Bubbles!

Okay, okay, I'm sooo late on posting to the blog.  Time really does fly when you're having fun.  We are steadily rolling here towards the summer, but have been very busy in the meantime.  I will be catching the blog up to speed these next few days, and thought I'd start with our Bubble Week!  We did this late-Feb.  It was the first week of really great weather here in Texas, and while the rest of the U.S. was still bundled up, I thought we needed to take advantage and get outside!  So, we studied the science of bubbles.

We started out learning about the shape of bubbles by making our own bubble wands in circle, square, and triangle shapes.  Next, the boys recorded the shape of the bubbles with the wands.  They were both a little surprised that only round bubbles were blown.

The next day, we made our own bubble solution and decided to find out which was better: homemade bubble solution vs. 3 different store bought brands.  We set up the experiment by blowing one wand of bubbles and rating the size and approx. amount (it's really hard to count bubbles, by the way) and recording it in our science journal.  After that, we blew another round and timed how many seconds it took for the bubbles to pop.  The boys noted that the homemade solution made the largest bubbles, but Super Miracle Bubbles lasted MUCH longer and produced a lot more bubbles.  I didn't get any pics because I was too busy trying to help count all those darn bubbles!

Our third day of bubble-mania was spent looking at the "skin" of the bubble.  We reviewed surface tension and learned why the bubble always made a sphere when blown.  We also noticed the colors of the bubbles, and once we learned their patterns, had a fun time predicting when they would 'POP'!

We had a bubble party to celebrate our last bubbly day of our study.  We took our bubble machine, wands, our 4 types of solution, and everything else bubble outside to the park and had fun popping away. 

Andrew loved the bubble straw!

I learned that it is REALLY hard to photograph bubbles on a windy day!  Really, there were A LOT!  :)  Lucas was trying to pop them all from the slide as they flew past him.

We also read a lot about bubbles from many non-fiction books checked out from our beloved library (how would I homeschool without it!), and also found several fiction books about bubbles that worked great for read-alouds and during their daily reading time.  Their favorite--SpongeBob, of course!  We found a video about the Sponge, too, that featured the tale of the "Oldest Living Bubble" that made them laugh.  We also had some touchable bubbles in a science kit that we mixed up, and learned that the same chemical binder used in paint was used to make the bubble touchable.  Cool!

Thanks for joining us!  We had a lot fun during our bubble week, and it's really fun looking back and posting about it a few months later!  The boys are "ooohhhing" and "ahhhing" as I type this and wanting to pull out the bubbles again, so I think they had a good time learning as well!  :)

 

Recycling

Hello 2013!

What a great start to a new year!  We have been busy over at our house over the Holidays, but I took a little break from blogging our journey to enjoy some awesome family time.  Now that things have settled down, and we're back in our (somewhat) routine, I decided it would be a great time to pick back up documenting our adventures.

 I signed up to receive once a month science kits from The Young Scientist Club, and our first kit was all about recycling.  Great timing as our city is transitioning to a new trash pick-up service, which includes glass in our curbside recycling.  YAY!  What better way to celebrate than to have a unit study on recycling.  I was lucky enough to be able to book a tour to the City of Houston's WaterWorks education center during the week, which is all about conservation and recycling, so we included water conservation and education in our study as well.  I'd love to share the highlights of our fun week:

Day 1-- We learned the "why" of recycling and conserving.  The boys looked up the words, recycling, reduce, reuse, and conservation in their dictionaries.  Then, we read 'Spongebob to the Rescue' which followed The Sponge in his efforts to start a recycling plant in Bikini Bottom.  My guys love all things Spongebob, so the book was a hit, and started our unit study off on a good note.  We did two experiments today to cover the "why".  The first was included in our Young Scientist Kit.  We buried a little bit of plastic bag in one container of peat moss, and a little bit of broccoli in another.  We added some wildflower seeds, and at the end of the week (or two) we'll uncover our buried items and check out the differences.  The broccoli should start breaking down, while the plastic bag will stay the same.  The boys made their predictions, and wrote them down in their science book.  The next experiment dealt with water conservation.  I found this experiment on the Internet.  I started with having the boys take a drink of ordinary water from the tap.  Then, they added a level table spoon of sea salt.  We discussed that this salt was taken from the sea, where salt water, fresh water was located, etc and ended with why we couldn't drink salt water, or just take out the salt from ocean water.  The boys then tried to remove the sea salt from the water.  It was HARD!  And they only removed about 1/4 T.  Then I had them take a drink.  YUCK!  After that, we looked at a world map while I spread out colored noodles on it representing the water on the earth.  There were 97 blue noodles, which represented the salt water, 2 green noodles, which represented frozen water (both the blue and green represents water that is not available to drink), then I laid out the one red noodle, which represents all the drinking water the world must share.  We then broke up the one noodle, and spread out the pieces over the continents.   Great visual representation that really showed the "Why" it is important that we conserve.

 

Day 2 was all about the effects of recycling.  We read a story called Freddy the Fish, which is about a little fish Freddy, who leaves his protected nature area home and swims upstream.  He encounters many different pollutants and his water gets all murky and dirty.  Wonderful story, and the boys had a lot of "ewwwwww" moments while adding the various pollutants.  After that, we studied watershed's and learned about the effects of littering, polluting the land, etc.  The boys crumpled up a piece of paper to make a varied landscape.  Then, we talked about all the different pollutants we read about in Freddy, while we added drops of food coloring to represent each.  Then we sprayed our land with rain (water from a squirt bottle), and watched the effects as the rain ran down our mountains, valleys, rivers, and settled into the lakes.  We also read The Magic School Bus: A Trip to the Water Works, and watched The Magic School Bus episode on Recycling.

 

 



Our last day of our unit was spent at the WaterWorks education center.  What a great fun field trip to end a fun unit.  The people at the WaterWorks were great.  We started with a slide show presentation that really summed up everything we had learned throughout the week.  Then the kids got to transform into dirty water and travel through the water purification process while going on a scavenger hunt through the Education Center.  After that, we played a group game to show how everyone from every walk of life depends on water, and why we must conserve this precious resource.

 

Thanks for joining us on our fun week review.  I will gladly share my entire unit study with anyone interested, just let me know.  We also worked in several other books, and added in vocabulary, math, etc. along with a few other experiments like making paper, and setting up our recycling bins.

 

 

Thankful, Part II

I wanted to blog about our last couple of weeks.  Things have been going very well.  We have been blessed to find two fantastic support groups; one for Autism Support, and one for Homeschool Support.  We've been having so much fun with our new friends, and are finding our niche within the Autism and Homeschool community.  We've moved into the Southeast with our USA state study, started a new writing program because the boys are ready to be challenged, and are ahead of schedule in our math because they are picking it up quickly.  All that alone is worth a Thankful, Part II post!!  And check out this handwriting!!!  Not too shabby for Andrew.  Who, as of his last public school ARD was going to be excluded from all handwriting and given a touch pad.  I knew he could improve.  I wasn't ready to give up on him, and am so proud of his hard work.  We're still working on it, but the improvement from the very end of last year to now is mind blowing!  I decided to include the sample with Lucas' work on it, too, because he's also improved greatly, and he's been working hard.  He's right on track for a 1st grader!  Andrew's work is the sample on top.

 Last week:

 

Andrew's sample from the very end of last year:

 

I am so thankful that God has allowed Marcel and I to homeschool our kids.  I am thankful every single day for this honor and responsibility.  This is ARD-time in public schools, and my heart aches for parents going through this yearly (at the least) emotional-draining process.  ARD's are hard, even when you have a supportive district and team who listens to you.  I can't even begin to think how hard it would be to have to fight for services and support.  I've heard the stories, and have seen the tears, but I have never had to fight that battle. We had (still have) a great group of people on our side, and it was still hard to sit through back-to-back ARD's and discuss goals, objectives, placements and IEP's for the next year.  So, I pray for everyone involved in the process, teachers, administrators, parents, and students.  And I am thankful, so very thankful, that we homeschool!!

 

 

 

A Little Patience, Please!

I wanted to share a sample letter that is circulating around my Autism Support Group.  The hustle, bustle, and of changing routines often equal confusion, fear, and uncertainty in kiddos with processing issues.  Please be patient!  It's also a stressful time for the parents trying to help their child. 
Imagine if all the things you love, all the traditions your family enjoy: shopping for the tree, trimming the tree, looking at lights, shopping for gifts, cookie exchange parties, etc., sent your child into a tailspin.  You see a meltdown at the Christmas Tree Lot, but the parent is dealing with yet another tradition that fell through, and probably wants to cry along with their child.  Just imagine.  Instead of muttering about discipline (we do discipline our kids, this isn't about discipline, our kids are hurting, overloaded, and confused), try compassion.
I am sharing this letter for a few reasons.  First, it's to highlight some of the challenges are kiddos face during the holidays, so everyone will have an idea of what to expect.  Second, I would like to get this letter out to all who need it.  It was well written, and explains a lot.  Please feel free to pass it on and share with someone who could benefit.  Last of all, if you are friends/family with a child on the Autism Spectrum, and they will be visiting, please take this letter to heart.  We really DO want to visit, even if our visits don't look like what  you imagine.  Again, we are doing our best!  With a little understanding and flexibility, we can all enjoy the Holidays!

Dear _____, (e.g., Aunt Sally)

I understand that we will be visiting each other for the holidays this year! Sometimes these visits can be very hard for me, but here is some information that might help our visit to be more successful.

As you probably know, I am challenged by a hidden disorder called Aspergers, or what some people refer to as High-Functioning Autism. Aspergers is a neuro-developmental disorder which sometimes makes it hard for me to understand the environment around me. I have barriers in my brain that you can’t see, but which may make it difficult for me to adapt to my surroundings.

Sometimes I may seem rude and abrupt, but it is only because I have to try to understand people, and at the same time make myself understood. Children with Aspergers have different abilities. For example, some may not speak much, and some write beautiful poetry. Others are whizzes in math (Albert Einstein had a form of autism), or may have difficulty making friends. We are all different and need various degrees of support.

Sometimes when I am touched unexpectedly, it might feel painful and make me want to run away. I get easily frustrated, too. Being around a lot of other people sometimes feels like standing next to a moving freight train – and trying to decide how and when to jump aboard. I may feel frightened and confused some of the time. This is why I like to have things the same as much as possible. Once I learn how things happen, I can stay pretty calm. But if something changes, then I may have to relearn the situation all over again!

When you talk to me, I may not be able to comprehend everything you are saying to me if there is a lot of noise and distraction around. I usually have to concentrate to hear and understand one thing at a time. You might think I am ignoring you, but I am not. Rather, I am hearing everything, but not knowing what is most important to respond to.

Holidays can be hard for me because there are so many different people, places, and things going on that are out of my ordinary environment. This may be fun and adventurous for most kids, but for me, it can be hard work and extremely stressful. I often have to get away from all the commotion to calm down. It would be great if you had a private place set up to where I could retreat.

If I can’t sit at the meal table, please don’t think that I am misbehaving or that my mom and dad have no control over me. Sitting in one place for very long is often very hard for me. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all the smells, sounds, and people. When this happens, I just have to get up and move about. But please don’t stop eating on my account. Go on without me, and my mom or dad will handle the situation the best way they know how.

Eating in general can be hard for me. If you understand that Aspergers is a sensory processing disorder, it’s no wonder eating is a problem. Think of all the senses involved with eating (e.g., sight, smell, taste, touch) and all the complicated mechanics that are involved (e.g., chewing and swallowing). This is something that some kids with Aspergers have trouble with. I am not being picky. I just can’t eat certain foods because my sensory system is overly-sensitive. (Hope you understand.)

Also, please don’t be disappointed if my mother or father doesn’t dress me in fancy clothes. It’s because they know how much stiff and itchy clothes can drive me nuts! I have to feel comfortable in my clothes, or I will just be miserable. When I go to someone else’s house, I may appear bossy and irritable. In a way, I am being controlling, because that is how I try to fit into the world around me. I like things to be done in a way I am familiar with or else I might get confused and frustrated. It doesn’t mean you have to change the way you are doing things. Just please be patient with me and understanding of how I have to cope.

My parents have no control over how my Aspergers makes me feel inside. Kids with this disorder often have little things that they do to help themselves feel more comfortable. The professionals call it “self regulation,” or “stimming.” I might rock, hum, flick my fingers, or any number of different things. I am not trying to be disruptive or weird. Again, I am doing what I have to do for my brain to adapt to the environment. Sometimes I cannot stop myself from talking, singing, or doing an activity I enjoy. The professionals call this “perseverating,” which is similar to self-regulation or stimming. I do this only because I have found something to occupy myself that makes me feel comfortable. Perseverative behaviors are good to a certain degree because they help me calm down.

Holidays are filled with sights, sounds, and smells. The average home is turned into a busy, frantic, festive place. This may be fun for most kids, but it can be hard work for me to conform. If I fall apart or act-out in a way that you consider socially inappropriate, please remember that I don’t possess the neurological system that is required to follow some social rules. In any event, I will try very hard to be on my best behavior when we get together during the holidays.

Thanks for listening. I’m looking forward to seeing you.

________ (Aspergers child’s name)

Thankful!

Things have been pretty quiet here on my blog.  I decided to take some time over the holidays and unplug.  That said, when given the chance to "whatever they wanted" according to Andrew, over the Thanksgiving Break, they chose to play computers most of the time.  :)

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving!  We decided to keep things low-key this year, and stay home.  We usually make the trek to Oklahoma, but the drive was daunting this year, for some reason.  Sometimes you just need a week to refresh.  Marcel, my mom, the boys, and I decided to treat ourselves to a little fun Thanksgiving Eve.  We booked a night in a downtown hotel, went out to eat, and spent the night swimming!  The next morning, we got up early, enjoyed the hotel's breakfast, then headed out to watch the parade.  After that, we came home and prepared a tasty Thanksgiving meal.  We even got some Black Friday shopping in for the first time ever! A pic of my mom, Marcel, and the boys:

 

It's back to business as usual this week.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and enjoys the Christmas Season!!  

Challenge Air

Last weekend, my kiddos were able to participate in a wonderful event through a wonderful program, Challenge Air.  Challenge Air is a non-profit, all volunteer organization that allows kids to soar...literally!  It is a flight program that puts kids with disabilities in the Captain's Chair, where they get to pilot an aircraft.  It was an amazing day, filled with amazing people!  My airplane and flight loving son, Andrew, was so excited!  Since the minimum age to fly is 7, we decided Andrew (whose 8) would get to be the pilot this time around, and Lucas (who is 7) and I would be the passengers.  Next year, it'll be Lucas' turn...eeekkk!!  My baby, flying a plane!!

The boys attended Ground School where they learned plane safety and flying basics, then it was off to the plane to answer questions, and do a safety check.  After our flight unit, the boys had some really, really great questions, and it was obvious they knew their stuff.  Score one for homeschool!  :)

 

After that, it was time to fly!  Andrew was a great pilot, and Lucas loved listening to the tower give us directions!  My mom stayed on the ground, and was there the whole time to cheer the boys on.  Thanks, Nanny!!!  We love that she was able to come with us!!

 

 

 

Check out Challenge Air, and get prepared to be inspired and moved by the pictures and their mission.  It's a really great, wonderful, and fantastic program that moves all who are involved!!  Andrew wanted to be an airplane flagger (I'm sure there is a more technical word for that) when he grows up, but after last Saturday, he's decided he wants to be a Pilot!!!  :) 

http://www.challengeair.com/

 



Spooky Fun!

This is a quick weekly wrap-up of Halloween week.  I love Halloween!  We decided to take a break from Five in a Row in the afternoons, and have some spooky fun.

We were planning on doing the Bouncing Egg experiment out of Lucas' favorite book, 101 Science Experiments, but ended up bumping it up a bit.

Instead of simply placing an egg in vinegar, which is what the book suggested, we placed 3 eggs in 3 different solutions: water, vinegar, and lemon juice.  Then (as a result to Lucas squeezing a little too hard), we decided to break 3 eggs and put the insides into different cups with the same 3 solutions.  We then placed 6 eggs in a giant bowl of vinegar and added green food coloring to spookify it a bit.  We spent the week taking measurements, and using our 5 senses to notice the differences in the various eggs.  The eggs-periments were a blast, and the boys made some great observations.

 

We also attended a Halloween Party at the Children's Museum



 

 

Had fun cookie decorating with friends





 





Watched a live theater production of Pinocchio (and got to meet the cast!!)



 

Spent the day at our favorite farm with the family where we went on hay rides, rolled tires down a hill, played in the tree house, went on hikes through the grass maze, and just had some great family time!  This pic is of the boys with their Aunt Tana in the tree house!!



 

And...of course...trick or treating!!  Yes, they wore their costume ALL WEEK!  I washed every night, they just loved them so much, how could I say no?  Can't figure out who they are?  They are both Annoying Orange.  There is only one Annoying Orange in the cartoon, but both of them wanted to be the main character, so we decided to clone Annoying Orange and have two.  It worked, and they were both happy!  :)  We went trick or treating with some of their neighborhood friends and had a blast.

 

WHEW!  Busy week, but so much fun!!!  I'm glad we have a nice slow weekend to relax.  :)

 

 

Up, up, and away!

Okay, these past few weeks have been busy!  Fun busy, but busy... you'll see why in these next few posts.  I fell a little behind with my blogging, so hopefully I'll have time to catch up.

A few weeks ago we had a wonderfully fun and exciting unit study reading The Glorious Flight and studying all things flight.  I managed to take quite a few pictures so you can see just what our week involved.  A HUGE thanks to my mom for helping me find all the flight stuff!!!  This week was so much more fun with her help!

Monday:  We read the book, The Glorious Flight, and learned a little about France.  I found some cute books at the library, and also a kids CD that played French versions of popular songs.  The boys made French flags, and we labeled the parts of an airplane.  We also talked about gliders, and why they work.  I found some gliders at the dollar store, and we spent the afternoon flying!  Oh yeah, we also started the study off with a cute airplane snack.

 

 

Tuesday we learned about the first flights involving heated air.  We made a hot air balloon out of tissue paper, and filled it with hot air from the blow dryer.  The hot air balloon was simple to make.  Take two sheets of tissue paper, fold length-wise, and cut into a balloon shape (I'm not crafty, so a rough cut is fine!).  Glue around the edges, but keep the bottom open.  Insert the hair dyer, fill with air, then release, and (hopefully) watch it rise.  Ours didn't at all.  The experiment book we were using said it worked best in very cold weather.  Our high here in Texas was in the 90's that week, so oh well.  Lucas proclaimed the experiment an "epic fail" when it didn't rise, but we are keeping the balloon and hope to try again when (if) it gets cold.  It was fun anyway, and the boys got the idea.

 

 

 

Wednesday we talked about modern planes, and why they work.  We talked about the wings of an airplane and how they provide lift.  We did air experiments from the Usborne book, Fun With Air.  I didn't get any pictures this day, but we had a lot of fun.  I like Usborne, and all the experiments were fun, simple, and fast. 

 

 

Thursday was my "big event" next to the Air Show.  I've been planning this day all week.  We studied thrust today.  To get the idea of thrust, we attached 2 strings across our school room.  The boys blew up the long party-style balloons (I found some "screaming" balloons at the dollar store, so they were loud to boot), and taped them to toilet paper rolls.  We had balloon races all afternoon!  It was a hit, to say the least. 

 





 

 

We topped off the event by going to an Air Show on Friday.  What fun!!  This was our first air show, and it was pretty impressive!  What a FUN way to end a FUN week.  The boys knew their stuff, and were asking awesome questions to the soldiers after the show.  We got more than a few "Wow!  That's a really good question!"  It's amazing how much they learn through doing, and I'm loving this confidence in them to ask questions and explore further!  We'll see you next week!!



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