Life is a Highway - it’s the journey, not the destination

:)

Violins are going down well. Although I do wonder at my own ability to teach them both, visions of eventually getting them lessons (if they decide they want to) and the teacher saying I’ve been rubbish! Ah well. They arrived last week and until I got some form of book to learn it I’ve been googling bow holds, watching you tube videos and basically just letting them have a go at playing the strings. Our book arrived this weekend so yesterday we had our first ‘proper’ lesson which was rhythms being clapped then plucked then bowed. M took one look at the book and proclaimed he wouldn’t be able to do it as it had ‘notes on the page and I don’t know what they mean!’ A was enthusiastic. Both did well with it all, but A struggles to get a good sound sometimes from the bow and was beating herself up about it saying she was no good They’re not normally that competitive but she definitely doesn’t like struggling with this, which is a shame as I think she has really good musical ability. Anyway, today we practised the same thing again, but she decided she’d just stick with plucking and she was so much happier with it all so saved for today.

Had a bit of a maths day today too due to having done none all week (Mon was a wash out as wasn’t feeling well, yesterday we just didn’t get round to any). Looked at rounding numbers, not sure if that wooshing sound was the wind or it going straight over their heads lol! I feel much better with maths at the moment, but sometimes I think I just either give them far too easy stuff or way too difficult things. Just don’t seem to be able to aim and hit the right level for them. Or at least it feels like it. We played a game from the Games for Math book and also kids requested Junior Monopoly. I put new batteries in their watches so we can learn about time. Oh and they both did a sudoku puzzle (at M’s request!!! - thud)

Need to make it to the library tomorrow so ought to find out their books.

I really wanted to add pictures to my holiday blog, but have lost my little adapter thing for my memory card so the holiday blog will have to wait Feel I should check in though

Had a nice day today with a trip to the theatre to see a concert type production of Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes and Dirty Beasts poems. Lots of instruments to see up close which was great as both mine love musical instruments at the moment. Both really want to learn the violin (as do I) and since I can’t fit a piano in the house (the other thing I want, not so much the kids) I went ahead and ordered some yesterday. Apologies to anyone who will be able to hear them (prob whole of Sheffield!) Kids v. excited though, hope they arrive tomorrow.

Generally feeling much better and have got over my little wobble about M and his reading. I *know* deep down that what everyone says to me is true but at the same time I felt it was something that should be made public if you know what I mean. But yeah, feeling much better about it so thanks everyone for their comments

Loving HE just now, just watching the kids making friends so easily, having such a good time, not feeling stressed out or feeling not good enough. You can’t beat it really

I have to say that I am finding this period of our ‘home education journey’ incredibly stressful at the moment. I really wish there wasn’t this big ‘thing’ about learning to read and about it being the be all and end all of everything. So much value is placed on this one skill and with that comes this pre concieved idea of it being learned before the kids get to around about age 7 (this is the biggie I think, so many times have a I read stuff that implies if you learn to read early you are clever, but that is so not true for everyone). So now that M is at age 7 and not reading for pleasure yet, I’m really feeling it.

I will say however, that I am one of the biggest culprits of what I’ve just said. One part of me says that it’s not the be all and end all right at this moment and the other just bloody wishes he could read Harry Potter so I could get people off my back and make me feel like I’ve succeeded in one little way. Yup, I’m getting hassle again from the family

I was feeling rather pissed off the other day at our lack of progress with both A and M. I felt that in the big 2 areas, Maths and reading we haven’t got anywhere. I feel like I’ve been saying ‘Oh M’s really coming along with his reading. He’s getting there.’ And yes he is, but I just feel like a broken record! So I thought I’d look back through the archives and see how much they had both progressed in the last 6 months or so and tbh I wished I hadn’t!! Rofl! On paper it just doesn’t feel much. It’s hard to gauge how much more comfortable they are with stuff in a tangible way.

So I gave up on that post

I have noticed something today with M though. We were doing Explode the Code with both A and M before I decided to back off with reading for a bit. M was doing book 3 at his request, he’d mostly got the hang of 3 letter words so we didn’t persevere with all of books 1 and 2. The last time I blogged using it was August I think. M could read the sentences in the book but it was a struggle for him. I think we could have persevered really if I’d wanted to, it was enough of a challenge for him. But today we looked at it again and it really showed how much he’s come on in just the simple reading of a sentence. He seems to have so much confidence in giving it a go, gets most of the words right and is happy about doing it. I’m really happy with it. I still don’t want to push too hard, but really 2 months ‘off’ (from my gruelling hothousing lol!!) has done him the world of good. I think one thing I always worried about happening, if he was at school, was it being too hard for him and for him to get the feeling he was no good at it and for his confidence to be dashed. I think I can safely say that hasn’t happened so far with him being at home. He reads things all the time and tonight while doing bedtime stories he decided he was going to have a go at reading one of the picture books. He read the first page really well, some faltering, but then it wasn’t an easy reader but a picture book for parents to read.

I think I will feel so much better when I’ve got both of them independently reading (don’t we all), I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but the actual getting there when it seems lots of people are waiting for an excuse to point fingers and look down on you has been harder than I ever imagined. It’s the age thing though I think, they expect a lot from M now he’s 7 I think and it’s an easy thing to say ‘oh look he’s not reading’ whereas other aspects of his education aren’t so easily pinpointed. I’m really lucky that my parents are ok with HE and give me no grief, not so lucky with J’s side of the family and there have been a few issues this week. But we’re away for 2 weeks now and it couldn’t have come a moment too soon!

*edit* and I really shouldn’t read the BBc’s Have Your Say bit. If you hear teeth gnashing then it’ll be me (ala Marge Simpson style).