Will have to wait until Aug 30th

I had really hoped that I could get started before I began school for the girls. The next session I can enroll in will begin on Aug 30th, to make it easier for me I will begin the girls school the week before. Besides our pool will still be open and we can use some swim time our PE time as well. 

I know that I am to further my own education as well. I have felt it for several years.  All the financial paperwork is just not completed for me to begin next week.

Preparing the girls to take me seriously

Today they asked if we could begin school yet?  This is two days in a row.  I know I am not ready but thought that perhaps their eagerness should be my guide.  After all, they will have to take this grandmother more serious and pay attention when I begin to teach them on purpose.

I do so much every day with them that is a guide and teaching experience but that is life and love learning, not purposeful learning.

SO I told them that although it is not yet school time we will practice our listening skills, our cooperation and sharing of things and my attention and we will begin learning to relax during our practice school time.

We gathered at the table with some water colors. F needed one on one attention to begin this task and G was praised on her patience while I worked with F.

[caption id="attachment_83" align="alignnone" width="150" caption="Just one of the painting in a calm listening environment"][/caption]

  We all purposefully relaxed during this time and found that within only a few minutes the entire room was calm and attention was so good that I felt joyful deep inside.

Right now it is so peaceful as they use the water colors that I think I could nap.  And just as I expected. G is now teaching F about primary colors and what colors mixed together will make more colors. 

Begin July5th

I am suppose to begin on July 5th with my class as I reach for my stars.  I hope to complete my advanced nursing degree.  We had so many unexpected this year with my own illness and then my daughter's extended illness, I am tyring  to stay committed to this start date.

I am faithful and believe if God intends for this to happen it will be revealed to me. 

Next week is VBS and the following I should be online in class.

Consumed with desire

I continue to find myself consumed with getting ready for this home school adventure. I found a local group that we will check out on July 29th. I am not sure it will be a good fit or not but we will not know if we do not go. Girls are excited about what their future education will be. I have created an elaborate plan for the first day of school. We want the home school advantage and close family ties, less junk in our lives in dealing with the public school but we also want them to experience the excitement of the first day of school.
I took time this week to review some basic math with G which gave me a good start point. I also know that we will have to work more with money total values and tens, hundreds places. I did this with her when she just was not understanding how to form two digit numbers. I find that she figured it out but then forgot why as she had finally miemorized it. I do not know if that makes any sense fo another person or not.
For F this summer I am trying to work with phonics. I really think come November after she is four I will begin a late start school year for her and begin the K program. Still sorting that one out, and it will be up to her parents as the final word.

I plan to keep that in my mind at all times. I will plan and teach and foster their growth but the decisions about them are not in my hands but rather their parents. I know my duaghter really wants to do this herself but life has just not handed that to her as a possibility right now. We will be great partners I am sure.

Have completed most of the classroom plans in my head, now to make it a reality.
That will be all for now.

Flag for the classroom

No big deal yet but today while at ACE hardward there were American Flags just the perfect size for the room. G and F got all excited and asked if they could buy it for their classroom. SO the first item has been placed in the room even if the new floor it not yet there.

It will be a while before I have more to add here I am sure but will put up little steps as we climb them.

And So the decision is made

I have decided to make a blog of this experience. It will include my struggles, the struggles and achievements of G and F. It will serve as a diary so to speak that will be able to be document progress as well. Perhaps others will decide to follow along with us as well.

I am the grandmother to G  who is 6 yrs old and entering 1st grade as we begin, and to F who is 3 1/2 yrs old. 

G is reading books from the I CAN READ series with rarely help with 2-3 words in each book.  I believe her math skills are up to date, understanding addition and subtraction concepts She is able to write her numbers to 100 although sometimes in review she is distracted but catches her own errors.  G had a rough experience in K public school, although she learned a lot she also began to beat herself up over errors.  My goal this first year will be to re-install confidence and build self-esteem.

F is ready to begin K when you check her academic level but is not yet compliant with doing what I ask of her when i ask it. As of today she will enjoy one game of candy land but about two turns into the second one she becomes disruptive. I can only speculate that she is then not ready for a day of school.  She is able to not only count to 17 but understands it has a value.  She knows all of her colors and shapes as well and her tracing a line is improving.  I expect that she will be ready in about 6 months. Her speech is unbelievably good and she has memorized nearly all nursery rhymes, The Pledge of Allegiance, and several songs.  My goal for F this year is to help her find her own individual likes and dislikes as she often follows along with sister, I believe she has the ability to be a leader and not a follower.

The decision of what program to use is up the their parents. We will use the Calvert curriculum. 

I will be making a classroom for the two of them from the smaller bedroom. We have considered the larger extra room but I need bed space for guest as well. The room is not very large, it is about 10 x 10. It is brightly painted yellow so I will keep that for now.  I am not sure what all I will need yet or how to design it for a positive experience.