Another week down

This week has been rather up and down with schoolwork.  I'm very happy that we've moved quickly through the first units of History and Science!  We've pretty much wrapped up those studies by Wednesday, so I was having the older boys make sure they were up to date with their Math and Language Arts.  Math is in good shape, Language Arts I'm not so happy with.  LOL  But it's getting done, slower than I'd wish, but that's the nature of the beast I suppose since neither Harrison nor Spencer really care for that subject. 

 

Motivational techniques are key with Harrison.  He likes going to a friend's place on the weekend, but of course I won't allow it if the assignments aren't completed for the week.  He does have an invitation to his friend's for tonight, so I've told him what needs to be done by noon today if he wants me to consider the request.  Hey, whatever works - that's my motto.  LOL

 

An interesting thing happened with Landon this week.  He was bugging me that it was time to do his reading lesson on Wednesday, but I was busy in the kitchen. (making large quantities of desserts for the youth kickoff at church that evening)  So I told him "go find your book and tell me.  By that time I should be able to take a little break from this"  He came back shortly and claimed he couldn't find the book.  I sent him to look again, with a little more instruction on where it should be.  Last I heard from him for at least 15 minutes.  I assumed he got sidetracked and wasn't going to bother.  Eventually I went looking for him, and here he was in the living room, having completed the lesson and working in the workbook already!  He showed me what he'd done and I made him read some of the new words and sounds taught in the lesson to make sure he'd got it right.  And he had.  So now I'm thinking ----- would someone please tell me WHY I am "teaching" this child to read????? He just read all the instructions to the lesson by himself!  LOL  Speaking of motivation...  this incident reminded me of the comment I posted on <a href="http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/TOSPUBLISHER/197639/">Gena's</a> blog last week, so I had to go retrieve it and paste part of it here.

 

My third ds [Landon] didn't want to learn to read until I found the "one thing" that would motivate him - if he could read, he would be able to read instructions himself and wouldn't have to ask me what to do next in his Math book. That was his motivation, and that was the initial reward - gaining independence. I could have offered candy, treats, money, gifts... but I don't think those rewards would have been as effective because they didn't address his personality and the gifts wouldn't last. By recognizing at the age of six that reading was the window of opportunity, my ds gave himself all the motivation he needed. 

Proven! LOL

 

We've finished our Bible reading for the morning, and now the boys are busy working on their Language Arts (because Harrison wants to go to his friend's house - could that be his "one thing"?  I sincerely hope he has something better than that! LOL) so I have a few minutes to finish my coffee and then a quick shower.  This afternoon is gym class, so we have only this morning to finish some things up for the week.