Do you ever have so many ideas in your head, that you can’t decide where to start? Or one idea turns into two which turns into four and just keeps snowballing?
That’s where I am with a project I’m doing. I’ve done very well with making small goals, accomplishing them and then moving on to the next small goal. Checking each box off and feeling good.
But I’m at a point right now where the next project just seems to keep snowballing. And then I do research and get overwhelmed again because of all the ideas that come.
So, I’ve made three decisions: 1) stop researching, 2) don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be and 3) stop pressuring myself to have it done soon.
A Big World
I say all this because it ties in a bit to what Liam and I will be learning about: the continents. The next few weeks we’ll be “traveling” to each one.
But we started recently just learning about our planet, focusing on what oceans and continents are and the differences between a map and globe.
A bit of second grade teacher came out in me as I remembered some of the songs I used to teach my students. I have no expectation of Liam actually learning the names of the continents but through the songs and some games we’ve played he’s picked up the names of some.
We got crafty and made a globe with tissue paper.
Earth tissue paper craft Earth tissue paper craft
We also talked about different kinds of cities and towns discussing the difference between rural, suburban and urban. And, let me tell you, we live in a suburban area with rural all around us.
So trying to explain that we live in a suburban neighborhood while the tractor is doing its thing out our window is a bit difficult. A lesson for another day!
Then we read “Me on the Map” and talked about all the different types of places he lives: in a city, state, country, continent, planet. And while that is a hard concept for an almost five year old he does know that we live in a different state from a lot of his family and that we all live in the United States of America.
He took it upon himself to continually watch a YouTube video and color his US map exactly the same colors over a period of a few days. I laughed inside as he would rewind, pause, rewind, pause to make sure the colors of each state matched.
A Pirates Life
September 19 was the unofficial holiday of “Speak Like A Pirate Day”. You didn’t know that?
Liam and I made some pirate hats and eye patches to start the morning.
I had other grand plans like making a treasure map and going on a treasure hunt and reading plenty of pirate books but he was content on doing his own thing that day. SoI didn’t push it and instead enjoyed his independent play.
Pirates for All Ages
The next day we took our pirate hats, books and coloring sheets to an assisted living facility with some others from a MOMS Club we’re in.
The kids enjoyed the coloring activities and the residents thoroughly enjoyed the visit from the younger generations. As my friend said “The babies are like Hollywood stars” and they truly were.
I enjoy visiting with the elderly. I wish it was something I did more often. As I write this I feel deep regret that I have not visited my neighbors from the apartment we lived in before moving across town. I was going to see them about every month but have only seen them once since Lake was born.
I could come up with a thousand reasons why I haven’t but the truth is if I really wanted to those excuses could be crushed. That could be said for a lot of things we make excuses for couldn’t it?
A Bit of Math
Liam has had an app called Khan Academy Kids for a year or so. If you have a preschool child I highly recommend it.
First, it’s FREE. Second, it’s educational. Third, it’s engaging. Three wins in my book. Oh, and it’s personalized for him!
It’s filled with the most basic concepts that you think of for preschoolers (counting, shapes, colors, letters, etc) all taught with interactive games with little Kahn Academy characters. It’s also filled with educational read-alouds and videos about anything from animals and places to emotions and character traits.
He’s pretty much worked his way through a lot of the app (though that doesn’t stop him from wanting to play it over and over).
We are using the basic Khan Academy kindergarten activities to guide us. And, wow, it is free too. It is the most amazing resource. And it’s not just for children. There is SO MUCH for adults. And, I’ll say it again, it’s FREE.
We played around with the app and taking a few quizzes so I could decide what to focus with him on. So this weekend I’ll create some games and we’ll play, play, play while we learn!
Online Teacher to Online Parent
Have you ever heard of Outschool? Probably not.
It’s an online site where anyone (that goes through the hiring process of course) can teach what they are passionate about.
I’m not going to bore you with details you may not care about but when I heard about it I wanted to check it out for two reasons: 1) I wondered if there might be something fun for Liam and 2) I was curious if I could make some extra money with that website.
I have not researched much into the job aspect but I will tell you that Liam loves doing the online classes. I signed him up for a three session class about dinosaurs. For three Monday’s in a row he sits at our computer for 35 minutes with the same headset on that I use for teaching VIPKIDS and learns virtually from a teacher (with four other students).
He can see the teacher and students and they can see him.
And, oh, how I love watching him. He raises his hand. He answers questions. He asks questions. And when he’s done, he tells me what he’s learned.
Today was his last day of the dinosaur class. He requested to do another class so I found him a six session course all about animals with the same teacher. I can’t wait to hear what all he’ll learn…and to sneak and listen to him being such an inquisitive student!
What about the baby?
He’s doing a lot of learning and growing of his own…including his first tooth coming in. That explains the pounds of drool equating to about three outfit changes a day!
Brothers. Best friends.
Have a wonderful week!! Here’s to EVERYONE learning something new!
If you missed last week, check it out here.
You are amazing! All of the things you’re teaching Liam sounds so fun. It won’t be long until Lake is learning all about the world and dinosaurs. 🙂