Preschool Curriculum Guide

I get a bit worried whenever I talk about (or now write about) Ezra's accomplishments/aptitudes/abilities because although I'm proud of him (and I obviously think he hung the moon), I don't want anyone to think that I believe his development to be superior to their/other children's. But I feel stupid prefacing too.

I want to share this preschool curriculum guide and note the things that Ezra can/cannot do, but again, I'm truly not comparing his abilities to those of the other children we know. He has reached certain milestones quite quickly, but I'm confident that we will soon find a different milestone very difficult to reach.

I copied this list and then crossed off the things Ezra can do with ease and made notes by the things that he can do in part.

My motivation for doing this was to identify the areas of study we can work on next.

Size
*Understands big and little.
*Understand long and short.
*Matches shapes or objects based on size. (Yes, often. But not with perfect consistency, often because he deliberately mixes them up as a "joke" and because he doesn't always slow down enough to pay attention to minute details.)

Colors and Shapes
* Recognizes and names primary colors. (Yes, as well as secondary and now tertiary colors, plus silver, gold, etc.)
* Recognizes circles.
* Recognizes rectangles. (Yes, as well as diamonds, ovals, starts, hearts, triangles, etc. He knows pentagons and octagons exist, but does get them confused with one another unless he slows down to count the sides.) 
* Matches shapes or objects based on shape. (I'm not quite sure what this means? Matches shapes and objects to each other? Recognizes shapes in the objects we see every day?)
* Copies shapes. (Ah, so this is our next area of study: writing! He can easily draw circles and lines. And while he's drawing and he "accidentally" draws a letter or shape he gleefully acknowledges "it's a p!" or "it's a square!" but he can't intentionally draw such shapes or letters on his own.)

Numbers
* Counts orally through 10.
* Counts objects in one-to-one correspondence. (I think I know what this means, and if I'm correct he does it... but I need to look it up.)
* Understands empty and full.
* Understands more and less. (I'm not sure that he knows the word "less" but he understands the concept. I believe he would use the word/phrases "not so much" and "a little bit" instead.)

Time
* Understands day and night.
* Knows age and birthday. (We've never told him his birthday is May 6th. But he knows he's two and Isaac is zero.)

(Understanding the passing of time has been one of the most interesting concepts we've wrestled with. He know understands what words like "tomorrow" and "later" and "soon" mean. He doesn't fully understand "yesterday," but we're really close. And he understands "one minute" to mean "very soon," "five minutes" to mean "soon," and "ten minutes" to be "a long time". It's so cute to see him tell me he/I should do something in "five minutes" or however long.)

Reading Readiness
* Remembers objects from a given picture.
* Knows what a letter is.
* Has been read to frequently.
* Has been read to daily.
* Looks at books and magazines.
* Recognizes some nursery rhymes. (Oops. Perhaps my mother's disdain for nursery rhymes did rub off on me after all? I think I'm mostly apathetic, but even that was accidental. I've just never thought of teaching them to Ezra.)
* Identifies parts of the body.
* Identifies objects that have a functional use.
* Knows common farm and zoo animals.
* Pronounces own first name.
* Pronounces own last name. (Again, this wasn't an intentional oversight. It never occurred to me to teach Ezra his last name. Or his middle name. Um, I also never think of my *new* last name either, so that's probably at the root of this "oversight".)
* Expresses self verbally.
* Identifies other children by name
* Tells the meaning of simple words.
* Repeats a sentence of 6-8 words. (Bible verse memorization! And lots of memorized songs!)
* Completes incomplete sentence with proper word.
* Has own books.
* Understands that print carries a message. (Print is letters and words for Mommy to read.)
* Pretends to read.
* Uses left-to-right progression. (Ish? He reads books from left to right, and we usually draw from left to right, but he doesn't really understand why.)
* Answers questions about a short story.
* Tells the meaning of words heard in story. (We really haven't worked on meanings of words. If he doesn't know the word he needs to describe an object, he'll ask me "what is this?" or "what does this mean?" but I don't think he knows what "means" means.)
* Looks at pictures and tells a story.
* Identifies own first name in manuscript.
* Prints own first name. (He can recognize the letters and say "E-Z-R-A says Ezra!" and he'll help me write them, but he can't write them himself.)
(Such a helpful list! Lots to work on!)

Motor Skills
* Is able to run.
* Is able to walk a straight line.
* Is able to jump.
* Is able to hop.
* Is able to alternate feet walking down stairs.
* Is able to march.
* Is able to stand on one foot for 5-10 seconds.
* Is able to walk backwards for five feet.
* Is able to throw a ball.
* Pastes objects. (I never thought to do this with him...)
* Claps hands.
* Matches simple objects.
* Touches fingers.
* Able to button a garment. (In the summer he hardly wears anything that buttons, but this will be a good thing to show him in the fall.)
* Builds with blocks.
* Completes simple puzzles (5 pieces or less).
* Draws and colors beyond a simple scribble.
* Able to zip a zipper.
* Controls pencil and crayon well. (Well? He does, but not in terms of drawing letters or shapes intentionally or even staying inside the lines.)
* Cuts simple shapes. (Not intentionally.)
* Handles scissors well. (Not with only one hand. But I've never given him "children's scissors" - he's always just had regular scissors. That's probably something I should get him.)
* Able to copy simple shapes. (Not really, no.)

Position and Direction
* Understands up and down.
* Understands in and out.
* Understands front and back.
* Understands over (on) and under.
* Understands top, bottom, middle.
* Understands beside and next to. (I'd forgotten about all these directions!)
* Understands hot and cold.
* Understands fast and slow.

Listening and Sequencing
* Follows simple directions.
* Listens to a short story.
* Listens carefully.
* Recognizes common sounds. (It's been a few months since I've taught him any sounds. He knows the sounds made by b, s, t, p and maybe more.)
* Repeats a sequence of sounds.
* Repeats a sequence of orally given numbers. (Um, I still can't do this, so I certainly haven't had Ezra. I know I need to work on this myself.)
* Retells simple stories in sequence. (He can, but doesn't necessarily keep his attention focused long enough to tell the entire story.)

Social-Emotional Development
* Can be away from parents or primary care givers for 2-3 hours without being upset. (Well. No? He can be away from me if he's with Seth, my parents or siblings, and probably Drew and Darya and Allison and Sarah.)
* Takes care of toilet needs independently. (He. Refuses. Because. He's. Stubborn.)
* Feels good about self.
* Is not afraid to go to school. (We shall see, if he does BSF this year... probably not.)
* Cares for own belongings. (Care is a relative word, isn't it? He's my rough and tumble boy, curious how things will fall or break.)
* Knows full name. (See above.)
* Dresses self. (Yes, of course. In women's clothing.)
* Knows how to use handkerchief or tissue. (He tries to. I don't think he's successful enough, or at least not sanitary enough.)
* Knows own sex. (Well, except that his favorite joke is still to deliberately mix up everyone's sex and gender.)
* Brushes teeth.
* Crosses residential street safely. (I can't even imagine allowing him to do so at 5!)
* Asks to go to school. (Not if I'm not there.)
* Knows parents' names. (Kind of. I'm not sure if he's just mimicking others or if he knows them.)
* Knows home address.
* Knows home phone number.
* Enters into casual conversation. (Um. He speaks and sings constantly. But I couldn't ever phrase it as "enters into casual conversation".
* Carries a plate of food.
* Maintains self-control. (Please. And if only.)
* Gets along well with other children. (Not to my standards.)
* Plays with other children.
* Recognizes authority. (Isn't this the crux of the issue?)
* Shares with others.
* Talks easily.
* Likes teachers.
* Meets visitors without shyness.
* Puts away toys.
* Able to stay on task.
* Able to work independently.
* Helps family with chores. 

Friday Update #33 (8/16/13)

We went to a Mariner's game this week!

Not just any old Mariner's game though.

KEN GRIFFEY JR'S MARINER'S HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY!

All summer long I've wanted to go to this game. (Well, actually, it was announced in January, so since then.) I should have just bought tickets myself, but I was kind of waiting for Seth to commit... and then this past month we were traveling and so preoccupied with work stuff. So Saturday morning I just decided to go to the game with or without Seth, with or without the boys, and hopped on Craigslist to find tickets.

I actually found great tickets for a reasonable price and it turned out that Seth was willing and able to go too. We didn't take Ezra, though. I felt so bad for not taking him to this historic event... but we couldn't have watched the ceremony with him, or the game. The game itself was terrible. I mean, the M's are terrible right now. But this was one of their worst games lately. But the ceremony was amazing. And every break between innings/pitchers had highlight clips. It was awesome. Also, did you know that Safeco has a nursing room? They do! It was pretty nice. Comfy chairs and a big TV. It was also packed (but it was a sell out game).

I love this jacket!

Ezra has always said "cudi" for "cutie" so we call the boys "cudi baby" and "cudi kid"...

I took the boys to the ERC play date, and then to the Steilacoom Farmer's Market and concert in the park and he admired everyone's dresses and sparkles. But he made me a bracelet at a booth with activities for kids! It was SO sweet. He was so excited for me to wear it. Mom and Dad came to meet us for the concert, but it got rained out!

Ezra's been making lots of weird faces lately when the camera comes out... 

This weekend looks to be pretty low key, which sounds great.

Especially with this cutie:

Jack and Esther and Ruth

Today Jack and Esther and Ruth came over for a quick visit. We don't get to see Jack and Esther often enough, but Ezra talks about them all the time and was SO excited to see them.

Thirty minutes after they all left we had this conversation:

Ezra: "We need to go chase them."
Me: "Who, Ezra?"
Ezra: "Those guys. Jack, Esther, Ruth. They did leaving us so we have to get them. Let's go!"

Friday Update #32 (8/9/13)

Things were really hard this week too, but a different sort of hard.

I taught a sewing camp at the studio with Mom and Emily, so except for Monday, I was there from at least 8:30am to 4:30pm every day. Since Seth hardly had any work scheduled for the week (grr, website we advertise with!) he got kid duty. I don't think he's ever had both boys on his own before. Certainly not for such long stretches of time! But halfway through the week he got reinstated on the website and then SLAMMED with work, so Dad took Ezra and I kept Isaac with me (in the Ergo).

Consequently, the house is a MESS and I will probably spend all weekend deep cleaning.

Today Ezra scraped his face on our cement stairs. It looks awful, poor guy. He was wearing a really long dress and heels and tripped going down the stairs. That was the context? I hate it when he gets hurt and I wasn't even home when it happened. Of course, if I had been he would have cried harder, so...

Isaac is FAT. Wow. He has the chunkiest thigh rolls ever. (Ok, ok, Ezra was emaciated in comparison. Isaac's hardly fat. He's still smaller than most babies his age. WHICH IS ALMOST FIVE MONTHS!!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!)

Wedding Memories

I just wrote about lots of wedding details, but I found an old email that I wanted to post about my impressions of our wedding day. I wrote the following to my friends after our honeymoon:

Waking up and having some time to myself - just for a few minutes - to drive to my house alone and be there and pray was great. Then Ali showed up, then bridesmaid after bridesmaid. Getting ready together was great. It was fun to laugh together and made my nervousness disappear. 

Then photos.  

Then hanging out at the church. Ali and Charissa took turns reading Anne of Green Gables to me. 

Then waiting for the ceremony with Dad was sweet (light hearted too). I couldn't see Seth at all as I was walking up the aisle. Because the pews are divided into three sections and we were coming up the side aisle, at an angle, and because everyone was standing up, I couldn't see him until I was a mere five feet away from him! It was hard to know where to look or what to think. All I remember noticing was just that the church seemed really full and that I was really happy. 

It's funny; I ugly cried at the rehearsal, remember? (But how could you not? That made quite the impression on everyone, I'm sure.) But when Dad saw Mom, who was crying, he started to cry. We walked two feet further and got to the front and! Seth was crying too! Rich waited a moment for Dad to compose himself, then asked "who gives this woman?"... then Rich started crying too! So I was surrounded by all of these tears. I'd already gotten all of my tears out at the rehearsal, so I just stood there smiling. Rich even said that I was the most glowing bride he's ever seen!?!  

I actually listened to the sermon. I've always wondered about that, whether or not the bride and groom hear the sermon. But I did. And it wasn't embarrassing like it had the potential to be. I mean, not that Rich would deliberately embarrass me, but sometimes he tells silly stories... The gospel was proclaimed, he reminded us of important truths. I think I messed up on my vows - no, I know I did. I said "I will" twice, not "I will" and "I do".
I just felt perfectly at peace and loved. We've taken forever to get married, so it was just time to (finally?)olk promise our lives to each other. 

Then photos... oh my. The groomsmen took some ridiculous photos. Jacob didn't tell us what to do (Seth and I particularly) what to do, which is either great or not so great. Maybe he should have. Because I didn't have "good" ideas of what I wanted to do. Just what I didn't want to do. (Surprise! Not like anything wedding-planning related.)
Then we drove to my parents' house. Family photos didn't go as planned. Hannah and Jack went to the store? so we obviously couldn't take photos without them. We got kinda-sorta an Anderson family photo later in the night, by my grandparent's car. And that's ok-ish, because we do see them often enough that we can recreate another photo. Dad's family, which is bigger and more spread out, all across the US (Hawaii, Caymen Islands, Oregon, California, Washington D.C.), so we don't see them all that much and thus can't take family photos together very often. 

Food was yummy. I guess they ran out of a few things (like chicken)... Mom and I still haven't sat down and made notes about what we were glad we bought, what we should have bought more of, etc. Seth and I sat with my Grandpa and shoveled food in our mouths. Then we went table by table to talk to people. I'm actually really happy that we were so successful talking to so many people. Sure, there were a few people we missed, but we did a pretty good job. And we had some "real" conversations too. Personal conversations, I mean. I wish we had been able to talk to more people and for longer, but I do feel like we tried our best. 

Toasts were... interesting? Very sweet. I didn't know what to expect at all. Toasts are always so awkward, but still. My Dad made me tear up. Um, the cupcakes thing, that was something that was a "bust". People were supposed to get them after toasts. Not wait for us. But despite the fact I explained that several times, the ladies from church didn't let anyone take cupcakes until Seth and I went over there. They came and got us and wanted us to feed each other. So awkward. I felt so uncomfortable. 

Dancing... we had a rocking dance floor. I didn't want to dance - I don't really like dancing on a good day, but every time I went out on the floor everyone stopped dancing to watch! Again, it was one of those "this is totally uncomfortable" things... But a lot of that is that it's only uncomfortable if I let it be uncomfortable. Seth, in contrast, looovveess dancing. Lucky me.

I didn't spent that much time with Seth, but we connected throughout the night. There were a few stolen kisses, a few smiles and whispered "I love you"s. His grandma should have been taken to the hotel after dinner, because she didn't seem especially comfortable sitting on the couch looking out on the dance floor. We should have thought of that and arranged for a ride for her. 

Seth and I left around 11:30? Midnight? Hil went and got my car (after Ruth's light blue 4 door Ford Escort - not my dark blue 2 door Ford Escort - was half decorated by the groomsmen). Then the groomsmen smeared cupcakes all over it in the driveway. We spread the word we were leaving and people made a oh, what is it called? They stood on either side and made a path with their bodies and arms... Then we got in the car and some of the guys (who, I don't know) jumped on it and shouted "get 'er done! get 'er done!" a bunch of times as we started the car and tried to drive way.

Friday Update #31 (8/2/13)

Well, this week saw our return home from California (recap part two here) and lots of hard things regarding the business. We're pretty worn out.

We also hit some year marker milestones: five years since Ana died (7/26) and three years since we got married (7/31).

Isaac spent the week cutting his tip two teeth, poor guy. I'm thankful for Hyland's teething gel and tablets and that I was able to spend the week carrying him (Ergo! Yes, worth the hype!).

Ezra is quite the little manipulator. We're spending most of the day working on that. He has such creative and logical and selfish and amusing reasons that he wants to do _____ his way. Everything starts with "well, because..."

I did take the boys to the park on Tuesday.

And to a church play group on Wednesday.

Here's to new mercies next week!

Isaac is huge!

Isaac is sometimes able to wear six month clothing - and he's only four and a half months old! (Ezra wasn't able to wear six month clothing until eight months!)

Look at this chub!