Saturday, February 17, 2007
Snow Days
Ya know, this is Maine. Mainers LOVE snow. They worship it. They have a whole week of school vacation for the sole purpose of skiing on it. So when we started getting word of the blizzard coming in on Wednesday, I wasn't surprised that no one really started to get too concerned about it until late Tuesday. I was a bit shocked that everyone and their cousin started cancelling things for Wednesday that night, but I figured...eh...first storm of the year, probably needed time to gear up, that kind of thing. Our office closed and that was fine. I stayed home with the kids and we hung out and watched it snow. Ian even went out in it for a while. LOL It stopped late-ish Wednesday and I was all ready to go back to work on Thursday. So imagine my surprise/annoyance when I get up Thursday morning to discover that our school district had declared a SECOND snow day! The two surrounding districts had delays, but they were going back. Not ours, OH NO! I had to take a day off of work to stay home with the kids so I didn't have to pay extra to send them to day care. They charge extra for snow days. Pirates. I had to double check and make sure I hadn't woken up in Florida! There's a foot...foot and a half of snow out there for crying out loud! grrrrr
And try to come up with things to entertain two young children cooped up in the house for two days! I was rather amazed that neither of them had a meltdown. Especially Aidan. The second day I told them they were going to have to do some brain work, just because they were missing so much school. Ian wrote his spelling sentences that he has to do anyway on Wednesdays and then later he did a math problem sheet. I found a website where you can download them
here. And we did our geography lesson on Australia. I wish I knew more about this kind of thing, I was only able to give a very basic overview. We went over the different territories, how the Europeans came to Australia and what that meant to the Aboriginies. Which lead to a comparison of this to when the Europeans came to America and what that meant to the Native Americans. I used the Wabanaki Presentation Ian's class did earlier to give him a frame of reference. Then we examined the similarities of Tazmania being an island and yet part of the country to Hawaii. And in looking at the map we noticed that Tazmania is actually connected to the mainland deeper under the ocean. We talked about the Great Barrier Reef and the conservation efforts being undertaken by the government. Then we looked at the Sunshine Coast and I found where Beerwah is in relation, where the Australia Zoo is. Then we talked about Ularu (Ayer's Rock) and the significance it holds for the Aboriginies. I kind of had a general direction and set of things I wanted to cover, but when Ian had a question, we'd address it. When we were done, he said "When we were doing our geography lesson, I was kind of moving around." I thought he meant he was wiggling in his chair, which he was. He always does, which really makes me regret getting a spinning task chair for his desk. But when I asked he clarified and said that he moved the lesson around. And I suppose that is an unusual experience for him. Mrs. S is pretty rigid, she doesn't adjust or vary much from her lesson plan she's had for...well ever. If it weren't for his Special Ed coordinator, I don't think she'd be making the accommodations she is.
For Aidan, I printed off a kindergarted math/matching sheet that had her tracing the number and the number name and matching to sets of objects. Then she colored it. MUCH too easy for her, I'm sad to say. I'm finding myself rather underestimating her, just because I'm comparing her to Ian at that same age. She is so far ahead of him at this age in reading/writing that I really have to try and adjust myself to keep up.
And we made the valentines for their class parties. Ian had purple and pink dragons for the girls and a red dragon breathing fire and holding a skull for the boys. Aidan had Cinderella for the girls and Spiderman for the boys. And this year I gave them their lists and had them write the names on the cards themselves. They both did it, and pretty well, if I may say so. LOL I do have one complaint about this holiday. WHEN did they start putting
stuff in valentines?!?!? Candy...pencils...GEEZ! Aidan came home with a friggin BAGFUL of BOOTY! And I think she ate about half of it before she got home cause she was way more bouncy and wired than usual when I picked her up today. Parents are supposed to be beyond peer pressure but I have to admit, I'm feeling a bit inadequate because I don't go out and spend a ton of money on a holiday that is, for all intents and purposes, meaningless for elementary school children! I hate to say it, but I may end up going out and buying a packet of themed pencils next year. If I do, someone please just smack me.
Anyways, that's that for now. It's late and I'm watching my CSI Season 1 DVDs. Sometimes life can get good. :D Peace out.
posted by Unknown
at 12:12 AM ::
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(2) comments
2 Comments:
Don't get down on yourself for not being a teacher. After all, how many of the kids' fellow students spent both those days in front of the TV, doing no brain challenging stuff at all?
I spent my snow day Wednesday catching up on my homework...Housework would have been more productive, but not nearly as frustrating!
Your doing fine raising the kids. The idea is after all, suppose to be raising them to be good upstanding adults, not materialistic types. So, stand firm on the Valentines.
You go girl!!
Hee...thankies ma'am. I guess it just feels like flying by the seat of my pants sometimes.
Perhaps you can teach Sheba to vacuum, then you won't have to worry about the housework as much. LOLOL
, at
12:24 PM
