Time flies when you are having fun

Yea so that is going to be my excuse why I haven't posted anything in a bit. We have been keeping busy. Bug had a bunch of activities and then once those were done I just wanted some down time. Honestly we pretty much took the rest of November off and haven't done much so far this December. I can say though my teaching style has adjusted a bit differently. A bit more than I expected. I find short bursts randomly of school seems to work best for us. we try and maintain a wee bit of a schedules as to what needs to get done each day but I'm really finding that following his needs and desires seems to work best to getting anything accomplished. In no way would I say we are at all unschooling because there is work that has to be done because we are in a distance learning program, but we are definitely relaxed about things. We are enjoying the ride and taking it one day at a time.

Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping can be a wonderful place to learn so many different things. I like my children to know and realize that all their food costs money. While it does grow on trees and in the ground, unless we have a garden that we can grow these things, they must be purchased. We are also upfront with our children if something is unnecessary or unaffordable. These are things that can be taught in the store. The grocery store is full of unnecessary things, and it will really depend on your family on what you deem unnecessary.

The grocery store can be particularly good for discussing health and healthy eating habits. There is a vast amount of things to look at and discuss what you should and shouldn't eat. Even just watching you shop can be a wonderful thing for children. They can see ( to a point) where their food comes from. Now you can always take that a step further depending on your area. Healthy eating habits are good to get into children while they are still young.

I do generally enjoy shopping with my children, though it is definitely easier to do it by myself. I try and make it as enjoyable as I can for both of us. We'll play simple games i spy and guess how many. We'll talk about hwere things come from and how thing are made. There are simple ways to make an everyday mundane trip, fun and exciting for kids.

Harbour Cruise

We had our first field trip at the end of September. It was very interesting to be able to go out into the harbour and see the sights a little more closely than usual. The boys enjoyed looking at the different boats, and looking for different harbour animals. it was exciting for them as we passed the shipping yard and they saw the large machines that picked up and moved the containers. All around it was a great trip, and enjoyed by all.

The boys checking the harbour for little fishes

My three little monkey looking out at the boats

Isn't that just the sweetest face

The shipping yard

Checking out the sky line

Big cranes, and big containers

Bobo having a good time

Such a silly Bug

The big orange shipping boat


Harbour seals

This was at the end, they were bored and done with the trip

Apple-palooza

Being that time of year again, apple are ripening up and ready to eat. I love apple season there are so many wonderful things you can do with them. Apples pies, apple sauce, apple crumble, apple juice, dried apples and then there are the crafts you can do with them.

So we had some apple fun. We made apple prints and did an art project in conjunction with reading Dr Seuss Ten Apples Up On Top.

They had a ton of fun making apple prints for a few minutes. At least long enough for Bug to complete his project. This one was make a self portrait, using a paper plate and other materials. The take a strip of paper and make your apple stack with how ever many letter are in the child's name. Though once this was done, using the apples were done and full hand painting was the next order of business

Our next apple project was for Bug to make apple sauce, form the apples he picked out at the grocery store. Making apple sauce is super easy.

Apple Sauce

5 medium apples ( I like using sweeter apples)

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon

Take your apples and peel them, core them then dice into smaller cube sized pieces. Place them in a medium to large pot and fill the pot so that it just covers the apples. Add the cinnamon and brown sugar. Place on the stove at a medium to high heat. bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for about 30- 45 minutes or till the apples are tender and mushy. Do check to make sure it's not going dry. Once they are ready drain the water. ( I save the apple water it makes a yummy cider) and mash them up using a potato masher or blender, let it cool down and enjoy.

We are going to make some baked apple and apple crisp is always a crowd pleaser! Have fun enjoy the mess, it only lasts for a short period of time.

Transformers

Childhood obsession, I love it and hate it at the same time. Currently Bug is transformers, Bobo is cars, and well lil Squish tend to just want something to chew. I have been looking for ways to take Bug's desires, and makes them educational and less about shooting and such. I'm hoping with our program with Summit that they will be offering the lego robotics course again. I think Bug would be super excited by it and amazed.

His latest creation has been his transformers costume. He thought this out and has had a ton of ideas how he is going to put it together. Now granted we can't fulfill all the desires, like I'm not going to by him lasers, but we have been trying to get him to come up with solutions for what he is looking for

.

He is is a box transformer. I just love it

here is a little video of the transformation

Shapes, colours and patterns

This was not nearly as busy of a week, spent more time at home, doing things that needed to get done. Bug was a bit less enthusiastic about doing the work. He start with vim and vigour and it would dwindle and he would lose focus quicker. Once again confirming that brick and mortar schools wouldn't be the best for him. I'm finding more and more if we have real hands on activities he seems to "get it" more. You can tell Bug things till you are blue in the face but there doesn't seem to be a concrete and tangible reason for it he has no desire to do it. As well things go quicker and are done neater if I'm able to sit and do stuff with him. So generally speaking most of our homeschooling work happens when the baby is sleeping so I can focus more on Bug.

So mostly this week we were focusing on shapes, colours and patterns. Shapes he is good one and has been for awhile and the same goes with his colours. He knows them he has for awhile, it was more of a review. So of course colours mean art work. I love art! Bug is beginning to appreciate the creative and artistic side of things but really not nearly as into it as I am. I blame myself though, we don't do it nearly enough and I just didn't really leave the options open for him when he was young. I was afraid of mess and him colouring things that he shouldn't. I'm still apprehensive but getting better and I'm allowing them t

o explore and be artistic as the energy flow allows them. This was really all about changing my mindset, but that is a whole other blog post. ( which I haven't written yet )

Any ways back to the shapes and colours. I sent the boys on a shape hunt to find different shapes and how different shapes make up different things. Luckily I had the Playful Patterns by Discovery Toys which really helped with showing how different shapes together make different things.

It's a fun little thing for them to do and explore and both boys liked doing it. Making pictures or putting together different shapes to make a new shape. So now we are on a quest to notice shapes everywhere we go and try to name them. We have the basic shapes down, square, rectangle, circle, triangle, diamond and oval. Not we are working on the more complicated ones and counting how many side they have. Also Bug has been pointing out how shapes with the same name look different. like different stars and triangles. I am amazed so often how much he takes in a recognizes things. What a smart little boy he is!!!

Life in the middle

Some days I feel so bad for Bobo being the middle child must really suck at times. He's a big boy but not big enough to do everything Bug does and never as quickly. He is still so young but more is expected of him than of Bale. He can do so much but he still wants to do more. He always want to be the leader he wants to do things first he wants to be number one. But with three children one of them can't always be number one. "ME DO IT!!!" is probably the most common phrase out of him. He wants to get his own snack get his own water. (which was fine before it needed to be from the full jug out of the fridge, when it was just out of the sink in the bathroom) I let him to most thing for himself and then see if he needs help after he has tried. I am a stickler though if it makes a mess you need to clean it up. the water jug is a big one cause with tile floor covering it with water is really dangerous. Major hazard to ones health, which of course means extra fun for little boys. I'm not a big fan of hospitals and stitches so we really try and keep the floor dry.

I have a few things that really help me with Bobo.

• let him do as much as possible. And if he can't let him try and then help him. Telling him he can't do it only makes him angry
• Have his brother allow him to be the leader, or pick first or whatever the issue is sometimes.
• Give him HIS time. between homeschooling Bug and the care of lil Squish. Sometimes me and him just need to go sit and read a book, have a cuddle, talk a bit or play a game that is just focused on him.
• Attack with love. Honestly when I just want to lose my cool I have to check myself, and warp him in my arms and hug and kiss him.
• Allow him to have his big emotions. So far Bobo is being the standard toddler with the huge emotions that explode. they are true and real and when he is done we can deal with the issue.
• Have real boundaries and limits that don't change. Some things are just not optional. "No you can't have the steak knife to cut up the cardboard by yourself", it just isn't safe. But this is where the helping comes in again.

There are days where i really sit back and go " Am I completely insane??????" three children under five can be a bit nuts some days. But all in all my life is full of joy and wonder. I love each and everyone of them even with all their quirks. They are awesome children, and isn't it a child's job to drive mommy insane????

Homeschooling here we come!!!

Okay so school officially started this week. Which of course means time to actually look at the curriculum, and plan things are get our selves organized for the week. I decided that I really should plan my week on the weekends so that I have everything planned and laid out and less winging it. Guess how well that actually worked out? Yup not so much. I had our outings planned and a rough idea of what we were doing for work but that was about it. Bug loved it though, he actually enjoys having workbooks, worksheet
and little projects to do. I'm really happy that he is enjoying it, I'm enjoying it too! We are working along side each other and I'm getting to explore things with him.

I love being a witness to my children's wonder and amazement with life. Everything is so much more exciting when you look through a child's eyes. Yes it can be a tad bit tedious finding that every single rock amazing and how they all look like the last one. Though just because I've been there done that and I know that they are all the same doesn't mean he isn't going to wondering if this one is different. It's h

ow you learn things, repetition will solidify facts. gravity is a fact but maybe just this one time that rock will float in the air when he throws it? Or maybe he just likes the plunk and the ripples.

This is Bug's introductory writing assignment that he did for his first project. It was to be about an event that happened over the summer. He chose to write about a day at the zoo. He has drawn a few animals that we saw and each person that was there with us. He is just starting to get more into art work and creating things. He rather draw pictures of just people and isn't much of a background kind of guy.
We also spent the week going to different NOT back to school picnics. Gatherings with home learners from around the areas meeting new people forming new connections. We got a ton of sun and all the children were completely tired by the end of the day. We were able to explore new parks which is always a good thing with three little boys. i loved that they were making new friends with children of different ages too! Bug made a friend with an 8 year old girl. He never got her name but he was very excited about his 8 year

old friend. He also played an exciting game of agents with another group of boys. I'm not sure if I was more excited about him making different friends ( which is not new for him) or the fact that older children were including him in on their games without and complaints whinning or trying to run away from him.

Introduction

Why is this here? Good question. This is a blog to follow my many musings of being a stay at home mother to three boys. While we embark on regular new adventures that homeschooling will bring, the ups the downs and they what was I thinking moments. My plan is to make this pretty much as honest as I can, about what we do why we do it and what's going on.

So for the family run down. You have me, MOM, mommy, mama or just MA!!!!! or add different variations of whining or yelling. Then there is the wonderful Daddy. Next there is Bear (4) Bobo(2) &  lil Squish( 6 months ).