Archive for November, 2013

Homework Hassles

Wednesday, November 6th, 2013

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Jack is half way through the fourteenth week of school this year.  It’s hard to believe it’s going so fast.  Jack is assigned homework four nights a week.  He must complete a math and phonics worksheet, code a small booklet with the days phonics lesson, practice daily spelling activities for the weekly set of words, reading and practicing a set of sight words as well as reading a story/paragraph of the week.  Most days he completes his homework in thirty minutes. All of this review is in preparation for testing on Fridays.

Jack started the year on the right foot.  When Jack gets home from school, he has a small snack and he gets started with his daily work.  I try to push him do his work very shortly after he returns home from school, otherwise the hunger pains, sleepiness or soccer practice may interfere.  At the beginning of the year, Jack was excited to sit down and focus on his daily work.  His favorite part of homework is phonics. He likes to code words and learn how to manipulate their sounds.  He enjoys math and science, too.  He asked many questions and showed a lot of interest in what he was learning.  I encourage him to review as much as possible to set him up for success.

Well, over the last several weeks Jack’s attitude towards homework has changed.  He still completes his work, but it’s a struggle some days to motivate him to get started.  I’m not sure if the start of the holidays has put him in a rut, other activities such as sports are taking up his “free time” or the fact that he’s been engaging in homework for weeks now and he’s feeling the monotony.

His first report card was outstanding.  My husband and I were very proud of his marks.  He isn’t regressing or confused when he is doing his work, but lately, encouraging him to sit down and concentrate has been a challenge.  I’m aware not every student likes homework, but it’s frustrating to see your child love something like schoolwork and all of a sudden refuse to look at it.  I know I’m not the only parent in this boat.  Several of my friends are facing similar issues with their children.

Jack has a long road ahead of him when it comes to homework.  I guess this bump in the road is another phase of life that a lot of parents face.  I’m hoping our struggles will soon resolve and Jack will realize his extra hard work is paying off with excellent grades.

 

Happy Diwali!

Monday, November 4th, 2013

From Monday Mom – Neetika
We had a wonderful Halloween last week. We took Haley trick-or-treating for the first time. Although she did not know how the process worked at first, she learned quickly—getting free candy will do that to a girl. After a few minutes, she kept saying, “I want more candy!” She loved seeing kids in costumes as much as she loved dressing up herself.

This year, just three days after Halloween was an important holiday in my Hindu upbringing, Diwali. I wish things could have been spaced out more—it felt like we had to change gears at warp speed. Such is the life of a multi-cultural family, I suppose. There had been so much preparation for Halloween that I was worried that it would take a long time for Haley to “come down.” After spending weeks encouraging your kids to get excited for every pumpkin, skeleton and ghost they see, it’s a tough habit for them to break. Starting Friday morning, I kept repeating “it’s Diwali this weekend” and telling her all about the prayers, the dressing up, the food and most importantly—to her anyway— the presents.

Luckily Haley loved everything about the holiday. She loved the prayers and songs. She loved dressing up. She loved the special “naan” bread my mother made. And of course she loved the presents. A really special part of the weekend was when we found an animated e-book that told the story of the holiday, also known as The Ramayana. She loved the story and asked to hear it at bedtime, too!

I was so happy that Haley embraced Diwali—for her, for me, and for my parents. I absolutely love Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I can’t wait to celebrate those holidays with her, too, now that she can understand them better. My husband and I are thinking about adding the “Elf of the Shelf” tradition that families like Wednesday Mom’s have adopted. Not only would that be a fun activity, it could encourage her to behave better. There are so many fun celebrations throughout the fall that include candy, treats, and presents, it’s important to keep the little ones from getting too spoiled! But they can be indulged sometimes. It’s what being a kid is all about!

Stranger Danger

Friday, November 1st, 2013

From Friday Mom – Erin
Rory has finally developed stranger anxiety. For quite some time, he was one of the more laid back babies in his daycare class. It was rare for him to get particularly upset about much of anything, except when he was overly hungry or over tired. This week, however, he has started to voice his unhappiness when his chosen caregiver is out of the room.

We noticed it for the first time last weekend. We used to be able to step out of the room briefly and Rory never really cared. Now, if we turn the corner or are out of view for more than a few seconds, he either follows after us or starts whimpering.

Apparently he is doing the same thing at daycare. His classroom has three caregivers, but he is assigned to one caregiver as his “primary” caregiver. Starting this week, he seems to fuss when she is out of the room or taking care of one of his classmates. So far, she says he hasn’t gotten too terribly upset; but it is a marked change of behavior.

I know it is a developmental stage. And it is certainly endearing to see him get so excited when I arrive home each day. Luckily, he doesn’t get too upset when I drop him off in his classroom each morning. I’m hoping it stays that way. In the meantime, I hope he is able to get a bit more comfortable with the other teachers in his classroom so that he remains happy all day long.