Back on track

Kind of anyway.....

This week we have been involved with Vacation Bible School with a friend and fellow homeschool family’s church.  It has been a week of fun for the Bear.  Last year she went as well and they studied pandas all week and a year later she has retained what   she learned.  What’s amazing is to see the growth she has shown in the preceding year.  Not only her height (and that has been a lot, several inches in fact) but also her ability to recall what has been taught and retell in her own words.  Although sometimes what she retells are not exactly truthful.  *smile* She has a very active imagination and I think this is shown in that she has imaginary friends and loves to make up stories.  She is a performer child and while I don’t want to stifle this side of her, I also want to steer her in a positive direction.  

Lessons  for the week:

•   Listening skills
•   Dancing with butterflies
•   Taking an evening walk in our neighborhood and spying dragon flies
•   Solar lessons with paper (more to come on this—wanting to try fabric)
•   Counting and playing Candy Land
•   Picking out letters in printed material
•   A little bit of time spent on Reading Eggs

Writing it all down really makes it seem more complicated than what it is and has been.  *smile*

The thing I find myself unable to teach correctly or maybe adequately is how to clean her room.  She wants a clean room but I must always help her.  She is almost 5.  Is it normal?  I ask this all the time, and it really is my biggest tripping point right now.  How can I encourage her to pick up after herself more?  We have tried all sorts of “chore” and “responsibility” charts, stickers, and blackmail with treats…..  It isn’t that she craves being disorganized, because she enjoys having a cleaner room and spends more time quietly playing and coloring in her room when there is more order in it.  That being said, she doesn’t pick up after herself.  I don’t ask for spic and span clean, but picked up.  Oh a mothers heart….

Anyway I am in the process of putting forth another effort of grand proportions.  Complete with cute clip art and hangers.  My laminator is going to get a work out.  If this doesn’t work, I think we will look at a product another blogger reviewed recently.