He slept in a little later - and was actually 15 min. late to school on day 2 but we let that one slide. His sleep was more important. He had a great attitude and after bible we got right to work. The next day was more of the same. We had a few hiccups, but each day was a learning experience for BOTH of us. My son is Hyper. He can't sit still well (unless something is capturing his attention). I pulled out a Phonics computer game that came with a phonics set we bought eons ago.. and it worked. He worked peacefully each day for 30-40 minutes progressing in the "game" path - thus READING.
All that time away in my office (right next door to the classroom) also helped sis to be able to focus without her brother contantly distracting her. She is doing SO WELL in our Homeschool environment. She strives to complete all her work as fast as she can and be extra obedient for a chance to get a prize out of the "prize box" i implemented.
The prize box is a reward system. For 5 days of "good behavior" and demonstrating at least 1 "Fruit of the Spirit" {Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Self-Control...our Homeschool classroom/life theme} the kids get to pick a prize. For the 1st week i offered them the oppty. to pick a prize EACH DAY to get them excited about it. Sis got 4 out of the 5 days. Bubs got 1 day. We also give stars in their pocket to represent the count up to 5 for the prize. In addition i made simple rewards other than those in the box. (i.e. cook/bake something for 5 stars) Once they have gotten 10 stars they get a special one on one "date" with mom or dad like to the movies or their choice. (those seem to be hard to come by these days) Not that we wouldn't do those things anyway...but they like the idea of earning or "winning" that as a prize.
Friday's are set aside for Fieldtrips or Library or "Catch-Up" and P.E.days. We didn't have a fieldtrip on Friday but we tried to make the most of the day catching up (for Bubba). Getting enough outside time is already tough. Sis is not an "outdoor girl" because of the number of bees. Mom is not into the Nature walk thing with all the Rattlesnakes roaming around this time of the year...so we will plan for the park, library or local swimming pool for Fridays going forward when we don't have a dedicated field trip planned. The kids love all of those!
This next Friday is FAIR TIME! They wait all year for the Fair to come around...so i am planning the week around learning about farm animals (yay! one of Bubba's requirements for 1st grade already met in the 1st 2 weeks!) and animal care. Measuring comes into play when seeing if they are big enough for certain rides...life is our classroom!
We have so much going on this weekend it is exhausting to even think about...more details later - I'll try to catch up the weekend fun for you on Monday. Have a great one!
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