May Your Wishes Come True...

May the sun shine, all day long,

everything go right, and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you,
and may all the wishes you wish come true!
~Irish Blessing

Happy New Year to you!!

one more day of 2010...

what a year this has been!
I hope to add more pictures this next year of what I have been learning...

so much from motherhood to photography to cooking...

Busted on Christmas

When most people would be angry your Aunt Mary lovingly makes sweets to share on Christmas with all of us. She carefully follows recipes,makes them pretty and all to have you run your finger through the frosting.

She doesn't mind that you double dip but loves that you find her sweets so good and take swipes and her confectionary with a smile on your face.

And here I am with my camera... capturing this moment in time. A moment worth remembering both your happiness in having something sweet and the memory of the love your Aunt Mary had for all of us!

Keep your Christmas-heart open all the year round.
~Jessica Archmint

Merry Christmas 2010

There has been only one Christmas
- the rest are anniversaries.
~W.J. Cameron

BFF for Lady G

Since these two girls have met on the first day of kindergarten they have been best friends... the conversation went something like this..
Lady G: Hi!
E: HI!
Lady G: Will you be my friend?
E: Sure!


and off they ran to be friends. THE END.

Class at Christmas time

a little down time at school is a good thing.

it builds community.
it lets the kids communicate in a way that is not normally done.

it lets Mom in the door to help. I like that a lot. The kids had to make some ornaments to take home... yea... love that crafty stuff even more!!


I love that the kids use their brains in a different way.. makes me happy that they are happy!

snuggle up and read...

The librarian, Miss Angela came along with some other storytellers to read bed time stories at school. How cool is it that you get to wear your pajamas to school, have milk and cookies and have stories read to you for an hour??

Thanksgiving Play

Daddy took time from work to come see your Thanksgiving play. Usually, Daddy works in jeans and boots but for you and the others he always dresses nice to honor the hard work you have done at school. He is so proud of you and all that you do.

Queen V, you amaze even me. You took extra time to research the Native Americans that lived in what we call New England. You wanted to make something that resembled what they would wear. You made that necklace you are wearing. You took note to see the patterns they put in there work and did the same with yours.


The dress you are wearing Gran made me for my 4th Grade Thanksgiving Play at St. Agnes. She swore that was the last thing she would ever sew for me and I think it was! ha!

The songs you sang were so funny. We laughed and enjoyed the program you and your friends acted out for us. You sang a song called the Turkey Tango. That one made me laugh the most!

Each one of you and your classmates really got into it! After the singing you played Bingo and some other games. Daddy stuck around some more just to have "one of those times."

5th grade v the teachers... this ought to be good!

You and your friends wanted to be cheer-leaders. It surprised me but made you happy. I love seeing you make your own decisions and surprise me. You are definitely trying out different things.. this makes me happy!


My question is.. since there are so many 5th graders how did you let the teachers score so much? ha!

your 5th grade class looked so much like your kindergarten class... so many of the same kids in there. It was like it all came full circle.

just hanging out.

Friends are kisses blown to us by angels.
~Author Unknown

I love how E is friends with both of my older girls. She doesn't mind a little sister hanging around, going from booth to booth in the school carnival or sharing carnival passes.. just the kind of girl to hang out with :)

Skatetown!

Two times a year the school has a skatenight to help earn money for various activities. The girls love to go and always have a good time. They are never sure which friends will show up and hang out but are always seem to find one or two.
Since they have their own skates it makes it all the more fun to skate from the car to the rink!

Laps for Learning

So they run around in circles anyway... why not get them to run around and get some money for the school? The idea is to have 100% of the donations to go right to the school. In years past we had a company come in and direct the run but someone in PTA figured out it wasn't too difficult to do themselves. So a parent volunteered and we had our own run.

Music blaring from a parent's DJ gear, parents and teachers to mark off how many times the kids ran in circles, and lots more parents to cheer the kids on!

The girls found their best friends to run with most of the way. Love G and E!! They make great running partners!

Type of Learners

There are several types of learners and each one of my kids so far is a different one. Lady G is visual, Queen V is audial, and Mr. T, I believe, is kinesthetic. he cannot sit still worth anything. What makes it difficult is the fact that I have one year left with him to get my idea of learning across to him. Not every teacher will teach for each of the types of learners in a classroom... and usually the kinesthetic learner is the one left behind. I so don't want that for my T!
He can be such a sweet boy and loves attention- so much so that he will pick on any sister in a 5 foot radius to get it... good or bad.
Ok.. so on with the learners.. what type are you? What types are in your families? How do you help your kids learn, be good people and put their best foot forward.

THE KINESTHETIC LEARNER

Ways to Spot One - A child who Wants to:

* move all the time
* touch and feel everything, rubs hands on walls, hallways, door frames as he moves
* thumps buddies
* can take an item apart and put it back together
* enjoys doing things with his hands
* is well co-ordinated, good at sports (except eye-hand co-ordination if visual modality strength is lacking)
* frequently uses fists
* may make paper airplanes
* needs to use concrete objects as learning aids
* cannot rote count or sequence material without aids
* has difficulty establishing one-to-one relationships in number values
* after age 6.5 is generally classed as an underachiever
* often described as a child who can't keep his hands to himself
* needs to explore his environment more than average for this age
* is often considered hyperactive

1. Adjustments - What can be done

* provide quiet down period after physical activities
* alternate quiet periods and rest periods
* task reward may work well
* avoid putting him too close to other children
* provide cues for end of study time - timer or clock
* encourage visits for drinks/bathroom before class
* make it harder to move than to sit still - e.g. desk against wall
* is often unaware of own movement and distracted by that of others
* may be on medication for hyperactivity - find out
* use picture to help establish associations - words/numbers/meanings
* attach verbal labels
* use visual, auditory, and kinesthetic methods for teaching writing
* allow for planned times for movement, such as monitor jobs
*
* Teaching methods - How to plan
* use movement exploration - adding/subtracting/prepositional concepts can be taught on monkey bars
* have children clap or tap out numbers, syllables, walk patterns of words
* use number lines on the floor - child can use heavy objects along the line for more physical feedback
* use sandpaper letters/felt letters, writing in sand/clay, 3-D materials
* child may need to talk to self for motor feedback
* use all manipulatives possible
* do lots of things with eyes shut using 3-D letters
* use lots of writing - may need to introduce with stencils
* supply concrete objects for counting sequencing, establishing patterns seeing similarities and differences



THE AUDITORY LEARNER

Ways to Spot One - A child who:

* never stops talking
* tells jokes and tries to be funny
* can win spelling bee if taught "say-spell-say" method
* is a good story teller - they get taller and taller
* has poor handwriting, a history of reversals
* can remember what is said to him and repeat it accurately
* makes a good boss
* likes records, folk dances, rhythmic activities
* has ten excuses for everything
* knows all the words to all the songs
* can memorize easily
* has a poor performance on group intelligence tests
* seems brighter than group tests reveal
* has poor perception of time and space



* Adjustments - What can be done
* take out as much noise as possible
* find him a quiet place to work
* very soft background music may help
* use as few words as you can when giving directions
* if you repeat, use the same words
* speak directly to the child
* earphones and tape recorders help cut out distractions of other noises



1. Teaching methods - How to plan

* teach him to talk through tasks
* allow him to spell out loud
* let him say syllables out loud
* have him name punctuation marks as he reads to develop an awareness of their function
* play lots of rhyming and blending games
* allow him to think out loud. Encourage oral response
* tape record lessons and tests Use records.
* pair him with a visual learner
* encourage him to use colour cues and markers
* use neurological impress method (child pointing to words while you read to him)



THE VISUAL LEARNER

Ways to Spot One - A child who:

* likes to look at books and pictures - stays with a book, not just manipulating books on and off the shelves
* loves to look at orderly things - demands neat surroundings
* can find what others have lost and remembers where they have seen things
* sees details - how you dress, if your slip is showing, errors in typing
* can find a page in a book or workbook readily - may have it half done before the others start
* can't get directions orally (if the child is timid, will copy from others rather than ask for more directions)
* likes to work puzzles
* probably will be able to make good pictures - at least ones with good balance
* can set the table correctly and remembers where the dishes belong in the cupboard
* may have a speech problem
* may watch teacher's face intently
* rarely talks in class or responds in as few words as possible



1. Adjustments - What can be done

* take out visual distraction - place him in as uncluttered an area as possible
* leave a frame of blank wall around visual displays
* on a worksheet, put a heavy line around items to help pupil attend to one item at a time
* give him a big marker
* allow him to point if necessary. Let him touch the first letter of each word
* let him get one worksheet at a time, rather than handing him several papers at once. This also gives the child a purpose for moving about as he turns in his completed work and gets his next assignment
* try not to stand in front of a cluttered background when instructing
* give him one step of an assignment at a time



1. Teaching methods - How to plan

* give lots of visual directions
* give demonstrations
* use matching games, charts, and graphs
* use maps and teach the use of a legend
* use colour coded systems
* use number frames and abacuses
* use dictionaries and give visual symbols for sounds
* use configuration clues
* have him look for words, letters, pictures in papers and magazines
* use mirror to see mouth
* use clues such as a green dot as the place to begin, a red dot to stop. This also helps to develop directionality
* allow the child to work with rulers and number lines to develop math concepts

**I got this information from uvic

Lady G and the first day of school

yep... she made it to her final year of elementary school... and rushed out the door because she had a job to do..

Lady G was asked to help out with Crossing Guard. Although, it has a different name now because the kids rotate in and around different stations in school.. nonetheless, she has this job.
Daddy rushed her out the door to get her there early so she could help out.



I'm so proud of her.
Quite the young lady.
Quite the responsible one.. and sweet one.. most people I think would agree. She is a good kid.

First Day of School for Queen V

We watched as the bus drove by our house... I am happy that I get to spend that extra few minutes in the morning with my kids... we might say a Hail Mary, ask for special intentions that the kids learn, the teachers are happy and that all goes well for everyone in our school.

A few more in the parking lot... I want to remember this moment..

Great! A friend!!! Miss G is such a sweetie and doesn't mind posing for one more picture for me :) Look how big they both seem.. in a few years they will be hands on hips and telling me how to capture the moment! ha!


As I leave the classroom, I see she is all ready, the teacher has a quick little picture for them to color in... sets the tone for the class and I am happy for this.

First train rides are always so exciting! We took the train with Miss Lori and her family down to Dallas to see the Dr. Pepper museum and where the Dallas Stars play.  You were so excited and looked down the rails to see when the next train would come.

We stayed all day and then raced home to celebrate with grandparents.  What a fast day! 

10

she raced to 10.
Aunt Mary gave her a brick to put on her head to keep her small.
It didn't work.
She grew.
and grew.
and grew.

into this beautiful young lady.
just waiting to show the world what she knows.
what she loves.
what she can do.

what she dreams.
what she will be.... wonder what the next 10 years will bring??
what an amazing girl.

zoom!

almost passing me..
coming to a halt to hug me..
love this boy!