Monday school: Purple, E, Oval, and rhythms working nicely

Today we did the letter E, the color purple, and the shape oval.
We are making books, 3 ring binders with those clear sleeve things in them. We fill out our letter, trace it, draw it freehand (Casey only) and do a little tracing and gluing and cutting of the letter shape and color. Although this might be remedial or babyish, they love it now and it is something that brings us together for "table time" every morning.

I am much more interested in setting up rhythms than learning new facts right now. You cant stop people especially little children from learning new facts, it happens constantly, but them forming their own connections in their own little days is their own job, I am here providing them with nice structures, rhythms, routines and some guidance, food, and love in an environment that I hope is conducive to positive safe times which ids the only way anyone can "LEARN", in safety and peace.
I am sure this ABC-123 stuff is what was going on the public school kindergarten, too, I do not fault them for "doing" "easy" stuff its just that...well the social aspects were bringing out the absolute worst in Casey and it wasnt appropriate to his positive development. None of it. As John Holt points out, and I am paraphrasing, when children are in an adverse hostile or perceived-to-be upsetting situation, they are not ready to learn and make connections, they are ready to fight, cry, rebel, act out, withdraw, and mimic negative behaviors of the 26 little strangers from who knows what kind of families.
Being around 26 little kids all day in a strange understaffed environment with confusing rules, unaccommodating scheduling, scary giant alone hot lunch program cafeteria chaos scene "I didnt get my peaches, Mama and noone helped me!" , well it was all wrong.

We are getting into a very set day now, and I love it. The boys know exactly what we are gonna do and when, and it fits their temperament and even the baby is getting a little schedule of her own! Crazy! Even though I did not set out to have set clock-times for most of this, it is becoming very precise when we do our things:

6-7 ish wake up
8 the big kids are gone and we do our letter, shape and color work at the table, including breakfast snacking. They seem to prefer grazing on apples cheese nuts etc and do not like more typical (sugary simple carbs) breakfast fare which is GOOD--so no pancakes, cereal, toast for the boys which is good good good.
930 we switch to watching signing time or playing music toys or regular working/playing such as playdoh or legos/duplos or cars, train tracks, etc.
10 we get all geared up (coat wether now) and go on our "Color Hunt". Eska sleeps in her car seat (not much longer!) while we go out front and search for items of our day's color. We found fifty two PURPLE things--imagine!
I thought purple was gonna be a weak one, but lots of purple-mauve shutters and flowers and leaves on our block. Like I said, they have known their colors since they were like 18 months old but it is the idea of a goal-oriented nature walk of sorts, as well as an exercises in paying attention-- truely stopping and being observant little people--that is the "point". We are so cute with our clipboard, walking all around our side of the street. I wonder if the neighbors see us and wonder what we are doing.
11ish the outside time turns into "Im hungry", or, they just want to play and roll and poll so I go in and make lunch, nurse Eska, etc.
1130 we eat lunch. If I have had too much coffee, I might eat quietly alone at 1. It depends.
12 we sing and read "wild stories". We get to be nice and loud, baby is awake, and they are enjoying my singing voice as I belt out the tunes I learned from back in the days of working at the nursery school, little songs about Jump Up And Down, and The Old Kentucky Fair, and all of my songs I have made up over the years. They know naptime is coming and if they are "bad", meaning, kicking each other or purposefully dancing into the glass windows and knocking everything off the shelves (hooligan boys!!) that they will have to go to bed without their special story.
1245 we read a special story or two or three :).
100pm sharp is naptime. Not too much complaining anymore, all the blame goes on the clock itself! "Oh wow look it is one oclock, guys, we have to go to rest time now"!
Casey gets to watch DIY Network in my bed and learn about installing pipes and plumbing and Charlie sleeps in his crib properly
1:05to 2:00 is MY TIME. Do the online banking, balance the budget, checking email, blogging, searching for a new dentist, pediatrician, whatnot.
2:00 Casey pops right out. Sigh. But he will play quietly and I can tidy or rest with Eska.
3:00 I get Charlie up. He is a bear and red faced and out of it for a good 15 minutes. We try to get this part over before the hurricane that is Greta, Mickey and whatever kid they drag home with them come blaring in.
3:30 hurricane
mish mosh of telling about school, snacking, dinner prep, etc.
530 dinner (???)
600 start homework
7-8 Casey to bed first, Charlie 8ish
930 big kids alseep
So our schedule is tight and yet not all the way. We are also trying to visit with little nice friends several days of the week so that would be instead of Caseys naptime. this also forgoes my rest time which is tricky. Steve has been awesomer and awesomer about "letting" me do what i need to do in the evenings if i need to. Mental health mini-errand running with just Eska, computer time, shower, rest, whatnot.
We clean all evening and have tried to say we have to stop cleaning at 10 pm so we can watch a little TV or whatever ; ) but its hard. I do not clean at all during the days right now and I guess it will slowly fit back in someday!