School Update

School has been going pretty well. It does help our day go better to have a more definite schedule.

Yesterday Pauly did his first "retelling." This is pretty similar to the Charlotte Mason idea of "narration." The idea is that you read the story, or passage, or whatever, to the child, then they tell it back to you. The idea is to check understanding, work on listening well the first time, and develop verbal skills that will be helpful in later writing. The MODG syllabus broke this up into a few different steps, which helped us make it successful. We'd tried this last year with no luck at all, he refused to do anything.

So, we read one of Aesop's Fables. I chose the Tortoise and the Hare, because I figured it would be easier for Pauly if he was already familiar with the story, and I wasn't sure how cooperative he'd be. After I read it to him, he copied the title onto a page in his blank book, then drew an illustration. Considering the fact that he does not draw at all in his free time, he did well and surprisingly there were no complaints. Then he retold the story to me, dictating it while I wrote in down on the page opposite to his illustration. By the end of the year, he'll have a book Aesop's Fables, with his own retellings and illustrations.

I was quite pleased with this. It was a fair amount of work for Pauly, seeing as handwriting and drawing are difficult for him and are not favorite activities. However, it wasn't overwhelmingly difficult, just some work. He is proud of having done it as well. The syllabus calls for us to do something similar with lives of the saints throughout the year as well, so I'm glad it will be doable!

Fenja fought the swing

and the swing won.

School

So, the plan is to start our new school year Monday. We'll be following a four day week, and will probably only "do school" for an hour or so at the most. I'm hoping that this helps me get some order back in my days as well. With all the morning/all day sickness I've gotten very lazy and we have no schedule to speak of.

It's sitting on the desk

the registration form for St. Michael's Catholic Church, that is. Bob has decreed that we're jumping ship after all, leaving St. Mary's to become members of St. Michael's. And we do have to go through with the leaving and the joining and not just do it informally. St. Mary's doesn't need to be spending money on mailing us things, and we're going to enroll Pauly in religious education at St. Michael's.

I've dragged my feet and reasoned and what-not for four years now. Has it really been so long? But ultimately, it really, really mattered to Bob and I can deal with either choice.

It is nice to attend mass somewhere that still feels Catholic. The kids were asking what the statues in the church were when we started going to St. Michael's. : / And the altar servers actually do things instead of standing there looking bored. And all the mass prayers haven't been rewritten to be more "inclusive" or whatever reason Sr. thinks she needs to rewrite them. And there are votive candles! Truly!

Also, since the church doesn't have a school, there is a large homeschooling community. Maybe we will get to know some of them better.

But, St. Mary's is home. It's family. Anywho, there you are.

If wishes were horses. . .

I want to go an entire day without throwing up.

Heck, I'd be happy to have a day where I only throw up once!

Just saying.