Busy Learning More

Zilla is 4 yrs. old

Mega is 18 mo. old

While this week hasn't exactly been productive, the kids are managing to make a few discoveries. One of my homeschooling friends posted on Facebook recently that she was wishing for a teacher's inservice day so she could play catch-up. That really struck a chord with me.  So many mornings recently (too many really) have started with my trying to print things and arrange trays for the shelves while the kids are finishing their breakfast.  I have an ongoing organization project to try and make room for things to be stored in a way that I can just whip them out... but I seem to never have time to work on it.  It is tempting to pull an all nighter sometime to try to get ahead on things... 

I've been trying to figure out how/when to introduce world geography and cultural studies.  We have an empty bottom half of a wall behind the living room door.  Since the door is closed most of the time to keep the room at a decent temp that space has been calling out to me to be put to a good use. Recently Costco was selling the world map that you see in this picture.  It is the right size, and in English.  The world flags along the bottom make for a fun matching activity with the flag cards I picked up at a 100 yen shop a few years back.  Add to that a globe ball, to help them remember the earth is round, and my National Geographic World Atlas for Young Readers and you have a nice little learning corner.

Having this in the living room is turning out to be handy!

We had an afternoon when Mega napped while Zilla just read quietly so after a half hour of peace and quiet I challenged Zilla to a game of memory.  I'm still the champ of the house... though that is more due to his lack of strategy than to my strength of memory.

On occasion there are quiet working moments... but with Mega wanting to do everything Zilla does, often on the same chair and using the same piece of paper, those moment never last long!

As part of our learning challenges we memorize a Bible verse each week. Recently we started using Sign & Say Bible Verses for Children. Since the book uses ASL vocabulary the kids already know some of the signs. Both Zilla (4 yrs.) and Mega (18 mo.) are enjoying learning their memory work this way!

This has been a favorite activity for Zilla but he has reached the point where it is too easy. Time to start looking for the next level of challenge for him!