Sing a Song

The other day, I had a cute idea to turn a Nursery Rhyme into an activity, so they could understand what it means better. I chose "Sing a Song of Sixpence" because of the numbers in it (I have to make a point to do math with my kids, so I try to bring it in whenever I can). Boy, did they have fun with this!!

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye.

Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened, the birds began to sing,
Was not this a dainty dish to set before the king?

Before we started making the play-dough birds, I asked how many birds we (4) each would have to make in order to get 24. I counted on six fingers 4 times to get to 24. They didn't really get it at all, but I was happy to have at least introduced the concept of multiplication to them. They also had A LOT of fun with the play dough. Then they wanted to dress up. The king is a pumpkin king. We all loved this morning activity!

Bonus pics because they're just too cute!

Figuring Out What's Mine

Today I have found myself reflecting. I have observed other children just naturally do and do well. Yesterday at the park, I was observing a 10 year old boy playing with the agility of a seasoned athlete and a 4 year old boy playing catch with his grandpa (or dad?) with much better skill than my 5 year old (I know, I'm comparing and I shouldn't). The other day, I was reading friends' blogs. I enjoyed reading about the things they do with their children...outings, art projects, soccer games, silliness, healthy eating habits, etc. My kids also watched a video on Yahoo! made by a dad and narrated by his pre-schooler that was really cute.

I couldn't help thinking (because I'm always thinking about homeschool...now that it's a part of our life)...am I really giving my kids what they need with homeschool? Are they going to be well rounded?

And when I honestly answer myself, I have to say probably not. And that is something I'll have to continually address. But I can give them ample opportunities to learn what interests them and to participate in activities that interest them. And I can teach them what is Mine. But I have to think about what is Mine because it's hard to obviously see...it's what is a part of me and my learning and my individual intelligence. But it's there...and it's what I naturally gravitate in teaching my children. And my kids are already learning that stuff.

Here is an example of teaching something that is Mine. As my 5yo was climbing into bed (literally, since he sleeps on the top bunk), he started talking about the 3 times the devil tempted Jesus as recorded in Matthew 4. I couldn't remember talking with him about this and I quickly looked at his Primary handout...and it doesn't look like they talked about that today, either, but I decided to roll with it. I wanted to get it right so I pulled out the Bible and paraphrased the story with them...interspersing real scripture phrases with the story. The boys were enthralled!

When I finished, my 4yo asked me to tell the story again! So I retold it in a watered-down version. Then we had a discussion about the devil and how he tries to get us to make wrong choices. We talked about him having no body and never being able to have a body because of his wrong choice...and that he is jealous of our bodies. My 5yo kept asking deep questions like where the devil lives. And my 4yo said how important it is for us to obey Jesus and not Satan (and I heard him telling that to his little sister earlier today, too).

I think that the kids are ready for the whole Plan of Salvation lesson for Family Home Evening tomorrow.

This list is more for me than anything. Things that are mine:
Scripture and religion
Music...playing the piano, flute, guitar, harmonica, recorder, tapping beats
Appreciation of nature through hiking, outdoor exercise, camping, bird watching, observing plants, wading in creeks, playing in the sand...they take it a step further with their fascination in bugs
Geography (we have a world map hanging above our living room couch...it creates a lot of spontaneous teaching moments)
Astronomy (very amateur)
Geology (also very amateur)
Travel (right now we take advantage of close trips...someday, we will hopefully be able to go abroad)
People and cultures, especially Chilean (where I served my mission), Middle Eastern (especially Egypt thanks to The Prince of Egypt and my experience to do a Study Abroad in Jerusalem), and Korean (where my husband served his mission)
Spanish
Literature...right now we're still just reading great children's books
Human anatomy (it's easy when the children are on my level!)
Agency
Responsibility
Baking
Cooking
Reading
Swimming
Soccer/back-yard games (like tag, croquet)
Singing

Hey, that list isn't that bad! It's more well-rounded than I thought! It's just lacking in the things I knew it would...art and math. At least the kids are self-motivated to do art and math doesn't scare me. I just have to make a point of doing those things.