A change

For grade 1, 2 and most of 3 we have been working through Oak Meadow. I have loved it. We have also mixed in some Jolly Phonics and Grammar. 

I am not sure what came first but it doesn't matter we have looked at a change.

DD had been working on an amazing story which she was very proud. She asked every adult to read it. It took some work but you could really understand what she was saying...her spelling a work in progress.

Sadly one day she asked great Nana to read it. Nana was not impressed and handed the little hand made book back saying she couldn't read it because it was full of mistakes. ARGH!!!

DD stopped writing.

Then things started to get difficult. Or were they already getting a little bit challenging? There is repetition in Oak Meadow as there is in everything...but most kids don't like it. So DD was starting to put on the breaks.

Hummm.

Dave and I have been reading "Free to learn" by Peter Gray and we have become a little bit more enlightened. While I have worked with total unschooling before and we did amazingly well...i became very burnt out with keeping on the go all the time.

And I think DD is a little burnt out too. We've been working pretty hard.

So 

Well I love Oak Meadow I think I could use the highlights and slowly put them out "Strew" them around and see how we go. So far its worked really well and its only been a few days.

We'll keep the basics of me reading aloud often, DD and DS reading to me (well at the moment DS is working on Jolly Phonics words which is very cool to watch and listen) 

We'll keep on with the writing but not about the stories suggested by Oak Meadow but things closer to us. We'll try different styles too. Poetry, articles, short stories, recipes etc.

We'll keep on with the maths and times tables, the maths in the garden. 

But only 1 hour a day.

I think ;-)

It will take a bit of adjustment but we might have a new more relaxed style. I was pretty wound up with my planning and OM but I just love it so much.

But we can come back to it and its good to have a change every so often...thats why we are doing what we do...to work with out kids not against them.

The STORM

Poor DD is as tired as I am. The storm we've had over the last few days has been really hard going. The noise at night is keeping us all awake. The rain and the wind together with some cold has made things miserable.
Its school holidays here in NZ so we've been able to visit a few friends already.
We've driven to Auckland and had a lovely catch up and plan to go back again and do the museum with these same friends.
Yesterday we popped over to DS best friends place. WOW the wind was amazing! While sitting doing some bead work... (Lovely symmetry by DD) the shade sail was ripped from the roof.
I handed the phone to DD reminding her how to use it if need be and the two Mothers don bike helmets for protection and battle the sail with the neighbours. We managed to wrestle it to the ground and go back to our bead work.
Very cool. Making beads from paper.

We came home for lunch. The the kids moved into playing minecraft. They have discovered how to use the TNT and doing the mining this way. Oh dear not sure how I feel about that.
But they have moved back into creative mode so they can build their houses.

We attempted to go to a junk workshop but the storm has made driving extremely bad...trees, roads, flooding. We are all very disappointed. So on the way back into our little town I popped into the Hammer Hardware to pick up some boxes. I had visions of using glue guns and tape creating something from them...but the kids have moved into building towns, skycity, and now shops.