What a great day- exploring bees and fractions

Well the blog is still under construction. I will be changing the layouts and making some pages across the top during the next few days, but I wanted to go ahead a post tonight.

Today was a GREAT day! A and I are so alike, yet so different. Often times we butt heads endlessly. But lately I have been really working on letting go of one thing that bothers me and upsets her, and well there has been a dramatic change. I have wondered, really this was all I needed to do. Man, I wished I would have given this up sooner.

So this weekend there were many signs of spring here in the tundra, including...bumble bees, which got us on a bee kick and we decided that is what we would be studying next. I found some awesome links here. I am being led toward the way in which Waldorf teaches, although I do not believe in the tenets of development. Every child is only ready for something at the exact same time. Hmm just doesn't sit right with me. Way to much like the own battle I have been having with the school here. Being profoundly gifted, I have learned that A's stages don't meet those of anyone else I know, but I love the methods of Waldorf, the artistic and beauty and the books the kids make, as well as the gentle style of teaching. So we are trying to incorporate more of that method into our days, but keeping the strength of academics that A craves. (if you aren't familiar with Waldorf, they firmly believe in delayed academics, and reading is not taught until a child is 8, I believe) Well if you know A, yeah, as she says "not happenin!" LOL. But the daily, weekly, and seasonal rhythm they incorporate into the home and school, the art and beauty they use, and the teaching with stories....all appeal to us both. So we will be trying some new things here.

Anyway, today I read part one of Hildy the Bee story, then we talked about hexagons and made honeycombs with our pattern blocks. This sparked A's interest and before I knew it, she had discovered that different pattern blocks could be combined to make hexagons as well and thus more honeycombs. This lead to an impromptu discussion on fractions and equivalent fractions. So much fun! . This afternoon we played, snuggled, and baked. A made her first apple pie, but I didn't grab any pics. We were to busy. While I was explaining cornstarch as a thickening agent, She looked up at me and said, "Mommy, I love you teaching me to cook. Thank you." Right then my heart melted and at that moment all felt right with the world. I love spending time with her. I love teaching her, and love watching her light up with joy. After getting our pie in the oven, we made homemade pizza for dinner, chopped full of bell peppers, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese. YUMM, and I had to snap this pic. Kiddo dumped the bowl of cheese over her head after she had finished sprinkling it over the pizza LOL.

What a great day. And you know those signs of spring I was talking about, well it snowed all day today LOL!