Information and Help for Homeschoolers with Special needs! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:28:00 -0500 Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:28:00 -0500 In the past, I've gotten copies of "The Old Schoolhouse" from our local Christian bookstore.  While it was enjoyable, those issues seemed more geared towards the beginning homeschooler.  I must confess to brushing the magazing itself off as "uninspiring".  Recently, I was encouraged to give "The Old Schoolhouse" another try.  The first issue dealt with quite a few topics of interest to me- special needs, Charlotte Mason, and teaching the gifted child to name a few.  Not only did I find a lot of encouragement and inspiration in its pages, I really enjoyed the digital format! I was fascinated by one mother's tale of how Charlotte Mason's homeschool methods helped her autistic son connect with his siblings.  I was encouraged by another mother who admitted to feeling barely a step ahead of her gifted daughter.  (I have no idea how many times I've felt like my son was draggin me along through his schoolday in a dizzying whirlwind of "Mommy, know what I just discovered?")  And yes, I was inspired by a father's story of life with his special needs daughter.  He challenged me with the thought that, "All children have special needs." While I can't say "If you can only get one homeschool magazine, this is the one," I must say I think the digital subscription is well worth the price.  Give it a try, I think you'll find "The Old Schoolhouse" magazine to be very... inspiring!  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/575442/ Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:28:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/575442/ As disorganized as I can be, I've always admired those homeschool families who seem to have it all together.  I can plan and prepare for weeks before the first full schoolday of the year, but it never quite happens the way I envision it.  Within the first two weeks, all of my plans have become a disorganized pile of lists on an ever-growing stack of revisions as I scrap one plan and try another. I've tried everything from regular school planners to special homeschool notebook planners, computer programs to online forms.  Nothing worked for me.  Everything I tried was either too rigid, too easy to misplace, or too expensive (printing daily assignment lists, for instance).  I finally resigned myself to the idea that an eclectic homeschool- especially one which uses the mastery system- simply does not lend itself well to planners.   When I heard of The Schoolhouse Planner, I was skeptical.  "It might work for some, but not for me," I thought.  In fairness though, I decided to give it a try.  As a skeptic, I must warn you- I am not easily impressed.  This however, is a truly remarkable product!   Having an e-book format with type-able PDF forms makes The Schoolhouse Planner flexible and easy to use.  Should I misplace my hard copy, I can simply re-print it!  The combination of many different types of forms gives me the ability to print only the forms that will suit my family's needs.  I can plan 4-6 weeks in advance and modify lessons as needed, quickly and easily.  Lesson plans can print on two pages, so even if I change plans two or three times I don’t waste much paper and ink.   Whether you unschool, follow a traditional school-at-home curriculum, or do anything in between, The Schoolhouse Planner is ideal!  I was most impressed by the objectives planning sheet, the many different types of log pages (including logs for crafts made), and the household forms.  In fact, from the historical documents to the monthly calendars, the variety of homeschool forms, budgets, grocery lists, menu planners, chore charts, picture schedules*, prayer journals, and more, The Schoolhouse Planner is almost 5 books in one!  (I can't believe they are only charging $39 for it!) In fact, the only complaint I have is the lack of a one page "schoolyear calendar" running from July to June.  I'd have to say that's not a big issue when you consider all of the features it does have.  All in all, I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to using The Schoolhouse Planner to keep my home AND school organized this year.  Well, as organized as I can be, anyway. *Special Needs Alert: The Schoolhouse Planner has a number of pages such as this one perfectly suited to children (and moms) with Autism, ADHD and other special needs! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/574263/ Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:21:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/574263/ Hi all, it seems once again, I am trying something new.    Lately, it seems wherever I go in cyberspace people stop to ask me “What curriculum should I use for my special needs child?”  Unfortunately, I really can’t tell anyone which curriculum to use; I don’t know their child as they do.  I can only give them several places to start searching. After much thought, I finally decided to try my hand at writing product reviews.  I can’t tell you what product will work for your child, but I can tell what type of child (or family) may benefit from a specific product or curriculum.  I hope you find this helpful.  Keep sending your questions and suggestions. Rachael http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/573651/ Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:12:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/573651/ Wow!  It is not often I get personal, but this week has been really interesting... Some friends came for a visit.  They live far away so we only see each other once a year, though we chat online a lot.  As a result of the infrequency with which we see them, I tend to reflect a lot on the previous year while they are here.  This year, something very interesting happened. On the day (night actually) that they arrived, we went to meet them and help set up their camper.  Of course, they arrived late because on vacations, things do not always go as planned.  By the time we finished it was very late and we had some hungry children!  We decided to treat everyone to a nice meal at a local restaurant- the only one open at that time of night. As we pulled up, I had that familiar sinking feeling- the one that comes when you plan to take four tired, hungry kids with special needs into a loud (and often slow service) restaurant.  I knew if something was not done quickly, we would have four loud hungry tired meltdowns on our hands.  That's enough to get anyone thrown out of any restaurant!  ;~)  Thinking quickly, I asked the lady seating us if we could have a large plate of fries right away, before we even ordered our drinks.  The fries came within minutes, just as the drinks were arriving and the children were getting restless.  Now, that may not seem like a big deal, but to an adult with Asperger's, it was huge!  It required not only a level of thinking and planning that, one year ago, would have been difficult even when I wasn't hungry and tired; it also required the confidence to ask the staff of this restaurant to do something they don't normally do.  A year ago, I would never have been able to do something like that.  It feels awesome! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/566580/ Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:50:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/566580/ In the book Language Development: From Two to Three (1991), Lois Bloom compared conversation to a game of catch.  Growing up, I was introduced to a game actually called "Conversation Catch" that revolutionized the way I, as a person with Asperger's, handled conversations.  Now, 20 years later, it is the central part of Social Skills training in our home.  I've had so many discussions about this game on Delphi Forums AS community that I feel the need to post a description of the basic game and all of my variations here. Here, then is the general framework of the game: "A conversation is like a game of catch.  One person introduces a topic and, like a ball, throws it in the air.  The other person, if interested, catches the topic and adds their comment or question.  The conversation, like a game of catch, will contnue as long as both continue to take turns and add their part to the game."  Use an actual nerf ball to give the needed visual and hands-on approach. When playing this game with my children, I find the first step is simply to identify the need.  Is the goal to teach turn-taking in conversation?  To end interrupting?  To keep conversations on topic?  I've used this game to teach all of this and more, introducing a variation to demonstrate the problem in a visual and hands-on manner.  The second step then, is to figure out how to demonstrate the problem within the game.  You may want to test the idea with another adult before introducing it to the children to make sure it works as you imagined it. Once children have been introduced to the basic game, I like to throw my pre-planned variation in there.  If teaching children not to interrupt, for instance, during the child's turn I walk up and grab the ball, making my own comment.  As all changes are greeted with a moment of shock and "that's not in the rules", I am able to use the situation as a springboard for discussion.  Allowing the child to define the problem and relate it to conversations himself in a Socratic-style discussion works best for both my son and daughter.  Even better results are gained when he is able to verbalize the solution on his own! Here are some of the skills I have taught using "Conversation Catch" and the variations I have introduced.  Feel free to post a comment or email me if you have used it in other ways or would like to see a specific variation added. Monologuing- stop turn taking, keep the ball and keep talking Interrupting- grab the ball as mentioned above Off topic/Special interests- ignore the ball and let it bounce past you Eye contact- look away as a child is talking, catching the ball at the last minute "Sneak attack" conversations- walk past the child with the ball hidden, then pop it at the child with a sudden, unexpected comment larger conversations- once a child has mastered 2 person conversations, add a sibling! All of these skills can be difficult for a child with autism or Asperger's.  Seeing them in this game makes them much easier to master.  Ideally, the game should be played at least once a week until a particular skill is mastered.  After that I like to put the game away for a month so it is always fresh and new.  Even after a skill is mastered, it is good to bring it out in the game once in a while to keep skills sharp. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/540055/ Thu, 29 May 2008 16:11:01 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/540055/ Recently a friend shared that she loved the Classical concept, but she and her son were more unit study people and asked if that would work.  While there are excellent resources out there for teaching "the Trivium, the Whole Trivium, and nothing but the Trivium," she felt that there was not much out there for the laid-back parent who admired the basic concept of Classical Education.  For those of you who share her frustration, here is the outline I gave her as a starting point: Kindergarten: Math- Natural Number Primer from Google Books; Unit Studies-  Take about 2 weeks per topic: Farms; Bugs and Creepy Crawlies; Plants & Trees; Seasons & Weather; Mammals & Hibernation; Pilgrims, Turkeys & Thanksgiving; Stars & Planets; Christmas/St Nicholas; Birds & Fish; Amphibians & Reptiles; Dinosaurs, Creation & the Ice Age; Bible Times; Ancient Times; Medieval Times; Pirates; Oceans; Trains; People of the World Obviously, many of these topics are his interests organised by season.  Most resources for these unit studies can be found at the library and on www.enchantedlearning.com.  Notebooks or lapbooks can be made for each topic- since most small children are "doers".  Usborne books makes some great resources for many of these topics as well.  Remember at this age level, the real goal is simply to learn that learning is fun! 1st Grade: Math- introduce Hamilton's Arithmetic from Google Books or Math U See; History/Science based Unit studies punctuate a larger unit on the 50 states: 1st 13 colonies- do a state map and story on day 1 with a state bird, tree or other nature symbol on day 2.  Continue with next state the next day.  Revolutionary War/Ben Franklin & Electricity (1-2 weeks each); More States through Civil War; Civil War/Horses (1-2 weeks each); More States through 1914; Airplanes & Rockets (1-2 weeks); WWI & WWII (just a few days); Complete the States.  You may want to finish by doing a timeline of the 50 states and the 4 major wars we fought.  I suggest using a picture of a musket for the Revolution, Cavalry for the Civil War, a Biplane for WWI, and a fighter jet for WWII. 2nd-4th Grades: Math- continue with Arithmetic choice from above (If de-schooling, use worksheets from www.MathFactCafe.com and practice on the NLVM website.  See my blog on homeschooling for free.)  Unit Study outline may last 2-4 years depending on time spent on each one.  Do more detailed unit studies on the following topics in order:     Italicised topics are optional The Ice Age/Prehistoric Animals or Fossils; Sumer-1st Civilization/Force & Motion- The Wheel;       Ancient Egypt/Animals of Africa; Ancient Israel/Conservation;  Ancient China/Animals of Asia;          Ancient Greece/Nutrition & Fitness; Ancient Rome/Astronomy: Stars, Planets & Constellations;                  7 Ancient Wonders/Earthquakes & Volcanos; Heroes, Myths & Legends/ Ancient Scientists;            Ancient & Roman Britain/Animals of Europe; Anglo-Saxons & Vikings/Clouds, Weather & Water Cycle;   Norman Conquest/Comets & Meteors; Native Americans/Animals of N America; Columbus & the New World/Introducing Planet Earth; Age of Explorers/Ocean Animals; Spanish Settlements & the Armada/Animals of S. America; Jamestown & Pilgrims/Trees of N America; Pirates & Bucanneers/Tropical Trees & Plants; Colonial America & 7 yrs war/Simple Physics- Cause & Effect; American Revolution& the Constitution/Simple Chemistry- Acids & Bases; War of 1812/Simple Ballistics; Pioneers & the Gold Rush/Rocks & minerals; Civil War/First Submarines; Industrial Revolution/Electricity or Machinery; World War I/Flight; Radio & Movies/Electromagnets & Radio Waves; World War II/Atoms & Molecules; The Space Race/NASA; The Cold War to Modern Times/Computers; 9/11/01 Coming soon: Classical Unit Studies for Middle Grades to Jr. High School... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/540029/ Thu, 29 May 2008 15:35:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/540029/ Well, it sure has been a while since I posted anything!  It gets crazy at our house at times- as I'm sure you can well imagine.  Among things adding to the chaos, our co-op has just wrapped things up for the year and we are preparing for showcase- that wonderful time of the year when we show all we have done with our respective classes.  The biggest thing taking my time right now though (besides sewing costumes for my preschool "Around the World" class program) is the planning and preparation for our new ministry at our church. I've been asked to head up a brand new ministry within the church for special needs children.  This is truly exciting for me as I get to take the knowledge from my business and the gifts the Lord has given me and combine them to help "his special sheep"! To begin with, we are having a team meeting with parents to identify special needs within our church and how they affect the children in Sunday School.  The next steps will be training sessions with Sunday School Teachers, training classroom aides, establishing a full time sensory break room with closed circuit TV for those who need it, and finally, ongoing evaluation of our program and support of the parents team. With our children's needs, church is such a crucial part of our lives, and yet, it can be the place we most often feel the least welcome.  We aim to change that- for our kids and our families.  Isaish 35:3 says to: "Strengthen the hands of those who are weak and help those whose knees give way.  Say to those whose hearts are afraid, 'Be strong.  Do not Fear.'... Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will be unplugged.  Those who can't walk will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will shout with joy." To me, the message is clear: support those who need extra help and they will be able to reach their full potential in Christ! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/526210/ Fri, 2 May 2008 16:43:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/526210/ Unschooling- a philosophy of life, it emphasizes student led learning.  “There is no difference between living and learning . . . it is impossible and misleading and harmful to think of them as being separate.”  “I believe that we learn best when we, not others, are deciding what we are going to try to learn, and when, and how, and for what reasons or purposes” - John Holt. Montessori- an educational philosophy, it emphasizes an uncluttered learning environment and a child’s natural development and appetite for learning.  Lessons are practiced until mastered- if necessary children are guided toward activities that help mastery.  “One test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.”  - Maria Montessori Waldorf- an educational philosophy, it is based upon Rudolph Steiner’s beliefs in Anthroposophy or “The wisdom of man.”  It emphasizes creativity and caring for the environment.  “"Anthroposophy is a path of knowledge, to guide the Spiritual in the human being to the Spiritual in the universe.  It arises in man as a need of the heart, of the life of feeling; and it can be justified only inasmuch as it can satisfy this inner need.” - Rudolph Steiner Unit Study- an integrated approach to learning, it emphasizes the connectedness of learning as opposed to individual subjects.  It is typically used by those following the Moore’s approach of delayed academics, but also lends itself well to large families with multi-level teaching.  "Education is not about teaching, it's about learning.”  – Dr. Raymond Moore Charlotte Mason- an educational philosophy, it emphasizes good habits and “noble thoughts” for a quality education.  The Charlotte Mason method is neither exclusively student-led nor highly formalized.  It depends upon the parent to guide the child in the necessary studies, concepts, etc. for proper mental and moral development.  Narration, Dictation and Copywork are heavily relied upon, as are short lessons in younger grades.  Great art, “living” books, and Nature itself are central to this method.  "Education is a life; that life is sustained on ideas; ideas are of spiritual origin, and that we get them chiefly as we convey them to one another.  The duty of parents is to sustain a child's inner life with ideas as they sustain his body with food.”  “  The child asks "Why?" and the parent answers, rather proud of this evidence of thought in his child.  There is some slight show of speculation even in wondering "Why?" but it is the slightest and most superficial effort the thinking brain produces.  Let the parent ask "Why?" and the child produce the answer, if he can.  After he has turned the matter over in his mind, there is no harm in telling him - and he will remember it - the reason why.  Every walk should offer some knotty problem for the children to think out - "Why does that leaf float on the water and this pebble sink?" and so on.  “– Charlotte Mason Principle Approach- an educational philosophy based upon a Biblical Worldview, it emphasizes the “4-R” method of learning: Research, Reason, Relate, and Record.  It relies upon these steps to help a child discover God’s reason for each subject they study.  It is primarily Calvinist in viewpoint.  “God had reserved America for a Bible-reasoning, Bible-writing people who would educate their children and write their documents of government according to God’s Word.”  “The ability to reason from the Word of God and to relate its principles to every area of life was characteristic of the American clergy prior to the American Revolution.  The ministers of the Gospel understood civil government because they knew church government.”  – Rosalie Slater Classical- an educational philosophy based upon the methods of education used in ancient Greece and Europe during the middle Ages to the 19th century and adapted to modern life.  This was the style of education that produced men such as C. S. Lewis.  “Education does not occur on a factory assembly line.  We disagree with the "one formula fits all" approach which attempts to press every child into the same mold.  Each and every child is one-of-a-kind, growing up in the unique family where God has placed him.  You, the parents, must determine for yourselves, under the direction and guidance of the Lord, what is the best approach for your own family and for each of your own children.”  – Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn Robison Self-Taught- an intensive educational method, it focuses on teaching children to become independent learners.  “Parents need only to provide their children with high-quality educational materials, a good study environment, and excellent study habits.  Anything or anyone who gets between the student and the books diminishes this activity.” www.robinsoncurriculum.com Traditional- This method is probably most familiar to the American Public.  “School at home” It depends heavily upon textbooks, workbooks, lectures, and tests.  It is most likely of all the methods to cause burnout, especially when a family faces a crisis situation. Comparison Chart Method Unschooling Montessori Waldorf Unit Study Charlotte Mason Principle Classical Robinson Self-Taught Traditional Focus Life Skills Learning Environment The “Whole Child” Special Themes Quality Education Worldview Trivium * Three R’s School Standards Learning Styles All Visual Kinesthetic ? All All V/A/R V/A/R Read/Write V/A/R Reading Real Books chosen by child ? Introduced at age 7 Heavy on Mythology Real books chosen by parent “Living” books (High Quality & Interest) Original McGuffey Readers, Similar Texts Classical Books & English Lit Real Books/ No TV Reading textbooks w/ book excerpts Science Student led sensory Sensory hands-on Focus on Nature Integrated# Nature Study Sensory Apologetic view Developmental See Trivium College level later Textbook/ workbook History/ Social Studies Student led ? Heavy Focus on Mythology Integrated# Living Books Chronological Pro-liberty Providential Primary Sources Chronological Government Western Civ If needed Skips around (Depends on Textbook) Grammar Composition Vocabulary Explanation of studies ? Grammar Letter Writing Composition Composition Integrated# Narration Copywork Dictation Webster’s 1828 Dictionary Grammar Composition Trivium * Grammar Logic Rhetoric Composition Textbook Workbook Math Hands on Student led Hands on self- correcting Manipulatives Incremental & Developmental Usually Separate Workbook Drills and Mastery Early American Approach to Math Trivium * Saxon- No Calculators Work-text Drills and Memorization Other Subjects/ Studies As desired by student  ? Fine Arts Gardening Woodworking Fine Arts Field Trips Fine Arts Classical / Romance Languages Apologetics and Worldviews usually Classical Lang Logic Public Speaking     Approach to Teaching Student led Mastery ? Real life Experiences Mastery Mastery Notebook- 4R Mastery Guided, Sequential Graded, Sequential Grades No ? ? Optional No Yes Yes Possibly Yes Tests No No ? Optional Little to none Yes Yes Possibly Yes Homework No Little ? No Little to None Yes No Yes Yes Learning Directed by Student Student Parent Parent Parent Guided Parent Parent Program w/ Parent Mentoring                           http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/500835/ Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:22:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/500835/ My LD causes me to get overloaded when there is so much information coming at me It's like a pea soup and I have to slowly separate it.  And I mean slowly, a few days.  One step at a time.  Pushing it causes me to have a headache because there is just too much info coming at me.  Feels like storm troopers running at a fast pace towards me.  And I panic and turn away.  People who think quickly get impatient with me and reject me.  Or assume I'm slow and stupid.  When LD people are just the opposite.  We're just slow learners.  And get easily frustrated when we're up against the forest.  (Can't see the forest through the trees) Aspies who's brains work fast at learning problems...  like computer programs... lose patient with us.  People with LD seem so smart on one level but on another so slow...  what's with us?  Nothing is with us.  That’s how our brains work.  In some areas we are excellent, communication, art.  In other areas (like sciences and maths) we seem to barely move. We frustrate many Aspies who don't have the learning problems that we (Aspies with LD) have.  Push us and we get confused and stumble.  Now we are in the quagmire of confusion.  We are trying to figure out what exactly you are asking and yet are processing your request through AS and LD stews. We get upset and really muddle things up.  Once we can back away and look at things objectively without pressure we can sort things out.  But that takes time and patience.  Not even many Aspies have that, unless they understand LD. Very few actually do.  And not many give a **** to try.  Why read up on something that doesn't have a direct impact on your life?  Easier to give up on us and smack us with a negative label.   That's what info coming to an LD mind is like.  Pea soup or stew.  And you can't see one thing alone.  There is too much coming at me.  So my mind gets frustrated and...  shuts down.  I just give up and walk away.  That's why I hate computer programs so much.  There is just too much info to handle. You know what's more fun?  Put the LD mind with an AS minds...  and...  you have me! So who wants to trade brains? :-) Written by ChosenLass, AS/LD mom on Delphiforums, Host of Locke's AS and Friends Castle. http://forums.delphiforums.com/asntplayground/start Posted here with permission. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/484048/ Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:25:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/484048/ I used to feel very ashamed.  Then I learned that that shame, was coming from a certain very specific sector of our society, and not from ME. Over time, I began to think of the family gene as a treasure.  It allowed great grandpa to invent all sorts of neat widgets to improve the workings of steam trains in his day.  It allowed grandpa to open his own grocery store.  It allowed dad to learn how to fly aerobatics.  It allowed me to love nature so much that I would learn some math and science so I could teach others to love nature too.  And I tell the kids it's a gift that will express itself in certain special ways in them.  I also teach them the drawbacks, and how to appreciate the signals their bodies are sending them, what to do to take care of themselves, which situations might be difficult (weaknesses) and which easy (strengths).  They will have pain.  All humans do, I think it must be part of what we're here for, it makes us grow compassionate.  But there will be growth, and there will be accomplishments, even little ones, and there will be safety in good measure, and pleasure in being alive, in whatever form it takes.  And there will be contributions they make to everyone around them, that they would not make, without their pain, as well as their special gift. Having the gene is a double-edged sword, it creates a wound.  A wound is a gift, if you think about it, because it places you in extraordinary circumstances, outside the beaten path, where you might really be able to do something also extraordinary.  A wound will leave you defenceless, weak and helpless at first, as you curse nature for doing such a thing, and then as you muster strength to heal, it will leave you with a new power that the unwounded may not possess, a special contribution, just by being you, and having this experience. Written by Sciencenerdy- AS mom on Delphiforums   www.delphiforums.com Posted here with permission. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/484041/ Tue, 19 Feb 2008 21:14:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolhelpUSA/484041/