The Happy Third Grade Blanket

A couple of years ago, my daughter asked me if I would make her a blanket. "Not just a little one, I mean like a big blanket," she said. I agreed, finding it sweet that she wanted something I'd made. We went to the craft store and she chose some pink and white yarns; I bought two huge bags full of them, and I got busy working on her blanket that very night.

Then, life happened. I started her blanket before she even started Kindergarten, things came up, I got distracted, and my crochet projects sat lonely for a long time. My now third-grader has been asking quite a bit over the summer about her blanket, and I'd really been wanting to work on a project anyhow. I decided to buckle down and just get it done. After all, I have another two bags full of yarn for my son's blanket, and I haven't even begun working on that one!

Well, I'm really happy to say that I've finally finished Reezle's blanket. She's absolutely delighted. I'm pretty stoked, too, since this is the biggest project I've ever completed. I'm more of a scarves kind of gal, which has nothing to do with preference and everything to with patience!

A wonderful and unintended benefit of this blanket it is that it is quite heavy, and actually an adequate therapeutic weight to work like a weighted blanket - without the fillers and hefty price tag. I'm loving this, because both of my children really benefit from the calming effect of light pressure. For that matter, it is quite beneficial even for me. Typically, they bury themselves in a pile of beloved stuffed animals when seeking out that sort of sensory input. I think this is a better alternative - stuffed animals still welcome, of course.

Summer Wrap Up

I have no idea where the summer went, but the beginning of the new school year is less than a week away now. I feel at peace about that, and I'm looking forward to a year of new opportunities, experiences, and challenges. Little G can't stop talking about his Math Orange workbook, and it's been very difficult to keep him from starting (and finishing) it before school even starts. I suspect he will be joining his sister in Math Purple (3rd grade) before long. Reezle is certainly capable of working at grade level, and Little G is helping her understand things she gets stuck on.

Little G's K12 teacher called yesterday, and we had a chance to discuss the upcoming school year and G's various diagnoses. She seems very nice, and I think G is finally accepting the fact that his teacher from last year cannot be his teacher this year. He doesn't like change. Mama understands.

I have not spoken to Reezle's new teacher yet, but that should be happening soon. I don't think my little girl is quite as excited as her brother is to start the new school year, but she much prefers K12 to her former school experiences. Once we start planning trips to the museums and other various places, I know she will be more enthusiastic.

Autumn is fast approaching, and it's so nice to have cool evenings instead of 80-degree temperatures through the nights. Mornings come later, the sun sets earlier, and there is a distinct chill in the air after the sun sets each night. I love this time of year, remembering the fun we had over the summer, looking forward to costumes and trick-or-treating, watching leaves turn, and celebrating the kids' birthdays. Before long, we'll be planning our holiday dinners and cooking and baking more. Reezle talks endlessly about the things she wants to bake when the weather is cool enough to use the oven more frequently. She has a real interest in cooking, so I hope she inherited her Daddy's talents and not my, er, lack thereof. Ha!

For now, I am off to enjoy this lovely quiet morning with a cup of coffee and a determination to finish the blanket I'm crocheting for my daughter's birthday. I have all the yarn I need and plenty of free time in the mornings; no excuses!

Designer Curriculum

Today was an exciting day for Little G! His virtual academy 'homeroom' teacher, Mrs. M., called today and G had a chance to talk to her. And, of course, it didn't take him long to find a way to work numbers into the conversation. After asking G a few questions, Mrs. M. asked him if he had any questions for her. "Yes," he said. "What is 4 plus 4?" She said she thought she knew that one, and answered 8. "Correct!" he said, delightedly. His face lit up like it was Christmas, as usually happens when anyone is willing to talk numbers with him.

Mrs. M. and I talked about G's speech, the fact that he is well beyond the Kindergarten phonics and probably the Kindergarten math, and she shared some ideas on bumping up his curriculum. We're going to start him in the later Kindergarten Phonics lessons now, and - depending on the results of his reading assessment, which I am sure will be ahead of grade level - the plan is to get him working on grade 1 Phonics. I was so excited about this, because I was figuring I would just continue teaching him reading and writing using the grade 2 workbooks I've been using for most of the summer. He has been reading books for more than a year, so the sight word flash cards and learning letter sounds is a few steps backwards. I'm glad his curriculum is flexible. That's something a bricks and mortar school cannot offer, at least in such a custom fit way, right now. I told the kids we have a "designer curriculum".

The unexpected twist in plans was that G will be doing a part-time curriculum instead of full-time. I had been slowly coming to terms with this before today, simply because it was taking so long for the issue to be ironed out. Today, we were given options and I feel like, with the input from two teachers, we made the right choice for G. We were given the option of trading History for the Science we really wanted, but since Science is a strong point for me and I was already brainstorming ways to create a Science curriculum on my own for him, I opted to keep the History and have G study grade 2 Science with R. This is one of the many benefits of having two students just a couple of years apart. Mrs. M. suggested that we could log some of G's science studies as Technology.

I'm feeling even more excited about the start of our school year now. Autumn is fast approaching, which means we will have the chance to do some really cool seasonal activities to compliment our curriculum. We will be doing some fun things with apples, thanks to some great experiences from the kids' preschool days that I want to keep repeating. It's a surprise, but I will be sharing soon!