Weekly Wonders #2 - 14th February 2010

Happy Valentines Day!

Well this week was but a near right off! I was quite sick for 3 days (spent one entire day with my head in the toilet, but I won't go into anymore details than that and it took me another 2 days to fully recover) which meant little to no 'real' work was done around here (monday's we are with our homeschool network) and even less of it was photographed.

I have only just caught up on the washing, the folding is another matter. I still need to try and tackle the rest of the house.

We barely even read this week. My nausea was so bad that I just couldn't focus on anything, the most I could do was turn the pages for little C to look at the pictures in his books. But as always the kids seem to keep themselves busy and amused. That is definitely a plus to having older children at home. I barely had to worry about C, he was completely entertained by his big brother and sister, thank goodness!

I'm all good now though so hopefully this week will be somewhat better. I will share the photo's I did get but I am not going to bother to break it down into KLA's, seems kind of pointless for this week.

I am linking up to Tot School for C, he is currently 18 months old.

C actually got to experience his very first sensory tub this week. I know I've been slack in this department, you all come up with such great ideas. Being his first I really wanted to keep it as simple as possible and also tried to minimise the possible mess. Plus it was a spur of the moment decision so I had to run with what I had on hand. The sensory tub was made up of a mixture of large pasta pieces, pom poms and feathers.

I'm so glad of a couple of things, one that I chose the large pasta as he thoroughly enjoyed spooning it all over the floor, two, that I chose to use his large sand/water play tub as K also enjoyed playing with the sensory tub. I do think I will try and move it to an under the bed storage container though as it means the sand/water tub is out of action for other things then.


He did spend a considerable amount of time spooning from one side into this smallish cup and tipping it out. So I think he would be ready for these types of activities on his shelves. I need to hunt down a few items first (small jugs etc) before we can begin.

I have no idea of athe normal age that one would start with pouring/spooning activities with toddlers but does it really matter all that much?


He chose his stacker peg board this week and always stacks them all on top of each other to see how high he can go. When he can no longer reach the top comfortably (when he has to stand) then I have to place the last few in position for him.



I have had this shape puzzle out for a fortnight now and he has not shown any interest in it what so ever. I grabbed it off the shelf on this day and he was happy enough to sit for a few minutes with the material. We talked about the shapes only, for now I left the colours out of the scenario.

One evening this week C and I were drawing together and I drew a quick small circle, told him it was a circle and he then coloured it and did his best at saying circle. From then on he has been coming to me wanting me to draw circles so he can colour them.


A few left over stickers this week. He is slowly gettting better with placing them. A few had lost their sticky so I showed him how to use a glue stick but he really wasn't into that at all. (except for using it as a paint brush)


I have also been peeling off all of the backing from his stickers, this has made it so much easier for him to be able to peel them from the sheet.

We've had quite a bit of landscaping and gardening happening here the last few days. All of the plants were delivered to finish the garden around the new pool area (yes I will eventually show some photo's of that progress) so it was all hands on deck to set the plants out. C was very keen to help out as he always is.

He is thoroughly smitten with 'ducks' at the moment, that is actually trucks to you and I but comes out ducks...too cute! Even what was previously to him a car, is now a 'duck'.

That's our Tot School for this week. To see what other Tots have been getting up to visit 1+1+1=1.

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I'm linking up to Preschool Corner for K, which is hosted over at Homeschool Creations.

After going back through my handful of photo's for the week I realised that I didn't have one of K, not one! What's up with that, she's normally our busiest little beaver, when it comes to output! Oh well, she also normally has the most photo's when it comes to sharing the things the kids have been up to so it all balances out in the end, right?!

K5 had her Gymnastics and Art Classes with our Home School Network on Monday, but I forgot my camera so I have no photo's there. I am so happy with how she has settled in this year. She really hasn't needed me at all. Her self confidence is blooming!



Whilst I was near dying on the lounge (well feeling very ill and sorry for myself) B and K decided that they would make an indoor obstacle course. I did manage to take a quick video of it, my only input was the masking tape line that was supposed to be a tightrope.

This is a better view of some of the planting in action. Well I think they are more just setting everything out here by the looks.


Not sure when this little number got done (remember I was off in the land of the sick sicks for some time this week) but everything is from our 'box contruction' basket.

K did spend some time with her Montessori materials, mainly the sensorial ones. I am still getting everything out and want to make sure that I am giving presentations of all of the materials as they go out on the shelves.

She spent some time working on her Earlybird Maths. She is such a funny thing with her 'school work'. I like her to do some thing, more just to get her into the routine than anything. ( I envisage K moving more into Montessori than any of the traditional working styles) Most days she will tell me that she doesn't want to do it and all I ask of her is to have a go. Then, every single time, without a doubt, she sits down and never wants to finish. I have to tell her to put her math stuff away and do something else LOL!! Honestly I can't win either way LOL!

She did some more work on even numbers, sequencing, counting in 2's and began ordinal numbers. She also worked a little with the number rods and the numerals and counters (although I think she is pretty much beyond that work now).

How do you know when to remove work from the shelf? When they never touch it? When you know that they have mastered it? We don't have the luxury of extra space to leave everything out so we have to remove work from time to time.

Well that is all I have for Preschool Corner. Gee I hope everyone else had a better week than we did. Check out Homeschool Creations for more Preschool Corner posts.

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And so this brings us to B's week, well what I can remember of it anyway!

No camera for Monday's Home School Network Classes, but B is thoroughly enjoying all of his. Mixed Sports I think is the definite winner, he also had Gymnastics and is focussing really well. Art this week did not hold his attention at all, which is a first for B, so not sure if it was the lesson or just him.


Box Construction car for his baby brother.


Surprisingly he did get in quite a bit of Language work. I have purchased the Blue Series Work from Montessori For Everyone (love Lori's materials) and have been getting it all out on the shelves. I know I have said it before and I am sure I will say it again, but all of that cutting, laminating and more cutting really takes so much time doesn't it!

He is finding the blue series work really quite easy (which I thought he might of) however his reading level is still really only in line with the blue series work (most of the time). So for you veteran Montessorian's, what do you suggest? Do I leave the blue work out until his reading catches up or do we move forward and begin introducing the Green Series Work?

Somehow he got most of his next lesson done in the Fitzroy Reading Program (we'll finish it off today so he can start a fresh this coming week) and even a little from his Explode The Code Work.



In math he covered, adding 5's, money addition (which he loves) tally's and graphs, counting in 5's (strange one to include as I think as he has been doing that for 2 years), working with prisms and beginning multiplication (repeated addition).

I'm not quite ready to present him with Montessori Math Materials just yet. I am still getting my head around presenting and getting it all right. I also need to make sure I understand all of the materials before I sit them down in front of him. He is however itching to get to use some that are more at his level.

At some stage this week he decided to draw the Sydney Oper House, with a water reflection and the Harbour Bridge in the background. Then set about painting it.


The finished piece, all whilst I was sick, so I had really no idea he was doing it.

B's also been helping out the garden, although the huge piles of dirt are starting to be alot more fun to play in than actually planting trees.


B in the indoor obstacle course the kids put together.

That brings us to the end of the week. Definitely looking forward to a better week ahead.



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To see more weekly updates from other homeschoolers and some really cool blogs visit:

1+1+1=1 for Tot School Posts

Homeschool Creations for Preschool Corner Posts

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