I am so thankful to have plenty of time to spend with my children. This is one of the benefits of homeschooling them. Yet I would be a hypocrite not to admit that I do wish for some days off, especially now. Lately, I've been daydreaming that someone would give me at least a whole day of vacation and would also take over all my responsibilities (household chores, homeschool classes, bakeshop management, church responsibilities) while I am away, as I want to spend this time "ALONE. "
It was a more significant challenge to convince my eldest son, JC to write. I didn't have any problem with him writing on the walls compared with his other two younger siblings. Naturally, he's not interested in grabbing crayons, pencils, pens, or any markers. He is not the typical child asking for pen and paper and making scribbles. Now, he can read books because he knows and recognizes every letter's shape and sound. I am glad he learned to read on his own. You might wonder how he learned reading without me teaching him. It was through Starfall.com he knew how to read. I let my children use gadgets and surf online (yes they really can!) even at their youngest age. He is also good at adding and subtracting numbers. But yet, as a kindergarten student, he should also learn how to write the letters properly. So here's what I did to encourage him to write.
To prepare for our writing sessions, I decided to put blue and red lines on our whiteboard to make it look like a giant writing notebook. At the same time, I bought whiteboard markers in different colors. The children were amazed by the new look of our whiteboard and were excited to pick their favorite colored markers. If you decide to do this same activity using whiteboard markers , the child should wear their working clothes. Whiteboard marker ink stains on clothes and cannot be removed even with bleach. I experienced this problem with my two younger children, who used their skin and clothes as their drawing sheets.
I have also searched for books for additional writing activities. Here are my finds:
Book Name: Before I Print (Glossy Thick Paper)
Number of Pages: 15
Amount: Php 40.00
This book is ideal for children who are beginning to write. The book guides children in making straight and curved lines and then forming various shapes. I found this book at the magazine stand in SM Supermarket here in Batangas City. This activity book is reusable with wipe-off crayons and markers.
Book Name: My First - Wipe and Clean Numbers (Hard Board Book)
By DK Publishing
Number of Pages: 21
Amount: Php 120.00
I found this book at BookSale. Whenever I have a chance to visit this bookstore, I surely turn over their shelves just to find the perfect books I'm looking for. My First - Wipe and Clean Numbers doesn't only focus on how the child will properly write the numbers; at the same time, they can learn counting, basic addition, and subtraction. This book comes with a pen and an additional rubber pen grip so that the child can securely hold the pen while writing. Unfortunately, the pen's ink has already dried up, so we were unable to use the included pen. Whiteboard markers work very well on the book's surface. BookSale. Whenever I had a chance to visit this bookstore I'll surely turnover their shelves just to find the perfect books I'm looking for. My First - Wipe and Clean Numbers doesn't only focuses on how the child will properly write the number at the same time they can learn counting, basic addition and subtraction. This book comes with a pen and additional pen rubber pen grip so that the child can securely hold the pen during writing. The pen's ink is already dried up so we were unable to use the inclusive pen. White board markers works out very well on the book's surface.
By Sterling Company
Number of Pages: 56
Amount: Php64.75 each
I found these writing notebooks in the School Supplies Section of SM Department Store. Each letter features a two-page activity. My daughter also wants to write, so it's good to have a two-page activity for sharing. Buying an ordinary writing notebook and personally writing the pattern is relatively cheap. However, I feel it is not appealing to my children's eyes.
It really takes time and a lot of encouragement for JC to grab his pencil and practice writing. At first, I don't push JC to use his pencil as he is not comfortable with it. He easily writes using a whiteboard marker, plus he wants the blue ink for writing. After he learned to properly grip the pen, he became comfortable with his pencil, so he easily strokes his hand to make figures.
It sure is tough to teach and discipline my children, but I won't quit no matter what because I love them.
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