Pioneering, Patterning, and Parenting Problems
The boys were eager to head outside yesterday morning. We started making a fort over the weekend and the boys were real eager to get to work. My husband spent his Easter Sunday afternoon working with two of the boys to put in some posts to hold up our fort walls.
We then cut some skinny trees/ branches and wove them in between our posts; basket style. Since we need branches that are skinny enough to be flexible and bend it is pretty slow going but the boys are willing to work for this.
We spent hours this morning trekking into the woods with our wheelbarrow and scouting around for sticks and trees. Ian used a machete to cut down skinny trees and the two younger boys used knives, machetes, and clippers to trim the branches off the skinny tree trunks.
I want my boys to be confident in using tools but I hate being the one watching them using the tools. I always envision a thousand different ways in which they could hurt themselves or each other. We felt like pioneers, going into the woods, finding what we needed and figuring out to hold everything together; how to trek it back to our fort, how to manage our time most effectively.
It was great!
They gained confidence with each swipe of the blade and I was thinking about our society and how overly cautious and safe we seem to becoming. I'm sure some of you are raising eyebrows at the fact that all three of my boys were using blades today (it made me nervous!) but I also think that it's a real part of growing up to use real tools, teaching kids to respect the tools and what they can do, properly holding them and using them.
We start them young around here I guess and luckily we made it through the morning with only a few minor injuries (blisters, scrapes, etc.). We managed to get two of the three walls a good 1/3 of the way done and then we decided to take a break. Phew!
Those pioneers must have been good sleepers since just a morning of labor was making us all tired.
For math the boys spent a good portion of their morning playing with our new 100's chart that I got in this weekend. It's a big plastic board with all the numbers on it & it came with matching number tiles as well as red and blue tiles that the boys can use to find and make patterns.
We counted by three's and covered them all with red, they counted by 10's (on their own while they were playing) and covered those with red tiles as well.
I had pulled out a book I ordered for Ian called The Body Book for Boys. It's all about puberty and the changes his body will be going through.
I told him I had bought it in case he wanted to read anything or had any questions he was too embarrassed to ask us about. We talked a bit about some of the changes he'll be going through in the next few years and that puberty lasts until age 17/18 so the changes are pretty gradual. I could tell he was already getting embarrassed so I stopped the discussion there.
Later, I found Alec reading through the book and he set it aside rather guiltily when I walked into the room. I know he has a few years yet before he has to worry about it but I assured him that if he wanted to read the book that was OK too.
They've all started asking all sorts of uncomfortable questions:
We then cut some skinny trees/ branches and wove them in between our posts; basket style. Since we need branches that are skinny enough to be flexible and bend it is pretty slow going but the boys are willing to work for this.
We spent hours this morning trekking into the woods with our wheelbarrow and scouting around for sticks and trees. Ian used a machete to cut down skinny trees and the two younger boys used knives, machetes, and clippers to trim the branches off the skinny tree trunks.
I want my boys to be confident in using tools but I hate being the one watching them using the tools. I always envision a thousand different ways in which they could hurt themselves or each other. We felt like pioneers, going into the woods, finding what we needed and figuring out to hold everything together; how to trek it back to our fort, how to manage our time most effectively.
It was great!
They gained confidence with each swipe of the blade and I was thinking about our society and how overly cautious and safe we seem to becoming. I'm sure some of you are raising eyebrows at the fact that all three of my boys were using blades today (it made me nervous!) but I also think that it's a real part of growing up to use real tools, teaching kids to respect the tools and what they can do, properly holding them and using them.
We start them young around here I guess and luckily we made it through the morning with only a few minor injuries (blisters, scrapes, etc.). We managed to get two of the three walls a good 1/3 of the way done and then we decided to take a break. Phew!
Those pioneers must have been good sleepers since just a morning of labor was making us all tired.
 |
| The posts are in! |
 |
| cutting down saplings |
 |
| The walls are started |
 |
| Using a wheelbarrow while running |
We counted by three's and covered them all with red, they counted by 10's (on their own while they were playing) and covered those with red tiles as well.
- They were talking about the amount of poachers in various countries (facts they totally made up by the way) and covered up those numbers with blue tiles.
- They talked/ negotiated prices for various toys and covered up those numbers with the colored tiles.
- They needed money to set up animal preserves to save the animals from poachers.
 |
| counting by three's |
I had pulled out a book I ordered for Ian called The Body Book for Boys. It's all about puberty and the changes his body will be going through.
I told him I had bought it in case he wanted to read anything or had any questions he was too embarrassed to ask us about. We talked a bit about some of the changes he'll be going through in the next few years and that puberty lasts until age 17/18 so the changes are pretty gradual. I could tell he was already getting embarrassed so I stopped the discussion there.
Later, I found Alec reading through the book and he set it aside rather guiltily when I walked into the room. I know he has a few years yet before he has to worry about it but I assured him that if he wanted to read the book that was OK too.
They've all started asking all sorts of uncomfortable questions:
- about where babies come from
- how they get into and out of their moms bellies
- what tampons and maxi pads are and what they're used for
Hi! I am a homeschooling mom of 6 and I just happened across your blog today when I was looking for a boy template for a diorama one of my kiddos are making. Thanks! I read your most recent entry and I have a suggestion for you ~ God's Design For Sex Series -- there are 4 books. I have gotten them from the library and while I haven't used them for all my kiddos I have used them for a couple ~ if your library doesn't carry them you can buy them at the Christiabook.com * Blessings, E
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll have to check those out.
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