Oooh, I’m just a little bit excited about this coming week! As the saying goes, a change is as good as a rest, and apart from 30 minutes of maths and working on some review products, we are looking forward to a bit of fun this week! Because there are, like, a zillion activities to choose from and only 24 hours in the day, I have prayed about what we will be including and excluding. Right from the start I had decided on five things for each child. The topics of these five things were as follows:
- Something to build up their faith
- Something to build sibling relationships
- Something to make our home more beautiful
- Something for their future
- Something to bless others
Something to Build Up Their Faith
I will be writing separate posts about this after the week has come to a close, but, suffice it to say, T14 will be honing his leadership skills and learning to judge situations justly; L13 and C13 will be learning what a Godly woman looks like and working on some projects to develop this area of their life; and the little girls will learn what it is to have a beautiful girlhood. For all five children there will be independent activities such as reading, group activities such as doll making and parental-led learning such as topical Bible word studies.
I will also be joining in, and my goal will be to focus on the next chapter of my weightloss/health gain journey, praying and listening out for God’s plans for me.
Something to Build Sibling Relationships
As you know, sibling relationships have always been very important to me, so I wanted to encourage the older children to take time with the little ones, leading some fun learning activities. I would have liked to include some hands on activities linked with our Israel and African unit studies, so this seems a perfect time to do some fun, hands on, sibling led activities, based on the two units we completed last term.
Something to Make Our Home More Beautiful
Yes, we do daily chores, without fail and the children can cook quite a variety of foods, but this is the one area where my own good intentions of systematic teaching does not seem to happen. We have some really lovely resources to use. So this week the older children will all be focusing on bathroom skills. By that I mean they will learn to make their own cleaners and scourers, learn the best way to clean a bathroom, and learn how to clean plug holes and unblock pipes. We will also touch on stocking up a bathroom, what to do in an emergencies (which having lived in this very old house we have already had three bathroom emergencies), personal care, as well as considering how we can bring God’s word into this room of our house. At the end of the week, my hope is that the smallest room in the house is also the most beautiful room in the house <3
Finally, the older children will receive a bathroom item for their hope chest if they have worked and learnt with a good attitude the whole week 🙂
The little ones will be learning to take care of their own space. They will learn how to properly carry out a deep clean of their bedroom, take care of their toys and clothes, and wash bedding. They too will receive a small item for their hope chests.
Something for their Futures
As I mentioned above, all the children cook fairly well, but I have not given them any systematic training, so this week we will all be learning about eggs. And because I am me, and can’t help but squeeze in a bit of extra learning, we will also be learning about the chemistry of eggs. Shhh, don’t tell any of them 😉
Something to Bless Others
This will consist of some present making efforts. I announced yesterday that we would be making some soap from scratch. There was a collective groan. The last time we tried was when A was a baby and we almost poisoned everyone with some very noxious fumes, produced on account of using a non stainless steel pan that my mother used to wash my nappies in. It was a little scary, to say the least. But this time I am prepared. Have pan. Can make soap.
This soap will be made and then left to cure until just before Christmas.
The children have asked me to ask you to pray. For their safety and their sanity. I think they are wondering what they did to deserve me as a mother…..
My goal for myself is to learn to crochet, which I keep putting it off, it being a new skill and all that. I suspect I may be too old to learn. But I shall try. At least there is no danger in crocheting. At least, I don’t think there is.
So there you have. Five things for five children (and a few for me thrown in for good measure). I intend to write a few posts about how we have done, and sharing the resources we have used. If it is a disaster, I’ll not. If we are all dead due to soap fumes, there will be no more posts, ever. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Or not as the case may be.
On that lovely positive note, do pray!
Sounds like a fun week with lots of good skills being learned!
I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to even answer comments! It’s been a great week so far 🙂
You could always throw in the experiment (for your egg learning) where they walk across a carton of eggs barefoot to show how strong the structure of an egg is! That’s on our list for this summer, along with dropping them off the roof and building an egg catapult 🙂
It looks like a great week, Claire, and I specially love the idea of giving them a bathroom item for their hope chest at the end of it. Brilliant!
Thanks Erin. Although all the girls pointed out that they didn’t actually have a hope chest to put any hopeful items into! (They will have one for Christmas 🙂 )
When I read the words ‘systematic training’, I knew that was it, that’s what you do so well and I need to learn. There are many reasons I don’t do this, lack of ability, laziness, the constant desire for spontaneity, a complete lack of inclination in the evening to do anything other than breathe in and out, let alone plan. Having stated all these excuses, it is with reservation that I need state my need to learn, it just sounds so difficult to maintain, but I would love to achieve more. I know the theory, if I plan to do nothing, I will do nothing. It’s not that bad, we do get stuff done, but I am not very motivated to be systematic, it goes against every grain in me, but I know it would make us more productive. Thank you for giving me ideas prompt my prayers.
Thing is Vicki, you are much more of a natural in these areas and therefore probably teach your children all they know in effortless fashion. Me? I’m another story altogether!
Hehe! Had to giggle at the soap making groans 🙂 Makes me think of a quote, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!”
Sounds like an exciting set up for lots of activities.
‘Try’-ing would be exactly what my children would call me. We’ve not attempted it yet. This afternoon maybe?
The only danger in crochet is acquiring and excessive love of pretty yarn 😉 and you’re never too old to learn!
I love yarn already, it’s just I have no skill whatsoever doing anything with it!
Prayers are sent for your children. I am sure they most definitely need it! (:))
Seriously, I am sure your soap making will be brilliant! Can’t wait to hear the story. Best wishes on your crochet. Every time I crochet, it turns out like a trapezoid. I see lots of great books in your basket. Beautiful Girlhood is a wonderful book. (Love, love, love anything by Karen Andreola.)
Have a lovely week, my friend.:)
I spat my tea out all over my computer when I read your comment!! My immediate thought? ‘I know EXACTLY what she means!!’
LOL! Now another mess to clean. What a trouble-making friend you have, my dear.:))
I love the idea of a hope chest. I might have to start putting together something like that for my kids.