Jaymi got a haircut today. Not much cut off - just enough to get it healthier.
I let them wash her hair for a treat. They had to put in a blue shampoo to counteract the green that is showing up in her hair, from all the swimming she has been doing.
It's much shinier, smoother, and healthier looking now.
She really wants to grow it long.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Gardening
Jaymi's school is creating a garden and needed volunteers, so Jaymi and I went down to the school and helped out a bit...planting, trimming, watering...
It was nice to help and nice to get outside and garden.
It was fun!
It was nice to help and nice to get outside and garden.
It was fun!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Trolley Ride
The city of Victoria (as of last year) has bought two trolleys. It is a new project they are trying out...the trolleys are more environmentally friendly than cars (run on bio-diesel, I think), and are cheaper than the bus (by donation) to encourage people to stop using their cars so much.
The trolley comes pretty close to our house now, so we are going to try to take it more.
It's fun too! People are much more friendly for some reason, on the trolley, and it's kind of quaint.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Proud Girl
Jaymi has always been a total fish in water, and has basically taught herself to swim.
This summer she can swim underwater, above water, tread water, whatever...in deep water with no need for a tube or life jacket or anything. She loves to be in the water so much and is dying to join a synchronized swimming club.
At one of our local rec centres, there is a programme called Synchro for Fun, which is a n introduction to synchro for little kids like her. But, to qualify for it, you have to be able tread water for long enough, stay in the deep end and swim the whole length of the 25 meter pool. We didn't think she would be able to do it, but hoped.
So today was the test and ..... she did it!! She did awesome!
She was SO proud of herself!
This summer she can swim underwater, above water, tread water, whatever...in deep water with no need for a tube or life jacket or anything. She loves to be in the water so much and is dying to join a synchronized swimming club.
At one of our local rec centres, there is a programme called Synchro for Fun, which is a n introduction to synchro for little kids like her. But, to qualify for it, you have to be able tread water for long enough, stay in the deep end and swim the whole length of the 25 meter pool. We didn't think she would be able to do it, but hoped.
So today was the test and ..... she did it!! She did awesome!
She was SO proud of herself!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Bookworm
She loves to read so much! We went to Chapters yesterday and bought some new books.
She has a book called Ottoline & the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell which she loves to read over and over again. Today we discovered that there are more in that series, so we bought another one. As soon as arrived back at home, she immediately sat down on the couch and began to read the book. In about 1/2 hour she was finished the whole thing!
I tested her on it too - asked her a bunch of questions and watched her while she was reading...she really read the whole book all in one sitting!
Cute book too. I think we'll buy the other one and keep the set.
She has a book called Ottoline & the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell which she loves to read over and over again. Today we discovered that there are more in that series, so we bought another one. As soon as arrived back at home, she immediately sat down on the couch and began to read the book. In about 1/2 hour she was finished the whole thing!
I tested her on it too - asked her a bunch of questions and watched her while she was reading...she really read the whole book all in one sitting!
Cute book too. I think we'll buy the other one and keep the set.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Kindergarten Graduate!
Well, Jaymi has officially graduated from kindergarten and is going to enter Grade 1 in the fall.
Wow! I can't believe this year has finished already. It has been so much fun watching her grow and learn in her kindergarten year.
She has learned how to tell time, how to tie her shoelaces, her reading and spelling are at an all-time high, her math skills took a huge jump, her social skills has also taken a huge jump, she has learned about many different topics and has also begun to develop a very sweet, unselfish side to her this year.
She gave two of her friends half of a set of little metal turtle keychains that say "Best" on one and "Friends" on the other. The three of them are best friends at school - they're so cute together!
Her report card was awesome and her teacher always has amazing things to say about her.
It's been a great year!
Monday, June 16, 2008
History Buff
Jaymi loves history, and one of her favourites is Anne Frank. She has read a couple of early readers about Anne Frank, but has wanted to read the real version of her diary.
I love that she reads so much and I love that she has an interest in history.
One great thing about a 5-yr-old who reads, is the kind of discussions you can have with them - it's always fascinating with her!
I love that she reads so much and I love that she has an interest in history.
One great thing about a 5-yr-old who reads, is the kind of discussions you can have with them - it's always fascinating with her!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Ocean Unit
June was the month of Jaymi's study of the ocean, in her kindergarten class, so we supplemented at home as well.
Last week I took her to one of her favourite places to go downtown...Undersea Gardens.
It's different for her every time we go.
We hadn't been since last summer, and she has been asking for months!
There are tons of windows where you can see a variety of ocean creatures, such as starfish, sea stars, anemone, an octopus, wolf eels, rock fish, crabs, etc. There is also a show every 1/2 hour, where a diver will go into the water and show you (and tell you about) a bunch of the creatures.
One of Jaymi's favourite parts this time was hearing about how the sea star eats its prey...it pushes its stomach out of its body, digests the prey and brings its stomach back inside.
Having a better concept of numbers now that she's 5 1/2, she really understood that 1,600 suction cups on the octopus tentacles was a huge amount!
On Monday, the kindergarten class went to a Marine Ecology centre where they have a bunch of touch tanks and lots of ocean creatures to look at and learn about.
They even got to see a tiny octopus in a jar, and a porpoise fetus (umbilical cord still attached!).
Yesterday, Jaymi had her Show and Share in class. She brought her big blow-up crab, a Ziploc bag full of ocean creature magnets, and she also brought an ocean storybook.
The surprise to me, was when I walked into the class and saw Jaymi sitting in the teacher's chair with the 'reading quilt' on her lap (just like the teacher does at storytime), reading the entire book out loud to her classmates!
Yep, that's right...she actually read it OUT LOUD. :) I am so proud of her. I know that she would have been scared to do this.
That is one example of why I want her in school, at least part time.
Last week I took her to one of her favourite places to go downtown...Undersea Gardens.
It's different for her every time we go.
We hadn't been since last summer, and she has been asking for months!
There are tons of windows where you can see a variety of ocean creatures, such as starfish, sea stars, anemone, an octopus, wolf eels, rock fish, crabs, etc. There is also a show every 1/2 hour, where a diver will go into the water and show you (and tell you about) a bunch of the creatures.
One of Jaymi's favourite parts this time was hearing about how the sea star eats its prey...it pushes its stomach out of its body, digests the prey and brings its stomach back inside.
Having a better concept of numbers now that she's 5 1/2, she really understood that 1,600 suction cups on the octopus tentacles was a huge amount!
On Monday, the kindergarten class went to a Marine Ecology centre where they have a bunch of touch tanks and lots of ocean creatures to look at and learn about.
They even got to see a tiny octopus in a jar, and a porpoise fetus (umbilical cord still attached!).
Yesterday, Jaymi had her Show and Share in class. She brought her big blow-up crab, a Ziploc bag full of ocean creature magnets, and she also brought an ocean storybook.
The surprise to me, was when I walked into the class and saw Jaymi sitting in the teacher's chair with the 'reading quilt' on her lap (just like the teacher does at storytime), reading the entire book out loud to her classmates!
Yep, that's right...she actually read it OUT LOUD. :) I am so proud of her. I know that she would have been scared to do this.
That is one example of why I want her in school, at least part time.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Learning about Government
We had a fun day today. Jaymi had a special half-day at school with the Grade ones, doing lots of fun stuff. Then I took her to Tim Horton's for something to eat, then we went downtown, where we went to Undersea Gardens (her favourite place downtown), walked around the Inner Harbour, shared a freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, explored inside the Parliament Buildings and took some pictures.
At the Parliament Buildings, there were these people walking in period costumes, giving talks and tours. We met this guy who talking about when the Americans visited B.C. for the first time.
Since I moved here to B.C. 5 years ago, I had never seen the inside of our Parliament Buildings, and neither had Jaymi.
It has such a sense of importance when you're inside, looking at all of the photos on the wall of parliament members, the room where bills are passed and the ornateness of the architecture.
Jaymi was asking questions like:
"What is that soldier carrying?" (referring to a WWI/WWII statue - the answer was a bayonette)
"Did they stick that in people's eyes?"
"What is the government? Are these all of the people who voted?"
"How does the government (from inside the parliament buildings) know when people do bad things outside?"
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
More Catching Up...
Okay, here is the rest of what I needed to post, to catch everyone up.
MONEY
Something clicked with Jaymi recently, regarding her understanding of money. She just seems to get it all of a sudden, and she is so interested in the concept too.
We have practiced adding up different coins, to total one dollar. She now knows how to add up any coin, to make dollar piles.
She was saving up to buy a stuffie that she wanted, and she added it up herself, to get the exact amount she needed (including tax) and bought it with her change.
Ever since then, she notices all price tags, and actually understands how some things are more expensive than others.
She'll tell me things like, "Mommy, this is only 4 dollars and 50 cents - that's not much" or "Mommy this is 11 dollars - that's too expensive".
HAWAII
Since Jaymi got back from her Sparks camping trip, which was Hawaiian-themed, she has been so interested in Hawaii. She is very interested in turtles anyway, and also creatures from under the sea, and so her room is gradually being turned into an under the sea room. So, we decided that one section of her room will be the land section...the island of Hawaii.
We even found a blow up palm tree for her room!
We studied the state of Hawaii, briefly learned about Pearl Harbour, and learned about the animals, weather, food and people of Hawaii.
We also learned about volcanoes, of course.
POPPIES
We are lucky enough to have a small poppy field growing just a minute down the road from our house. It's a beautiful little field on the side of the road and every spring/summer, I take a picture of Jaymi in that field. Here are the pictures from 2006, 2007, and 2008:
PHOTOGRAPHY
Jaymi has become more and more interested in photography. I am currently doing a 365 project - that is, a self-portrait photography project where I take a self-portrait each day of this year. I am also doing a 365 project of Jaymi.
She is learning a lot about photography, and has actually taken quite a few pictures herself, with my camera. She knows a bit about the camera, composition, depth of field, focus, and angle.
Here are some pictures of her using the camera:
And here are a couple of her own pictures - she took these!
AND MORE...
Stay tuned to hear about our study of Ireland that we just began.
MONEY
Something clicked with Jaymi recently, regarding her understanding of money. She just seems to get it all of a sudden, and she is so interested in the concept too.
We have practiced adding up different coins, to total one dollar. She now knows how to add up any coin, to make dollar piles.
She was saving up to buy a stuffie that she wanted, and she added it up herself, to get the exact amount she needed (including tax) and bought it with her change.
Ever since then, she notices all price tags, and actually understands how some things are more expensive than others.
She'll tell me things like, "Mommy, this is only 4 dollars and 50 cents - that's not much" or "Mommy this is 11 dollars - that's too expensive".
HAWAII
Since Jaymi got back from her Sparks camping trip, which was Hawaiian-themed, she has been so interested in Hawaii. She is very interested in turtles anyway, and also creatures from under the sea, and so her room is gradually being turned into an under the sea room. So, we decided that one section of her room will be the land section...the island of Hawaii.
We even found a blow up palm tree for her room!
We studied the state of Hawaii, briefly learned about Pearl Harbour, and learned about the animals, weather, food and people of Hawaii.
We also learned about volcanoes, of course.
POPPIES
We are lucky enough to have a small poppy field growing just a minute down the road from our house. It's a beautiful little field on the side of the road and every spring/summer, I take a picture of Jaymi in that field. Here are the pictures from 2006, 2007, and 2008:
PHOTOGRAPHY
Jaymi has become more and more interested in photography. I am currently doing a 365 project - that is, a self-portrait photography project where I take a self-portrait each day of this year. I am also doing a 365 project of Jaymi.
She is learning a lot about photography, and has actually taken quite a few pictures herself, with my camera. She knows a bit about the camera, composition, depth of field, focus, and angle.
Here are some pictures of her using the camera:
And here are a couple of her own pictures - she took these!
AND MORE...
Stay tuned to hear about our study of Ireland that we just began.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Busy, busy!
So much has been happening, and I haven't been keeping up with my blogging.
Sorry about that!
Let's see...
Jaymi went camping during the long weekend, with her Sparks unit. It was for two nights, and she had a fantastic time. She didn't miss us at all! She earned 2 badges, made lots of crafts, ate lots of treats, stayed up too late, and opened up a bit with her Sparks friends and leaders.
It was beautiful weather for it too! They got to use a Slip N Slide the whole time.
A week later was her last Sparks meeting. She got to bring one of her best friends to it, and again, had a great time, earning two more badges.
So...no more Sparks until next year, when she will begin her second year, as a senior Spark.
A few weeks ago, Jaymi greeted me when I picked her up from kindergarten, by showing me that she can now tie her own shoelaces by herself! We have worked on it before, but she always gets frustrated and gives up. But I guess what I have taught her has stayed with her, because she has practiced on her own. I have always tried to make sure that she wore laced shoes, all of her life, to see us constantly tying the laces. In school, all of her classmates wear velcro shoes, but we have always sent her in laced shoes. I don't want her to be one of the many 10...11...yr-olds who still cannot tie their own shoes.
So, I was SO proud of her for this accomplishment! And she reminded me that I had promised her that when she first did it on her own, I would take her out for ice cream. So I did.
Jaymi has a new interest, thanks to Gramma...Sudoku :)
She really likes it, and actually understands it and is pretty good at it!
I bought a Sudoku board game that she loves to play. I had to learn it - she actually taught me!
We got a Scholastic order form home a few weeks and she begged me to order a Garfield Typing tutor CD-ROM. It arrived a few days ago, and yesterday I started it up. It's awesome...watching her with her fingers on the correct keys, doing the typing lessons and games!
Jaymi has been learning about gardening a bit, and she made a grass head pot. She drew a face on the pot, put dirt in the pot, planted grass seed and watered it, and now we are waiting for the grass to grow.
We also planted a heartnut tree. It's a tree that will (eventually) grow walnut-like nuts in the shape of a heart.
Fun!
I still have to write about our money study, Ireland study coming up, Hawaii & volcanoes, photography and poppies. Stay tuned in - I will write again soon!
Sorry about that!
Let's see...
Jaymi went camping during the long weekend, with her Sparks unit. It was for two nights, and she had a fantastic time. She didn't miss us at all! She earned 2 badges, made lots of crafts, ate lots of treats, stayed up too late, and opened up a bit with her Sparks friends and leaders.
It was beautiful weather for it too! They got to use a Slip N Slide the whole time.
A week later was her last Sparks meeting. She got to bring one of her best friends to it, and again, had a great time, earning two more badges.
So...no more Sparks until next year, when she will begin her second year, as a senior Spark.
A few weeks ago, Jaymi greeted me when I picked her up from kindergarten, by showing me that she can now tie her own shoelaces by herself! We have worked on it before, but she always gets frustrated and gives up. But I guess what I have taught her has stayed with her, because she has practiced on her own. I have always tried to make sure that she wore laced shoes, all of her life, to see us constantly tying the laces. In school, all of her classmates wear velcro shoes, but we have always sent her in laced shoes. I don't want her to be one of the many 10...11...yr-olds who still cannot tie their own shoes.
So, I was SO proud of her for this accomplishment! And she reminded me that I had promised her that when she first did it on her own, I would take her out for ice cream. So I did.
Jaymi has a new interest, thanks to Gramma...Sudoku :)
She really likes it, and actually understands it and is pretty good at it!
I bought a Sudoku board game that she loves to play. I had to learn it - she actually taught me!
We got a Scholastic order form home a few weeks and she begged me to order a Garfield Typing tutor CD-ROM. It arrived a few days ago, and yesterday I started it up. It's awesome...watching her with her fingers on the correct keys, doing the typing lessons and games!
Jaymi has been learning about gardening a bit, and she made a grass head pot. She drew a face on the pot, put dirt in the pot, planted grass seed and watered it, and now we are waiting for the grass to grow.
We also planted a heartnut tree. It's a tree that will (eventually) grow walnut-like nuts in the shape of a heart.
Fun!
I still have to write about our money study, Ireland study coming up, Hawaii & volcanoes, photography and poppies. Stay tuned in - I will write again soon!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Kindergardeners :)
Last week Jaymi's kindergarten class went on a field trip to a garden place. They got to tour around the different gardens, learn about flowers & plants, pump some water, plant a bean seed, and learn about how plants are used for medicine, cooking & household uses.
It was a very cool place!
It was a very cool place!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Sewing Class
Jaymi has been taking a sewing class this year - she's had 6 classes so far. She has made 2 shirts, a pair of pants and a blanket.
There are about 5 or 6 people in the class, but they're all between 10 and 13 years old, and she's 5.
She's doing so well! She knows how to cut the patterns, cut the fabric, pin, she sews (with someone right there with her, helping with corners and stuff like that), and she trims the thread. It was so cute to see her last week, sewing all by herself!
The teacher has even put a phone book underneath the foot pedal so that she can reach it.
There are about 5 or 6 people in the class, but they're all between 10 and 13 years old, and she's 5.
She's doing so well! She knows how to cut the patterns, cut the fabric, pin, she sews (with someone right there with her, helping with corners and stuff like that), and she trims the thread. It was so cute to see her last week, sewing all by herself!
The teacher has even put a phone book underneath the foot pedal so that she can reach it.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Word of the Day
A while ago, at the Great Canadian Superstore (our local big box grocery store) I found this little flip chart with a word for each day of the year. It has the pronunciation, the description, a picture and a sentence, on each page.We started using it recently, reading about the word and having a little contest in our family. We try to see who can use the new word the most (in context) during the day.
Jaymi loves it! She is always fascinated with words and loves to spell the words and try to be the one to use the word all day.
So far, we have done the following words:
Drowsy,
magnificent,
fraud,
injury, just to name a few.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Big Presentation
During the month of April, Jaymi's kindergarten class had to prepare and present a project about an animal. It was their big chance to learn about resources get to know how to put together a presentation, and get a chance to get up in front of the class and speak.Jaymi chose turtles for the topic.
She worked so hard - it took her 4 hours to begin and complete the project. I tried to get her to take a break but she wouldn't. She is so proud of herself.
I gave her a notebook & pencil, and one of our laptops, and provided her with a few website URLs to look up, and she actually took her own notes and pretty much did the project herself.
We are so proud of her.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sudoku
While camping with Gramma last weekend, Jaymi learned how to play Sudoku, and from what we heard, she was pretty good at it.
So recently I came across a board game version of Sudoku at Winners, and bought it for her. We opened it today to play together. She had to teach me how to play it, because I had no idea how to play.
She's really good at it! She really focuses and concentrates while she's playing.
So recently I came across a board game version of Sudoku at Winners, and bought it for her. We opened it today to play together. She had to teach me how to play it, because I had no idea how to play.
She's really good at it! She really focuses and concentrates while she's playing.
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