Monday, Monday

A couple of Mondays a month, I watch a friends three children. On those days, very little "school" gets done. I tried in the beginning, but it just never worked out. It is complicated by the fact that the other children use entirely different curriculum and methods. After a couple of failed attempts, it just made mre sense to modify our day on those Mondays. Kiddo still does reading and math, as does the 8-year-old from the other family. Sometimes I read aloud from a history book, but mostly we don't. Kiddo usually also does an enrichment activity of some sort or another--Logic Links, Kidoku, tangrams, Build-it Cards, etc. Often S, the 8-year-old, wants to join in, too.

With the warmer weather we have been having, the snow is melting and outdoor fun can be had. The melting brings mud, though. I can handle one muddy kid. I can handle 2 muddy kids. The thought of 5 muddy kids makes me shudder. Sending them out to play was not an option. So we went for a walk instead. I think it was the lesser of the evils, but I can't be sure...

It was good to get the kids out and running. And they did run! We live about 3 blocks from a park, if you go the short way. We never go the short way, though. The long way is twice as far. We went the long way, played at the park for 15 minutes or so, then came back the short way. The two big kids did fine, not problem with the walking. Kutey did fine, she was determined to keep up with the big kids. The two younger boys, though, whined most of the way back. If we go again in the future (and that is an if, it was a lot of work to keep track of all 5 kids), we will go the short way there and back.

While we were at the park, we stopped and listened. Kiddo identified the song of the Red-Winged Blackbird. They were back! We only heard one, but better than none! We also heard frogs! So exciting! It is truly spring! I wished I could sit and listen longer. If it had been just my kids we would have. The others were a bit more impatient however, and wanted to get going. So we went. And the whining began. I'll have to think hard about whether or not the walk is worth it with all 5 kids...