1st Grade

Homestead update first: last night we got most of the deer fence put up and some seedlings planted. It was busy at work, so G got home later than expected. I had tried to get things in place for us (setting the posts where they would be pounded in, bringing out the supplies, etc.), but it still took a while. 

He had the idea to put chicken wire around the bottom 18" of the fence to keep mice out. That's something that will need to be added later since we didn't have any at home. We had trouble with the fencer too; the wire wrapped around the ground sparked every tick of the fencer. So, our fence is up but it is not electrified. 

By the time that wrapped up, it was late and dark. We wanted to capitalize on the rain coming in the next few days, so we strapped on headlamps to plant our veggies: cabbage, celery, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, kale, romaine lettuce, and carrots. All but the carrots are seedlings. I hope the deer don't try our fence until we finish it!

Penelope's home moved outside. I pulled the dog house out from the goat shed and stuck her fluffy bed inside along with food. She sniffed the food and water and then enjoyed walking around the property. Before we went to bed, we found her curled up on some insulation I had tossed out of the goat fence (it had been between the dog house and the goat shed wall). So much for her fancy house. Maybe the chickens would like it for a nesting box?

School was pretty good. It was a much different day than the 5th graders... The student teacher did all the teaching except religion, so I was able to get a lot of computer work done today, and even some of a book read! I did do some things with the students: I taught religion (Ruth and Boaz), supervised kids in the gym, helped stuck kids with math and English assignments, and tied lots of shoe laces. 

I was impressed with how many procedures were in place for their classroom. Lots of songs to get them from place to place, or rhymes/chants to get them to quiet down/move to their desks/walk quiet in the hall, etc. Even with all of that, the kids had trouble focusing and following instructions. From listening to the student teachers' conversations, it seems like a normal thing for these 1st graders. 

Their day is chunked into many small parts. It seemed to last forever! Maybe that's because there wasn't much for me to do. Or maybe it's because I read the clock wrong and thought there was another hour of the day left. One fun thing from today was that a lot of the 1st graders have siblings in 5th grade. At least six of them! And separate from that, I know parents of another three of them!