Days turn into weeks and weeks t.urn into years.

Today was the annual rite of preschool families, flower day for the teachers.  Porter enthusiastically wanted to buy each teacher a dozen roses but wwe stopped at two which were divided between four of his teachers.  There is nothing like this ritual.  Some kids shy away and other greedily shove their way to hand off the gems.  It is a favorite for all.  Porter was more concerned about bike day once he had to deliver the flowers.  I practically had to force him to hand them to Jean.  It is simple moments such as his shyness that I reminded that he is still young and dear.  Not that he isn't other times but he so darn capable that I always surprised by his moments of needing an adult to help him negotiate.  Porter and Peter also shared a moment before meeting up with the teachers.

After drop off, our day begins...

The end of the year is looming.  I have tried to honor my kid and give him what he needs and now I am reflecting on what needs to be done and what is better left alone.  It has been an experience.

Today we had extra time together and with all the work at the house of late and schooling on the go, it was good for us to settle a bit.  We discussed what he wanted to do for the remainder of the year and based on what he said I think we will be going to school about 3 days a week this summer.

Me "What should you do to finish 3rd grade?"
Frazer - "Finish cursive, finish sight words, write a story, subtraction, shapes, measuring, fractions, horse puzzle."

So there it is.  And today we labored through handwriting. I contemplated dropping it because he was having repeated struggles with any letters formed by  a magic c (Handwriting Without Tears term).  But, we can finish the alphabet.  We are 1/3 through but each letter has gotten easier.  I think he was hoping to wait me out by just staring.  I checked in, and he was okay.  Using the wipeboard to give him a change and practice on a gliding surface and to be vertical helped reorient him after his initial refusal to trace my cursive "peach." A part of me wants to try to figure out why but another part of me feels that he needs to be encouraged and required to try even when something is a challenge.  Handwriting is typically not a challenge but today it was.  Ironically after it was the first thing he said that he wanted to finish for 3rd grade.

We continued in Flat Stanley which should have been more pleasant but he was just distracted by his own sneezing and snot.  I let him cut out the Flat Stanley at the end of book for a bookmark.

We also worked on wrap ups for subtraction informally on -1, -2, -3 with 100% accuacy and relative ease. -4 was much harder.  Need to bring in some more games.  Need more planning time to prep for some of these games that are not second nature to me.  He breezed through counting coins.  I want to give him some change or have him count his piggie bank to see how practically it has applied.  Is it in there -- that space behind the his eyes --good?

He fought his addition.  I don't how it is can handily do some problems and the same problems 20 seconds later leave him staring off into space.  It is puzzle.  Frazer is the key but locating it appears to be the problem.  Again here is another place I could scaffold with more games.  Got to step it up.  The time in some ways seems to slipping away.  I don't want him to study all summer, but it feels important that the window not close on some of the experiences he can have.

A playful moment of day came when we picked up Porter from lunch bunch.  We ran one errand and had 45 minutes before Porter's piano lesson.  We headed to library which turned into just a parking lot for us to head to BAPP playground through a wooded path that Porter and Frazer raced ahead to see who could get to the old shed first.  Frazer ran with his hands in his pockets.  Porter raced.  They played on a tire swing we fixed in the fall and basically ran around for 20 minutes.  It was perfect to head to piano after that.



Unfortunately it was not enough to keep Frazer on track to complete his math without much grumbling.  But, he has been given tons of freebie days lately.  We need to get on path  But with camping trip, swim team, big boys exams, birthday, memorial day, swim meet, France...I could have all the kids gone all day and maybe get something completed.  Oh, and the construction project in the front yard, did I mention that?

We ended the night with Dell's vocal debut singing  George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with Cory Blake at the St. Catherine's Guitar Ensemble.  Houlder played two classical pieces.  I must say Dell rocked the house.  Audible and playful.  It was great!  But now I cannot download the video as it appears there are not drivers that work with the vista because the camera is so old.  Why these techno things are never truly easy annoys me.

So, my computer and my cameras are not age compatible, my second kid is singing solos, and my baby is finishing up preschool.  "Time like an ever rolling stream."