Lesson Twelve: New Year, New Plan

The more that you read,
The more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
The more places you’ll go.

Oh, the Places You'll Go! (1990)

 

Happy 2014 all! Another year of adventure is upon us! Hooray!

 

Our little family spent a wonderful Christmas in Germany. We saw Christmas markets, castles, lots of snow, and even a circus on Christmas Day! It was a relaxing and good for the soul kind of vacation. I couldn't have asked for more.

 

 

Over our "break", I contemplated the direction I wanted to take to continue his schooling. We are moving this year, so our lives are bound to get a little crazy in a few months. I really wanted to keep it easy while still throwing in some new ideas for him. Also, my sweet sidekick is in a half-day preschool program three days a week. Lots of play time with new friends, social skills, listening to someone other than Mommy and Daddy, and overall happiness. He is really enjoying it. But with this addition to our schedule, I am cutting back our school days to just Tuesday and Thursday mornings since there is more of a chance of those being "home days". So again, simplicity is key.

 

I decided to keep doing letter crafts and starting over with all 26 letters. He loves these projects and I have found some fun, new ways to learn about the letters on Pinterest. We are also going to continue our letter hunts. Which is another reason for starting over on our letters. Along this line of thinking, I found some great pre-k workbooks at our PX. While I'm not usually a fan of workbook type work, I think for learning to trace his letters and numbers, it's a good start. Plus side, he loves them! So, we've added those. I've also been looking into science projects. Whether it's a new type of painting or learning how to mix colors, we've got lots of good projects coming!

 

Now. How have I decided to tackle our new schooling year? I wrote letters on 26 popsicle sticks and on our school days, I am asking him to pick a letter. He was so excited to get to choose! It's the little things that keep me going with all of this, and his excitement is a big factor. So, then I quickly look up a project for that letter, gather our supplies, and we get to work. After we finish that project, I pull out our new workbooks and work on our tracing and following directions.

 

I also want to work on telling time and responsibility with him. I've found a good clock puzzle to begin this process and also a chore chart. Now by "chores", I mean, putting his dishes in the sink, helping feed our dogs, take a bath, brush his teeth, clean up his toys. Things that he already does and are appropriate for his age. I just want him to see that there are rewards and good feelings that come with completing little things like that.

 

So, this is where the fun begins! I'm ready to get started!

Lesson Eleven: Catching Up!

Narrator: He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. Maybe Christmas, he thought… doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps… means a little bit more!

-How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

 

Let's catch up on our missed weeks, shall we? What better way to go about it than to show you through pictures! Enjoy!

 

We hiked up a giant hill, last month, in Montecchio, Italy so see the original Romeo and Juliet castles. My little adventurer and I had a wonderful time. We picked leaves, saw some amazing views, counted stairs. Outside learning days are definitely a favorite!

 

We are working on responsibility and doing things ourselves .What a better way to work on this than making chocolate milk?

 

This was a fun project! It was a Pinterest find that we really enjoyed!

 {Here is the link for this project}

 

I don't remember where I saw the idea for this little owl. If you know, please let me know and I'll give them full credit. I know I saw it somewhere...

Anyway. It's a simple concept that he loved once he saw the finished product.

 

We worked on our sequencing too! Thanks to Team Umizoomi, we LOVE patterns! This is just example of our pattern making.

 

Another project that I know came from somewhere else! I had them all saved in my phone and then a certain little sidekick deleted all my pages. {SIGH} So, now I have zero memory on where these fun things came from. Again, if you know, please tell me!

This was a multi-step project. First, we painted the bubble wrap..

 

Then we turned it over onto our construction paper and he got to "bam" it! Always fun!

Once it dried, I cut them into "corn" shapes and had him glue it all together. Ta-da!

 

Of course, we had a noodle turkey for Thanksgiving!

 

Here's a peek at the beginnings of our Christmas. I'll post a full Christmas blog after we return from our vacation.

This is our new little felt tree. It came in a book that I read while he decorated.

 

Nothing says "Christmas in Italy" than lots of hot chocolates for the sidekick and cappuccinos for the momma! It's the little things that make our adventure here so memorable.  

 

Hope to see you back here after the new year! I have lots of new plans and ideas to show you! Merry Christmas from Italy!

Week Eleven: Weeks Go By...

"DOH!"

Homer Simpson

 

 

It's been weeks, my friends! Oh my! I was doing so good writing every week and getting our lessons done and then...BAM! We got busier doing other things, my laptop broke, and then the habit was broken. It was all downhill from there. But, here I am now! We haven't been doing as much schooling these past couple of weeks. He hasn't really wanted to and I didn't want to push him. Plus, I wanted to give us both a break and a re-energized plan for the new year. We've painted here and there, we still read, we sing songs, dance. So, we're still happily learning.

 

I had all these great thoughts about what I wanted to end with for my last blog of the year (we'll be vacationing for Christmas this year and probably won't recover until after the new year). Of course, now I can't think of anything insightful. I have spent my days loving my time with my sidekick. I know my days are numbered. Not only is he starting a part-time daycare program but all too soon, he won't even want to spend his every waking moment with me. So, I've been holding on to these days hoping to imprint them into my memories. It's a 50/50 whether that will work since I can barely remember what I ate yesterday. Surely, these memories are a little more important though. :)

 

I have struggled with time management this last month. I blame Winter. It seems to take twice as long to convince myself to get out of our warm bed only to be cold the rest of the day. Especially with my little heater curled up next to me. So, more often than not, I'm cutting out some errands only to spend an extra day out to get my to-do list done. Hopefully, I can get my act together soon. I'm getting my sidekick a responsibility chart (this one) but maybe I need to make myself one as well! He loves to help and I want him to show him that we notice and appreciate it.

 

I suppose I shouldn't sit here and ramble on, wasting all of our time. :) I hope your holiday season is wonderful and I look forward to showing you lots of new things come January! See you soon!

 

Merry Christmas from Italy!

 

 

Week Ten: Paint, Glue, Velcro..OH MY!

"Progress is progress, no matter how small"

 

This week was another crazy one (I'm seeing a pattern here, anyone else catching onto my ever-growing craziness??). Never the less, we did some fun projects. Even a few that are a continual learning process. Yay!

 

Look! Look here!:

 

 

 Our new weather board! The sidekick has a lovely window that brings in the sunrise every morning. So, this board is our first step to learning about weather! We've mastered the "no, you may not go outside without pants on. It's cold today." lesson, so now we are trying this! We come to the window every morning after we brush our teeth. It's been quite the fun little addition to our morning routine.

 

 

 

I velcro'd the back of the felt pieces so he gets to pick out the right one and do it himself. It's our favorite part.

 

 

 We, officially, said our farewells to warm weather with this "I" is for ice cream art project and one last trip to our local gelato shop before they closed for the season.

 



One of the sidekick's gifts from his birthday was a cool set of gears! We love GEARS (thanks to Team Umizooomi)! These will be fun on our rainy, snowy, cold days that are on their way.

 

 Veteran's Day was Monday. In our house, it's more than a day off. It's a day to make our veteran feel extra special and to remember those who have given their all for the sake and safety of our country. So, we made a special wreath for our hero.

 

 Practicing our cutting skills! Still really hard work.

 

 Yes, my sweet sidekick, its a circle. And yes, my darling, you can put your face through it. You're definitely my kid...

 

 

 

We are thankful for our Italian military family and for all the soldiers who came before them.

Things we learned this week:
We talked about being thankful. Granted, he thanks us all day long (for his juice, his dinner, handing him his blanket or toy. He's quite polite). We talked about Boo-dad's job and how lucky we are to have such a great soldier. I don't know if he understood, but it's a place to start. More thankful talks will be coming in the next few weeks as we work our way to Thanksgiving.
He picked up on the weather really quick! He notices the sky more whenever we go outside and even noticed the sun was out by seeing the shadows in our yard.
I plan on setting up his gears in such a way that he has to connect two gears that are on opposite sides. It'll be fun to see how he comes up with ways to connect them. We also have a new set of wood blocks so I'm sure some new block towers will be seen on here soon!

Here's where I found some of our ideas:
The link for our set of gears: http://www.amazon.com/Gears-%C2%AE-Beginners-Building-Set/dp/B00000DMCE/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1384284630&sr=1-1&keywords=gears+toy

Veteran's Day Wreath:
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/?s=veterans+day+wreath&search=Search

Lesson Ten: Keepin' On Keepin' On

"I can not teach anybody anything. I can only make them think."

-Socrates

     With the holiday season about to trample upon us, I feel like our schooling days are about to become fewer for a month or so. But instead of stressing about this, I'm taking this time to re-vamp some of my lesson plans. It's been exciting to see how my sidekick learns and what he enjoys the most. I'm super excited to take this time and really tailor some projects just for him. Of course, it's all been for him but these first few months were, more or less, testing the waters.

     I am overjoyed with how he's taken to our "school". I love how he gets excited when I start setting out our tools for a project and how he's learning to focus on the project in front of him (instead of the TV {which we always turn off anyway}, or the dogs, or whatever else his little mind picks up on).

     We have both grown over these past few months. He's picked up on letter sounds, he recognizes his shapes and colors faster, he can count higher, he still loves to glue and paint. I've learned more patience (there's never enough!), I've learned, and still learning, the best ways to teach him, to look to him to lead the project, just to let him lead! He's an amazing little human and this experience has enhanced every part of our lives.

    Not that it has been all happy days! Some days I've struggled to get him to sit for an entire project. Sometimes, I still struggle letting him use copious amounts of glue just for the sake of letting him do it by himself. There have been days (sometimes a few in a row) where I don't even want to sit down and work with him. But, I always do and I'm always rewarded with his smile as we hang his project on the wall. That, in itself, is all this momma needs to continue.

    Just know this, you're doing great things. Whether you made it less than a month or less than a week! Whether, you've taken weeks off because you felt burned out from it all. You're doing great things. Keep it up! Their little minds are brand new and just waiting for all the fun things you have to show them. But the best thing you can show them is love. Corny, I know. It's true though! Show them you're proud of the things they do and the silly (to us) things they bring to show you. Play with your sidekick. We may not sit and do school but I can guarantee that we play every single day.

    Setting up lesson plans, and then actually doing them, has been hard work! Here are some of my favorite places to look for ideas...

My inspiration for this whole adventure:
 http://www.mudhutmama.com/preschool-homeschool-weekly-lesson-plans-age-3/

There are some great things here:
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/

There are some great sensory recipes here and tons of other good ideas:
http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/

And of course, there's always:
https://www.pinterest.com/

   Next week I will {hopefully} be able to tell you about my re-invented lesson plans! Wish me luck!

Week Nine: Staying In and Still Having Fun

A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.

My Lost Youth (1858)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

 

     This past week we got to decorate pumpkins and cakes! The weather stayed rainy for most of the week so we were stuck inside. But we made the best of it and tried some new games. Also, we cuddled and watched lots of movies. :)

 

     Have a look:

 

 

 He got to paint and paint his very own pumpkin! After some drying time, we worked on where the eyes, nose, and mouth go.

 

 Rain, rain, would not go away! So, I covered some shapes in contact paper and threw them on the floor! Fun, right? Well, I actually cut out smaller matching shapes of the ones on the floor and let him pick them out of a bag and then go find the match. He loved it!

 

 Painting with corks. Which we have an abundance of, living in Italy and all. :) We painted a fall tree in hopes that the trees around here would take a hint and change colors already!

It was birthday week! He painted and decorated his own little cake here and we talked about how old he is while we put on the candles. He helped me make (and eat) the rice krispie treats and his "real" cake for his party. Such a great little baker, I have. :)

Things we learned this week:
Rainy days can be cuddle days but sidekicks need to do something with all that energy. We spent lots of time running around our basement and jumping on his trampoline. With the rainy season still upon us, we will be looking for lots of new inside things to entertain us.
I am discovering new things he likes to do. Like helping me bake, helping me clean, new ways his imagination is growing while playing with his toys. It's so fun to see new things he enjoys and letting him take over.

Lesson Nine: A Letter of Love

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye.

Le Petit Prince (1943) (The Little Prince)

My Sweet Sidekick,

     You are officially three! I am still adjusting to how fast your little life has flown by. You're no longer fully dependent on me for your every need, you no longer need my help with some of the smaller, daily things. Instead, you help me! It's a bit sad for this mommy. BUT! My dear child, I am so proud of you. You astound me daily with your smarts and your silliness. Let me think back to some of my favorite moments.

     One of my favorites is the word you've made up for when something is just too good for one word. "Cool-mazing" has become a household word and we love that you came up with it, all on your own.
     I love your need for family hug time. This is where you crawl up into one of our laps and then call the other over, "Come hug, Momma". And then you wrap your sweet little arms around us with plenty of "aww's" and kisses. It's always a sweet moment and I'm so glad it happens often in our home.
     Some of my favorite phrases are: "how are you?", "what's wrong, baby?", "me sad" (it's just so adorable when you say it!), "come hug!", "kiss! mwah!", "love me!", "aww, so happy Momma!" (this happens every time we hug), "aww, so sweet!", "it's so cute!". This list goes on and more is added to it daily. Your witty, funny, emotional, loving, and just plain amazing, kid.
      One of my favorite things about you, is how you love to help. Anything I'm doing, you must be a part of it. Whether its putting away the dishes, fixing dinner, bathing the dogs, cleaning the house. I love how you want to be big even though I wish you'd just stay small a little longer.
     I'm sure I could think of a million more because you do things daily that I wish I freeze each moment to ensure it's safekeeping in my memory.

     Now, to brag on you a little. I can't help it! You're so smart for such a small human. You know your entire alphabet and can recognize both lower and uppercase letters. You can count to 29 in English, to 10 in Italian, and to 5 in your own language. You can count to 10 on your fingers. You have the uncanny ability to know how many of something there is without really seeming to count them. You know so many shapes, including pentagon and trapezoid. Any color of the rainbow is already known in your smart little brain. You can sign "smart" and "thank you". You know how to say "hello" (ciao) and "please" (por favore) in Italian but you understand much more than that. You love to paint, to create, to make a mess. You are also very polite. You always tell us "thank you" when we've given you something you asked for. You'll even say "you're welcome" for us! You've picked up on "I love you" which you say "love me" back to us.
   
     Before we had you, I knew I wanted to be a mom. It was a deep feeling that I knew only you could fulfill. For the first year, I think I just stared in amazement that I finally had you in my arms. For the second year, I held you close and showed you this big world and was amazed, yet again, at how you were mine. For this third year, I have stood back a little. I let you explore while I watched on trying to see the world through your eyes. I held you hand but let you lead me. Every year, every day, every single moment with you is a gift. My heart is overfilled with love for you. You have brought your daddy and I closer together than ever before. You have showed me what love truly is. You have given us the chance to relive our childhoods and to give you more than we had the first time around. It has been so FUN to have you and to watch you grow. To watch you figure out this world around you, to see you think, to see you play. To get to be a part of your life is a blessing.
     We aren't perfect parents in the least, but you have given us something to strive for. We want to show you that you can do and achieve anything in this world. In order for you to do this, we must believe in that as well. We must do everything we can to SHOW you that you can do anything. We must give you every opportunity to excel. Oh baby, we will do just that. Don't you worry. You deserve the world and more.
    
     I must end this somehow. I know I have forgotten things that I knew I wanted to say to you. But know this, I love you. Simply. More than life. More than anything. You are amazing. You are smart. You have a smile that makes my every day into something wonderful. You have a laugh that can turn around any bad day. You stole my heart before I even saw your face. You alone know what my heart sounds like from the inside and it's you that I hold most dear. I wish I could hold you close forever. To protect from the bad things that are sure to find their way into our happy little world. But I must let you fly. I'll catch you when you need me though. I'll always be here. Happy Birthday my little love. Wishing you everything this world has to offer.

I love you.

Love love,
Mommy