Falling Leaves and Folder Books

The tree from which the beautiful bounty fell...

This week was a far cry away from the last two weeks as far as "busy"-ness goes. And I welcomed it with open arms! It was practically a run of the mill kind of week with the exception of mommy running around like a turkey with her head chopped off...pun so certainly intended. :) I have been shopping for Thanksgiving Dinner. It is pretty cool that Madison is learning about the first 13 colonies of our United States and the first Thanksgiving right around the time that we are having such a wonderfully festive holiday. At any rate, I am anticipating my largest gathering to date since I have been cooking Thanksgiving dinners. Which, this year is my 4th and I am expecting 15 adults, 8 kids and 1 baby. What a time this will be. I have to bring in an extra table, a 6 footer. We are renting extra chairs and for the first time, I have to set up a kid's table. Big fun!

Working on folder books

Folder books of 10 Colonies

Madison worked on her folder books this week. Chelsea worked on reading. She's reading very fluently for her age but if I could just sit down with her every single day, she would progress even more rapidly. I am not a stickler on my girls being "ahead" of their grade level. However, I know the quicker I have them reading fluently, the more independent they can be in their studies and the easier my job  gets as "mommytheteacher." Now, I thoroughly enjoy teaching them and interacting with them through learning, but ultimately, I want them to be independent learners for their own sakes. I think that that will pay off for them much more in the long run than having mommy spoon feed them every single piece of information. I believe this so much so that Chelsea, at four, is able to read and follow the directions in her Big Kindergarten book of exercises on her own (I haven't thought of this before, but that is reading comprehension right there). So when I am busy with Madison, it doesn't hinder Chelsea and vice versa.

I know some home school parents strongly disagree with this type of homeschooling but being a part of a co-op has shown me that its like disciplining your child...do it early while they are young and pliable and you wont have to do it so much later. That's just what works for us.
 
Oh yeah, Chelsea also worked on folding this blanket. :).

Yes, all of this is her folding process!

Madison has composed her first piece of piano music and it has gotten rave reviews from her piano teacher and our family and friends as well. That's very exciting for us as parents.

While the girls were outside playing this week, they spied a neighbor's yard covered in beautiful crunchy red, orange and brown leaves. They were unable to resist the beckoning of one of the many benefits of the fall season. My attention was gotten by lots of giggles and laughs and screams. I walked off the porch to find them standing beneath an eternal cascade of gorgeous foliage. Thanks for stopping by...