Showing posts with label Learning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Learning. Show all posts
Butterflies!
In science class, Todd and his classmates have been studying the life cycle of the butterfly. The had some caterpillars that had gone into their cocoons, and the other day, butterflies finally came out! Here is Todd, gently holding one of them before they were released.
New School
This Fall, Todd began attending Santa Barbara Christian School. It is the most expensive out of all the private schools in SB, but he's got a really good teacher and some good classmates, so it's worth it.
We both like the fact that there are simply more kids to play with-- there are a total of 14 in his combined 3rd/4th grade class. Small enough for individualized attention, yet large enough for him to make a variety of friends. That way, if he befriends a kid that I feel is a bad influence and would prefer he didn't hang out with, he has other kids to play with instead. Unlike his old school, where it had dwindled down so much in size that the one "bad seed" was the only kid near his age! Todd enjoys it for the same reason-- more kids to have fun with! :-)
The kids are learning some good stuff this year. Aside from the usual language arts, math, social studies, science, art, music and library, the kids are also learning about real life. There is a class economy in place, whereby each kid holds a job that pays a weekly salary. Out of this salary, the kids must pay desk rent (unless they save up enough to "buy" their desks). Kids receive "tickets" for things like talking during class or not turning in homework. These tickets cost money, as well. On the flip side, kids can be rewarded for something especially well done, in the form of coupons that can later be redeemed for "cash". And at the end of the month, kids can redeem their cash for items in a store-- or save up for a really big item!
I think it's a really nifty way to teach kids about all sorts of things in real life: how to manage your money, how to save for a goal, feeling the effects of punishments, enjoying the effects of rewards and being responsible about doing their jobs and earning their "pay".
All in all, we're pleased with the school so far. Todd's learning some good things and making some good friends. Here's to a successful school year!
We both like the fact that there are simply more kids to play with-- there are a total of 14 in his combined 3rd/4th grade class. Small enough for individualized attention, yet large enough for him to make a variety of friends. That way, if he befriends a kid that I feel is a bad influence and would prefer he didn't hang out with, he has other kids to play with instead. Unlike his old school, where it had dwindled down so much in size that the one "bad seed" was the only kid near his age! Todd enjoys it for the same reason-- more kids to have fun with! :-)
The kids are learning some good stuff this year. Aside from the usual language arts, math, social studies, science, art, music and library, the kids are also learning about real life. There is a class economy in place, whereby each kid holds a job that pays a weekly salary. Out of this salary, the kids must pay desk rent (unless they save up enough to "buy" their desks). Kids receive "tickets" for things like talking during class or not turning in homework. These tickets cost money, as well. On the flip side, kids can be rewarded for something especially well done, in the form of coupons that can later be redeemed for "cash". And at the end of the month, kids can redeem their cash for items in a store-- or save up for a really big item!
I think it's a really nifty way to teach kids about all sorts of things in real life: how to manage your money, how to save for a goal, feeling the effects of punishments, enjoying the effects of rewards and being responsible about doing their jobs and earning their "pay".
All in all, we're pleased with the school so far. Todd's learning some good things and making some good friends. Here's to a successful school year!
Summer updates
Long overdue in posting again! As always, Todd spent the summer in LA with Oma and Opa just one week after we moved into our new house. So he didn't get to enjoy it for very long before he had to go.
He spent his summer taking karate and swimming lessons, as well as learning piano and French at home.
We enjoyed a side trip to San Diego in July, taking in both Sea World and Legoland. Little did we realize just how much fun Legoland actually was-- even better than Disneyland, in my opinion. There was an endless array of things to see and do, and is the perfect place for kids, both physical and at heart :-) Next time we go, we're going to allot 2 days for the trip: 1/2 day to visit the Legoland water park (which is pretty small), and 1.5 days to see the rest of the sights and activities of the main park.
At the end of August, Todd returned to SB to start school, and so begins our routine again...
He spent his summer taking karate and swimming lessons, as well as learning piano and French at home.
We enjoyed a side trip to San Diego in July, taking in both Sea World and Legoland. Little did we realize just how much fun Legoland actually was-- even better than Disneyland, in my opinion. There was an endless array of things to see and do, and is the perfect place for kids, both physical and at heart :-) Next time we go, we're going to allot 2 days for the trip: 1/2 day to visit the Legoland water park (which is pretty small), and 1.5 days to see the rest of the sights and activities of the main park.
At the end of August, Todd returned to SB to start school, and so begins our routine again...
School Daze
Had an interesting conversation with Todd today about some of the goings on in school. In general, he's one of the better-behaved and more attentive students, but he's still a regular, easily-distracted 5-year-old, and having a teacher who's very soft on discipline doesn't help matters.
The kids' names are listed on the board one by one, and every day they rack up either checkmarks or stars. Stars if they did something well, checkmarks if they misbehaved. I asked Todd if he'd ever gotten checkmarks before, and he said yes, a couple times. Why? Because he kept talking. To his seatmate, Loftur, of course.
I remember seeing their seats together in the classroom the last few times I was there, and was a bit concerned that putting the 2 together wasn't such a good idea. When I suggested this, Todd explained: "Loftur wanted to sit next to me. Mrs. Markos (their teacher) told him he could, as long as he behaved". Knowing that she seldom takes disciplinary action against such misbehavior anyway, this wasn't such a good idea.
Then Todd told me how he didn't do well on spelling tests because Loftur kept disturbing. He kept asking Todd what the answers were. Todd, to his credit, so far has ignored his pleas, but even so, it's distracting enough to break Todd's own concentration. Never mind the fact that it's cheating! I'm sure Loftur just doesn't understand that, but it nevertheless leaves me concerned that their teacher overlooks or outright misses this kind of stuff all the time.
I instructed Todd to tell his teacher the next time Loftur did it again, so she could put a stop to it. They have spelling tests every week... let's see what happens with this next one!
The kids' names are listed on the board one by one, and every day they rack up either checkmarks or stars. Stars if they did something well, checkmarks if they misbehaved. I asked Todd if he'd ever gotten checkmarks before, and he said yes, a couple times. Why? Because he kept talking. To his seatmate, Loftur, of course.
I remember seeing their seats together in the classroom the last few times I was there, and was a bit concerned that putting the 2 together wasn't such a good idea. When I suggested this, Todd explained: "Loftur wanted to sit next to me. Mrs. Markos (their teacher) told him he could, as long as he behaved". Knowing that she seldom takes disciplinary action against such misbehavior anyway, this wasn't such a good idea.
Then Todd told me how he didn't do well on spelling tests because Loftur kept disturbing. He kept asking Todd what the answers were. Todd, to his credit, so far has ignored his pleas, but even so, it's distracting enough to break Todd's own concentration. Never mind the fact that it's cheating! I'm sure Loftur just doesn't understand that, but it nevertheless leaves me concerned that their teacher overlooks or outright misses this kind of stuff all the time.
I instructed Todd to tell his teacher the next time Loftur did it again, so she could put a stop to it. They have spelling tests every week... let's see what happens with this next one!
Long-awaited updates
At long last (and just in the nick of time-- 2009 is just about over!) I've managed to update this blog, with 17 (that's right, SEVENTEEN) new posts, not including this one. I'll have to strive to do better at keeping this up, alongside my regular blog.
In between all the activities I've written about, Todd's made steady progress with his reading (where not just the reading but even (and more importantly so) the comprehension is at an advanced level) and we visit the library nearly every week to pick up a stack of books to tide him over for a week.
His karate got off to a bit of a slow start in the fall. Although he practiced his moves well over the summer, he didn't practice his kata, so it took some time for him to get back into it. He's learned the 2nd kata as well, and is starting to master it.
His intensive swim lessons over the summer have vastly improved his skills. Oma had him in a variety of group and private lessons at various facilities, and the constant practice helped a lot.
When he returned to SB, I enrolled him in private lessons twice a week, where he was able to refine his strokes and improve his endurance. In January I'm going to try to put him in group lessons once more, at the YMCA, to see if being around more advanced kids will help propel his motivation to improve himself, esp since he seems to be stagnating a little with the private lessons.
Well, I think that about concludes the updates for now. Whew! Sorry about the long delay. Don't forget to scroll down... FAR down, for all the updates since my last post on June 15! :-)
In between all the activities I've written about, Todd's made steady progress with his reading (where not just the reading but even (and more importantly so) the comprehension is at an advanced level) and we visit the library nearly every week to pick up a stack of books to tide him over for a week.
His karate got off to a bit of a slow start in the fall. Although he practiced his moves well over the summer, he didn't practice his kata, so it took some time for him to get back into it. He's learned the 2nd kata as well, and is starting to master it.
His intensive swim lessons over the summer have vastly improved his skills. Oma had him in a variety of group and private lessons at various facilities, and the constant practice helped a lot.
When he returned to SB, I enrolled him in private lessons twice a week, where he was able to refine his strokes and improve his endurance. In January I'm going to try to put him in group lessons once more, at the YMCA, to see if being around more advanced kids will help propel his motivation to improve himself, esp since he seems to be stagnating a little with the private lessons.
Well, I think that about concludes the updates for now. Whew! Sorry about the long delay. Don't forget to scroll down... FAR down, for all the updates since my last post on June 15! :-)
More on reading
Todd is continuing to read while in LA. Oma's also working on his handwriting, as it's pretty messy, still.
He's gotten into the habit now of reading quietly to himself in bed while Oma showered. The book? A children's Bible. But not the preschool Bible that he used to read. This one is a book with much smaller print encompassing larger pages, and with fewer pictures between each chapter. It's a book meant for kids around 8 years old or so.
And when Oma told me this, pointing out it wasn't something you normally give 5-year-olds, Todd piped up with a reason why it was okay to give it to him:
"I'm five and a half!"
In this photo, Todd reads to a bevy of stuffed animals in bed:
He's gotten into the habit now of reading quietly to himself in bed while Oma showered. The book? A children's Bible. But not the preschool Bible that he used to read. This one is a book with much smaller print encompassing larger pages, and with fewer pictures between each chapter. It's a book meant for kids around 8 years old or so.
And when Oma told me this, pointing out it wasn't something you normally give 5-year-olds, Todd piped up with a reason why it was okay to give it to him:
"I'm five and a half!"
In this photo, Todd reads to a bevy of stuffed animals in bed:
Leaving notes
Now that Todd can read, we've found that it's convenient to leave notes for him to read in the morning, when he gets up and we might still be asleep. One time, I left a note on Daddy's door instructing Todd not to wake him (Daddy had gone to bed late the night before). He read it, and waited patiently for Daddy to get up :-)
The next night, Todd wanted to sleep in that room, and wrote a note for Daddy saying, "please don't wake me up. But you can come in quietly"
Another time, I set out cereal and water on the table for him to help himself when he got up. To make sure he saw it, I left a note on our door reminding him of what was on the table, the one he would have to go through to go into the living room. I also added bright colors on it to attract attention. Sure enough, when I got up, he had eaten his breakfast, taken his vitamins, and drunk his water.
Yet another time, I packed a corn dog into his lunch bag. Knowing he'd eat it more easily with ketchup, I included a small tupperware dish of ketchup. However, I was afraid that he wouldn't close the lid tight enough after lunch, thereby making the leftover ketchup spill into his bag, so I left a note on the lid of the dish, asking him to make sure he closed it tight when he was done. And sure enough, he did!
It's so handy being able to leave notes for the little man!
The next night, Todd wanted to sleep in that room, and wrote a note for Daddy saying, "please don't wake me up. But you can come in quietly"
Another time, I set out cereal and water on the table for him to help himself when he got up. To make sure he saw it, I left a note on our door reminding him of what was on the table, the one he would have to go through to go into the living room. I also added bright colors on it to attract attention. Sure enough, when I got up, he had eaten his breakfast, taken his vitamins, and drunk his water.
Yet another time, I packed a corn dog into his lunch bag. Knowing he'd eat it more easily with ketchup, I included a small tupperware dish of ketchup. However, I was afraid that he wouldn't close the lid tight enough after lunch, thereby making the leftover ketchup spill into his bag, so I left a note on the lid of the dish, asking him to make sure he closed it tight when he was done. And sure enough, he did!
It's so handy being able to leave notes for the little man!
Todd rides a bike
Todd got a bicycle from Oma and Opa for his 5th birthday. Here's a couple shots of him taking it for a spin on their driveway:
Last day of school!
Wow. Todd is officially done with kindergarten. When he returns to school he shall be in first grade-- the first of the numbered grade levels. In other words, he's really in REAL school now. Hard to believe this school year is over-- where did the time go!?
Last night was Celebratio, the end-of-year school assembly and celebration. The classes performed various pieces of music and drama, and then awards were handed out-- Todd got one for excellence in Language Arts.
Today the kids went to Zodo's for some fun bowling action before getting dismissed at noon, whereupon everyone trooped to Goleta Beach for a barbecue. Todd enjoyed playing in the sand with the other kids, and before we knew it-- the school year was officially over! One final private karate lesson and then it was off to Oma and Opa's house for the summer!
Last night was Celebratio, the end-of-year school assembly and celebration. The classes performed various pieces of music and drama, and then awards were handed out-- Todd got one for excellence in Language Arts.
Today the kids went to Zodo's for some fun bowling action before getting dismissed at noon, whereupon everyone trooped to Goleta Beach for a barbecue. Todd enjoyed playing in the sand with the other kids, and before we knew it-- the school year was officially over! One final private karate lesson and then it was off to Oma and Opa's house for the summer!
Karate Tournament
Tournament in Carpinteria this morning. Got up early and had a hearty breakfast :-9 Kids could compete in 3 categories: Kata, Sparring and Padded Weapons. Since Todd hasn't learned the latter 2 yet, we only signed him up for Kata. He won 3rd place in his age/belt group, which actually isn't saying much, as there were only 4 kids in his group ;-) Here's some pictures from the event:
Froggy costume
Today was the read-in at school, culminating several week's worth of intensive reading. Parents came to the school and helped read to the classes. Daddy read to the kindergartners in the morning, and Mommy read to them in the afternoon. We each had a theme.
Daddy chose the "Froggy" theme, based on the Froggy series by Jonathan London. Mommy chose a turtle theme, and brought Pistachio along as a prop. The kids even got to pass him around and hug and kiss him! Lots of love for the stuffed sea turtle today :-)
Everyone was allowed to dress up as his/her favorite book character, so I made a makeshift costume for Todd out of a paper plate mask and a green t-shirt: Froggy!
Here's the mask I slaved over the day before the read-in (I'm only exaggerating slightly-- I'm not the artsy/crafty type!) some paper plates and green acrylic paint, plus made use of leftover pink felt from my rat ears and black nail polish from my Black Death carrier costume :-)
And here is Todd wearing the mask, along with a green t-shirt (a perfect find at the craft store!) that I got in a too-large size, so he'll have time to use it as he grows into it :-) I added the name label for added recognizability, knowing that he'd take the mask off as soon as he got into the classroom.
Daddy chose the "Froggy" theme, based on the Froggy series by Jonathan London. Mommy chose a turtle theme, and brought Pistachio along as a prop. The kids even got to pass him around and hug and kiss him! Lots of love for the stuffed sea turtle today :-)
Everyone was allowed to dress up as his/her favorite book character, so I made a makeshift costume for Todd out of a paper plate mask and a green t-shirt: Froggy!
Here's the mask I slaved over the day before the read-in (I'm only exaggerating slightly-- I'm not the artsy/crafty type!) some paper plates and green acrylic paint, plus made use of leftover pink felt from my rat ears and black nail polish from my Black Death carrier costume :-)
And here is Todd wearing the mask, along with a green t-shirt (a perfect find at the craft store!) that I got in a too-large size, so he'll have time to use it as he grows into it :-) I added the name label for added recognizability, knowing that he'd take the mask off as soon as he got into the classroom.
White Belt, 2nd class
I put in for Todd's promotion-- had to fill out a form and have Todd's teacher sign off on it, vouching for his good performance in school. Monday he was awarded his 2nd stripe! He is now a White Belt, 2nd class. Just one more stripe to go, and he'll be able to test for his Yellow Belt, after some more training, of course :-)
Next day, Sensei visited Todd's school and taught the lower school kids about bullying: how to spot it, and what to do about it. The kids really enjoyed his presentation, hopefully he'll be back to the school again soon to teach some of his other safety classes!
Next day, Sensei visited Todd's school and taught the lower school kids about bullying: how to spot it, and what to do about it. The kids really enjoyed his presentation, hopefully he'll be back to the school again soon to teach some of his other safety classes!
Toddzilla?
Not long after Todd was born, we took to nicknaming him "Toddzilla" at times. Partly because he was taller than average, but mostly because it was fun to wave the little couple-months-old tyke at each other, saying "Rawr! I'm Toddzilla!" :-D
Fast forward a few years later, when Todd's current favorite TV show (not that we watch it on TV, we only get the videotapes of individual episodes from the library) is Veggie Tales.
We often break out into the entire theme song at random-- while showering, while cleaning, in the car... he's even been known to join in with his kindergarten classmates when they spontaneously begin singing it, as well.
Tonight, he suddenly remembered a song from one of the episodes we watched last month. Here it is:
Only... instead of saying "Godzilla", Todd kept singing "Toddzilla", apparently unaware of the existence of said Godzilla, and no doubt influenced by years of Mommy and Daddy calling him "Toddzilla". When he watched the above video, he realized, "Oh! It's GODzilla"... but of course, Mommy kept insisting that we sing the much-cuter "Toddzilla" instead :-D
Fast forward a few years later, when Todd's current favorite TV show (not that we watch it on TV, we only get the videotapes of individual episodes from the library) is Veggie Tales.
We often break out into the entire theme song at random-- while showering, while cleaning, in the car... he's even been known to join in with his kindergarten classmates when they spontaneously begin singing it, as well.
Tonight, he suddenly remembered a song from one of the episodes we watched last month. Here it is:
Only... instead of saying "Godzilla", Todd kept singing "Toddzilla", apparently unaware of the existence of said Godzilla, and no doubt influenced by years of Mommy and Daddy calling him "Toddzilla". When he watched the above video, he realized, "Oh! It's GODzilla"... but of course, Mommy kept insisting that we sing the much-cuter "Toddzilla" instead :-D
Karate sticker
As promised from this post, here's a shot of Todd proudly displaying his karate sticker (click on image for larger version):
More karate excellence
Last week Todd got a sticker for good behavior. Today he got a stripe on his white karate belt! Stripes, it seems, are sort of in-between levels between each color belt. One girl who is Todd's age and has been taking lessons for a year, has 4 stripes on her white belt and is testing for her yellow belt promotion this month. So it's a nice way of charting progress at a particular belt color. Todd's really taking well to karate, not only the techniques, but the behavior aspects of it!
Report Cards
The schoolchildren got their report cards today. Todd is doing well. Not only is he keeping up academically, but he's also getting good marks for behavior. The written portion indicated that he's really starting to come out of his shell and interact with others. And just like Sensei mentioned in karate, the report card made mention of Todd setting a good example to the other kids, helping them maintain "self control". Good to hear that Todd's thriving and not being so shy anymore!
Stickers in karate
Todd got an "awesome" sticker today in karate class. Sensei said it was for not only doing good deeds that week (helped out with lots of chores at home, and played quietly while Mommy was sick) but for doing well in class and always setting the example for the other kids. He proudly wore the sticker home to show to Daddy, and we snapped a picture for posterity, before taking it off so I could launder the uniform. I'll be sure to post the pic as soon as I've uploaded it from my camera!
Karate pics
The first batch. I took these in January (where you can tell I had not yet learned how to properly tie the belt!) and am just now getting around to uploading them off my camera and posting them. I will have to take more pics that show Todd in action!
Greediness doesn't pay
This weekend we checked out more Veggie Tales videos from the library. This time we got the episode with Madam Blueberry, about a wealthy bery who was still unhappy despite having tons of stuff, plenty of food, a nice house, and good friends. She learned that having a thankful heart is what makes you truly happy, not greediness for more stuff.
As we got ready for bed, Todd and I talked about the episode. I tried to put it in the context of his own life, given that he's like Madam Blueberry in "wealth"-- a family who loves him very much, a warm bed, good food, and plenty of toys. Since Madam Blueberry coveted stuff that her wealthy neighbors had, believing it would make her happy, I asked Todd what he would do if, say, a friend of his had a huge birthday cake. Would he then in turn want an even bigger one for his upcoming birthday?
"No" came the response. Good. Then he elaborated:
"I'll just have a regular cake and be thankful for that. (Besides,) I don't WANT a big cake-- that's too much cake!"
As we got ready for bed, Todd and I talked about the episode. I tried to put it in the context of his own life, given that he's like Madam Blueberry in "wealth"-- a family who loves him very much, a warm bed, good food, and plenty of toys. Since Madam Blueberry coveted stuff that her wealthy neighbors had, believing it would make her happy, I asked Todd what he would do if, say, a friend of his had a huge birthday cake. Would he then in turn want an even bigger one for his upcoming birthday?
"No" came the response. Good. Then he elaborated:
"I'll just have a regular cake and be thankful for that. (Besides,) I don't WANT a big cake-- that's too much cake!"
More pics from school
(click on each photo for (slightly) larger versions)
Last week the kindergartners, who are learning about ancient Egypt in their history lessons, made Pharaoh double crowns. Here they are, with Todd wearing his usual cheesy grin... and his hat backwards :-P
Last Friday they got to see a ballet, since one of his classmates does ballet, and both of her parents are professional ballet dancers. Here's the school with the cast of "Cinderella":
And this past Monday, the school got to go on yet another field trip-- to a local fire station, where they got to try on gear and use the equipment, and of course, learn about fire safety. Here's the whole crowd posing with the firemen and fire truck:
Last week the kindergartners, who are learning about ancient Egypt in their history lessons, made Pharaoh double crowns. Here they are, with Todd wearing his usual cheesy grin... and his hat backwards :-P
Last Friday they got to see a ballet, since one of his classmates does ballet, and both of her parents are professional ballet dancers. Here's the school with the cast of "Cinderella":
And this past Monday, the school got to go on yet another field trip-- to a local fire station, where they got to try on gear and use the equipment, and of course, learn about fire safety. Here's the whole crowd posing with the firemen and fire truck:
