This picture has nothing to do with this post, I just liked it.  Today is random day.  I read a book that described a woman’s brain like a computer having several windows open and all processes up and running at the same time.  That is so incredibly accurate! And especially so for me today.

Here’s a sample of what’s eating up my CPU:

1.  Check all the kids’ syllabi and make sure everyone has homework done and is ready for class tomorrow.

2.  Clean the house.

3.  Cook something

4.  Plan tomorrow’s food…….ugh.

5.  Get caught up on the laundry……double ugh.

6.  Find the time to go through all the info from the College Expo that we went to yesterday with our soon-to-be highschool junior.

7.  Need curtians for the living room.

8.  Finish clearing out the file cabinets of outdated information

9.  Need new sofa pillows.

10.  Learn how to sew my own skirts.

11.  Clean up dog poop in back yard…..(delegate that to kids)

12.  Spend more time with younger kids.

13.  Spend  more time as a family interacting with each other in meaningful ways.

14.  Spend less time on formal academics and more time Charlotte Mason style.  ( I love that woman. Sometimes I get sidetracked by being a checklist person.)

15.  Spend less time being a checklist person

16.  Fix my blog!

So, those are some of the things running through my head today as I sit here still in my pajamas at 2:30 in the afternoon….

oh yeah!

17.  Exercise every day!

18.  Eat more vegetables

19.  We are out of milk….

I might need an intervention…..

I have homeschooled for over 10 years. During that time my beliefs and practices have changed somewhat. For example, homeschooling is less about workbook pages and  more about experiencing the learning opportunities that exist in everyday living. Let me explain what I mean.

Sorting is an important pre-reading skill. Often you see workbooks where children are asked to sort and label illustrations according to color or size. Or they are asked to match illustrations or pick out the one that does not match. These execises are called same/different. Why is this important, you ask? Because a lower case p, q, b, d, are all simply a different arrangement of a line and a circle. It is important for a preschooler to understand that the different arrangements of the circle and line stand for a different sound. Thus training the eye to recognize these differences is very important to preparing a child to read.

A better way to do this is to use everyday objects around the house. When you help your child sort his/her toys into their various bins, you are helping your child prepare for reading. You can sort blocks, legos, hotwheels cars, coins, stuffed animals….the list is endless.

An even better way is to make the activity meaningful. After all, sorting toys just for the sake of sorting will get old very quickly…for both of you. An activity with purpose and value is the best kind of learning activity. With that in mind, our 3 year-old has the responsibility of unloading the silverware. He has to sort forks, spoons, and butter knives, measuring cups, sippy cup lids, etc… (FYI; He doesn’t handle anything dangerous like sharp knives, etc. And I am with him when he does this) It is a hands on experience; multisensory.  And he is helping his family, himself included, to have clean utensils ready for the next meal.

 It is an important job. There is nothing more frustrating than when you’ve just poured yourself a bowl of cereal,with the milk and you open the drawer for a spoon and there aren’t any! Now you have to hunt one down losing precious minutes while your cereal gets soggy!

So, with one activity, I have delegated a chore, he has gained pre-reading skills, he has built his self-esteem by doing something important and needed, we have done something meaningful together, and we can both feel proud of ourselves, yogurt mustache and all.

Now…if only it stayed that simple…Then they turn 16…and take logic…and argue with you about everything…and it happens overnight
Wuzza