I’ve been terrible at taking pictures lately. Oops. Being sick, then my tooth infection has thrown me off. Plus a bit of a downer on feeling a little unsuccessful in unschooling right now. It’s not seeming so joyful at the moment!
So starting where I left off… Alex had football last week as usual. Unusually there were lots of injuries and tears from the team! Alex included. But what I noticed was that Alex was the only kid that asked anyone if they were okay. Proud mama moment. Even the coach couldn’t manage that. He just tried to fix the tears.
We had a few days where we played lots of the T-rex board game. There are 3 dice to roll, which are used to move 3 pieces. For each dice, Alex counted in a different language (English, Japanese and Romanian) which was quite amusing. He was also showing a bit of strategy in play. He realised that dinosaur battles, which before he had always wanted to win, can give benefits to losers depending on your position on the board. He was re-rolling the dice on purpose to get defeated and be moved to the river walk. this is also a safe place away from the t-rex.
We’ve been arguing recently, the whole family. It has stemmed from Alex’s desire to watch his iPad and refusal to go to activities he’s committed to. Alex has always found transitions between activities difficult. I guess I’d expected it to get better but it has probably increased with the iPad, an unfair expectation of a 5 year old no doubt. It doesn’t help that Vio and I find it hard to let go of the ‘screen time’ views commonly held. We spent the first few years of Alex’s life trying to limit his screen time and access to unhealthy foods. We did have a breakthrough on Thursday though. I usually give Alex a 15 minute sand-timer visible warning sop that he can expect to move on to something else (usually to go somewhere like karate). Or I’ll look at what he’s watching and see when the particular episode finishes. Anyway, I try and give him at least half an hour to get organised after the timer is up. Usually to come to terms with the situation as he can get quite upset. On Thursday he was very upset, and screaming and wailing on the ground. After almost 30 mins of this, Alex declared that it was too hard to choose between iPad and ju-jitsu. He didn’t want to have to choose as he loves both. I thought that this was a very mature idea, though of course his way of expressing it was certainly age-appropriate! He didn’t hold anyone responsible, or even not want to go to ju-jitsu. He understood the situation for what it was to him.
Little Daniel is loving painting, though only in 5 minute spurts 😉 He also loves being in the sand pit when we get outside and bouncing on the trampoline. Mostly he just likes to do what Alex is doing. Since Alex doesn’t include him, or pushes him away, it often results in destroying whatever Alex is working on. There will be much more to come on this kid. I love his speech at the moment. He seems to have invented his own words for things, and they don’t necessarily sound like the names we call them.
This past week we’ve visited the movies and watched ‘Minions’. We did a nature walk at Brimbank park. Alex did a tennis workshop with a friend who is at school that he no longer gets to see much. He seemed to enjoy the workshop. Afterwards we took the opportunity to spend time with his friend by playing at the park for a few hours. On Friday we went to a free gym session with a different now-at-school friend, and then visited with one of Alex’s favourite playmates. Together they play trains or race cars. Other time has been spent on the iPad, or in the playroom playing or outside, though it’s a little cold right now! Alex seems to be rewatching Wild Kratts and he occasionally tells me some trivia about a particular animal – like yesterday when I commented on a particular smell and he told me all about skunks using smells in defence. He’s found the new series of ‘How to train your dragon’ cartoons – an old favourite! He’s also making connections (text to text connections they call it at school). Whilst watching Johnny Test, there was a parody of cat in the hat and Alex picked it up.
Whilst in the car the other day, I noticed a long truck – I often comment on the larger trucks as we are driving, unless I am freeway driving, as I know Alex likes them. I counted the wheels on the side I could see – being 9. Alex then declares only seconds later that all together the truck has 18. No questions from me. I’m working harder at asking fewer questions or going into ‘why’ unless I’m asked. Less is more.