The workmen completed our new deck today, and school went out the window. I'd been telling the boys for the last two weeks that they couldn't go out back until it was done. Seconds after the men left, the boys were out running their trucks up and down the new wood.
I recognize that physical activity is essential for Samuel. During the interim, we had been going out front so he could do his handwriting with chalk. (Making large letters apparently stimulates a different part of the brain than the tiny handwriting we do on paper and helps, in the long run, with letter formation.) He and his brother also worked out their energy running up and down the walk with their wagon.
We did get history, science, and math done today. And we should find some time for reading, which is something that I love doing with the boys any day.
Friday, October 30
Wednesday, October 28
Praise
Yesterday, as we cut out and put together a skeleton as part of our science unit on bones, I noticed that Samuel was working really hard and did a great job following the lines while cutting. Several times when I praised him, his little face lit up like a million watt bulb. I sometimes get the feeling that I have a very bright boy trapped in a quagmire of behavior.
On a lighter note, I was baffled this morning when Baby U started asking for "bone boy," until I figured out he wanted the skeleton I helped him make.
On a lighter note, I was baffled this morning when Baby U started asking for "bone boy," until I figured out he wanted the skeleton I helped him make.
Tuesday, October 27
Needing Wisdom
Samuel has been so "off" lately. Even his speech teacher was shaking her head yesterday about all the computer gibberish he had been giving her. He tried to "exit" out of class -- as if he could hit a function key and make his speech class disappear at will.
I am at a loss as to how to handle these off times -- for whatever reason he seems to need, from time to time, to be more noisy and active and calling his own shots. Not unlike, I suppose, a 2-year old. From that perspective, a 2-year old has to be taught what is appropriate. The same is likely true for Samuel. I pray for wisdom ...
I am at a loss as to how to handle these off times -- for whatever reason he seems to need, from time to time, to be more noisy and active and calling his own shots. Not unlike, I suppose, a 2-year old. From that perspective, a 2-year old has to be taught what is appropriate. The same is likely true for Samuel. I pray for wisdom ...
Monday, October 26
Putting The Spine In Science
Science -- it can be a lot of fun when homeschooling, even though it usually takes some preparation. Today a q-tip became a spinal cord and pasta Os formed the vertebra; the fine motor skills needed to manipulate the pasta provided a bonus for Samuel.
This year we're using Little Otters, which is guiding us through the human body and is giving a good introduction to the life sciences. We're making modifications based on what books are available and dropping out the Magic School Bus videos that are too frenetic for us. We've loved Janice VanCleave's Play and Find Out about the Human Body.
She suggested threading empty thread spools onto yarn to demonstrate how the vertebra lne up to provide a strong, but flexible backbone. Though I'm an avid seamstress, I've not held onto thread spools. Ah, but I had the pasta Os and adapted those to the "experiment" by using the much larger q-tip to "thread" the bones.
Homeschooling refines the art of improvision!
This year we're using Little Otters, which is guiding us through the human body and is giving a good introduction to the life sciences. We're making modifications based on what books are available and dropping out the Magic School Bus videos that are too frenetic for us. We've loved Janice VanCleave's Play and Find Out about the Human Body.
She suggested threading empty thread spools onto yarn to demonstrate how the vertebra lne up to provide a strong, but flexible backbone. Though I'm an avid seamstress, I've not held onto thread spools. Ah, but I had the pasta Os and adapted those to the "experiment" by using the much larger q-tip to "thread" the bones.
Homeschooling refines the art of improvision!
Friday, October 23
What You See Is What You Get
My Samuel seems so absorbed by what he sees. This has its advantage when trying to put something together, like a puzzle or a toy that Mommy accidentally took apart trying to install a new battery. (Opps! He calmly handled those tiny screws and incomprehensible parts to put his train back together!)
Observations have their disadvantage when something changes. Samuel has been "accidentally" knocking over a political sign in our front yard. (By golly we've never had one before, and we're not going to have one now) and is in quite a tizzy about a deck installation out back.
I face a real challenge because what we see in print does not necessarily translate to how we write something by hand. Samuel wants to take printing conventions and use them in his handwriting even though he hasn't mastered the basics yet. I've been stressing numbers lately so we can move along in math -- he's noticed that just about all typed fonts have a "closed" 4 whereas the handwritten four typically has an open box shape.
If I could be sure he would one day have neat handwriting, it wouldn't be so bad but I don't want to risk his having difficulty distinguishing between his 4s and his 9s. At least he seems to like numbers!
Observations have their disadvantage when something changes. Samuel has been "accidentally" knocking over a political sign in our front yard. (By golly we've never had one before, and we're not going to have one now) and is in quite a tizzy about a deck installation out back.
I face a real challenge because what we see in print does not necessarily translate to how we write something by hand. Samuel wants to take printing conventions and use them in his handwriting even though he hasn't mastered the basics yet. I've been stressing numbers lately so we can move along in math -- he's noticed that just about all typed fonts have a "closed" 4 whereas the handwritten four typically has an open box shape.
If I could be sure he would one day have neat handwriting, it wouldn't be so bad but I don't want to risk his having difficulty distinguishing between his 4s and his 9s. At least he seems to like numbers!
Thursday, October 22
Feeding a Kid
I doubt if any mothers in history have been as concerned about nutrition as the current crop. We hear about it before we're even pregnant, warned that certain deficiencies in Moms lead to birth defects. Doctors give us pre-natal vitamins when we're expecting. Then scary news stories get us to read labels on everything we feed our babies. Is it any wonder that people would try to blame diet for autism?
In some autism circles, you don't even need to use full names for special diets -- quick references with initials tell all about restricting this or that in the diet. Gluten and casein lead the list. Add in gastrointestinal problems (not demonstrated with hard science by the way, but certainly observed by many of us with a spectrum kid) and it's amazing we have anything left to feed our kids.
I think I understand why Moms feel this way. Food on the groceries shelves seem to be less about what comes out of the field and more about what can be poured out of the chemical vat. And that, I think, may be more the problem then certain categories of food.
In general, both of my fellas seem to do better if I eliminate the colors and additives. If a grocery selection has a huge list of ingredients, items that I can't pronounce, or certain red-flag words (like hydrogenated fats), I don't buy it. We mostly eat what I make from scratch so I know what's going into my kids.
When eliminating wheat, I wonder if some Moms feel like they're seeing problems with the way flour is processed in this country rather than the gluten? Most mass-produced flour is bleached and artificially "aged". Either of these chemical processes potentially could cause difficulty. I use flour from a regional company that uses neither of these processes.
We limit dairy because we have a known casein allergy coming down from my husband's side of the family. Even there, I wonder if some of the modern processing might be cause the problems? It's worth exploring to get the good "stuff" in milk back in my kids again.
In some autism circles, you don't even need to use full names for special diets -- quick references with initials tell all about restricting this or that in the diet. Gluten and casein lead the list. Add in gastrointestinal problems (not demonstrated with hard science by the way, but certainly observed by many of us with a spectrum kid) and it's amazing we have anything left to feed our kids.
I think I understand why Moms feel this way. Food on the groceries shelves seem to be less about what comes out of the field and more about what can be poured out of the chemical vat. And that, I think, may be more the problem then certain categories of food.
In general, both of my fellas seem to do better if I eliminate the colors and additives. If a grocery selection has a huge list of ingredients, items that I can't pronounce, or certain red-flag words (like hydrogenated fats), I don't buy it. We mostly eat what I make from scratch so I know what's going into my kids.
When eliminating wheat, I wonder if some Moms feel like they're seeing problems with the way flour is processed in this country rather than the gluten? Most mass-produced flour is bleached and artificially "aged". Either of these chemical processes potentially could cause difficulty. I use flour from a regional company that uses neither of these processes.
We limit dairy because we have a known casein allergy coming down from my husband's side of the family. Even there, I wonder if some of the modern processing might be cause the problems? It's worth exploring to get the good "stuff" in milk back in my kids again.
Tuesday, October 20
A Day on the Farm
How do you burn off energy? Especially on a glorious October day? That's a question any Mama asks, but it seems especially important for a spectrum kid.
Just north of town, we have a regional park that is a fully operating farm. The boys love it, and the outing gives plenty of opportunity to run, jump, and explore. Plus, I think it's important for children reared in suburbia to know how we get our food.
(We seem to have driven that point home. We were at the farm last spring at the same time as a bunch of school kids. When we approached the pig enclosure one of my boys yelled, "Hey look, bacon!" -- we received a few odd looks.)
We walk a big loop that's maybe half a mile. Or it's a half mile for the big people and several miles for the little guys running up and down and back and forth. I slow the boys way down as we approach any critters and have been trying to show them how to properly interact with the animals. Today, I was pleased to see how quickly they learned to give hay to the horses from the palms of their hands with their fingers back. Or I was pleased until I saw the sign saying not to feed the horses. Opps. Bad Mommy! Although the lesson wasn't entirely lost -- when I told the boys to quit, I had Samuel read the sign to us so he sees that it applies to everybody.
The boys seem especially intrigued by the hogs; perhaps they admire their freedom to roll in the mud. They also love the chickens, turkeys, and geese. I'm always impressed by the big draft horses and the seasonal changes.
Each visit, the boys find feathers and spend the rest of their outing trying to fly. A hay bale or steps discarded from an exhibit make a perfect launch site.
We will only have another week or so to visit this year. Then the farm will slip into the quiet of winter when only the geese can fly and the boys dream of the coming spring.
Just north of town, we have a regional park that is a fully operating farm. The boys love it, and the outing gives plenty of opportunity to run, jump, and explore. Plus, I think it's important for children reared in suburbia to know how we get our food.
(We seem to have driven that point home. We were at the farm last spring at the same time as a bunch of school kids. When we approached the pig enclosure one of my boys yelled, "Hey look, bacon!" -- we received a few odd looks.)
We walk a big loop that's maybe half a mile. Or it's a half mile for the big people and several miles for the little guys running up and down and back and forth. I slow the boys way down as we approach any critters and have been trying to show them how to properly interact with the animals. Today, I was pleased to see how quickly they learned to give hay to the horses from the palms of their hands with their fingers back. Or I was pleased until I saw the sign saying not to feed the horses. Opps. Bad Mommy! Although the lesson wasn't entirely lost -- when I told the boys to quit, I had Samuel read the sign to us so he sees that it applies to everybody.
The boys seem especially intrigued by the hogs; perhaps they admire their freedom to roll in the mud. They also love the chickens, turkeys, and geese. I'm always impressed by the big draft horses and the seasonal changes.
Each visit, the boys find feathers and spend the rest of their outing trying to fly. A hay bale or steps discarded from an exhibit make a perfect launch site.
We will only have another week or so to visit this year. Then the farm will slip into the quiet of winter when only the geese can fly and the boys dream of the coming spring.
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