Kindergarten, Day 4

So many blogs out there show you all the nice looking, happy kids, perfect pictures type of homeschooling experience.  I intend to show you reality.  Some parents find themselves questioning over and over if they are doing a good enough job and if they are doing what is right for their kids.  There are good days and bad days.  There is also the opportunity to learn from your mistakes and make the next experience better.  As a homeschooling parent, you also get to know your child in a manner that you may not have seen before.  I've been learning a lot about CJ.  He has introverted tendencies and is easily embarrassed by things that are different, out of the norm, or appear to have a "rule" he doesn't know about. 

Today was day 4 of Kindergarten, and it was the FIRST day that Cooper chose to stand and do the Pledge of Allegiance with me.  We've I've done it every day since day 1. I stand, put my hand over my heart.  Look at the flag magnet that we have and point to the words as I say the Pledge out loud.  For the first 3 days he looked at me like I was crazy and performing some awkward ritual that he wasn't sure about yet.  Today he stood by me.  It took a little encouraging, but he stood.  That's a small victory.  I can only imagine that if he'd never done the Pledge before and he entered a public school where they were to do it.  That would be a scene that wouldn't go well.  He'd either be ignored or forced into participating and I'm certain that wouldn't go down well.  I wonder what other things I should think about and do with him before he has to do them in the world....

 We're continuing to work on place value and counting by tens.  I've pulled out my old straws counting pocket chart from my teaching public school days and I've let him play and explore with it. He doesn't fully understand that there can only be up to 9 in each place before it has to move into a bigger value.