Marshmallow Time!

My kids' favorite part of school is definitely "Marshmallow Time!"  This is memory work developed by cheerful bribery.  Every child who participates to their best ability with a good attitude gets the treat at the end of our memory work time.  Mini marshmallows and chocolate chips are the norm.

There are a few guidelines for how I choose what we are memorizing.  First, I want everyone to have some material that challenges them.  My 2nd grader will not be challenged by asking to count by 10's, but she is challenged to memorize her spelling rules and the names and locations of the continents and oceans.  My 2 year old cannot understand what a spelling rule is talking about, but he can sing the days of the week!

Second, just the opposite of the first point, I want everyone to be able to do SOME of the work easily. That means I still let my 2nd grader count by 10's, and I let my 4 year old count TO 10.

Third, I base their success on trying, not succeeding, because when we do this every day, they will eventually get it!  So, I try to choose simple phrasing and hand motions that everyone can TRY to do, not difficult words that the four year old can't say, much less comprehend.  Some of it will be above his head, but the more of it that he can attempt, the more he is learning. It also means that he is memorizing things far before he actually needs them.  He doesn't need to skip count by 3's until 1st or 2nd grade, but he'll probably be able to before he's in kindergarten.  My K girl doesn't need to have her subtraction and addition facts memorized, but she will be ready before it's needed.

We use Marshmallow Time to memorize:

• Bible Verses (Our weekly Sonlight verse, we play the Sing the Word A to Z CD)
• Character Trait Definitions ("Love is wanting only the best for others, and showing it in how I treat them and speak to them."  We talk about what these mean, too, so that when we want to reference how they are (or are not!) showing this trait, they understand it.)
• Continents and Oceans (we keep a map right by the table on the wall)
• Skip Counting (I use the songs on the CD "Ditty Bugs" by Carol Barnier.)
• All About Spelling Key Cards (My Kinder has learned several spelling rules before beginning spelling, just because we include it in our family memory time for her sister's benefit!)
• Months of the Year
• Days of the Week 
• Counting
• Subtraction and Addition Facts
• Sight Words
• Poetry (My girls memorized Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost last year when they were 4 and 5, because we did it daily for a while.) 

When introducing something new, I break it into chunks and they repeat after me.  Sometimes we make up hand motions to go with it.  (Our oldest girl doesn't care for hand motions, but everyone else does!)  After a few times, they try to say it in chunks with me.  Then, we do it as we do the rest when they are starting to get it. 

What we do with already introduced material is go through each thing we are memorizing, usually interspersing the older kids' work and the younger kids' work.  We do it together, one or more times, then anyone who wants to will try to do an item on their own.  Sometimes I require a particular child to do it on their own if I think they are being non-participative in a work that they are capable of.  On their own simply means that they are saying it without the help of their siblings, it does not mean that they have to have it perfect.  It also does not mean that I won't prompt them if needed.  After we finish, they each get a little kid-sized handful of the treat.  

First Day Pictures!

Sam, Josh, Brooke & Lauren
August 17, 2015
(Not) Back to School!

Brooke is six and in 2nd grade.
She wants to be a missionary in Puerto Rico when she grows up.
She loves animals, Minecraft, snuggling on the porch swing in the evenings with her mama,
and doing any kind of work with her hands.
She doesn't care about being cute, just comfortable.
This year she's excited to learn some Spanish, sewing and cooking! 

Lauren is five and in Kindergarten.
She wants to be a good mother and a good person when she grows up.
She loves hugs & kisses, the Patriots, olives, writing/drawing, movies and being cute.
She is my class clown (at least until baby brother is in "class.")
This year she's excited to learn to read and to be officially in school!

(Not) Back to School

We're a few weeks into our curriculum for the year, because my girls decided they wanted to get ahead and be able to take more days off of school when Tim and I are off work, but today is our official "Back to School" day.

This is what our school area looks like.  Last night, the little guy wasn't feeling well and I stayed home with him while everyone else went out for pizza.  While they were gone, I moved this bookshelf over beside "my chair."  My chair is where most schoolwork occurs, and I really wanted the books to be shelved within reach of my chair instead of being stacked around it all day.

If you use it, you probably know exactly what is on that middle shelf.  This is our first year using Sonlight.  So far, we are loving it.  I waited to start Sonlight until my second daughter was in K, because my plan is to combine my girls and then combine my boys later on.  Here's what we're using for curriculum:

• History, Bible, Read-Alouds: Sonlight Core A
• Brooke's LA: Sonlight LA 2 w/ 2nd grade readers, Explode the Code, A Reason for Handwriting and All About Spelling.
• Lauren's LA: Sonlight LA K w/ readers K, Explode the Code and Handwriting Without Tears
• Math: Horizons (K and 2)
• Science: Apologia Swimming Creatures
• Spanish (Brooke): Rosetta Stone
• Art: 123 I Can... series.  
• PE: Playing outside as much as possible, gymnastics for the girls
• Other focuses without specific curriculum: Cooking, Housework and Sewing

We are houseparents to children who are in public school, so we loosely follow a public school calendar.  Our PS kids started school today, so we are, too.  However, our PS kids are off to school (20 minutes ago) and my littles are still snoozing.  Last night, I made them some little goody bags for back to school.  (The PS kiddos got some, too, but they're teen boys, so they just got the treats.  Not sure their teachers would be keen on us sending them to school with Flarp.  Yeah.)

The goody bags are just some things we had around (like Pop-Its) and some inexpensive things I got at Wal-Mart last night when the slightly ill toddler and I went grocery shopping.  I wrote the first letter of their names on the lids of their play-doh, flarp and bubbles, in Sharpie, because a few hours into this day, when this stuff is strewn everywhere, I'm not going to remember what color Flarp everyone had.  Helpful in settling property disputes as well as determining who put their Play-Doh on the cat's tail.  The goody bags contain:

• Pop-Its (like Snap Pops)
• Silly false teeth for the girls, Matchbox cars for the boys
• Bubble Gum
• Smarties (see what I did, there? Yep, the teens gave me that patronizing "I know, you think this is funny... I'm going to pretend I think it is, too, because I want to eat the candy" look.)
• Flarp
• Mini Play-Doh from a party pack
• Bubble Wand

And they are up!  Silly teeth were the first priority!  :-)