Oh how I love them.
Showing posts with label Rythems. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rythems. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
What the beginning of January looked like
So when we structure time not content, take our littles lead, play LOTS, Read LOTS what does it all look like. Well here is the first two weeks in Jan for you as a picture. The theme was little Misses choice I just Googled, Pintreset ( here is a sneak peek at the second half of Jan) and 1+1+1=1 activities or as we call them " crafts". We also utilized the Jan material from Earth schooling. Simply because we had to purchase the materials for Earth Schooling I won't post the oral stories, poems and songs we used.
Our Day
Little Miss gets up at just about 7:30am and Wee One is up shortly after that round 8am. After cuddles we head into the playroom, open the curtains, feed our fish, feed the cats get Mama Coffee and then sing our Morning song.
Our Morning song
given to us by a Waldorf teacher on Whidbey Island
Good morning to you and sweet they day.
May Angels surround you
and under their watch keep you.
Good day, good day,
Good morning, Good day.
Some point between making breakfast and getting dressed Little Miss looks at our "Today is" pouch and says "That's not what today is!" We use quarter sheets of watercolor paper painted to progress through the rainbow from red to purple with each day written in the upper left hand corner and the planet the day is named after in the lower right. One of us switches out the day and I ask if she knows what day it is and what planet the day is named for. Then I ask if she wants to find that planet or read about it in a book we got from the library. A few mornings we built the solar system on our felt board. This all took any where from two minutes to fifteen. the information and I are available to share. She is not required, but she like many kids at this age Little Miss is a sponge!
I then ask Little Miss to either help me make breakfast or play with Wee One. My real life friend at True Confessions of a Real Mommy has a great post about Littles in the kitchen.
As we make breakfast I don't say " Hey little Miss come help." I instead ask her to pick a specific task. " Can you help me mix the eggs?" or "Will you help sister build a tower?" I specify because she does notice the difference. She has said to me " Mama when you say 'Little Miss do this' it hurts my feelings. It's not kind." Yeah that is hard to hear but it's spot on. I try think how do you want to be lead or spoken to? How do effective leaders speak to the people around them to inspire them to do their best?
It's Breakfast time and getting ready for the day. Depending on the nights sleep this may include a story or two scattered here or there for some positive reconnecting time. Part of getting ready for the day in our home is getting the house ready for our day. This includes vacuuming, sweeping, picking up the toy or books that are about. We do this in little chunks. Little Miss is what ever character she wants that day, it's either a train or Ira "Her Pony" which lives at her Grannies house. Then I have her "scoop hay" or " shunt freight" aka pick up X.
All this gets done by 10ish. You see if food is not in our bodies by 10am and Wee One is not cuddled, we get what I call the 10am melt down. Then based on energy levels, weather and schedule it's outside/ indoor physical play. We will walk around our neighborhood or run the Kentucky derby in our home. Followed by crafts, stories, building, playing singing together. If she wants to craft I offer suggestions, materials or ask what she is thinking.
Then we lunch, rest which takes us to 3ish and back to more crafting, stories, etc. Some days we make dinner together others I set her up with a craft or just let the littles play.
At this phase in TJEd, the littles are in Core phase. It's not about reading or letters or school. It's about good vs bad, right vs wrong. It's about learning to be a good strong, loving, person who is rooted in the family. So is my focus during the day getting through any of the stuff I looked up on line? NO! That is just icing on cake to keep her from bouncing off the walls with boredom. To challenge her mind and have fun.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Communication is Key
Ever feel anxious? Like you have one million things to get done, organized, set up as well as places to go all at once. Then on top of all that your supposed to be respectful, kind to others needs/ wants and find time to relax.
Well this balancing act has been one of my greatest fails. I'm a nervous anxious wreck. I am disorganized, stressed, short and never give my family, especially my Partner down time.
Until today my Partner introduced me to project management. This I have to say this is amazing. Basically you take a monster task, break it down into it's components, then figure out the tools and time you will need to successfully complete the task. Next coordinate with peoples needed,plan the time frame and structure need to accomplish the goal. Finally EXECUTE!
Today this took us 35mins to coordinate our elfing endeavors. He mapped out a time table across the top of the window and then a left hand column wrote goal and tasks. Be broke it down, assigned roles figured out how much time we needed. Four and a half hours later we have almost everything done, STRESS FREE! Amazing. No anxiety, anger, resentment and we have had time to do other things at the same time.
I am thankful beyond words for his help. It's more than a crating a rhythm because we had a goal. We had required content that needed to be respectfully integrated into our rhythm.
Well this balancing act has been one of my greatest fails. I'm a nervous anxious wreck. I am disorganized, stressed, short and never give my family, especially my Partner down time.
Until today my Partner introduced me to project management. This I have to say this is amazing. Basically you take a monster task, break it down into it's components, then figure out the tools and time you will need to successfully complete the task. Next coordinate with peoples needed,plan the time frame and structure need to accomplish the goal. Finally EXECUTE!
Today this took us 35mins to coordinate our elfing endeavors. He mapped out a time table across the top of the window and then a left hand column wrote goal and tasks. Be broke it down, assigned roles figured out how much time we needed. Four and a half hours later we have almost everything done, STRESS FREE! Amazing. No anxiety, anger, resentment and we have had time to do other things at the same time.
I am thankful beyond words for his help. It's more than a crating a rhythm because we had a goal. We had required content that needed to be respectfully integrated into our rhythm.
Monday, December 12, 2011
And I fade into the background
In our family learning to work is very important. We work at keeping our home clean and safe. We work at cooking, creating, listening and I think most importantly at my kidos age, playing.
Learning to work is important for many reasons. The focus we develop, love of challenges, figuring out solutions, working together/ group dynamics, taking turns all comes from work. It's something I think our society shies away from. Work becomes a dirty word. Connotations of taking childhood away and forcing an adult world come immediately to mind.
Yet just now I faded into the background to let my two littles do the work they needed to do. It's the work of Children to process their world and how they want to operate in it. It gives them time to process all the boundaries and structure we impose. Seriously I have to remember even in keeping them safe they have to yield a lot of control. Car seats, holding hand in a parking lot, stay away from the street,don't play with the blinds cord the list goes on and on.
With in play my Big is creating and dealing with social relationships. Her train are apologizing taking turns. My little is pulling to a stand, sorting toys, pilling and chattering. It's only for 10 mins at the most but without me they practiced living and participating in an adult world.
" excuse me mama." And then I am needed.
Learning to work is important for many reasons. The focus we develop, love of challenges, figuring out solutions, working together/ group dynamics, taking turns all comes from work. It's something I think our society shies away from. Work becomes a dirty word. Connotations of taking childhood away and forcing an adult world come immediately to mind.
Yet just now I faded into the background to let my two littles do the work they needed to do. It's the work of Children to process their world and how they want to operate in it. It gives them time to process all the boundaries and structure we impose. Seriously I have to remember even in keeping them safe they have to yield a lot of control. Car seats, holding hand in a parking lot, stay away from the street,don't play with the blinds cord the list goes on and on.
With in play my Big is creating and dealing with social relationships. Her train are apologizing taking turns. My little is pulling to a stand, sorting toys, pilling and chattering. It's only for 10 mins at the most but without me they practiced living and participating in an adult world.
" excuse me mama." And then I am needed.
Monday, December 5, 2011
A Little less Conversation, A Little More Action
Ever feel as a parent that you say the same thing over and over and over again? I think in general the answer is YES!
Today in the car I had a brief ah yes moment. My Big asked me to tell her yet another story about her two favorite characters. This has been her constant request for the last two weeks or so.
I suddely relised two things. One I keep telling her later with out giving a specified time. Two, she asks when there is a pause, lull nothing going on. She isn't really asking for a story but interaction!
So I give my theory a test drive. I say " Big, Momma isn't going to tell a H/C story for the rest of the way home. I'll talk with you though. Hey check out the ice on those trees! Why is there Ice on the trees to the left and not the right?" This lead to a long talk about the sun, earths rotation, fog, winter, ice, shadows, sun in our eyes and how hot we felt in the car even with the heat now off. It was our whole drive. No more tell me stories we were engaged.
Then tonight my DH and I were trying to get Big out the door to get a tree. We finally decided to break down her tasks; socks, shoes, coat out the door. Then gave her a time frame. We did what we needed to do and didn't say a word more other than you have one min left for X task. Tada! OUT the door not problems.
So when I say more action less talk. I mean more meaningful direct dialog and doing or modeling. With far less standing, ordering, nagging , repeating or feeling angry.
Today in the car I had a brief ah yes moment. My Big asked me to tell her yet another story about her two favorite characters. This has been her constant request for the last two weeks or so.
I suddely relised two things. One I keep telling her later with out giving a specified time. Two, she asks when there is a pause, lull nothing going on. She isn't really asking for a story but interaction!
So I give my theory a test drive. I say " Big, Momma isn't going to tell a H/C story for the rest of the way home. I'll talk with you though. Hey check out the ice on those trees! Why is there Ice on the trees to the left and not the right?" This lead to a long talk about the sun, earths rotation, fog, winter, ice, shadows, sun in our eyes and how hot we felt in the car even with the heat now off. It was our whole drive. No more tell me stories we were engaged.
Then tonight my DH and I were trying to get Big out the door to get a tree. We finally decided to break down her tasks; socks, shoes, coat out the door. Then gave her a time frame. We did what we needed to do and didn't say a word more other than you have one min left for X task. Tada! OUT the door not problems.
So when I say more action less talk. I mean more meaningful direct dialog and doing or modeling. With far less standing, ordering, nagging , repeating or feeling angry.
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