Christopher & Moira are both working on their Saxon math. I go back and forth between them, having one start a review sheet while I cover the lesson with the other child and start them with their work for the day, then going back to the first child to do their lesson. Joseph’s on the floor playing with me and I try to have something for Bennett & Emy to do while I focus on math.

The kids know once they complete their work they must bring it to me to be checked – return and report. It doesn’t count as completed until a parent has checked it off. (At least at this stage, later I expect them to check their own work and just check in with us.) Sometimes they wander off and I have to hunt them down because they finished and didn’t tell me. That’s a problem, we’re working on it. Drilling it into them- return and report. 🙂

Anyway, Emy’s here coloring by me while I work with the older kids. She holds up her paper and says, “Mommy, check my lesson?” Her eyes are positively twinkling, she’s so proud of this lovely work she’s done. (It’s a big, deep purple blob. It’s quite dramatic.) I exclaim, “Emy, it’s purple!” (We’re trying to be good about not praising constantly, just describing and letting them attach their own sense of worth to their work. I don’t want them to seek validation, so we praise the effort and we describe what we see and let them tell us what they think & how they feel about their work. It’s a work in progress… 🙂 Hard to break habit of praising kids when we adore them, but praising their effort – praising their hard work and their attempts – really does seem to be helping. They’re not praise junkies and I like that.)

Emy smiles and agrees – yes, it’s purple. Runs to go play.

It was really cute having her bring her “work” to be checked.