Back to the grindstone! In a good way, of course!
See the completed, new table in the school room?
Our new system seems to be working for now. Instead of the kids having piles of books sliding all over the table, each child now has a bin. Jack's on the left, then the paint brush cup and pencil cup, then Katie's bin, then Hannah's bin. (The only "problem" with this setup is that I lost my corner of the big table to pile things on, so I'm forced to be a little neater, too.)
Monday was a nice, normal day, and we got all our work done, and even had time for an art project. They're drawing glass vases, er, what passed for vases because this was what I had on hand.
The project was Cubist Vases from our Home Art Studio DVD (affiliate link). We've come to the end of this disc now, so I ordered the next one. I'd eventually like to have the whole collection!
After drawing, they sliced them up visually and colored the sections with watercolor pencils. I love watercolor pencils! We're using these. (affiliate link)
This was after coloring, before adding water.
If you're not familiar with watercolor pencils, you can brush water on them and it turns to paint! Really fun to play with.
The finished projects. Hannah colored darker than Jack did, and you can really see the difference after painting.
Tuesday, the girls had appointments at Shriners. They'd both looked a little off in their gait lately, and Hannah has mentioned some soreness. Hannah's leg got 3/4" longer, and Katie's leg got 1/2" longer, and we'll be going back soon for a casting appointment. Both girls are ready for new legs!
I knew this shirt wouldn't make it here in time for Christmas, but since it was so perfect for Jack, I ordered it anyway.
Toddler Jack Jack double spooning the peanut butter. He would slurp it down as fast as I could reload it.
"What's THIS?!" Brianna found the prism and was fascinated by it, sending little rainbows all over the school room.
Even though the weather was icky, I sent my students OUT TO PLAY on the trampoline to let a little energy out. They had been cooped up long enough to start making me crazy. I think Hannah's behind the post in this shot.
Eli had to borrow Dad's laptop for homework one night, since my computer doesn't have power point. Is it me, or is he looking more grown up all the sudden? He's gotten taller, too.
But, you know, not too old to play with his little sister's new toys, of course.
The teens like to hang out and chat with me in the school room, and will often explore whatever we've left out from our learning for the day.
We need to get this boy in to the DMV. He's ready to get his license. He chauffeurs me around quite a bit these days. Which is handy, because my night vision is terrible.
And what has Katie been up to lately? Cutting and gluing.
Drawing on the white boards while I read aloud.
And coloring in her ABC coloring book.
She had a haircut after baths one night this week, and then slept in braids.
Her hair was wild and wavy the next couple of days!
Even at play time, Katie is fascinated by letters. She wrote "Katie Hannah Jack" on her easel.
While we didn't quite finish everything assigned for this week, it was a good week, and I'm glad to get back to our school routine. I'm hoping we can get a project done over the weekend (I'm totally planning to rope one of the teens into helping!) and maybe have time for a trip to the library next week. I got an email saying I hadn't checked anything out in a year, and I felt like the World's Worst Homeschooler. So we'll have to see about infusing the household with some new (temporary) books to read.
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I love the watercolor art. I also love the organized supplies on your table.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It feels good to have a place for everything and be able to clear the table at the end of our school day.
DeleteYour table looks nice and neat! Looks like a good week!!
ReplyDeleteIt was! It's nice to be back to our routine. The break was good, too, but it's time to look toward spring now.
DeleteI always love your art projects. You have so much great stuff going on. It reminds me of having little ones. I miss those days.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Dawn
I've been blessed to find some great art resources! We have a lot of fun together. :)
DeleteHow much growth can their prosthetic legs accommodate? During growing years do you have to get new legs multiple times in the year? I'm curious how this works.
ReplyDeleteHannah is tiny, and grows slowly. She's 8, and just outgrew size 6 pants. She's only on her second leg since 2011. They do build in some growing room, length wise, but when the residual limb (or stump) grows, it grows in diameter as well as length, and that needs new accommodation when it no longer fits well in the leg socket.
DeleteKatie is also on her second leg, but she's more typically sized (5 years old, wearing size 5). She got her first leg in 2013.
So each kid is different. I have a bloggy friend whose son is really hard on his prosthetics (he's a bilateral amputee) and they go through legs more quickly than we do.
Basically, I watch to see if they're walking funny, and when I notice that they are, I call and get them in. As far as special needs go, this has been a pretty easy one. My biggest complaint is a superficial one; clothing. They look lumpy in leggings, they put holes in all pants (Hannah, usually after a single wearing!) and they cannot wear tights at all. Oh, and shoes can be a problem sometimes. Like I said, pretty superficial. I can totally live with these "problems." Especially when I think about what their life might have been like *without* prosthetics.
It's always so fun to see what all you guys are up to during the week!
ReplyDeleteNever a dull moment around here! Come back next week and find out why my finger and thumb are magenta this morning. ;)
DeleteThe artwork is so great, and I love the idea of keeping each child's books in their own bins! Thanks for sharing your week :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! It really beats having piles of stuff sliding all over the table. Sometimes the simplest solutions escape me, lol.
DeleteLove the cubist art project. We have done some similar things and I love how they turn out, showing some hint of the artist's personality. They did a great job. - Lori
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying having the DVDs as an art "spine." We do other random projects, mostly inspired by things I see online, but having guided lessons from an art teacher helps their skills progress.
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