Happy Monday!
As I was thinking about how things are going for us at the halfway mark for Cate's kindergarten year, I realized I really am "schooling" Owen too. He's only 3, so of course he's not officially doing any sort of curriculum or work, but he's in school too!
Each day as Cate and I settle down in our school room/play room to work on math, handwriting, French, and whatever other table work is on the agenda, Owen joins us, happily playing with his cars or farm on the floor. He's absorbing all we do, so the fabric of his mind is becoming richer as hers does. Actually, I include him purposefully in almost all we do, from art study and days of the week in French, to prayers in Latin and poems to memorize. Here are some thoughts on what my little guy has been working on and learning.
Physical work: He has taught himself to zip zippers and button buttons. With typical three year old insistence on "doing it himself" he has gotten quite proficient at getting himself dressed from head to toe, including socks, jackets, and hats. He zooms around the backyard on his balance bike, and will be ready by his birthday in April for a big boy, no training wheels bike, I think. He's a great climber, and he's your man if you need something pulled or lifted. He's strong!
Rest: he still naps, and is in his bed from 1-3pm each day. I think he naps for at least an hour. We have the kids in bed by 7, and he's up at 6:30.
French: He knows the days of the week, numbers 1-10, and a couple of songs and simple instructions ("to the table, please," "yes or no, thank you").
Letters: He recognizes all of the letters of the alphabet, and if I start with a simple word like "bat" and change out the "b" for an "m" or a "c" he can read those words. He also likes to "read" me a book he has already memorized.
Numbers: Can count items in a group ("1,2,3,4,5,6").
Games: He is excellent at finding games, where something is hidden on a page and we have to locate it. Memory is also a favorite, and he likes matching games too.
Home: Loves to help cook in the kitchen, and is quite good at sprinkling cheese, spreading sauce, and mixing. He is great at clean up time too, and puts things where they go.
Chores: Almost always has to be reminded, but he helps with napkins on the table for meals and carrying his laundry to his drawers.
Faith: Owen has a special love for the "Glory Be." Where that comes from, I don't know, but it's his prayer. At bedtime, we say "Now I Lay Me," "Angel of God," and "Glory Be," and he says it with great fervor:) He also knows "Our Father" and "Hail Mary," and loves especially to kneel down to pray. Often I will ask him to lead our dinner prayer, and he really enjoys that responsibility. He's getting better and better at behavior in mass, and now that we are exclusively at the TLM, he seems to be settling in to its rhythms and requirements.
Music: He's memorizing songs right along with Cate, including "Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above," "Favorite Things," and lots of Christmas carols and hymns.
Coloring and fine motor work: He's GREAT with Lego, and can put those tiny pieces together and take them apart quite easily. In fact, he can be absorbed for a good hour playing Lego and building really great buildings, robots, and cars. Same with trains...he makes up stories and speaks them while moving his trains around the track. Coloring is not a favorite at this point...he seems to prefer other ways to be creative, though playdough will get me 45 minutes of peace:)
Habits: Personal care habits are going very well. He can completely potty and wash his hands, and I think the habit of politeness is well-established. Pleases and Thank you's are the norm. We need to continue to work on obedience, but I see improvement here too. We've been REALLY focusing on "Obey Mama the first time," and he seems to be getting the message...most of the time;) We still have time outs and fits, but I see that waning. Attention is quite good. He can listen to a pretty long story and sit still, but sometimes he prefers to play quietly while I read. Surprisingly, he is still completely engaged in the details, and really is paying attention.
All in all, preschool is going very well around here! He is a happy, smart, affectionate boy, full of boy energy, full of surprises for Mama:)
As I was thinking about how things are going for us at the halfway mark for Cate's kindergarten year, I realized I really am "schooling" Owen too. He's only 3, so of course he's not officially doing any sort of curriculum or work, but he's in school too!
Each day as Cate and I settle down in our school room/play room to work on math, handwriting, French, and whatever other table work is on the agenda, Owen joins us, happily playing with his cars or farm on the floor. He's absorbing all we do, so the fabric of his mind is becoming richer as hers does. Actually, I include him purposefully in almost all we do, from art study and days of the week in French, to prayers in Latin and poems to memorize. Here are some thoughts on what my little guy has been working on and learning.
Physical work: He has taught himself to zip zippers and button buttons. With typical three year old insistence on "doing it himself" he has gotten quite proficient at getting himself dressed from head to toe, including socks, jackets, and hats. He zooms around the backyard on his balance bike, and will be ready by his birthday in April for a big boy, no training wheels bike, I think. He's a great climber, and he's your man if you need something pulled or lifted. He's strong!
Rest: he still naps, and is in his bed from 1-3pm each day. I think he naps for at least an hour. We have the kids in bed by 7, and he's up at 6:30.
French: He knows the days of the week, numbers 1-10, and a couple of songs and simple instructions ("to the table, please," "yes or no, thank you").
Letters: He recognizes all of the letters of the alphabet, and if I start with a simple word like "bat" and change out the "b" for an "m" or a "c" he can read those words. He also likes to "read" me a book he has already memorized.
Numbers: Can count items in a group ("1,2,3,4,5,6").
Games: He is excellent at finding games, where something is hidden on a page and we have to locate it. Memory is also a favorite, and he likes matching games too.
Home: Loves to help cook in the kitchen, and is quite good at sprinkling cheese, spreading sauce, and mixing. He is great at clean up time too, and puts things where they go.
Chores: Almost always has to be reminded, but he helps with napkins on the table for meals and carrying his laundry to his drawers.
Faith: Owen has a special love for the "Glory Be." Where that comes from, I don't know, but it's his prayer. At bedtime, we say "Now I Lay Me," "Angel of God," and "Glory Be," and he says it with great fervor:) He also knows "Our Father" and "Hail Mary," and loves especially to kneel down to pray. Often I will ask him to lead our dinner prayer, and he really enjoys that responsibility. He's getting better and better at behavior in mass, and now that we are exclusively at the TLM, he seems to be settling in to its rhythms and requirements.
Music: He's memorizing songs right along with Cate, including "Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above," "Favorite Things," and lots of Christmas carols and hymns.
Coloring and fine motor work: He's GREAT with Lego, and can put those tiny pieces together and take them apart quite easily. In fact, he can be absorbed for a good hour playing Lego and building really great buildings, robots, and cars. Same with trains...he makes up stories and speaks them while moving his trains around the track. Coloring is not a favorite at this point...he seems to prefer other ways to be creative, though playdough will get me 45 minutes of peace:)
Habits: Personal care habits are going very well. He can completely potty and wash his hands, and I think the habit of politeness is well-established. Pleases and Thank you's are the norm. We need to continue to work on obedience, but I see improvement here too. We've been REALLY focusing on "Obey Mama the first time," and he seems to be getting the message...most of the time;) We still have time outs and fits, but I see that waning. Attention is quite good. He can listen to a pretty long story and sit still, but sometimes he prefers to play quietly while I read. Surprisingly, he is still completely engaged in the details, and really is paying attention.
All in all, preschool is going very well around here! He is a happy, smart, affectionate boy, full of boy energy, full of surprises for Mama:)
Love this! We actually were just talking about preschool at the nature study outing last week, and how natural it is for these second (or third or fourth...) children to just soak up so much learning alongside their older sibling(s). He is having such a rich education without any formal education at all!
ReplyDelete