Just a quick link to an interesting article in the New York Times. This takes a load off of teachers and parents, who believe that there are some things a child will grow out of. I don’t want to say that there aren’t developmental disorders that are there for life, just that it may pay to be patient. Charlotte Mason was right on when she advocated lots of outdoor time for kids in the early elementary years.
Bad Behavior Does Not Doom Pupils, Studies Say
Enjoy.
November is now in full swing and T is only two weeks away from finishing the readings from Year 2 (we make take a little longer with Robin Hood). We did take a week off to fully enjoy the flu. By the end of the month, he will be starting Year 3. I’ve fallen into the trap of trying to do too many things that are unrelated to Ambleside. I’ve decided to discontinue Explode the Code for both boys for now. They just don’t seem to need it, and it is really too easy for them. We’ve had great success with Sequential Spelling. It just seems like overkill to include an extra phonics program. Ambleside recommends that, in addition to the readings, kids should study "…daily penmanship, phonics, math, and foreign language, as well as weekly nature study, art, music, and handicrafts." We already do Italics and copywork; Sequential Spelling counts as phonics; and we’re using Greek as our foreign language (we’re planning to start Latin in later in November or in December). I’ve been too lax about remembering to include artist & composer studies, poetry, nature study and handicrafts. Also, both boys are learning to type and play piano. Enough is enough!
I know I haven’t posted in a long time. But, you know what? I am not going to apologize. Lately, life has just been more important. Nothing spectacular, just regular, everyday ole’ life.
Life is more important than the internet. Just in case you missed that, LIFE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE INTERNET. However, the internet is fun. And interesting. And exciting. And boring. And often, a waste of time. There is a place for all of that.
The other day, my oldest pulled me away from checking my e-mail for the umpteenth time. We played several exciting games of tic-tac-toe. The difference was, I was playing with my son. We only played for 5 or 10 minutes. We tied most games. Each of us won at least once. We talked, we giggled. We decided that the pencil really won. That was way more important than the internet.
So, if you’re reading this instead of playing with your kids, talking to your spouse, or petting your cat or dog with undivided attention, I urge you to log off, put the computer to sleep, and spend some time with the outside world. Even staring into space has its benefits.
