Homeschool Learnings: Waiting for your Brain to Grow
/Dearest Dragon, you and I are now fully ensconced in the first grade curricula. And, just like your sister, we are having conversations like this.
“This is too hard!”
“I know my love, but they only way to get better at this is to practice, just four more words then we can run around the house for five minutes before math.”
Does it really make any difference if we finish the four words? He is not yet seven. All he does it look at books all day long. He is going to be a great reader.
Yes, but I need to teach him that you can’t leave a task half finished.
And therein lies the rub. I observed with your sister what is normal in Finland. Brains do not really develop until they are seven. After her seventh birthday our reading lessons went from stuttering frustration to calm attention.
As such, I am finding myself moving a lot slower with the curricula than I did before. It seems nonsensical to bang our heads against a book when all we need to do is enjoy ourselves so that you have good associations with learning while your brain grows.
So we color our letters in the main lesson book. G becomes a giant. H becomes a house. J becomes a juggler. I becomes an icicle. K becomes a kite. L becomes a log. M becomes a mountain. N becomes noodles.
“Momma, this is so much fun! It is fun to experience how to draw.”
“Does it help you remember the letters?”
“Kindof.”
That is okay, slow and steady.
We play go fish to make 10. Matching pairs: 8 and 2, 7 and 3, etc. You quiz me the addition fact flash cards.
“Momma, what is four plus six?”
Let us see what he does with this.
“Twelve.”
His earnest face looked serious as he nodded no.
“How about ten?”
“Yes.”
“Three plus seven.”
Let’s be even sillier.
“Three plus seven, hmmm, let me think. Three plus seven equals…. THIRTY-SEVEN!”
We both start laughing.
“What are you thinking Mom?!”
I became affronted. “It’s not thirty-seven?”
“No.” A big smile splashed across your face. “Thirty seven is not even on this!”
“How about ten, does that work?”
You nodded as we both laughed.
Prompted by you, we play the alphabet game in the car, on the long drive home from Flying Deer.
“Cloud.”
“Caterpillar.”
Carpet. Cushion. Remember Corinna, wait for him to go, he gets upset if I just keep spouting words.”
“Cordial.”
“Wow, that is a good one. Are you talking cordial like being nice to somebody? Or are you talking about cordial like something you drink?”
“Drink.“
Well, that is impressive.
“Where did you learn the word cordial?”
“Um, in, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It said that Lucy had a magic cordial.”
I am so glad I recorded all of those stories onto Yoto when I was heading to the hospital. Such good dividends.
“You are totally right. Wow, you are amazing.”
A pause.
“Momma, what are we on?”
“We are on C - the K sound.”
“King.”
“Kangaroo.”
“Can we change it?”
“Of course.”
“Okay, M.”
“Oh that is a good one. Mayor”
“Mushroom.”
“Magic.”
“Men.”
“Muffin.”
Laughter from the backseat.
Slow and steady as we savor this time.
