Yep. Been a while.
I was covering the art teacher's class the other day, and she was having the class explore different uses for their sketchbooks. One of the explorations was: Artists use sketchbooks to write. They make lists, write stories, poems, gather ideas, etc. So I thought maybe I should make a list of things to write about, instead of freaking out about it and writing nothing...so here is my list of things I could write about because...writers make lists. (Astonishing, I know.)
I could write about:
1. The fact that my kids are school/office supply nerds, just like me. (Post-it Notes, journals, pens, and pencils, oh my!)
2. The long list of items I am "currently" sewing. ("Currently" meaning heaped in a pile next to my sewing machine.) 1 dress, 5 skirts, 4 tops, and a little girls' dress.
3. My son's daily craziness with diabetes.
4. How I have trained my kids to sit and be quiet during a car ride by using audiobooks. (We have listened to 6 books in 2 months.)
5. The lesson planner I created and am training my staff to use, which makes life soooo much easier.
6. My thoughts on new teachers. (They are very much like a dog at the park. Squirrel. Shiny things. Food. Ball. Run. Squirrel. Cat. Run.)
7. The books I want to read, but don't because I am still in heartbreak over reading Pandemonium.
8. My lack of motivation to run as a form of exercise.
9. The anxiety and fear I have about taking on an admistrative type position next school year. (My current position is grant funded, and the grant ends this year. Boo!)
10. The little gift boxes for the small bottles of hand sanitizer I want to make for people. (Although, I have no reason to make them. I just feel the need to make some because the boxes will be cute, and people will think I am awesome.)
11. The dinners I make in the crockpot, which are nothing fancy, but do make for a fast dinner.
12. Hmmm. I think I have exhausted my brain for the moment.
It does feel nice to get some ideas down. Now will I write about each of these? Don't know, but I have no reason to slack now.
Thought of number 12!
12. My efforts to raise money for JDRF in support of my munchkin. (So far this year, we have raised $2,200 dollars. Yay, us!)
Ah. A full dozen. Sweet.
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Car Ride, Comprehension, and Peace
If your car rides with children are like mine, then you understand when I say it is like an Adam West as Batman fight back in the day.
POW
BAM
SMASH
Yeah. Two boys together in the backseat is not a quiet ride. (Even if that ride is only 5 minutes.) This past spring we, by some chance, checked out a book on CD at the library. I don't remember what initiated the whole affair, but it happened. The boys chose "Bunnicula", which also included two other titles from that series.
It was as if the angels began to sing on that first drive home. They. Were. Silent.
Every chance after that we would turn on the book and listen to the story. I had to work with them a little on conversations about the progress of the plot in the beginning. Because eventhough the boys read every night, we don't read "chapter" books like this as a family. My husband and I are pretty prolific readers, but we just hadn't done something so lengthy as a family. Now the boys are regular pros at prediction conversations as soon as we turn off the car.
We finished those three books, and went to check out another. This time we chose "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. I was a little apprehensive at first, but the boys were motivated so I went with it.
I have to tell you. Books on CD rock! The boys might be in the middle of arguing or just being loud...so...I turn on the book. Immediate SILENCE. Love. It.
This afternoon we took two turns around the block to finish the book. It was that good.
I wish we had more time for things like this in the classroom setting. Students need to hear fluent readers, but more than that the practice in comprehension, visualization, and conversation is just as important in creating confident readers.
Now go and check out something for you and your noisy riders. The peace is so worth it.
POW
BAM
SMASH
Yeah. Two boys together in the backseat is not a quiet ride. (Even if that ride is only 5 minutes.) This past spring we, by some chance, checked out a book on CD at the library. I don't remember what initiated the whole affair, but it happened. The boys chose "Bunnicula", which also included two other titles from that series.
It was as if the angels began to sing on that first drive home. They. Were. Silent.
Every chance after that we would turn on the book and listen to the story. I had to work with them a little on conversations about the progress of the plot in the beginning. Because eventhough the boys read every night, we don't read "chapter" books like this as a family. My husband and I are pretty prolific readers, but we just hadn't done something so lengthy as a family. Now the boys are regular pros at prediction conversations as soon as we turn off the car.
We finished those three books, and went to check out another. This time we chose "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. I was a little apprehensive at first, but the boys were motivated so I went with it.
I have to tell you. Books on CD rock! The boys might be in the middle of arguing or just being loud...so...I turn on the book. Immediate SILENCE. Love. It.
This afternoon we took two turns around the block to finish the book. It was that good.
I wish we had more time for things like this in the classroom setting. Students need to hear fluent readers, but more than that the practice in comprehension, visualization, and conversation is just as important in creating confident readers.
Now go and check out something for you and your noisy riders. The peace is so worth it.
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