The week started with a creative writing workshop at the British Library.
Tiger and I attended the workshop with much interest. While Tiger was just generally happy to be out and about and seeing other children, I was curious to see how he fared at a writing activity as we have not done very much formal writing in the past. I was pleasantly surprised to see Tiger being really engaged throughout the workshop and participating eagerly in the various writing games and exercises, even to the extent of reading aloud his draft towards the end of the session.
The next day Tiger went to the first of a series of creative writing classes held in a homeschooled friend's kitchen. The class is made up of six homeschooled children, ages 9 to 13, and a tutor who guides them through discussions and techniques. Tiger says he loves this class for its intimate atmosphere where everyone sat around the small dining table and had plenty of opportunities to discuss their ideas and respond to one anothers' writing. It also helps that the creative writing tutor is the same man who also teaches Tiger drama at another location, so they are already familiar and comfortable with each other's teaching-learning styles.
The class has obviously been a success, as Tiger came home inspired to write three different drafts followed by two different short stories. I don't think I've ever seen him write so much and for such a long time at one go.
The good start to the week led to more positive things. The boy who resisted playing the piano and who hadn't done so for two years suddenly sat and played a few tunes one day. Seizing the moment, I asked Tiger whether he would like to learn to play new pieces, and he said yes! So I taught him two more pieces whereby I was amazed at his newfound patience to persevere through the difficult sections to practise over and over again until he mastered them. Compared to his typical response two years ago whenever we came upon a new, unlearned part ("This is too hard! I've had enough!"), his sudden willingness to keep trying really took me by surprise. Needless to say, I am over the moon about this. I continued to feel really pleased when Tiger practised the new pieces on his own, without needing to be prompted, and couldn't wait to show Tortoise in the evening what he has learned.
Tortoise is of course very happy to see Tiger's renewed interest in playing the piano, so the two of them have been spending some time in the evenings doing improvisations at the piano.
We also did a bit of maths -- looking at patterns and square numbers.
The irony about having such a seemingly 'great' (i.e. productive) week at the start is that it leaves this mother thinking, "Why can't we be so productive every day?" Success breeds success, doesn't it? I was all geared up to give Tiger a tonne of work when I stumbled upon this article that made me say to Tiger, "You know what? The days are getting shorter and the weather is cooling down. Wouldn't you rather be in your 'fortress' right now while the sun is out?"
With that, Tiger spent an entire afternoon and a few more hours afterwards playing in the "fortress" that Tortoise helped him put up at the weekend. My decision to let Tiger play outside in the middle of what seemed like a terrific week almost certainly disqualifies me to be upheld as the epitome of discipline, I am at peace with it because I am keenly aware that Tiger's childhood is quickly passing by. I don't recall any of the formal lessons I had as a child but I remember the sights and smells of my childhood playtime. I doubt very much that Tiger will remember any of the superb maths lessons that I give him or the delightful vocabularly pages that he has to fill in, but hopefully he will have fond memories of hours spent under a big blue sheet of tarpulin on a warm, sunny day.
Still, there are ways to combine fun and learning if one looks hard enough.
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Tiger and I attended the workshop with much interest. While Tiger was just generally happy to be out and about and seeing other children, I was curious to see how he fared at a writing activity as we have not done very much formal writing in the past. I was pleasantly surprised to see Tiger being really engaged throughout the workshop and participating eagerly in the various writing games and exercises, even to the extent of reading aloud his draft towards the end of the session.
The next day Tiger went to the first of a series of creative writing classes held in a homeschooled friend's kitchen. The class is made up of six homeschooled children, ages 9 to 13, and a tutor who guides them through discussions and techniques. Tiger says he loves this class for its intimate atmosphere where everyone sat around the small dining table and had plenty of opportunities to discuss their ideas and respond to one anothers' writing. It also helps that the creative writing tutor is the same man who also teaches Tiger drama at another location, so they are already familiar and comfortable with each other's teaching-learning styles.
The class has obviously been a success, as Tiger came home inspired to write three different drafts followed by two different short stories. I don't think I've ever seen him write so much and for such a long time at one go.
The good start to the week led to more positive things. The boy who resisted playing the piano and who hadn't done so for two years suddenly sat and played a few tunes one day. Seizing the moment, I asked Tiger whether he would like to learn to play new pieces, and he said yes! So I taught him two more pieces whereby I was amazed at his newfound patience to persevere through the difficult sections to practise over and over again until he mastered them. Compared to his typical response two years ago whenever we came upon a new, unlearned part ("This is too hard! I've had enough!"), his sudden willingness to keep trying really took me by surprise. Needless to say, I am over the moon about this. I continued to feel really pleased when Tiger practised the new pieces on his own, without needing to be prompted, and couldn't wait to show Tortoise in the evening what he has learned.
Tortoise is of course very happy to see Tiger's renewed interest in playing the piano, so the two of them have been spending some time in the evenings doing improvisations at the piano.
We also did a bit of maths -- looking at patterns and square numbers.
The irony about having such a seemingly 'great' (i.e. productive) week at the start is that it leaves this mother thinking, "Why can't we be so productive every day?" Success breeds success, doesn't it? I was all geared up to give Tiger a tonne of work when I stumbled upon this article that made me say to Tiger, "You know what? The days are getting shorter and the weather is cooling down. Wouldn't you rather be in your 'fortress' right now while the sun is out?"
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| Tiger's "anti-wind, anti-rain, structural fortress". |
With that, Tiger spent an entire afternoon and a few more hours afterwards playing in the "fortress" that Tortoise helped him put up at the weekend. My decision to let Tiger play outside in the middle of what seemed like a terrific week almost certainly disqualifies me to be upheld as the epitome of discipline, I am at peace with it because I am keenly aware that Tiger's childhood is quickly passing by. I don't recall any of the formal lessons I had as a child but I remember the sights and smells of my childhood playtime. I doubt very much that Tiger will remember any of the superb maths lessons that I give him or the delightful vocabularly pages that he has to fill in, but hopefully he will have fond memories of hours spent under a big blue sheet of tarpulin on a warm, sunny day.
Still, there are ways to combine fun and learning if one looks hard enough.
 |
| At Shakespeare's Globe, again! |
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