what curriculum we use....i will TRY to list it here....bear in mind, i think I am a little scattered so sometimes we use a little of this for awhile, then move on to that.....then go back to something we haven't used in awhile...and we definitly do not do all of this everyday....
so here goes...
Math
Horizons Math
L1- Grade 3
L2-Grade 1
Spelling
All About Spelling
L1 & L2- Levels 1 & 2
Phonics
Explode the Code
L1- Level 4.5, 5
L2- Level 1, 2, 3, 4
Drops In the Bucket- Level A
Readers
Sonlight
L1- Grade 2 Beginning & Intermediate
L2- Grade 1, Grade 2 Beginning & Intermediate
plus TONS of library books
Read Alouds
Sonlight
L1 & L2- Core K and Core 1+2
plus a BoxCar Children marathon
Grammer
First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind
L1 & L2- Grades 1 & 2
Writing
Writing With Ease
L1 & L2- Level 1
we use this sparingly and also do pages from the Draw Write Now books
Handwriting
Handwriting Without Tears
L1 & L2- Levels 1 & 2
Science
Apologia Zoology 1- Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day
History
We loosely follow the topics in Sonlight Core 1+2 with lots of library books and unit studies
Monday, February 14, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
So this is what it feels like....
to have patience and perseverance rewarded........WOW....it feels AWESOME!
In an effort to push L1 out of his comfort zone and give him some new experiences, I signed him (and L2) up for a homeschool PE class at the Y. I knew L2 would love it...running....playing games...making new friends...what's not to love, right? L1 I knew would love it, not so much....it would be new...loud...confusing....not his idea....not under his control....he would have to do things other kids and a teacher wanted him to do. These things are not exactly his strong suit. But in addition to being good for him physically, I really wanted him to do this to challenge him in all those other areas.
Let me just say, it has been rough......like really, really not good rough. Most days he would do the warm up stretches and some running then, fall apart into a pile of tears and sit on the sidelines while the games were going on. I will give him credit though....he really did try at first...the first time they played dodge ball....he was right out there trying his hardest to figure out what in the heck was going on...but being handicapped in the area of picking up social cues does not help one in the game of dodge ball.....you guess wrong and you get pounded in the head with the ball. And that is exactly what happened the first game he played in....so really, i can't blame him much for not wanting to play anymore.
The class moved on to kickball...also hard on the socially challenged...think about how difficult it is to figure out what all those people are doing running around the bases...when do you take the chance and run for the next base? When do you stay put? There are just a lot of variables to take in even for the typical kid...much less one who finds it hard to read what other people are doing. His coaches, bless their hearts, have given him lots of help and also learned when to back off and just let him observe....the observing part is very important for him to be able to do.
So for the past 4 months since we started in September, 2 days a week he has emerged from the gym with the wrath of a caged animal...yelling at me...hitting me...throwing drinks and shoes in the car....and most days taking at least 2 hours to calm down enough once we make it home to come close to finishing his school work for the day. Many days I would cry along with him. I almost let him quit...but with every prayer I still felt like i couldn't let him give up....was physical education really that important to me? ....no, but teaching him to deal with things that are frustrating is that important to me. If I was going to take (most of) those challenges out of his school day by homeschooling, then he surely needs to figure out how to deal with it in other places.
We have talked about it a lot...prayed about it a lot...done role playing about self control.....even though it broke my heart to punish him for behavior that most of the time i was not sure he could control...i did it..."no, you are not allowed to hit momma, and if you do there will be punishment".....
This week has been good....no it has been AMAZING! He is participating more....but most importantly, there is no crying in the gym....he is leaving happy...no hitting...no yelling....no throwing anything...he is (i am almost scared to say it) calm when we leave...it really feels like an amazing triumph, and i am surely letting him know how proud his momma is!
In an effort to push L1 out of his comfort zone and give him some new experiences, I signed him (and L2) up for a homeschool PE class at the Y. I knew L2 would love it...running....playing games...making new friends...what's not to love, right? L1 I knew would love it, not so much....it would be new...loud...confusing....not his idea....not under his control....he would have to do things other kids and a teacher wanted him to do. These things are not exactly his strong suit. But in addition to being good for him physically, I really wanted him to do this to challenge him in all those other areas.
Let me just say, it has been rough......like really, really not good rough. Most days he would do the warm up stretches and some running then, fall apart into a pile of tears and sit on the sidelines while the games were going on. I will give him credit though....he really did try at first...the first time they played dodge ball....he was right out there trying his hardest to figure out what in the heck was going on...but being handicapped in the area of picking up social cues does not help one in the game of dodge ball.....you guess wrong and you get pounded in the head with the ball. And that is exactly what happened the first game he played in....so really, i can't blame him much for not wanting to play anymore.
The class moved on to kickball...also hard on the socially challenged...think about how difficult it is to figure out what all those people are doing running around the bases...when do you take the chance and run for the next base? When do you stay put? There are just a lot of variables to take in even for the typical kid...much less one who finds it hard to read what other people are doing. His coaches, bless their hearts, have given him lots of help and also learned when to back off and just let him observe....the observing part is very important for him to be able to do.
So for the past 4 months since we started in September, 2 days a week he has emerged from the gym with the wrath of a caged animal...yelling at me...hitting me...throwing drinks and shoes in the car....and most days taking at least 2 hours to calm down enough once we make it home to come close to finishing his school work for the day. Many days I would cry along with him. I almost let him quit...but with every prayer I still felt like i couldn't let him give up....was physical education really that important to me? ....no, but teaching him to deal with things that are frustrating is that important to me. If I was going to take (most of) those challenges out of his school day by homeschooling, then he surely needs to figure out how to deal with it in other places.
We have talked about it a lot...prayed about it a lot...done role playing about self control.....even though it broke my heart to punish him for behavior that most of the time i was not sure he could control...i did it..."no, you are not allowed to hit momma, and if you do there will be punishment".....
This week has been good....no it has been AMAZING! He is participating more....but most importantly, there is no crying in the gym....he is leaving happy...no hitting...no yelling....no throwing anything...he is (i am almost scared to say it) calm when we leave...it really feels like an amazing triumph, and i am surely letting him know how proud his momma is!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Who Knew?
When I first began homeschooling the boy last year, I thought I was doing it because of autism...with the hopes of giving him a real, true solid education.
Similarly, when I began the same journey with L2 this fall, I thought the real reason I was doing it was to keep her sweet, free spirit safe from all the ugliness dished out by school children.
Little did I know, that the real one being educated here was going to be ME... Now, I mean more than just brushing up my rusty memories about Ancient Greece. What I have found brought to the forefront is a huge, growing pile of my own personal issues that needed to be tended to. I have tried my best to be a what I thought was a good Mom, but it seems that my patience has been growing thinner and not thicker over the years. I have been easily annoyed, and quick to anger...not good traits to have if you are spending 24/7 with small people.
And so.....it would seem that this whole deal, it's success or failure, really is going to depend on how well I can adapt myself. I have been praying ...ALOT...asking for help, but most of all for grace. I need to accept that these kids are not going to follow any book or set of rules...why I am I just now really seeing this? When it all is said and done the main thing I want for them is to love learning...and shoving workbooks down their throats is really not a good way to make that happen. So, I have been working on adjusting myself and my methods.
And the results of this change have been nothing short of amazing. We are now doing spelling, not at the dinning table, but as an oral spelling bee while they swing wildly on the playset. Reading happens in the back of the van while we drive home from Grammy's house, or huddled under a blanket roof in the top of the fort. But most importantly it is happening when they WANT it to happen, when they are HAPPY for it to happen.
Now I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. Obviously there are some things that simply would never get done if they stayed on their own timeline forever. But I have found that a few strategically placed books will do wonders for them wanting to read...this requires a little thinking ahead on my part at times, but is not hard overall. They do have an "assignment list" everyday, and for the most part they are in control of when each thing gets done. They take lots of long breaks to play together outside...I like to think of this "Building Imagination 101". And I hope that by putting them on their own schedule they are developing a sense of personal responsibility...so far so good.
The most surprising thing that has happened is the bond that is growing between them. They are now truly each other's best friend, thinking more of each other's feelings and needs each day. And if you know of L1's background that is AMAZING indeed! No social skills class at school has done for him what spending time playing with his own sister has been able to accomplish. There is a great deal of learning going on in this family these days and most of it has nothing to do with school studies.....
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Another reason to LOVE homeschooling!
I woke up to this the other morning...
all from my boy who HATES to write...
no one even asked him to this time!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Yep, it's been awhile....
Really I had all but given up on this blog...I started homeschooling the boy back in January and I have had little to no time to even think about writing anything here......or doing much of anything else for that matter. But I do miss it. Many times I feel like I have a few things to say, but if I don't have a pretty picture to add I just don't bother.....or like right now I decide to sit down a write and 5 bombs go off in the house distracting my already scattered mind and requiring my immediate attention.
We have been on a never ending roller coaster of determining our ultimate family plan just because I want to do some landscaping......
Me: "I want to plant some crape myrtles in the yard."
R: "Well, no we might get a pool and then have to dig them up..... if we get a pool.."
Me: "I really want a pool, let's get a pool!"
R: "Should we get a pool? Is our yard big enough for a pool? We need to just sell this house and buy a new bigger house....Can we afford that?"
Usually I just say no, that is not a good idea and the conversation starts anew in about a month, but this last time I said "Sure, what the hay....let's do it!"
Truthfully all I really want are some crape myrtles and a pool, but it seems we get mired down in this whole house debate every time. A few weeks ago we started full steam ahead on the "sell this house" path which meant major cleaning, painting and decluttering that lead to a storage unit...that is now full of lots of junk and a some random toys that I was sure no one would miss. Of course those are the ones they are now looking for... We just don't have room for all this stuff in our house, but after a more in depth study of our budget we have found that our previous notion of "Oh yea, sure we can swing a few more hundred $ a month in mortgage payment" may not be the smartest idea. This point was punctuated by my sudden toothache followed by the first trip to get one of 2 required root canals today. HELLO UNEXPECTED BILL.... That will run us about $1200 once all is said and done... Yea for our awesome insurance but still $1200 is a blow to the ol checking account, kinda like the 16 shots they gave me today were a blow to the ol mouth.
(Number of times small people have called "Mommy...." while writing this....about 31.......)
Sewing has come to a halt....I just don't have time and am not sure how i ever did. I am hoping to get back to my machine and clear out some fabric soon, but with all this painting, cleaning and child maintenance, I am not sure when that is going to happen....
OK now on to more important things...the homeschooling...schooling the boy has been both the most rewarding and most stressful thing I have ever done. I know without a doubt that it is what God has called me to do. For years he has been whispering to me and nudging me in this direction, and finally I stopped listening to all the self doubt and all the "experts" who told me you cannot homeschool a child with autism. My poor child was in 2nd grade and falling farther and father behind because his sensory issues made it impossible for him to focus on anything in a small crowded classroom of 32 wiggly, noisy bodies. He was so stressed about school and would cry getting ready for school every morning, refuse to eat any breakfast, sit in a deafening cafeteria crying with his hands over his ears not eating any lunch, and would be crying when I picked him up everyday. He would do little if any work at school and the teachers had no way of making him. They tried reward charts, treats and even missing time at recess which was really more of a reward because he could finally get away from all the commotion. Eventually school being school, they would just move on to the next activity whether he had finished or even started the previous one or not. But really the worst part about it was that it was killing his little spirit...he was simply miserable...and he was ALONE....alone all day in a sea of noise that was just too much for little boy with autism to handle. The school's answer was to take him out of inclusion and put in into a self contained Special Ed classroom.....NO THANK YOU was my reply.
We have been on a never ending roller coaster of determining our ultimate family plan just because I want to do some landscaping......
Me: "I want to plant some crape myrtles in the yard."
R: "Well, no we might get a pool and then have to dig them up..... if we get a pool.."
Me: "I really want a pool, let's get a pool!"
R: "Should we get a pool? Is our yard big enough for a pool? We need to just sell this house and buy a new bigger house....Can we afford that?"
Usually I just say no, that is not a good idea and the conversation starts anew in about a month, but this last time I said "Sure, what the hay....let's do it!"
Truthfully all I really want are some crape myrtles and a pool, but it seems we get mired down in this whole house debate every time. A few weeks ago we started full steam ahead on the "sell this house" path which meant major cleaning, painting and decluttering that lead to a storage unit...that is now full of lots of junk and a some random toys that I was sure no one would miss. Of course those are the ones they are now looking for... We just don't have room for all this stuff in our house, but after a more in depth study of our budget we have found that our previous notion of "Oh yea, sure we can swing a few more hundred $ a month in mortgage payment" may not be the smartest idea. This point was punctuated by my sudden toothache followed by the first trip to get one of 2 required root canals today. HELLO UNEXPECTED BILL.... That will run us about $1200 once all is said and done... Yea for our awesome insurance but still $1200 is a blow to the ol checking account, kinda like the 16 shots they gave me today were a blow to the ol mouth.
(Number of times small people have called "Mommy...." while writing this....about 31.......)
Sewing has come to a halt....I just don't have time and am not sure how i ever did. I am hoping to get back to my machine and clear out some fabric soon, but with all this painting, cleaning and child maintenance, I am not sure when that is going to happen....
OK now on to more important things...the homeschooling...schooling the boy has been both the most rewarding and most stressful thing I have ever done. I know without a doubt that it is what God has called me to do. For years he has been whispering to me and nudging me in this direction, and finally I stopped listening to all the self doubt and all the "experts" who told me you cannot homeschool a child with autism. My poor child was in 2nd grade and falling farther and father behind because his sensory issues made it impossible for him to focus on anything in a small crowded classroom of 32 wiggly, noisy bodies. He was so stressed about school and would cry getting ready for school every morning, refuse to eat any breakfast, sit in a deafening cafeteria crying with his hands over his ears not eating any lunch, and would be crying when I picked him up everyday. He would do little if any work at school and the teachers had no way of making him. They tried reward charts, treats and even missing time at recess which was really more of a reward because he could finally get away from all the commotion. Eventually school being school, they would just move on to the next activity whether he had finished or even started the previous one or not. But really the worst part about it was that it was killing his little spirit...he was simply miserable...and he was ALONE....alone all day in a sea of noise that was just too much for little boy with autism to handle. The school's answer was to take him out of inclusion and put in into a self contained Special Ed classroom.....NO THANK YOU was my reply.
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