Zoo

We studied Australia in "Mama School" this summer.  They even did a research project on kangaroos and koalas.  Our school field trip was to the Australian section of the zoo, just like I used to do with my 2nd graders.

And we checked out the newest exhibit: sting ray touch tank!  So cool!

 Olive and I were not brave enough to do the lorikeet feeding, but of course Hannah was all about it.

Star of the Week

Hannah was star of the week for her class.  It was a big assignment.  She was randomly selected on a Friday, then we had to bring the following to school on Monday:

• pictures of her
• items that represent her
• completed "Star of the Week" form
• pictures of her doing things with Sparkle the stuffed moose
• 5 sentences describing what she did with Sparkle the stuffed moose
• items to go in an estimation jar (not anything that we want to keep because items will be passed out to the class)

We took Sparkle to Lakeside Nature Center and met up with Grandma and Grandpa.

We also took him to the zoo for Nikita the Polar Bear's 9th birthday.  The girls were really excited about it until they realized Nikita would be eating the cupcakes and not them.  It was still a beautiful day at the zoo.  A lot of people had the same idea as us and we randomly ran into two people we knew.  I love it when KC feels like a small town.

baby penguin

And on the last day with Sparkle, Hannah lost another tooth!  She is now up to six.

And then on Friday she gave a presentation to the class talking about the pictures and items she chose.

Her Star of the Week form says

• Age: 6 1/2
• A word that describes me: helpful
• My favorite food is: macaroni
• My favorite color is: pink
• My favorite sport: soccer
• When I grow up: teacher
• One thing I dislike is: tornadoes
• My family members are: Mama, Dada, Olive, Rosa
• These are my hobbies: nature walks, drawing, biking, swimming, running, building circuits

Then (yes, there is more) the class listed adjectives to describe Hannah and her teacher wrote them on a page.  Each classmate wrote at least 5 sentences about why they liked Hannah and it was all put into a book with the adjectives sheet as the cover.  It was really cute to hear the kids describe her.  I want her new nickname to be "big brain," but Hannah doesn't think it is as funny as I do.

Hannah's back cover to her book

Olive made a page for Hannah's book, too.  The numbers are showing that Hannah always divides the cookies so it is fair.

Olive Stats- 4 1/2 Years

Olive is now 34.5 pounds and 42 inches.  Everything I said when she turned four still applies.  She loves creating.  Her room is filled with things made of paper, cardboard, or string.   Olive is very smart.  She asks lots of questions about things like outer space, death, and God.  She continues to be an emotional girl who is as sweet as can be sometimes...and five minutes later completely furious and throwing a fit.

As a mom of girls I don't like to focus on appearance, but I can't stop the strangers who continue to comment on how cute Olive looks.  She is definitely aware of her cuteness and likes to dress up and look in the mirror. Recently she started making a cute "I don't know" look with her mouth cocked to the side while shrugging her shoulders.  I wish I could get a picture of it.

The biggest change in her life has been preschool.  She really loves school and her teacher!  The other big change is not seeing Hannah from 8:00-3:00 every day.  Olive really misses her, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays when she doesn't go to preschool.  Hannah continues to be her favorite person in the world, but I am a strong second now.  She has always been a Mama's girl and we have become even closer spending so much time together.  Last year she was too upset about missing Hannah to have much fun with me.  But this year she is throwing less fits and we are both enjoying our time together.

Olive's Favorites:
color: purple
animal: owl
foods: macaroni and cheese, ham, chicken, green beans, raspberries, strawberries
drink: chocolate milk
restaurants: McDonalds and Chick-Fil-A
place: swimming pool
song: ABC song
books: Berenstain Bear, Pinkalicious, books about ballet
TV show: Strawberry Shortcake
toys: blocks, playdough, stuffed animals, mini dolls
activities: drawing, reading, dancing, swimming, playing in nature (especially creeks)
game: Go Fish
job when she grows up: dance teacher

dislikes: having her hair brushed

Pre-K Update

So I have been meaning to do this forever, but you know...life.

First of all some background:
When Hannah started kindergarten last year, I told Olive we would do our own school.  She named it "Mama School."  But she really didn't want anything to do with school, so I tried to sneak the learning into play. We would be building with blocks (her favorite activity) and I'd ask her to find three blue blocks.  She'd look at me and immediately figure out that three was a number...and say "nope."  Any mention of letters or numbers was not allowed.  Fast-forward to the end of the school year and Olive was begging to do pages in a workbook!  Somehow the more we helped out in Hannah's kindergarten class and the more she saw Hannah learning...the more she wanted to do school things.

So I was optimistic that her outlook on school had changed she would be willing to attend preschool.  Even though I don't think preschool is that important (academically), I do think it is very important that Olive starts out with a positive school experience.  With Olive I've learned she is much happier if she can decide things herself and she doesn't feel "forced" into anything.  She went with me to tour four different preschools so she could be involved in the decision.  And luckily the one she liked was also the one I liked!  I think she chose it mainly for the playground equipment and toys.  I liked the teachers and it had the smallest class sizes (maximum of 10).  Ironically I think it is a little more academic than most preschools.  For instance, they have a handwriting workbook.

On the first day of preschool she said she was a little nervous, but no tears.  On the second day of preschool she said, "I had another great day!  I'm ready for kindergarten now!  Is it soon?"  I had to explain that it wasn't really soon, but she didn't mind.  She absolutely LOVES preschool.

Her teacher has taught preschool for almost 20 years, which is exactly the kind of teacher I'd choose for Olive.  She has seen it all and can deal with anything!  There are only 7 kids in Olive's class- 4 girls and 3 boys.  She goes to school Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 12:00-2:30.  They do music/movement class every day and library on Wednesdays.  They study one letter per week and do activities related to that letter.  The letter D was all about dinosaurs.  They read fiction and non-fiction books about dinosaurs, made a dinosaur fossil in clay, drew dinosaur defenses (spikes, teeth, etc.) and had a dinosaur buffet where everyone brought a vegetable or meat to see if they were an herbivore or carnivore.  I am really impressed with their curriculum!  Now Olive is very interested in letters and is always asking how things are spelled.  Olive's teacher said she is way ahead academically and she especially excels at fine motor activities like writing.

Every time I pick her up, Olive is in a great mood.  She tells me about what they had for snack, who she played with at recess, and what project she did in class.  She is always super excited to show her work to Hannah.  She loves that she is "big" like Hannah now and has her own friends and her own teacher and her own stuff.  Olive's favorite friend at school is named....Olive.  I thought Olive was a very unusual name and it turns out there are THREE Olives at preschool (although not in her class, she plays with them at recess).  Meanwhile, we don't know any other Hannahs.

Steve and Olive going to "Dad's Night" at preschool.  Olive made the tie for him.

At Home

We did lots of reading this summer.  Hannah read at least one book to me every day and then they listened to me read about five more.

They also made me teach "Mama School" in the summer.  They set up chairs to as desks and wanted to do workbooks.  This day there was also a baby enrolled in classes.

At Home

Hannah is scared of almost all movies.  If it has a bad guy in it or someone dying or someone yelling (okay maybe I'm exaggerating), she's not watching it.  I was pretty much the same way when I was her age.  My mom got me Planet Earth for my birthday and since then it has become our go-to family movie.  Somehow real animals are much less scary than the shark in Finding Nemo.  Don't ask me why.  So now any time we have pizza the girls automatically get out the blankets for "Pizza and Planet Earth."

Olive hated anything resembling school at the beginning of the year.  Now she is asking for "Mama school homework" to work on while Hannah does her homework.  She is so ready for preschool!!

Mother's May 2015

From Steve, Hannah & Olive

Mom’s are special.  Every year they get a holiday dedicated to their awesomeness.  Megan’s brand of special deserves an entire month.  Mother’s May. 

The girls and I decided we should write something on the blog for Mother’s May this year, in addition to the requests for backrubs and lasagna.  I don’t have the wit or editorial talent to really pull this off.  But I also don’t want to buy jewelry. 

Megan has been my best friend for over a decade.  I always knew she would be a terrific mom.  It’s crazy to think this is her 7^th Mother’s May.  The girls have amazing lives due to Megan’s love, patience and inexhaustible penchant for adventures.  

We love you, Mama.

What do you love about mama?

H: I love mama because she takes care of me.

O: I love mama because she takes us to parks, like tower park.

H: I love it when I have free time to play with mama.

O: I love to play with Mama during Mama School.  And we don’t have homework.

Favorite Restaurant that Mama takes you to:

H: Panera

O: McDonalds with a Playplace

Favorite thing that mama cooks

O&H: Macaroni and cheese

Favorite Mama Outfit:

H: Green dress with blue bow around it

O: Black Dress with White Swirls

Favorite Mama Hairdo:

H: Down straight

O: In a bun

Favorite Game to play with Mama

O: Uno Moo

H: Go Divin’

Anything else?

H: I couldn’t choose a better mama, she’s the best mama ever

O: yea yea yea yea

Hannah Stats- 6 years

Hannah is now 50 pounds (75th percentile) and 50.5 inches tall (99th percentile).  In the past year she gained 6 pounds and grew almost 3 inches.  The doctor said she has a very steady growth curve and he expects her to be 5'10" (the same height as her mama)!  Here are her stats from year one, two, three, four and five.

Hannah is a very proud half-day kindergartener this year.  I am amazed by how much they fit into those three hours each day!  She knew some sight words when she started school, but all of a sudden she is a reader!  She has learned to write all the lowercase letters and she has great penmanship.  Hannah loves school and adores her teacher.  She even plays school at home with Olive and her stuffed animals.  Hannah also loves being outside.  She is naturally athletic and she is always climbing or running.  She is competitive and does not like losing.  She also doesn't like making mistakes or getting in trouble.

What I love about Hannah:
I love how much Hannah loves school.  She likes learning new things and making friends.  She always tries her best.  She is a wonderful big sister.  I appreciate how she is responsible, trustworthy, and kind.  Most of all, I love how much joy she has about doing everyday things.

What Steve loves about Hannah:
I really like that we both like outside sports activities.  I like her positivity.  I like that she is a good sister and helps Olive.

What Olive loves about Hannah:
Well, I know she is really good at climbing.  And she is really good at playing with me.  And she is really good at sleeping.

What Hannah thinks about herself:
I can ride a bike and skateboard.  I'm a good writer.

Hannah's Favorites as a Six-Year-Old
restaurant: Panera
place: Lego Land
color: pink
animal: horse
foods: Velveeta macaroni, grilled cheese, doughnuts, raspberries
drinks: grape juice and chocolate milk
song: All About the Bass
books: Berenstain Bears series, horses
TV show: Strawberry Shortcake
toys: horse figurines, iPad, Pipeworks, legos
activities: crafts, playing school, biking, swimming, sledding, flying kites
games: Hullabaloo, Go Fish
subject in school: science
special in school:  pe
job when she grows up: teacher

dislikes: getting her hair brushed, scary movies (which is just about any movie)

Mama School

When Hannah started kindergarten I was really looking forward to spending one-on-one time with Olive since I get to do that...just about never.  Hannah had two years as an only child with my undivided attention.  And she still commanded the majority of my attention after Olive was born.  One of the many "pros" of staying home was getting two years with Olive when Hannah was in kindergarten and first grade.

Olive calls our time together "Mama School" and she proudly announces it whenever anyone talks about Hannah going to kindergarten.  Mama School mostly involves doing whatever Olive wants...with whatever literacy and math skills I can sneak in.  She loves playing with blocks so we count them and talk about shapes and even make letters.

One of my main goals of Mama School was to teach her to write her name.  In typical Olive fashion, she completely refused to practice writing letters.  I thought it would be easier if I made her name with dotted lines and she could trace it.  Of course she still said no, but after I left the room she wrote her name all on her own (below the dotted name).  

Her fine motor skills are really developing.  She loves drawing people.  Here is a picture of the family.

a group of ballerinas

Painting is another Mama School activity.  This is my all-time favorite Olive painting.

At first she completely refused any activity that looked too much like actual school, but she is a much more willing student now.  She actually asks to do questions in her preschool workbook, when in August she would start yelling if she even saw it.

In truth, it has been a rough fall.  Olive doesn't like change or transitions...and Hannah going to kindergarten was a BIG one.  It is only three hours a day, but Olive did not like being without her best friend.  She disliked getting ready in the morning, taking Hannah to school each day, going to soccer stuff, and really going just about any where.  She was pretty angry in general and the tantrums were out of control.  We tried several different parenting strategies to deal with her outbursts and finally just tried to eliminate anything that caused a fight.  She screamed about getting her hair brushed in the morning?  We'll cut her hair.  She didn't want to wear a coat?  She can be cold and we'll bring one if she wants it later.  She doesn't want to go to bed at night?  We'll cut out her nap and then she'll be super tired and go right to bed at night.  That one seemed to have the biggest impact.  I never would have thought giving up a nap would improve her mood, but when she gave up naps she was happier.  And when Olive is happier...the whole family is happier!  Especially me.  I am really enjoying our Mama School time now that we are bonding and having fun....instead of having stand-offs over putting on shoes.

Kindergarten Update

So we are now in the 2nd quarter of kindergarten.  How did that happen?  I've been meaning to write a little update for awhile now....

Hannah is in half-day kindergarten with a class size of 13.  All of the parents are stay-at-home (because of course working parents would want full-day kindergarten).  This means we are all super involved.  Most classrooms have one room mom, maybe two.  Hannah's class has five!  I'm one of them.  I also volunteer in the classroom and go on field trips.  I love this not working thing!

It seems like most of her class are oldest kids with a younger sibling who is three.  The two-year age gap is very popular!  Olive has lots of little friends at kindergarten pick-up time who will be her future classmates.  I've also made lots of parent friends, including one mom who is also from Chillicothe!  Small world.  She was a senior when I was a freshman, but we had band together and we remembered each other once we started talking.  Hannah says she is friends with all the girls in her class (four).  I asked about the boys and she looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Mama, they don't even raise their hands."  Although I know she is at least friends with one boy who sits at her table.

Her favorite specials are library and music.  She is super excited to check-out a library book each Friday.  This girl loves her books!  She also loves to show me her daily math sheet and talk about what they are learning.  In her free time she likes to write herself math problems.  But if you ask her about her favorite part of school, she will say recess. :)  I think her least favorite thing is writing.  She never wrote lowercase letters before kindergarten, so she has learned more in this area than any other so far.  She has good handwriting, she just doesn't like to take the time to do it.

Our district started a technology initiative this year so every student will have their own iPad (elementary kids) or laptop (high schoolers).  Kids in kindergarten through 2nd grade have to leave theirs at school.  Older kids can take them home to do homework.  Needless to say, Hannah was VERY excited about this.  In fact her favorite item on her school supply list was pink headphones for the iPad.  They use the iPads for whole group lessons and also for center time.

Just like in preschool, Hannah is a very eager and excited student.  She enjoys the routine of school and often recites her daily schedule or which days she has a certain special.  She loves learning new things and doing school work.  She is truly a school girl at heart.  I was always one, too.  I will not be surprised at all if she becomes a teacher.  My prediction right now is a math or science teacher.  She says she will be a scuba teacher. :)

On her 1st quarter report card her teacher said, "She is a kind, helpful, and hard-working girl.  She has made friends and seems to really love school."  We are so proud of our Hannah!

Preschool Update and Art

I meant to do this awhile ago, but as usual, time gets away from me.  Here we are in middle of November and the girls have been in preschool for 3 months.  It seems like we just started!  The weeks just fly by. 

Hannah has three girls who are her best buddies at school.  She doesn't play with the boys, which is funny since most of our friends' kids are boys and she likes doing boy things.  They have a letter, color, and shape of the week that they study during whole group time.  The classroom has lots of centers to go to during free play time: house, book, art, computer, puzzle area, etc.  Hannah's favorite is the house area where she and her friends play dress up and pretend to be mommies and sisters.  She is very into pretend play now.  She also loves all the art projects- cutting, painting, and jewelry making.  She says her favorite thing about preschool is recess and playing with her friends.  Both girls have two outdoor recesses a day.  In September they started special classes: Monday- phonics, Tuesday- Spanish, Wednesday- music, Thursday- movement, Friday- art.  Art is Hannah's favorite.  Although she also really likes her phonics teacher.  I'm impressed by the amount of Spanish she has learned with only one lesson a week.  The other day we had this conversation:

me: Who was at preschool today?

Hannah:  There were only 4 boys.

me:  What about the girls?  What girls were there?

Hannah:  Diez.

me:  Who is Diez?  I don't know her.

Hannah:  Silly Mama!  Diez is a number not a name!

Hannah loves all of her teachers.  I often get parents who ask me, "Would you tell my kid that is okay to (insert random thing here)?  Because he won't believe me, but he'll listen to his teacher."  And it's true.  Teachers have magical powers.  I tried to get Hannah to write her name all summer.  She would do an H, sometimes attempt a A, but refused to try the N.  The first day of preschool her teacher asked her to write her name, and she did it on the first try!  She can write all of her letters now.  It makes me wonder how homeschooling works when your mom IS your teacher.  

Some of Hannah's artwork:

 

 

These next two are from their first phonics lesson. I think it is neat to see what the same lesson looks like at different age levels.  Yes, I'm a weird teacher-nerd.
 

 

Olive got off to a slow start, but she soon warmed up to preschool.  Her teachers are wonderful.  They have a different learning theme every week.  Usually it relates to the seasons or holidays.  One week they studied apples and the kids tasted all different kinds of apples and apple products, made art with apples, sang apple songs, read apple books, etc.  By the end of the week all of the kids could say apple.  It's so fun to watch how fast she is learning new words.  Olive's preschool favorites are singing and coloring, and of course she loves all the toys.  Her least favorite things are sharing with other kids, getting her diaper changed, and finger painting.  Her teacher writes very detailed descriptions on the backs of Olive's artwork.  This is what she wrote on one (I think it is hilarious and so "Olive"):  

Olive was very reluctant to touch the paint.  I put my finger in the paint to encourage her to try.  She let me put some paint from my fingertip onto her fingertip.  She made a motion of wanting it off so I showed her how to rub it onto the paper.  I did this with all three colors then Olive said "no" and signed "all done".  She was excused to wash.  This activity strengthened her fine motor skills, color recognition, and sensory experiences.

 

 

This was during their week studying family.  She pointed those scribbles out as us.

We're very happy with preschool.  The teachers are great, the special classes are amazing, and they even bring in field trips and speakers.  They had a petting zoo, pumpkin patch, and firetruck come to the school.  About the only thing we don't like is the cost.  Oh yeah, and the sickness.  Being around so many kids has meant the girls get sick just about every week.  So far we've had coughs, runny noses, ear infections, wheezing, vomiting, hives, and fevers.  Just this week both girls missed 2 days because of fevers.  Oy!  Thank goodness for Grandma and Granny or else I think I would have used up my sick leave by November!