Summer's Coming, and so is Coussoule Curriculum 2014

Despite the lengthening of the school year by a week due to the crazy number of snow days we had this year, it is, in fact, only three weeks until the final bell rings and Caroline and John are home for the carefree, sunny, lazy days of summer.

Well, sunny at least. While the kids will have plenty of time to have fun, play with friends, go to the pool, and generally goof off, just like last year they'll also have summer curriculum courtesy of Mom. Add in the worksheets with Dad, the summer reading program at the Fayetteville Public Library, swim lessons and tennis camp, and it should be a jam packed ten weeks.

Last year, we had weekly Bible verses to memorize, three journaling prompts per week, an art project, a science topic with hands on learning, and a recipe for Mommy to try. We were triumphantly successful in Bible verse memorization; the journaling results were priceless; the art projects were fun but toward the end of the summer got a little bit overwhelming; and the science projects were hit or miss, at best. I managed to get all but one of the recipes made, learning along the way that the cookbook I had identified for my life list effort was less than gourmet (or less than edible, a couple of times), so I'm giving myself a break this summer until I find a more reliable source of new family meals.

I have had it on my list for weeks now to get this year's summer curriculum written, but for reasons ranging from legitimate (job transition took most of my excess mental capacity for several weeks) to really lousy (I still have three Candy Crush lives left!) it was left undone, a blank slate, until this morning. Thanks to the early-spring-like weather we are having, my morning bike ride plans got pushed to this afternoon, so I sat down at the computer to knock it out:

Given the hit-or-miss nature of some of the pillars of last summer's curriculum, and with another year of the kids' learning and growing behind us, I tweaked the pillars of study this summer to give us more flexibility and to make it a little bit different and challenging. The Bible verses are still there; in fact, they're already written and ready to go for each week:

The journaling prompts are a staple for every summer to come - last summer I came up with probably half of the ideas myself, but this year I asked The Google for some help, and found a fantastic website that has me thinking this could be a year-round possibility for us.

Gone are the art projects; gone are the science experiments. In their place are the combined History, Science, Geography lessons, and a new pillar on Money Management. My dearest wish is that by the end of the summer, Caroline and John never again say "well we can just go buy one!" about whatever toy or object their fickle hearts desire at the moment.

While not a formal part of the 12 weeks of 2013 summer learning, we also read several children's classics together last year, and I hope to do the same again this summer. We need to finish up one book that we started last year, but there are a few new ones on the list, too. Good readers make good writers, and good writers are hard to find, so I hope to equip my children to stand out with their ability to punctuate, capitalize, use appropriate verb tenses, write complete sentences, and all of the other things that this English nerd Mom loves to see.

The biggest difference between last summer and the one to come is the two week summer vacation we're taking out west. I can't WAIT - there are sights to be seen and natural wonders to behold and Rocky Mountain states to be explored. There will be plenty of fun learning on that trip, including (I hope) Mark Twain audiobooks along the way. Those western states are awfully big, and there will be a lot of driving, and there are only so many movies I can responsibly let them watch in the back of the van. Keep your fingers crossed for me that they like Audible as much as I do!

It's an ambitious curriculum, but I hope it's a balance between keeping the kids inside too much and preventing "I'm bored!" by the third week of June. Summer isn't here yet, but we're ready to hit the ground running when it arrives, barefoot, in our shorts, and ready to learn all at the same time.

Friday Feature: Read Across America

Today is Read Across America celebration day at Holcomb! A few days late, as the official celebration is on Dr. Seuss' March 2nd birthday, but a fun day nonetheless. The last couple of years, the theme has been focused on Dr. Seuss, but this year the kids were challenged to dress up as their favorite book character.

For Caroline, that was EASY - Harry Potter is hands down her favorite. And Mom and Dad have entered the bonus round, as the Halloween costume got used AGAIN!!

John was far less interested in participating; I asked him the other night if maybe he wanted to be Shaggy or Scooby, since he's read a lot of Scooby Doo mysteries lately, but he was emphatically against that idea. Good thing, too, since I have no idea where I would've gotten either of those costumes. I noodled on it a little bit longer and landed on Stink, Judy Moody's little brother.

John tore through the Stink books; I haven't read them myself, but my best guess is that Stink Is Judy's mischievous, smart-alecky little brother. If I'm right, then it's self-explanatory why John loves those books. Easiest costume ever, too - pants, red shirt. John did ask this morning if I could color his hair yellow... um, no. Spikes achieved through gel, yes. Reasonable compromise.

So here's to reading for learning, reading for pleasure, reading for whatever your heart's desire!

Any time is a good time

As far as favorite ways to pass the time, reading is waaaaay up there. Top of the list in rarified company with running and watching football. Right now, I think Caroline agrees. She loves to read, and her nightly homework of fifteen minutes of reading is no problem. 

John, on the other hand, is hit or miss. Certain books he'll read over and over - the Berenstain Bears, for example. Others, it's more of a struggle. We tried Magic Tree House last summer but interest waned after about eight or nine books. We've considered and rejected Junie B. Jones a couple of times, though we did come home with a couple of those after our Sunday trip to the library. 

The main theme I've seen with John is disinterest in reading above his grade level, despite his ability to do so. Since I have no patience for lazy, I dragged him to the chapter book section of the library, but with a concession to his first grade interests - there's a whole series on Star Wars. It may be a little challenging, but at least I figured he'd be interested in the subject matter. 

Nailed it. My good morning surprise:

Truth be told, he just takes after his sister:

Reading before school under the cozy covers. What a great way to start the day. 

The Coussoule Curriculum

Summer is here!! No more school, no more books, no more learning... well, unless you're a kid in the Coussoule household. If that's your lot in life, then your Fayetteville Public School year may be over, but the Twelve Weeks of Summer Coussoule Curriculum has just begun.

Justin and I both have very high expectations when it comes to our children and their education. We think the local school district does a great job, but there's always an opportunity to enhance what they learn from their teachers. Given that both kids already read above grade level, and John's math skills tested off the charts for a kindergartner, we decided that this summer, it isn't enough to ensure simply that minimally they didn't lose their skills. This summer is an opportunity to give them something to really challenge them (not to mention keep them from getting on each other's last nerve before the end of the first week of break).

I spent most of last Sunday putting together a by-subject, by-week curriculum to keep them academically engaged during the summer. This summer, we're going to read; write; color; create; and discover some new wonders of science. We're also going to take piano lessons, memorize Bible verses, and do our daily and weekly chores. (You can access the spreadsheet by clicking the image below.)

And of course, the Fayetteville Public Library's summer reading program will ensure we make our way through hours of good books - one of the raffle prizes this year is an iPad Mini. John is off-the-charts motivated to get as many entries as possible in for that one!

On Monday, Justin took them to the local teacher supply store and picked out a stack of workbooks. Math; Science; Handwriting; Social Studies. Just think of the possibilities.

I think what I'm most excited about is the journaling. I had a ton of fun brainstorming three prompts per week for twelve weeks. Some of them are seasonal, some of them require critical thinking, and some of them are just fun. Based on the results from the first one this week, there will be plenty of Friday Feature material throughout the summer.

With all of this structure, I figure I'm well on my way to solidifying Meanest Mom on the Block status. Never fear - there will be plenty of free time for the kiddos this summer. Next week is Camp Invention; Gramma and Papa arrive on the 18th; we're signed up for Catholic Kidz Camp; and we'll definitely fit in a trip to Houston. Caroline has big plans to participate in a Kids Triathlon, and of course, it isn't summer if there isn't lazy time to play with the neighborhood kids, dig in the sandbox, or chase your sister around the backyard.

I have my own curriculum this summer - I've committed to making at least one new recipe per week all summer. It's a little bit self serving - making every recipe in a cookbook is an item on my life list, and there's no time like the present to get working on it - but it's also a great way to see if we can find some new ideas for the meal rotation. I also plan to read aloud to the kiddos as many children's classics as we can get through. We're starting with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and so far, it's a hit. I can't wait for James and the Giant Peach; Wind in the Willows; Charlotte's Web; or whatever classics we check out from the library.

So, Summer - we're so glad you're here. We can't wait for all of the fun we're going to have, and the things we're going to learn.

Sara Lawrence Lightfoot said: "There must be a profound recognition that parents are the first teachers and that education begins before formal schooling and is deeply rooted in the values, traditions, and norms of family and culture."

Justin and I are taking that to heart this summer.

Getting to toes up and checking out the backs of their eyelids

I really don't know how I got so lucky to have two kids who don't fight bedtime. No tantrums, no meltdowns, no daily begging to stay up late. Longer days do prompt questions about why they have to go to bed when it's still light out, but never an argument.

No doubt, my kids can backtalk and whine with the best of them, so this isn't about them being perfect little angels. It just seems that somehow, we've avoided bedtime drama.

I will take at least a small amount of parenting credit. We've had the exact. same. routine. since they were infants. And since my intent with this blog is to capture the little moments that make up our lives, that's what this is about. The routine itself.

Step 1: Daddy preps the bedrooms. My kids have no idea that turndown service is a semi-luxury, available only upon request at most hotels. Because they've had it every night of their lives since they've been in big kid beds.

Step 2: Shower time. In this step, I do have an idea how lucky I am that we've moved on from baths to showers. Other than "Mommy, I'm ready" when they need conditioner or body wash on their scrubbers, they can manage this by themselves. Huge quality of life upgrade when we made the bath --> shower transition, despite the fact that Caroline may not get all of the conditioner out of her hair most nights. Trade offs.

Step 3: Jammies. Which, as you can see, are laid out and ready to go, along with Swankies and the approximately 52 stuffed animals that each child needs to sleep at night.

Step 4: Brush the teeth. For better or worse, I turned this task over several months ago. It's still done while heavily supervised, but no more Mommy wielding the toothbrush. Put that on the list of parenting tasks that hold exactly zero moments of nostalgia for me.

Step 5: Read books together. I read somewhere that one of the mistakes many parents make is to stop reading to their children once they're reading independently. For me, it's one of the few moments of stillness and nontalkingness in our house. I relish it, and hope it lasts a long, long time.

Step 6: Heater on, white noise on, lights out. Don't judge on the white noise. Like most parents, I'll do whatever it takes to get uninterrupted sleep time for us and for the kids.

Step 7: Sing a song. When they were babies, I had a repertoire of lullabies, and I sang the same ones, in the same order, every night while I rocked with them. I can't remember now (where was my 360 blog then?!) exactly what order I sang them in, but they included Hush Little Baby; My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean; Rock A Bye Baby; Jesus Loves Me; Jesus Loves the Little Children; Home on the Range; Somewhere Over the Rainbow; and Rainbow Connection.

Once the kids were old enough to make requests, we added Itsy Bitsy Spider; the theme song from Thomas the Train; This Little Light of Mine; Deep in the Heart of Texas; and various Christmas carols as the season approached us. John tends to stick with one song much longer than his sister - Caroline will request a different song every few nights, but John has a favorite and hangs on to it. We sang the theme song from Thomas (They're two, they're four, they're six, they're eight...) for months on end.

Tonight, we sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Three and a half months post-Christmas, it still hasn't gotten old. Caroline chose My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean, and for her, she requires back rubbing during the song. She says she can't sleep otherwise. Oh, the drama.

Step 8: Hugs, kisses, and I love you.

Which, when you think about it, is really how we all want our days to end, no matter how old we are.

Harry Potter: Eyeballs to Earbuds

Today is one of those days when I wonder why there isn't a profession that would allow me to do nothing but read books of my own choosing 10 hours a day and get paid like a rock star. Hard to understand why that job doesn't exist.

Like most people, I've bounced around from hobby to hobby in my life, with a few that have stuck - scrapbooking, running, and reading. When I think about it, I'm not sure reading really counts as a hobby. If something is as essential to your happiness and well being as breathing, eating, or sleeping, should you still define it as a hobby?

I recently combined two of my passions - running and reading. Given that for the last several months I've spent a cumulative 6ish hours a week wearing out the soles of my Saucony sneakers, I've listened to my fair share of "motivational music playlists" with the same songs. Even with 80+ songs on a playlist, at some point, you've heard them all waaaay too many times.

Time for a new solution. Audiobooks.

Lucky for me, the Fayetteville Public Library has a collection of audiobooks for check out. Free. And not just obscure titles - best sellers, classics, etc. Over the course of the last few weeks, I've been working my way through the Harry Potter series. I've read all of the books a bazillion times, but this is the first time I've listened to them.

You know what? Totally different. I  hear things I don't remember - nuances in the words and the language, and more than that, the interpretation of the emotion and inflection behind the words. I guess when I read, I hear them in my head the same way, every time. But listening to the narrator's interpretation gives a new richness and depth to the characters.

Don't you love good books that you can read over and over, never get tired of, and even find new things in the story every time you read them? What is it about some books that makes them enjoyable on the fifteenth - or even twentieth - reading?

I love J.K. Rowling's series, in part because she makes the characters so alive in the pages. The more I read them, and now hear them, I realize that I also love them because the writing is so engaging. As I've listened to them, I've been struck by how deliberate and artful her word choices are; her sentence structure is; her balance of dialogue and narrative thoughts to move the story along. I think in every English major there aspires the Great American Writer, but knowing a book as well as I know all of the Harry Potter books makes me realize just how difficult and unique a thing it is to write well.

So here's to audiobooks bringing favorite books to life. And here's to books you can read countless times and love as much or more every time. I'd love to hear what your own personal classics are, so if you would, take a moment and give me a title or two to add to my list.

Friday Feature: Caroline's schoolwork

I've mentioned that Caroline loves to read. There are about a zillion and one great things associated with reading, one of which is it helps you learn to spell without you even realizing it.

This week, Caroline brought home another perfect score on her spelling test, with an extra point for using the bonus word in a sentence. She's such a good student. Too bad she says she doesn't like school. Not sure I believe her though.

Where the apple falls...

Cliches don't become cliches without being true, right? So the whole apple and the tree, chip and the block...

Yep, that's my kid. I brought new books home from the library today and it was sheer delight. I didn't have The Magic Treehouse books when I was 7, but if it was a book and written in English, I was all about it. Caroline is... Well, she's a chip off the old block.

Boy, do I love that kid.