A Week, Briefly (6/15/20)
You know what I like about summer?
I like the fact that shorts and t-shirts take up a lot less room in the washing machine than long pants and sweatshirts.
I like the fact that I do half as much laundry and stay completely caught up.
Monday
Brother and Beowulf woke up more agitated than usual.
Meds did not help.
I reconsidered my plan for a field-trip-and-hike outing.
Then I decided that most behavior problems are fixed with distraction and outdoor activity, so we packed up and headed out the door.
Their behavior problems were not fixed with distraction and outdoor activity. It was a very unpleasant day with a few bright spots.
The best part was when Nature Angel spotted a sandy area near the cordoned off playground, and we were able to allow the whole crew a positive sensory experience.
It fixed much of what was wrong with our day . . . but not all of it.
At any rate, the pictures show the goodness of the day.
Hike #17 of 52--Van Meter State Park, Earthworks Trail
34.51 + 1 = 35.51 miles
We listened to about 5 chapters of Gone Away Lake on our way home, and then I had the kids wash the van for their afternoon water play while I made dinner.
There were a few exhausted breakdowns at the end of the day.
When I woke up Tuesday morning, I was dreading the day.
But it wasn't bad.
We stuck close to home.
Nature Angel, Little Princess, and I did a lot of planning and prep work for our summer camp at home next week.
We read some more about George Washington Carver, wrote about our field trip the day before, and read and drew some interesting things about Missouri.
Kids played in the mud while I had an ABA parent-training telehealth meeting.
Nature Angel and Little Princess harvested a batch of carrots from our garden.
We ended the day peacefully.
Wednesday morning I got up before the sun to get the kids up for a sunrise hike.
And then I felt the deep sleep of children in the pre-dawn hour, and I chickened out.
Instead Nature Angel and I went out to watch the sunrise from our front porch. We couldn't see it--too many trees.
So we watered the garden and enjoyed the cool morning air.
Then we had breakfast at the park.
I knitted.
Kids played and drank gallons of water.
I asked Little Princess to take a few pictures.
She's kind of an experimental, prefers-editing kind of photographer. On the camera roll were a couple dozen photos of odd scenes that were then edited to catch a certain movement or light.
As she hones this skill, she'll probably win awards someday.
But I need to remember that if all I want is proof that 8 kids were at the park engaged in creative, cooperative play, I need to send Nature Angel or take the pictures myself. :)
We had a quiet afternoon with school.
Early evening play included lots of mud, and when I called the kids in for dinner, Nature Angel had organized them into playing limbo with a jump rope.
On Thursday morning, Super Star went to work with Pixie to spend a full day observing the 2s-and-3s classroom at the daycare. She's since been offered a full-time job in that classroom with the promise that she can move to the 4s-and-5s room in August (which is the classroom she likes best). She came home exhausted but optimistic and said she'd accept the job the next morning.
I left the youngest kids playing outside while Sir Walter Scott continued repairs to our septic tank and leach lines and headed out with Nature Angel and Little Princess to pick up holds at the library and shop for our camp week next week.
We had our afternoon summer school. Nature Angel made this:
While the kids had quiet time, Nature Angel, Little Princess, and I made the camp t-shirts. Hand lettered and drawn--all 9 of them!
They're not professional-looking, but they're still awfully cute, and they cost us less than half of what they would have cost to order them from even the cheapest of the companies we found.
In the late afternoon, I took Belle out for the first driving lesson/practice she's been willing to have since the two accidents we had just before quarantine began. I'm so glad she's feeling brave and safe enough to drive again!
And Nature Angel whipped up this little cutie for Beowulf.
Honestly, she amazes me!
I dumped our plans to explore Lewis and Clark State Park on Friday morning in favor of a Classical Conversations information meeting at a park. I'm still trying so hard to find people for Nature Angel and Little Princess. They have perfectly nice kids that they like at church, but these kids are public-schooled in the same schools, and try as they might to be inclusive, the very nature of our days means that my girls are left out too often.
The homeschool group that worked so beautifully for my oldest 4 girls isn't working for these two.
Another group refused to let us participate because of our religion.
Another group was so loosely defined that we couldn't find our way.
Another group has a hefty monthly price tag.
I tried to form a group, but I couldn't when my little guys' needs were too desperately manifested.
Another one had kids who were mean--really mean--we left when my daughters were reduced to tears.
I asked about interest in forming a group again, but no one wanted to join us.
Another one collapsed on us after we'd already purchased supplies and worked our schedules out. Our registration fees were refunded, but we had to eat the cost of the supplies.
And this one has a hefty up-front price tag plus a time commitment on my part that might destroy our homeschool.
I'm starting to feel as if there's something important for us to learn.
Wish I knew what it was.
What I do know is that my daughters are lonely even in our big family. They have each other, but they also each need a kindred spirit--someone other than the sister with whom they share a room.
We're having a quiet afternoon.
No school.
We did listen to about an hour's worth of Gone Away Lake while we drove to and from our meeting at a park and an errand.
And Beowulf, Little Princess, and I worked on Beowulf's model wooden car kit.
It was really hard!
So far I've gotten one graduation photo.
Maybe more next week?
I like the fact that shorts and t-shirts take up a lot less room in the washing machine than long pants and sweatshirts.
I like the fact that I do half as much laundry and stay completely caught up.
Monday
Brother and Beowulf woke up more agitated than usual.
Meds did not help.
I reconsidered my plan for a field-trip-and-hike outing.
Then I decided that most behavior problems are fixed with distraction and outdoor activity, so we packed up and headed out the door.
Their behavior problems were not fixed with distraction and outdoor activity. It was a very unpleasant day with a few bright spots.
The best part was when Nature Angel spotted a sandy area near the cordoned off playground, and we were able to allow the whole crew a positive sensory experience.
It fixed much of what was wrong with our day . . . but not all of it.
At any rate, the pictures show the goodness of the day.
 |
| Our first stop was the American Indian Cultural Center. Our little group put them at half of the allowed capacity in these covid-limited times. But the rangers were very, very kind and welcoming to us. This is a model of a Native American home typical to this area prior to 1840 when they were all removed from the state. |
 |
| Yup, the kids asked, and that's a real bison head up there. |
 |
| The paintings by George Catlin and other artists were exquisite. |
 |
| I wonder what she's thinking . . . |
 |
| Oops. I'm not good at museum photography, but I couldn't pass over the wonder of my two littlest ones. |
 |
| Brother was hanging on by a thread as we got our picnic out. The kind park ranger let the kids take as many stickers as they wanted. |
 |
| We studied the park map together--trying to decide which trailhead we were closest to. |
 |
| No playground? No problem! Bike racks are fine for climbing play. :) |
 |
| Baymax found a snake skin right next to our picnic bench. I'd probably stepped on it several times without seeing it. |
 |
| The start of hike attempt #1 |
 |
| Then a rest at the sand pit at the playground--we stayed out of the cordoned-off area--to regroup. Having a sensory experience is a good idea when things go terribly, dangerously wrong. |
 |
| Nature Angel used the sand to practice writing in 4 different languages! |
 |
| Hike attempt #2 went better. We took the short loop, but we had fun going far more uphill than we realized until we got to come down the other side. :) |
Hike #17 of 52--Van Meter State Park, Earthworks Trail
34.51 + 1 = 35.51 miles
We listened to about 5 chapters of Gone Away Lake on our way home, and then I had the kids wash the van for their afternoon water play while I made dinner.
There were a few exhausted breakdowns at the end of the day.
When I woke up Tuesday morning, I was dreading the day.
But it wasn't bad.
We stuck close to home.
Nature Angel, Little Princess, and I did a lot of planning and prep work for our summer camp at home next week.
We read some more about George Washington Carver, wrote about our field trip the day before, and read and drew some interesting things about Missouri.
Kids played in the mud while I had an ABA parent-training telehealth meeting.
Nature Angel and Little Princess harvested a batch of carrots from our garden.
We ended the day peacefully.
Wednesday morning I got up before the sun to get the kids up for a sunrise hike.
And then I felt the deep sleep of children in the pre-dawn hour, and I chickened out.
Instead Nature Angel and I went out to watch the sunrise from our front porch. We couldn't see it--too many trees.
So we watered the garden and enjoyed the cool morning air.
Then we had breakfast at the park.
I knitted.
Kids played and drank gallons of water.
I asked Little Princess to take a few pictures.
She's kind of an experimental, prefers-editing kind of photographer. On the camera roll were a couple dozen photos of odd scenes that were then edited to catch a certain movement or light.
As she hones this skill, she'll probably win awards someday.
But I need to remember that if all I want is proof that 8 kids were at the park engaged in creative, cooperative play, I need to send Nature Angel or take the pictures myself. :)
We had a quiet afternoon with school.
Early evening play included lots of mud, and when I called the kids in for dinner, Nature Angel had organized them into playing limbo with a jump rope.
On Thursday morning, Super Star went to work with Pixie to spend a full day observing the 2s-and-3s classroom at the daycare. She's since been offered a full-time job in that classroom with the promise that she can move to the 4s-and-5s room in August (which is the classroom she likes best). She came home exhausted but optimistic and said she'd accept the job the next morning.
I left the youngest kids playing outside while Sir Walter Scott continued repairs to our septic tank and leach lines and headed out with Nature Angel and Little Princess to pick up holds at the library and shop for our camp week next week.
We had our afternoon summer school. Nature Angel made this:
While the kids had quiet time, Nature Angel, Little Princess, and I made the camp t-shirts. Hand lettered and drawn--all 9 of them!
They're not professional-looking, but they're still awfully cute, and they cost us less than half of what they would have cost to order them from even the cheapest of the companies we found.
In the late afternoon, I took Belle out for the first driving lesson/practice she's been willing to have since the two accidents we had just before quarantine began. I'm so glad she's feeling brave and safe enough to drive again!
And Nature Angel whipped up this little cutie for Beowulf.
Honestly, she amazes me!
I dumped our plans to explore Lewis and Clark State Park on Friday morning in favor of a Classical Conversations information meeting at a park. I'm still trying so hard to find people for Nature Angel and Little Princess. They have perfectly nice kids that they like at church, but these kids are public-schooled in the same schools, and try as they might to be inclusive, the very nature of our days means that my girls are left out too often.
The homeschool group that worked so beautifully for my oldest 4 girls isn't working for these two.
Another group refused to let us participate because of our religion.
Another group was so loosely defined that we couldn't find our way.
Another group has a hefty monthly price tag.
I tried to form a group, but I couldn't when my little guys' needs were too desperately manifested.
Another one had kids who were mean--really mean--we left when my daughters were reduced to tears.
I asked about interest in forming a group again, but no one wanted to join us.
Another one collapsed on us after we'd already purchased supplies and worked our schedules out. Our registration fees were refunded, but we had to eat the cost of the supplies.
And this one has a hefty up-front price tag plus a time commitment on my part that might destroy our homeschool.
I'm starting to feel as if there's something important for us to learn.
Wish I knew what it was.
What I do know is that my daughters are lonely even in our big family. They have each other, but they also each need a kindred spirit--someone other than the sister with whom they share a room.
We're having a quiet afternoon.
No school.
We did listen to about an hour's worth of Gone Away Lake while we drove to and from our meeting at a park and an errand.
And Beowulf, Little Princess, and I worked on Beowulf's model wooden car kit.
It was really hard!
So far I've gotten one graduation photo.
Maybe more next week?
I couldn't agree more about the laundry. I had a hard time finding a homeschool group for our special needs crew too. We loved 4H for a time. It worked well. We looked very carefully at Classical Conversations. We didn't do it. Between our special needs appointments and their required commitments, we would have lost every shred of our little homeschool. I am pretty sure it would have destroyed our love of learning as well. We found our community outside of the homeschool community in the end. I pray you find the right fit. I love the creative photography that Little Princess created.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Dawn
I also struggle with finding community for my kids. For us living in a rural area means that there aren't as many homeschoolers and we live farther apart. We have found a great match with our nature group because it suits all ages, but I have never been able to make a co-op work for us. I still don't know how this is going to evolve for us as the years go on . . .
ReplyDelete