We have decided that Caleb must have been a favorite with the nannies. He is pushing the limits just a little and time out is a crying scene but with a sly little smile. I think his smile must have gotten him a long way with the nannies. He is a good eater and will drink alot if we let him. He is a little scared to take a bath and is really scared to have water in his face. But overall he is doing well.
Peyton is a joy and I just can't believe how much she looks like me. When I look at her it is like I am looking at a younger version of myself. She is also eating well which I am so glad of as she is quite skinny. She is so ready to go home. In fact she asked our facilitator what we were doing when we got to this apartment because she thought we were going home to America. I have been working with her on the computer with math problems and learning the alphabet. Does anyone have any suggestions on free online learning activities that I can do with her? She is eager to learn but I really don't know where to start since she doesn't know English. She will be attending public school so this is just something that I can work with her on the side to get her further ahead.
Please pray that our passports are done on Monday so that we can finish this marathon and get home.
~Tina
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| Caleb has my neck pillow on his head. Funny boy. |
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| These smiles are priceless. |
Peyton really does look just like you! How fun!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to read that the children are doing well.
You're almost HOME!!
As an English teacher myself, I thought teaching using school-type lessons would be best. I summer-schooled my son at home with a tried-and-ture phonics based lesson. It probably didn't hurt anything; but, and he agrees, he learned the most from watching cartoons. I know! Right? He would watch fairly simple cartoons like Charlie Brown and these talking bunnies I can't remember the names of and stuff like that. It was interesting to him, he could watch for hours, the dialogue was simple, the vocabulary was simple and often repeated. It really worked well. As an English teacher, I don't advocate learning English from cartoons for ... probably any other situation. But, I think he needed to learn the spoken language before applying it to writing and reading. Also, we didn't have anyone speak Russian or Ukrainian with him more than a couple times. So, either this method worked really well with him, or he is virtually genius material. He was conversant in English in three months, in nine months, he tested as a fluent English speaker. By the middle of his next school grade, he tested as well as a native speaker (though to me his skills were not completely as good as his classmates). So, don't spend too much time or money on lessons. Starting with letters and useful words should be good. Also, our school system is not geared for international students - at all - by any stretch of the imagination. We arrived home at the beginning of April and he started school at the end of April and went through the end of May. I told them he'd need a translator; they didn't get one. They couldn't even tell him to sit down and be quiet because he didn't understand enough English. I tried to prepare his teachers by telling them some of his background. I guess I went too far for his third grade teacher. She was 100% convinced he needed psychological counseling. He and I are now in the same school building, which is - um - awkward at times. Mostly, though, I love it.
ReplyDeleteIt is crazy how much you two look alike. Still hanging in there with you all. I hope you get home next week. Blessings, kelly
ReplyDeleteHey lady, I would let her play on www.starfall.com - it's a great place to start and it is free! I LOVE the picture of them together grinning ear to ear! That is the best ever! Aaron was TERRIFIED of baths/running water period. He would cry and cry and go balistic if we had the water running for hte bath with him in the room or in the bath.. he would get out as fast as he could. We had to have the water ran and very little at first.. now he loves baths and showers and bubbles etc.. just takes time and consoling that it is ok and not bad... they got lots of COLD showers as their cleaning so they hate baths and showers. They will think it is incredibly hot when it is luke warm.. take time in increasing the temperature of the water. Remember that this was a traumatic thing for them... at least it was for our kids. We would run the water then turn on the bubbles and show him it was fun and we'd have to turn it off and on several times over the course of the first few weeks and then he got to where he asked for bubbles.. Hope that helps! :) OH and you can access some of the free hooked on phonics videos on you tube also - my kids loved both the starfall and hooked on phonics. They should have some picture books in the grocery stores there that have pictures and english words and ukrainian words there so you can help them to visualize and memorize different words they are familiar with. We also would get them to tell us what something was like a coloring book... they'd say rasmalutka and we'd say coloring book and say it over and over and they would say it with us. We'd say it in russian then english / ukrainian and then english.. when they are "teaching" you they want to be taught too... they learn more when teaching others.. Bolicky = bubbles.. spaty = sleep hoiches = want etc.. just basic stuff that they say that you can say back in english to help them. Hope that makes sense..
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