So, Alex has successfully kept the garden millipedes that are now container bound alive for a whole week! Well, one kind of got broken my chubby fingers… Anyway, we have found out why they need to be in a damp environment from books from the library, have discovered details about their anatomy, and successfully fed them on a diet of carrots and lettuce.
This week has been the first of school holidays and we haven’t seen Alex’s old now schooled friends at all though we have plans to this week. He hasn’t really asked either. But we have been ‘socialising’ lol. We’ve had friends over and been on excursions with friends. This week we visited Scienceworks and took advantage of some of the extra activities as a result of school holidays being current. We also watched a planetarium show. Alex chose ‘Tycho to the Moon’. We’ve seen it a few times already but that’s ok.
I was a little taken aback by a comment from a grandmother and I’m recognising I really need to be more mindful of my responses and comments to people. I don’t wish to join their judgemental and rude ways. their opinion of my family is worth little to me. I need to focus more on what is happening for my kids first. Daniel was upset because of the line we were standing in. I’m finding it hard managing his toddler antics and trying to be a successful home educator. I have always acted like time is so precious and every moment needs to be seized. I think sometimes it results in tension because either I’m rushing to get something done or disappointed that we somehow ‘failed’ to achieve the grand plan – damn our less than perfect family.
I’m also a little impatient with kids and getting short with kids, even Vio. I always end up feeling totally awful, I tend to overreact. This also means my remorse is exaggerated and I look for signs in my kids that I’ve damaged them. As Vio says, we’ll f#@! them up somehow, it’s just a case of how much. Wise words, lol. I can honestly say that we are trying and we are aware. Hopefully our kids can do even better with their families. One step at a time.
Since we’ve been deschooling, we’ve spent a lot more time at home just being and playing. Alex has watched a lot of train stuff on Youtube this week. I’ve been feeling a little uncomfortable about it again. I’m not setting limits about it, I am just aware that perhaps he feels like that is his best option at that moment. Maybe more options need to be there for him. He does a lot of ‘channel hopping’ on Youtube. He’s watched little TV, in fact has stopped watching movies halfway through most times this week. We rarely just have TV channels on, not sure why. I asked Alex just today if he’s like to do <insert activity> and asked if he was happy to watch all day, he replied that he wants ‘us’ to watch them. I find this difficult because of Daniel, and also because I guess I am still not giving it the value it deserves. It’s a great medium for Alex and he absorbs a lot of info and recalls much later. He absolutely loves to share his discoveries. I notice often that he”l randomly hit or kick one of us and I’m taking that as an indication that something needs to change in the present. But anyway, he decided to build some tracks and asked me to find him another ramp as we only have 3 the same size. I told him there were only the shorter ones available to use now, so he came up with this solution.
Last year outside Artplay we saw ‘superbox friends’ – motorised moving boxes. At the time Alex couldn’t make one so I promised I’d find out when the next workshop was. Yesterday we attended the workshop alongside some homeschool friends. Alex didn’t team up (as instructed lol) but instead made the front of a train. this was a great workshop – parents were not allowed to assist but the kids could request help from the workshop runners. Alex had a lot of help, but did a lot of directing and was really pleased to show me the result. I can’t wait to try another workshop at this place. Just fantastic.
I’ve really noticed some of the conversations we have and I’m working hard not to make everything a lesson. My learning for the moment: Don’t panic!