Laboro

Every year with the Kindergarten curriculum of phonics that I have for my children it requires me to put heavy cream in a mason jar and shake it vigorously to produce butter. Notice I say that I shake the jar vigorously. Yes, that is what happens with every kid. Every single kid looks forward to this activity, and then every single time they get bored by the first ten minutes and hand me the jar. Why oh why would they put something so silly in a KINDERGARTEN curriculum? I could not imagine teaching twenty students this and shaking twenty jars. It would take all day---well, my arms would fall off, really. After awhile I could feel my brain rattling around in my head.

I burned about a thousand calories, I think.

Today has been a good day so far. The kids finished school (all of it including Latin) at 10:30. I could not believe it. Amazing. Now I can sit around and do nothing the rest of the day. Cool. Latin has been a great experience so far. Last year we used a totally different curriculum and it was horrible. This year we got this ultra new expensive curriculum with a classroom dvd for each lesson and it rocks. The kids know all the chants and how to conjugate, it is awesome. I know it. Eraser Eater had a little bit of a problem today. He is seven and just getting used to it all. My oldest took Latin last year but we really struggled through it. I literally took my summer last year and studied word upon word of Latin so I could have a bit of a head start. I get it now, but can't wait until I can read the original text without problems.

This was the scene today while Eraser Eater was doing his seatwork (mind you, my daughter is five and the one in Kindergarten):

"Intro means----?" I say to Eraser Eater.

"Oh, I can't remember--umm---'to tell'?"

"No," I begin to say.

"Intrari, Intravi, Intratum--I enter, to enter, I entered, entered!" Yells my daughter.

"Right." I say to my daughter, who is under the table listening.

"Oh! I am so dumb!" yelps Eraser Eater.

"Ok. Let's try 'do'." I say. "Remember 'do, dare, dedi---"

"Datum---I give, to give, I gave, given!" Yells my daughter from under the table.

"Oh!!! I am SO DUMB!!!!" Yelps Eraser Eater who then runs full force to the couch, buries his head and sobs.

He was in a funk, huh? He got over it though and remembered it all. It really freaks me out that my daughter knows so much.