Once in a very long while, I get to really enjoy my Fridays.
Most of the piano lessons have been done (only the Goob's to go!). (Here is an old post about my philosophy behind piano lessons.) I like to make sure it is a cozy focused time. Sometimes I will play with their hair while they play, do a quick back rub when they seem to be getting uptight. I want it to be positive. I don't feel prompted to push any of my kids beyond their self-directed desire to push themselves in piano. I read in one book how about 30% of piano practice time should be spent reviewing old songs to strengthen skills (and love!!!) of the learner. If I sense that they are getting uncomfortable, I try to assess where they are at and ease off most of the time. I push them in many other areas: self-discipline, jobs, etc. Piano and music is not one in our house but has successfully been an area to help encourage self-discipline in other homes. To each their own!
All the classes happened this week, the kids have kept up on their basics each day and we can really enjoy this day! (Note! this is exciting because it never happens!!) Next week, it won't be this way because we will be visiting a friend in southern New York until Tuesday morning, so we are going to push back all of our days by one. But, hey! We will be helping with a maple syrup sap "run" so that will be awesome.
So today the boys did their seminary in the morning while the rest of us did work. Breakfast was done by my 13 year old and we ate that before 8 am, which is always better for our days. I had devotional ready by 9 which we did lickety-split so we could sneak in a half hour at the gym before Avot and Lek headed out to do scripture study with the Elders.
While they were gone, all the kids had their jobs done, so no extra jobs but plenty to be done. Sigh. I guess I will have to clean up after the disaster always left by reflection books, pens and whatever random stuff the littles bring to the table.
As some of the kids were doing Duolingo, piano and math on their own, I realized I had time. This is the first calm time I have had since I don't know when.
Realizing that, I thought of the luscious pile of historical library books I had picked up yesterday at the library as part of my "Imaginative Arts" day.
Here are the titles, if someone wants to check them out:
Books:
"Death of the Iron Horse" by Goble
"Coolies" by Yin
"Katie's Wish" by Hazen
"Henry's Freedom Box: a true story of the Underground Railroad" by Levine
Ending on a fun note: "The Toughest Cowboy" by Frank
I basically skim the titles on my shelf or the library and look for anything that fleshes out or gives different perspectives on things we are studying in history: post Civil-war to 1900. These are the ones above that wonderfully reinforced what I have studied and either already brought out in "time machines" or just that I never covered but wanted to. Most of them were pretty serious and thought-provoking. The kids were bothered by the treatment of different people in some of the examples in the stories and I justified those emotions, telling them they are good sympathies and put there for a reason. (Sometimes I find "dud" books. I just talk to the kids about why they are not good or just skim it and change it and then take it back asap to the library. Young ages is not the time for exploration into alternate world views, in my mind.)
Someone said that I must know how to ask good questions. Normally I actually just let them ask the questions, actually. When I do ask questions, I just think about how I could get myself to understand more about the subject or try to find ways to genuinely discover what they feel about something. Once they know that I am sincere (and I am! I have been taught so much by my littles, not to mention my "bigs"!!), they really seem to open up when they do have something to share.
Most of the piano lessons have been done (only the Goob's to go!). (Here is an old post about my philosophy behind piano lessons.) I like to make sure it is a cozy focused time. Sometimes I will play with their hair while they play, do a quick back rub when they seem to be getting uptight. I want it to be positive. I don't feel prompted to push any of my kids beyond their self-directed desire to push themselves in piano. I read in one book how about 30% of piano practice time should be spent reviewing old songs to strengthen skills (and love!!!) of the learner. If I sense that they are getting uncomfortable, I try to assess where they are at and ease off most of the time. I push them in many other areas: self-discipline, jobs, etc. Piano and music is not one in our house but has successfully been an area to help encourage self-discipline in other homes. To each their own!
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| Here is Liliputian sporting a cozy robe while we play :). |
All the classes happened this week, the kids have kept up on their basics each day and we can really enjoy this day! (Note! this is exciting because it never happens!!) Next week, it won't be this way because we will be visiting a friend in southern New York until Tuesday morning, so we are going to push back all of our days by one. But, hey! We will be helping with a maple syrup sap "run" so that will be awesome.
So today the boys did their seminary in the morning while the rest of us did work. Breakfast was done by my 13 year old and we ate that before 8 am, which is always better for our days. I had devotional ready by 9 which we did lickety-split so we could sneak in a half hour at the gym before Avot and Lek headed out to do scripture study with the Elders.
While they were gone, all the kids had their jobs done, so no extra jobs but plenty to be done. Sigh. I guess I will have to clean up after the disaster always left by reflection books, pens and whatever random stuff the littles bring to the table.
As some of the kids were doing Duolingo, piano and math on their own, I realized I had time. This is the first calm time I have had since I don't know when.
Realizing that, I thought of the luscious pile of historical library books I had picked up yesterday at the library as part of my "Imaginative Arts" day.
Here are the titles, if someone wants to check them out:Books:
"Death of the Iron Horse" by Goble
"Coolies" by Yin
"Katie's Wish" by Hazen
"Henry's Freedom Box: a true story of the Underground Railroad" by Levine
Ending on a fun note: "The Toughest Cowboy" by Frank
I basically skim the titles on my shelf or the library and look for anything that fleshes out or gives different perspectives on things we are studying in history: post Civil-war to 1900. These are the ones above that wonderfully reinforced what I have studied and either already brought out in "time machines" or just that I never covered but wanted to. Most of them were pretty serious and thought-provoking. The kids were bothered by the treatment of different people in some of the examples in the stories and I justified those emotions, telling them they are good sympathies and put there for a reason. (Sometimes I find "dud" books. I just talk to the kids about why they are not good or just skim it and change it and then take it back asap to the library. Young ages is not the time for exploration into alternate world views, in my mind.)
Funny, I found myself with unexpected time yesterday. Nothing to immediately prep for. No deadlines immediately close. I started to think ahead at what I could do, then FORCED myself to stop. I'm almost always doing something for someone else in one way or another, even though I have shelves of books I want to read (and end up reading them "for myself" as I read them to others). Anyway, I checked out a book recently because I heard of a lovely facebook reading group based off it and was enchanted by their reading list and guidelines. The book is "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society." Many of my goodreads friends have read it and loved it, so I parked myself for over an hour and read. To myself. For no other reason at all than to enjoy. Took a little getting into, but it's cozy and refilling. Almost 2/3 done at this point.
ReplyDeleteSo great!! must have been in the air :). I enjoyed that book, cozy and refilling is a good way to put it. Isn't it the one written as letters?
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ReplyDeleteFunny...i just removed the duplicate posting of your comment but it looks like I am censoring, lol.
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