Tomorrow is the first day of school!  DH will be teaching 4th grade again at Neighborhood Christian School where J1 will be in 6th grade and J3 will be in 1st grade.  J2 and I will persevere at home.

J2 will be in 4th grade - with the exception of the subjects that are directly affected by learning disabilities.  Here is what we are planning to do for our school this year:

Bible - we will be listening to an audiobook format of the Bible and then J2 will narrate (ala Charlotte Mason) daily.

Math - at recommendation of our consultant Sharon we are not proceeding with Saxon math this year.  J2 loves math - and likes to do it independently - but Saxon math requires more and more reading.  Which means that he would need me to read it to him.  So, we are going to use Modern Curriculum Press’s mathematics this year.

Science - Elementary Apologia’s “Exploring Creationg with Astronomy”

History - California History with Beautiful Feet and field trips with Daddy’s class.  Beautiful feet is a literature-based approach to history.
Language Arts - This is where J2’s learning disabilities hit us the hardest.  We are using some older curriculum and going as slowly as necessary.  We are going to create games using flashcards of our hardest words and steadily work our way through it.  J2 is still writing a book about pirates and he’s eager to get back to it.  When I say ‘writing’ I mean that he tells me what happens and we develop those ideas into complete sentences and thoughts on our whiteboard.  He copies it down into his notebook and illustrates the section.

That’s pretty much the bones of our education this next year.  I look forward to it and dread it at the same time.

I’ve been meaning to tell you all about the meeting I went to last month in San Jose.  It’s a monthly meeting for parents who are homeschooling kids who have been diagnosed with special education needs.  The director of the group is Sharon Hensley who wrote “Home Schooling Children With Special Needs”. 

Last month our meeting was about writing.  We spent most of the evening talking about handwriting and a bit about composition.

First she challenged us to consider why we teach handwriting.  In fact, she asked “Why are homeschoolers so worried about handwriting?”  There was much discussion…and it boiled down for many of us that we recognize that our children (and thus us) are judged by their handwriting.  But in this technological age – is it dying?  What is more important?  Getting ideas out in a reasonable manner or have it be nice looking?

For many students this isn’t an either/or matter.  But for children with special needs, it can be.  Many moms shared that they are only teaching cursive in order for their children to (1) be able to read it themselves and (2) to be able to sign their names.  Other moms shared that they had success moving to typing.

After an exercise meant to show us how many of our children felt when we ask them to write and then hover over them, we came up with the following actions to help us:

1)       Provide time (without nagging, but not to waste of course)

2)      Find something to praise (every day/assignment)

3)      Balance (to be honest – I can’t remember what this meant lol)

4)      Move towards typing as he gets older

5)      Flexible – fit your student, not the curriculum

6)      Coloring is good practice for manual strengthening

Then we moved to composition – my biggest concern.  Sharon explained that our students learn what a sentence is by copying, then dictation before they can compose a sentence of their own.  And she suggested we ask them to compose less than a sentence to start.  **Remember if you are not dealing with a child with special needs, your child might do this in a matter of minutes as opposed to days/months/etc**

After they can write a good sentence, then you can go to paragraphs then more complex paragraphs and then essays.

A few products she recommended to help us:

Apple Tree – I’ve started to use this with J2.  His disabilities are all in the language arena.  He loves it and I do too!  It’s taking the steps of creating a sentence and breaking them into smaller steps.  First he’s adding the correct word, then phrase and finally he’s doing the sentence.  Here is a link:  http://www.proedinc.com/Scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=1559

When it’s time to move onto paragaphs, she recommends a product called FourSquare.(I think this link is it: http://www.teachinglearning.com/foursquare/writing_method.php)  As my student isn’t that far along – I didn’t take many notes on it.

Hope this helps someone!

For most people this day is full of memories - not good ones. For our family this day is a celebration of our son. Today is his birthday! We are blessed to have you be part of our family!

Memories of you...

• The smallest baby I'd ever seen - with hair that stuck straight up in the air. Later we found out your foster mom would put a cap on you to try and get it to stay down...but it didn't really work!
• I remember the first day you came into our home.  There was so much chaos and your foster mom was trying to give me your schedule and tell me important things and all I could do was look at you.
• Your first Christmas, we put you under our Christmas tree.  You eyes would grow huge as you would watch the lights twinkling.
• I remember you sleeping in your swing as I desperately tried to wind it up without waking you!  You slept so little those first months.
• I remember waking up and coming out to find you almost totally nude on the changing table with an exhausted Grammy saying "he's happier this way" and it was true!
  
• I remember trying to bundle you as you screamed and screamed due to hyperstimulation.  Pacing a dark room, whispering quietly to you until you finally fell asleep from exhaustion.
• I remember watching you toddle after your big brother.
• I remember your first snowstorm after you could walk.  You were bundled up so much you could barely move.  But it didn't really matter as we could hardly get you to walk in it!
• I remember you dive bombing daddy whenever he was laying on the floor.  You'd scream and jump - never matter what daddy was doing - you were totally confident that he would catch you...and he always did.
• I remember your 5th birthday when I watched the planes fly into the towers before you woke up.  I wondered how I could possibly celebrate on a day like that.  But when you woke up I realized how could I not celebrate you on a day like this.  You will make a difference some day.
  
• I remember trying to tell you that we now lived in California, not in Oregon.  You had such trouble understanding that concept.
• I remember seeing you arrive at the hospital after Joshua died.  I see your dad crouching down to tell you and your big brother what happened.  I doubt you understood a word of it.
• I remember trying to teach you to recognize a letter from the alphabet.  Frustrating us both until the point of tears. 
  
• I remember you hiding behind the chair when the TRex comes on Juraissic Park but having you pick it out again and again as your favorite movie.
• I remember you telling me you want to be a director because you think someone needs to make (Insert obnoxious kids movie title here)2.  Actually you said "I want to be the guy who yells "Cut"!
• I remember giving you our old video camera and you yelling orders to all the family members as you directed us.
• I remember you bringing me your latest Lego creation and totally being able to recognize what it is!

Help!  I need to create my own spelling curriculum – and I’m not sure what to do.  Basically I’m taking the “new” words that J2 encounters in his reading (Pathway Readers) and putting them on a list…thus a spelling list.  But then what?  I thought maybe I’d have him create the list himself.  Maybe add 5 words each day to his book and we’ll find ways to review them daily.  But the list grows very fast!  When I look at the stories he’s going to read this week – I see 32 words that I know are new to him. 

Any ideas?  Should we spell them outloud?  Copy them?  ??

You've got to watch this adorable animation! :D

Our pastor has been teaching us out of James for awhile - I truly love that book! It's so practical. Last Sunday the sermon was out of James 5:7-11 "Be Patient With One Another". But the last point was "Be Patient With God". And the Scriptures talked about the endurance of the prophets and Job.

The notes went like this...

B. Example of Job (v 11)

1. He lost everything.

2. He endured (showed great patience)

3. The outcome - The Lord's compassion and mercy

and my additional notes included Job 42:10 "The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold." I underlined the two part. I'm not sure what my thinking was - but I identify with some of the things Job dealt with - not all mind you.

Today I got a card in the mail. It was from my secret sister. It was a Get Well Soon card ... which sort of cracked me up. But then I read what she wrote inside.

Job 42:10

Dear Amy,

I think God has blessed you even more than Job - Job got a double portion from God; but you have been given a triple portion in your 3 boys - REJOICE!!

2 Samuel 12:20-22

Your pain of losing Joshua is real. But, because of your faith in Jesus you will be with him again - for all eternity! Take comfort!!

Only our Lord Jesus can heal your heart - trust Him to do so.

Love, Your Secret Sister

And, you know - I have thanked the Lord for giving me the boys. Not only did I have to keep going - get dressed every day and try to function - but they are/were so loving to me - drying my tears and giving me reason to laugh again.

But I've never considered the truth that He provided the blessing of them BEFORE the trial! Isn't that like God - He knew what I needed and provided it before I needed it!

Thanks Secret Sister for helping me to see that today!

As seen on Sara's Blog:

1) ONE HOMESCHOOLING BOOK YOU HAVE ENJOYED

Just one??  Currently it’s “Home Schooling Children with Special Needs: Turning Challenges into opportunities!” by Sharon C. Hensley, M.A.

2) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULDN’T BE WITHOUT

My Computer! lol

3) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH YOU HAD NEVER BOUGHT

Considering God’s Creation – a great science curriculum for some – just frustration for me!

4) ONE RESOURCE YOU ENJOYED LAST YEAR

We both enjoyed Saxon last year – taking a break this year – looking forward to it again next year.

5) ONE RESOURCE YOU WILL BE USING NEXT YEAR

Study Dog – it’s a downloadable program (free to lower income families) from the Literacy council (I can find the link if anyone wants it).

6) ONE RESOURCE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUY

I’m pretty satisfied with our resources onhand.  I just bought Handwriting materials though.

7) ONE RESOURCE YOU WISH EXISTED

A local Christian support group for homeschooling parents of special learners

8 ) ONE HOMESCHOOLING CATALOGUE YOU ENJOY READING

I get a lot of information (products, styles, etc) from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine – however, that is not a catalog. Favorite catalog would have to be Timberdoodle.

9) ONE HOMESCHOOLING WEBSITE YOU USE REGULARLY

http://www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com it’s pretty much the ONLY HSing website I use.