Israel - Page 7

[jul511riv]

just got out of the hospital (dehydration....but a LONG story) so I"m only up to writing for a minute.

I just wanted to tell Amy to just ignore homework. Let them sit in class and just absorb. The language will start coming to them. It's WAY hard. But I would just tell them to not do ANYTHING. Just sit and listen and let people try to talk with them.

Call Nefesh B'Nefesh about this and they can help you with resources.

[merpk]

Lisa, I will PM you. And speaking of homeschooling, did you see the article in the Jerusalem Post the other day about homeschooling? I actually recognized two names in it, one of which is the WAHM who runs yanaeverywhere, selling nursing clothes, dresses and tops.

[twinkltoes]

Hi Amy,

Re: the school/Hebrew homework issue, I would also just say ignore it! Maybe for the whole year. If the teacher can't understand the difficulties your kids are dealing with then she shouldn't be a teacher in the first place.

I would also suggest that you encourage them to befriend a little native Israeli or two (or three?) as soon as they feel comfortable doing so and then get them as many play dates with these kids as you can cope with. They'll hear it in school but it might be too formal an environment for them to absorb much so supplementing with an informal set up like a play day - they would probably be more at ease and more inclined/motivated to break their teeth on some Hebrew.

For the first three years or so that I was in Israel I went to shul RELIGIOUSLY every Shabbat but not to daven. I went to play with the kids outside! Seriously. It's the BEST way to learn the language. They are curious about where you come from but don't laugh at your accent or grammar mistakes and they are quick to corrrect you. I learned so much that way. It's also a great way to pick up the slang!

Also, if you have a TV, hook them up intravenously to the HOP channel. It's GREAT! My 9 year old - native Hebrew speaker - STILL is prepared to watch it. Darling programs for young kids.

My $0.02.....
Avigayil

[twinkltoes]

Help!

Hi ladies,

I need some ideas.

I told my 10 year old yesterday that this year, she is allowed one hour of TV a day and that she could choose which hour that would be so she said 6-7. Fine. But then yesterday after her hour of TV, she was crying because she was bored. I'm dying for her to read more, we have TONS of great books AND she has a library card but she does NOT like to read. I have taken her several times for eye check ups thinking that might be why she doesn't read but her eyesight is fine. So I'm at my wits' end trying to think of things for her to do. We live in an apartment (no yard) so I can't go tell her to play with her sister outside, ride her bike, teach her to garden, etc. I am also not at home to supervise anything until 6 pm. I suggested she start cooking more from the cookbook that I bought for her but she didn't like that idea either. Maybe I can teach her to embroider......yeah, right! In all my spare time..........There are no friends from her school that live near enough for her to walk to and play with.

Any suggestions?

[LookMommy!]

Feeling nostalgic...

I just read the J-post article on homeschooling, about all my friends...

We have just gone back to school after 3 years at home.

I believe (or am trying to very hard) that this is the right decision for our family, but it is hard.

A bit like weaning, maybe.

Amy, contact Nefesh b'nefesh and see if you are eligible for any klita type services. I know "Partners with Parents" in Beit Shemesh works with new olim in schools extensively. In the meantime, I will repeat the above post, school should be a vacation - he is there to pick up Hebrew. After Hannukah, you can start talking tachlis. He can catch up on content next year (if he doesn't master the laws of Rosh Hashana this year, I promise it will be covered again!). And I'm sure you have what to do besides homework, as well. How is your own klita going?

Chava - my dd12 has a hard time in the morning, but her friend comes over in the mornings then they go to school together. Does your ds have a friend who would come wake him up? In exchange for some extra breakfast? Also, do you keep his shades up so the light comes in the a.m.? Only a few more years until college, when he can sleep late (unless he takes the 8 a.m. Hebrew class, like you and I did...):

**After 3 years of being home, and trying to infect the little one with chicky pox, she has finally gotten it, and is missing day 2-7 of kindy.:

[merpk]

Avigayil, my mom (master early childhood educator) insists that there is no such thing as a bored child. And if they say they're bored, that means they're being lazy, ie., *anything* should be entertaining.

Not like I know from 10yos, but my mom's advice in this regard has worked for us: If they're saying they're bored it means we have to step back and let them find something to do on their own. Kind of like it's an attention-getting device that will engage us in endless discussions about what they should or could be doing. Which we don't have time for, obviously, because otherwise we'd be doing something with them. In theory, anyway. IYKWIM.




In re tutoring, not sure if one of you all suggested it, someone sure did, but we called Tehilla for help. They have apparently helped with setting up young olim with girls doing sherut l'eumi for Hebrew help. Hopeful that something will come of this ...




Klita's going ... well, absorbingly well. We bought a car, it's only older than two of my children, b'H, and cost a fraction of what we thought we'd have to spend on a car. Which helps. Our big hassle now is calling all the utilities to change the billing over to our name, which we didn't do when we got into the apartment two weeks ago and trying to figure out what it actually says in bank statements. Not to mention what it says on the Bezeq voice mail recording, so tthat we can actually retrieve our messages. (My uncle tried translating and telling us how to do it, but we can't find the notebook where I wrote it down. Oy.)

You know, all the details of life.







Quick Egged bus driver new-oleh moment: We made a right turn from the left lanein front of a bus that was picking up passengers, which was not a good thing, we know, but we had to turn right and he wasn't moving ... anyway, he caught up to us, pulled alongside, and contrary to what we expected, did not start yelling at us, but gave us a lecture on the fines for traffic infractions. Which we could barely understand, but it was done very politely and even with a smile and a brakha at the end. Thgse I understood very clearly.

I love this country.













And the second and third days of school went a little easier for all of us, it seems. Yay. Bli ayin ha'rah.






And L'M'y, as someone with homeschool-envy, am feeling for you now ...

[twinkltoes]

Hi,

I think I answered my own question - I spent ALL DAY on the internet yesterday finding what-to-do-when-you-turn-off-the-TV type sites such as www.insteadoftv.com. Lots of good ideas there.

I printed out instructions for how to make a simple bird feeder. She is very artsy-fartsy so decorating it will keep her occupied. I am also looking around for a small stamped cross stitch kit in the hopes that I can find/make time to teach her. I have no idea if she would like that.

She also expressed an interest recently in learning guitar so my husband's 26 year old daughter has one that she doesn't use. We will borrow that from her and I plan to ask a guy we know who plays to give Tehilla a crash lesson or two so she (maybe) will have some basic info to go on and start with. Maybe she will be motivated enough to teach herself. Or if I see she's serious, I would consider having her take lessons.

I also took her bike riding last night which we haven't done in a LONG time. It was really nice.

I am also trying to find out if there is a site where you can download for free, humorous play scripts for kids in Hebrew with unobjectionable content. She is very dramatic and I think it would be fun to take parts and read out scripts. Something to do on Shabbat.......

Still thinking, but this is what I've come up with so far.

[twinkltoes]

When she says I'm bored, I don't get worked up about it in front of her although I don't like to see her like that. I just tell her that that's ok and that if she lets her brain rest for a bit, that I'm sure she'll think of something to do. And I leave it at that. She knows what her non-TV options are. She doesn't need me to tell her over and over.

[jul511riv]

Way to go Avigayil. And thanks for the link. I see that I'm setting our daughter up to be comotose in front of the TV right now. But darn, if that isn't the ONLY thing I can think of to do for her, when I'm sick!

*sigh*

Amy, hang in there. I would call Beseq (many many employees speak english over there) and ask them to change the language option on your voice mail to English. Once that is done, you can do it all yourself. That's what we did. It should be an option on your phone tree. You just need to know what numbers to press.

[sunshinestarr]

Riv,

[jul511riv]

Thanks SSS.

Just. Must. Remember. To. Drink.

DD was so cute today. SHe woke up with a big smile and has been in a pretty good mood, despite being fussy, clingy (as in, don't leave my side or put me down for ANY REASON Mommy...makes it kind of hard to go to the bathroom) and just battling what I am (be it Heat Exhaustion or a Virus or goodness knows what). Then about an hour before her nap time, she started pointing to her bedroom and crying and bringing me books.

Perhaps if I had been more "with it" I could have easily recognized that she was ready for her nap NOW.

Instead I tried to balance her while hanging clothes and got all nostaligic for home and missing the fall (my favorite time of year back home) and missing my Mommy and just thinking "this all sucks!"

Finally it dawned on me that she just wanted her nap, so we went to her room and she was laughing through tears she was so happy.

She is now needing to have story time "just so". The book has to be either on the pillow, or in the air above her head while she lays on the pillow. Things like that. But we read and she falls asleep curled up with me. I usually move my had from rubbing her back and her legs and hair to trying to protect my growing belly from her kicks and squirms. I was laying there today thinking how great it is to be able to lay with her and then I started panicing, thinking, how will I do this with two?! I was trying to think of the legistics of having two and one being a newborn, and the other under two and how can I do it alone and what if I get sick like this again and...

It just got really scary.

I don't know. I'm just really thinking of going home. I'm not sure that is a good idea at all, espically right now...but that is where I"m at.

Anyways, I'm sure I"m not the first person to feel like this.

[sunshinestarr]

:Re how to do it with two.. Don't worry. You'll figure it out.

[jul511riv]

[BelovedBird]

Amy, you can get your voicemail to be in english. I don't know whether you call bezeq or go to setup. (I think setup is 9 after going into voicemail).

[sunshinestarr]

Riv - check yo' email sista!

BB - !
What is this voicemail that everyone's talking about?? On their Bezeq phones?? You can have voicemail on those???
: I have no idea what's going on..

[sunshinestarr]

Oh, BB - that link in your sig... Oy!! I've seen that video before and it totally broke my heart.. :

[BelovedBird]

Yes, there is voicemail on your bezeq phone. It is cheap. And it can be in english.

Yeah, the video is so heartbreaking. And people think racism isn't real or isn't important.

[jul511riv]

the sad thing is that ALL of these girls could be MODELS!!! They are so beautiful. This is a sickness of all women. We can't love and accept ourselves for who we are.

[merpk]

BB once again, you saved my life. Just got off the phone with Rescue 199. And our voicemail will be in English within 24 hours. Bli ayin ha'rah. Ptu, ptu, ptu. And all that stuff. She said her computer wasn't working properly and that's why the 24-hour wait.

Okay. So anyone want to take odds on if it happens without me having to call back?














jul'riv guessing that you don't need Ms. Rookie Olah Khadasha over here to give you the "but honey, you are home" line, right? Sigh. Sounds like you need a hug and your mama. Double sigh. I know that one. Would appreciate one from my dad, too, personally. Triple sigh. Sending you refu'ah shleimah energy from across town ...


Gotta figure out when to actually see each other IRL. After DH starts work and DS#2 starts in gan, maybe ...





Rumor has it we're getting our lift released next week. Please please please G!d.





BB, can I click that link while my children are awake or no?

[BelovedBird]

Yeah, the link is just about racism and how it effects girls. They use words like "booty", etc. But it is clean, iirc. It might make you cry.