Firstly, he has reading assignments. Each Monday, his teacher is sending home a short book that they've already read in class to allow the students further reading practice at home. The book goes back to school on Friday. Andrew's done really well with reading the first two. Because he knew the story, he would start guessing on some of the words instead of taking the time to look at them and either identify the sight words he knows or sound out the ones he doesn't. With the second book, there were only three words he did that for instead of the first one which had a lot more guessing. Additionally, his teacher provides ideas for practice exercises they could do, but we've only done one of them up to this point. Andrew enjoys coming up with rhyming words for words in the book. We're still working on choosing actually words instead of just providing any rhyming sounds. What I'll work on him with this week for his next book is actually writing the sentences, cutting each word out, and reassembling the sentences.
Secondly, he needed 100 of a small item. His 100th day of school is this Wednesday, barring any snow days, so his teacher requested that students bring in 100 small items to glue to paper. Andrew told me his teacher actually wanted 105 so that they'd have extras "just in case." We didn't have many of the suggestions on the list, so I decided dried beans would be a good option. Andrew spent five minutes or so this morning counting 50 pinto beans and 55 white beans. Granted, I think he ended up with more since Patrick smashed the pile and threw half of them on the floor and then because he kept trying to get back to the pile as we were recounting, I just had Andrew throw them in the bag before bringing it to his backpack.
Lastly, and mostly an optional assignment, Andrew wanted to make valentines for Valentine's Day. His class isn't having a party, but they are allowed to bring them in to pass out to their classmates. Andrew wanted to participate. My mom had invited Andrew over to her house for Grandma and Andrew time, so I tried to send Andrew with my mom to whichever dollar store is nearby on their way over there, Andrew apparently vocalized his desire to make valentines instead of buying them as we had done the past two years. When I was growing up, my siblings and I always made valentines and never bought them so my mom just happened to still have doilies, construction paper, and stickers at her house. She checked in with me first, but then graciously helped Andrew make them as an afternoon project.
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| four of Andrew's homemade valentines |
Those valentines are precious! I am pretty sure I've never given, received, or seen a handmade valentine. Not even when I had a boyfriend! Your little man is already a cut above the rest.
ReplyDeleteWow! When I was growing up, it was the norm for me to make them. Even though I know I received store-bought cards from other kids in school, I assumed (as a child) making them was the norm. I had never shopped for store-bought valentines until Andrew started school two years ago.
DeleteWe'll see if he continues wanting to make them. :)