25 Manners Every Kid Needs (repost)

What to say to kids instead (a repost)

Linking to this article before it gets lost under a pile of Facebook "likes".

10 Things to Stop Saying to Your Kids (and what to say instead)

Again, say (or something along these lines):

• "You really tried hard on that!"
• "I appreciate it so much when you cooperate."
• "I saw you share a toy with your friend."
• "I see red, and blue, and yellow.  Can you tell me about your picture?"
• "It's not ok to hit your brother.  I'm worried he will get hurt, or he will retaliate and hurt you.  If you'd like something to hit, you may hit the pillow, the couch, or the bed."
• "Thank you so much for helping me clean up!"
• "Wow! You really tried hard on that."
• "It's ok to cry.  Everyone needs to cry sometimes.  I'll be right here to listen to you."
• "You're really disappointed that we can't go to the park right now, huh?"
• "I know you really want to have a play date with your friend this weekend, and we'll do our best to make that happen.  Please remember sometimes unexpected things come up, so I can't guarantee that it will happen this weekend."
• "I know you really wanted to do that, but it's not going to work out for today."
• "I'm sorry you're disappointed, but the answer is no."
• "Were you feeling frustrated because your friends weren't listening to your idea?

Reminder to self:

• Teach that efforts are more important than results
• Give children real information about what you want, and how it impacts your experience
• Offer alternatives
• Offer genuine gratitude
• Be an example of honesty, or take responsibility for your failure
• Empathize with their feelings
• Open lines of communication
• Verbalize for them what they feel

Our new logo

What's in name?  What's in a logo?  Our homeschool logo was made upon the request of yours truly, the homeschool mom.  

The tree with the scroll is a symbol of guided learning in the home.  The tree nurtures and protects as it is growing, while the scroll is a symbol of scholastic pursuits.  That is why it is aligned with the Latin word Cognoscere meaning "to learn" or "to know".  The connected letters V and M stand for our family names which represent the familial heritage of our children.  They are sprouting to symbolize continued growth and intimate relationships.  Familia, the Latin word for 'family' stresses the importance to us of our bond as a family which is among the top reasons why we homeschool.  Lastly, but not the least, Fides, which means "faith" stands in the center, represented by a golden cross, which puts Christ in the center of our family.  It also represents our pursuit of growing our children in faith, love for the Lord, teaching them core Catholic Christian values, and principles... educating them for eternity.

About grades

This can be tricky.  I don't think I'll compute every quiz and test scores to come up with a grade for every semester.  I do recognize that every score in an activity is a valid form of assessment of the child's understanding of the subject, for which I may have to use external tests from time to time.  For our family, it's more important to assess how much my child has understood a lesson that is being taught, so that it becomes inherent for us to go over the subject repeatedly until he has a firm understanding or grasp of the matter.  Unlike in brick & mortar schools, one moves on to the next lesson just as long as he/she "passed" which does not necessarily mean that the student has a mastery of the subject.  We aim for our children to really learn, not just "pass".

We'll also be commenting on, and include in the record, work habits, developmental milestones, character, special recognition, and volunteer work/ extra curricular activities.

From 1st grade onwards, we'll have the kids take tests yearly with DepEd's standardized exams, which can also reveal their strengths & weaknesses.

So, ours will probably be descriptive.  For pre-K/ Kindergarten, maybe we'll just use smileys or stars.  :)