Jan. 23, 2008 It's smells clean in here!
So Johnston wanted to practice carving again today. He got everything out and away he went. He found that he could stab the knife through the soap and twist to make a hole. He cut the bar in half,shaved part and chunked the other part. Is he making anything in particular...ummm...no. But he is doing something way better...he learning the feel of the knife, the feel of the object in his hand. He's learning how much pressure to put to make different kinds of cuts and shapes in the soap. Today he took it even farther...he became the teacher.
 Jameson came over to inspect what Johnston was doing.
 "Feel the soap Jameson....squish it in your hand."
 "You have to hold the knife like this...here let me hold your hand..."
 "Now try it on your own...." It helps to have a big brother apply pressure to
actually make the knife cut through the soap.
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Jan. 21, 2008 Simply puzzling
Johnston enjoys puzzles. He's the only person I've met that does puzzles from the inside out. We haven't figured out why or how he can....but figure it only adds to his unique personality! Does it really matter if one doesn't start with the border? Once in the beginning of the puzzle era that I now find myself living in I sat down to do a new puzzle with him. I pulled all the border pieces out and put the the middle pieces across the table. That's just the puzzle rules right? I looked up to see Johnston standing there watching me with a strange look on his face. He asked me what I was doing and why was I doing it? It hit me that I was just following the simple puzzle rule...start with the border and work from there. No reason...no thought...just doing what I was taught and my mom was taught and so on. I realized that I had never "taught" Johnston to do puzzles...he just took off from the wooden puzzles and kept going.
Since then we do puzzles together a few times a week and he starts with the middle and I start with the border...it works out quite well!!!!!
 I started a new puzzle the other day with Johnston and when I came back in
from doing something I found Johnston perched on the table working away!
(You can see my border started.)
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Nov. 29, 2007 Snowy crafts and counting rocks!
Yesterday was full! Johnston finished up two of his subjects for the month. He was very excited to see the books put away. Only two more to go!
After school we got out construction paper and did snowy scenes. Johnston made a snowman, tree with a star and a house. It was a simple craft, but a first for him and he loved it! It was something I remember doing in school at his age. All you need is construction paper, glue and salt! Try it!
Here are some pictures of Jameson doing his "school" work!
 Lacing shapes!
 Counting Sticks and putting them in a cup!
 Counting stones!
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Nov. 27, 2007 Getting ready for a school break!
It's officially the last week of school before our month break. We decided since Tim will be out of Georgia Tech for three weeks in December to take advantage of every second with him. This break will consist of no book/paper work. So this week we are focusing on finishing up everything so there won't be any lose ends hanging around for a month. Johnston is very excited....we will be doing a lot of crafts/reading/cooking! So much fun!
 Johnston's volcano!
 Jameson rolling out his pizza crust for the pizza he was making us for lunch!
Johnston and I went to the library yesterday. He picked up his weekly load of 5 books. 4 train books and 1 dinosaur book. I never know what he's going to end up with. I grabbed up 40 books to read to the boys and a couple for great grandma to read. We read a lot...and even more so when we don't have "school" work to do.
I was up early enough to get breakfast made before leaving for grandma's house. I made our current favorite....cinnamon/raisin oatmeal. We didn't get to eat at home, but it tastes the same where ever we eat it! Johnston has requested his old favorite next time...cinnamon/granny smith apple oatmeal. Jameson's favorite meal is food! Just put it in front of him and he's happy!
Tim has only three weeks left until this third semester is finished! This will be his toughest one. He has to finish up all his assignments/projects and turn them in this week. To add stress to this ever stressful time someone in his materials class gave out one of the tests to another class that was taking the same test later in the day. So his entire class has to turn in a two page essay on cheating. Not the most thrilling assignment to be added this week.
Tonight is Johnston's weekly date night with me. We will make smoothies and popcorn then crawl into bed and watch Frosty the Snowman! I can't wait! |
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Nov. 14, 2007 Pencil Sharpeners are not needed
I think we have a pencil sharpener eating monster in our house. As soon as I buy one it disappears...forever...never to be seen again. I haven't been able to get to the store to buy yet another one, so Johnston's pencils have gotten duller and duller as the week has progressed. He doesn't seem to mind...he figures that once the pencil is useless I will not make him do paperwork anymore. Wrong!
So this morning as I laid out our first course of school Johnston brought his pencil to me. It was useless....what was I going to do....frustration overcame me....thoughts in my mind start circling like a tornado. I sit there wondering why oh why can't my wonderful son put things back where they belong...why must his erasers become tanks, his pencils become robots and yes the wonderful pencil sharpener be a dinosaur. Now on a any other day I love his imagination and the fact that it doesn't take more than a stick and grass to get him playing something wonderful...but that was lost in the moment.
As I sat there Johnston brings me back to reality and the reason we love homeschooling. He looks at the useless pencil and simple wonders aloud if using a knife to sharpen it would work. I truly believe there were angels singing at that moment. Off to the kitchen he ran and we did a quick study of how a knife can safely sharpen our pencils. You gotta love it!
 Johnston practicing sharpening skills!
 Johnston was so proud of his new skill! |
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