Visual processing affects all subject areas but specifically reading, reading comprehension, and math. With this simple evaluation you can determine if your child has a significant visual processing issue. If you find that your child is deficient in visual processing, activities and software is suggested at the end of this article.

This evaluation will require you to write out digits (letters and numbers) on 3x5 cards before you begin. You will need 30 cards.  If your child is not familiar with letters and numbers, you may start by using pictures of objects.  Write a set of 3 digits on a card, use fairly large lettering and space the digits apart across the card as best as you can, (see example below.) Make a set of 5 cards for each level, ie. 5 cards with 3 digits, 5 cards with 4 digits, 5 cards with 5 digits, and so on.

Of course, as the number of digits increases, the size and spacing will decrease, that is fine. These cards can be used later to instruct and work with the child to improve their visual processing.

The child (or adult, if you are testing yourself) is not supposed to use any mnemonic device such as clustering (like a phone number or 2 or 3 digit number – ie 29), putting to music, attaching to a known word, number, or picture, or any other memory tricks we use to remember things. Using these methods are tricks and devices and do not accurately identify the person’s processing ability.

T  4  9

Recording responses

When the child reaches instructional level stop, this will be the instructional level used when remediating using digit spans.

Visual Processing

Level at which the child missed 0-1  _____ digits   Ability Level

Level at which the child missed 2-3  _____ digits    Instructional Level

Level at which the child missed 4-5  _____ digits    Frustration Level

What does this information tell me?

The number of digits the child functions at identifies the processing ability. The processing ability indicates the level of learning the child can attain. For example: a typical 3 year old should be able to process 3 pieces of information sequentially, a four year old, 4 pieces, and a 5 year old, 5 pieces. It is important to note that a child can not functionally learn to read without being able to accurately recall 5 pieces of visual information. 

It is important to reach a level that is functional for the child. If your child is 5 years old you want the child to function at a level 5 digit span. If your child is over 8 then work toward 8 digits. You may go higher than 8 as well.

Interventions for Visual processing:

Brain Age for Nintendo DS  www.brainage.com
This game is a bit more advanced and is great for ages 8 to adult (depending on ability level, must be able to read.) Video games improve certain aspects of visual processing. They enhance finding objects in clutter, figure ground discrimination, tracking, visual perception, and subitizing (ability to identify the number of multiple items quickly). However, they do not enhance visual sequence recall unless that is what they are designed to do such as games like brain age.

Digit Spans  -  develop a set of cards with pictures, letters and numbers,  or words starting at the instructional level. I suggest at least 10 sets of digits for each level so that after daily review, the sets will not be easily memorized. Review the digits spans for 3-5 minutes several times a day. Making it a game is always more fun. Try letting your child ‘test’ you on the digit spans and work on improving your processing.

Here is an article by James D. MacDonald, Ph.D./CCC of Communicating Partners.

This is a very interesting insight and he has granted us permission to reprint it on our blog.

Hi all, I am on a strange sleep cycle so this came to me tonight. Many
parents want their child to learn and perform facts, to get ready for
school. Many programs for autism and other late talking conditions focus on
teaching facts and skills thinking that 'cognition'--or 'knowing things'
comes first. Parents often seem more interested in their child knowing the
colors and numbers than in taking turns and playing and communicating with
sounds. Being social seems less important than knowing things for school.
This memo asks which comes first cognition or social life?

As you may know Communicating Partners focuses on getting a child social
before getting him ready for school. I hope this will help clarify why we do
that.

QUESTION. Which comes first cognitive learning or social learning?

We have been told that our son Sean, needed to be trained to learn
cognitive skills like numbers and colors for school and to reduce his
"autistic" habits and become compliant before he will be come social and
communicative.

Why does Communicating Partners begin by helping a child become social
first?

Answer:

There are many heavier answers to this question , but sometimes a
light one is the strongest. We begin by helping a child become social
because it is the most enjoyable thing to do with a child. We and you get
something personal and intimate when we get a child to "see" us and really
respond and care. So , if enjoying your child and finding ways for him or
her to enjoy you is at all important, then getting your child social is
just a lot more fun than teaching him for school.

And,now my more serious but less exciting answers:

First, because that is the way child develop and learn. Most scholars in
child development agree that the key to learning in daily life is by
socially interacting with people the child is attached with and who act and
communicate in ways the child can do. In fact it is now evident that a child
will learn more of what he needs to be included in the social world from
frequent daily interactions spontaneously than he will from intensive
drilling on facts and skills for school. Making a child a successful
student does not make him less autistic in real life and less isolated from
society. Early and intensive social relationships are needed for that.

A second critical reason to begin by helping a child be spontaneously social
is that the more directive and intensive academic and compliance approaches
can have the effect of discouraging the child from being social and learning
what he needs at the natural movement. Such a child can easily become
dependent on his teacher or trainer and not learn how to socially learn on
his own. Then he becomes a student who knows what others think he should
learn but he does not learn what he needs to effectively navigate his own
interpersonal world. I know children with autism who perform, and answer
very well but are at a loss in daily interactions where his real life
learning must take place.

A third reason for our focus of social learning first is that we and others
have been very successful with many children and families in reducing the
time that children are isolated from society. Both our research findings and
our clinical reports from families show that many children with autism can
become social when their families enter the child's world responsively and
nurture who they are becoming rather than distrusting their social potential
and trying to make them into compliant students learning a set curriculum
rather than an individualized life.

A fourth reason for our focus on social learning first is that it is
something that anyone in the child's life can do. Treatment is no longer
limited to trained and paid persons, but is available to anyone interacting
daily with the child. Children clearly can learn in every interaction if it
involves two features: one, something the child can do, and something the
child is internally motivated to do, and three, something the child can use
in daily life.

A fifth reason is that ,contrary to the belief and practice of many, most
children diagnosed on the autism spectrum can become much more social and
genuinely communicative than they are. Observation of many children with
autism reveals that very little attention is usually given to seeing if ,
indeed, the child can socialize with persons who actually enter his world
of sensation and action.

James D. MacDonald, Ph.D./CCC
Communicating Partners
website: www.jamesdmacdonald.org
(614) 447-0768

This is an absolutely incredible interview with Rick Warren , "Purpose Driven Life " author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California .  His wife now has cancer, and he now has "wealth" from the book sales.
 
In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

Thank you so much for your prayers!

I am doing much better, the infection is going away and I am no longer having a fever. I think I can actually get back to some daily routine!

Blessings,

Christie

YOU SENT A TESTIMONIAL!

I went to my inbox, finally able to work and prepared to send out all those free ebooks I offered! Ack!!! ATT deleted all of the emails that you sent! They have a new policy that they delete everything after 30 days!

Please resend your testimonies so I can send you your free e-book and if you haven't sent us a testimony and still want to take advantage of this offer, please send us your testimony on how our ministry has helped you!

Blessings,

Christie

I have an infection and we are having to clean the incisions three times a day. Please keep us in prayer.

I had surgery last week and am doing pretty well. Very sore, but pretty good! Thank you for all of your prayers!

Hi everyone,

I received a call from my mom recently. She is having some physical and other issues. I offered to come up to get her so she could move down here with us and she agreed! To many people this would be a simple offer. But for our home this means that our small 3 bdrm home with an additional room built in the garage is going to be overflowing. Currently we have our 2 children (one living at college part time and here part time), our newest 'daughter', and Grandpa (hubby's dad) all living in our little humble home. So inviting another person into our already crowded home was probably a nutty thing to do. But, I have always told my parents that we would be there if they needed and our home is always open.

Hubby and I drove to West Virginia to pick up Grandma and as much of her stuff as possible. She lives in a motor home and she and I drove it back to North Alabama for her to stay here.

The family has had to adjust and with God's help is doing pretty well. It has been a wonderful opportunity to teach my children about the first commandment with promise. Sometimes it isn't enough just to teach about it, sometimes you have to teach with examples and put the teaching into practice. I know with teens they begin to think themselves more important than others and loose sight of putting others before ourselves and the fact that we need to honor our parents even when it isn't convenient or fun.

Take time to honor your parents, teach your children by example.

Hi everyone,

I will be having surgery in October so will be a bit out of pocket for awhile! It is a somewhat serious surgery... I have back issues and need to have a surgery to help it. I will try to keep everyone updated as I can.

We need your help! We are updating our websites and would like to tell others how we have helped you! Send us your testimony and we will send you the Free E-book Learning Styles and Interests!  

Learning Styles and Interests is a $15.00 value, FREE! This is a great resource for those just starting out as well as for seasoned home educators! This book provides information on learning styles, personality, talents, gifts and abilities and their effect on how our children learn! Includes worksheets and questionnaires to use with your children to find out how they learn best and what their interests are.

Just send us your testimonies of how we helped you to cberry@onefaithmin.org and we will reply with a link to a copy of this E-book for you to download onto your computer to read or print!

By Christie Berry, Ed.D.
www.christieberry.com

Audio books are an excellent resource for educators.  When used with learners, audio books can help improve cognitive ability, language acquisition, and auditory processing.  Books on tape increase interest and motivation in reading and expand interest in new genres.  Using verbatim, or unabridged recorded books can provide accessibility to content area reading such as history, math word problems, literature, and science as well as to reading in general for special needs students when they are used in methods appropriate to the individual needs of the child.

Listening to unabridged audio books while following along in the book improves language skills, auditory processing, and contributes to an increase in overall cognitive abilities.  Recorded books help a student distinguish between written and spoken language and helps establish a link between them.  The world of reading opens up to many students who discover this link or connection.  Understanding the connection between the symbol on the page and the sound is a key to unlocking language arts.  Once unlocked, improvement in content area understanding, imagination, pronunci ation and inflection, sentence structure, reading levels, vocabulary, and writing skills are consistently evident. 

When a child hears the text dramatized by the reader, the result is a deep emotional reaction and involvement with the story.  This relationship with the written word helps to develop emotional maturation and improved development of life skills.  Better character identification allows students to enter imaginatively and empathetically into the experience of others, thereby developing abilities to decode and understand moral behavior, problem-solving and building relationships.  Recorded books allow students to hear language, participate cog nitively with the story, and create mental pictures of the spoken and read word.  Books become a source of comfort, rather than distress, as reading becomes easier and leads to greater confidence and knowledge.  As a result, communication skills, listening skills, and language development improve.

In a study by Boyle, Rosenberg, et al., they provide quantitative research that investigated the impact of audio textbooks on the learning of students with mild disabilities in grades 9-12.  The results were that the students who used the audio books outperformed peers reading traditional textbooks on an outcome based evaluation.¹  Hence, the use of audio books provides an increase in overall language and thinking skills as well as many other benefits.

Using audio books while reading along helps create a multi-sensory reading experience that encourages and improves reading ability, vocabulary, and fluency.  Listening to language is an essential ingredient in building vocabulary, increasing reading fluency through modeling, and stimulating the imagination, as well as introducing story telling.  By increasing language skills, books on tape make reading accessible and more appealing.  Students that have been intimidated by reading can now enjoy the written word. 

The use of audio books helps to increase the variety of the student’s interest.  Reading along with an audio book can peak the interest in reluctant readers, improve interest in reading and motivate delayed readers as well as include them in content area reading.   Although not as good as parents reading to students as they read along, audio books provide a key component to listening and providing students with a read-along experience that sparks the interested in the listener/reader.  Most of the reluctant or poor readers that had little to no motivation, due to their deficiency, have shown an increas e in interest and motivation.  Audio books also provide involvement in content area reading for those students that would not be able to maintain the level of reading involvement necessary in a text book.  In the second part of an article written by Chenfeld and Haley, Haley shows how using tools that work for special needs students, specifically books on tape not only benefit the special needs students but also benefit "regular" students by improving interest, motivation, and improved test scores in content area reading.²

Regardless of individual students' learning abilities, emotional maturity, social backgrounds or interests, audio books can create an atmosphere which fosters a collective experience for the listeners.  Recorded books go beyond different learning styles and levels, promoting total participation of a group in follow-up discussions, activities, and writing assignments.  Students sharing their thoughts and responses to the audio book can add to each other's understanding, leading to an appreciation of other’s viewpoints.  Additionally, unabrid ged audio books can:

·                introduce students to books above their reading level;

·                model good interpretive reading to improve thinking skills;

·                teach critical listening skills;

·                introduce new genres that students might not otherwise consider;

·                introduce new vocabulary, proper names, and locales;

·                expose students to unfamiliar dialects, accents, Old English, and old fashioned literary styles;

·                provide a read-aloud model³

There's no better tool than audio books for children with special needs.  Pronunciations, speech patterns, image correlation, and content comprehension are greatly improved by hearing at the same time as reading.  Special needs students are excited to hear their first books - often understanding for the first time the joy of books.  At the same time they are gaining a quick understanding of plot, main idea, setting, and they subconsciously understand narrative structure.  Audio books provide you with an additional, cutting-edge language arts tool to stimulate improved comprehension regardless of differ ent learning styles and individual needs or abilities. 

Research shows that students with specific learning disabilities, such as Dyslexia, show greater improvement when using unabridged audio recordings while reading printed texts.  Torgesen, et al.,⁴ compared the reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities reading printed texts with or without verbatim audio recordings.  Reading comprehension was greater for students using the audio recordings.  Additional research by Hecker, et al.,⁵ indicates that post-secondary students with attention disorders took re ading rate and comprehension tests with and without the use of audio books and other reading software that reads the book verbatim and highlights the words as it reads.  Results suggest that some students, specifically those with poor baseline reading skills, may read faster and comprehend better when using audio books or the software. 

For students who find reading books problematic or students who are not fluent in English, audio books allow exposure to text through aural interpretation and aural/visual connection.  Low-functioning students often comprehend more easily by "reading with their ears" than struggling to decode text alone.  Audio books offer the competent and avid reader, or gifted students, individualized learning opportunities and expand the volume of their reading.

There are many ways to use unabridged recorded books.  To use audio books to expose the listener/reader to new material, genres, vocabulary, fluency modeling, or specific content area information, allow the child to listen to the recorded book as often as possible.  It is not necessary to use the written text for the outcomes listed above.  To use books on tape to improve reading, language development, to access the printed word, and improve comprehension of written text, have the child read along with the verbatim recording.  A chapter or two each day will provide the frequency, intensity and duration necessary to improve reading skills.  It will be beneficial to use a place card or book mark to hold under the line being read or a word card to move along to highlight the word being read.  A word card can be made easily by cutting a notch on the edge of the place card or book mark that will frame the word as the child moves the card along with the recording.  A word card highlights the word being read and blocks out the other words to limit confusion, identify the specific word being read, and creates a relationship between the spoken and written word.  Following along pointing to each word with a finger also provides a ‘highlighting’ effect. 

Another option for audio books is to download e-books and use a text reader.  Most computers have Microsoft’s text reader or you can download it from the internet.  One of the best free text readers is Read Please a free online download that allows you to adjust the reading speed as well as the sound of the voice that is reading.  The program highlights the word being read and provides the multi-sensory application necessary for print/word connection.  There are also talking-books for the computer or Children’s Storybooks Online that provide a wonderful option for click-a-word talking books.

However audio books are used they are an added bonus to the reading experience and improve learning, reading, language, understanding, interest, vocabulary, behavior, relationship, story telling, motivation, emotional development, fluency, comprehension… and the list goes on and on.  Of course, reading aloud with each other is the best way to share the reading experience; recorded books provide an alternative and allow the listeners to immerse themselves in the story without stumbling over the reading process itself.  Verbatim, or unabridged recordings, are a must when reading along and give a wonderful source of a multi-sensory intervention not only for special learners, but all learners .  Above all, keep reading with your ears!

Resources:

G.  A.  Henty books on tape (Historical Novels)

www.hentybooksontape.com

Blackstone Audiobooks

www.blackstoneaudio.com

Books on Tape

www.booksontape.com

Recorded Books

www.recordedbooks.com

Downloadable Audiobooks

www.audiobooksdownload.com

Simply Audiobooks

www.simplyaudiobooks.com

Read Please text reader

www.readplease.com

Children’s Storybooks Online

www.magickeys.com/books/

Free Books

www.free-books.org

University of Virginia E-Text Library

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/ebooks/

Children’s Ebooks

www.domokos.com/freeebooks.html

Notes:

¹Boyle, E.  A., Rosenberg, M.  S., Connelly, V.  J., Washburn, S.  G., Brinckerhoff, L.  C., & Banerjee, M.  (2003).  Effects of audio texts on the acquisition of secondary-level content by students with mild disabilities.  Learning Disability Quarterly, 26(3), 203-214. 

     ²Chenfeld, M.B., Haley, V.  C. (2005).  Letter Writing and Book Listening: Advice from Special Education Teachers.  Voices from the Middle, 12(4), 21-24.

³Johnson, Denise (2003), Audiobooks: Ear-resistable! Reading Online, International Reading Association, 6(8) available at www.readingonline.org

⁴Torgesen, J.  K., Dahlem, W.  E., & Greenstein, J.  (1987).  Using verbatim text recordings to enhance reading comprehension in learning disabled adolescents.  Learning Disabilities Focus, 3(1), 30-38. 

⁵Hecker, L., Burns, L., & Elkind, J.  (2002).  Benefits of assistive reading software for students with attention disorders.  Annals of Dyslexia, 52, 243-272. 

Baskin, B., & Harris, K.  (1995). Heard any good books lately? The case for audiobooks in the secondary classroom.  Journal of Reading, 38(5), 372-376.

I’ll be at the state mega conference in Mobile, AL July 10-14 and would love to visit with families in the area. If you are in the Mobile area and would like to visit with me, I can be available Thursday evening, 7:00-9:00 pm. at Praise Christian School, 2605 Dawes Rd., Mobile, AL. However, there must be email response by Wednesday, July 12^th for me to consider this opportunity.

director@vastnetwork.org

If there is no response of attendance by email, I will understand that most of us are busy during this time of year and I will stay at the hotel, read my book, and rest! J

I am looking forward to seeing everyone!

Blessings,

Christie Berry, Ed. D.

Hey, ya'll! I'll be in Birmingham, AL July 7-8th at the Chef of Alabama Home School Convention! My good friend, Cathy Jaime, will be with me, too!

We will be teaching workshops at our booth space both days! Here is a schedule of our workshops for Friday and Saturday:

Friday:

9-10    Making and Using Unit Studies w/ Cathy

10:15-11:15   Home Made Games for Learning w/Christie

2:45-3:45   Winning the Heart of Your Child w/Christie

4-5   Surviving the Schooling of Several Siblings w/Cathy

Saturday:

9:15-10:15   Teaching Children with Attention Problems Pt. 1 w/Christie

10:30-11:30   Teaching Children with Attention Problems Pt. 2 w/Christie

1:45-2:45  Enjoying Teaching Teens, Not Just Surviving Them w/Cathy

3-4   Sharing Shakespeare with Students w/Cathy

I will be teaching Saturday 3-4 in another room on

Fidget vs Focus: Sensory Integration

I am looking forward to seeing ya'll!

Blessings,

Christie

OVERCOMING HANDWRITING ‘WHOAS’!

There was a time when I bought into the whole ‘don’t make ‘em do it if they don’t want to’ philosophy. My son Ricky is a youngster that wouldn’t do a thing unless I made it a game or an otherwise ‘fun’ activity. Of course, fun being a relative term, my ideas of fun ended up in the ‘don’t make ‘em do it’ category. This made home educating him a HUGE challenge!

The other day I was talking to a friend about her son’s resistance to handwriting. I find that this resistance is prevalent in many children and is not centered only in children with disabilities. I told this perplexed mom that I had been right where she is with my son and began to share with her about the strategies that she could use to help her son overcome his resistance to writing. As we talked I realized that it is as much an opportunity for character training as it is an exercise in handwriting!

I thought of the stories in the Bible that talk of those who persisted in reaching a goal no matter the difficulty: the woman with the issue of blood that had to push through the crowd to touch the hem of His garment; the young men that went so far as to tear up the roof of the house to find healing for their friend; Paul’s perseverance for the cause of Christ. How will a child ever learn to persevere when things are difficult, if he is never taught how? How can he learn we must to do things that we just don’t enjoy doing? Resistance is not just a learning issue, it is an issue of the heart. Perseverance is a character strength that is necessary to further the work God has planned. As you learn the steps to improve handwriting, remember, this is not just handwriting but a lesson in perseverance.

Below are some strategies that may help you encourage your reluctant writer and improve handwriting skills. Using copy work as your basis for handwriting, you will help improve time on task, hand strengthening and stamina, correct pencil grip, letter formation, and last, but probably the most important, perseverance.

1. Copy work

Copy work is one of the most important activities your child can do. It helps them identify important pieces of information, piques interest and improves handwriting while teaching perseverance. A strategy one might use for those very reluctant writers is to start a notebook that holds all of the copy work that 

is done. You can use any type of notebook system; spiral bound notebook, journal, three ring binder with document protectors (my personal favorite), or any other system you find that fits your child’s personal style.

Once you have chosen a notebook method, choose a topic that is interesting to the child. It is even better if the child can choose the topic himself, as it will promote interest and encourage the handwriting process. You may want to choose a Bible passage or a line from a favorite book. You, or the child, will select the length of the copy work depending on the age of the child and their resistance to writing. Copy work can be done as early as kindergarten or first grade, or as soon as the child learns letter formation. For younger or more resistant writers one or two sentences will be sufficient to start. One sentence may be easy for us, but will seem impossible to a child that is resistant to writing.

Finally, pick up a timer from the store. We use an LCD timer that can be restarted for the same amount of time without re-entering the time. You will probably have to let your child spend a week playing with it before he will actually use it. But once the newness wears off, it will be a very useful tool for copy work! Using the timer is easy. For young or reluctant writers set it for 5 minutes. It is not as important how much is done during the 5 minutes as it is that the child works diligently and does his best work. Give him a cheat sheet so he can be sure of proper letter formation. Don’t let the child use a pen as it doesn’t allow for corrections without having to start all over. Starting over may cause frustration. Each day, praise his efforts and put the work in his notebook (or let him write in the journal a new page each day.) Don’t write multiple entries on the same page, you want to encourage the child by letting him see that his fluency and letter formation is getting better over time. After a week of writing go back through the notebook with your child and praise him on his efforts and improvement (no matter how small). The next week, use the timer again increasing the time to about 8 minutes. Continue to increase the time each week until the child writes easily for 15-20 minutes without complaint. This will improve stamina, hand strength, and perseverance.

2. Physiology of Writing

Another important part of writing is the positioning of hand and paper. The proper grip of the pencil is called the tripod position. The pencil should rest on the side of the middle finger near the first knuckle while the pointer finger and thumb grip the pencil with their tips. The hand should rest relaxed on its side 

while holding the pencil to the paper. The pencil should stick up at an angle about forty-five degrees from the hand. It may be necessary to pick up a good positioning pencil grip. Hand stress is prominent when hand position is not correct. There are also three sided pencils that can be used. Smaller hands need smaller pencils and larger spaces to write on. Use a wider rule and over time decrease the rule width to the appropriate width for your child.

Paper position is also important. For right handed children, position the top of the paper at a slant to the left so the edge of the paper is parallel to the resting arm. The arm and hand should be straight. For left handed writers, there are two ways that are taught for positioning. The first one is the exact opposite of that for the right handed child. The other is to position the top of the paper at a slant to the left and bend the wrist around to see what is written, writing in an upside down manner. Either is correct.

Another benefit for your reluctant writer is hand strengthening exercises. You can use clay or a stress ball to strengthen the hand by having the child squeeze the clay with the whole hand and with the writing thumb and fingers. This exercise increases strength and stamina as well as isolating the specific muscles that need to function together in the handwriting process. Stringing beads, hand sewing and other fine motor and eye-hand coordination activities will also help improve handwriting.

3. Style

One of my many soap box issues (and I have many) is changing handwriting styles after 3 years of instruction! Our culture teaches manuscript in grades K-3 and then changes mid-stream and teaches cursive and expects our children to become fluent hand-writers. Unfortunately, for most of our children, this is a difficult transition at best. The experts are now seeing this is a terrible problem for our typical children, let alone our children with learning issues. Whether you start with printing, D’Nealian, calligraphy, italics, or cursive, don’t change mid stream. You might consider working on traditional cursive as a print style and later teach the child to connect the letters. If you have an older child that has already learned to print, teach him to sign his name in cursive and allow him do everything else in print. Encourage neat printing during the writing time. If the child wants to learn cursive or calligraphy later, then use the same technique and teach him cursive or calligraphy. You may choose to start with italics and use it for the entire school career. If you are starting with a young child a good 

place to start handwriting skills is with large muscle movement drawing letters in the air with arms and hands. Gradually move to smaller and smaller formation of letters such as drawing letters with hands and fingers in sand, paint or pudding. Finally, move to large single letters on a regular size piece of paper with a pencil or crayon (no lines), then to primary lined paper (with raised lines if necessary) and eventually to regular lined paper.

BHF Fluent Handwriting is a handwriting program available that starts with detached lettering in a cursive type style and then moves to an attached lettering using the same letters taught in the detached style. It comes on CD-ROM that allows you to print pages for practice or add your own text for printing copy work. Some of the lettering is a bit odd, but a wonderful program to use. We are using basic cursive for the print without connecting and will learn to connect the letters later. This has been time consuming, as basic cursive is not on the computer, but it has been well worth the time and effort involved for our youngest child.

“So,” you may ask, “will this make my child love to write?” This I cannot answer. But, if I were to attempt it, my answer would be “probably not.” If you are consistent, patient, encouraging, and have appropriate expectations then you will see improvement. You should see improvement in stamina, legibility, and fluency. Yet, I believe that the most important lessons learned using this method are perseverance, obedience, and a lesson of the heart: to press toward the mark of our calling.

Hey Ya'll!

We are headed to Florance, AL March 25th! We are so excited about meeting all of our friends there. I will have our newest book, Heart Songs, available for you to purchase!

The keynote address is Heart Songs; Winning the Heart of your Child.

I will be doing a second session in the afternoon on Special Needs... this session will be centered on those in attendance. Please come and ask your questions so I will have something to talk about! :) It will only be a success if you are there!

For more info and to register Contact:
Marni

Help Us Spread the Word!!!

We extended the pre-registration date to April 1st! Without you the Mom's retreat will not happen!

Christie Berry

Those of you that made it this weekend, wasn't it great! Boy, am I tired! But the blessing of being allowed to spend a few hours doing God's work is worth all the tired in the world! What an honor it was to be in the presence of the Almighty while he molded, shaped, answered, loved and blessed those that came to the workshop this weekend!

I am so honored that He has trusted me enough to be His hands in the doing. I am honored that He has entrusted me with the precious hearts and souls of His creation. I am humbled by the stories He has written on each of your hearts and that He has granted me the blessing of hearing them! Wow, God just blows me away!

You are so loved by the Creator! He not only loved you, but He died for you. He not only trusted that you could fulfill a great mission, He has given you one of the greatest missions there is! You are the vessel He will use to bring Glory to Himself through the special child He placed in your life and your home! He didn’t just throw the child there, hoping you would figure it out along the way, He stood at the ready to answer your questions, heal your hurts, guide your hand, carry you, and make provision as you travel this difficult journey! Be honored that you have been chosen!

I know that many well meaning people say this, "God only gives special children to special people!" But, as a special mom, I have found that there really is a reason for God's allowing a special need in my child. Let me share my story. Maybe you can see how God used my youngest special child to bring salvation to my husband!

Our first born was only 3 when his daddy went to Iraq to fight in the war. Far from his understanding was this fact that daddy was fighting for his freedom, that the country was safe, or that there was danger. He only understood that daddy was gone.

Until that year, I had been living a back-slider's life. My husband was an atheist, my child born into sin, and I was forsaking what I knew to be Truth. Up to that point, my husband didn't want any more children and I wanted another. At least, I knew better than to "accidentally" get pregnant.

I was attending a local college and during the spring semester I was in a daily class with several Christians that would talk to me after class each day. We talked about the word, God, lifestyles, well, you get the picture. God knew exactly what I needed to turn back to Him and He orchestrated it beautifully, as only He can! I rededicated my life back to Him and found a church to attend. I also began to pray for my husband's safety and salvation! Along with these supplications, I included my heart's desire, to have another child. The prayer went something like: You know my heart in this desire Lord, if you want us to have another child you will change my husband's heart.

In April he returned from the war. We discussed children and having surgery to stop future pregnancies. He decided that surgery wasn't an option. He also decided that we should wait before making the decision about future pregnancies. Hmmm? Was God at work here, or what?

By June, he had decided that we could try to have another child! Yippee!! Boy, did God get the Glory on that one! At the end of June the Holy Spirit told me that I would conceive a girl child! Wow! What an awesome revelation! Not only did God change my husband's heart, He also told me we would have a girl! Whooopppie!!! I couldn't stop telling everyone what God had done!

In September we conceived and by October I was bleeding. I went to the doc and he told me it was just a zygote and that I was probably trying to abort! (What do they know?) I just absolutely refused to believe it! I knew God told me that we would have a girl! I knew God changed my husband's heart! I knew that He wouldn't do all of that to allow my baby to die before the doctor even considered her a baby! So I went to God! I reminded Him of all he had done so far. The bleeding stopped!

In November God's Spirit talked to me again. This time it was different. With the most peaceful feeling and the calmest voice in my heart He told me that there would be a problem at birth and that it would be instrumental in the salvation of my husband. I shared this with only one friend and then waited. The rest of the pregnancy was normal.

My due date was early June. When I hadn't even began to show signs of giving birth, the docs just told me to walk and wait. I was two weeks late when I began to feel bad. I told the doc and his recommendation was to rest. But, he made provision for me to come in early Monday morning, if I hadn't had the baby yet, to be induced.

So there I was Monday morning in the hospital, hoping to see my girl soon! During the labor, her heart stopped. It actually stopped several times and finally the doc was called and they determined that emergency surgery was necessary. Shelly was born with her lungs full of tarry stool and was not well at all. Her lungs collapsed when they removed the stool and a chest tube was inserted. She had several 'spells' as the nurses called them and she was air-evacuated to a hospital 90 miles away to receive special care.

I was remembering what the Holy Spirit had told me. I remembered the peace, the joy, the move of God on my husband's heart. I knew that it would all be ok!

My friend that I told about the problem at birth came to the hospital to pray with me. My son was on my husband's lap and they sat in the rocking chair adjacent to my bed. My friend, my mom, and several others from our church came in and stood around my bed to pray. My husband didn't move, but stayed in the room with us quietly while we prayed. Now this may sound like nothing to you, but to me, Wow! He had never remained in a room where people had prayed, Never!

For the next 7 years, I watched God use our little girl to wrap up the heart of my husband! And the week before Mother's day, it was our little girl that he was protecting from demonic influence when he decided that he needed God's Salvation! He prayed for salvation on the floor of our living room while our little girl rejoiced and played!

God is truly awesome! He knows what we need in our lives. He knows how to equip us for the mission He sends us out on. He prepares the path for our journey. He loves us and keeps us safe, even in the midst of terrible storms in our life. Get close to Him! Let Him hold you tight and keep you as you walk the special journey He planned for you. You are special. He died for you and he has chosen you for this unique and awesome calling.

By Barbara Frank
Recently I wrote about the happy medium, that wonderful place halfway between hyperactivity and lethargy, where homeschool moms can find themselves if they do enough, but not too much. Let’s dig a little deeper into this topic.

An Overload of Activities
One of the obstacles to keeping our families in the happy medium is an overload of activities. There are so many good things out there; we don’t want our children to miss out on any of them. But we don’t realize what a toll a schedule loaded with activities takes on us and on our children. We need to periodically assess the activities our families are involved in, as well as those looming on the horizon, and ask a few questions about each one:

· Exactly what benefits does this activity provide for my child(ren)?
· How eager is each child to go to each activity?
· Would we benefit more from spending the time that the activity takes (include driving-back-and-forth time) at home, getting things done or even relaxing?

Some moms feel that staying home doesn’t permit getting things done or relaxing, but instead requires them to spend all their time keeping their children occupied. They may avoid being home with their children for long periods for that reason. But it’s not the mom’s job to keep the children busy all the time; it’s up to the children.

As children grow, they need to learn to manage their own schedules and entertain themselves more. It’s very important that they not grow up accustomed to always being told where to go and what to do next. That’s what happens in formal school, and while that may be the ideal preparation for a life of factory work, it’s not what our children need in order to be prepared for the world we live in now.

It’s also good for our children to have periods of solitude so that they can think, dream, and most importantly, grow spiritually. You can’t hear God’s voice when you’re always on the run. When given time to be alone, children actually learn to enjoy solitude.

It takes time for them to get to that point, though, especially if they aren’t used to taking ownership of their day. You have to be tough and insist they keep themselves busy for short periods (which will lengthen over time).

The same principle applies to children in a group, either your own brood alone or when they have friends over. Today’s “play-dates” have become Mom-run events, with preplanned craft projects and movies. As a result, this generation of children is unused to the free and unorganized play of previous generations. But there are valuable lessons that can be learned from free play. We parents must stop thinking that we are solely responsible for everything our children need to learn and do. There are many opportunities for learning through free play, alone and with other children, as long as parents don’t get in the way and try to run it. If our children are given those opportunities, they will learn from them; meanwhile we’ll be able to accomplish the other things we need to do.

Curriculum Stress
I remember obsessing over finding the best stroller for my first baby years ago. What a waste of time that was! I had yet to learn that as far as little ones are concerned, it’s not how nice of a stroller you have, but whether you have a mama who will use it to take you to the park and push you on the swing.

The same concept applies to curriculum---some are better than others, and the success of any curriculum often depends on the mom’s teaching style and the child’s learning style. But no curriculum carries as much weight as a mom who has time to sit with her children, answer their questions and help figure things out together. The very best curriculum will be hampered if the mom is not willing to help when help is needed, and a lousy curriculum can still be of use if the mom takes the time to tailor it to the child.

Whatever homeschool resources you use, you must be available to help your child. If you are in the vicinity, you’ll get a handle on whether the requests for help are genuine, as well as when they are an out for someone too lazy to figure things out on their own. But if you’re on the phone a lot, or otherwise distracted much of the time, you are not available to help your child. That will make things difficult no matter how good the curriculum is.

Being a Perfect Mom
Being available to your children does not mean hovering over them or letting your other responsibilities go in order to attend to the slightest whimper or demand. Sometimes we try so hard to anticipate our child’s every need that we wear ourselves out, and our child, too.

If that’s been a problem for you, remember that God chose you to be your child’s mom---just the way you are, warts and all. Try to enjoy it instead of always trying to perfect it. Don’t try to live like other homeschooling moms who seem to have it all together. No matter how long they have been homeschooling, they still have their trials like everyone else. Be yourself, and let your children be themselves.

Don’t forget to work in some time for yourself each day, no matter how little, so you don’t burn out. When you feel overwhelmed (and everyone does at times), don’t be afraid to ask your husband for help. Asking a friend to watch your children for a few hours can also make a difference. Just make sure you’re there for her when she needs a break.

Do you feel guilty when you take time for yourself? I once read an essay by a woman who recalled her mom letting the housework slide whenever she found a particularly good book. Seeing her mom stop everything to park in a chair and become immersed in a book for a while gave this woman permission to do the same thing, and she became an avid reader from childhood on. Besides, it’s good for your children to see that you are a real person with interests of your own, and not just “Mom.”

Finally….
Achieving the happy medium for your family is a wonderful thing, but it slips away easily. Just when you have all your ducks in a row (a good schedule, terrific homeschooling resources, etc.), it seems as though something stops working before long. The math curriculum becomes something to slog through instead of something to learn from. Wednesdays stop being a good day to run errands. Your son decides soccer is no longer the love of his life. Changes must be made, again.

Your family’s needs change as everyone grows, so you must learn to be flexible in letting some things go and bringing other things into the life of your family. Like a ship’s captain traveling through choppy seas, your goal is not to stay firmly in place, but to keep things on an even keel through good times and hard times. Take heart: the longer you homeschool, the better you’ll get at this, so keep at it, and don’t give up the ship!

Barbara Frank is the mother of four homeschooled-from-birth children ages 12-21, a freelance writer/editor, and the author of “Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers”. To visit her Web site, “The Imperfect Homeschooler”, go to www.cardamompublishers.com.

© 2005 Barbara Frank

By Barbara Frank
Recently I wrote about the happy medium, that wonderful place halfway between hyperactivity and lethargy, where homeschool moms can find themselves if they do enough, but not too much. Let’s dig a little deeper into this topic.

An Overload of Activities
One of the obstacles to keeping our families in the happy medium is an overload of activities. There are so many good things out there; we don’t want our children to miss out on any of them. But we don’t realize what a toll a schedule loaded with activities takes on us and on our children. We need to periodically assess the activities our families are involved in, as well as those looming on the horizon, and ask a few questions about each one:

· Exactly what benefits does this activity provide for my child(ren)?
· How eager is each child to go to each activity?
· Would we benefit more from spending the time that the activity takes (include driving-back-and-forth time) at home, getting things done or even relaxing?

Some moms feel that staying home doesn’t permit getting things done or relaxing, but instead requires them to spend all their time keeping their children occupied. They may avoid being home with their children for long periods for that reason. But it’s not the mom’s job to keep the children busy all the time; it’s up to the children.

As children grow, they need to learn to manage their own schedules and entertain themselves more. It’s very important that they not grow up accustomed to always being told where to go and what to do next. That’s what happens in formal school, and while that may be the ideal preparation for a life of factory work, it’s not what our children need in order to be prepared for the world we live in now.

It’s also good for our children to have periods of solitude so that they can think, dream, and most importantly, grow spiritually. You can’t hear God’s voice when you’re always on the run. When given time to be alone, children actually learn to enjoy solitude.

It takes time for them to get to that point, though, especially if they aren’t used to taking ownership of their day. You have to be tough and insist they keep themselves busy for short periods (which will lengthen over time).

The same principle applies to children in a group, either your own brood alone or when they have friends over. Today’s “play-dates” have become Mom-run events, with preplanned craft projects and movies. As a result, this generation of children is unused to the free and unorganized play of previous generations. But there are valuable lessons that can be learned from free play. We parents must stop thinking that we are solely responsible for everything our children need to learn and do. There are many opportunities for learning through free play, alone and with other children, as long as parents don’t get in the way and try to run it. If our children are given those opportunities, they will learn from them; meanwhile we’ll be able to accomplish the other things we need to do.

Curriculum Stress
I remember obsessing over finding the best stroller for my first baby years ago. What a waste of time that was! I had yet to learn that as far as little ones are concerned, it’s not how nice of a stroller you have, but whether you have a mama who will use it to take you to the park and push you on the swing.

The same concept applies to curriculum---some are better than others, and the success of any curriculum often depends on the mom’s teaching style and the child’s learning style. But no curriculum carries as much weight as a mom who has time to sit with her children, answer their questions and help figure things out together. The very best curriculum will be hampered if the mom is not willing to help when help is needed, and a lousy curriculum can still be of use if the mom takes the time to tailor it to the child.

Whatever homeschool resources you use, you must be available to help your child. If you are in the vicinity, you’ll get a handle on whether the requests for help are genuine, as well as when they are an out for someone too lazy to figure things out on their own. But if you’re on the phone a lot, or otherwise distracted much of the time, you are not available to help your child. That will make things difficult no matter how good the curriculum is.

Being a Perfect Mom
Being available to your children does not mean hovering over them or letting your other responsibilities go in order to attend to the slightest whimper or demand. Sometimes we try so hard to anticipate our child’s every need that we wear ourselves out, and our child, too.

If that’s been a problem for you, remember that God chose you to be your child’s mom---just the way you are, warts and all. Try to enjoy it instead of always trying to perfect it. Don’t try to live like other homeschooling moms who seem to have it all together. No matter how long they have been homeschooling, they still have their trials like everyone else. Be yourself, and let your children be themselves.

Don’t forget to work in some time for yourself each day, no matter how little, so you don’t burn out. When you feel overwhelmed (and everyone does at times), don’t be afraid to ask your husband for help. Asking a friend to watch your children for a few hours can also make a difference. Just make sure you’re there for her when she needs a break.

Do you feel guilty when you take time for yourself? I once read an essay by a woman who recalled her mom letting the housework slide whenever she found a particularly good book. Seeing her mom stop everything to park in a chair and become immersed in a book for a while gave this woman permission to do the same thing, and she became an avid reader from childhood on. Besides, it’s good for your children to see that you are a real person with interests of your own, and not just “Mom.”

Finally….
Achieving the happy medium for your family is a wonderful thing, but it slips away easily. Just when you have all your ducks in a row (a good schedule, terrific homeschooling resources, etc.), it seems as though something stops working before long. The math curriculum becomes something to slog through instead of something to learn from. Wednesdays stop being a good day to run errands. Your son decides soccer is no longer the love of his life. Changes must be made, again.

Your family’s needs change as everyone grows, so you must learn to be flexible in letting some things go and bringing other things into the life of your family. Like a ship’s captain traveling through choppy seas, your goal is not to stay firmly in place, but to keep things on an even keel through good times and hard times. Take heart: the longer you homeschool, the better you’ll get at this, so keep at it, and don’t give up the ship!

Barbara Frank is the mother of four homeschooled-from-birth children ages 12-21, a freelance writer/editor, and the author of “Life Prep for Homeschooled Teenagers”. To visit her Web site, “The Imperfect Homeschooler”, go to www.cardamompublishers.com.

© 2005 Barbara Frank