Archive for July, 2009
The Bookworm is now open
It’s saturday morning at our house and the children are busy.
“Mookie, get the abacus,” Jellybean calls across the house.
“I’ve already got it. Shh, I’m adding my minutes.”
“How many do you have?”
“Shh, I don’t know yet. When’s browsing time?”
“Daddy says it’s in ten minutes. Are you adding The Boy’s too?”
“He has two hours, which means a dollar and 20 cents, but maybe he has some more in his envelope.”
“I wonder if they’re going to raise the prices this week,” wonders Jellyfish while she waits for the abacus.
“I read 7 hours this week which means I have four dollars and twenty cents. If I read a little longer after browsing time, I can get two chapter books.”
“Okay, give me the abacus, please, so I can do mine.”
A few minutes later The Bookworm bookstore, conveniently located in the family schoolroom, is open for browsing.
Mookie, Jellyfish, and The Boy practically hop into the room, anxious to see what new books have arrived. A few minutes of studied silence, broken by a squeal or two and finally a shout.
“I’m getting this one!” they yell at the same time, though thankfully each holding a different book.
Mr. Darcy announces the end of browsing time,”Okay, figure out how much more time you need to read this afternoon before the bookstore opens for business. Browsing time is over.”
After chores they happily head off to read away the minutes they need to have enough money to buy their new books. Well, the 4 year old doesn’t actually do that, since his reading time is led by mom and dad. Really, he gets out some cars.
A few hours later 3 contented children leave The Bookworm, looking forward to the week ahead, brand new books in hand.
This is a little peek into Saturdays at our house this summer. Last year we started an incentive to build upon the library’s summer reading program, and this year we’ve tweaked it to a rousing success.
Here’s a summary:
What: Our family summer reading program
When: throughout the summer months off from school
Who: our three older children (though Mr. Darcy and I wish someone would do this for us)
Why: This is our family’s answer to the question “How do we keep our kids engaged in reading and learning even during our time off school.” Last year we did a similiar incentive except that they earned real money and we took them to Borders Books at the end of the summer. Though full of excitement, this part of the incentive was miserable for all of us. After an hour of searching through huge bookshelves, they didn’t know what book they wanted and we had to say no to a lot of choices for either poor quality or poor content. This summer we know they are choosing great books and the selection is displayed in a much easier format for them.
How: Each week the children record how many minutes they’ve read per day. At the end of the week they add up their minutes and for every minute they earn one Bookworm penny (play money). After browsing time, they can decide if they want to read a little more during the day to make sure they have enough for the desired books. Later in the afternoon they make their purchases and save any leftover change for next week’s store. Minutes start again at zero after the afternoon bookstore.
Where: We purchased a large number of chapter books, smaller chapter books, readers, and picture books and set them out for display in the schoolroom.
From my point of view this is a win-win situation. The children read willingly, their skills improve, they are rewarded with books (not candy or movies). They read those books, their skills grow further, and in turn they get more books. A pretty terrific cycle. And if it wouldn’t take us to the poorhouse, we’d continue the bookstore through the school year.
Note: The summer bookstore has also worked their math skills: figuring out the amount of minutes each day, adding the minutes for the week, and converting the minutes into dollars and cents.
A Secret Revealed
I may have mentioned various reasons that prompted our life-changing decision to homeschool. Maybe I said “We want our kids to love learning.” “We want to give them a good foundation in the Lord along with their academic studies.” “We want to cultivate family and grow the character in our children.” After this week I’ve discovered that although these reasons seem perfectly sensible and earnest, there may be a reason that outweighs all of the others. This one sounds less impressive and yet carries the burden of truth.
I don’t like to get up in the morning.
We’re finishing up a week of vacation bible school. Five days of getting clothes set the night before, scooting everyone out of the beautiful summer sun and ending all evening frolics so that they can get enough sleep. Then I make sure there’s breakfast ready to go, a diaper bag packed, and my own clothes picked out. That’s the night before. The morning begins the torturous job of rising from the warm sheets and leaving the silky smooth baby snuggling nearby. My feet hit the floor and I start barking orders.
“Everyone up, it’s time for breakfast.
No, you can’t get up in a few minutes.
No, you can’t stop at the couch and lay back down.
No, you can’t enjoy your food, you’ve got five minutes!
There will be no giggling or having fun.
Now go get dressed.
No, you don’t need help.
Yes, you do have to brush your teeth.
Nevermind, forget any other chores, we’ve got to get in the car.
Go, go, go.
Wait, we forgot the baby.
Now, we’re ready.”
And then at 2 minute intervals from the children:
“Are we going to be late?”
And so we finally depart the house, leaving thirty minutes before we would normally just be sitting down for breakfast. Maybe we would be making some oatmeal on the stove with fresh blueberries. The first person done would jump in my lap. We’d spend the next 20 minutes reading Bible stories and our daily devotion. After a brief prayer, we’d split off in our different directions to start morning chores. The baby would be snuggled, the children rested, and mom much less grumpy!!!
Although I write some of this with tongue and cheek, I do believe that our choices fit our family. The idea of keeping that hurried routine night after night and day after day, not to mention the time driving in the car, makes me realize I take for granted our mornings. We ease into the day, flow in and out of learning academics with chores, reading, imagining, snuggling, and resting. Also playing, cooking, working through struggles, and helping out friends. Life intertwined with learning and we’re not late for anything. It’s all right here.
It would be misleading to say that every morning and the day following proceed without wrinkles simply because we don’t have to set our alarm clock. But the extra moments in bed with snuggly kids and the chance of actually getting to eat breakfast at my home are moving the reason to the top of the list.
Bike Euphoria Part 2
The other night I took my bicycle to a nearby greenway for my first real test-drive. As I left the kids behind, their eyes filled with the disbelief that I was truly going without them and I hesitated.
“They would have so much fun, ” I said to myself. “Am I being selfish to go off on my own?”
“Take your bike and run,” myself said back. And so I did.
As I settled into the summer night and began peddling down the trail, I smiled.
I couldn’t help smiling. I felt as excited as the boy on the toddler bike in front of me. He wasn’t thinking about the laundry waiting at home, or calculating how much much fat he might burn with each spin of his wheel. In his eyes, there was only a road through some woods and he just needed to pedal.
Pedaling past him, I was myself 20 years ago, riding with feet on the handlebars and nothing to do but ride.
I was having so much fun I coudn’t understand why everyone else was walking and riding without smiles to mirror my own. It was all I could do not to shout “wheeeee” as I zipped along.
People take themselves entirely too serious on a greenway. They carry a determined, almost painful look of “I’m going to exercise and don’t distract me into having a good time.” They keep their heads down or straight ahead with the weight of the calories their burning pulling down the sides of their mouth.
I know the feeling well from walking on a treadmill. But I wasn’t on a machine in a stuffy room full of tv screens. I was riding a pink bike and having fun in a way that didn’t at all resemble forced exercise.
After sighting two deer and a bunny rabbit, and whispering a quiet “whee”, I came to the end of the trail.
When I got home I went in to see the kids, the wind still clinging to my hair and spreading my smile.
“What should we name my new bike?”
“Strawberry shortcake!”
Sweet.
At Play
Last night I got a new toy. The first toy I’ve had in a very long time. My new toy is a lovely pink bike. The last time I remember riding a bike, I was a few years short of college. I’m more than a few years past college at present, so it’s been a while. I suppose I could find some very adult purpose for my bike, like exercise. But I’d rather call it playing.
As soon as we could, Mr. Darcy and I tried out our new toys. For the first time in their lives, the kids stood and watched US ride bikes. Usually it’s the other way around.
They see us do things every day: clean dishes, vacuum, cook, train and discipline. And more enjoyable things like reading together, playing games, and wrestling with Daddy. But I’m not sure I’ve ever seen smiles quite as large as when they watched their mommy and daddy race down the street, laughing and hollering.
It was good to play. It was almost even better to watch them watch us play. And it was the best playing with my husband coasting down the street on the edge of a summer night.
*photos courtesy of mookie, age 8
