Oh how Sydney has dreamed of this day!
On more than a few occasions, she's pretended she's had projects that must get done, busying herself coloring or painting at the dining room table while AJ works on spelling or math. And now... at last... she has real, honest-to-goodness homework of her own!
Wouldn't the world just be a so much happier place if all homework assignments involved Play-Doh?
The note from her teacher explained we have a week to finish the five activities listed. Projects range from looking for leaves to reading books. The purpose is to get parents and kids working together and having fun learning. As a side note, it says "Some children like to call these sheets their 'Homework'."
Yes, she most definitely does!
As AJ worked on writing this week's spelling list, Sydney followed directions, rolling Play-Doh into little balls and pumpkins.
She surprised and impressed me when she showed me how she could line them up big-little-big-little, "Look! It's a pattern!" Next she started lining up patterns based on colors. She was on a roll, doing way more than she was expected. But she knew Mommy and Daddy were proud, and that was all the encouragement she needed.
AJ was rather jealous. His homework involved writing words and then outlining them with colored pencils. (I don't quite get the purpose. Somehow this is supposed to improve his penmanship or ability to remember how to spell. Or something) The promise of Play-Doh became a powerful incentive for him to finish his project and join his sister's fun.
Together they molded hockey pucks, dinosaur skulls and more and more little balls. Neither wanted to stop for a silly little thing called bedtime.
Years from now, I know we'll have plenty of frustrating nights of algebra and chemistry homework that will baffle me even more than the kids. And when that happens, I'll fondly look back at this night, remembering that once upon a time, homework was exciting and fun.
You don't understand the purpose of outlining the words with colored pencil? Your art teacher Dad says, "It DOES do both things. It reinforces in his memory the shape of the letter he's trying to learn, AND if it is correctly spelled he reinforces that, too. But non-educators would never guess that."
ReplyDelete