It's a funny thing how some days just come together, and some don't! Today has been one of the good ones. In order to clear some space tomorrow morning, I decided to try to fit in three 'academic' activities this morning rather than our usual two. I have also chosen this week to start training the children in 'household tasks' ('chores' being too miserable sounding apparently.) I have planned three weeks of coaching the children in the art of dusting, washing the kitchen floor and cleaning the bathroom. Then they will take over the week-to-week administration of these necessary jobs. It's not supposed to be fun, I have told them, it's about responsibility. So, I dusted for twenty minutes with my little girl this morning. I don't actually dust that often and, with two of us doing it, I found places that I'm not sure I've ever dusted in three and a half years of living here. Then we did freewrites, and each child wrote something original and creative, listened carefully to the others and offered positive feedback. We moved on to copy-writing and my youngest copied thirty words of 'The Owl and the Pussy-Cat', twenty more than I had asked of her. We had a chapter each from each of our chapter books, the children constructing Hama bead patterns and drawing, and I still had time to put a few pieces in my puzzle before lunch. This afternoon we have watched the first episode of 'The Seven Ages of Britain': history, art, geography, all in one hour of beautifully crafted tv. Everyone is happy and I am content that 'education' has really taken place today.
If only I knew what it is that makes days work this way, I'd do it every day!
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