Holiday in a Homeschool

Holiday here in the US -- Labor Day. I tried to stitch together a few more pieces for our curriculum. That included buying a small tennis racket and a few balls. Now lets see if I can turn myself around enough to teach a lefty proper forehand and backhand strokes!

Yesterday I curled up with my beloved Samuel and listened to the Georgia Bulldog's game. And today is a day of rest!

Art, For What?

What's the value of art? With the older kids, I don't think we emphasized it enough. Sure, creativity is important and a good thing, but what educational value does it provide?

Plenty, we're discovering with Samuel. Since he has some difficulties with fine motor skills, all the cutting, positioning, drawing and painting help him master skills vital for handwriting, sports, and really anything that involves fine adjustments and eye-hand coordination.

Right now, he and Baby U are stamping away. Water colors are favorites and there's always the old standby: Crayons. Lots of newspapers and a willingness to put up with some mess provide the main ingredients.

I'm even discovering that some authors have their own websites and may include craft activities to support reading. Karma Wilson has teacher resources that are every bit as charming as her books. (A couple of our favorite books are listed in the resources section.

When Courts Say What Your Child May Believe

The popular media wants us to believe that schools provide a religion-neutral place where all reasonable people should send their children to be socialized. Recent trends here in the US provides a disturbing context for those assumptions.

An article in this morning's Washington Times describes a court case where a judge ordered a mother to send her Christian daughter to the public schools so the girl can consider other worldviews. In other words, the schools are not the religion-neutral place so often espoused, but a shopping center where children can pick and choose a philosophy apart from the guidance of parents.

What is particularly disturbing to me is that the mother was replaced by an appointed guardian when it came to the daughter's legal interests. When the mother wanted information about homeschooling presented as part of the case, this guardian is reported to have said, "I don't want to hear it. "It's all Christian-base."

If you are concerned that this is one of those sad cases where some disturbed mother is locking her child away in isolation, rest assured that it is not. Her homeschooling has enriched her talents to the point where even an opposing attorney in the case describes her as "brilliant." And the girl has surpassed the requirements for the local school system in subject matter and academic progress. She is also taking supplemental classes at school in Spanish, theater and PE and is involved in gymnasics and other sports.

As a mother in a homeschooling family that includes a spectrum kid, I am extremely upset at this precedent. "Special needs" children often receive closer scrutiny when homeschooled. This is a question of control -- and of the civil authority overstepping its bounds in forcing a family to accept a competing worldview.

This situation underscores the additional critical need to have strong families involved in homeschooling. The child in this case is the rope in a three-way tug-of-war between not only the state and the family, but between two parents who have split. No child should be put in such a position.

Too Close For Comfort

I have a sense of panic. My husband, a math teacher, is already back at work. Yesterday, our oldest son started attending a private school to give me time to work with Samuel and Baby U. Next Tuesday is the date we've chosen to start our homeschooling. In a few months, I'm sure we will settle into a workable routine, but right now the house, our school materials, and plans seem like a complete jumble.

Just about all our curricula is new to us, so I'll be able to do very little off the top of my head. That means, gulp, lesson planning! Plus, I'm trying to develop my own "Bible" for Samuel. I'd like for him to start each day reading a little to himself. But I don't want one of those Bible story books, I want the actual text. But he gets so distracted by the verse numbers, notes etc. So I'm trying to develop appealing pages that have the text, but none of the other distractions.

Most of my closest community has been told that I will be out of pocket this fall. But I probably should have assumed some planning time during the first of the school year, after my husband and son were out of the house. Now is the primary time I have to work on anything, and  its just too close to the "doing."

Mat Man Gets Us Ready For School

Say hello to "Mat Man." As we've been getting ready for the new school year, I introduced the kids to this awkward, but lovable, character made up by a blue mat and wooden pieces that will also be used to teach letter formations. "Mat Man has two eyes, two eyes, two eyes, Mat Man has ...." well, I've gone to sleep at night with that catchy little tune running through my head!

This year, we will be using Handwriting Without Tears. I say "we" because Samuel will be able to work with his beloved younger brother, "Baby U." This is a new program for our family. Its use is inspired, in part, because it was developed by an occupational therapist who has been able to anticipate the needs of a child who requires help with fine motor skills.

Our local school system uses an italics system that's supposed to lead more easily into cursive in the older grades. But a "ball and stick" system is much easier to master. I also love the way HWT incorporates letter recognition, the relationship of body parts, and the opportunity to use touch, sound, play and visual skills to learn letter formations.

Yes, Samuel is already reading, so letter recognition is no big issue for him, but an occupational therapist recommended that we not jump part way into this program, so we're covering the preschool materials, although I will likely move rapidly.

Visiting the website will give you the best overview of this program. Keep in mind, that many of the materials can be improvised at home -- we bought some craft foam and smiley face stickers for the blue mats. Any chalk will do as long as its broken into small pieces (which makes the child hold it correctly). Play dough is likely better than what comes with the program (what I saw was rather stiff and crumbly). A friend cut the letter pieces out of cardboard when she used the program with her kids. (With two boys we went for the wood pieces!)

I do like the HWT music CD, as do the boys! And the teacher and student books are essential. And we ordered the small slates when something I bought at a local craft store fell apart immediately. I also bought one of those magazine organizers to hold the various odds and ends.

On to a great school year. Long live Mat Man!

Why Is My Kid So Different?

Every child is different. So at what point is a child considered so different that he will need extra help in life? My sister-in-law, who teaches kindergarten, tells stories of having children start school -- with a clean bill of health -- that she realizes immediately are spectrum kids.

In our case, I began to think Samuel had challenges when he picked up a few words here and there, but at 18 months didn't really try to put them together. As he got a little older, he didn't engage in any back and forth conversational talking. A simple screening at the doctors office concluded that he had no problems, but my instincts told me otherwise.

What we eventually discovered, working through a screening process with the school system and through multiple assessments at Children's Hospital, is that Samuel is very bright, but autistic. His behavior is often the biggest challenge for us -- changes in routine can throw him into a complete emotional melt down. Lots of people (especially children who can be so unpredictable) and an unfamiliar place can completely overwhelm him. On the flip side, he seems to need a lot of light touch.

So, on one hand, Samuel communicates more like a three-year-old, sometimes acts like a child stuck in the "terrible twos" but is already reading and spelling. He has trouble gripping a pencil correctly, but is facinated by serifs, those tiny extra lines used in some typeset letters. Imagine very bad handwriting with lots of extra flourishes. He loves music and can spend hours trying to figure out how something mechanical works.

I am most grateful that Samuel is extremely engaging and seeks to express his love, especially to me. We don't have to deal with the so-common "zoned out" aspects of a spectrum kid. And my heart truly breaks for the moms who say they wished with all their hearts that they could be sure their child understood love. We've been spared that heartbreak, and I am so grateful!