Singing Landforms

I found Jed singing out the words in his Social Studies book. A brilliant way to memorize today's lesson on land forms.

I think it's cute that he loves to study while seated by our doorstep. Learning is learning wherever it happens. 

Naughty

Someone's been naughty for several days now.

So, the laptop  has been impounded. And an old friend for discipline has been put up. The last time we used the Reward Chart, Jed was five years old and going through a growth spurt which included testing the limits of the grown-ups around him. It seems we are going through yet another growth spurt.

For my parenting principles, I subscribe to the teachings of the One Minute Manager especially that children must be taught to "catch themselves doing right". So, the rules are pretty simple.

Jed knows what he should do and when he should do them. If he does it without me reminding him, he puts a star with my approval. When all the stars are up, he gets his laptop back.

It's a painless way to discipline & motivate him, perfect for little goal-driven boy.

He works so hard for the stars, too. On the one instance that he was rude & back-talked me, I asked him to take out eight stars. He ripped them out, then fled to the privacy of the bathroom where he cried his heart out. After several minutes, he stepped out and asked forgiveness.

All is well. We will weather this tempest together and come out safely on the sunny side, with no hearts damaged or trust betrayed.

Jed's First 100-pc Puzzle

I remember that, in Australia, Tita Roni attempted to befriend Jed by having him do a world-map puzzle and Jed almost burst into tears as he emphatically declared he couldn't put it together.

I never brought up puzzles again.

Until last week, when Jed spontaneously picked out a Disney puzzle from a shelf in National Bookstore and insisted we do it together during our family time.

That happy, satisfied smile blesses my heart! 

Note: This is tagged under Math, because puzzle-making requires logic & analysis.

Writing About the Playground

We have stopped spelling classes, as Jed has completed the Grade 2 set. We are now doing more writing & composition.

Jed found this tedious at first, but learned to enjoy it when I pointed out to him the times when I write in my journal, too.

An Anemometer

Dericke came over to help Jed with his second Weather project: an anemometer to check wind speed. 

Check out those huge self-satisfied smirks. 

A Weather Vane

I pickled up this Hands-on Science activity book for Jed and he's been having a blast.

The first chapter is on weather. For his first project, he picked a wind vane.

See it waving proudly in the breeze.

Jed installed a compass on the Samsung phone to make sure the directions on the styro board are accurate, too. Lovely!

Violin photos

Priceless photos from Jed's violin lessons

Yey, a new Violin teacher!

I took piano lessons when I was Jed's age. So, I have been secretly wishing for a violin teacher who teach Jed the classical way, the same way I was taught.

Enter teacher Adrian, a member of the Cebu Philharmonic Orchestra. He is firm, which helps to ground Jed and sharpen his focus in the class. And he insists Jed does scales and exercises. I think he's perfect!

Medical Games on the Cellphone

While Math & English are well-regulated, I often leave Jed to follow his whatever interests him in Science, as I am confident we will have all the time in the world to discuss theories and concepts when he reaches late elementary and high school.

Today, I was tickled to find Jed in deep concentration, playing a cellphone game designed to play surgeon with too-big-for-an-eight-year-old words like "suture" and "aneurysm".

Review: We Choose Virtues

I was looking for a visually-rich Character/ Bible module to add to Jed's homeschooling curriculum. I already have a lot of Bible books but I was looking for something that would capture Jed's interest in a brief span of time. Thankfully, by God's grace,we stumbled upon We Choose Virtues.

Since I also wanted to share this with our Sunday school program, I chose the faith-based Classroom Kit.

The Classroom kit has the following:
The Kids Virtue Poster

The Three Rules Poster
13 Teacher Cards
100 Days of Virtue Chart & Stickers
12 Flash Cards
12 Kids of Virtue Ville Posters

We love the Three Rules Poster which lists in a vibrant poster:
1. Obey
2. Be kind.
3. Be a helper.

I am a firm believer in teaching Jed (and his 5 cousins) how to self-discipline. In my experience, most children are eager to please. The Three Rules makes it easy for them to know exactly when they are doing good. The rules help me to lay out exactly what it means when we tell them to "Behave".

I confess we haven't really used the 100 Days Chart & Stickers yet, because I'd prefer to use it when Jed has mastered all 12 virtues already. The 12 Flash Cards are tucked safely in a small album, ready for game time on our next travel time (sometime in March, to the Great Wall of China).

The 12 Kids of Virtue Ville Posters are also stored safely in the tube they came in. I originally was excited to put them up on our wall. But, since we live in a studio-type apartment, and my walls are already filled with Jed's paintings, I have no space for all 12 of them. For now, I put them away for Jed's room when we move into our 2 bedroom condo next year.

What we really love & use daily are the Teacher's Cards. There is one card for each virtue. Each card lists what the virtue is, what it is not and has a Bible verse. At the back is a quick story for Jed to read through.

The goal is to do 1 virtue every week. When we started, it took us 2 weeks to go through just one virtue. Just this week, after a 2-week vacation to visit his grandfather in Bohol, Jed excitedly launched into 2 virtues instead of just one. 

We Choose Virtues is amazing for Jed because it lays out specific core competencies per virtue. It lays out exactly what "Patient" is and what it is not. It gives him a basis to make his own decisions and correct his own actions.

Here are three specific incidents:

Jed visits my sister's house every afternoon. has a 3-year old cousin, Gabrielle, who absolutely insists that Jed hug & kiss her everytime he steps out of the house. I think it's cute, but she drives him crazy. One time, she was in hysterics while he stayed aloof a few steps away from her refusing to hug or kiss her. I took Jed aside asking him to say to me: "I am gentle. I touch softly & speak gently. I am not rough, harsh or loud and I do not destroy things or hurt people." With that gentle reminder, Jed pulled Gabrielle into his arms.

I love to window-shop a lot. This sometimes exasperates Jed when we are out in the mall, as he prefers to get back home quickly. He pulls me along and says: "Come along, Mom. Remember, we are Content. We have our Wanter under control." I think it's cute and hilarious.

But, the best example is when I got home one night and found Jed sitting sadly outside our apartment. I asked him what's going on.

Jed: I dropped my PSP and it broke. I'm thinking about what I have done wrong. 
Me: It's good you told me the truth. 
Jed: That's coz I want to see many good days. 
And he goes on to say: "I am a truth teller. Psalm 34:12-13 Do you love life & want to see many good days? Then, keep your tongue from speaking evil and keep your lips from telling lies."

These are the real tests of life. And I'm glad I have a front-row seat to watch Jed pass with flying colors.

If I could make one suggestion, I would suggest to make a separate set for girls and a separate set for boys. Jed initially did not want to learn the virtues that had pictures & stories of girls. He was more enthusiastic about learning the boys' stories. 

Other than this, we are loving our We Choose Virtues sessions, which we do first thing each homeschooling day. Praise God for We Choose Virtues.