Some Highlights from Our First Week

Thanks be to God that our first week of homeschooling went quite well. I had anticipated that my kids would fight over materials, that Matthew would play with all the materials or hop back and forth between the learning room and play room, that Joyce would complain that she is not interested in any of the work, that they would last through the work period. Well, none of that happened! Each morning, they were able to "do work" for 1.5 hours, and on a couple of days, I had to cut them off. I know this won't always be the case, and it's most likely the novelty of "doing school at home" that's keeping them interested. I'll work hard to try to make things interesting and engaging for them. Here is a summary of what they've been doing this week:

Matthew is in a sensitive period with water. He likes to transfer water with whatever container or utensil he can grab, during or outside work period. I've found him standing in front of the kitchen sink and scooping water with a spoon, back and forth between bowls. He is enjoying building the pink tower again, which is nice. For a while I thought both of them had completely lost interest in it. He also loves animals. I'm so thankful for that because everyday he goes through most of the 5 animal puzzles and that is usually a good time for me to show Joyce something new :) (Usually I alternate between showing them a new presentation while the other one is doing something on his/her own. It is working out nicely and they're not fighting for my attention all the time.) Another favourite activity for him is the knobbed cylinders. He usually picks at least 2 per day. It is amazing to see a bouncy and chatty 2.5 year old boy sitting still, completely focused, placing little pieces of wood into holes in silence.

Joyce is already an expert in a lot of the practical life and sensorial materials, and she likes to show Matthew how things are done (she likes doing that a lot and claims that "I am a teacher also." :) She's enjoys working with the moveable alphabets, reading simple 3-letter words with CHC's Little Stories for Little Folks, and the bank game.
She has been having fun with this wooden puzzle where each shape is split in half in 3 different ways. Just a few months ago she was haivng problems with them and got frustrated easily, but this time around, I gently gave her a few tips and she was able to persevere and figure it out. It is heartwarming to see her beaming with confidence after completing it.

It has been a very good week indeed. Thank you Lord for guiding us. Thank you Mother Mary for watching over us.