I found a link for Courtney that gives tests over books then awards point that can be traded in on small prizes. I hesitated on whether or not post the link because I'm not overly thrilled about awarding kids for (or bribing kids into) reading. If you give kids good books with real story lines reading becomes the reward.
A child of mine specifically asked for AR tests. Knowing this child well and seeing that her head is constantly buried in a book regardless of points given I decided to use it as another tool at my disposal to test comprehension.
There are a few prizes you can have mailed after your child collects a certain number of points which could have some value with a really reluctant reader :)
http://bookadventure.com/
Monday, March 21, 2011
First swim of the season
Wouldn't it be kewl if this post has a picture? Well, it dosen't but one day soon I'll actually get pictures and post them.
I got a new camera. I brought it to the hotel with me. We all got ready to go swimming and I left it up in the room. Mr. Hyper boy was already 1. In a strange new place 2. Dressed and ready to go swimming 3. Had the pool in sight.
He has a very hard time understanding we are coming right back. I wanted him and the girls to have a good time and I knew if I drug him out of the pool area and back upstairs for the camera I'd be in for quite a tantrum.
I did not want to deal with a screaming 9 year old dropping to the floor in the middle of hotel halls :) Therefore, our first swim of the season is picture free.
Babycakes improved on her swimming skills and will be swimming more the last 9 weeks of school for her P.E. credit. Spunky monkey met a little friend and had a great time diving for coins. Mr Hyper just amazed me with his progress in just an hour! In the past he has always spent most of the time just sitting on the side of the pool then clinging to me so badly I needed a crowbar to pry him off. I can't figure it out though because this is the same child that has gone running into our pond, would take 5 baths a day if I let him and would likely go right into the lake behind our house if given a chance. He has absolutely 0 fear of water everywhere except swimming pools.
Yesterday I let him spend about 10 minutes sitting at the side of the pool. He needs that time to really asses his surroundings and get comfortable. Once he seemed to relax a bit I brought him in the pool to bounce and play motor boat a bit.
Then I got him to let go of me and hang on to the side alone for a minute. It helped build confidence in him and gave me a chance to work with the girls. Once I took him off the side he was happily willing to just hold onto my hands instead of my entire body using both his arms and legs. He kicked his legs, blew bubbles for me and squealed with delight.
At the end we got in the hot tub for a few minutes to warm up. Mr. Hyper laid his head on my shoulder and almost fell asleep.
Oh yea! Me thinks we will be going swimming a LOT this year ;)
I got a new camera. I brought it to the hotel with me. We all got ready to go swimming and I left it up in the room. Mr. Hyper boy was already 1. In a strange new place 2. Dressed and ready to go swimming 3. Had the pool in sight.
He has a very hard time understanding we are coming right back. I wanted him and the girls to have a good time and I knew if I drug him out of the pool area and back upstairs for the camera I'd be in for quite a tantrum.
I did not want to deal with a screaming 9 year old dropping to the floor in the middle of hotel halls :) Therefore, our first swim of the season is picture free.
Babycakes improved on her swimming skills and will be swimming more the last 9 weeks of school for her P.E. credit. Spunky monkey met a little friend and had a great time diving for coins. Mr Hyper just amazed me with his progress in just an hour! In the past he has always spent most of the time just sitting on the side of the pool then clinging to me so badly I needed a crowbar to pry him off. I can't figure it out though because this is the same child that has gone running into our pond, would take 5 baths a day if I let him and would likely go right into the lake behind our house if given a chance. He has absolutely 0 fear of water everywhere except swimming pools.
Yesterday I let him spend about 10 minutes sitting at the side of the pool. He needs that time to really asses his surroundings and get comfortable. Once he seemed to relax a bit I brought him in the pool to bounce and play motor boat a bit.
Then I got him to let go of me and hang on to the side alone for a minute. It helped build confidence in him and gave me a chance to work with the girls. Once I took him off the side he was happily willing to just hold onto my hands instead of my entire body using both his arms and legs. He kicked his legs, blew bubbles for me and squealed with delight.
At the end we got in the hot tub for a few minutes to warm up. Mr. Hyper laid his head on my shoulder and almost fell asleep.
Oh yea! Me thinks we will be going swimming a LOT this year ;)
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Little heathen bodies all over my house.
Today Ive taken deep breaths while waiting at the doctor with my son and little 4 year old C. We had to wait a very long time to get seen but wait we must as N had a very high fever....which dosen't mix well with his seizure disorder. During this time I hear no less than 130 times from MR C " I want to watch Toy Story 3" . Breathe, redirect , move on.
Off to pick up the twins. Now these little guys have downs but don't let that fool you...they are clever. I got such sweet smiles as they climbed in my car ready to go home with me. The sweetness was short lived. They fed cheese crackers to my carpet soon after we got home and took juice in the living room and spilled it. It's a good thing they are great at helping clean up :)
N was done with being calm and patient for the day so it was time to hit H in the car. What on earth do you do when one is hitting another in the back? If I keep pulling over I will never get there.
On to big K and C. I must brag they are huge helpers but there was worry about not being able to get K's mom on the phone and I worried with them. At least untill A decided to attach to me like velcro.
A , along with N and C have the flu. A however did not want to accept the fact that despite everything I had tried she still did not feel one bit better. I failed miserably in my reaction to this child who demanded more sympathy than I had the strength and patience to give.
Now I look around at all 7 of their sweet sleeping faces and I love them all over again. I hope they feel the same way in the morning.
Off to pick up the twins. Now these little guys have downs but don't let that fool you...they are clever. I got such sweet smiles as they climbed in my car ready to go home with me. The sweetness was short lived. They fed cheese crackers to my carpet soon after we got home and took juice in the living room and spilled it. It's a good thing they are great at helping clean up :)
N was done with being calm and patient for the day so it was time to hit H in the car. What on earth do you do when one is hitting another in the back? If I keep pulling over I will never get there.
On to big K and C. I must brag they are huge helpers but there was worry about not being able to get K's mom on the phone and I worried with them. At least untill A decided to attach to me like velcro.
A , along with N and C have the flu. A however did not want to accept the fact that despite everything I had tried she still did not feel one bit better. I failed miserably in my reaction to this child who demanded more sympathy than I had the strength and patience to give.
Now I look around at all 7 of their sweet sleeping faces and I love them all over again. I hope they feel the same way in the morning.
Monday, February 14, 2011
A Prayer Request
Ive decided that writing about all the frustrating things that have happened over the past couple of weeks can wait one more day.
In the meantime, I have a much more important matter. Will you please join me in praying for J and his family. It breaks my heart . J is a sweet boy in Nates special needs class who always has a smile or a hug for me. His mother passed away recently.
I just hope he will feel the arms of Jesus wrapped around him and know he is not alone as he comes to fully understand what happened. :(
In the meantime, I have a much more important matter. Will you please join me in praying for J and his family. It breaks my heart . J is a sweet boy in Nates special needs class who always has a smile or a hug for me. His mother passed away recently.
I just hope he will feel the arms of Jesus wrapped around him and know he is not alone as he comes to fully understand what happened. :(
Monday, January 24, 2011
Homeschool?
Right now my children are wards of the state.2 of the 3 will be coming home next year and I can't wait. No, child protective services didn't take them away or anything like that :) they go to public school. From 7:30 a.m -3:20 pm each weekday the state tells them when and how long to work on a subject, what to learn, when to eat, when they can use the restroom, ect.
Ok I'm hearing it already gee, isn't that a bit harsh N-sanity? What about the excellent highly trained teachers? What about preparing for college? Socialization, working together on projects? How about that nifty free breakfast for all and for some kids free lunch? Some kids wouldn't eat if it were not for the free breakfast and lunch at school. Why!?? would you want to home school?
To make it clear, I love love LOVE many of the teachers in our district.I am thankful to have great teachers for my kids while I recovered this year. Most really seem to have a huge heart for our kiddos. They give up their personal time to run booths at carnivals and teach at church functions after school hours. They really want to see the kids succeed but they are limited. They have classes of 20-30 students which makes it impossible to teach one on one. They are forced to teach by the curriculum .As trained as they may be, I know my children best. At home I can slow down if one is not getting a concept or move on when I see they are getting bored. If a certain curriculum dosen't click with my children I can change it.
College? Homeschooled students do better on standardized tests and college entry. On average homeschooled students scored higher on standardized tests, and are admitted into honors classes at a higher rate.
Socialization and group projects? Ok even those who really object to homeschooling will usually admit that, on average we are out involved in the community and don't lock our kids in a dungeon under the house. In my adult life I cannot think of a time I was put on a project because my last name was in the v-z range or because all people of the same age were assigned to it. No, it was based on whether my ability, interest, education, and personality would contribute to the project in a positive way.
All over the U.S. kids and parents get together in co-ops. They have classes, take field trips together, put on plays and musicals, and preform service projects together. There are people of different ages and talents working together with younger or less experienced ones learning as they go.
The last common subject, school breakfast and lunches. At risk of sounding callous, I must say it is the parent's responsibility to feed their children not the school's. If food is honestly a problem there are many ways to lower other expenses or get assistance that not only feed kids but feed them much healthier meals than served at most public schools.
Why would I want to homeschool? Because I'm selfish :) I like being the first one they come tell the end of their book to , the one the practice reciting their bible versus to, the one that gets to watch the light bulb go off when they finally get how to write 25,000,000 in expanded notation by powers of 10, and the one they snuggle up with in the early morning as the bus drives right on by :)
Ok I'm hearing it already gee, isn't that a bit harsh N-sanity? What about the excellent highly trained teachers? What about preparing for college? Socialization, working together on projects? How about that nifty free breakfast for all and for some kids free lunch? Some kids wouldn't eat if it were not for the free breakfast and lunch at school. Why!?? would you want to home school?
To make it clear, I love love LOVE many of the teachers in our district.I am thankful to have great teachers for my kids while I recovered this year. Most really seem to have a huge heart for our kiddos. They give up their personal time to run booths at carnivals and teach at church functions after school hours. They really want to see the kids succeed but they are limited. They have classes of 20-30 students which makes it impossible to teach one on one. They are forced to teach by the curriculum .As trained as they may be, I know my children best. At home I can slow down if one is not getting a concept or move on when I see they are getting bored. If a certain curriculum dosen't click with my children I can change it.
College? Homeschooled students do better on standardized tests and college entry. On average homeschooled students scored higher on standardized tests, and are admitted into honors classes at a higher rate.
Socialization and group projects? Ok even those who really object to homeschooling will usually admit that, on average we are out involved in the community and don't lock our kids in a dungeon under the house. In my adult life I cannot think of a time I was put on a project because my last name was in the v-z range or because all people of the same age were assigned to it. No, it was based on whether my ability, interest, education, and personality would contribute to the project in a positive way.
All over the U.S. kids and parents get together in co-ops. They have classes, take field trips together, put on plays and musicals, and preform service projects together. There are people of different ages and talents working together with younger or less experienced ones learning as they go.
The last common subject, school breakfast and lunches. At risk of sounding callous, I must say it is the parent's responsibility to feed their children not the school's. If food is honestly a problem there are many ways to lower other expenses or get assistance that not only feed kids but feed them much healthier meals than served at most public schools.
Why would I want to homeschool? Because I'm selfish :) I like being the first one they come tell the end of their book to , the one the practice reciting their bible versus to, the one that gets to watch the light bulb go off when they finally get how to write 25,000,000 in expanded notation by powers of 10, and the one they snuggle up with in the early morning as the bus drives right on by :)
Friday, January 21, 2011
One smart kid ;)
I have several things I want to write about but just don't have the words right now. I also have a sick little one so instead I leave you with this awesome video.
Sorry I cannot seem to get the actual video in my post so you'll just have to click the linky.
http://www.godvine.com/Boy-Reveals-Jesus-in-Every-Book-of-the-Bible-201.html
Sorry I cannot seem to get the actual video in my post so you'll just have to click the linky.
http://www.godvine.com/Boy-Reveals-Jesus-in-Every-Book-of-the-Bible-201.html
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Cautiously Optimistic
Tomorrow Nate and I will drive into Dallas to see a new pediatrician. This is a test visit to see if we will transfer all of our children's care to him. Recently our old pedi dismissed us from her practice. If feel its unethical of her to see my children for 3 years then suddenly leave them without care esp my youngest who has asthma and my middle who has seizures.
I can't say I'm looking forward to going to yet another doctor,but not providing my children with medical care would be negligent at best.
I am hopeful that he dosen't always see the answer in a pill. I'm not against medication :) At times, such as when my little one can't breathe, I thank god that it is available. I just hope that he is willing to help me find ways to Prevent the symptoms from showing up instead of just treating them as they do. I hope that questioning any proposed treatment will not only be allowed but encouraged.
Is that really to much to ask out of a doctor?
I can't say I'm looking forward to going to yet another doctor,but not providing my children with medical care would be negligent at best.
I am hopeful that he dosen't always see the answer in a pill. I'm not against medication :) At times, such as when my little one can't breathe, I thank god that it is available. I just hope that he is willing to help me find ways to Prevent the symptoms from showing up instead of just treating them as they do. I hope that questioning any proposed treatment will not only be allowed but encouraged.
Is that really to much to ask out of a doctor?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)