In bending to pressure from Heidi to focus on one of her interests, it is now Animal Week.

We’ve checked out loads of books from the library about animals (But my children are not reading them because they are busy with this, this, this, and especially this)

Other activites I plan to do is think about the Animal kingdom organization, construct some food webs, learn about animal jobs and how to get them, list how animals help us (for Peter), read about deadly animals (for Austin), and do some animal sketching.

I also curated some videos and video channels:

Silly Videos to watch

Goats Yelling like Humans
Short, funny clips about animals
Cat videos

Educational Animal Video Treasure Troves
National Geographic YouTube Channel
Cincinnati Zoo YouTube Channel
Animal Planet Shows
PBS Nature Videos
Shark Week
Wildlife Documentaries YouTube Channel

Also, introducing Messy Mondays, Table Game Tuesdays, Water Wednesdays, Thinking Thursdays, Fine Motor Fridays, Sports Saturdays, and Scripture Story Sundays. These are mostly for the toddlers, although everyone likes them. Fine Motor Friday. Children playing with toys that build finger strength Bowls, cups, spoons, droppers, pitchers, water Wows for Water Wednesday Messy Monday. Not too messy, although usually avoided, Silly Putty. Table Game Tuesday. Children playing with toys that teach concepts Thinking Thursday. Me and my toddlers playing Candy Land. I won.

I recommend extended pretend play on topic. Heidi’s the animal keeper and Peter transforms into a set of animals with names, species, and personalities defined by the two of them. And sometimes the toddlers are cats. I need to do more experimenting and thinking about how to make this a real Thing. Or maybe it already is a real thing and I shouldn’t disrupt it.

Daily Schedule
Wake up, eat breakfast, read news, exercise, shower
Convince kids to go on hike
Come home, play in the pool, sprinkler, and slip and slide
Lunch
Naps
1:30 Work Hard (handwriting and math pages for Austin, Typing Club and writing the Braun Times for Peter and Heidi, Khan Academy when we feel like it. This is the time I might pull them aside to work on animal projects.)
2:30 Play Hard (Device time. Heidi watches Moriah Elizabeth’s YouTube Channel and Peter and Austin play Terraria on Scratch)
3:30 Wake up toddlers, Snack, get off devices
Device Free Free Time
Preschool time/ dinner prep madness
Dinner and Whiteboard
Clean up dinner
7:30 start toothbrushing video timer (they have fifteen minutes to put on pjs, brush teeth, and watch a video. They choose how they use it; they can dink around for fourteen minutes, or watch for fourteen minutes.)
7:45 Daily Demos 8:00 Reading Time (If I remember I listen to children read, oldest to youngest, or I “model lifelong reading habits”)
8:30 Lights out
Then I read terrible world news until I force myself to go to bed.