crafting with children / HOMESCHOOLING / sewing projects

do something creative

  P1010017
Lori and I often email back and forth about homeschooling our children. (Well actually, I email with all my homeschooling woes and she emails back encouragement and ideas.) A few weeks ago in one of my emails she told me that there are a few tasks her boys are required to do each day, on their own. She and I have similar learners–independent learners. Generally, if wasn’t Emma’s idea, she’s not too keen on working on it. It can make for quite a few battles when I try to do some concentrated work with her.

But this is all a series of learning, trying new things, adjusting, evaluating and getting to know my children better. I think I change my approach to homeschooling every other week, but so far, this simple little idea, at the suggestion of Lori, is working.
P1010020
On a piece of cardstock, which I "laminated" (with packing tape), Emma has a series of tasks she must do every day. She slides the list into her notebook, traces the right side edge, dates the page, and puts a sticker beside every task as she completes it. It allows her to do things on her own time, at her own pace and I believe she feels like she is controlling some of her learning. My help is required for many of the tasks, but it still has an air of independence to it.
P1010007
Of course, the two favorite things on her list are "play outside" and "do something creative". She wakes up ready to tackle both of these before breakfast has made its way into her stomach. This morning, we shoved bagels and cream cheese aside to break out the ironing board, wool felt and floss. `A la The Creative Family at Home, she’s stitching up a wool felt cube for Elizabeth’s birthday next week. It’s been a great little project for her to work on and chill out in a comfy chair on this gray and damp afternoon. And the whole process of creativity brings a sense of peace and calm to our home. Even Mary has a square that she’s filling with giant pink stitches.

I’m thankful for this little taste of quiet, busy hands on a Friday morning.

Happy Weekend, everyone. Wishing you lots of greening grass, warm sun and peace.

my life::up close:: 2/30

  P1010017
Lori and I often email back and forth about homeschooling our children. (Well actually, I email with all my homeschooling woes and she emails back encouragement and ideas.) A few weeks ago in one of my emails she told me that there are a few tasks her boys are required to do each day, on their own. She and I have similar learners–independent learners. Generally, if wasn’t Emma’s idea, she’s not too keen on working on it. It can make for quite a few battles when I try to do some concentrated work with her.

But this is all a series of learning, trying new things, adjusting, evaluating and getting to know my children better. I think I change my approach to homeschooling every other week, but so far, this simple little idea, at the suggestion of Lori, is working.
P1010020
On a piece of cardstock, which I "laminated" (with packing tape), Emma has a series of tasks she must do every day. She slides the list into her notebook, traces the right side edge, dates the page, and puts a sticker beside every task as she completes it. It allows her to do things on her own time, at her own pace and I believe she feels like she is controlling some of her learning. My help is required for many of the tasks, but it still has an air of independence to it.
P1010007
Of course, the two favorite things on her list are "play outside" and "do something creative". She wakes up ready to tackle both of these before breakfast has made its way into her stomach. This morning, we shoved bagels and cream cheese aside to break out the ironing board, wool felt and floss. `A la The Creative Family at Home, she’s stitching up a wool felt cube for Elizabeth’s birthday next week. It’s been a great little project for her to work on and chill out in a comfy chair on this gray and damp afternoon. And the whole process of creativity brings a sense of peace and calm to our home. Even Mary has a square that she’s filling with giant pink stitches.

I’m thankful for this little taste of quiet, busy hands on a Friday morning.

Happy Weekend, everyone. Wishing you lots of greening grass, warm sun and peace.

my life::up close:: 2/30

13 comments on “do something creative”

  1. i sincerely need a list just like that. badly. (and by the way, we “laminate” with clear “contac” paper. went through a phase where we had to laminate everything. something about that plastic!)

  2. Hi,I’m not sure if I’ve ever commented or not but I have been reading for while and enjoy your blog. 🙂 Thanks for such a wonderful tip. May I ask what age level or grade she is? I have a soon to be 5 year old son starting homeschool kindergarten this fall and I’m wondering if the things you wrote on the chart (and the whole chart idea) are geared to his age group or older. I think he would love this. Thank you!

  3. I love that she can put the stickers on another page. I’ve just moved to a key-ring, laminated notecards system. Well, I actually have to make them. Lol. There will be three keychains with different household doings, and they will each get one keychain for one week. I hope that will help make life run more smoothly for us.

  4. I am SO using this. Our boys attend public school, but they still have things here that I ask them to do…read for 15 minutes, sight words, etc. And I have been wondering how to continue what they have been learning this summer while school is out. This is perfect!!! Thanks to both of you!

  5. I think your list looks great,and I’ve laminated with packing tape many times 🙂

    So glad you are doing the macro challenge too! I’m really have fun with it–actually, it’s becoming addicting.

  6. i love the list too! it reminds me of a list i wrote down in my journal some months back one sleepless night. not necessarily a list for the kids, but a list for me of things i wanted to accomplish each day on my own and with my children, including reciting the abc’s and counting to 100 with my pre-kindergartener. also on the list was “do something nice for someone else”. i think it might be time to rewrite the list and laminate it 🙂 thank you molly!

  7. Love the list. I think we are going to make one similar for my son. I don’t homeschool but I think seeing a list of must do’s that he can check off might make things seem more doable. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

  8. the chart idea is fabulous! i am going to do this for the summer just to make sure the chores get done, the math tutoring is completed, etc. thanks to you (and lori!) for a great idea.

  9. Hi Molly,

    My six-year-old, Daniel, is having trouble learning to read some sight words (should, would, could, what, when, want, they). I have him use note cards attached with a ring to practice them, but I don’t know how effective it is given that he is an auditory/kinesthetic learner. He reads well except that these sight words effect his fluency and make the whole process tedious for him.

    I wondered about having him copy them, but thought he would get too tired then to do a real journal entry. Are you having Emma copy them so she can learn to spell them, or is she still learning to read them? Is she also an auditory learner? Do you find copying them more effective for her than posting them in the house or on cards? Thanks!

    Love the daily list and will definitely use it so that Daniel can gain some independence. Thank you!

  10. It is day two of the boys’ daily lists and all is going wonderfully. What a fabulous tip! Thank you!

    I was reading old posts and found the ones about you having to have shots during Elizabeth’s pregnancy, due to the blood clot. Ouch! How awful! So sorry you had to go through all that.

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