What the niecelings are working on now.
Sep. 5th, 2006 09:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conuly
Ana
Academically:
We've largely mastered counting, so we're really working on addition and subtraction, both with real and imaginary objects.
We're starting to work more on letter and number recognition - I really let that slide. Bad Connie.
We're working a *lot* on breaking words into sounds. "How many words have the -at, -at, -at sound? Well, what goes "meow"? A cat! And what do I put on my head? A h-h-h-hat! That's two -at words! Can we find more?" or "What starts with buh-buh-buh? How about buh-buh-bear? And maybe buh-buh-boat? Can we make Bs with our fingers? That's right!"
We're working a lot on maps. We look at maps every day before we leave so we know where we're going. We look at maps when we get places, if they're available. I'm starting to tie our frenetic memorization of capitals to maps. Maps are good.
I want to work on time more. We don't do enough with that, but I want to work a lot on "Last night we did this, and today we're doing that, and tomorrow we'll do this" and using Ana's beloved timer more and whatnot.
We're still working on dressing ourselves in a timely fashion without getting everything backwards. That improves on its own, though.
We're still mastering basic hygenic principles.
Some of us are still learning how to not use the teacher we all the time. Gah!
I want to, as I said, do more about basic science and whatnot.
She's working a lot on her art, making things that look like things. And she's apparently interested in writing letters, so we're going to do some low-key work in that area.
We're both working on memorizing simple poems and songs. I see this as a good exercise.
Physically:
Ana's a little monkey. She can climb nearly anything, jump any distance, whatever. And she's fearless. There's no "work" to be done here.
Socially:
Ana gets very nervous still in groups of kids. Even groups of kids she knows. Even in situations she's familiar with. She's getting *much* better, but she's still not that great. I tried telling this to Martha, and Martha just stared at Ana playing with Jack like I was nuts. But there were only two kids in that room! Three, if you count the baby! It's not the same thing at all for Ana.
However, she's terrific one-on-one, or if another kid joins a one-on-one thing. See above.
I can't make her be a joiner, so we're just trying to ease into it. It seems to be working. We are doing a lot of programs with other kids, structured (Kidz Cook), unstructured (the BPC programs) and semi-structured (the art programs).
I can help her learn to stand up for herself, and it seems to be sticking a bit. She's telling the other kids "no" more, not letting them get away with things. This is *good*.
And we're working a lot on basic manners, but that's another issue altogether.
All told, I think Ana's right where she should be. Assuming nothing comes up on Wednesdays, we're definitely starting a free Spanish program at the SICM this year - it's largely free play, but in Spanish, so what she learns will probably be minimal, but it's a good start to more structured programs later. And I'm really pushing for Ana to take a French class. I'll even pay for it myself, I think it's so important. That just leaves the swim/ballet everybody's already talking about, Jenn's all into that too.
Evangeline
I'll put this in one section:
She's really working on walking, almost to the exclusion of anything else. She can walk holding one hand, and she's already taken a few experimental steps unaided.
She is *very* interested in books, so (with an eye towards speech, not literacy yet!) we read a lot to her. I also let her sister "read" books to her, which I think is good for everyone, me included.
She may or may not be trying out more words/signs. Time will tell.
She's busy learning about putting things in and out, or stacking them.
Mostly, she learns a lot by tagging along with her big sister when her big sister does stuff. She's right where she should be too, I believe.
And that is the state of the kiddos. I haven't mentioned all the stuff Ana's working on, of course - that's why it's important for me, at least, to remember that she's only three.
I'm so used to thinking of her as a big kid now. I was startled one day when I saw her dress herself up in a firefighter's costume. She looked so small! Like a little kid! Of course she did, because she *is* a little kid. I just forget, and I shouldn't - it's no profit to anybody if I get impatient with her and expect her to know stuff she can't know yet.
Academically:
We've largely mastered counting, so we're really working on addition and subtraction, both with real and imaginary objects.
We're starting to work more on letter and number recognition - I really let that slide. Bad Connie.
We're working a *lot* on breaking words into sounds. "How many words have the -at, -at, -at sound? Well, what goes "meow"? A cat! And what do I put on my head? A h-h-h-hat! That's two -at words! Can we find more?" or "What starts with buh-buh-buh? How about buh-buh-bear? And maybe buh-buh-boat? Can we make Bs with our fingers? That's right!"
We're working a lot on maps. We look at maps every day before we leave so we know where we're going. We look at maps when we get places, if they're available. I'm starting to tie our frenetic memorization of capitals to maps. Maps are good.
I want to work on time more. We don't do enough with that, but I want to work a lot on "Last night we did this, and today we're doing that, and tomorrow we'll do this" and using Ana's beloved timer more and whatnot.
We're still working on dressing ourselves in a timely fashion without getting everything backwards. That improves on its own, though.
We're still mastering basic hygenic principles.
Some of us are still learning how to not use the teacher we all the time. Gah!
I want to, as I said, do more about basic science and whatnot.
She's working a lot on her art, making things that look like things. And she's apparently interested in writing letters, so we're going to do some low-key work in that area.
We're both working on memorizing simple poems and songs. I see this as a good exercise.
Physically:
Ana's a little monkey. She can climb nearly anything, jump any distance, whatever. And she's fearless. There's no "work" to be done here.
Socially:
Ana gets very nervous still in groups of kids. Even groups of kids she knows. Even in situations she's familiar with. She's getting *much* better, but she's still not that great. I tried telling this to Martha, and Martha just stared at Ana playing with Jack like I was nuts. But there were only two kids in that room! Three, if you count the baby! It's not the same thing at all for Ana.
However, she's terrific one-on-one, or if another kid joins a one-on-one thing. See above.
I can't make her be a joiner, so we're just trying to ease into it. It seems to be working. We are doing a lot of programs with other kids, structured (Kidz Cook), unstructured (the BPC programs) and semi-structured (the art programs).
I can help her learn to stand up for herself, and it seems to be sticking a bit. She's telling the other kids "no" more, not letting them get away with things. This is *good*.
And we're working a lot on basic manners, but that's another issue altogether.
All told, I think Ana's right where she should be. Assuming nothing comes up on Wednesdays, we're definitely starting a free Spanish program at the SICM this year - it's largely free play, but in Spanish, so what she learns will probably be minimal, but it's a good start to more structured programs later. And I'm really pushing for Ana to take a French class. I'll even pay for it myself, I think it's so important. That just leaves the swim/ballet everybody's already talking about, Jenn's all into that too.
Evangeline
I'll put this in one section:
She's really working on walking, almost to the exclusion of anything else. She can walk holding one hand, and she's already taken a few experimental steps unaided.
She is *very* interested in books, so (with an eye towards speech, not literacy yet!) we read a lot to her. I also let her sister "read" books to her, which I think is good for everyone, me included.
She may or may not be trying out more words/signs. Time will tell.
She's busy learning about putting things in and out, or stacking them.
Mostly, she learns a lot by tagging along with her big sister when her big sister does stuff. She's right where she should be too, I believe.
And that is the state of the kiddos. I haven't mentioned all the stuff Ana's working on, of course - that's why it's important for me, at least, to remember that she's only three.
I'm so used to thinking of her as a big kid now. I was startled one day when I saw her dress herself up in a firefighter's costume. She looked so small! Like a little kid! Of course she did, because she *is* a little kid. I just forget, and I shouldn't - it's no profit to anybody if I get impatient with her and expect her to know stuff she can't know yet.
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 02:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 02:42 am (UTC)And after her mom leaves she gets clingyweird and wants to lean on me while I dress her. If I'm in the mood to deal with her tantrum, I tell her no and make her do it mostly herself.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 02:48 am (UTC)Greg runs away from me when I try to dress him. I'd rather deal with Maylie's leaning or being obnoxious about what we choose for her to wear than the running away. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 02:53 am (UTC)I hear you on the obnoxious. Today, I put Ana in a long-sleeved shirt, a jumper/sundress, and pants.
Olive green pants.
Ana objected to the pants - she wanted to wear jeans with sequins on them that are a size too large and fall off her ass, so no.
And I just put the pants on and told her "Ana! See? You're very pretty now!"
"I NOT very pretty. My dress is pretty, but my pants ARE NOT pretty!"
*sighs*
no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 02:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 02:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-20 09:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 02:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 02:42 am (UTC)And after her mom leaves she gets clingyweird and wants to lean on me while I dress her. If I'm in the mood to deal with her tantrum, I tell her no and make her do it mostly herself.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 02:48 am (UTC)Greg runs away from me when I try to dress him. I'd rather deal with Maylie's leaning or being obnoxious about what we choose for her to wear than the running away. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 02:53 am (UTC)I hear you on the obnoxious. Today, I put Ana in a long-sleeved shirt, a jumper/sundress, and pants.
Olive green pants.
Ana objected to the pants - she wanted to wear jeans with sequins on them that are a size too large and fall off her ass, so no.
And I just put the pants on and told her "Ana! See? You're very pretty now!"
"I NOT very pretty. My dress is pretty, but my pants ARE NOT pretty!"
*sighs*
no subject
Date: 2006-09-06 02:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-07 02:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-20 09:02 pm (UTC)