Choo! Choo!

We've started our Five in a Row studies last week and are really enjoying ourselves!  The first book we "rowed" (that's the insider lingo) was Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.  With Five in a Row (FIAR), you read the book every day for a week, and do different activities related to various themes in the book.  My kids love reading the book every day!  What I love about this curriculum, well, it's really a great book list and guide book, is that it is very flexible and easy to tweak.  Even if you don't homeschool, I would suggest looking into Five in a Row for summer, or just as a fun supplement.  You can get some great ideas from the guide book, and the book list is fantastic!!

We spent the first day talking about "The Land of Make Believe", and how some books were real, and others were not.  Even at 7 and 8, my kids have a really, really hard time with this.  I often feel like Peeta in the Hunger Games...real or not real...  :)  We also moved naturally into talking about personification, and how the steam shovel has a name and human features.  That was what threw them off.  So, we took some time drawing things around the room, giving them human features, and making up stories about them.  We also found a map called "The Land of Make Believe" and placed it next to our world map.  The FIAR book has story disks that the kids can place on the map where the story takes place.  Personification is something we will continue working on, but we had a great start on the topic.

The next day was all about steam engines and steam power.  We watched videos about steam engines, and found a really cool Thomas the Train video on youtube comparing diesel vs. steam engines.  Awesome what is out there!  We also made pin wheels and made them move with steam from our kettle! 









The rest of our week was spent studying steam trains since that is what Lucas LOVES, and it ties in so nicely with the book!  We did train math, found some great word problems from www.homeschoolshare.com that related to the book, read a lot of construction and train books, and learned some new vocabulary words: canal and cellar.  We also talked about the artwork used in the book, and practiced drawing "action" or "moving" art.  The swirling clouds, billowing steam, etc.  To give them something to draw (yeah, right--it was just fun too), we did some fun science experiments with plenty of bubbly action.

 

 

We also had plenty of park time playing with our diggers and trucks.  :)

 





We ended the unit with a trip to the Rosenberg Train Museum.  This was the highlight of the week for my train obsessed child!  We were the only people at the museum, so we had a private tour of the grounds with a really nice guide.  The boys also watched a video about train safety, and had a scavenger hunt.  The best part for the boys, however, was the fact that the museum was located next to working railroad tracks.  We saw six trains pass by while we were at the museum.  Pretty fun stuff!  The best part of the week?  The kids learned a TON about steam power, history, language arts, math, art, and so much more without even trying.  Andrew even commented about how we didn't have much "school" this week.  Gotta love it!  Here are some pics from our museum visit:



This week we are rowing The Glorious Flight, so it's all about planes and flight!  This is Andrew's current obsession, and we are already having a blast.  I can't wait to post all of our fun pictures from the week, along with our AWESOME wrap-up field trip to the Air Show!

Surf's Up!

Last Thursday, the boys participated in a surf camp for children on the Autism Spectrum through Waves of Impact.  I've spent a long time sitting in front of the computer trying to put into words how wonderful this organization is, and how much it means to the many kids and families they touch.  I just couldn't come up with anything better than what my friend Amy posted on her Facebook page a few days before the event.  Here are our thoughts and feelings through her words:

If anyone local wants to see compassion in action, I invite you to come observe a Waves of Impact surf camp in Galveston on Thursday. The kids would love the support and you will fall in love with the kids. I must warn you... once you're there, your heart may fill with so much pure joy that it will leak from your eyes and run down your cheeks. I know I've said it many times, but this organization and its selfless volunteers are truly amazing. Please let me know if you want to find out how you can support WOI and make a difference in many families' lives. ♥♥♥

Please, check out Waves of Impact.  If you are able, and looking for a worthy cause to support, this is it!  If you know someone who would benefit from the camp, please pass the information on.  We'd love to see this organization grow!

www.wavesofimpact.com

Our 2012-2013 Curriculum Choices

We've been "steady as she goes" here lately and are starting to settle into a pretty good daily routine.  I've been asked several times what curriculum I'm using, and why I made those choices.  So this might be a boring post to some of you, but hopefully helpful if your considering (or are currently) homeschooling, or just curious about what homeschoolers do.  :)

We've been homeschooling about a month now, and I've been tweaking our curriculum a bit lately.  I'll list what we've been doing so far and why I chose those, and then I'll list some of the changes and why I'm changing. 

Before I begin, here's our pretty flexible schedule (with plenty of room to take off and explore):

 

7:30 Wake up and breakfast

8:00 Xtra Math

8:30 Chores

9:00-12:00 School Core (Math, Reading, Language Arts, Science, History or Geography)

12:00-1:00 lunch

1:00-3:00 Five in a Row and any other projects

Monday: Nature Study with homeschool group

Tuesday: Tennis

Friday: Volunteer with local animal shelter



 

Our 2012-2013 Curriculum Choices

 

Math: Singapore Math (1A and 1B) and www.xtramath.com and lots of math games

 

Overall I have been happy with Singapore Math.  I started both boys at level 1 and I should have started at level 2 at least, but they are enjoying the "easy" math lessons, and this gives us time to work on math fact recall.  I chose Singapore because, in my research in math programs, Singapore stood out as one of the best with teaching word problems and practical math.  As with many ASD kids, my kids can get the concrete, but have a very hard time moving beyond the page and into real life.  Singapore's weakness (so I've read), is that they don't spend much time of facts.  Enter xtramath.  It's free, it's fast, and it's easy.  Anyone can join, check it out if you want a basic but good math fact review program!  And of course, we play as many math-related fun games as possible.

 

Reading: Tons! 

The boys read to me out loud, I read to them, they read to themselves, etc. etc every day.  We have a daily reading time and try to read books that either go along with our lessons, seasonal, or are just fun.

 

Language Arts: Sandi Queen's Language Lessons for Little Ones 3

 

I love Language Lessons for my kids!!!  Again, I started with an easier level to transition the boys into a different way of thinking.  Unlike the math, I think I started on the right level.  The lessons are short, which the boys still need at this point.  I like that is has some dictation, reviews of spelling/phonics rules, has poetry appreciation, art study, and copy work.  Most of all, it makes them think and communicate in different ways.  We talk about feelings, facial expressions, the boys have to make up stories, give characters names, etc.  It's been a wonderful fit, and we plan on sticking with it.  The boys tolerate it (I think in part because of the short lessons!!), but Language Arts just isn't their favorite right now.  Surprise though, they love the art appreciation lessons.  :)

 

Handwriting: Sandi Queen's Handwriting Primer

 

Once again I went with Sandi Queen.  Her short lessons that demand perfection have hit home with both boys.  They are erasing mistakes (they used to just cross them out or try to write over it), and their handwriting has improved dramatically already!  They hate handwriting, well, writing in general, but the short lessons make it okay for them.  They love all the gushing praise they are getting about their handwriting now.  Since they have fine motor delays, I'm holding off on cursive until next year for Andrew, and probably 2 years for Lucas.

 

Spelling: Purposeful Design

 

At first I chose Queen's Learning to Spell through Copywork, but I couldn't see any difference in the boys spelling, and the effectiveness of Queen's other products were losing their punch with the extra copywork involved.  So, I decided to switch to Purposeful Design.  It is more of a traditional program in that it has list words, but the boys do different things with the words like proofread, word finds, fill in the blanks, etc.  They grumble, but I think it's working better, and they seem to like it better than Queens.

 

History: A happy mix of American History

 

Our first curriculum was Elemental History.  I thought it would be great because it had a project with each event studied, but the lessons were long for my kids, and they were not retaining any of it.  Nothing.  It was frustrating for us all.  I still think it's a good curriculum, but it just wasn't a good fit for where the boys are right now.  Our new history curriculum is a happy mix of portions from My Father's World (an early version I was gifted), living books, History Pockets (Native Americans), and the Learn Our History video series.  The boys like hearing the stories from some of the books, doing the hands-on activities, and they really like our timeline.  We refer to it a lot.  We decided on an overview of American History this year to complement our US Geography studies.  That is also why we are studying Native Americans.  As we learn about a US region, we learn about the Native Americans who used to live in the area.  Andrew likes history better than Lucas, but they both like the mix of activities, and they seem to retain it a lot better now. 

 

Geography: Road Trip USA, free state travel info, Internet, Scrambled States Game, and Which Way USA

 

This is a favorite of the year for both boys.  I purchased Road Trip USA from www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com and we love it.  There are projects, food, map making, etc that goes along with each state.  It's a hit at our house!  We do one or two states a week depending on our schedule.  We also use the Internet to look up facts about the state, and I have tried to order free travel guides from the state we're studying (when I remember to order it in time).  That is fun for the boys!  They love getting state packages!!  There are a lot of supplements out there (Target dollar bin, Dollar Store, etc), and it's hard to list all of the things I pull.  We do a lot with the states.

 

Science: Elemental Science Biology for the Grammar Student, monthly science kit, lots of experiments from books we have at the house

 

Elemental Science is a good blend of hands-on projects with short reading assignments, animal studies, and on-going projects.  At this stage, there is still the understanding that most written work will be narrated to the parents, which is great.  It works on the boys communication, makes them think like a scientist, but doesn't let their fine motor delay hinder their learning.  I plan on sticking with Elemental Science.  Right now, we are doing an animal study.  Lucas LOVES science, so we also have a monthly science kit delivered to our house which contains different experiments based on the monthly theme.  We also do random experiments whenever the boys want to try something out.  No, I'm not super science-y, but I have found if you can't beat 'em, join 'em...or they just may burn/flood/injure something or someone.  :)

 

Last, but certainly not least, I have just ordered Five in a Row volume 1 for us to start next week.  I can't wait!  This will hopefully bring books to life for the boys and give us some time to really dig into a book, do a lot of fun projects together all revolving around the book, and make some great memories.  I'll have to update you more on this after we get started, but I am SERIOUSLY EXCITED about Five in a Row!!!!!

 

That's it for the year!  We really are having fun and learning a lot.  More importantly, I feel the boys are learning "how" to learn.  They are looking stuff up in books, on the Internet, using the library (a lot), and practicing focus and concentration.  They LOVE to learn, and I LOVE that I get to be a part of it!









All Tied Up!

We've been working on shoe tying for about 2 years now.

Andrew, my oldest, wears a size 7.5 men's shoe.  That's HUGE when you are only 8 years old.  Both of my kids have fine motor delays.  Their day-to-day struggles with this are usually pretty hidden to the outside world.  Unfortunately, it gets pretty hard to find "cool" Velcro shoes when your looking in the men's section.  I tried to buy shoes that tie, and just double knot them, but kid's shoes seem to come untied with every step they take. 

Not any more!  We are 25 days into the school year, and today...both boys tied their shoes.  On their own, by themselves.  Very cool!

  How did we get to this momentous day?  First off, I'm not an OT.  I had no clue how I should go about teaching the fine art of shoe tying.  So, I got creative, and was not afraid to switch gears.  We started using shoes that we had around the house.  That just wasn't working.  It was frustrating for them both.  Time to switch gears!  They have a sturdy practice shoe at Lakeshore Learning, but it was not in our budget.  Instead, I went to the Dollar Store, and was very lucky to come across shoe tying practice cards.  These had nice looong laces, were flat, and had directions on the back.  Sweet!  We got to work and practiced every day with our shoe cards.  It took about 2 weeks, but after a while both boys could tie their cards.  Then, we got back out our shoes.  They practiced, and practiced, and practiced.  Every day.  Not long, about 5 minutes at a time, but every day.  Pretty soon, they were tying shoes not on their feet.  After that, we moved on to shoes they were wearing.  Much harder!  Today, however, they both got it!

Last year, Andrew's teacher called and said the kids were teasing him for wearing "grandpa" shoes and pull on shorts all the time.  So, I went out and got him some tie shoes and button shorts.  He started coming home with his shoes untied and his pants unbuttoned because he just didn't have the skills to do it yet.  I asked him if he asked for help, and he said "yes", but the adults just told him that he "needed to learn how."  He went the rest of the year in Velcro shoes and pull on shorts.  I also vowed that I would not push him before he was ready to learn a skill, and not worry so much about what others say.

I love homeschooling for that reason the best.  My kids are awesome.  They are kind, caring, helpful, forgiving, compassionate, and fiercely dedicated.  They should never be made to feel "less than" because it takes them a little longer to gain the skills needed to tie their shoes, or because they don't yet have the finger strength to button their pants.  To me, they are "more than" I could have ever imagined.  And I am so proud of all their accomplishments, no matter when they come!

 

Branching Out

I've decided to step out of my comfort zone and give blogging a go.  Why not?  All the cool kids are doing it!  Why should I blog?  What golden nuggets of information can I dole out that will make this world a brighter place?  Probably nothing.  But, by virtue of having 2 children on the Autism Spectrum, I am a rarity. 

According to the CDC:
Parents who have a child with an ASD have a 2%–18% chance of having a second child who is also affected.

So our family is already pretty darn awesome in our uniqueness.  Top that with our decision to homeschool this year and throws us off the charts.  What???  We decided to homeschool with TWO CHILDREN WHO HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS?  Are we crazy?  Nope!  I don't think so.  

My kids have been in public education since they were three.  They have been in PPCD (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities) and transitioned into Elementary Special Education at Kindergarten.  They are now 7 and 8.  So that's 4 to 5 years of hearing about what they can't do, what goals they need to work on to be like everyone else, their deficiencies, their delays (fine motor, occupational, speech, and social, just to name a few), and most importantly, their differences.  Thankfully, we have never had anything but kind, caring teachers and professionals that love my kids and want what is best for them.  This is not going to be a "I hate public school" bash.  I don't blame them, and I am still friends with many of the boys teachers.  They are doing what they feel is the best.  The norm, the standard practice today.  

One day last year I woke up.  I decided that I wasn't going to look at my kids through IEP's, Service Plans, Therapy Options, or Social Stories.  I was going to see THEM.  Let them find their drummer.  Let them march their own beat, however measured or far away.  

This is our journey.  The good, the bad, the always slightly off-center.  My kids are more than labels.  I think their education, and lives, should be too.

I'll start us off with my favorite quotes.  It sums up our life, and I'm happy we take the road less traveled.

Why should we be in such desperate haste to succeed and in such desperate enterprises? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. It is not important that he should mature as soon as an apple tree or an oak. Should he turn his spring into summer? If the condition of things which we were made for is not yet, what were any reality which we can substitute? We will not be shipwrecked on a vain reality. Shall we with pains erect a heaven of blue glass over ourselves, though when it is done we shall be sure to gaze still at the true ethereal heaven far above, as if the former were not?

by Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862)
from Walden: Or Life in the Woods, 1854