When Work is Play

IntelliGent has chores.

Dr. Dad and I do not expect our 2.5 year old to wait on us, but we do believe in the importance of chores, even at a young age. IntelliGent's chores are not difficult, and we have spent the time showing him what to do so he knows what is expected.

What do chores look like for a 2.5 year old in our home?

Push in the Mattress - IntelliGent is small for his age. He is also cautious, so we place a second mattress under his bed to aid him in getting in and out of bed. In the mornings and after nap time, it is his responsibility to push the mattress back under the toddler bed.

Put Dirty Clothes in Hamper - After Dr. Dad or I help IntelliGent out of his dirty clothes, he knows it is time to put them away in the hamper. He also loves to help sort laundry on laundry day. He assists in loading and unloading the washer and dryer. 

Put Away MagnifiCat's Dish - This chore was self-appointed by IntelliGent. After watching me take care of the cat's food dish one day, he decided to start doing that job himself. He's done it every morning since.

Put Drink Away - Once IntelliGent learned how to open the refrigerator, it became his responsibility to put his half full sippy cups back in the fridge to keep cool. IntelliGent loves helping in the kitchen. He willingly assists loading and unloading the dishwasher (supervised of course).

Put Away Toys - IntelliGent is an orderly little boy, and has been very good about putting away his toys from the beginning. Due to his personality, I rarely have to ask him to do this chore. Things are put away in the right place when he's done playing.

As IntelliGent changes and grows, his responsibilities will change and grow appropriately. Dr. Dad and I make a point to acknowledge the work that IntelliGent does and thank him for it. We each contribute to this family in our own way, and that includes a 2.5 year old putting his drink in the fridge.

IntelliGent has chores, but to him they are just an extension of his day and his play.

Halfway

On Saturday, while preparing this week's school lessons, I realized we have made it to the halfway mark in our curriculum. Honestly, I was a little surprised. We've only been doing K4 for three weeks.

Sometimes, I struggle with this accelerated pace. I feel like we are attempting a marathon at sprint speeds. More than once, I've wondered about slowing thing down, just to be more "normal." Dr. Dad has reminded me, more than once, there is nothing normal about a 2.5 year old doing K4. My job isn't to slow him down, but to give him what he needs to learn and be challenged.

Currently, that means five lessons a day.

IntelliGent's love for school proves we're not going too fast.

Our school room

I strive to keep school fun. Our basement school room is a bright and cheerful place. Our schedule jumps from one subject to another with songs and games between. IntelliGent loves discovering the hidden letters, colors, and numbers in the "learning tree."

Perhaps these are the reasons IntelliGent insists on doing school every day. He'd do school on Saturdays too, if I'd let him.

If we stay at this pace and on this schedule, K4 will be done in three weeks. I've already ordered our K5 material. It should be here in time for a smooth transition once we finish our last K4 lesson.

Writing Woes

IntelliGent was ready for school in every area except writing. This has been a source of frustration for him, as his brain tells his hands to do things they are not capable of doing yet. He doesn't even enjoy coloring.

Recognizing his limitations in this area, I keep writing to a minimum during school. I've learned that IntelliGent likes to connect things with lines and circle correct answers. His lines and circles are well formed, but when asked to write the number one, he'd balk.

That was, until we introduced a fun iPad app called Letter School.


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IntelliGent's favorite part of his school day is Letter School. We often do it last, like a reward for paying attention and trying new things. Because IntelliGent can trace the letters with his finger, it takes away the difficulty of holding a writing instrument. He loves making the letters and earning the stars. I love the confidence he is building.

This confidence is spilling over into his regular school work. He rarely balks when I suggest he tries to write a letter or number without assistance.

Number 4 written by IntelliGent

I was impressed this week when, instead of just scribbling, IntelliGent picked up his crayon and decided to draw a self-portrait. For a boy who has shown very little interest in art, this was a huge surprise. Dr. Dad and I thought the outcome was amazing.

2.5 year old IntelliGent's Self-portrait - Labeled for clarification

Writing tires IntelliGent faster than any other academic exercise. After he drew himself, and then told us about the picture, he was done coloring for quite a while. You can bet that little self-portrait is tucked away safely in IntelliGent's memory box.

With all the success we've had recently with writing, I thought we might have finally beat the writing woes. But yesterday proved that wrong. IntelliGent, once again, balked at picking up his pencil. When he did comply, his heart was not in the work.

While I could have been frustrated, I wasn't. The writing ability will come with time.

School isn't about paperwork, after all, it is about the joy of discovery. And we can discover a lot more without a pencil tucked between the fingers.

Dinosaurs are Huge!

Yesterday, we took our first school field trip to the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. It was a complete success.

IntelliGent is too young to remember our last visit to the museum almost two years ago. He was excited when we suggested we go to a museum and I was eager to see his reaction. 

Dr. Dad and 9 month old IntelliGent at the Museum of Nature

"It's a castle." Those words of awe, spoken from the car seat in the back, set the tone for our entire visit. Everything excited and interested IntelliGent. He boldly walked though the museum and marveled at the wonders of nature.  

Just like the first time we went, IntelliGent was captivated by the dinosaurs. He loved to see how big they were and his delightful declarations filled the room. "Look at that dinosaur. It's huge!"

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It wasn't until I knelt down to get IntelliGent's attention about something that I finally saw the world from his perspective. In his eyes, Dr. Dad (who is only 5' 3.5") is tall. Those skeletons were gigantic. I took a moment to gasp in wonder.

It had been too long since I paused to view life through the eyes of a child.

Our trip to the museum of nature was a success, not because IntelliGent filled his mind with new concepts and facts, but because he reopened our eyes to the amazing world around us - the world we take for granted every day.

Who Invited the Pilgrims to Easter?

Starting the K4 curriculum at the end of March, combined with the fast pace we are keeping, has put us in a rather unusual holiday situation.

The unit IntelliGent is going through right now focuses on Native Americans, the Pilgrims, and Thanksgiving. Next week we'll talk about Christmas. But sandwiched right between those two out-of-season holidays is the real Easter Sunday.

I was tempted to skip over the Thanksgiving unit and move on to the next. Then I decided to go ahead and teach the unit anyway.

Is there any harm in talking about the Pilgrims at Easter-time?

The Pilgrims were thankful for the freedom to worship God in the New World. Their thankfulness was not reserved for that first Thanksgiving feast with their Native American friends. Easter is also a time for giving thanks as we remember the finished work of Christ on the cross.

We've invited the Pilgrims to our Easter celebration. Who are you inviting?

Developmental Milestone Lag

Watching a child develop is a wonderful and sometimes frightening experience. IntelliGent has been delayed with his gross motor skills from the beginning. He was slow to smile, roll over, and crawl. I thought he'd never walk. While all his peers were up on their feet, IntelliGent was content to scoot around the room on his bum.

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15 month old IntelliGent happily scooting along at the park.

At IntelliGent's 12 month check up, the doctor expressed concern because IntelliGent was still not pulling himself up and trying to stand. An X-ray was scheduled.

While I understand the purpose of developmental checklists, sometimes they create a lot of unnecessary stress for mothers. The days between getting the orders for the X-ray and the follow-up appointment with the doctor were scary. Every "what if" ran through my mind.

But there was nothing wrong with IntelliGent. He just wasn't ready.

I've learned since that IntelliGent has his own timetable for development. He waits until he can do something well before he tries. Even though he didn't walk until 20 months, when he did it was without the nasty falls that younger walkers often experience. IntelliGent's cautious nature has saved him from bumps, bruises, cuts and scrapes. He's never needed a band aid.

IntelliGent still isn't hitting certain milestone "on time," but I'm no longer worried. He'll jump and alternate feet walking up the stairs when he is ready.

IntelliGent and Dr. Dad out for a stroll with the wagon

Mommy and Daddy's books

Dr. Dad and I have a lot of books. I have two full bookcases for novels. Dr. Dad's interests run more toward science, politics, and Bible references. IntelliGent has grown up with books all around him. I remember the day he took an interest.

IntelliGent at 17 months

IntelliGent was a late walker (more on that in another post). It took him forever to pull himself up on furniture, but when he did his favorite place to stand was next to the bookcases. He'd pull books out, flip through the pages, and then put them back. His favorite books were Dr. Dad's Old Testament Bible commentaries.

We learned early that IntelliGent was very careful with books. The only page he has ever ripped was when we, as parents, over reacted. As long as we remained calm, the pages were gently turned and the books put back in their places. Sure, they were sometimes backwards or upside down, but the books were treated well.

Then came the day IntelliGent asked me to read the exhaustive concordance of Bible words to him. Gently I explained that the book wasn't a story and that he could look at the book once he learned how to read.

That moment sparked a almost obsessive fascination with letters. IntelliGent started paying closer attention to his ABC books, and when he began telling me the names of the letters on the page, I knew it was time to feed this new passion.

We purchased Melissa & Doug ABC puzzles and magnetic letters as well as other resources to help aid in his letter discovery. I love the quality of Melissa & Doug toys. IntelliGent soaked it in. 

This interest has lead to some amazing refrigerator and dishwasher art. 

Don't miss the letter symmetry on the red and green lines.

By his second birthday, IntelliGent knew all his letters and most of their sounds. He's still a ways away from reading Dr. Dad's concordance, but he's happily enjoying the journey.