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Showing posts with label parent teacher meet-up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parent teacher meet-up. Show all posts

This week for us was another week of just trying to adjust to our new schedule. Aiden has done a fantastic job helping watch baby girl, and has fed her bottles and read her stories. It is darling watching him grow as a little caregiver... he is very sweet!

We also:
  • Mixed colored water (he prefers this over actually painting)
  • Worked on snap circuits
  • Read lots of books
  • Did some catechism copywork
  • Played prodigy, reading eggs and math seeds
  • Wrote a card to a friend in the hospital
  • Practiced kitchen skills
  • Played games together
  • Listened to good music and played the organ (although we haven't resumed actual lessons yet)
I know this post is a quick one... I will work on answering the questions again last week. Right now things just still feel pretty disorganized, and so do my thoughts. I am going to really try to start establishing some kind of morning routine this week. That is my number one goal! Hopefully I will have good things to report next week!

Oh, and bear with me as I work on my blog redesign... my header was done by my incredible friend Stephanie! Love it!



Okay... are you ready to link up with us?

Help us spread the word about this linkup by clicking here to tweet about it! The more people who know about it, the more traffic we can send your way!


Join us for this homeschool blogger linkup each Saturday to share what has been happening in your homeschool and connect with others who know what it is like to be both parent and teacher.

Before linking up, it would be lovely if you would follow all 3 of us in whatever social media avenues you frequent:

    Branson 
    Nicolette
    Maggie

    Still Trying to Find a Routine... #ParentTeacherMeetUp

    Saturday, January 16

    For the record, this photo is not from 2015, ha! For some reason I just really wanted to share it tonight as I think back on when things were simpler and it was all about learning at Aiden's pace. 
    Lessons Learned in 2015

    1. The best laid plans... yeah. All that curriculum I ordered and all that planning I did? It didn't get us very far into the year. I started to learn what works for us, and it was not at all what I had pictured. 
    2. Aiden is not on the same level in all subjects. I knew this, but now I know this. And I am learning strategies to teach him at the levels he needs. Which leads me to my next lesson learned...
    3. Don't get hung up on "grade levels." I remember feeling like I had to justify my choice to buy a "first grade" math curriculum, but more than ever I am passionate about the fact that grade levels are not the best way to choose materials. It does, however, take more time and effort to really evaluate where a child is in a subject when starting out. 
    4. I should remain confident in my beliefs about education and the reasons we are doing it, instead of feeling pressured to do it in a way that will make other people comfortable with our choices. 
    5. Along that line of thinking, I do not need to add in lots of outside activities to make sure Aiden is being socialized. We will choose activities we are passionate about that those that really fit our family instead of letting the busyness rule. Quality over quantity. 
    6. Learning happens all the time. (Sometimes when you would rather it didn't! Ha! Aiden reading everything now has been interesting.)
    7. Play is important. No... play is essentially vital to childhood and education. Can I say that in any stronger way? My 5-year-old needs to play first and foremost. 
    8. The toughest questions will always be asked when you are laying in bed and insanely tired, and there is no such thing as a quick answer to said question. If I have a nickel for every deep or theological conversation I have had with Aiden long after we should have been sleeping I would be rich! Ha!
    9. There will be days when sending him off to school sounds super appealing. However, those days will be far less than the days I am incredibly grateful that I get to have this time with my child and help him learn (while making sure he plays even more... see #7) 
    10. It all goes so fast. I know this lesson is one I have been learning since Aiden's birth, but I see it even more now that I have hit the "school age" years. If I can slow things down a bit for Aiden and let him be a kid a little longer, I want to do that. After all, he is only 5 (for 5 more months anyhow! And then he will be only 6... just a little kid with a lot of growing up yet to do!)
    11. Lists don't have to end at 10. March to the beat of your own drum and own it!



    Goals for 2016
    1. Spend more time outside.
    2. Be more consistent with piano lessons.
    3. Play more. 
    4. Learn to cook with my boy (I am sure I will learn as much as he does as we learn technique!)
    5. Read all the books. 
    6. Focus on life skills and independence.
    7. Spend more time at the library.
    8. Spend more time with Grandma soaking up her wisdom. 
    9. Do more art and listen to more great music. 
    10. Start catechism study in earnest.

    If you are interested, you can read more about my general 2016 goals HERE. Also linking up with the Homeschool Blog and Tell
    Okay... are you ready to link up with us?

    Help us spread the word about this linkup by clicking here to tweet about it! The more people who know about it, the more traffic we can send your way!


    Join us for this homeschool blogger linkup each Saturday to share what has been happening in your homeschool and connect with others who know what it is like to be both parent and teacher.

    Before linking up, it would be lovely if you would follow all 3 of us in whatever social media avenues you frequent:

      Branson 
      Nicolette
      Maggie

      Lessons Learned and Future Goals for our Homeschool {#ParentTeacherMeetUp}

      Friday, January 8



      I have been sitting here struggling to come up with a post again this week. I have to admit that both my brain and my heart are in holiday mode already. So... how about a quick list of randoms instead of answering questions. You don't mind, right?

      • Aiden is in love with a new-to-us math game that Erin mentioned in one of her posts! It is called prodigy game. It is definitely challenging him in some areas, and that is giving us a chance to work on dealing with his perfectionist tendencies. Really I could write a whole post about just this topic. I am seeing his emotional intensity differently the more I take time to really learn about it and that is good, but I also feel overwhelmed as a parent sometimes. 
      • Waffles are delicious, and we were happy I remembered I had a waffle maker this week.
      • The weather has been MUCH colder... much more typical Nebraska winter. This is forcing me to rethink some things because I can't just chase Aiden outside as easily. 
      • I finally remembered to work with A on scissor skills a bit. We need more work.
      • Google is awesome. This week's topic was negative infinity. Aiden continues to be fixated on all things infinity related. 
      • We read some great books this week. I love that Aiden can read his Arch books to me now. They are definitely not easy readers, and I help him with some of the big words, but he told me the other day "I can read all the books in the world now!" Ha! 
      • Being indoors more has led to him using a greater variety of his toys... often ones I have forgotten he owns. The other day he pulled out lincoln logs and I hadn't seen those in ages. He is still all about creating things. 
      • Mannheim Steamroller is Aiden's new music of choice. It is not my favorite (Matt has always loved it and laughs that now I have to listen to it again) but I do enjoy watching Aiden create crazy dances to the songs he loves. He has great rhythm. I need to get a video. 
      • Charlie Brown continues to be a new favorite. Aiden has been working on learning to draw snoopy, and again I love google because printing coloring pages is helpful sometimes. Aiden rarely likes to color like just in coloring books, but if he has a certain character he is interested in he will sometimes color those pages. He still mostly prefers to create his own pictures. 
      • Probably the coolest thing in the world right now is listening to Aiden pray. He has a really precious faith vocabulary (I can't think of any other way to explain it) and for a five-year-old to pray that God would help us feel His presence and things like that is just beautiful. I just can't even put into words how much this little boy's faith touches my heart and sustains me. God is at work through him already for sure! 

      Before I get to the linkup part, a quick note for our fabulous linkers! During the month of December there will be no Parent Teacher Meet-Up. We will be taking the month off to focus on Christmas, and we will regroup and resume the first week of January!! Our plan is to share two special posts for those first two weeks: 

      January 2nd - Home Educator Lessons Learned in 2015
      January 9th - Home Educator Goals for 2016

      We hope you will join us!! I still would love to read and share your home education posts during December, and you can always tweet them to me or share them with me on facebook or google+! Have a wonderful Christmas season, and we will see you back here next year! :) 

      If you would like an email reminder when we start up again, leave me a comment with your email address! :) 


      Okay... are you ready to link up with us?

      Help us spread the word about this linkup by clicking here to tweet about it! The more people who know about it, the more traffic we can send your way!


      Join us for this homeschool blogger linkup each Saturday to share what has been happening in your homeschool and connect with others who know what it is like to be both parent and teacher.

      Before linking up, it would be lovely if you would follow all 3 of us in whatever social media avenues you frequent:

      Branson 
      Nicolette
      Maggie



      #ParentTeacherMeetUp - Week 12

      Saturday, November 28


       Y'all... I went a little blogging crazy this week, ha! So I kind of don't have it in me to come up with a proper post today. However, I did blog earlier in the week some more thoughts about where we are at as a family who is identifying the best way to handle both educational and emotional needs. You can read that here:

      Can we call that good for this week? I will focus on reading YOUR fabulous posts instead! 

       Okay... are you ready to link up with us?

      Help us spread the word about this linkup by clicking here to tweet about it! The more people who know about it, the more traffic we can send your way!


      Join us for this homeschool blogger linkup each Saturday to share what has been happening in your homeschool and connect with others who know what it is like to be both parent and teacher.

      Before linking up, it would be lovely if you would follow all 3 of us in whatever social media avenues you frequent:

      Branson 
      Nicolette
      Maggie



      #ParentTeacherMeetUp - Week 11

      Saturday, November 21

      I mentioned in last week's post that we would be making some changes to the Parent Teacher Meet-Up. Thank you to all of you who have faithfully shared with us over the past 9 weeks, and I know me, Maggie & Nicolette are all anxious to pour some renewed energy into the link up! We hope the new focus will help us to foster deeper relationships and really encourage one another! So, if you are a returning friend - we are glad you are here! If you are new this week - welcome!! Let's get on with the meet-up!

      Can I tell you a little secret? I have no idea where the middle of this week went! Ha! I guess we had our "adopted" college girls over for lunch on Tuesday and our teens came Wednesday night... so I know we did stuff. It just seems to have gone by in a blur! Well, and I guess since we are doing the #ParentTeacherMeetUp on Saturday now it hasn't actually been a full week between posts. That could be part of it. Anyhow... I am rambling. Here is what I can remember about the week...

      What was your best teaching moment this week? I feel like Mondays tend to be our best days. We are fresh off of a weekend and ready to go! I spent a lot of time this week focusing on being present, and I feel like there was a lot more playing and really enjoying each other's company. That was my main goal from last week. 

      What was your biggest struggle? It is still time management. And I feel like it will be forever, lol. 

      Share any tips and tricks you have learned as a home educator! This week I relearned what I already knew to be true. We need to take breaks from our kids occasionally. Things around here have been rough not just in our home but for extended family as well, and so no one has been able to watch Aiden for me to get a break for at least a month. Today my mom took Aiden, and even though I worked and Matt cleaned while he was gone, it was the biggest dose of much-needed quiet. I adore my child, but the constant chatter and demands and messes and everything else are just too much without a little break now and then. I still feel like I could use a full weekend (a girl can dream, right?) but today really helped. 

      Best kid quote of the week: Because you know they say some funny stuff! I don't have a quote necessarily, but overall just listening to him tell the stories of his very involved drawing lately always cracks me up. He has such a huge imagination! Oh, and he asked me the other day completely out of the blue where he could get a potion to make a baby mouse stay little and cute forever. I have no idea where that came from and it caught me so off-guard I had to laugh! We clearly do not use potions (unless you count essential oils, ha!) and I promise our home has no mice. So yeah that was pretty funny. 

      Kid's choice: Share their favorite parts of the week from their perspective. Aiden was so excited to master a song on the piano on Wednesday. He had started it on Monday and was struggling with it, so when he repeated the lesson and rocked it on Wednesday he was super excited. He says "Frog in the Middle" was his favorite part of the week. 

      What are your hopes for the week ahead? This week I hope to focus more on some holiday fun. We haven't been very crafty lately. I miss it! And I really love Thanksgiving (and the whole month of November!), but I feel like the first half of November totally disappeared. I have never been a "bucket list" person, but I might have to write one before the next couple months disappear!
      Also linking up with: The Weekly Wrap-Up

      Okay... are you ready to link up with us?

      Help us spread the word about this linkup by clicking here to tweet about it! The more people who know about it, the more traffic we can send your way!


      Join us for this homeschool blogger linkup each Saturday to share what has been happening in your homeschool and connect with others who know what it is like to be both parent and teacher.

      Before linking up, it would be lovely if you would follow all 3 of us in whatever social media avenues you frequent:

      Branson 
      Nicolette
      Maggie



      Our Homeschool Week-in-Review {#ParentTeacherMeetUp - Week 10}

      Saturday, November 14

      First of all, THANK YOU to everyone who has joined in with us these past 8 weeks! It has been awesome getting to find new homeschool blogs to follow, and new home educating mamas to connect with! While we have enjoyed the posts being linked up, we are going to be making some changes starting this week.
      1. The linkup will be moving to Saturday, instead of Monday, starting on 11/13. 
      2. We will be narrowing the subject matter of posts, and asking that only posts that fit are added to the linky. While it is awesome to discover new resources and activities, there are a lot of linkups already devoted to that. 
      3. This link-up will be focused on week-in-review posts, as well as reflections on being a home educator. We want to see the heart of your homeschool, and what it really looks like to be a home educator in your unique family. We all do things a little differently, and there is always something new to learn from each other! 
      4. We will be welcoming guest hosts for the linkup, so that we can get to know some new blogging friends even better! If you are interested (based on the new guidelines) contact one of us to learn more!
      We hope that these changes will help us to build deeper relationships, and find more inspiration as both mamas and educators as we share both joys and struggles. We hope that YOU will join in with us! 

      Okay... are you ready to link up with us?

      Help us spread the word about this linkup by clicking here to tweet about it! The more people who know about it, the more traffic we can send your way!



       Before linking up, it would be lovely if you would follow all 3 of us in whatever social media avenues you frequent:

      Branson 
      Nicolette
      Maggie


      #ParentTeacherMeetUp - Week 9 & some changes...

      Monday, November 9

      **We are making some changes to the #ParentTeacherMeetUp linkup, so I am posting my week-in-review separate this week. Join the linkup HERE!**

      What was your best teaching moment this week? Monday was awesome. We headed out to the wooded part of the local frisbee golf course to do some nature study. Fresh air, exercise, interesting observations and imaginative dialogue (Aiden protected me from enemies with his imaginary bow and arrows) as we went along made this an excellent day!

      What was your biggest struggle? Oh man, it was a rough week emotionally. Really rough. One of those where hitting rock bottom is actually good because you can finally push off and start traveling back up. It is never pleasant in that moment, though.

      Were there any milestones met or special accomplishments this week? Aiden did really well with his online piano lessons this week. I don't know that there was anything particularly outstanding about what was accomplished this week, but I enjoy seeing his progress in his music.



      What resources did you use this week that were awesome? For me, a big part of this week was learning more about my unique child and considering some things I hadn't considered before about his development. I learned a lot about "asynchronous development" and giftedness (I admit I am a wimp about using the G-word...) and I am still seeking out more and more information, including stalking the blog My Little Poppies. I also find myself thinking more and more about handling education with more of an unschooling approach, especially in light of what I am learning, and Erin at Nourishing My Scholar is a huge inspiration in that area.

      Best kid quote of the week: I know there were a couple zingers this week, but I am tired and cannot for the life of me remember them. He still often cracks me up with his descriptive phrases though. He told me today something was "positively dreadful" and it cracked me up. I know that phrase isn't that hilarious on its own, but he is just so Aiden... his sense of humor is awesome.



      Kid's choice (share their favorite parts of the week from their perspective): Playing the Arthur library game and going to homeschool gym class.

      Hopes for the week ahead. Honestly, this week I just hope to enjoy time with my boy more, and worry and stress less. We both need some time to just relax and enjoy each other's company. So much of this homeschool journey has been good, but it has also been really rough in so many ways. Trial and error make work okay for an adult, but it is hard on a 5-year-old I think.



      Merrill Homeschool - #ParentTeacherMeetUp

      Sunday, November 8
      What was your best teaching moment this week? Okay so I struggled with if sharing this would sound braggy, but I decided that it is something I want to remember so I should just go ahead and record it. Aiden attended Saturday Art School at the local university this week. Once each semester they do a 2-hour class for the kids. No matter how much I believe in the choices we have made for Aiden's education, I still struggle with insecurity every once in a while. So, when I picked Aiden up and the Professor supervising the program told me I had a bright boy it pretty much made my week. 

      What was your biggest struggle? This week was a little nutty because my niece ended up in the hospital and had her appendix removed. We spent one day with her in the hospital, and clearly we didn't get much "school" done. But, we did do crafts and talk a lot about medical stuff and Aiden got to put into action the lessons we have been trying to teach him about caring for others. 



      Were there any milestones met or special accomplishments this week? Aiden completed his first month of Book It. He filled another 30 book reading log, and I am pretty sure there were several read that never got written down. He also has been teaching Matt things about minecraft that he read in his library book. Those books are super wordy, and not at all on his level, so we just thought he was only looking at the pictures. He is so full of surprises. I am so proud of him. 

       What resources did you use this week that were awesome? The Hoffman Academy piano lessons continue to be awesome! I wrote more about them in this post, and have a coupon code to share there as well as a free printable lesson tracker! Go check it out! 


      Best kid quote of the week: Aiden was upset with me and came to the doorway and said, "Mama, I told my phone to unfriend you." It was one of those instances where I couldn't help but laugh. Of course we talked about not being a stinker afterwards. 

      Kid's choice (Share their favorite parts of the week from their perspective): Aiden says art class was his favorite. He liked that he got to paint a volcano with kool aid. (If you want to read why I now dislike kool aid paint check out this instagram post, hahah!)

      Hopes for the week ahead: I hope to do a little more structured learning this week in subjects other than math and reading. 

       Okay... are you read to link up with us?

      Help us spread the word about this linkup by clicking here to tweet about it! The more people who know about it, the more traffic we can send your way!

      Tweet: Join @bransonmerrill for the #ParentTeacherMeetUp and share your best #homeschool & #kidsactivities posts today! http://bit.ly/1LQdVhD




      Before linking up, it would be lovely if you would follow all 3 of us in whatever social media avenues you frequent:

      Branson 
      Nicolette
      Maggie


      #ParentTeacherMeetUp - Week 8

      Monday, November 2

      Hey friends! It is time for another week of the #ParentTeacherMeetUp! I am so excited to see what everyone has to share!

      I am also super excited to welcome a guest host today! I was paired with Melanie for a fun blogging project called Solidarity Sisters. Today, I am welcoming her to my blog so I can introduce her to you! You can find Melanie blogging about homeschool and sharing great free resources at Wind in a Letterbox. Be sure to go stop by and say hello! I am also guest posting over on her blog today, so feel free to check that out! And signups just started for the next month of Solidarity Sisters, so go check that out as well! But before you go click happy with all that... here is a little about Melanie!!

      Hi! I’m Melanie, wife to Jacques and mom to Angie and Emmy. Jacques and I met at Wits drama school way back when, and got married in 2009. We live in Johannesburg, where we plan to stay unless God calls us elsewhere. Wind in a Letterbox was launched in 2014 as a place for me to write about faith, marriage and parenting. If you’re a parent looking for inspiration and encouragement, then you should feel right at home here. Feel free to stop by my Facebook page or say hi on Twitter.

      About Wind in a Letterbox
      Read more about Melanie, her blog and her family here.

      Okay... are you read to link up with us?

      Help us spread the word about this linkup by clicking here to tweet about it! The more people who know about it, the more traffic we can send your way!

      Tweet: Join @bransonmerrill for the #ParentTeacherMeetUp and share your best #homeschool & #kidsactivities posts today! http://bit.ly/1LQdVhD




      Before linking up, it would be lovely if you would follow all 3 of us in whatever social media avenues you frequent:

      Branson 
      Nicolette
      Maggie
      Blog - Instagram

      and our GUEST HOST Melanie!
      Blog - Facebook - Instagram



      #ParentTeacherMeetUp - Week 7

      Monday, October 26

      This weekend I traveled to Western Nebraska to photograh a wedding. So... I don't have a post for this week. And I am still catching up on sharing, commenting on and pinning the fabulous posts from last week. But I will get caught up this week and may have a post to add later. For now, I will leave you with this little video from instagram of Aiden's smooth moves on the dance floor! ;)


      A video posted by Branson (@bransonmerrill) on

      Okay... are you read to link up with us?


      Before linking up, it would be lovely if you would follow all 3 of us in whatever social media avenues you frequent:

      Branson 
      Nicolette
      Maggie



      #ParentTeacherMeetup - Week 6

      Monday, October 19

      Welcome to week 5 of the #ParentTeacherMeetUp! We have loved seeing all of the posts linked up in the past month, and are excited to continue to get to know new blogger friends! If you haven't linked up with us yet, feel free to jump in at the bottom of this post! First, here is my week-in-review post!



      What was your best teaching moment this week? I shared on instagram (this photo) the moment when I realized that Aiden had been working independently while I was watching a webinar and cleaning... this may not sound like a great teaching moment, but it was definitely a great homeschool moment. While I do not want Aiden to be doing school on his own, there is definitely something to be said for him being able to do SOME independent work! 

      What was your biggest struggle? Honestly, my biggest homeschool struggle this week was just making myself take him to gym class and story time. I woke up cranky on Tuesday (our busiest day of the week) and just wanted to have a lazy day. But I got him where he needed to be, and we both enjoyed the activities as usual. 

      Were there any milestones met or special accomplishments this week? When the school year started and all the friends Aiden's age went off to school I did worry a bit about him being lonely during the day when we aren't schooling or at activities. So, it isn't really a milestone or accomplishment, but it is worth noting that he has been playing really well with the younger neighbor boy. Typically Aiden plays with his older brothers, but since this little guy is at home without his brothers now he and Aiden have formed a friendship. I think Aiden also likes being able to be the "big kid" in the relationship. 


      What resources did you use this week that were awesome? We did a great nature worksheet about leaf rubbings and Aiden absolutely loved it! He said it was "magic" and couldn't wait to do more! You can find the freebie HERE. 

      Best kid quote of the week (bc you know they say some funny stuff) I finally remember one! Probably because my mom and I both about dies laughing when he said it. We were driving grandma around and he replied to something she said with "Indubitably, Captain!" Ha! He is such a goof. I will also mention here that I am noticing some of the last of his baby words are being replaced by the real ones. He no longer says "punkyum" instead of pumpkin and the no longer calls flamingos "fandangos" much to my dismay. I liked his little bubby-isms! 

      Kid's choice: Share their favorite parts of the week from their perspective Aiden says his favorite part was "math" but since he always says math (partly because he DOES love Math, and partly I think because it is an easy answer), I made him pick something else. So he said he really liked making our goldfish card craft. When I asked him why he said "because leafy was my special pet. She is going to Missouri." I shared all about that project in this post: Fall Leaf Fishbowl Craft {plus: tips to encourage young writers}



      Hopes for the week ahead. I thiiiiink I have finally made some serious progress in getting my own schedule figured out, and I look forward to now working on or school and family schedule. Still taking things one day at a time.  


      Okay... are you read to link up with us?


      Before linking up, it would be lovely if you would follow all 3 of us in whatever social media avenues you frequent:

      Branson 
      Nicolette
      Maggie



      Homeschool Week-in-Review {#ParentTeacherMeetUp - Week 5}

      Sunday, October 11

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