Twins without television: Week 4, Day 3

Yeah, it is Hump Day! Don't you just love Hump Day? Right smack in the middle of the week. I still do not recall that poem about the television being in the home. Now, ever since my twins stopped watching television, their grades have improved. That darn television is such a distraction, no wonder my grades were not good in grade and high school...over **** years ago. Wouldn't you like to know how many years...hahahaha!

So my girlie's are halfway through with their homework packet. Today they do math and reading as always and learn their spelling words, vocabulary and high frequency words.  Before they begin their homework, they do clean the bathroom counter top and mirror. This is their Thursday chores and it only takes them forever when they argue of who will go first. I think next week I will switch my twins chores around. Twin "A" asked about that yesterday and it actually sounds like a good idea.

My cat is distracting me as I am writing. She keeps wanting to go out, them come in, them go out, them come in. My childhood cat did the same thing.Maybe it is an age thing, as they get older and all.

Until Thursday,

Ciao!

Twins Without Television: Week 3, Day 4

So today is Thursday, just one more day closer to Friday. Today is the last day for their homework this week and their packet is complete. I was not able to read to them from this book. But I am almost done with this book and will start of the is book.
 

Then, after I read these books, I think I will buy this book next. I am trying to read these books in the proper order. There really is no order since they are written by different authors.
 

This looks like a good book. I would rather teach these to my girls even before they learn them in school. It can not hurt them to be ahead of their classmates when it comes o American history, right? Anyway, I am still reading this book. This book is really good as I have told you before in last weeks article. This book, to me, is way advanced for any second grader, but there are all subjects in here: Language & Literature (poetry, stories, learning about language, familiar sayings), History & Geography (world history and geography, civilaztions in Asia, Ancient Greece, American History & geography, Our Constitution, The War of 1812, Westward Ho!, et. al.) Visual Arts, Music, Mathematics (working with number to 100), working with numbers to 1,000), money, word problems, et. al, Science (the cycle of life and seasons), the water cycle, insects, the human body, magnetism, simple machines and stories about scientists.)
 

As you can see, this book (above) is packed with all sorts of goodies for kids to learn, to supplement their in class learning. And, you, like me, do not have to treat this like it is school work at all. So, far, I have read my twins poetry and stories. I also showed them the cycle of life and seasons.

Alright,I will write tomorrow to, but it is the end of the school week and I will allow them to watch television from Friday evening to Sunday evening and them back to no school during the school week.

Until tomorrow,

Ciao!

Twins Without Television:Week 3, Day 3

Yeah, we made it over the HUMP! It is always nice to make it over the hump, don't you think? Well, today the girls came home from school and we did their assignment for today. If you have been following my articles on my twins no longer watching television during the school week, you will know they have several homework assignments they do each day of the week. They do math and 1 minute reading everyday from their packet.

Aside from the above, I read from their anthology and when time permits, teach them, and myself, Spanish and Italian. I have found that these two languages are similar. This makes learning them at the same time easy.

Now, since my twins have no extra curricular activities right now, it makes learning much easier. As much as I love them doing something outside of school, I really want them focusing in school too.

After they complete their assignments for today, they do their chores and if they miss a day of chores, they combine them.

Alright! I will talk to you tomorrow!

Ciao!

Twins Without Television: Week 3, Day 2

Well today is Tuesday and the girls are back to school. They are at school all day, come home, do their chores and them homework. After homework, sometimes I will do a short Spanish lesson or Italian lesson with them. That is what I did today. We did a small Spanish lesson. After the Spanish lesson, I read from their class anthology which is talking any animals that camouflaged.The stories are cute and my girls are learning to comprehend the stories I read them better.

After their homework, we do other things around the house, usually they do their chores, them set the table, we read or play a game and they take a bath.

Alright, well until tomorrow!

Ciao!

Twins Without Television: Week 2, Day 5

Alright! We made it through another week without television (minus the one hiccup!). I love it. It really is nice not seeing my twins sitting in front of the television everyday. I know my  twins are not 'vegging' in front of that "box" everyday. I can tell you this, since I stopped watching the television last June, (of course I am still online) my brain is not mush anymore. I do work online, freelance writer and office help, so I really do need to be online.

Aside from being online, I do listen to the radio(music/talk). But this is not about me, it is about my twins and them not watching the television anymore (well two weeks so far). I figure, as long as I do not bring up the name 'television', they are probably not thinking about it or want to watch it, right? Well I hope so...

I did forget to mention this on yesterday's post. I bought this book for my twins; and began reading some poetry from this book for them. It is a really amazing book. It is an all inclusive book on subjects like Language & Literature, History & Geography, Visual Arts, Music, Mathematics and Science.  

Last night, from this book, I read these Poems: Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson, Caterpillars by Aileen Fisher, Bee! I'm Expecting You! by Emily Dickinson and Hurt No Living Thing by Christina Rossetti and Harriet Tubman by Eloise Greenfield. After reading these poems to my twins, I stopped because we played Yahtzee! In this Language & Literature section, there are also Stories like The Emperor's New Clothes, The Magic Paintbrush, Beauty and the Beast, How Wendy Met Peter Pan, American Tall Tales like Paul Bunyan, Myths from Ancient Greece like Heroes and Monsters, Gods and Goddesses. In the Learning About Language section students (my twins) will learn about Sentences, Nouns Names a Person, Place or Thing, Singular and Plural Nouns and more.

Oh goodness, I can go on with all the sections and what they cover. I really wanted to get into some science last night, but was not able to. Since today is Friday, it is highly unlikely I will do any 'teaching' from this awesome book, but I can on Monday since they will not be in school for MLK, Jr. Day.

Alright my lovely readers....have an amazing weekend and I will write on Monday!

     Ciao!!! 

Twins Without Television: Week 2, Day 4

Thursday, we have made it to Thursday, but I have a little secret. My twins have been going to the gym with Daddy as they have since they were a year old. They have friends at the gym, their "Gym Friends" if you will. Anyway, Daddy just confessed something to me this week. Can you guess what it is? You got that right, they are watching television! An hour of television. This is something that never even occurred to me. So, does this mean my twins are still watching television? In my mind, I would like to say, "No". I would never have known my twins were watching television, if Daddy had not told me. This means Daddy's conscience was bothering him and he had to tell me.

So, from where I am sitting, my twins are still not watching television during their school week.Does this still count? Well, it will have to because going to the gym is not something new to them, but they told me because they were feeling guilty.

Well, aside from this "hiccup 2", my twins come home from school and 1) do their chores, 2) homework and 3) we sometimes do some language lessons. Or, we can play a game of Brain Quest or Yahtzee!  Just like last week, my twins still do not ask about watching television or being bored. This is a good thing because, I, Mommy am really doing all I can to "redirect the stream/tide/et al" if you know what I mean.

Alright, so until tomorrow...
   Ciao!!

 

LEARN ITALIAN

Twins not watching television: 1 week-Day 3

So now we are at day 3 and it is alright. Twins are not asking about watching television at all. This is great. Let me see how long this lasts today. I have not been talking about television, so they would have no reason to be wants to watch television. Right now, we are doing homework, as we do everyday when they get home from school.

Their teacher gives them some homework assignments to do in a packet. Each day they have about four assignments to complete.Today they are doing vocabulary words, math and reading. After they complete their homework, they will do some simple chores. My sister had made a cool chore chart and placed it on her refrigerator. I liked it and asked her to send it to me. Now, I add chores to it I want the twins to do.

After their chores are/were done, I was letting my twins look, listen and say some Spanish and Italian words. Oh! The language software I am using is Babbel, off my Kindle Fire. It is awesome and free. I am even learning some new words. I am also seeing the similarities in Spanish and Italian words. Interesting...

Okay, so my twins almost got through the full day without wanting to watch the television, but for some reason Twin "A" left the homework table and went to my bedroom and turned on the TV! Of course, Twin "B" came and told Mommy and I had Twin "A" turn off the television right away.

But, this will not happen again.....so I will see you tomorrow..

Ciao!