Learning new lessons and then forgetting!!!

I am a cluts!!Well sometimes as we all are! I am sure that I am not the first person to have done this.

I struggle with the need to complete what tasks lay ahead, no matter how large! But constantly fall short. I don't see them in baby chunks and I definately don't relax enough to know that it is ok to not always complete everything. It is not always possible! Instead I feel like I have failed and the mountain of tasks just grew bigger!!! LOL

But on monday when peace reigned in our home, I could feel the demand of this need to hurry, hurry, got to finish!!brewing inside of me, only to hear and feel a small voice say relax, enjoy, slow down. And I listened to this voice and we had an awesome day. I have been very excited about starting and using our Heart of dakota curriculum. It has many exciting tasks in it. The kids enjoy lingering on an interesting task, being creative and exploring it. And I have two smaller children. Lots of interruptions! So we spent monday enjoying the boxes that we did and I think we were left with storytime and and internet research on Noahs Ark. I felt relaxed and felt I had learned somthing new!

Then along comes tuesday!! My Ds was having a struggle this day and I felt like I was behind because we started where we left off, which was the plan! But my need to finish raged inside of me and I pushed those kids right to the end! I didn't take into consideration the long phone interruptions, and behaviour struggles during the day - we had to finish!!

And then it was wednesday! It was dd turn to have a bad day! But I am not surprised I pushed hard to get all done and this is not how my kids learn! There was no time for a laugh, an exploration, a detour, a discussion, a break, a creative moment! I had forgotten my lesson, which I thought was so well learned!

Today I look back and I think, you forgot, your poor kids!! Tomorrow after our thursday break will be different. Here is our timetable...

Monday/Friday 8.30 - 11.30 school (starting with devotions, math, language arts, spelling and handwriting, then we will continue the adventure with Heart of Dakota, allowing time to laugh, explore, discuss, detour(a little) and definately be creative.

Tues/weds 10 - 1pm this will give me an opportunity to get my housework done before school and spend quality time with the little kids.

From now on we close our books at the three hour mark and will pick up where we left off the following day. I have decded that it isn't the quantity of work you do in a day it is the quality of the adventure. I took the kids out of school so they would be free to explore and be creative, developing their interests whilst being supported through their weaknesses. Rushing them through the day is not caring or allowing them to do that. And I am sure my kids will not be whingey if I am not pushing so hard but creating an environment where they are free to enjoy their learning experiences, however long it takes!