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Well, we’ve taken E out of kindy now. She seemed so much happier throughout the holidays and the several times we asked her if she wanted to go back, she said “No”. So it’s done. I was too chicken to tell them, so got D to ring up and explain ourselves. Not sure what was said yet as we’ve hardly had a conversation these last few days. It sure is busy at the moment, but I’m happy.
We have been having fun together doing stuff I never felt I had the energy for when she was at kindy every day. I don’t know how some Mum’s manage it really, I just don’t think I have a very big capacity for heaps of events in one day.
D said I could put some of the money used for kindy fees towards getting a nice collection of books and today I found one at the Warehouse for $4.50, so I couldn’t resist. It’s called Mr Large in Charge by Jill Murphy. It’s about an elephant family, and Mrs Large is not feeling well, so Mr Large looks after the children while Mrs Large has a rest in bed. I can sadly still relate.
Today we did some water colour painting, and B made such a mess (on the carpet!) it stressed me out sooo badly. I often think I’m so much a better mother to just one child at a time. I do enjoy each of them better alone and give them better time. I’m looking forward to the next opportunity to spend some time with B alone. Poor boy gets the rough end of the stick sometimes. Middle child syndrome already? Maybe we’ll have to have another one?
On another note, related to home schooling, I’ve been watching a DVD series by a guy called Kent Hovind…..It’s basically creation science, and while I’ve never believed in evolution….. I’m realizing that it’s yet another contributing factor to my desire to home school. I just don’t think it’s fair on young children to be getting such mixed messages. Let me explain what I mean. We expect our children to obey their teachers and respect their authority, and then their teachers are telling them something that is in conflict with what we say. I don’t think it’s fair to make a young child choose between two authorities in their lives. When they are older, they will be able to reason for themselves, and recognise the different types of authority and their contexts etc. but for now I think that is not fair.
E4 just asked me to read to her and I just realised how lovely it is to hear her ask me that. I have been making an effort to read to the kids more, and also to read more myself. I have hardly read in the last 7 years!
This has all come about related to my thinking about home schooling. I am almost certain that we’ll be taking E4 out of kindy from this term. She hasn’t been happy there most of this year. She used to love afternoon kindy, but I think the 5 mornings have been too much for her. There are a number of reasons. And a big factor for me was the last day of term.
The children had participated in a fundraising walkathon. We were unable to attend….(I was 37 weeks pg and it was at 5:30pm….D only finished work at 6pm). Those that had participated were given certificates. I don’t have a problem with this….recognising the childrens acheivement. So…E didn’t get one. I could handle that. Then (and this is where it gets really good!) children whose parents had given an additional donation were given a certificate! I could have cried when I saw E’s face.We hadn’t given money towards this fundraiser….we were only just managing to pay her fees donations anyway. She came to me looking completely shattered and asked why she didn’t get a certificate. I told her we couldn’t go to the walkathon. Then she asked why we didn’t give money. I was so angry I had to leave, and when we got home, I made her a certificate that told her she was a star in my eyes.
Am I over reacting, or is in completely inappropriate to reward/not reward children based on their parents ‘voluntary’ financial contribution????
An intersting point is that she hasn’t had nightmares all these holidays. Previously she was having them regularly. Poor little mite….think she was quite stressed out. (Get’s that from her Dad. )
Anyway, last night I told her she didn’t have to go back to kindy and she flung her arms around my neck and kissed me.
I’m so glad that instead of heading off to kindy every day, we’ll have the time and energy to do other things, like go to the library, visit friends, make stuff, baking. I’m already collecting a whole list of things we want to do.
Went off to the library today and got some homeschooling related books. Also got a huge pile of books for the kids, including some non-fiction for E4 about plants. One called Why is the Sky Blue by Sally Grindley and Susan Varley. It is about a Rabbit who wants to learn and a Donkey who knows a lot, and the Rabbit wants to learn from him. The Donkey is willing to teach him everything as longs as the Rabbit sits still and listens which he promises to do over and over, but never manages to as he wanders off to discover wonderful things. It’s on one of those distractions, that Donkey finds him and teaches Donkey that lady bugs all have different numbers of spots. And so, Donkey rediscovers that energetic curiosity, and learns something new from young Rabbit. It was so very sweet and though it was an interesting co-incidence to stumble across such a story while I can think of little other than home education. (I didn’t even read the story until we got home so it was completely unintentional. ) Anyway, it reminded me of the way kids see the world and how they love to learn, and how they don’t always like to sit still and listen to learn. E4 certainly doesn’t and I’m learning to relax when I find her jigging around or drawing or doing other things when I’m reading to her. I need to remember that it doesn’t mean she’s not listening.
I’ve started reading her chapter books – Little ones, and last night it was such a joy to hear her laugh out loud as we read Piglet Meets a Heffalump. She thought the following bit was hilarious…
“And all the time Winnie-the-Pooh had been trying to get the honey-jar off his head. The more he shook it, the more tightly it stuck. ‘Bother!’ he said, inside the jar, and ‘Oh, help!‘‘OW!‘ And he tried bumping it against things, but as he couldn’t see what he was bumping it against, it didn’t help him; and he tried to climb out of the Trap, but as he could see nothing but jar, and not much of that, he couldn’t find his way. So at last he lifted up his head, jar and all, and made a loud, roaring noise of Sadness and Despair… and it was at that moment that Piglet looked down.
‘Help, help!‘ cried Piglet, ‘a Heffalump, a Horrible Heffalump!‘ and he scampered off as hard as he could, still crying out, ‘Help, help a Herrible Hoffalump! Hoff, Hoff, a Hellible Horralump! Holl, Holl, a Hoffable Hellerump! “
I’m considering home schooling (again!). I’ve been off and on with this idea for about a year now. It seems that when I’m coping I want to home school, and when I’m feeling stressed, I don’t think I could manage it. Well, right now I’m feeling quite positive about the whole thing. D would be supportive, although we haven’t discussed in great depth yet. I still have heaps of questions and have started some reading online, but considering getting some books.
I still don’t know if it is what is best for E, and whether I can do a good enough job at home keeping her interested and keeping her social contact up etc. I’m even having second thoughts about her attending kindy. On the one hand she seems to be enjoying it most days, and is clearly learning things (how to write and copy letters etc.) some days she seems to feel pressured by it and says to D today when he dropped her off “I don’t want to go to kindy. I want to learn at home, there’s just too much to do” I don’t quite know what she means by “to much to do,” but wonder if she feels some sort of pressure to preform or something.
I for one feel completely *$%^*@#& by the kindy head teacher at the moment because of the whole ‘lunchbox rules’ thing. They have ‘guidelines’ for what they should bring etc, (don’t get me started on that one!) but if there is a problem, instead of discussing it with the parents, they send the child home with the message “No more muesli bars” or “biscuits really are a treat and should be eaten at home”. This makes me see red! Firstly for the stupid rules in the first place (In my opinion, I am her mother and I will decide what she eats. I get this privelage simply because I am her mother and I pushed her out!) Secondly because they undermine me by dropping these hints at my child. I’m so fed up with having to tow the line to keep the powers that be happy!
