast scriptures, family prayer, etc)
9am Family Work (includes music practice for older kids - they do jobs when they are done practicing)
11-ish Free time for 30-60 min depending on how quickly we work
12pm lunch
1pm school
extra-curricular activities - usually start at 3pm and go till 5pm on various days of the week. This is the time when I start thinking about dinner so even if we don't have any outside activities, I'm loathe to start a major project at this time. If the kids are home, they are playing or reading.
5:30pm Dinner and clean up
family time
8pm bedtime!
So what occurred to me as I read this article was that if I could cut my cleaning time down to 30 minutes each morning, we would have 2 full hours available for projects/adult skills/reading, etc.
The article is linked from my blog.
http://coastcrew.blogspot.com/2011/04/once-month-cleaning.html
But my actual thoughts were more along the lines of balancing the need to have a relatively clean house that's used and lived in but not trashed, and the need to have time to do the fun stuff in life. We were talking about the adult skills and the reason I have not done them as much as I would prefer is really a matter of time constraints.
So currently my basic daily schedule looks something like this:
8am Morning Prep (dressed, bed, breakfast scriptures, family prayer, etc)
9am Family Work (includes music practice for older kids - they do jobs when they are done practicing)
11-ish Free time for 30-60 min depending on how quickly we work
12pm lunch
1pm school
extra-curricular activities - usually start at 3pm and go till 5pm on various days of the week. This is the time when I start thinking about dinner so even if we don't have any outside activities, I'm loathe to start a major project at this time. If the kids are home, they are playing or reading.
5:30pm Dinner and clean up
family time
8pm bedtime!
So what occurred to me as I read this article was that if I could cut my cleaning time down to 30 minutes each morning, we would have 2 full hours available for projects/adult skills/reading, etc.
The article is linked from my blog.
http://coastcrew.blogspot.com/2011/04/once-month-cleaning.html
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
might be awhile
I don't know anything about the book, Ju. I requested it but I'm number 126. Based on the number of copies available I'm like 8 in line....we'll see.
I'm curious to know what's so good about it!
I'm curious to know what's so good about it!
Must Read Book
You all need to get Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.
I'm reading it right now and want to discuss it with all of you.
Get it. Read it. If you already haven't.
julia
I'm reading it right now and want to discuss it with all of you.
Get it. Read it. If you already haven't.
julia
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Gospel Study
Kelly - that's so funny you mentioned Sunday night gospel study time because J. and I were just discussing this same dilemma of older kids and younger kids. I told him, "Why don't we try doing an older gospel discussion on Sunday nights with the kids and have a younger FHE for the littler ones on Monday?" We haven't started yet, it was still in the discussion process. BUT it's nice to know that is successful and something worth trying. :-) Thanks for that!
And, I agree with Andrea that time management is very much personality. John (11) and Addie (8) were born with internal "get it done and play the rest of the day" mentalities. They love, love, love checklists and just "get" the concept of time. Brooklynn and Joel are both a bit more flighty in how they manage their time.
And, I didn't mean to discourage you from trying the planner, Andrea! :-) It just might be what Miriam needs right now . . . or not . . . but like you said, if you don't try it, you'll never know! :-) I will be doing the same thing this year with my kids, so we can compare and contrast what works and what doesn't. I also want my kids recording better what they learned each day (like a commonplace book of sorts). I was thinking one thing that might work for my kids is after dinner saying, "Okay, now you can go record what you learned today or you can help clean the kitchen." This would just be for the older three while the younger two would help clean the kitchen. It's a thought I might try.
Anyway, I think again, with time management and planning a lot of it is really learned by Mom setting the example. But it's like Andrea has said, too, about how Miriam doesn't pick up on how to spell by reading like others do. Some kids just don't pick up on things by observing others. A couple of my kids are like that with spelling, too, and so I have to "drill" them rather than just say "keep on reading." Does that analogy make any sense?
Okay, that's all I have to say.
JULIA
And, I agree with Andrea that time management is very much personality. John (11) and Addie (8) were born with internal "get it done and play the rest of the day" mentalities. They love, love, love checklists and just "get" the concept of time. Brooklynn and Joel are both a bit more flighty in how they manage their time.
And, I didn't mean to discourage you from trying the planner, Andrea! :-) It just might be what Miriam needs right now . . . or not . . . but like you said, if you don't try it, you'll never know! :-) I will be doing the same thing this year with my kids, so we can compare and contrast what works and what doesn't. I also want my kids recording better what they learned each day (like a commonplace book of sorts). I was thinking one thing that might work for my kids is after dinner saying, "Okay, now you can go record what you learned today or you can help clean the kitchen." This would just be for the older three while the younger two would help clean the kitchen. It's a thought I might try.
Anyway, I think again, with time management and planning a lot of it is really learned by Mom setting the example. But it's like Andrea has said, too, about how Miriam doesn't pick up on how to spell by reading like others do. Some kids just don't pick up on things by observing others. A couple of my kids are like that with spelling, too, and so I have to "drill" them rather than just say "keep on reading." Does that analogy make any sense?
Okay, that's all I have to say.
JULIA
Sunday Night Gospel Study
I wish I could claim this idea as my own!
Awhile back I was bemoaning the fact that when we do FHE it never turns out right anymore. We have a 12 year old and a 2 year old and three ages in between. How do you have a successful FHE with so many ages, attention spans, and interests!!??!!
My friend, Katie, said that in her family they had Sunday Night Gospel Study for the older kids and then on Monday night a very brief (BRIEF) lesson for the little ones that's totally age-appropriate followed by lots of family fun. She lets the younger kids practically run Monday night - they pretty much do anything that appeals to the youngest kids (they pick the songs, the activity, etc).
So we tried it. It's been fabulous for us. My 12 and 11 (10 when we started) year olds are pretty much required to come. My just-turned-eight year old son is allowed to come but not required. We do it after the littles have gone to bed. We've studied from Preach My Gospel, For Strength of Youth, Conference Talks, Scriptures, etc. Whatever we feel is important - usually sticking to one for awhile before switching - based on the needs of our kids. It's been a great way to reach the needs of both age groups without boring anyone to tears. FHE has been so much less frustrating for us!
**************
Andrea, I had some ideas about teaching time management. Maybe you've already tried them or ruled them out, but here's what I was thinking.
Talking about time. Such as, asking how long she thinks it will take to complete a certain job from start to finish, then timing. My kids are always pleasantly surprised. Using a timer that she can carry around with her. Breaking tasks into very manageable pieces - maybe written out with a check box.
I've been trying to work on the same concept with my kids. They are required to come to me when a job is done and ask if there is anything else that they can do. If they don't come, even if the job is done, then I always give them an extra job purely as a consequence to not coming. If I notice that they are playing before the job is done, they also get an extra job. Logan - my most distracted kid - is getting really good at remembering. It's also a lot of fun to tell him that he's DONE and can go play.
Recently I was reading an article - can't remember where! - that was a person talking about their jobs as a kid. They said that their mother always gave them the "fun" jobs. Her feeling was that anyone could clean the kitchen and wash the dishes, so she gave her kids the jobs that sounded more exciting and involved learning a new skill. I thought the idea was interesting, and it inspired me to make sure that I remember to give my kids jobs that catch their attention. For example, I love organizing so I usually keep those jobs for myself and give my kids something else, like the garbages to empty. What I've discovered is that my 11 year old not only loves to organize but is GOOD at it. The other day I had planned to go through the toy bucket while they were cleaning the play room. She asked if she could do it instead. She not only did a wonderful and thorough job (she tossed more toys out than I would have dared), but she enjoyed it. I picked up the play room and starting sorting through some old papers that I wouldn't have had a chance to sort through if I'd been organizing.
Awhile back I was bemoaning the fact that when we do FHE it never turns out right anymore. We have a 12 year old and a 2 year old and three ages in between. How do you have a successful FHE with so many ages, attention spans, and interests!!??!!
My friend, Katie, said that in her family they had Sunday Night Gospel Study for the older kids and then on Monday night a very brief (BRIEF) lesson for the little ones that's totally age-appropriate followed by lots of family fun. She lets the younger kids practically run Monday night - they pretty much do anything that appeals to the youngest kids (they pick the songs, the activity, etc).
So we tried it. It's been fabulous for us. My 12 and 11 (10 when we started) year olds are pretty much required to come. My just-turned-eight year old son is allowed to come but not required. We do it after the littles have gone to bed. We've studied from Preach My Gospel, For Strength of Youth, Conference Talks, Scriptures, etc. Whatever we feel is important - usually sticking to one for awhile before switching - based on the needs of our kids. It's been a great way to reach the needs of both age groups without boring anyone to tears. FHE has been so much less frustrating for us!
**************
Andrea, I had some ideas about teaching time management. Maybe you've already tried them or ruled them out, but here's what I was thinking.
Talking about time. Such as, asking how long she thinks it will take to complete a certain job from start to finish, then timing. My kids are always pleasantly surprised. Using a timer that she can carry around with her. Breaking tasks into very manageable pieces - maybe written out with a check box.
I've been trying to work on the same concept with my kids. They are required to come to me when a job is done and ask if there is anything else that they can do. If they don't come, even if the job is done, then I always give them an extra job purely as a consequence to not coming. If I notice that they are playing before the job is done, they also get an extra job. Logan - my most distracted kid - is getting really good at remembering. It's also a lot of fun to tell him that he's DONE and can go play.
Recently I was reading an article - can't remember where! - that was a person talking about their jobs as a kid. They said that their mother always gave them the "fun" jobs. Her feeling was that anyone could clean the kitchen and wash the dishes, so she gave her kids the jobs that sounded more exciting and involved learning a new skill. I thought the idea was interesting, and it inspired me to make sure that I remember to give my kids jobs that catch their attention. For example, I love organizing so I usually keep those jobs for myself and give my kids something else, like the garbages to empty. What I've discovered is that my 11 year old not only loves to organize but is GOOD at it. The other day I had planned to go through the toy bucket while they were cleaning the play room. She asked if she could do it instead. She not only did a wonderful and thorough job (she tossed more toys out than I would have dared), but she enjoyed it. I picked up the play room and starting sorting through some old papers that I wouldn't have had a chance to sort through if I'd been organizing.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Time Revisited
I think I misled everyone from the comments Julia and Kelly made and the phone call I got from Kami Sue. I don't think giving Miriam a planner and having her write in it will accomplish anything right away--or for years. The reason I want to do it is to start the process of her figuring out that she can control time instead of time controlling her. She's a huge dawdler and is always getting extra chores for getting off task. That's enough actual punishment/reward time management training for right now, I think. But, for her, I think it is going to be really important for me to teach time management and not expect her to just pick it up naturally. Cowen, on the other hand, already knows and implements the concept of "if I get my chore done fast then I have more time to play." Miriam doesn't get it yet. So I think "time awareness" is part age and part personality. Again, my purpose is just to start the teaching process about time.
Anyway, it might end up being a bad idea and I'll get on here in a year and say it was a stupid idea. But, I'm going to try it anyway! I won't know how it will end up until I give it a whirl.
Kelly--what is Sunday night gospel study? I want to know more.
Andrea
Anyway, it might end up being a bad idea and I'll get on here in a year and say it was a stupid idea. But, I'm going to try it anyway! I won't know how it will end up until I give it a whirl.
Kelly--what is Sunday night gospel study? I want to know more.
Andrea
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Time, cont.
So I just have to wonder - because I really don't know - what are appropriate expectations for kids regarding time? For instance, it makes sense that a teenager should be able to get themselves somewhere on time. I can see that ability developing in my almost-thirteen-year-old. She is starting to remember where she needs to be, and when, and make sure that I get her there. But not always. On the other hand, my ten year old is still very much dependent on me saying that it's time to get ready to go to _________. However, she can be ready in a decent amount of time. If I say to be ready to leave the house in five minutes, she will be ready.
I am not sure what sorts of time issues you feel your children are failing in. Are they having a hard time staying focused on the task at hand, getting distracted, and not finishing in a reasonable amount of time? That sounds EXACTLY like my son, who is 8. He manages to keep from getting distracted if it's something that he really wants to do (or has a visible reward attached - such as if we hurry and get these errands run we'll have time to stop at the park afterwards). But he isn't managing time himself.
Developmentally, I'm not really sure what to expect from kids. Rafe is teaching 5th graders, so his expectations would be different than mine would be for my 2nd/3rd grader. But I'm not sure exactly what those would be.
Or, are you just talking about school and not about other areas of life? The person who introduced me to homeschooling used to just put her kids' weekly work in little boxes and they managed their own time. Having 20 worksheets to do on Friday was a really quick lesson about the benefits of doing a little bit every day. I guess it worked for her. I never really asked her. Managing time and studies sounds like a very mature ability. I don't know about your kids, but my son is still just getting comfortable with telling time - much less gauging it.
***********
Regarding virtues: I just got a book I requested through PaperBackSwap called "365 Manners Kids Should Know". I am going through a couple of them every week. It's laid out in an interesting format - one lesson per day - for the parent - on a manner they should teach their child. So far I like it. I had though to actually do one lesson per day with my kids, but I think they need time to practice each one and the opportunity to get enough practice in doesn't always arise - plus I only want to be harping on one thing at a time. ;-) We started with how to greet people, particularly adults (smile, make eye-contact, shake their hand, and use their name - Mr. or Mrs. for anyone over 18).
We use the Eyres book for FHE sometimes. We're also going through "For Strength of Youth" for our Sunday night Gospel study with the older kids. I like President Hinckley's book as a devotional idea. I'll have to go find it - it's on those bookshelves somewhere!
**********
One last thing. The other day I did a totally random, must have been inspired, devotional about scripture study. Usually in the morning we sing a bunch of primary songs and hymns, then read a scripture or talk about a picture in the GAK (trying to keep it geared towards the little ones). That day I decided to talk about the importance of studying scriptures. I likened scriptures to salad, and other books to dessert. If we eat/read nothing but dessert - it might taste good for awhile but over the long-run it's not really that good for us. We should eat our salad first and make sure we're getting the important nutrients before moving on to dessert. I challenged the kids to eat their salad every day before moving on to dessert. My kids actually like salad, (literally), so this was an okay metaphor for them. If your kids don't like salad it might not work. ;-) It's been really helpful - especially when we're helping by reminding them. Saying "don't forget your salad" sounds so much nicer than "you better read your scriptures"!! And, it's been a joy to stumble across my kids with their scriptures pulled out as soon as family work is done.
I am not sure what sorts of time issues you feel your children are failing in. Are they having a hard time staying focused on the task at hand, getting distracted, and not finishing in a reasonable amount of time? That sounds EXACTLY like my son, who is 8. He manages to keep from getting distracted if it's something that he really wants to do (or has a visible reward attached - such as if we hurry and get these errands run we'll have time to stop at the park afterwards). But he isn't managing time himself.
Developmentally, I'm not really sure what to expect from kids. Rafe is teaching 5th graders, so his expectations would be different than mine would be for my 2nd/3rd grader. But I'm not sure exactly what those would be.
Or, are you just talking about school and not about other areas of life? The person who introduced me to homeschooling used to just put her kids' weekly work in little boxes and they managed their own time. Having 20 worksheets to do on Friday was a really quick lesson about the benefits of doing a little bit every day. I guess it worked for her. I never really asked her. Managing time and studies sounds like a very mature ability. I don't know about your kids, but my son is still just getting comfortable with telling time - much less gauging it.
***********
Regarding virtues: I just got a book I requested through PaperBackSwap called "365 Manners Kids Should Know". I am going through a couple of them every week. It's laid out in an interesting format - one lesson per day - for the parent - on a manner they should teach their child. So far I like it. I had though to actually do one lesson per day with my kids, but I think they need time to practice each one and the opportunity to get enough practice in doesn't always arise - plus I only want to be harping on one thing at a time. ;-) We started with how to greet people, particularly adults (smile, make eye-contact, shake their hand, and use their name - Mr. or Mrs. for anyone over 18).
We use the Eyres book for FHE sometimes. We're also going through "For Strength of Youth" for our Sunday night Gospel study with the older kids. I like President Hinckley's book as a devotional idea. I'll have to go find it - it's on those bookshelves somewhere!
**********
One last thing. The other day I did a totally random, must have been inspired, devotional about scripture study. Usually in the morning we sing a bunch of primary songs and hymns, then read a scripture or talk about a picture in the GAK (trying to keep it geared towards the little ones). That day I decided to talk about the importance of studying scriptures. I likened scriptures to salad, and other books to dessert. If we eat/read nothing but dessert - it might taste good for awhile but over the long-run it's not really that good for us. We should eat our salad first and make sure we're getting the important nutrients before moving on to dessert. I challenged the kids to eat their salad every day before moving on to dessert. My kids actually like salad, (literally), so this was an okay metaphor for them. If your kids don't like salad it might not work. ;-) It's been really helpful - especially when we're helping by reminding them. Saying "don't forget your salad" sounds so much nicer than "you better read your scriptures"!! And, it's been a joy to stumble across my kids with their scriptures pulled out as soon as family work is done.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
More on Time
So, I have a blog I visit frequently called Tale of our Quest. Here's what she says about getting her kids to recognize time (i.e. work faster):
The way I have chosen to help them work faster (getting their morning list done on time or cleaning the kitchen before the timer beeps) is that they get an item or more for every minute that goes past the allotted time. Right now, morning lists and breakfast (Bud is in charge of making breakfast this week and Spice of making the smoothie) need to be done by 8 am. I know they are done when a child says, "Mom, do you need anything else?" and then, "Okay, I'm done, will you check my work?" At this time, I check their work and if it is done right, I look at the clock. If it is past 8am - they get to pick up as many items as the number of minutes past.
The first time I did this, I gave no warnings since they had already been taught to do it before 8. Around 8:20, Bud came and said, "I'm done with my morning list." I said, "No you're not, you forgot the last two items. He said, "Oh yeah, do you need anything else?" I asked him to get the baby dressed. Then he said, "Okay, I'm done, will you come check my work." I did and it passed so I looked at the clock and it said about 8:35 so he got 35 items to pick up. The other kids saw what happened so they hurried and finished and got to pick up the number of items they earned. The next day, everyone had their morning list done by 8.
In the kitchen - since they only have 10 minutes to have it cleaned (15 for whoever has dishes - I'll help if there are a lot of dishes) - they earn 5 items per minute that they go over. I'm enjoying not having to say, "Hurry guys, you only have 5 minutes left", etc. I just let the timer do the teaching and I stay quiet. This is much more effective. They are learning so fast!
The same rule applies to when I ring the bell for a meal. They come right away and wash their hands and set the table. If they don't, they earn 10 items or more depending on the circumstances.
p.s. I got a planner/calendar for Brooklynn this year . . . so far it hasn't helped. :-) BUT that doesn't mean it won't help Miriam. :-) This year I think I just need to be more consistant with the weekly interviews because I think that is KEY and something I haven't done too well this year. With both John and Brooklynn and Addie all in similar phases next year, I think it will be more effective. Addie will LOVE planning things out the way I do. John will LOVE having a list. I'm just not sure it will work for Brooklynn (the whole planner thing), because she doesn't compartamentalize the same way I do. She loves feeling "grown up" with her own calendar, though. If her siblings are doing it, she may be more inclined. ????
Funny story (this is a long p.s.) : The other night Brooklynn was doing a performance for Savior of the World. Well, apparently she wasn't backstage when everyone else in her scene was there and so they all started freaking out, "Where's Rebekah!?!" (stage name). My friend Mary ran to get her. She found Brooklynn coming up the stairs, no urgency whatsoever. Well, it turns out she knew exactly where she was going and when she needed to be there and she WAS there right when she was supposed to be. Everyone else was just early or panicked for no reason (nerves!). So, anyway, it dawned on me that this "dawdling attitude" I've been fighting against with her for so long isn't really a weakness after all. She just doesn't sense urgency and doesn't get easily stressed out about time. She gets where she needs to get when she needs to get there. It did make me realize that I CAN give her more of a time schedule than I've given "because we homeschool." Anyway . . . just more thoughts on time. :-)
The way I have chosen to help them work faster (getting their morning list done on time or cleaning the kitchen before the timer beeps) is that they get an item or more for every minute that goes past the allotted time. Right now, morning lists and breakfast (Bud is in charge of making breakfast this week and Spice of making the smoothie) need to be done by 8 am. I know they are done when a child says, "Mom, do you need anything else?" and then, "Okay, I'm done, will you check my work?" At this time, I check their work and if it is done right, I look at the clock. If it is past 8am - they get to pick up as many items as the number of minutes past.
The first time I did this, I gave no warnings since they had already been taught to do it before 8. Around 8:20, Bud came and said, "I'm done with my morning list." I said, "No you're not, you forgot the last two items. He said, "Oh yeah, do you need anything else?" I asked him to get the baby dressed. Then he said, "Okay, I'm done, will you come check my work." I did and it passed so I looked at the clock and it said about 8:35 so he got 35 items to pick up. The other kids saw what happened so they hurried and finished and got to pick up the number of items they earned. The next day, everyone had their morning list done by 8.
In the kitchen - since they only have 10 minutes to have it cleaned (15 for whoever has dishes - I'll help if there are a lot of dishes) - they earn 5 items per minute that they go over. I'm enjoying not having to say, "Hurry guys, you only have 5 minutes left", etc. I just let the timer do the teaching and I stay quiet. This is much more effective. They are learning so fast!
The same rule applies to when I ring the bell for a meal. They come right away and wash their hands and set the table. If they don't, they earn 10 items or more depending on the circumstances.
p.s. I got a planner/calendar for Brooklynn this year . . . so far it hasn't helped. :-) BUT that doesn't mean it won't help Miriam. :-) This year I think I just need to be more consistant with the weekly interviews because I think that is KEY and something I haven't done too well this year. With both John and Brooklynn and Addie all in similar phases next year, I think it will be more effective. Addie will LOVE planning things out the way I do. John will LOVE having a list. I'm just not sure it will work for Brooklynn (the whole planner thing), because she doesn't compartamentalize the same way I do. She loves feeling "grown up" with her own calendar, though. If her siblings are doing it, she may be more inclined. ????
Funny story (this is a long p.s.) : The other night Brooklynn was doing a performance for Savior of the World. Well, apparently she wasn't backstage when everyone else in her scene was there and so they all started freaking out, "Where's Rebekah!?!" (stage name). My friend Mary ran to get her. She found Brooklynn coming up the stairs, no urgency whatsoever. Well, it turns out she knew exactly where she was going and when she needed to be there and she WAS there right when she was supposed to be. Everyone else was just early or panicked for no reason (nerves!). So, anyway, it dawned on me that this "dawdling attitude" I've been fighting against with her for so long isn't really a weakness after all. She just doesn't sense urgency and doesn't get easily stressed out about time. She gets where she needs to get when she needs to get there. It did make me realize that I CAN give her more of a time schedule than I've given "because we homeschool." Anyway . . . just more thoughts on time. :-)
Time
I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggles with time. One of the first words Miriam learned was "dawdle" but she still hasn't figured out how to STOP doing it!!!! I feel like much of my day is spent forcing other people to do things--like strength of will alone will stop the clock or move the children forward.
So far it has, for the most part, but it is exhausting. I need Miriam to take a little more responsibility. One idea I am trying is getting her a watch and a planner and giving them to her during a special "now that you are 8" ice cream milkshake date. I'm going to explain that now that she is 8, she needs to keep better track of what needs done when, and make sure she meets her responsibilities. Then I'm going to pull out her new LA book and spelling book and handwriting book, and together we're going to figure out how many pages she needs to do of each every day to get through what she needs to this year.
Then, during scripture study time (that she will then be a part of because she'll be 8--instead of just having quiet time like the littles) every Friday, we'll fill out the next week's schedule.
I don't know how effective it will be the first few years, but I hope it will get her thinking more about time and giving her a sense that she can own time and divide time and plan time.
Anyway--I haven't tried it yet so I don't know how it will work, but it is worth a shot!
Thanks for the great book ideas. I'll post about any great books I find.
Andrea
So far it has, for the most part, but it is exhausting. I need Miriam to take a little more responsibility. One idea I am trying is getting her a watch and a planner and giving them to her during a special "now that you are 8" ice cream milkshake date. I'm going to explain that now that she is 8, she needs to keep better track of what needs done when, and make sure she meets her responsibilities. Then I'm going to pull out her new LA book and spelling book and handwriting book, and together we're going to figure out how many pages she needs to do of each every day to get through what she needs to this year.
Then, during scripture study time (that she will then be a part of because she'll be 8--instead of just having quiet time like the littles) every Friday, we'll fill out the next week's schedule.
I don't know how effective it will be the first few years, but I hope it will get her thinking more about time and giving her a sense that she can own time and divide time and plan time.
Anyway--I haven't tried it yet so I don't know how it will work, but it is worth a shot!
Thanks for the great book ideas. I'll post about any great books I find.
Andrea
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