We are well underway with reading and math. We haven't added anything else in, just gone ahead with our general plan to get him ready for the start of the "School Year." As a brief aside, the implementation of a routine strip into our day has helped enormously. Things run much more smoothly around here, and I don't have to keep repeating myself. Love it. Best. Idea. Ever.
Anyway, our reading plan has been modified - he is reading Dr Seuss (thank you Jen!) for practice, and we are using Hooked on Phonics for actual instruction. I thought the DVD component of the HOP plan would help LP significantly - he seems to be a very visual boy. We are now working on whether or not we have the appropriate level of the program for his skill level. At the front of the level book, there is a review from the previous level. LP is able to read the words he should be, but he needs some support to do it. Now, the instructions say he should be able to do this easily. Thing is... LP does not have a "normal" attention span. He is extremely easily distracted for a nearing four year old, and has some issues focusing on things that are not tigers, cars, trucks, or trains. This is all perfectly normal for him, but it makes assessment a lot trickier. For example, one of the words in the review is "rock." I ask him to read the word, showing him rock. He looks at me, and tells me he doesn't know what it says. I ask him to sound it out and he tells me that the line is headed by the number 3, that there are three sides to a triangle, and the box the word is in is orange. So, I refocus him, cover the -ock part of the word, and he says /r/. I uncover the o. He says /o/. I uncover the -ck. He says /k/, rock! He is very much capable of reading the words, but he is just certain for some reason that he can't. He can read cat, hug, run, etc with no help from me. Add on a fourth letter and he's SURE he can't do it. Very odd. But, I'm not sure whether to keep him at the level we have, or bump him back one. I'm not sure if backing up would lead to better speed, fluency, and confidence... or if it would lead to boredom, and money wasted. Ugh.
We have our subjects set for the '12-'13 school year. I've made a very basic scope and sequence for the things I want him to accomplish between now and this time next year. I'm very pleased with this so far, as I'm able to then look at the scope and sequence come December and see how far I have to go, and what needs work. I'm good with that.
Our subject list for the year:
Reading
Writing/Fine Motor
Math
Science
History/Social Studies
Logic
French
Health
I'm ridiculously excited to get things underway. Yes, I know it's painfully obvious, but that's just the way I am.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Back in the Swing.
I'm trying to get us back into the swing of "school." Not because we need to finish things by a set date, but because I want to be to a challenging level of activity for LP by the time we get to September. Essentially, we're hitting on the very basic skills for kindergarten, and are moving along from there. Today, we tackled reading and math. Tomorrow, I'd like to do those plus science, but we'll have to see how it goes.
Reading is a hard one. He is further along than I can get him to go. The problem is that the books designed for children to learn to read? Yeah, have you looked at those books? They're utterly boring. Like, today's book, as far as we read before he lost all semblance of interest, went like this:
Muff and Ruff.
Muff and Ruff tug a rag rug.
Mac ran to Ruff.
Mac, Muff, and Ruff tug.
Rip it up, Ruff.
Nip at it, Muff.
Ruff hid in it.
Cripes, if this was what I was reading all the time, I'd never read anything either. So now, I begin the real challenge. Finding books he can read that are interesting to him. The "We Can" (I think they're called) books, the ones where I read one side and he reads the other? Yeah, bogus. The stories are still boring, but now they're actively boring the heck out of both of us, instead of just him. I suspect we'll need to get a good library book to sit down with and we'll see what we can do from there. Of course, trying to find that library book that won't be too ridiculously over his head while still being interesting... That's the kicker.
Math was our second venture today. We started Right Start Math level A with the theory that it would be better to start him below his level and work up than it would be to start right where he is and immediately present a challenge. This way, if he's not genuinely able to complete everything covered in level A, he will have the time to do it before we start him on level B (which is where he tested). For right now, it looks like we'll be doing one lesson per day, though the program is designed for two lessons per week. At least I don't feel like I'm letting things lag behind before we jump in with both feet, right? Anyway, today's lesson was identifying quantities 1-3, on sight without counting. Also, tallying. He flew through it in no time at all. I wasn't exactly surprised that he knew it, it was how fast he adapted to the lesson and the answers I was expecting that threw me. He did great - the hardest part of the lesson for him was in the manual dexterity required to show me two and three fingers on his left hand. Hopefully the trend will continue, I suppose we'll see. Either way, I look forward to the challenges.
Reading is a hard one. He is further along than I can get him to go. The problem is that the books designed for children to learn to read? Yeah, have you looked at those books? They're utterly boring. Like, today's book, as far as we read before he lost all semblance of interest, went like this:
Muff and Ruff.
Muff and Ruff tug a rag rug.
Mac ran to Ruff.
Mac, Muff, and Ruff tug.
Rip it up, Ruff.
Nip at it, Muff.
Ruff hid in it.
Cripes, if this was what I was reading all the time, I'd never read anything either. So now, I begin the real challenge. Finding books he can read that are interesting to him. The "We Can" (I think they're called) books, the ones where I read one side and he reads the other? Yeah, bogus. The stories are still boring, but now they're actively boring the heck out of both of us, instead of just him. I suspect we'll need to get a good library book to sit down with and we'll see what we can do from there. Of course, trying to find that library book that won't be too ridiculously over his head while still being interesting... That's the kicker.
Math was our second venture today. We started Right Start Math level A with the theory that it would be better to start him below his level and work up than it would be to start right where he is and immediately present a challenge. This way, if he's not genuinely able to complete everything covered in level A, he will have the time to do it before we start him on level B (which is where he tested). For right now, it looks like we'll be doing one lesson per day, though the program is designed for two lessons per week. At least I don't feel like I'm letting things lag behind before we jump in with both feet, right? Anyway, today's lesson was identifying quantities 1-3, on sight without counting. Also, tallying. He flew through it in no time at all. I wasn't exactly surprised that he knew it, it was how fast he adapted to the lesson and the answers I was expecting that threw me. He did great - the hardest part of the lesson for him was in the manual dexterity required to show me two and three fingers on his left hand. Hopefully the trend will continue, I suppose we'll see. Either way, I look forward to the challenges.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Another month gone...
Where does the time go?
It is, once again, the Saturday following the last Friday of the month. This means that yesterday was LP's scouting day, and also my meeting at Chapter's for homeschool parents. A lot has come out of this, and I'm still kind of reeling.
First, the scout circle is doing a hiking badge. They have invited us to come out hiking on Sundays to work on the badge. I'm going to say flat out that more time out with people is never a bad thing. So we will be heading back out to the far northwest side of the city (we live in the southeast) to go hiking with the other kids. We're very excited.
Second, the speaking topic for the month was "Homeschooling through High School." Needless to say, I have a while to go before I have to worry about that. However, one of the things brought up in the discussion was that World Book Encyclopedia has, online, a scope and sequence outline (typical course of study) from preschool to grade 12. Because I'm curious as hell, and apparently some kind of glutton for information, I naturally went to check it out. I browsed through the levels one by one until I found the one which would be a most likely placement for LP. Color me stunned when he passed the listed items for 1st grade with flying colors, and would likely be promoted to 2nd in the fall - provided we worked with him on his manual dexterity and reading independence. I'm left blinking. I'm assuming that the listed items are things that are really basic for grade level- like, minimum needed to pass, as opposed to maximum. Craziness.
Third, I had a book recommended to me- Mary Sheedy Kurcinka's "Raising Your Spirited Child." By three pages in, I was sure this book would be a lifesaver. And it already is. Reading it, I am more and more certain that there is absolutely nothing amiss with LP. He is very much a "normal, just... more" child. That alone has taken a huge load off my shoulders. A huge relief.
And fourth, the mom who recommended the book to me has a four year old daughter very much like our LP. We've traded contact information and once the weather warms up we will take the kids out for some park play days. Again, we are very excited!
I do love these days - I always come back feeling just a little more ready to help my LP through this journey.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Early. It's subjective.
The Saturday morning following the last Friday of the month comes entirely too early.
Last night was the local Homeschool Parents' meeting. The format for this tends to go like this:
7p-8p: Arrival and introductions
8p-9p: Topic Discussion
9p-10p: Free chat
10p-11p: Stand outside and continue to chat in the winter weather.
The chats are usually held at Chapter's, and they close at 10, hence the last item on the agenda. Last night's topic was games and their uses in homeschooling. Our speaker covered games like Axis and Allies and Assyria (both history focused), as well as Ticket To Ride (trains and expansion), and a couple zombie games. It was a lot of fun, and I think I found more than a few games I'd like to get for LP as opportunity arises.
I spent the free chat end of the evening talking with a mom who is homeschooling her 13yo daughter, and we talked about all sorts of things. Not the least of which being to follow one's gut... and that the Elgin County Home Learners were going to be going on a field trip to their farm soon. They have a farm. I could die of jealousy. Anyhow, I'm emailing her today, as they have chicks due for hatching, and LP just covered eggs in preschool, so... perfect dovetail. Plus, they have chickens (duh), goats, and an orchard. So, a great time to visit, and a very educational visit at that.
I will probably do another quick bunch of reading assessments today. We'll see what LP is able to do, and what he isn't, and then I can try to catch up with him again. In the meantime, it is once again COLD outside, which shoots the idea of going out to play right to the ground. Ah, well. I have potato salad to make, a call with Hammie and Bupba to expect, and a whole load of other things to do, so that's probably not for the bad after all.
Last night was the local Homeschool Parents' meeting. The format for this tends to go like this:
7p-8p: Arrival and introductions
8p-9p: Topic Discussion
9p-10p: Free chat
10p-11p: Stand outside and continue to chat in the winter weather.
The chats are usually held at Chapter's, and they close at 10, hence the last item on the agenda. Last night's topic was games and their uses in homeschooling. Our speaker covered games like Axis and Allies and Assyria (both history focused), as well as Ticket To Ride (trains and expansion), and a couple zombie games. It was a lot of fun, and I think I found more than a few games I'd like to get for LP as opportunity arises.
I spent the free chat end of the evening talking with a mom who is homeschooling her 13yo daughter, and we talked about all sorts of things. Not the least of which being to follow one's gut... and that the Elgin County Home Learners were going to be going on a field trip to their farm soon. They have a farm. I could die of jealousy. Anyhow, I'm emailing her today, as they have chicks due for hatching, and LP just covered eggs in preschool, so... perfect dovetail. Plus, they have chickens (duh), goats, and an orchard. So, a great time to visit, and a very educational visit at that.
I will probably do another quick bunch of reading assessments today. We'll see what LP is able to do, and what he isn't, and then I can try to catch up with him again. In the meantime, it is once again COLD outside, which shoots the idea of going out to play right to the ground. Ah, well. I have potato salad to make, a call with Hammie and Bupba to expect, and a whole load of other things to do, so that's probably not for the bad after all.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Back to "work."
So it's been about a month since we've done any formal reading work. Five weeks, in fact. We've been working with BOB Books, sure, and we bought the LeapFrog DVDs for reading - talking letters, talking words, and complex words (Word Caper), and he has watched them mildly incessantly, but we haven't sat down and done much in the way of "sit and read" type focused lessons. In fact, we left off with that at Lesson 42 on 2/20. That lesson was "ck," and the next bunch of lessons are all blends.
Now, I have a mild problem with the reading program, which is that the student and the teacher sections are in one book, on one page, all merged. This is awful for LP, who is easily distracted. He tries to read ALL THE WORDS and not just the ones he should. So, I got some composition books for grades 1-3, and I copy out his words for him to read. It works out a lot better. Anyway, I'd only copied out to lesson 42, so I needed to do some more work if I wanted to get back to the program. So, off I went this morning. I put the LeapFrog DVDs in to occupy LP and keep his mind active, and went to work. I copied out the next two lessons, then realized, I didn't know if we'd need to review the last bunch of lessons - double letters (ss/ll/zz/ff, etc) and that "ck" sound - so I put together a tiny review on a 3x5 index card. He still has his double letters, he still has his ck sound, and he blew through the sample words from the next two lessons with ease. I was astounded. So, I had him do a few more from further along. He's gone through the next four lessons in sample words without a problem.
Once again, I'm astounded, and am stumbling over my own feet to keep up with my preschooler. He may be as far as 10 lessons from where he left off, but he was losing focus, so I opted to set aside the review rather than push it along. Now, truth be told, I'm hesitant to skip the lessons, as he still has major fluency issues, but he can sound out these words. Given that everything up through Lesson 53 is blends, and he's been sounding them out perfectly so far, I don't expect him to have any problems with the remaining lessons. But, he does still sound everything out - and slowly - one letter at a time. So, he can read "fast" and "help," but he reads them /f/-/a/-/s/-/t/... fast, and /h/-/e/-/l/-/p/... help, rather than combining the blend, or anything else faster, but fluency will come with time. I have to remind myself of that one, as it's been so long since I've sounded out any words in my general reading that I tend to forget that fluency is a process.
Anyhow, the general long-story-shorter... I'm going to copy out the next bunch of lessons, teach him the blends as their blended sounds (bl as opposed to b-l), and see where that goes. In the meantime, I'll end up copying more and more as we go, and I can try to put in some time trying to build fluency. The problem I have, though, is that LP gets bored with repetition, so I have to come up with some ideas for continued practice without complete repetition, and hope it works. I have my work cut out for me, I think.
Now, I have a mild problem with the reading program, which is that the student and the teacher sections are in one book, on one page, all merged. This is awful for LP, who is easily distracted. He tries to read ALL THE WORDS and not just the ones he should. So, I got some composition books for grades 1-3, and I copy out his words for him to read. It works out a lot better. Anyway, I'd only copied out to lesson 42, so I needed to do some more work if I wanted to get back to the program. So, off I went this morning. I put the LeapFrog DVDs in to occupy LP and keep his mind active, and went to work. I copied out the next two lessons, then realized, I didn't know if we'd need to review the last bunch of lessons - double letters (ss/ll/zz/ff, etc) and that "ck" sound - so I put together a tiny review on a 3x5 index card. He still has his double letters, he still has his ck sound, and he blew through the sample words from the next two lessons with ease. I was astounded. So, I had him do a few more from further along. He's gone through the next four lessons in sample words without a problem.
Once again, I'm astounded, and am stumbling over my own feet to keep up with my preschooler. He may be as far as 10 lessons from where he left off, but he was losing focus, so I opted to set aside the review rather than push it along. Now, truth be told, I'm hesitant to skip the lessons, as he still has major fluency issues, but he can sound out these words. Given that everything up through Lesson 53 is blends, and he's been sounding them out perfectly so far, I don't expect him to have any problems with the remaining lessons. But, he does still sound everything out - and slowly - one letter at a time. So, he can read "fast" and "help," but he reads them /f/-/a/-/s/-/t/... fast, and /h/-/e/-/l/-/p/... help, rather than combining the blend, or anything else faster, but fluency will come with time. I have to remind myself of that one, as it's been so long since I've sounded out any words in my general reading that I tend to forget that fluency is a process.
Anyhow, the general long-story-shorter... I'm going to copy out the next bunch of lessons, teach him the blends as their blended sounds (bl as opposed to b-l), and see where that goes. In the meantime, I'll end up copying more and more as we go, and I can try to put in some time trying to build fluency. The problem I have, though, is that LP gets bored with repetition, so I have to come up with some ideas for continued practice without complete repetition, and hope it works. I have my work cut out for me, I think.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
One Day...
One day, I will remember that I have this blog, and update it regularly.
As it stands, I tend to back-burner this place, and I really shouldn't. And so, I'm going to take a step in trying to update more frequently. I'm going to try to be here at least once a week. Wish me luck, 'cause sometimes that doesn't happen.
Anyhow!
Many things are changing in our house. First, I'm waiting for a rheumatologist referral to get a diagnosis for a near-endless litany of things that are wrong with me. I also have an appointment for an MRI, just to make sure I haven't completely screwed up my back. I wonder, and will talk to my doctor about, whether or not my screwed-up knees also factor into this.
Now, the less "hurry up and wait" thing. My Little Prince is... odd. Apparently, he is significantly odd as compared to other three year olds. I've been running to catch up with him for the last year and a half or more, and now we know why. LP is gifted. That's just the sum of it. Now, there's a whole load of BS baggage attached to the term "gifted," but I do mean it in the clinical sense. He is extremely advanced (he is reading CVC words, and is capable of grade 1 math) in some areas, and has the corresponding asynchronous development - he is very behind on his fine motor skill development. He also displays a whole lot of overexcitabilities. He may come out to be twice-exceptional, combining gifted with ADHD, but it is still far too early to tell for sure.
In practical application, this means that LP is neither emotionally nor physically ready to start a full-day junior kindergarten (that's right, 6.5h of school at 3.5-4 years old) in the fall. I'm fine with that, as I've been planning to home school him all along. But in the meantime, I also cannot sit by and neglect my son's very real need for input. Just like when he is dirty, I don't let him stay covered in schmutz, or when he was in diapers, we didn't let him stay in dirty diapers all day... I have to provide the things he needs - be it a bath, a new diaper, or intellectual stimulation. To this end... This fall will see our first official year of home school. I shall be opening Rowena's Browncoat Academy in the fall, student body of 1. LP will have daily reading, math and science - at his own speed, of course - as well as occasional stops in worksheets for handwriting to try to build some of his fine motor skills. He will also be in preschool two days a week, and we will have swimming one day a week, and home school meet-ups once (or more) per week.
I seem to get a lot of blowback on this, but really, it's not exactly like I have a choice. Our local public system is not ready to handle a reading three year old, they don't accelerate, and the only time they place gifted children in classrooms together is after they're in the fifth grade. I'm NOT going to sit idly by and let my son's educational needs go unmet until he's ten. I'm not willing to do it. I'm also not willing to send him to school to be bored, told he's a troublemaker, or worse than all of it, have him believe he's a troublemaker, and hide his abilities in order to "fit in" with the kids around him. I have some work ahead of me, but if I'd thought having kids was going to be easy, I was disabused of that notion several years ago... when I actually, you know, had a kid. I understand that a lot of people are going to think a lot of bad things about me (that I'm pushing my son, that I'm stunting his growth by not putting him in a classroom with same-age and not same-ability children, that he's not really gifted, I just make him study, I'm not genuinely interested in his best-interests, but only in how he can fit some mold I have in my head - and so on; and yes, I've heard ALL of these, even just in the last 6 months). I get it. But this is my son. I'm not going to fail him so that other people will think better of me. That is probably the worst thing a parent could ever do - deliberately neglect their child's needs in order to "fit in better" with their own peers. I go into this knowing it is what is best for him, knowing there are pitfalls, and things I have to be sure we do, and I go into this knowing full well that if it doesn't work out, public school will always be there. It is not my preferred method. Not at all. But that doesn't mean it holds no value - just that it's not my go-to for my child. People are going to think and talk all kinds of bad about me. I know they will. But you know what? Meeting LP's needs, and putting him before my own self-esteem is what I signed on for. It is what I'm going to do. And we will love it, and we will have a wonderful time... just as surely as there will be days we hate it, and just say **** it all, we're going to the park. But, LP's needs will get met, and that is all that matters.
As it stands, I tend to back-burner this place, and I really shouldn't. And so, I'm going to take a step in trying to update more frequently. I'm going to try to be here at least once a week. Wish me luck, 'cause sometimes that doesn't happen.
Anyhow!
Many things are changing in our house. First, I'm waiting for a rheumatologist referral to get a diagnosis for a near-endless litany of things that are wrong with me. I also have an appointment for an MRI, just to make sure I haven't completely screwed up my back. I wonder, and will talk to my doctor about, whether or not my screwed-up knees also factor into this.
Now, the less "hurry up and wait" thing. My Little Prince is... odd. Apparently, he is significantly odd as compared to other three year olds. I've been running to catch up with him for the last year and a half or more, and now we know why. LP is gifted. That's just the sum of it. Now, there's a whole load of BS baggage attached to the term "gifted," but I do mean it in the clinical sense. He is extremely advanced (he is reading CVC words, and is capable of grade 1 math) in some areas, and has the corresponding asynchronous development - he is very behind on his fine motor skill development. He also displays a whole lot of overexcitabilities. He may come out to be twice-exceptional, combining gifted with ADHD, but it is still far too early to tell for sure.
In practical application, this means that LP is neither emotionally nor physically ready to start a full-day junior kindergarten (that's right, 6.5h of school at 3.5-4 years old) in the fall. I'm fine with that, as I've been planning to home school him all along. But in the meantime, I also cannot sit by and neglect my son's very real need for input. Just like when he is dirty, I don't let him stay covered in schmutz, or when he was in diapers, we didn't let him stay in dirty diapers all day... I have to provide the things he needs - be it a bath, a new diaper, or intellectual stimulation. To this end... This fall will see our first official year of home school. I shall be opening Rowena's Browncoat Academy in the fall, student body of 1. LP will have daily reading, math and science - at his own speed, of course - as well as occasional stops in worksheets for handwriting to try to build some of his fine motor skills. He will also be in preschool two days a week, and we will have swimming one day a week, and home school meet-ups once (or more) per week.
I seem to get a lot of blowback on this, but really, it's not exactly like I have a choice. Our local public system is not ready to handle a reading three year old, they don't accelerate, and the only time they place gifted children in classrooms together is after they're in the fifth grade. I'm NOT going to sit idly by and let my son's educational needs go unmet until he's ten. I'm not willing to do it. I'm also not willing to send him to school to be bored, told he's a troublemaker, or worse than all of it, have him believe he's a troublemaker, and hide his abilities in order to "fit in" with the kids around him. I have some work ahead of me, but if I'd thought having kids was going to be easy, I was disabused of that notion several years ago... when I actually, you know, had a kid. I understand that a lot of people are going to think a lot of bad things about me (that I'm pushing my son, that I'm stunting his growth by not putting him in a classroom with same-age and not same-ability children, that he's not really gifted, I just make him study, I'm not genuinely interested in his best-interests, but only in how he can fit some mold I have in my head - and so on; and yes, I've heard ALL of these, even just in the last 6 months). I get it. But this is my son. I'm not going to fail him so that other people will think better of me. That is probably the worst thing a parent could ever do - deliberately neglect their child's needs in order to "fit in better" with their own peers. I go into this knowing it is what is best for him, knowing there are pitfalls, and things I have to be sure we do, and I go into this knowing full well that if it doesn't work out, public school will always be there. It is not my preferred method. Not at all. But that doesn't mean it holds no value - just that it's not my go-to for my child. People are going to think and talk all kinds of bad about me. I know they will. But you know what? Meeting LP's needs, and putting him before my own self-esteem is what I signed on for. It is what I'm going to do. And we will love it, and we will have a wonderful time... just as surely as there will be days we hate it, and just say **** it all, we're going to the park. But, LP's needs will get met, and that is all that matters.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
It's been far too long
The only real thing that's new in our neck of the woods, now that we're into the new year... is SCHOOL!
January 13 was our first "official" homeschool day. LP has been asking to be taught to read for a while now, and dangit, I'm not going to tell him no, he can't learn to read, so we started regular reading lessons. Every "weekday" (I'm defining weekday as each day Skeeve works) we're doing half an hour of reading - except for Tuesdays, when LP has preschool and then he has a friend come over to play. He's doing exceptionally well, and has plowed through the first 35 lessons of The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, and has read the first four books in the Bob Books level 1 books. He doesn't care for OPGTR, and I can understand why - it's very much direct instruction, and not at all fun. If I have the option, I'm going to invest in significantly more sets of Bob Books, and use OPGTR for skill introduction and concepts, but the Bob Books for his actual practice and the bulk of his lesson time.
Once we get a tax return filed and refund received, we'll pick up the curricula he'll need for the remainder of this year, plus next year. We're looking at picking up materials for math, science, history, and language arts - all things that would be covered in public. Seems like a lot, but at his age, it's really only about 2.5h in a day, which is pretty nice.
This evening, as I'm browsing Facebook (as one is wont to do when lazing around for a change), one of my friends is registering her littlest for kindy. As he's only a year older than LP, it occurs to me that it'd be about that time here, too. So I go look it up. Sure enough, if we were registering him for JK instead of doing JK at home, he would be registering this week. So I went to look up the school, see which he would be going to. He would, apparently, be heading to Arthur Stringer PS in the fall. Then I looked closer. He'd be headed to full day junior kindergarten in the fall. This fall. My son, who has a hard enough time keeping it together for his two and a half hours twice a week preschool class, would be expected to enroll in six and a half hour per day, five days per week kindergarten. Excuse me? Not so much in this house, thanks. Especially when their statement on accommodating parents who do not want their child in full-day school reads as "well, this is our program now, so get with it." Never have I been happier to have a plan in place for LP's education. Putting him into full day kindergarten six months from now would be a debacle. I don't think I've seen this boy sit still for more than half an hour EVER - including if the TV is on - nor have I seen him go more than 20m without screaming or yelling. He'd spend a month in JK and his teacher would call me in to discuss how to medicate my "obviously ADHD" child. Except that he's not ADHD. He's a little boy. So what if he's not developmentally ready to sit in a chair for a couple hours at a clip? HE ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE. I saw all these things about our school district, and where LP would be attending, the programs, the hours (9-3:30, M-F!), the lack of flexibility in or even retention of a half-day program... And was just shocked. And... not relieved, exactly, but close. I was relieved I don't have to send him into this mess. I was relieved that not only do I have a plan for him, but I have a support group of homeschooling parents to call on, and I will soon have the ability to take LP to homeschooler play-days at the museum. He will not only have his existing friends, but he will make new friends, and when he does, he won't have to worry about all the other kids going to school and him not, because more and more of his friends WON'T be going to school. He'll have friends and social times, he'll have solid education that is flexible to accommodate his needs, and neither of us will have to try to navigate the world of the public school, which would take a boy like my LP and try to drug him into fitting into a box quietly.
So, all in all, this update says "we've started our homeschool adventure. I'm ever so glad we decided to go this route."
January 13 was our first "official" homeschool day. LP has been asking to be taught to read for a while now, and dangit, I'm not going to tell him no, he can't learn to read, so we started regular reading lessons. Every "weekday" (I'm defining weekday as each day Skeeve works) we're doing half an hour of reading - except for Tuesdays, when LP has preschool and then he has a friend come over to play. He's doing exceptionally well, and has plowed through the first 35 lessons of The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, and has read the first four books in the Bob Books level 1 books. He doesn't care for OPGTR, and I can understand why - it's very much direct instruction, and not at all fun. If I have the option, I'm going to invest in significantly more sets of Bob Books, and use OPGTR for skill introduction and concepts, but the Bob Books for his actual practice and the bulk of his lesson time.
Once we get a tax return filed and refund received, we'll pick up the curricula he'll need for the remainder of this year, plus next year. We're looking at picking up materials for math, science, history, and language arts - all things that would be covered in public. Seems like a lot, but at his age, it's really only about 2.5h in a day, which is pretty nice.
This evening, as I'm browsing Facebook (as one is wont to do when lazing around for a change), one of my friends is registering her littlest for kindy. As he's only a year older than LP, it occurs to me that it'd be about that time here, too. So I go look it up. Sure enough, if we were registering him for JK instead of doing JK at home, he would be registering this week. So I went to look up the school, see which he would be going to. He would, apparently, be heading to Arthur Stringer PS in the fall. Then I looked closer. He'd be headed to full day junior kindergarten in the fall. This fall. My son, who has a hard enough time keeping it together for his two and a half hours twice a week preschool class, would be expected to enroll in six and a half hour per day, five days per week kindergarten. Excuse me? Not so much in this house, thanks. Especially when their statement on accommodating parents who do not want their child in full-day school reads as "well, this is our program now, so get with it." Never have I been happier to have a plan in place for LP's education. Putting him into full day kindergarten six months from now would be a debacle. I don't think I've seen this boy sit still for more than half an hour EVER - including if the TV is on - nor have I seen him go more than 20m without screaming or yelling. He'd spend a month in JK and his teacher would call me in to discuss how to medicate my "obviously ADHD" child. Except that he's not ADHD. He's a little boy. So what if he's not developmentally ready to sit in a chair for a couple hours at a clip? HE ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE. I saw all these things about our school district, and where LP would be attending, the programs, the hours (9-3:30, M-F!), the lack of flexibility in or even retention of a half-day program... And was just shocked. And... not relieved, exactly, but close. I was relieved I don't have to send him into this mess. I was relieved that not only do I have a plan for him, but I have a support group of homeschooling parents to call on, and I will soon have the ability to take LP to homeschooler play-days at the museum. He will not only have his existing friends, but he will make new friends, and when he does, he won't have to worry about all the other kids going to school and him not, because more and more of his friends WON'T be going to school. He'll have friends and social times, he'll have solid education that is flexible to accommodate his needs, and neither of us will have to try to navigate the world of the public school, which would take a boy like my LP and try to drug him into fitting into a box quietly.
So, all in all, this update says "we've started our homeschool adventure. I'm ever so glad we decided to go this route."
Friday, November 4, 2011
Go figure!
So I joined up with Crowdtap forever ago, when Old Navy had a "Style Council" on about their jeans. As I live and die by my Old Navy Sweetheart jeans, I wanted in on that, big time. Sadly, I was denied on that one. But, I hung around Crowdtap anyhow, it was neat enough to hold my interest, and maybe there'd be more chances later. I think the next one was tank tops, and I missed out on that one too. Just as I was starting to wonder if I'd ever get to try out products I was interested in... Out came the Old Navy Style Council for their line of compression activewear. I submitted, I got a spot in the council. I was thrilled. Still am, actually.
Up-front disclosure here - I was given a pair of compression pants and a compression jacket, with the understanding that I'd talk about them.
On to "the good stuff." The first thing I noticed was that putting those bad boys on? I felt like I'd shrunk about four sizes. And not in the "OMG, my pants are cutting off circulation to my feet!" sort of way, but the "Woah, I look good..." one. I was really rather impressed, as usually I only look lumpy in workout gear of any size. Next, I noticed the sole downside I came across - the jacket compressed my tummy, sure, but it also compressed the heck out of my chest. I wasn't too keen on that, as boobs are about the only thing that keeps me feeling like I'm not actually 100% round.
The pants have a zip pocket in the back at the waist - which is incredibly handy. Granted, it's for bus passes, ID cards and the occasional bit of cash for me, as my MomWallet and MomKeys are uncomfortable in any pocket attached to my person, but it's still handy as heck, especially when I'm trying to keep tabs on my bus ticket while wrangling a preschooler. The advert for the pants says "sits low on waist" which made me anxious. I hate low riding pants. I always feel like they're falling off me. These actually fit comfortably. Not at the waist, but not so low they were twitch-making either. Hooray!
The jacket has thumbholes in the sleeves. This, as a general trend, has always made me make the face that goes o.O;; What's the point, right? Well. I love them. I love the thumb holes, and I didn't think I would. They keep the sleeves in place under a jacket, they keep my wrists warm outside, it's great. GREAT, I tell you.
Now, I'm not sure how well the ensemble will fare in outside weather once it gets really cold out, but I suppose we'll see. For now, though, I can take them out on a walk and not come back feeling sloppy and sweaty, and the pants are hugely comfortable - both for working out (in my case, walking) and for just lounging.
While I still love my Old Navy jeans, I have to say that the compression pants are giving them a run for their money!
~~~~~~
Also, I plan to have another post up around Thanksgiving (in time for holiday shopping and Black Friday sales!) to go over this stuff again, and to mention how well the workout gear holds up in the chilly weather. I figure once my knees are back in the clear, I'll also make a point of reviewing one more time on grounds of a real, high-intensity workout and the moisture-wicking capabilities of the attire.
Up-front disclosure here - I was given a pair of compression pants and a compression jacket, with the understanding that I'd talk about them.
On to "the good stuff." The first thing I noticed was that putting those bad boys on? I felt like I'd shrunk about four sizes. And not in the "OMG, my pants are cutting off circulation to my feet!" sort of way, but the "Woah, I look good..." one. I was really rather impressed, as usually I only look lumpy in workout gear of any size. Next, I noticed the sole downside I came across - the jacket compressed my tummy, sure, but it also compressed the heck out of my chest. I wasn't too keen on that, as boobs are about the only thing that keeps me feeling like I'm not actually 100% round.
The pants have a zip pocket in the back at the waist - which is incredibly handy. Granted, it's for bus passes, ID cards and the occasional bit of cash for me, as my MomWallet and MomKeys are uncomfortable in any pocket attached to my person, but it's still handy as heck, especially when I'm trying to keep tabs on my bus ticket while wrangling a preschooler. The advert for the pants says "sits low on waist" which made me anxious. I hate low riding pants. I always feel like they're falling off me. These actually fit comfortably. Not at the waist, but not so low they were twitch-making either. Hooray!
The jacket has thumbholes in the sleeves. This, as a general trend, has always made me make the face that goes o.O;; What's the point, right? Well. I love them. I love the thumb holes, and I didn't think I would. They keep the sleeves in place under a jacket, they keep my wrists warm outside, it's great. GREAT, I tell you.
Now, I'm not sure how well the ensemble will fare in outside weather once it gets really cold out, but I suppose we'll see. For now, though, I can take them out on a walk and not come back feeling sloppy and sweaty, and the pants are hugely comfortable - both for working out (in my case, walking) and for just lounging.
While I still love my Old Navy jeans, I have to say that the compression pants are giving them a run for their money!
~~~~~~
Also, I plan to have another post up around Thanksgiving (in time for holiday shopping and Black Friday sales!) to go over this stuff again, and to mention how well the workout gear holds up in the chilly weather. I figure once my knees are back in the clear, I'll also make a point of reviewing one more time on grounds of a real, high-intensity workout and the moisture-wicking capabilities of the attire.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Dear Aggressive Unschoolers
(Yes, I have come back with a rant. Sorry about that.)
I understand that you are an unschooler. I get it. I understand that you think my son will teach himself anything and everything he needs to know, and if he is stuck, he will ask for help. I understand your educational philosophy. However, I neither have the dedication or selflessness to make it work, nor do I agree with this philosophy. I do not believe that my son will eventually teach himself calculus with no instigation from me. I do not believe that he will suddenly radically change his personality just because I have adopted your philosophy. When things get difficult for my son, he does not press on. He says "screw this," and goes back to things he enjoys - things that are reassuring and easy for him. If we did not prompt him, he would not go back to those challenging things. So, my three year old, who is one small leap from taking off reading, will NOT teach himself to read with no input from me. He just won't. He needs more of a challenge than his board books are providing, and significantly less challenge than Robert Jordan, Laurell K. Hamilton (GAH!) or Piers Anthony. As I do not have these materials in the house, and cannot afford to go purchase a mountain of standard children's books for him to rip apart, my option is the library. And since they make you pay for the books your child destroys (be it tearing out pages or coloring in them), that is also less than ideal. So when I crack out the workbooks or computer programs to help him along and give him a challenge? Don't tell me that I'm totally overdoing it and harming him. I am offering him a challenge. Am I sitting him down and forcing him to complete workbook pages? NO, HE'S THREE. Am I doing my best to offer him a challenge that he can have fun with so he won't just skip it and move on to something else without ever learning more than "EFF /f/ EFF!"? You bet your ass I am.
I don't spend my online time telling you about the unschooled kids I know from down the block who can't tell their letters from their numbers at ten, don't bother telling me how much "damage" I'm doing in just providing a challenge for my son - you know, the kid *I* live with, *I* know, and *I* love, but who is just "this chick on the internet's kid..." to you. 'Cause really, that's just rude. I don't ask you to provide me methodology, statistics or outcomes for the average unschooler, I just accept that you're going to do what you're going to do. Don't start going into how HORRIBLE mainstream education is, and how it totally doing a disservice to our children with me. First of all, I'm an effing homeschooler. I have as much to do with mainstream education as you do. Second, again, that's just rude. I know more about my son than you do. This includes his penchant to abandon things that are inherently challenging if they are not presented properly, and is the impetus behind my purchase of the Explode The Code online program. He is one small leap from being able to read, and if putting him in front of the computer with the program is enough to get him to make that leap? I will do it a hundred times over. Plus, "Mommy, I want to read." is a common refrain around here. If that's not his asking me for help in the best way he can, then I don't know what is. As it stands, I was agreeing with you on the article in question and lamenting my late start - we're all in agreement that trying to force kids to read before they're ready is useless. I was lamenting that my toddler taught himself his letters at 18mo, and I've been playing catch-up with him ever since. Berating me about my terminology and intentions when I'M AGREEING WITH YOU is stupid and really does nothing to help anything. It does not change my opinion on unschooling, and in fact cements the notion that a good number of unschooling parents are sanctimonious jerks who think their way is the only healthy way. Congratulations, your lack of comprehension is setting your cause back quite a way.
So, dear aggressive unschoolers, how about you back the heck off? I don't give you grief about how you're educating your children (or is it 'facilitating your children's inherent desire to learn' now?), how about you extend the same courtesy to me?
I understand that you are an unschooler. I get it. I understand that you think my son will teach himself anything and everything he needs to know, and if he is stuck, he will ask for help. I understand your educational philosophy. However, I neither have the dedication or selflessness to make it work, nor do I agree with this philosophy. I do not believe that my son will eventually teach himself calculus with no instigation from me. I do not believe that he will suddenly radically change his personality just because I have adopted your philosophy. When things get difficult for my son, he does not press on. He says "screw this," and goes back to things he enjoys - things that are reassuring and easy for him. If we did not prompt him, he would not go back to those challenging things. So, my three year old, who is one small leap from taking off reading, will NOT teach himself to read with no input from me. He just won't. He needs more of a challenge than his board books are providing, and significantly less challenge than Robert Jordan, Laurell K. Hamilton (GAH!) or Piers Anthony. As I do not have these materials in the house, and cannot afford to go purchase a mountain of standard children's books for him to rip apart, my option is the library. And since they make you pay for the books your child destroys (be it tearing out pages or coloring in them), that is also less than ideal. So when I crack out the workbooks or computer programs to help him along and give him a challenge? Don't tell me that I'm totally overdoing it and harming him. I am offering him a challenge. Am I sitting him down and forcing him to complete workbook pages? NO, HE'S THREE. Am I doing my best to offer him a challenge that he can have fun with so he won't just skip it and move on to something else without ever learning more than "EFF /f/ EFF!"? You bet your ass I am.
I don't spend my online time telling you about the unschooled kids I know from down the block who can't tell their letters from their numbers at ten, don't bother telling me how much "damage" I'm doing in just providing a challenge for my son - you know, the kid *I* live with, *I* know, and *I* love, but who is just "this chick on the internet's kid..." to you. 'Cause really, that's just rude. I don't ask you to provide me methodology, statistics or outcomes for the average unschooler, I just accept that you're going to do what you're going to do. Don't start going into how HORRIBLE mainstream education is, and how it totally doing a disservice to our children with me. First of all, I'm an effing homeschooler. I have as much to do with mainstream education as you do. Second, again, that's just rude. I know more about my son than you do. This includes his penchant to abandon things that are inherently challenging if they are not presented properly, and is the impetus behind my purchase of the Explode The Code online program. He is one small leap from being able to read, and if putting him in front of the computer with the program is enough to get him to make that leap? I will do it a hundred times over. Plus, "Mommy, I want to read." is a common refrain around here. If that's not his asking me for help in the best way he can, then I don't know what is. As it stands, I was agreeing with you on the article in question and lamenting my late start - we're all in agreement that trying to force kids to read before they're ready is useless. I was lamenting that my toddler taught himself his letters at 18mo, and I've been playing catch-up with him ever since. Berating me about my terminology and intentions when I'M AGREEING WITH YOU is stupid and really does nothing to help anything. It does not change my opinion on unschooling, and in fact cements the notion that a good number of unschooling parents are sanctimonious jerks who think their way is the only healthy way. Congratulations, your lack of comprehension is setting your cause back quite a way.
So, dear aggressive unschoolers, how about you back the heck off? I don't give you grief about how you're educating your children (or is it 'facilitating your children's inherent desire to learn' now?), how about you extend the same courtesy to me?
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