Week 5, the letter N and the number 5

So I changed some things up a bit this week since it is our first official week in October.  We started with the letter N and the number 5.  During our morning circle time I'm now having Connor make the sound of the letter and counting to the number we are doing.  He seemed to do pretty well with it.  Emma is also getting in on the letters and numbers. She could probably start kinder with him. . .HA HA, just kidding.

Counting and matching

So we are going to work on his numbers now, counting to the number 20.  He is so good at counting. . .to 13 and then it gets crazy after that.  So I wrote the numbers on the back of the "nuts" and he had to match them and then we would say the number. He did pretty well, the matching might have been a little hard because mommy's writing is not like the the numbers on the page (something I'll have to work on next week)  and then we would count all the numbers.  Not a bad little game :)

Tracing letters

We also started to trace words this week (instead of just the number we are working on) He would write the word, say each letter and then say it.  He did pretty good with this one too and had fun. Only struggled with letters we haven't done yet, and they were lower case (his upper case is pretty good). Something we will continue to do each week.

Coloring

We are also practicing his first and last name.  He struggles with the "r" and writes the "C" backwards but all in good time.  He won't do his last name though, but at least he knows it :)

At the library this week we got new musical instruments to play with. Emma didn't want to give these back.  The library has kind of been  a regression for us, he wants to run around and be crazy like Emma. Sigh. . .

Helping make dinner

This week I let him help me make dinner. This was like Christmas for him.  He got to shred the lettuce and slice the cheddar.  He wants to have salad every night now, even though he hates it.  Silly guy.

What can be caught in a net

This was another fun little game on "what can be caught in a net."  It was kind of tricky because things I think can be caught in a net (like a whale for example) I would put yes.  But this was a small net.  So basically in this activity, only bees and butterflies can be caught in this net :)

Tracing numbers

Big and little

After the net game, we took the animals from this and divided them into two piles, big and small.  He would also name them, he actually named the walrus!  I had no idea he even knew what that was!  So crazy!

I still struggle with this teaching thing. "I'm doing a good job?  Will this help?  Is he learning?"  I think he is, but I don't know.  This whole thing of getting him into kindergarten makes me crazy sometimes.  I have so many people putting their two cents in, and they are totally valid two cents (let him stay out another year, he'll be so much better off" or "No, he needs to go now or he'll be behind) that I'm really conflicted.  I honestly want whats best for him, I just want him to have the same chance other kids his age will have, as do most parents.  But I'm constantly wondering, "Is this enough?"  Honestly, I don't know.  It makes me sick that he misses the cut off by 8 days.  I wish it was by 2 months and then it wouldn't be a question.  Will he succeed?  Will he fall behind?  Will he shoot forward?  Who knows.  All I want is for him to have his chance.  But it will honestly all depend on where we move next year, if we move into the school district we are thinking, it won't matter and he'll have to start in 2016.  Is that better? I honestly don't know.  Will it make me crazy him staying out another year, trying to find things for him to do to keep him engaged on a fairly tight budget? Probably.  Unless your in my boat, no one really understands. But one thing I do know, I've got incredible support from my family, so whatever happens in the next 6 months, will all be part of God's plan and I've got all the support I need :)

Lydia Stevens

For those of you living in the Phoenix area, please keep an eye out for Lydia Stevens.  This 16 year old girl was on her way to the bus stop for school and disappeared, without a trace.  It has been 7 days and not a clue or anything has turned up regarding her whereabouts. She left for school with only the clothes on her back, no phone, nothing else.   If you see her, or have any information regarding her location please contact the Phoenix PD at the numbers listed on the photo above or call 911.  She was last seen in the area of Cave Creek and Union Hills. This hits home for not only parents everywhere, but knowing that this can happen anywhere. This is my neighborhood.  Her church has been stead fast on getting her face out that it has already reached Nancy Grace on HNL. I do not know her personally, but her youth group leader is a dear friend so I'm doing what I can to help pass the word.  Even if you don't live in the Phoenix area, say a prayer for her, her family and all those people assisting in the search.  Sadly she could be anywhere by now.  For more information visit a Facebook page set up in bringing her home.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/588137661297969/

Thanks for reading.

One month completed and what I've learned.

Was a failure in my eyes.  Nothing went according the schedule but I'm finding out that it really doesn't have to. As long as Connor gets his learning in on the days that is required, then that's all I could really hope for.  I'm finding that he is wanting to learn and do things in his own time, which to me is fine right now as he is only 4. But I say as long as he gets everything in that I need him to, then that's all right with me.

Monday we did our tumbling again.  Its great for the kids but I'd be lying if I didn't say I will be glad when this is over.  Connor wanted nothing to do with it today and Emma just likes to run around.  And with this being a "mommy and me" class, I'm being pulled in every which way.  I have one more week and then we'll be done, which is great because it's wedding week for my best friend and I don't think I could handle it ha ha!

Tuesday was a free day but we ended up visiting the library.  I've decided that Tuesday's and Wednesday's are the best days to go to the library as Mrs. Teri is there and she's awesome. Thursday is always a crap shoot on who you're gonna get. Some people are great, some aren't.  When you've got two, you can't gamble on the crap shoots.

Wednesday was a tough day.  We headed to the library and then would break for lunch and then come back for Play on the Go. Well Emma is at that stage right now where she likes to run around like a banchi and this is having a negative effect on Connor. I attend these story times so he can learn how to listen to stories and sit with other children, but when you have your two year old sister not listening and running around, why should he!  We ended up leaving story time early and sit in the car for 30 minutes (until Play on the Go started) which they were not happy about but they need to learn there is a time and place for monkey business. And before anyone freaks out, I was in the car with them, it was a nice day out and the windows were down :)

They did get to do something with Play on the Go, Emma is really good at putting things into containers and Connor had fun golfing.  They both took their turns at finger painting and I hope to buy some paint here soon so that we can do some of this stuff at home.  I know they would love it.

It was a pretty standard week here, we mastered the number 4 and letter R. But now that I have finished my first month this is what I have learned.

Playing at the pumpkin festival.

Teaching is hard. I never said it was easy though. I come from a long line of teachers and I know first hand that it is one of the most thankless jobs.  I love my kids and I will do anything for them, hence why I am making a terrible attempt at teaching them anything.  But I have noticed a few things.

Connor is learning.  He is getting better at writing his letters and recognizing them and counting.  He is getting better at coloring, cutting paper, matching items and all sorts of other things.  He is learning something, even if it is a little.

-Things I'm changing for October-
I have changed the pages that Connor was writing his letters on.  They had both capital and lower case letters on them, but no room for him to "write on his own."  I have found a new page that he can trace a few upper and a few lower case letters and then have some blank spots for writing them on his own.  He is WONDERFUL at tracing, but he needs to learn how to write his letters with out tracing.

In the middle of the month I also had his name up at the top so he could learn to trace that.  I will now also have him do his last name too.

During morning circle I am now going to have him make the sound that the letter of the week makes.  I will also have him count to the number we are learning.  I'm also having him find the letters and numbers of the week with his magnets on his easel.  We are also writing the letter and number on the chalk board now too.

In the stuff I have downloaded for school, they had tracing words. I didn't do that before but I"m going to start now.  He doesn't need to know what they say yet, but just doing different letters every week should help with his writing.

In the matching game we would do I have written numbers on the back so now he must match the number on the back to the number on the page.  This will be better once I have a picture of him doing it.

October is going to be a busy month!  It's festival time and wedding time for my BFF. Pray for my sanity!

The sickness. . .

So last week, after I had posted the blog entry on the 22nd, I got sick.  What?  Mommy got sick?  Yes, it does happen once in a blue moon.  Thankfully on the 23rd I had my MOPS meeting and the 24th was Emma's birthday so I was able to coast on those two days with help.  Thank the Lord!  Thursday I believe fell by the way side.  I was feeling better but I don't think I did much with regards to school.  I'll call that day a wash.

Painting!

So we went to the Children's Museum. We managed to go for $11 for all four of us when it normally would have been 44$.  There was a groupon that did a buy one get one free and then the culture passes at the library will get you two in free (for those of you in Phoenix, I highly recommend checking these out, please note the Zoo and the Museum are always out)  The first thing they did was paint a castle. Probably should have done this last, as Emma had more paint on her than on the castle.  It's okay though, this stuff doesn't bother me and it does come off.  But they had a blast doing it. 

Play kitchen

 This play kitchen is alot better than ours ha ha!  They had everything you can think of in here. Emma and Connor were in here for quite a while.  I sure hope they don't expect us to be a brick oven in the house :)

Xylophone 

 Pretty sure Emma is going to be my musical kid. She could have spent all day in the music area.  Guess we know what we are getting from Santa this year :)

Time to check out.

This was really cool. They had a little store with baskets for kids to check out food and push carts and then go and check them out.  Connor loved checking out kids groceries and Emma loved to fill her cart with anything she could find.  Good thing daddy was there to help put the stuff on the counter.

 It was a great day, despite me not being 100%. I'm so thankful my hubs took the day off to spend it with us, I really needed him to keep up with these monkey's here, as I couldn't have done it by myself in my medical state. Happy 2nd birthday Emma! Plus, they did so much educationally stuff while they were here, I count this as a field trip!