Extracurricular

There's a few things I have learned about this homeschooling thang.  There are a variety of homeschool moms out there (and dads!)--the ones who just wing it, the ones who use a hardcore schedule and curriculum, and the ones who sort of piece it together.  I've also discovered that most of us have a weird obsession desire to know what everyone else is doing.

Believe it or not, I got burned out on the scheduled curriculum.  I know that seems odd for me, but it didn't work for the kids.  And this is one case where it's not really about me, now is it?

I've decided to take it easy on my pre-k dude until March.  Liv and I really needed to get into a routine, and to be honest, I haven't entirely figured out how to school both my high strung children at the same time.  He's very up to speed with letters, numbers, adding, writing his name, etc.  I'd like to get him into some phonic work.  For now, he tags along with us, and we include him during science experiments or out loud readings.  Olivia reads to him a lot.  I'm cutting myself some slack right now, and he's still learning stuff.

Once a week, Colin does gymnastics and a Zumba class.  This month we've also been doing a two hour pottery class for parent and child--this has been so much fun for all three of us!  That's our art for now.  In the future, we'll pop in and paint a little piece of pottery, but now that Liv's self esteem is up I think she'll be ready to sign up for a pottery class by herself and then a watercolor class after that one.  I also think I may have talked her into Irish Dancing Classes--I would like her to take a physical activity class.  She gets occupational therapy weekly (about to step that up to twice a week), and she's outside scootering and running all the time.  I still think it would be helpful to do something in a class setting to get her adjusting to being in a room with other kids again.

We're spacing ourselves out here to take advantage of a variety of programs.  There are also ice skating lessons, music lessons, kung fu or its many derivatives, gymnastics, and other dancing classes.  And there's t-ball, peewee soccer, and peewee flag football--which Colin is begging to go to but I don't think Mama can handle it.  (He WILL be the one who never grabs the flag and just tackles the other kid.)  I refuse to over schedule, but these are all fun and easy to get to from our new home, and I think we'll get to most of them before our time here is up.

Friday I'll get into the nitty gritty details of what work I force and entice my first grader to use.  (Lollipops and gummy bears are perfectly good bribes too.)

Cruddy picture with my finger in the shot.  This is a tea set that Liv painted at pottery class during an impromptu tea party yesterday with vanilla wafers and ice water.  YUM.