Monday, Self-Isolation Day #45
We request continued prayers for my husband's mother D. She has been sick with COVID-19 for a month (now negative, but still sick), alone in the hospital for nearly that long, and is now on her second stretch of being on a ventilator in order to give her lungs support for longer while they heal.
The earliest children had robust preschool programs--that involved learning how to read--starting at age 4. Now at the tail end our of family, the preschoolers have a program of benign neglect in which they practice daily skills of Independent Play, Problem Solving (how do I get my own snack? how do I get Mama's key to the game cupboard?), and learning much more by imitation than by Mama's direct teaching.
Today I discovered that my sweet Thomas who turns five in two months does not know how to count 1 to 10. There is never, ever enough of me to go around.
Monday morning means a new Morning Basket Time selection! New copywork sentences from George Washington, a new painting to study, more animals to read about, new Baltimore Catechism questions, new saints.
What could possibly go wrong with the desk Thomas (4) set up for himself?
The earliest children had robust preschool programs--that involved learning how to read--starting at age 4. Now at the tail end our of family, the preschoolers have a program of benign neglect in which they practice daily skills of Independent Play, Problem Solving (how do I get my own snack? how do I get Mama's key to the game cupboard?), and learning much more by imitation than by Mama's direct teaching.
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| Making a pattern by himself |
He does, however, know how to ride a two-wheeler fiercely and do tricks, as well as climb trees fifteen feet high until I call him down. He can make his bed, get much of his own food (e.g., spreading and assembling a PBJ), and empty the dishwasher. He can sing many Americana songs at the top of his lungs. He cannot yet write his six-letter name but he can draw amazing pictures and produces probably twenty drawings on a typical day.
Homeschooling a large family is humbling at times but I trust God that Thomas will blossom in school when I have time for him.
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We did school today. Lizards were chased but not caught. The girls biked around the neighborhood after dinner. Dad and kiddos played a board game. The weather was gorgeous and we are enjoying 70-degree days before it reaches 90 by the end of the week.
Bonus Reading for Posterity:
- 1 in 5 doctors has been furloughed or taken a pay cut as the coronavirus pandemic hits hospitals
- Why are we still listening to this statistician who made such egregiously wrong projections that guided decisions of all the world leaders?! Lifting lockdown for all but the most vulnerable would see more than 100,000 die, Government scientist warns
- Do Lockdowns Save Many Lives? In Most Places, the Data Say No
- Reopening The Nation Is Now Necessary To Save Lives
- What happens when unemployment benefits pay more than your job?
Can an older sibling perhaps play some counting games with Thomas while you are working with another kiddo?
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