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Another unhappy drop-off, but perhaps a sign of progress: this time the tearful begging was entirely about "Mama should come back after lunch" (as opposed to later after nap), and not at all about staying home or anything like that. Possibly this was just because two-year-olds aren't very flexible negotiators, and, having thought of one thing, she wasn't thinking about anything else, but possibly she's starting to accept the fact of preschool and now we're just working out the details. It's a little weird to be like, yay, go slow erosion of hope and reduction to begging for crumbs of improvement, but recognition of a lost cause does seem like a useful life skill...
Sep. 21st, 2011
preschool twist: need advice
Sep. 21st, 2011 03:14 pmSpoke with the director today, who said that Junie seems "pretty miserable" and suggested that she might adjust better if she went five mornings a week for a little while. (Just the mornings on her off-days, maybe just part of the mornings, free of charge.)
My initial reaction is strongly negative: we didn't even look at five-day-a-week programs, because it was too important to me to have those school-free days, and we've been telling her and telling her that she goes to school on Tuesday Wednesday and Friday and Monday and Thursday she stays home with Mama and it seems like totally pulling the rug out from under her to change that up now (whereas we've tried from the beginning to mention how she's going to gradually stay later and later). (Plus it sort of seems like punishment for not liking preschool, to make her go *more*, although I suppose that's how remedial anything works, that whatever you struggle most with you get stuck doing extra.)
But I do also believe in listening to one's kid's teachers, who (presumably) know what they are talking about and are making suggestions that they've seen work for similar kids in similar situations.
So... I could really use some advice on this one. Set aside my misgivings and try it next week? Or continue on as we have been? I haven't even told them yet that she'll be out two and a half days the first two weeks of October for a peds appointment and travel... which I do feel like would be a good excuse for not trying the five-day thing, that her schedule will be so disrupted in October anyways... gah.
My initial reaction is strongly negative: we didn't even look at five-day-a-week programs, because it was too important to me to have those school-free days, and we've been telling her and telling her that she goes to school on Tuesday Wednesday and Friday and Monday and Thursday she stays home with Mama and it seems like totally pulling the rug out from under her to change that up now (whereas we've tried from the beginning to mention how she's going to gradually stay later and later). (Plus it sort of seems like punishment for not liking preschool, to make her go *more*, although I suppose that's how remedial anything works, that whatever you struggle most with you get stuck doing extra.)
But I do also believe in listening to one's kid's teachers, who (presumably) know what they are talking about and are making suggestions that they've seen work for similar kids in similar situations.
So... I could really use some advice on this one. Set aside my misgivings and try it next week? Or continue on as we have been? I haven't even told them yet that she'll be out two and a half days the first two weeks of October for a peds appointment and travel... which I do feel like would be a good excuse for not trying the five-day thing, that her schedule will be so disrupted in October anyways... gah.
Project: What Is Carbonation?
Materials: Sodastream carbonator
Explanatory details: Chaos demonstrated the carbonation process and then we investigated the resulting fizzy water.
How did it go: Great! Junie was very interested.
Things we talked about: (Hm, how did I try to explain this?) The carbonation machine has a canister of a kind of gas which is part of the air. When it makes the noise it pushes some into the water. When we pour the water we can hear the fizz and see the bubbles. It's the same fizz and bubbles as when we mix the vinegar and baking soda.
What Junie got out of it: Her first taste of carbonated beverage! She made a face and spit it out. We talked about how the gas is prickly on your tongue.
Materials: Sodastream carbonator
Explanatory details: Chaos demonstrated the carbonation process and then we investigated the resulting fizzy water.
How did it go: Great! Junie was very interested.
Things we talked about: (Hm, how did I try to explain this?) The carbonation machine has a canister of a kind of gas which is part of the air. When it makes the noise it pushes some into the water. When we pour the water we can hear the fizz and see the bubbles. It's the same fizz and bubbles as when we mix the vinegar and baking soda.
What Junie got out of it: Her first taste of carbonated beverage! She made a face and spit it out. We talked about how the gas is prickly on your tongue.
four graphic novel reviews
Sep. 21st, 2011 09:36 pmSquish #1: Super Amoeba and Babymouse #1: Queen of the World by Jennifer L. Holm and Matt Holm. Cute, but not my demographic. I read middle-grade, but mostly the "higher" end of middle-grade (darker, more complicated, or just really well-written), and this isn't. And that is totally fine - nobody would make it to the higher end of middle-grade without a lower end to start from, and I am super in favor of age-appropriate graphic novels for elementary students. In fact, I would recommend these without hesitation to actual elementary-aged children. Just not to other grownups.
Gingerbread Girl by Colleen Coover and Paul Tobin. I think I was inclined to forgive a lot more not-quite-hanging-together back in Colleen Coover's Small Favors days. This just wasn't satisfying, and not just because I wish Coover was still doing something more like Small Favors; it's an interesting gimmick here with all the different narrators, but at the end, when I first read it online, I wasn't even sure I'd actually read the whole thing. (It seems to still be online here if you're curious; the 30-some chapters aren't linked, so you'll need to change the chapter number by hand in the address bar.)
The Secret Science Alliance and the Copyright Crook by Eleanor Davis. Ok, back to middle-grade, but I totally recommend this one to adults. I loved this. I want to write it fanfic. I want to buy its sequels. Clever, engaging, tons of detail on every page (I caught things in a re-read I hadn't even noticed on the first pass). And I think actual middle-graders would like it too.
Gingerbread Girl by Colleen Coover and Paul Tobin. I think I was inclined to forgive a lot more not-quite-hanging-together back in Colleen Coover's Small Favors days. This just wasn't satisfying, and not just because I wish Coover was still doing something more like Small Favors; it's an interesting gimmick here with all the different narrators, but at the end, when I first read it online, I wasn't even sure I'd actually read the whole thing. (It seems to still be online here if you're curious; the 30-some chapters aren't linked, so you'll need to change the chapter number by hand in the address bar.)
The Secret Science Alliance and the Copyright Crook by Eleanor Davis. Ok, back to middle-grade, but I totally recommend this one to adults. I loved this. I want to write it fanfic. I want to buy its sequels. Clever, engaging, tons of detail on every page (I caught things in a re-read I hadn't even noticed on the first pass). And I think actual middle-graders would like it too.