• Jul. 27, 2008 - New Blog address
• Jul. 11, 2008 - I.E.P's All Around!
I.E.P is the acronym for "Individual Education Plan" and I am already thinking about what I will be setting up for each child for September. You see, they make I.E.P's all the time for special needs kids. I have known the term for years and always set these up for all of my kids because I believe that every child is unique and needs individual plans for study. I.E.P's allow a teacher to really assess a child's accomplishments as well as "red flag" areas that may need a little more attention. These I.E.P's can include more than just the educational side of things. For example, in my son's I.E.P (14 year old with aspergers) I have a goal set to help him with his socialization. It is my goal to get him involved with Kerry's Place, a local autism support place. They have 4H classes, art shows, etc for children on the spectrum. My goal is to actually get him there and get him in a positive frame of mind. For those of you who know us, you will agree that this will certainly be a challenge.
For my 2nd youngest child, who will be beginning grade 1, my goals for her are very different. I have goals set that will help her start writing her own stories, learning some new math concepts, and other more educational stuff. As for socialization, this child integrates so well that I don't even need to include that in her I.E.P. It is truly amazing to think about how different each child is and to be honest, it scares me when a school board (I am talking public school, not private school) follows a curriculum that is designed to work with every child. It just doesn't work. Nobody is the same, everyone is unique, and many of these kids fall through the cracks.
So, it is only July and I am already starting to set up each child's I.E.P's. I want to be organized before September and have all of the goals in place. When I have them written up I will share one or two of them to show you what I mean by "individual" education plans. These little gems are just great for me as a teacher because they help me stay focused on what needs to be worked on.
I hope you are having a terrific summer so far.
Love Samantha
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• Jul. 5, 2008 - Wow! The prices!!
I am just shocked at how much everything costs these days! Obviously the gas prices are sky high, but the cost of food is also rising. Trying to feed a family of 7 has made us even more resourceful as ever. I have planted tomatoes, parsley, basil, cucumbers and a few other items. Our home has very limited gardening space so I am doing the best I can with containers. I love the barrel planters from Ikea and like to plant my lettuce and swiss chard in them. It feels good to grow some of our own food but I know it will feel even better when we have some actual land and we can grow some real gardens!
I have been baking more than ever and trying to avoid all prepackaged items. I won't buy ready-made muffins when I can make them myself. This has proven to be a wonderful learning experience for my children because they all love cooking and helping in the kitchen.
When I went grocery shopping the other day I noticed a large increase in the price of rice and pasta. This scares me because my daughter has celiac disease and requires food made from rice flour rather than wheat flour. This is going to encourage me even more to cut back where I can and do more with what we already have.
I would love to hear how you are keeping up with the prices of food. What are you doing to make it easier on your family? It is obvious that the prices are just going to keep going up and we all have to learn how to be more resourceful.
Love Samantha |
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• Jun. 17, 2008 - I graduated my son from grade 8!! and what have I learned?
Wow, I did it! I homeschooled my son all the way through to grade 8! It has certainly been an incredible experience! I tried so many different methods of teaching my sweet son and it wasn't until he got into grade 8 that I finally figured out what would work. I tried unschooling, classic education, Waldorf, you name it.. I tried it. It wasn't until we found out that he has aspergers that things started making more sense. I have finally settled on the Montessori method of teaching. It works well for my son as well as my other children.
Over the last 14 years my son has taught me so many things. I have learned all about having patience even through things I didn't always understand. I learned that sensory integration is a very real disorder and that when my son gets angry or has a melt-down that it is likely because he has become overwhelmed. I have learned that teaching my children proper ways to calm themselves and de-stress is very important to everyone in this family. I have also learned that children all have individual ways of learning and that these learning styles require sometimes very unique teaching approaches.
Homeschooling is something that benefits both the child and the parents as well. We have learned to work as a team and communicate in some of the silliest ways. For example, I always tell my children that I am allergic to bickering and if they need to bicker then they must bicker by using sign language only. That way they get a chance to practice their ASL and work things out on their own. (don't worry, I step in if I need to, but I generally want my children to learn how to work things out)
I have learned that having an extra box of pencils is very handy when the kids "mysteriously" lose their pencils. I have learned that lost pencils are often found in the weirdest places. I learned that the classroom is better if it includes nature. Bringing nature into our home or going out and spending time outside is a great way to discover new things. Also, I learned that I can "pretend" that snakes are not scary, but that when really face-to-face with one.. I make funny noises.
I have also learned so many great come-backs to the common questions "Are they all yours?" or "Aren't these kids in school?" and most commonly "Do they socialize with other kids?" Along with the great come-backs that I have mastered I have also learned that so many people I don't even know have an opinion of our methods. It is strange, I have never asked what their opinions are but they always give them anyway.
Happy Summer
Love Samantha |
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• May. 28, 2008 - Decluttering my Life
Life has a way of cluttering up. Not just in objects, but in the way of stress and emotions. Words like "overwhelmed" and "unorganized" come to mind with I think of this.So many of us are on the run taking kids to dance, horse riding, or soccer. It's like not only our homes have become full of "stuff", so have our to-do lists. I have been dealing with a great deal of stress due to a medical professional making a big mistake with my daughter's care. I won't go into details, but basically my life has been way too full of unnecessary medical stresses, appointments, and procedures. I need my entire life to be decluttered. I am starting with my house. It feels good to declutter the stuff we no longer need. I give it to friends or people on our local free4all list.
I have filled one industrial sized garbage bag so far and I am going to go from room to room and see what I can get rid of. Being a homeschool teacher is hard because it makes me into a natural pat rat. I look at a teaching book, or poster and say to myself.. "Oh, I won't need this. But perhaps it will come in handy later" Then I tuck it away and clutter up my house. It's time to say goodbye to clutter. At the same time I am also trying to declutter my thoughts and worries. I have been trying to do too much for so long. I have 5 kids, 3 with special needs. I run around like a crazy woman on some days, trying to meet everyone's needs. I have been forgetting about my own needs.
I went out for dinner with a dear friend last week. I came home so much more relaxed and ready to conquer the world. Going out gave me a chance to "declutter" my worries and thoughts and really understand what direction my life is taking me. I think I need to declutter my thoughts just like I am decluttering my home. It's almost like I am healing a broken me and healing my home of life's clutter.
Namaste!
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• May. 13, 2008 - Autism, the Zoo, and oh my gosh.. I am sorry Angela!
Well, our family ventured to the Toronto Zoo on Saturday. We had originally planned on going Sunday but my husband had to work. I knew it was going to be hard for Sienna because of her autism and her need to know what will happen ahead of time. A week before our trip I checked out some books from the library. They were all about the zoo and I read them over and over to Sienna. We sang songs about the zoo, we played with plastic zoo animals, we did zoo crafts. You name it, we probably did it. Everything was all about animals.
Well, the 3 hour drive was not very fun. Sienna, who hates the van, screamed most of the way there. We were so distracted that we missed the exit and landed in some very strange place full of people who didn't smile, traffic jams, and scary 6 or more lanes of traffic.
Once we found our way and got to the zoo I was very surprised at Sienna's reaction. I was expecting her to enjoy seeing the animals. I had her book with us and I was hoping we could match the animals with the book. She wanted no part of it. It was really hard for me because I really saw Sienna's autism this day. I noticed many other children enjoying the animals, even younger children. I saw 1 year olds pointing to the monkeys and laughing. I didn't see this in my daughter. Sienna is 3 years old and instead of looking at animals she spent the first part of the zoo trip burying her feet in the sand, rubbing gravel on her bare legs, and screaming. As the visit went on Sienna started running around and smashing into people and things. First she threw herself against a pillar, then she'd smash into my husband. From there she would body check me and then each of the kids. Towards the end of the visit the smashing behaviour started to include strangers. It was so so sad. She obviously was in distress and didn't know how to handle anything. Her Sensory Issues were really screaming and she really needed that deep pressure that smashing herself gave her. She didn't actually smash in to any strangers because I spent my time chasing after her and preventing any abusive moments. She was fast and almost hit a baby in a stroller. I did manage to hold her back but she did get one of the baby's cheerios. It was very exhausting and hard for all of us.
This is where the apology comes. I have this very special "sister-like" friend that I wanted to see. I was planning on calling her and hopefully getting together for a short visit. I was so overwhelmed by Sienna and her behaviours that I was unable to call. Angela, I am so so sorry that I didn't call you. I am still dealing with some stuff with Sienna and her therapists, but I will call you on the weekend. I am sorry I worried you.
Ok, back to my story. The entire trip home was hard as well. Sienna didn't want to be in her seat. I had to sit next to her and try to stop her screaming and try to keep her in her seat. Let's say... it was a nightmare trip that i won't be doing again for a long time.
To top it all off, during the visit to the zoo Asia started to have an aura for her seizures. She had gotten overheated and her body just couldn't handle it. The only thing that went well was that on the path where a big yellow sign said, "Brake for Snakes"... which indicated that there were all kinds of snakes slithering around...well... I didn't see any! That is a good thing.
The other kids were so wonderful. They behaved beautifully. They are used to autism and the weirdness it brings into our lives. They were embarrassed with Sienna's behaviours, but they really did fine.
After a great deal of thought and worry about how Sienna did on this zoo trip I learned something. After all of the preparation around this trip I forgot something very important. We had talked all about the animals, the gift shop, the van ride, the food, etc. I forgot to mention the people. People scare Sienna. She doesn't relate well to people and this is usually one thing that most kids with autism have in common. I can't believe that I forgot the people. I think that the people freaked her out so much that her sensory issues kicked in and caused her to behave like that. I am honestly afraid to think about the planned trip we are taking to Disney. How will I ever manage this trip? Thank goodness we have a wonderful respite care worker who will help us, but still.... autism sucks. It really does. I love my daughter SO much, but I really hate this autism. It's almost like I have to learn a new language to just communicate with Sienna. I can only hope that things get easier as she gets older. |
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• May. 7, 2008 - Top Homeschooling Sites
• May. 2, 2008 - A Day in the Life of a Homeschool Family
I visit a terrific mother community that has, over the years, become my home on the web. I have connected with so many like-minded mamas and have met some amazing people. Right now, on the forum, many of the members are putting together "A Day in the Life" photo slide shows of what a day in their family is like. I love looking at these and they give me an idea of how other mamas do things. I have decide to do one of these as well. I am planning to get one done for Monday or Tuesday. That way I can share what one day is like in our family.
I really hope that you will come back and see what I have put together. A day in the life of a homeschool family with 5 kids could be a lot of fun. My hope is that my photo collection will encourage and inspire other homeschool mamas with differently-abled children. (and those typical children as well)
Check back really soon,
Love Samantha
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• Apr. 24, 2008 - It's all about Confidence
The beautiful warm weather has sparked all kinds of excitement around here. We started our garden and our seedlings have started to poke their little heads up through the soil. The children spend a lot of time outside and homeschool allows us to take our classroom outside as much as possible. Today we started our photography unit. It was exciting for the kids to go on a hike and learn some fun techniques for taking pictures. I also snapped a few beautiful pictures of the kids. Here is one of all 5 of them. I love them all SO much.
 From left to right... Sienna(3), Raina(5), Raven(8), Asia(11), and Corey(14)
Raven is especially excited that the pond has woken up from the long hard winter. She loves frogs, toads, and tadpoles. She is really excited to see them but today they were all being very shy. We could hear them though, so I know they have all rolled out of their winter beds. We will attempt to visit this gem of a place as often as possible. That way the kids can see the changes and get to know nature even better than they did before. Tomorrow we are thinking of going back to enjoy everything all over again and to snap some more pictures for our photography unit. Here are some fun pictures I wanted to share.
 
Raven and Corey snapping some pictures
Thanks for reading all about our adventures. Please check back often because there are so many exciting things coming. We are planning a trip to the Toronto Zoo and Make A Wish Foundation is granting Asia's wish to go to Disney World! There really is never a dull moment in this house full of children.
Love Samantha
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• Apr. 17, 2008 - Spring Seeds
Spring is finally here! I think it is safe to put the snow shovels away and bring out the garden tools. Our homeschool is doing a lot of container growing this year. We do not have a large yard and the yard we do have it fully shaded. This frustrates me because I love to garden and really want to grow some of our own foods. There is so much that the children can learn when they manage their own gardens. Yesterday we started planting some of our seeds. We planted peas, basil, and sunflowers. Today we will be planting cucumbers and some flowers. Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying our activity. Asia was unable to actually help plant but was able to put the sticks into the pots. I have been having her help when she can and when she is feeling well enough. Putting the sticks into the pots was really all she could handle yesterday.. but I must say... she did a mighty fine job!
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• Apr. 15, 2008 - Exploring Feelings
I have been really working hard at finding answers for my son's anxiety and asperger problems. I recently ordered some new books on autism and have started working on some really fun assignments with him. Right now I am using Dr. Tony Attwood's book "Exploring Feelings, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to Manage Anxiety". 
Inside this gem of a book are all kinds of activities that will help a child think in a more positive way. The hope is to be able to teach the child new ways of dealing with stress before the stress gets to a point where the child can no longer cope. You see, for my son, stress triggers his depression. Stress is triggered by new experiences, new faces, and too much noise. I am trying to teach him how to realize that he is getting stressed and to give him the tools to feel better before he feels helpless and out of control. This book is amazing so far. We talked about the things he is good at, the things he likes about himself, and the things that make him feel happy. After we finish this book I will be putting together a "Feel Good" scrap book for him to look at when he is feeling sad. The scrap book will consist of pictures of him having fun, pictures of things he likes or things that make him smile. When he feels stressed I am going to encourage him to look at this scrap book. It will be all about him and it will be all positive. I am excited about this because when I worked with him today I really noticed how much he enjoyed talking about his positive strengths, characteristics, and the things that make him smile.
I still plan to have Corey do some volunteer work with animals but I first need to build up his confidence. He needs to know that he is a very unique and wonderful child. He needs to know that he has wonderful things to offer the world and that he can make a difference. Following the activities in this book will help to give him that confidence. I will then seek out an opportunity for him to do some volunteer work with animals. (although I will be very careful that the work he does doesn't include tragic stories with animals, that would be too much for him at this time)
Thanks for reading!
Love Samantha
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• Apr. 12, 2008 - Could it be that simple?
I drove to Ottawa yesterday to take 2 of my children to see the neurologist. I have had a lot of stress lately and one of my girls is not doing very well. My mind was on my worries when we reached the Children's Hospital and I guess you could say that I was feeling pretty down about having to come back to the hospital. Well, as I walked up to the front doors of CHEO I saw a lady and what looked like her daughter and a new baby. The lady looked upset and worried and the daughter was just as frazzled. She was holding the base of a rear-facing car seat and the look on her face told me that she had no idea what to do with it. So, I went over to this family and asked if I could help. The young girl with the seat base said that she really needed to take her baby home but didn't know how to get the seat in the car. I offered to put the seat in the car for her and she was so happy. Apparently they had been fretting for over an hour about this seat and nobody stopped to ask if they needed help.
After securing the car seat base into the car as tightly and safely as possible, I snapped the car seat into the base and got out of their car. The women were so happy that they almost kissed me. The older woman said "God Bless you" and the younger woman (obviously the mother of the baby) was in tears. As I walked away I realized how good it felt to help these people. I was no longer fretting about my own problems and I felt like I had a more positive attitude just because I had helped somebody.
So, I got thinking.... one of my children suffers from depression. He is the oldest in our family and has an anxiety disorder, as well as depression and aspergers. He looks at life as though it has dealt him an unfair hand of cards. I have tried so very hard to help him look for the positive and to try not to dwell on the negative, but he just can't think in a positive way. I know his illness is chemical and he just can't always help how he feels. So, thinking about how helping that family made me feel so much happier..... I wonder if I were to find a way to have my son help somebody. It will be tricky though. He is deeply afraid of new people. (due to the aspergers) Now, he does relate very well to animals so I am considering getting him into some sort of volunteer position were he could help animals of some kind. Just imagine.... helping an animal who really needs help could only make him feel good...right? I am hoping that this theory is a good one. I have never had experience with depression personally so I am unsure if it would really help. Feel free to leave me comments about this if you have any.
Basically, my goal for my son right now is to help him feel good about himself. I need him to realize that he is a beautiful, charming, smart, and a very important person. It is very hard for a mother to see a child so depressed. So, this week I am going to work on helping my son feel good. |
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• Apr. 9, 2008 - Welcome to my Blog
Thank you for visiting my blog. I am the proud mother to 5 shining stars. We treat each day as a new adventure and this blog is a place to share our adventures. My children are Corey(14), Asia(11), Raven(8), Raina(5), and Sienna(3). Our life is full of so many adventures.. some good and others not so good. Two of my children suffer from seizures and sometimes things can get pretty critical. I will use this blog as a place to update life in general, not just our homeschool experiences.
Being a teacher to special needs children is sometimes very difficult. Just having a good game plan for bad days and moving forward is where my goals are right now. Having children who are differently-abled has helped me to realize how wrong the school system's approach to learning is. Who needs "cookie-cutter" children. Why not celebrate the uniqueness of each child? My daughter Asia is 11 and being homeschooled allows her to do things at her own rate. Nobody teases her if her movement disorder gets worse when she writes. She works on days that she is well and the days when she isn't feeling well are the days when she enjoys her audio books and educational videos.
The world is our classroom. Somedays you will find us at the stables riding horses, other days we are at the zoo or the bank getting a tour of the vault. We learn math through living. Books are important in our family and we are always reading about new adventures. On rainy days we can be found at the kitchen table working in our workbooks. Once the rain stops you might find us at the pond learning about frog habitats. (I even brave snakes to give my kids adventures)
Please join us on our journey. Enjoy what our homeschool kids are doing and check back often for updates on our life in general.
Love Samantha |
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