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Gamlin Lake
07.11.12 | Permalink | | Comments Off on Gamlin Lake
When I was about seven or so my parents went on a real trip. I think it was the only time they left us for more than a few days with someone – they left us for three weeks. Hey headed to Canada for a well-deserved romantic boating adventure while we were left to explore the majesty of Idaho at my grandpa’s farm.
My grandpa has a dock on the lake that has been there forever. In the past, during their early days, my grandma used to take the muck out of the weeds and my grandpa would regularly mow the mill-foil down so it might tickle our toes, but only if you went deep. So we would skim the surface until we got out deep enough to be free of the weeds. However, time marches on and the weeds came with the waning of my grandparents energy for keeping up with a lake visited less and less often by swimming grandchildren.
I looked at Bradley on this trip as we were floating among the lillypads, joking around and telling Jude not to mind the weeds. I laughed that at home I would never swim this lake, if it were not for the fact that this lake is such a part of my heritage I would turn my nose up at the flora and fauna swimming among its ridiculously warm water.
When I was around seven or so, when my parents left on that grand, Canadian adventure, they left us in the hands of my grandparents. My mom drove us over, spent one night visiting and living us, then she was gone. For three weeks. It was a long time. I arrived at the farm as a tadpole- a kid who still hung onto the side of the public pool as I really had nothing more than basic skills as a swimmer. On that first day with my mom gone, my grandpa ushered us down to the lake. It was just the three of us, my older brothers and me. They dove in, both proficient swimmers, while I eased into the lake and clung to the dock, the weeds tickling my feet. My brothers teased that if I were able to swim I could swim deeper, where the weeds didn’t grow. I was courageous, and by the end of the three weeks not only could I swim, but I could do backflips, dives, somersaults and I had no fear. I’ll never forget my mom’s face when I showed her how well I could back dive, she left a tadpole and came back to find an otter!
On this trip Gigi conquered her fear of the weeds. She was often found among the lillypads picking the lush blossoms for her Mimi. She also swam in the deep waters of a lake without a life jacket for the first time ever. She would shimmy up onto the dock and would dive, without a life jacket, into the water over and over! Her confidence was amazing! She reveled in her new confidence, splashing around like a little seal every time we swam.
For his part, Jude just enjoyed the freedom of being cut loose in the lake. He would start out in a floatie and before long he would ease into the lake and start this little herky jerky locomotion move. Over time he discovered how to cup his hands and kick his feet more efficiently, enough so when we went to a shallow beach he tried out his moves and found himself beginning to dog paddle. When we first started swimming the weeds really disgusted him. He could make it out to the middle, past the weeds, but the return trip through the weeds, when he was tired, cold or hungry, would get to him and he would flip out until we came and got him. By the time the end of our trip came, though, he was over it and realized those weeds were only doing what he was: growing and swimming! It was a proud moment to see my kids learning to swim through self discovery in my family lake.
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Mimi’s Hobo Picnic
07.10.12 | Permalink | | Comments Off on Mimi’s Hobo Picnic
My mom had a pretty cool grandma. There are many stories told of her zest for life, the love she shared in droves with her family and the creative, clever adventures she would create. I only remember meeting her once, but my mom makes sure her legacy prevails by offering my kids revisits of some of her favorite memories with her Grandma Meadows. We do, however, have video of Great Grandma Meadows dressed up in a variety of costumes leading people this way and that, but one of my favorites is of her lining up all the little kids with hankies full of goodies hanging off the ends of sticks.
During our Idaho visit this time round, it was the hobo picnic that my mom chose to recreate. She bought hankies, found sticks and packed a little picnic for our hobos.
Off they headed to the woods. They were gone for over an hour, and when they returned they were alive with stories of adventure. Gigi found a little fort and pretended to be Mary Ingalls, clearing brush, creating a table, adding plates and thoroughly enjoyed the pioneer experience in her own way. Jude found a little hobbit house and moved logs from here to there and back again.
The next day I headed up there with the kids to see their forts. We hiked up into the woods and we settled into the woods to clear more brush and get into the play. It didn’t take more than a few minutes before the insects found us – gnats, mosquitoes, and Lucifer the horsefly! We were bit like crazy and before long we were chased from the woods with marks all over our legs!
I’m grateful for my mom’s investment in her past and in her grandchildren’s present. Hopefully I’ll get to take a similar walk with my own little grand-hobos in another 25 or 30 years as well to carry on the legacy of the hobos.
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Wildwood
07.09.12 | Permalink | | Comments Off on WildwoodWe have been in Idaho at my grandpa’s place this past week. When one comes to ‘The Farm’ time slows and you kind of lose the outside world in exchange for a slower pace and more rustic life.
I get here, I cocoon myself in Idaho and never leave, despite the plethora of things to explore.
This trip was planned to explore the other. We spent extra days to insure our ability to explore! Stop number one was the Church of the Wildwoods.
As a kid we would drive by this tiny little building that would suddenly appear as we wound our way to Grandpa’s house. I died to go, but didn’t push it because I wasn’t so interested in attending a service.
We went on an overcast day, the cemetery, which was established only a century ago, swarmed with Mosquitos and the grass grew tall with wildflowers and weeds. I gained an understanding of why holidays where honoring the dead were important as no one tends this cemetery. It is wild and beautiful. If I were to be buried, it would be a place like this.
The church was locked but cute inside, lined with pews and silk flowers. They still have a Sunday service. Overall, it was lovely and I’m glad I finally stopped and took a walk that I’ve wanted to take since I was a little girl.
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Allowance
07.07.12 | Permalink | | Comments Off on AllowanceOur kids each get allowance. Early on in my career as a teacher I found a direct correlation between the kids who knew how to count money and kids who get a regular allowance. The ones who get money are usually a little better at counting it, at budgeting, at understanding the value of money, at creating connections between counting by tens and using dimes, learning fractions and understanding quarters. It’s not a huge leap. Gigi and Jude both began their allowances at three. They get half their age in money each week and earning money is loosely based on participating in family life (getting napkins, feeding pets, cleaning up). We found, though, that our kids never had the money we gave them for three reasons:
1. They didn’t know where to keep their money so couldn’t find it ever.
2. We never had cash on hand to give to them.
3. When we did give them money they would lose it. So. Ridiculously. Fast.At first I was all like, “Natural consequences…”. But then I started getting mad. I really wasn’t giving them my cash that I worked for so they could lose it!!! I could happily find another way to spend that six bucks every week.
Then one day we found this:
Fake money! If they lose it, it’s gone, but I still have my six bucks! Then I did this:
It ain’t purdy, but we haven’t lost a cent since using these baggies. Presently we are saving for Disneyland. Before vacations we offer our kids the opportunity to double down on anything they save. So far, Gigi is sitting pretty at around 80 to spend in the park and Jude will have about 50. This is do much better now!
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Homeschool
07.06.12 | Permalink | | Comments Off on HomeschoolThis summer brings with it a couple of goals. One of my priorities is to get our homeschool going. What does that mean? It means getting our routines and curriculum set, it means assessing my learners and it means making plans and gathering materials. Lots and lots of plans and materials!!! Bradley will be homeschooling Jude in the fall (he will also go to little gym or something) so I want it to be ready to go!!
The past week has found me obsessively pinning on pinterest, seeking authentic learning opportunities that are meaningful to the kids and easy for me to direct. The following are a sample of some of the things we are incorporating. Feel free to copy anything you want and ask for links to pins. I’m happy to send anything your way! I will also be publishing more of our activities as summer continues…
Gigi’s goals: learn multiplications, work on capitals and punctuation in writing, learn proper spelling of high frequency words
Jude’s goals: learn to write and read his
own name, develop letter knowledge and learn number/quantity associationsBoth: have fun, go on field trips, be crafty, learn, laugh, read, write, swim
Our daily schedule. I wanted a way to provide structure and predictability while also working in our daily needs like chores. This has been our easiest AND CLEANEST break ever so far! And, miraculously, no whining about it. Each kid has a section with four cards with their directed independent routine type activities- like read for 10, write a letter, practice your name etc.
These are simply zip bags with paint inside, reinforced by tape on all the edges. Perfect magic pad for math, letters or spelling!
Gigi got a letter writing kit for Christmas so she has complete autonomy for sending loved ones messages. I wrote the necessary addresses (including the return address) on labels, threw in stamps, a fancy pen and lots of cards and paper. I’ve continued to replenish supplies and always wonder what she writes in those letters!
I made a pile of books for the kids for ease of publishing and in case we ever need an emergency field journal. I included lined and plain paper to encourage illustrations or sketches along with the important words.
I’m going to include this in my classroom- each time the child walks by they ‘give it five’ and say the equation with the answer, or, like with Jude, just say the letter and/or sound. Supposedly this method makes for a quick study and the kids have the fact by the end of the day. I’ll let you know how it goes! 😉
Our first theme is summer and seasons. We’ll be doing all kinds of summer themed things, but this is a future collage looking at holidays, clothing and weather associated with different times of the year. We’re also making tissue paper sunshine sun catchers, sponge water soakers, painting with ice and more more more!
I’m not terribly excited about this, but what do I do to get the pencil grip and basic practice? We have other tools as well- more sensory types of things- but I want to see what he will do with this type of abc practice. We will also have a daily cut and paste activity centered around the letter, a letter craft daily… We’ll see what sticks!!
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And this is to take with us anywhere this summer! The object is to match objects to the color to see if we can find 18 things! This looks like fun to me. Am I strange?
Come back often and we’ll have much more to share!
