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The Second Full Day ~ Soooo Much Better!


Oh, what a better day we had yesterday! Mostly, I give credit to the Grumble-Meter. Here it is.


It's made from a paper plate colored with markers, a black construction paper arrow, and a brad. Pretty fancy.

For each "set" of work Eli and Brynne complete without Eli them grumbling enough times to get to RED (it moves up a color with each grumble I hear), they earn a letter in the Secret Word. The Secret Word is a reward.

This week's reward is a GOOD one! Our neighbor gave us free circus tickets in a nearby town, so the Secret Word is CIRCUS. They have the opportunity to earn enough letters through Thursday for us to go to the circus Thursday night. We will have a set of work in the morning and a set of work in the afternoon each day. There can be two grumbles in the morning and two grumbles in the afternoon to still earn their letters. (Believe me, that's a whole lot less grumbles out of Eli than if we didn't have this system.) But we made it through yesterday without even ONE grumble. And we had a great day of school that everyone enjoyed!

Is this bribing? Kind of. Does it work? Absolutely! If you have a grumbler, should you use it? Yes, if you want the grumbling to be at a minimum, or to even stop completely! It works wonders in our home.

Dawson had a much better day at school the past two days. Two senior boys sat by him at lunch, and one of them is in his PE class. In fact, I think he is going to end up being really good friends with one of them. The boys are friends of my niece's and are more Dawson's type than a lot of the other kids. He was so much happier after school both days. Thank goodness!

He also told me that he is really proud of himself for how well he is taking notes and taking care of his daily planner. He said that he feels that he learned that from homeschooling. It made me happy to hear that he felt that his time at home was positive and beneficial to him.

Last night he had to write a full essay and an introduction to another one. He did a great job on them both, and then showed me the notes he's been taking and how organized his binder is. He said that his yearly goal is to do well enough to get asked to join the National Honor Society. Wow! I was so proud to hear him talk like that.

I am looking forward to a great year for everybody!

** I am linking this post up with What Works Wednesday over at Upside Down Homeschooling.

Comments

  1. I love the Grumble-meter idea! Brilliant! I don't get too much grumbling, but maybe I'll make a Silly-meter here for my kindergarten sidekick.

    I'm so glad that day 2 went better for you all. :)

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  2. You need to update your "home school" and "public school" pics on the side, but the principal and teacher are still the same old people. I love you teach!!!

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  3. Good for Dawson and Eli! :) Hope he gets completes his goal, I bet he will! Once he starts hanging out with the senior boys it will be easier to become friends with the group they all hang out with. Football games and games in general are a great way to hang out and meet people. At least when I was in high school and here that is.

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  4. Bribery is just another word for compromise, eh? *wink*
    You'll figure out the rhythm of your day soon enough, but with such different personalities doing the same work, it will still look different. A few ideas to ponder; let your fidgety one stand, do without a chair or use an exercise ball (one the size that he can place his feet flat). Also try to begin with physical activity first. ANYTHING. run around the house 2 times, go up and down the stairs, run in place, play leap frog, mini-trampoline, what ever. There is something about physical activity that helps the brain focus. If if makes you feel any better, my Andrew only gets minimal structured lessons (20 min reading, 10 min writing, 20 minutes math as our core) then he joins our Montessori/Charlotte Mason styled afternoons.
    ~So proud of Dawson too! =)
    Sheri

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  5. Awe, your principal left you a love note! hehe
    Here's to a great school year!

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  6. Wow! I might need a Grumble-meter! It's mostly my youngest now, but I hope with the changes that I've made he'll be less grumbly! LOL

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