Interviewing Children

It has not quite been a year since I last interviewed my children, but since I'd like to make it a yearly event, I thought planning to interview in January would be a fun way to start each new year.  Now that January is nealy over, I'm already behind schedule...but when am I EVER not?!  Ha!

Here is a list of questions to get you started in interviewing your own children. Modify the list according to your own child's age level and if you come up with any fun questions I didn't think of, I'd love to hear them! 

I am looking forward to hearing my childrens responses...hopefully I'll be posting some of their answers soon.

Enjoy learning about your kids!

A Garden in January

At any given moment, my daughter views life in one of two seasons. It is either a "grass time" or "snow time".  Although it is still January, there is not much snow on the ground right now...just patches of accumulated drifts or plow piles here and there that have all but dwindled entirely. 

With melting snow comes excitement and anticipation of the looming springtime.  [Or "grass time", as my sweet girl would say...] And my children have begun preparing for warmer weather. 

This is our paper garden:

Our paper garden, from left to right they planted: apples, watermelon, cauliflower, cantaloupe, bananas, and broccoli.

Complete with a variety of fruits and vegetables, this little plot has yielded many a crop to my imaginative little ones.  Occasionally I am offered a half a watermelon, or maybe a head of cauliflower.  A tiny hand extends to me what would appear to be nothing, but is indeed a very thoughtful gift, and I bend down and nibble the invisible food "Mmmm"-ing and "Ahhhhh"-ing until those innocent faces are beaming with pride.  I can hardly wait to see their excitement when we plant our real seeds this "grass time"! 

My son used a ruler to draw rows to plant his harvest in.  He chose which plants to sow and cut out his own shapes from construction paper, and then glued his plants in the rows. 

After each row was "planted", he created a dimensional label for that row, marking what food had been planted there. 

So, if you need a project to keep your little ones busy while they are cooped up in "snow time"...maybe try planting a paper garden and have some fun pretending its "grass time".

Rod & Staff Preschool Workbooks

Have you seen these Rod & Staff workbooks for preschoolers yet?

These are great for little ones.  [The company suggests 4&5, but I've found them more appropriate for my 3 year old.]

I love that they are black and white, because after finishing their assignment, my kids enjoy coloring in each page.

They cover a multitude of basic skills; color and shape recognition, practicing drawing straight and curvy lines, following directions, matching associated objects, counting, deciphering patterns, writing letters and numbers...and more.  Each book consists of 64 pages and they are reasonably priced.  You can view more samples here by clicking on a book you'd like to preview.

I've found many preschool workbooks to be lots of colorful pictures, with very little activity.  While I think at this age children are constantly learning...and so I don't view these books as useless, I DO want my preschoolers to begin preparing for higher grade education.  I want them to learn to sit down and listen to instructions and follow directions.  I want my daughter to know how to carefully trace or copy a letter or image.  I want her to learn basic skills while still developing her creativity and I think these workbooks are excellent tools to help me teach her these things. 

Even if you are not teaching with a Christian background, these workbooks might be worth looking at. They are written with a Biblical worldview, although most of these books contain very little or no specific Biblical reference.  It's just good basic skills material.

Note: I do not work for Rod & Staff or Milestone Ministries - and am not "officially" reviewing their product, nor did I receive any product, services or other compensation for this post.  I simply like the product and am happy to tell you about it.  :)

Free 2011 Printable Calendars + Chart Calendars

I'm consolidating all the 2011 calendars onto one page...

Please visit my Printable Calendars page to download your choice of 6 styles.  I will continue to update as I finish each month...enjoy! [currently available: January, February & March]

Clap-ping Par-ty

My son has been learning about syllables. Today, as he was "clapping" out each word, my youngest daughter [9 months] began to clap along with him.  She was so proud of herself...and he was delighted by her participation.  My other daughter chimed in and before anyone realized what was happening, the whole study session seemed to spontaneously erupt into an explosion of joyful clapping, laughter and various noise-making of all kinds.

Who knew syllables could be so much fun!?  :)

Pick a Project

If your home is anything like mine, you've experienced those moments when dinner is nearly burning, baby is crying - needing to be fed or changed, husband is still at work, dishes and laundry are piling up, and a seemingly endless list of other "to do's" are screaming to be accomplished...all while whiney, hungry youngsters are tugging at your feet complaining that they have nothing to do. 

This is often the moment that "snaps" me.  I've been tempted in those moments to grab a cardboard box and empty their room full of toys and activities into it - throw it outside and announce that NOW they have nothing to do. [Which I have not yet done, but do not be too shocked when it does happen.]

It's not that they don't enjoy their toys, rather kids just need direction.  They need guidelines and boundaries as well as a bit of space for creativity and imagination to flourish.  Small children not only need suggestions of what to do, but often need us to sit with them and participate...help them along and teach them.  And while it is a joy and privilege to be able to spend that time with my kids, let's be honest - it's also a bit exhausting and can be overwhelming at times [and I only have three - I know many of you are caring for more]. 

I find myself balancing the fine line between providing a healthy amount of structured developmental activities and feeding my children an overdose of entertainment as I try to keep their busy minds occupied.  At times I struggle with the question, "Am I creating a habit of needing to be continuously engaged and entertained to be happy?"  When my kids come to me complaining of "nothing to do", I wonder two three a few things;

1. Have I allowed them to become over-stimulated by an excess of entertainments [games, movies, toys - even "educational" ones] to the point where they no longer find any satisfaction in those activities?

2. Have I modeled for them what it is to be still?  Have they experienced moments of quiet relaxation - reading a book, taking a walk?  Do they know how to enjoy just BEING, rather than needing to be busy?

3. Have I established in them a dependence on someone else providing activity for them all the time...or have they learned how to creatively construct ideas and activities on their own?

4. Have I been neglecting to provide structured activities for them? 

5. Do they feel overwhelmed by the options I have made available to them?

6. How can I provide them with structure, yet teach them to think for themselves?

7. How do I establish in their lives the ability to accept and enjoy moments of business and of rest? 

8. Are my expectations realistic at their stages of development? 

9. How do I juggle all the responsibilities life places in front of me AND keep three little ones constantly entertained...is that even what is best? 

*sigh*

I'm exhausted just considering it all.

While I don't have any really great answers, I've come up with a helpful tool I use in those moments when I cannot stop everything else to find "something to do". 

We call it "Pick a Project".  I've used it since my son [who is 5 now] was just a little guy.  I already mentioned that he seems to need the most structure in our family.  This little system has been great for him. 

However, since I made it several years ago, the "projects" for him to pick have become a bit too childish.  So I revised the activities and we now have a new and improved "Pick a Project" system.

I used an empty spice container for this project.

I cut out strips of cardstock the length of my container. 

At the bottom of the strips I listed an activity [such as "coloring", "read a book", or "complete a puzzle"] which my children can do on their own. One activity per strip.

This time around I made separate strips for my 5 year old and my 3 year old.  Some of the projects are repeated but now they have ideas specific for each of them.  I marked my daughter's projects with pink paper hearts at the top of each strip...and my son's projects with blue stars.

I placed all the strips [shapes at the top, writing at the bottom] into the container.

When I need some time to complete a project of my own...or when the kids complain of boredom, I pull out the Pick a Project jar and each child picks one of their strips. 

Whatever project is picked must be accomplished. I do not let them pick until they find one they like. 

It's not the big solution...but it is useful.

I need to continue to ask the Lord for wisdom as I train my kids.  I know the patterns they establish during these precious years will affect the rest of their lives.  I also know that God is able to work in their lives even [and maybe especially] where I fall short.  As I navigate these years of parenting and teaching my children, I am so thankful for His grace.  Each of my children is a blessing and my role as their mother is a gift from the Lord.  If your home is anything like mine...you will experience moments today when you need this reminder as much as I do. 

Free Printable Chart System for Kids - Part2

In an effort to help keep myself and my kids focused and productive throughout the day, I designed an activity chart for each of my older children. My daughter chose a butterfly theme and my son asked for a firefighter theme. I'm happy to share these resources with you. Today I will post the fire engine chart pages.  Click the link to find the butterfly chart pages in my previous post.

[Some of the information in this post has been copied from the previous post and will be repetitious if you have already read part 1.  Just skim through.]

Part of the fun of this project is involving the kids as much as possible. Children [and adults too] tend to take more of an interest and ownership when they are involved in the process. Whether you're introducing a new food, welcoming a new family member, or learning a new schedule, try to find ways to include them. My kids may not like to eat zucchini...but when they planted, watered, harvested and cleaned their own zucchini, it became exciting and they had fun eating it - even though it's not their favorite vegetable.

My kids love coloring. I asked my kids to color in the pictures on a few pages and to help me think of activities we could list for them to accomplish. [I already had my own list in mind, but allowing them to talk about it with me and agree on our list was engaging for them, gave them an opportunity to analyze and negotiate their activities and enabled them to take ownership of our selection.] For older children [or if you're not a hopeless perfectionist like I tend to be] you could let them cut out their shapes too...and write out their objectives.

The objective we agreed on were: "get dressed", "make my bed", "exercise", "Bible time", "school time", "pick up toys", "help Mom & Dad" and "be kind and obey".

Use the chart for whatever projects you would like to. I've left them blank for you to add your own chores, daily activities, or school subjects - whatever you want.

To download the charts, simply click on each page and then right click the image. Select "Save Picture As..." and determine a destination and name for each file. Then save the file to your computer.

Print each page on cardstock paper. I chose two tones of a single color [red] for the fire trucks and the firetruck background pages and then I printed the remaining pages on white cardstock, with the exception of the calendar [or chart page, depending on your preference], which I printed on plain white paper.

Once the pages are printed, I suggest letting your children color first, then cutting out the shapes.  My son colored in his large fire engine and the fireman seals & badges as well as the small fire department seals.

In the banner on the first page, write in your child's name or a title for your chart [or have your child write it]. And cut out the small fire department seals along the bold lines, leaving you with 50 1-inch squares. Cut out the large fire engine along the outer edge of the shape.

Cut out the small bold fire trucks along the outer edge of each shape. Attach magnetic tape to the BACK of each bold fire truck.

Cut out the small faded fire engines along the outer edge of each shape and write out your objectives on the FRONT of your fire engines; one objective one each. Attach magnetic tape to the BACK side of each faded fire engine - being careful to align the magnets so that the polar attraction of all magnets line up with your bold fire engines' magnets, with both fire engines placed face up - bold on top of the faded.

I formatted the badges and seals so you can choose which to use as the pad to place your fire trucks on.  You could use just one type or any combination of 8 per set of fire trucks. Have your child color each badge or seal you have chosen to use. [You could write in your family name or your child's name in the blank space on the Fire Chief badges...or have your child do this.] Then cut along the outer edge of each shape. Attach magnetic tape to the BACK side of each badge [or seal]; as you do this, consider how you would like your fire engines to be positioned and align your magnets accordingly, with your bold fire engines face up on top of your badges/seals [also face-up].

Determine what type of grid you would like to use for your chart. I have provided several options; a January 2011 calendar [You can download more styles and other months from my Printable Calendars page.], a blank calendar, or a plain blank grid. You could trim these if you'd like to, or simply use them as they are.

I used double-stick tape to adhere my chart pieces to the inner door of our "school armoire". You could use a magnetic board, poster board, wall, inner closet door...or even place your chart on the fridge - use your imagination! Here is a picture of how I have mine set up, but you could certainly place yours differently. My placement was not very well thought through. [I kinda got excited and just started taping.]

Tape or glue all your faded fire engines and the large [not the small squares from page 1] fire department seals/badges face up to your chosen surface. Leave the bold fire engines unattached, but place one on top of each seal/badge.

As your child accomplishes each task [or at the end of the day - whatever routine you choose] let him remove a bold fire truck from a seal/badge and place it on the task he has successfully completed. At the end of the day or week [depending on your chart] if he has achieved whatever goal you set [i.e., completing all objectives or completing a specific number of objectives etc.] award him with a tiny fire department seal square to be placed on the appropriate box on his grid.

In advance you should determine if you would like to give your child a goal to work toward. My husband and I decided that for every 30 fire fighter seals [or butterflies for the butterfly chart] our children earn, they will be give a set amount of money to spend and be taken out for a special day with Mom or Dad. You can set your own award system for your family; maybe the kids earn collective "points" to get to plan a family activity, like a game night, pizza party, movie night etc. Rewards make it fun for the kids and give them something to work towards...it keeps them engaged which encourages their interest and consequently their participation. Plus, if you throw in a chore or two as objectives on their charts, their involvement in the program could end up being a load off of your shoulders too! :)

I hope you enjoy these activity charts and find them helpful in your own family, school or daycare! If you think of a fun & creative way to use them, would you let me know about it? I'd love to hear your ideas. You can leave a comment on this post or email me at homeeducationjournal@hotmail.com. Thanks so much!

credits:

fire engine image; banner image; fire department seal image; volunteer firefighter badge image; fire chief badge image; fireman image; AlexandriaFLF, by Casady & Greene; 101! Block LetterZ, by Nght's Place also: Fire & Rescue Decals