Tuesday – My big thing for today was that I wanted to be able to hook into Cindy Rushton’s Online Workshop so we started our lessons early.  It is amazing what you can do when you really want to!!

We started with our lesson on thoroughness – we reviewed the memory work and learnt Auslan for the definition.  We then discussed doing our work for Jesus and how being thorough actually helps Jesus; each of the children had their own understanding of this including quoting scripture.

At this point I went to my “Workshop” and the kids continued with their independent work.  They did their line drawing on a crocodile (Character First connects an animal to each trait).  Daniel and Josh researched alligators while Jess and Nomi researched crocodiles.  It was good to see them able to do this type of activity together regardless of their different skills.  Josh read the encyclopaedia to Daniel and Daniel then narrated back to him.  Jess and Nomi went to the Internet for their research, Jess read the information aloud and they discussed it with Jess taking down the information they agreed to be important.

They then played a new game together – Make ‘n Break. 

The challenge is to build a structure out of blocks, copying the image on a card, before your time runs out.  The game includes matching skills, balancing, thinking, and as all games, it presents good opportunities for playing by the rules, playing fairly, being considerate, and understanding, communication, etc etc etc!!  They had a ball.  I think they will enjoy “playing” this by themselves too – race against the clock and practicing building these structures.

Later in the day they all worked on their storybooks.  Daniel started his illustrations.  Naomi is still typing – she must wrap it up today!  Jessica started to “typeset” her book – using publisher, inserting her photos and text and arranging it just so.  Josh has edited his text and started on his illustrations.  I think we are on track.

Nomi and Daniel continued to play their shops game outside.  Nomi continued this imagination game on by herself for about an hour late this afternoon.

Over dinner I was struck again how much learning happens through conversation – family conversation.  Nomi wanted to know how come when you put your fingers up in front of your face an object only looks a couple of inches high but you know it is actually very big.  Pete talked to her about light coming into the lens of our eye etc.    We were talking about the Queen, her name, her mum and her name, which lead to talking about turning 100, and did the Queen Mum get a telegram from her daughter.   Which lead to what would happen if the reigning Monarch turned 100 would she write herself a telegram?  Which lead to the Queen being a queen for a long time which lead to talking about Queen Elizabeth I who Peter and Josh felt reigned for a long time.  This lead to all sorts of history bits and pieces.  So from a light hearted comment about a queen’s age we get a major discussion happening. 

The other learning moment I was struck with today was the kids’ devotions.  They are all having their private devotional time now – though I am still with Daniel during his.  Today Jess learnt, and narrated, about the city of Tyre.  She actually bated Josh by saying “Do you know anything about Tyre?” and before could launch into all he knew she was ahead of him by saying all that she knew.  This doesn’t happen very often in our family so she felt good!!!  What was great though was that she recognised that she just learnt history during her own devotions.  She also learnt that history in our world isn’t disconnected from God.

Daniel is in training for personal devotions.  We are reading through his children’s Bible.  After every story I get him to “tell me that story – in your words” (narration).  I also ask him what he can learn from that story and then we pray together. 

Naomi has just started on her own with devotions and is working on the discipline of having a devotional time every morning.  She often comes back to me and narrates the days reading and we discuss it to make it personal.  She also takes the Bible verse for the day and uses that as her copy work.

The thing that struck me today was that if I truly do want to see learning as our lifestyle, not compartmentalised into segments of structured time then I must recognise that there is learning happening, there is practice of their skills from the moment they wake up and this includes their personal quiet times.