Convention Post 2: Help for the Distractible Child: Birth thru Primary Grades Session

I purchased this book from their vendor set up.  I am about 2/3 thru.  

This is an insight behind the beginning of their mission/company 

and discusses the challenges of having a distractible child, 

and ways to help minimize the behaviors. And after hearing her speak, 

I am not surprised that this is punctuated throughout with Melinda's humor.

 Helpful insight for anyone dealing with these issues.

The Distractible Child-part I

birth - elementary age

Speaker: Melinda Boring 

(degree in Education, and Masters in Speech Language Pathology)

I actually was able to talk with Melinda and her hubby, Scott prior to this session.  I wanted to be sure to introduce myself because I had reviewed some items of theirs for the TOS review crew  (love the Heads Up! Frames they sent).  I am thankful for those because they help my son stay on the line he is reading [and not skip around] as well as help target areas I want him to focus on.  For more info on them, you can read that review here. These folks are wonderful.  It was clear that they truly want to help other families and it shows thru their kindness.  If you ever have the opportunity to hear them speak or visit their vendor booth at a convention-do so.  I also know that Melinda wrote an article for the Special Needs Planner for TOS-which is especially designed to address SN issues.  

I knew the minute she started this lecture that it was going to be a fun and informative one.  Melinda spent some time highlighting life at the Boring homestead (which is far from boring) and then dove into some ways to help eliminate or at the very least, minimize the distractions that cause the child to not focus or putz thru their work-making the school day drag on and on.  I am considering applying some of these techniques to my lovely hubby because if he were in school today-he'd definitely be labeled as unable to sit and focus without being distracted.  I noticed a few things I also do-so I guess we now know the apples did not fall far from the tree.  :)

I will highlight some of the lecture for you, but it certainly isn't all of it. Her book is a great source for ideas and their website has the goodies she suggests.

Tips for the learning environment:

• Keep everything off the work area (this is for those that seem to find anything and everything grabbing their attention)
• Allow for controlled movements (I am thinking this is where the little do-dads come into play-they can select one to a couple items that they can manipulate while working. Such as a squeeze ball or wind up critter [like the frog I bought] or a stetchy man or the Wikki-Stix) something that allows for a release of their energy without them bouncing off the walls themselves.
• Avoid cluttered worksheets or reading assignments (she blocked off areas with paper that was not written on and left only open the area she wanted her son/daughter to read. Clever.  It meant he read only that little area and his eyes were not overwhelmed with the other business on the page)
• Use contrast (so put the worksheet/assignment on top of a colored piece of paper [folders, larger paper that is colored] to outline or frame the worksheet.  I should think at least a 1/2" border or more would suffice in getting their attention. Kinda like a frame for a picture except the frame is bright and the picture is the paper they working on).
• Have a reminder weight on them (for her daughter, they made a kitty that was filled with sand [now gravel] that weighed enough to help "hold her down". I am thinking this is a good idea for those kids that "fall out of their chairs" or get up constantly and may not even know why-esp. when they are not done working on their assignment/project.  She said to have it on their lap about 20 mins. and then take it off for 20 then if need be put back on and so forth. That way they don't get too accustomed to the weight which would make it ineffective).  Visit their site and take a look at their weighted kitty and turtles.  I picked one up at the vendor booth and they do weigh more than I thought-so these are serious stay in your seat critters.  We have a real kitty that does take over one's lap so I think we have this covered in our home.  But if I see we need one-well I now know a good solution to fixing it.

Tips for Structuring Time:

• Predict time needed (this is done with a timer. If your child gets distracted by the noise of the ticking, then use a timer that is silent [which they sell])
• Give assignments one at a time
• Provide feedback in a timely manner
• check with the child frequently during tasks (this may not always be possible tho)
• Reward attention (this is the positive approach-mention how well they are working and whatnot instead of always noticing what they are not doing)

HERE IS WHERE WORKBOXES will be a HUGE blessing to you.  They met just about everything she mentioned as a help.  They have all the stuff they need in the box so the child won't get distracted and become "lost" looking for a pencil or a glue stick b/cuz it will be right there for them.  The assignments are in small slices and they only do one box at a time-so they know how much they need to do and what it is they are to do.  They can see where they are at in their day of assignments and know that when they finish the last box, they are done.  These have changed the way we do school and I even have an entire blog dedicated to ideas/helps and how to use them.  You can visit my What's in the Box? blog to get more insight regarding this awesome method of organizing and streamlining your schooling.  

General Tips:

• Use auditory signals to get their attention (I do this and never even realized I was-LOL.  Use a sound of a bell or whistle or clap to get them to get back on track)
• For fidgeters: using the little toys that keep their hands busy will help redirect their attention. She mentioned something that I have noticed a lot in my life-that many adults will jingle their keys (or snap the pen or the like) and that is because they are in need of fidgeting to focus (my words not hers but you get the idea). Wouldn't cha know-just the other day at the doctor's office  a guy came in and was constantly jingling his pocket change/keys (I wanted so badly to go to the guy and give him a busy item like a flour balloon**).  LOL  Maybe I should carry around several of those goodies to give adults, so they will have a less noisy item to fuss with! 
• Use novelty, props or storytelling to help promote their focus and attention (her daughter enjoyed getting her stuffed critters together to re-enact a story or lesson, which I am sure she would then remember much better than if she was staring at some words on a page).
• Allow child to draw or be busy whilst the teacher is speaking/reading (I HAVE to use this technique with my kids all the time-always.  My dd draws and my son will color, play with something or build with legos/toys or literally be rolling on the floor or walking around the coffee table whilst I read/instruct.  They DO retain better when they are moving/fidgeting and I stand by this recommendation whole heartedly!)
• Take a picture of say the toy area all cleaned up proper like. Then have that picture handy and say to the child that you want them to clean up and make the area look "like the picture" (this is a Waldorf method idea and is effective-esp. for visual learners).

**flour balloon is a high quality balloon filled with flour and then tied off. The child can squeeze and squash this to release their energy.  I made one at home using a funnel and flour. Altho it isn't as big as theirs, it works. There are those squeeze balls that do the same job too.

And that wraps up this lecture.  There are so many easy, little ways you can help your child-so don't despair.  It is possible and it can help all of you have a smoother, less stressful day. 

Oh, I wanted to mention that they have this hall pass timer thing I am seriously considering.  It has two parts-one for the child (or husband who disappears whilst on a mission for ya) and the base.  You program in the allotted time (up to 5 mins) and then it starts timing them when you turn it on.  The base keeps track of the time too and supposedly, it will keep going [until the removable part is put back in] so you know just how much past the 5 mins. they are "late". This is a visual reminder that they have to move it to get the errand done to then quickly get back to "headquarters" to finish their work.  Thinking of all the times I see my kids disappear to "go find something" or "check on something" during our mini breaks-which then becomes a lengthy vacation for them- I am so thinking this would help us out a lot.  You may need one for your family too. :0)

Convention Post 1: Dyslexia: Neurodevelopmental Causes Session

First off, the INCH convention (held in Lansing, MI) was set up where you could attend one of the 12 options available during each time period. So after the General Session in the morning-there were 4 periods of classes to attend.  The 4 started after lunch and ended prior to dinner.  On Friday, the closing General Session was at 7 (and in this case, included recognition of graduates too) Now anyone who graduated this year and wanted to walk on stage/have their name read and have the fam look on could do this.  It was more of a gesture or official way to end the journey, it was not where they received their diplomas-which was the family's responsibility and to be done at home.  I am not sure what my take is on this...I guess for us it is not a priority...but some folks, esp. their family members "need" to see something like this, it is a way to accomplish the look of a formal graduation  And some kids want to experience that type of event-so hey, whatever floats your boat. We chose to not attend the closing session.  I was pooped and my ankle was swelling up-but I bought the Keynote speaker's Cd to listen to later. So this all started Friday, and ended on Sat. afternoon. I am penning the sessions as I attended them.  Some may sound mighty familiar b/cuz they were given by the same speaker (just a wee bit different topic).  I will also highlight the General Sessions in their own posts.

Up first:  Session on Dyslexia

given by Stephanie Lankhorst who is certified by the 

International Christian Association of Neurodevelopmentalists (ICAN)

*they work with kids that have all sorts of issues, not just dyslexia 

so if you have an ADD, DS, autistic, etc. child,

 it would be worth investigating them

Disclaimer:  I am detailing this stuff from my notes and info I received at the session-I cannot guarantee the accuracy.  Research the material on the site and speak to them if you need more clarity and help.

Three of our four children have some form or another of Dyslexia-so this lecture caught my eye immediately. I wasn't so sure if it would go anywhere when the speaker first started, she seemed a bit shaky and I honestly almost got up and left.  I am glad I didn't.  She offered some insight as to how the brain works and what is going on when dyslexia is involved.  She also mentioned several ways to work with the student to help them. I was going to stop by there booth and get a free booklet on how to do the hearing stuff, but totally didn't find them/forgot.  But I did write down some ideas and helps.  There are some articles on their site worth reading and you can contact them too (helps if you are in their area-check their Members by State icon/page to see if anyone is certified by you).

Basically-the goal is to get the child to use one side for all their methods of inputting information.  So if you have a right handed child-you want them using their right ear/eye to collect the data so the brain isn't getting switched around when it receives it (hence dyslexic tendencies). Problem is-many will be right handed, but use their left eye more or their left ear more and that is when the issues arise.

She passed out a worksheet to check off issues your child had. So on one-I could check off that my son reverses letters or groups of letters-then scan to the right and see that means mixed-dominance issues.  Ah, this I suspected for a long time and when I think back to when he was a baby-he used both hands almost equally-so perhaps this is where it became an issue-no hand seemed to "take over" which means he became interdependent on both (I am that way too).  [I will see if I can scan that and get the info uploaded for you to see-]  Another example on the sheet is "Does your child read slowly?" (that would be a yes) so that shows possible visual issues, mixed dominance, low auditory processing, eye tracking issues.  Is he all of those? I don't think so -but it helps point toward some possible issues.

Anyway-after going thru the sheet she moved on to ways to help change the dominance or improve the skill.

To check dominance:

Hand the child a camera, Kaleidescope, paper towel tube or rolled up paper (I used the toy pirate telescope thingy) and watch which hand they pick it up with and which eye they use to look thru it.  That should be there dominate hand/eye...but I am thinking one should do this a couple times, esp. if they pick it up the next time with the other hand and use the other eye.  I guess that would definitely show a mixed dominance.

To check their hearing dominance:  stand behind them and ask them to keep their head straight until you say something (she suggested holding up a sheet of paper and then speaking behind it) -watching to see which way they turn their head.  Also-ask them to pick up a phone (play or real) and see which ear they put it to initially to answer it; or give them a large sea shell and tell them to listen to the ocean sounds in it.  That will tell you their dominant ear.

If they are using the opposite eye/ear than their hand-you know there is an issue.

Ways to help improve correct use (same side):

Army crawl  2x a day for approx. 3 min. each set.  

(this works to help vision issues.  I didn't write down what she meant by central vision issues but I know not being able to correctly copy something that is written is one clue they may struggle with it.  I wish I could remember what she said were some of the other signs but alas-I cannot...sorry.)

Pinhole glasses  15 mins. per day while using computer or watching TV

I think you can buy them thru them or on line..not sure really

These are for those children struggling with central vision issues

Flashlight w/penny taped or glued over light bulb (center)

2 mins. per day (so as many times as you can get on each eye during that time)

3 seconds on eye 10 seconds off-alternating the eyes as you go

so 3/10 on right, 3/10 on left, back to right and so on

(She said you would cover their other eye with your hand while you are flashing the light in the other-I believe this is meant to get the center eye focus)

Changing eye dominance via an eye patch or cheap glasses 

I didn't note a time frame here but bet that if 

they will be reading for a reasonable amt of time 

(maybe 20 or more mins.)

 that using the patch/glasses while doing so, will help 

train the correct eye to become stronger.

The eye you do not want them to use is blurred out (she used clear nail polish on the lens). One could also use that clear contact paper (maybe a couple layers) on the lens of a cheap pair of glasses-or if your child has prescription glasses, then the contact paper would be a better idea since you only want to do this for a while each day and can take it off without ruining them. I bet the dollar stores and even Wal-Mart/Target have those glasses that are for reading (I haven't looked yet, but there has to be some that don't change the focus much). Or even sunglasses, where you pop out the eye you want them to use and keep the dark lens in the other eye and maybe darken it a bit more.  This would have to be done for some time, but it is meant to get the weaker correct eye to now become the dominant one.

To change hearing dominance:

Like I mentioned, I forgot to get that brochure which I am sure had a great list of ideas-but what she mentioned was the swimmer's ear plugs and just put it in the ear you don't want them using (2 hrs per day) to help get the correct side to become dominant. 

That was basically it-time ran out.  I believe the folks will test/evaluate and then you can go from there, but if no one is near you or you cannot afford the program-then at least these little helps noted above should assist in lessoning the issues for your child.  

Goodies we purchased at convention

Like any good convention goer, we had to walk away with some goodies-and we did.  I didn't find a few things I had wanted to preview and possibly purchase, so I have to just order them later. I also still have to figure out a couple things regarding our history.  But for the most part, with my previous buys from used sources,  and my vast collection of curricula already, I won't need to get much more.  The only thing not pictured here is the Abeka math I ordered for the boy.  Sad to say, the vendors simply did not have the merchandise like they used to.  Many vendors I had hoped would be there were missing and those that were, well-many are not what I need.  Rainbow Resources did not have as much as they used to carry either.

First day shopping finds

 One of my favorite FIAR books is the Another Celebrated Dancing Bear, which is about impossible to get thru our library-so I caved and bought a beautiful hardback edition (not too spency-I think it was about $15ish) and I also bought a few new Berenstain Bear books too. My daughter bbsits these little dudes who LOVE the stories, but after going through our rather large collection a zillion times, she was hoping I would get a few new ones-which I did.  I love them.  I think my kids have all read the ones in our set at least a zillion times too.
The diving sub is a little gift for the boy.  Plans changed and he couldn't come, so I bought him this.  We have the volcano and now the sub (so of course he went right to experimenting with them when I got home)-cheap entertainment for sure. My daughter bought that popcorn pen-which really does smell like it. When she was using it during the sessions, folks kept looking around for the source of the popcorny smell-too funny. And I decided to try those crayons for the white boards (the pens seem to never come off or make a mess when we clean it) and they work pretty good.  You have to rub a bit harder to get it off the board, but won't stain it up like the markers.  So that was a fun find. Oh, and the cinnamon covered almonds were delish and never made it past an hour or so of buying them.  That is our tradition when we go-buying warm, toasty cinnamon nuggets of awesomeness. :0)

The second day-I just couldn't decide on a couple things-so I felt it best to not get them right now.  I can always order them later.  So I didn't get much the second (or was it 5th time thru) around the vendor hall.  The little frog and timer are from Heads Up Now!  The gray and red color pencils and erasers we actually bought in an art store in downtown Lansing.  We seem to always be shy of the deep red and gray colors, so I was happy to be able to buy some.  I also ordered the CDs of the three main speaker sessions.  Very good stuff-which I want my hubby to listen to and then I will also lend em out-too good to not share!  The Ludy's and Voddie Baucham were excellent speakers.  Gained some new nuggets of wisdom and thoughts to ponder (I will highlight the sessions in separate posts later).

I did have the opportunity to stop by the Heads Up Now! booth and introduce myself. I ended up chatting with Melinda and Scott Boring quite a bit.  Very, very lovely couple...so if they are at your convention-be sure to stop by and say hi to them and check out their wonderful gadgets that help highly distract-able kids. I bought her book too-and am enjoying reading it.  I actually reviewed their reading frames for TOS.  Melinda had some great sessions (I was only able to attend one) and I learned some great new ideas for keeping the kiddos focused and on task without losing my mind or voice!  Oh, and Melinda told me she wrote an article about special needs in the current Special Needs TOS planner-so if you own it, or are looking to get it-look for her article too.

Those are our goodies from convention.  Look for the individual posts regarding the different sessions I went to soon-they were awesome!  I also have more pics of the time with my dear daughter, but have to use the other 'puter cuz this one doesn't have the tools I need to fix red eye and to flip them....so those will be coming soon too.

Back from Convention

I am dog tired and will get to the convention nitty-gritty soon (hopefully)....but thought I would leave you with one of those quips like David Letterman would do: top 10 kinda thing or "you know you are _______ by..."

yah...

so being that this is a Christian convention (altho you don't have to be to attend) they do a little "warm up" with some singing of some Christian songs-well the power point or whatever you call it was not working quite right this morn, at first..so they just dug in and belted em out....cept they forgot something....not all churches sing the new music that is so popular nowadays-leaving some of us sitting there looking pretty stupid/lame or just looking like we were refusing to sing but...here is the real issue...[at least for my daughter and I]

You know you are an old timey Lutheran  when everyone about you is singing some new fangled Christian music that you have never heard (nor most likely ever will in church) before and haven't a clue as to what it is or what the words are.  




And there you have it-my "top of the morning to ya" convention experience.  I breathed a sigh of relief when the words came up on screen and then they sang some I actually knew.  Whew.

**if you are wondering-we usually attend the service with Traditional music-so we could prob'ly belt out the oldies and most of the attendees this morn would have sat there scratching their heads.  17th, or 18th century hymn [old German like]-oh yea.  New music that is all fresh and alive-not so much.  They do offer a service a couple times per month with hip new music, but it is the late service and we usually are long gone by then.  I also do have some music on my iPod "wanna be" MP3 player, that I listen to and love-but not all that stuff...and I simply don't listen to music enough to know this stuff.  So yes, there you have it.

Water Color Project instructions

I just copied/pasted my pal's instructions.  I am hoping I put the right pictures with the steps, to help you see what it should do-but folks, I am kinda guessing, so please forgive me on that. :0)

Just go for whatever happens -happens here-esp. if it is your first attempt.  I actually cut down to size, some left over white board (from Home Depot-the stuff I used for our white board in the classroom) but anything that is slightly larger than the paper size, and is hard enough to not absorb water, will do.  We used painters tape to seal around the edges.  About 1/2 inch or so around the edges-keep it tight or it will bleed, losing that nice edging.  The rest of course, will stick to the board.  Try not to move the boards if possible. Otherwise, wait until they are dry before doing so.  Otherwise, paints will run, plastic wrap will pop off and so forth.  

1. There are 3 main kinds of watercolor paper -- rough, cold press and hot press (smooth) -- we used rough.  As for the paper-it is expensive-we just purchased out right from Michaels and tore them into 6 pieces each.  If you only have a few students-obviously, you can have larger papers.

Arches brand is the best and you can get books (called blocks-so you won't need a board then) .. like this... http://www.dickblick.com/products/arches-watercolor-blocks/ -- it is glued down on all 4 sides so you have a flat surface that doesn't move until you cut it off the block.  

2.  Using painters tape, tape paper down to a solid surface (example white erase board) not cardboard.

3. Have plenty of water, watercolors (cheap Crayola works fine) and a "good" paint brush that holds water (not one that comes with the Crayola paints), and a rag or paper towel

4. You will need some leaves-real or fake to use on the day they trace. Variety is good!

5. You will also need a pencil, saran wrap, reg. table salt, a couple Q-Tips and Rubbing Alcohol. Oh and an old toothbrush if doing the spatter technique.

Steps to paint the picture:

1. Paint the whole blank paper with water, with a big brush drip yellow and blue and red (primary colors) onto the paper.  This is called WET ON WET painting.  The colors will blend on their own, if there is enough water and fill the page.  Let dry with out working on it.

 Here you can see the various early stages....

2. Trace leaves "artfully" across your dry painting.  We used artificial ones of various sizes and shapes.

 You can see the red, yellow, blue bleeding in the background, 

the sketching of the leaves there and the saran wrap. 

Actually the purple leaf has the rubbing alcohol affect on it too.

3. Pick a leaf outline and paint it with water then with paint, again this is WET ON WET painting.  You can try part of the leaf yellow and part red = if there is enough water and paint the colors will blend and make orange.  Do other leaves that DO NOT touch.  You can also try WET ON DRY -- leave the leaf outline dry and paint on it with just wet paints.  These will not blend, they will stay the exact colors you pick.  Let dry.

 Saran Wrap look.

4. Now that everything is dry again... pick another leaf and do WET ON WET again -- take a small piece of plastic wrap (Sranwrap) and place it on the leaf while still wet.  Do not crinkle it up too much but it should have lines and over laps on it.  Do not push down on it either, it will push the paint and water out of the leaf outline.  Let it dry with the wrap on it.  When it is dry you can peel off the wrap and it will look like a crinkled leaf.

 Red leaf has the Rubbing Alcohol technique, the light blue and purple ones

also appear to have the Saran Wrap look.

5.   Pick another leaf that has everything around it dry and do another WET ON WET (use fun fall colors like green, yellow, orange, red, brown) and then use a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol.  Dip the Q-tip in the alcohol and dot the leaf.  Let it dry.  It will look like a bug was eating the leaf or cool mold was taking over.

Notice the spattered look this student got from using the toothbrush. Very nice.

6.  After all leaves are painted there are a couple of other techniques that you can play with.  You can use a toothbrush and splatter wet paint on dry paper.  You can add a new layer of paint to an already painted leaf that you think needs more color.  Try not to over work your picture, watercolor should flow like water.

 This one shows the salting results quite nicely.  

Be sure there is plenty enough water on it to absorb the salt-

not enough, the salt will just stick.

7.  When all leaves are done the negative space needs a wonderful dark wash.  We used a beautiful dark blue with some people adding a touch of purple or green (depending on if they had lots of purple leaves -- they added green, or green leaves -- they added purple).  Remember to use lots of water and it should be WET ON WET again to get it to flow and blend.  While it is still wet take a pinch or 3 or 4 and scatter it over the "water" let it dry with the salt on it.  The salt will move the paint and water out of the way in a fun star-like way.

 Nice mix of the techniques on this beauty.

8.  Once you are all done and it is dry, take off the tape and look at your painting.  Notice how the different layers (or washes) show through.  That first step of yellow, red and blue can be seen in interesting places, like where the salt moved the water.  Or where a leaf has a sunny hue under it but is painted green too.  Figure out which side is up and make sure you sign and date your work. 

 This is a very young 4 yr olds. So even the little guys can make a keepsake!

Be proud of your hard work and patience.  It is amazing how everyone can use the same instructions and they all look so individual and unique!  Remember to not worry about "mistakes" after it is all done and you look at the whole picture it looks like you wanted it to do that and it wasn't a mistake after all!

 Another 4 yr old's-quite impressive~

Here is a good website to see some more watercolor techniques... http://www.watercolorpainting.com/watercolor-tutorials.htm

 Darker background choice on this one-bleeding, salt 

and Rubbing Alcohol show up nicely on this one.

Good leaf color changes, outlines and leaf variance 

(and my boy is color blind so he cannot even appreciate 

some of these dark colors, esp. the deep purple 

and grays-but still not too shabby!)

There you have it-our co-op kids' works of art! I will post the stray student's pic once I get it-she was absent that last day.

 Be sure to frame your beautiful pieces of art too!

Easter Craft-mini bunnies

Now, Easter is my fav. holiday/biblical celebration, and we know full well that it isn't about bunnies and chocolates and plastic eggs.  But it is fun to create a few crafts that scream "spring" and this is one of them.  If you don't like to mix bunnies with your Easter celebration, this would still be a fun craft for spring or when you study bunnies/animals and what not.

You will need to do the following to make your bunnies:

*1/2 and 1/2  or small milk containers-one per child (rinse and rinse and then do a final rinse with a touch of bleach in the water to kill any milk and smell that may remain-let dry completely)

*stapler (staple close the opening you pour the milk from. I waited until I cut the ears/sides out to make it easier to get that area cut out-but you can do this first if you wish)

*Sharpie pen to mark out the ears and sides to cut along (I did this and even cut it out-saves time and it is not that important for the kids to do). They should take up the better part of the top, you can trim it down a bit so the ears don't touch (b/cuz the cotton fuzz will)-stop at the fold near the pouring area.

*scissors and a sharp pointed cutter to start the ears.  I cut the ears out first, then did the side trim.

*hole puncher-make a hole in the middle of the top rim of the container.  This is where you will pull the whiskers thru.  I actually had the kids put the pipe cleaners thru before gluing.  I had 2 pipe cleaners per bunny, but it is up to you. You can use pipe cleaner or yarn or whatever you have that looks like whiskers.

Yes, have the kids wear old clothes: glue, fuzzies and reg. boys gone crazy junk 

will get all over their shirts.  

*Pink paper for the middle of the ears. Cut out smaller than ear size but it doesn't need to be perfect, the cotton will cover a lot of it.  Glue on the ears in the middle of them.

*glue, a container for it and paint brushes. It is simply easier to "paint" the glue on the box than squeeze it on.

*Cotton balls.  I had a bag of 100 and I have plenty left (we did 2) so hopefully, that will help you judge the amt you need [1/3 bag or so was left over].  Have the child glue the sides, add cotton balls and keep going until the outside of the bunny is filled in nicely.  We tore the balls into smaller pieces for the ears (front) and to fill in spaces.  I suggest packing them in good on the facial area, esp. around the pipe cleaners. Pack them in tight to hold those in place and puff up the face as they wish with layers.  Glue a big puff on the rump for the tail.  We glued/cotton balled the back of the ears down a bit and my ds also did one row on the insides.  You will stuff the center with Easter grass, so you don't need to be too worried if it is plain on the insides.

*add googly eyes, and a pom-pom nose (or you could use a button, paper, etc.) and your bunny is ready to go.  Let it dry good though, before adding grass and placing on your table.  Stuff with grass and add some eggs/goodies to finish it off.

Hippity Hoppity Easter is on its way.

6 Step Water Color art project

For one of our co-op classes, the kids worked on a 6 step water color project.  I have the exact directions listed in this post. They turned out beautiful!

Using watercolors, a series of steps, saran wrap, salt, rubbing alcohol,  and lots of water-plus a black pen for outlining-this is what we got and I cannot wait to frame and display these beauties!

Final results are striking.  DD's is horizontal, DS's is vertical

close up of dd's-salt is the white splashes, round dots-I believe is rubbing alcohol...have to check tho

close up of the saran wrap leaf-it is suppose to leave these marks-dd's didn't work right-probably b/cuz we had to move them to dry (due to having done this at the church we had our co-op at, and we couldn't leave them out).

A great hsing moment-kinda wordy but well worth it

So invariably, there comes a time in a young student's life when he just cannot be bothered with "schooling" you see, and is much too busy with thoughts of toys, playing a game on the computer and/or other boy thoughts (like busting loose from his mother's staring green eyes as she tilts her head in the manner that means nothing other than serious business)....

So here we are having another one of "those" weeks.  Things are getting done on a smaller scale than the head mistress is wanting and 'tudes are teetering one step below "this shalt earn some discipling if it continues" ...so as we gathered the day previous, to settle into our usual meeting place (the couch) to listen to the story of the day (Matchlock Gun) for our history lesson-this little "AH gottcha" moment occurred.  Fear not newbies to hsing, these days will come and for those who haven't seen one of these in so long you are beginning to believe it is merely an old wives tale....hang tight, as it will happen again and when it does-your heart will sing!

Walk with me down this memory lane, if you please.  Mother is seated and poised to vocalize this story to a boy who not only will be interested in the subject matter, but most likely will "eat it up" due to the boy theme, gun toting and adventure loving moments.  She calls said student over to hear this enrapturing story (OK, I may be stretching it but hey I can peal out a story like a fine trained story weaver if need be~ and I needed to be spot on this day). Head Mistress waits and calls again-perhaps student's ears are full of wax and he simply didn't hear the request (even tho he was but a mere 15 ft away, in the same room).  Request reverberates across the room, this time with a sternness that indicates punishment may soon follow, if not met quickly.  Student bemoans the entire 15 ft walk to meeting place, asking "why" and "how long".  Head Mistress is confused, after all of the books we have been reading of late (minus the Chronicles of Narnia) this one meets and exceeds this student's awesome factor list.  Mother Mistress beckons child to her side and promises-just 3 chapters then.

image from amazon.com

The book (acquired from library not so nearby, seemingly unopened and never read-the HORROR) is cracked open and the intro read.  Boy asks how long this will take.  Mother dear chokes back a rhetorical statement that would probably be followed by tears (hers not his), and chose to simply ignore rude comment.  Mother reads and completes the intro, looks up triumphantly to see twisted face of student (as though his skin is being pricked by a million quills from a porky porcupine)....she pushes on.

First chapter brought mild interest, a bit of confusion until the page with the Matchlock gun is displayed. Hmm, he has seen those on historical shows/at museums. Interest peaks slightly.  Mother moves to chapter 2...mind you in pure story telling splendor with voice inflections that would make a professional ooo and ahh in delight.  Mother is pouring it on thicker than a chilled maple syrup.  Suddenly, a student of despair speaks out (wiggly, distracted and just about to spring from his "imprisonment" if not released soon)..."Are we done yet?"

Mother dear has had it.  Insulted perhaps too.  "What is so important that you cannot sit for 15-20 mins to hear this wonderful boy story?"

Guilt flashes over boy's face, "Forget it." is heard and mother says, "OK fine, just one more chapter. You will survive."

The third chapter begins to wind down, mother's voice growing dry and raw from the dramatic inflectional reading skills-she too wants this misery to end.  Deflated and sad that that she somehow misread the student's love of such things, she looks at puppy dog eyed boy and says just a couple pages left.  But here is where that moment occurs.  The MOMENT educators across the globe yearn for....

But wait! What is this dear reader?  Could it be?

Perhaps due to Mother Mistress's distress, she doesn't notice that the boy has snuggled deeper into her side, and that he genuinely has become "drawn into the story".  Then Mother finishes last sentence in chapter 3.

About to shut the book, to go find some water and chocolate to drown her deflated self in-the boy loudly protests.  DID you catch that dear reader?  He asked, no begged, to have another chapter read.  Trying to not alarm child with a major "WHOOHHHOOO", mother dear quickly records this event into her memory scrapbook, deep within her mind.

Then another chapter comes to an end and the request stands, with a flourishing, "Let's just finish it."

WHOA there.  That is what we call the "moment", where the child begs for something they originally thought they had no need to hear/learn or partake in.  Ah joy.  He did like it [Mother isn't so off the target after all]-the fleshy desire to not want to "do school" because he had other intentions, was flipped over to "I want to hear it all."

Mother Dear and Student Once Protester melted into one cuddly, learning bundle of sweetness. Boy walks away having stated he really enjoyed the story, that he really liked the gun, and how the boy was able to fire it. And how scary it would be to do it, but he'd have been brave and done it.  Ah. Ah and ah again.

These moments do exist and they do increase in frequency.  Mother Mistress' mistake was to start the day way too late...and boy's mistake was to think he could balk his way out of a lesson.  Fight for those moments dear reader, they are worth it.

And there is my great homeschooling moment of the week.  It's been a good week indeed.

**and Mother did get that water to replenish her wasteland dry throat from reading the entire book, and that chocolate too.

Ultimate Blog Party 2011

BOOYAH! It is party time.  I am excited to once again take part in this fun Blog party!  So the gist of the party is to you know-work the "room" and meet folks, mention a little ditty about yourself and so-here we are.

This is my main blog.  I started this one to serve as my welcome center and basic "what's going on in our lives" update blog.  My name is Sheri, I am Christian, I have been a wife for 23 years to my BFF Dave, and a mom for just about as long-as we have 4 beauties.

We've been HSing for over 16 yrs, and I love to blog-hence the reason I have 5 of them.  We're starting our path toward adoption of a special needs child, and so be sure to come back often and follow up on our life, our hsing adventures and just stupid, random posts.

I also encourage you to visit Reece's Rainbow's homepage to read about these precious, precious babies.  Even if you have no intention of ever adopting, many families have that calling and are in need of financial assistance to procure their child's "ransom" from a sure death sentence, and most assuredly can use your prayers!

Finally, I penned a ditty on each of my blogs, so that you could read up on their purpose and intent.  I hope you will decide to follow me and visit often.  My whole goal is to help others and bless them with ideas/projects and info. And if you are on FB-I have the link on my side bar-hope you FB friend me too!

What's in the Box? (workbox blog)

1 of 100 TOS Crew Review Blog (hs and various product reviews)

Homeschooling thoughts-not to give up

Well, here we are-almost done with January of a new year and I wonder if I have lived up to my hopes for this school year. I started out all geeked and ready-huge difference in getting into the groove and accomplishing things. Then we had the unexpected trip to Hawaii with my hubby, so that took out about 3 weeks worth of time-mostly recovery from the time change! Then it started rolling into the holiday season and I felt overwhelmed, like I didn't do much. But after going back through all the paperwork, lapbooks, and such-I see that we did do some stuff and mostly stayed on track. So that was definitely an uplifting moment-cuz I really felt like I bombed it.

But even though we have not accomplished what I had hoped by this point in the year-I can say we are working toward our goals and that alone is worth a high five. My biggest problem is that I have not simply had the time I wanted to get my pre-planning and printing/cutting/packaging for future use done. I dunno why really, but I am sluggish in that department of late. SO my goal between now and mid-Feb. is to get some of it done and sketched out to help guide us. I need to be focused and sadly, I have not been. I wonder what is up with me? I only have to do a quick flip thru my memory cells to know that answer, and need to cut myself some slack-but I also need to get my rear in gear.

SO what do I want to accomplish with the kiddos this next term?

For the teen: get her through her Life of Fred book (which is so not how I learn math) and move her into Consumer Math. Wrap up the dreaded Biology that has taken forEVER to get thru (b/cuz we don't do it every day) and start her in Astronomy soon. Continue working her through the IEW module and then carry that idea over to other subjects so she gets plenty of writing experience. Start her on ACT practice (which I am not sure if she will even take yet-testing is a struggle for her and I dunno if she really even needs it...I know our local Comm. College doesn't require it to be admitted)...and continue on with our artist study (Winslow and Grandma Moses), another Composer (??) and one more Shakespeare play. She will also move along in her Copywork material, LLATL (almost done) and History. Once that history is done-I may have her go back to Medieval or Ancient history...or simply read more 20th Century books covering the Vietnam war and beyond. I haven't decided just yet. That is the basic hope anyway.

For the boy: continue working him through the Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading and get him fluent in reading (huge struggle that is taking forEVER due to his dyslexia), continue him on with his copywork, history (American), wrap up his Astronomy and move him to a bunch of fun experiments until we start the Flying Creatures on the 5th Day, in the early summer; and keep up the pace with one FIAR book (IV set) per month, and a couple various lapbooks too. He is continuing through his Abeka grade 3 math book but has hit a snag with division-so I have to stop for a week or two and have him work on hands-on projects that get that concept thru to him.

Both kids are working through their Bible studies as planned (Yippeeee) and we started the Narnia Chronicles and will work through each book until we are done. That is their big lit. projects and when I can I add some fun, out of the ordinary things to liven up our days.

Can I do it? I dunno-but I have hope and am praying for perseverance. I will try my best. Only time will tell...but the reason I am posting all this gobbleygoop is that I am seeing that this is a huge time of the year when others are fading so fast and losing hope. They are toast- and many we simply cannot blame, they have some big issues to deal with-but I so hate to see others throw in the towel. I am not foolish enough to think that everyone is meant to homeschool, or continue hsing all the way thru to graduation...but too many are giving up too soon. It is a battle and a big one. And there are plenty of Satan motivated days that almost snap even the hardiest warrior in half. Those are the times when you must pull back and hit the floor in prayer. Stop all extra commitments and clean house (meaning getting rid of laborious, tedious and non-essential curriculum/work) to just focus on being a family. Take more days off during the week to do some game playing, snuggling whilst reading a good book, baking, crafting, field trips and laughing! The math will always be there. The science can wait. You can work back into a reg. routine soon enough. Changing up how you homeschool can bring in such refreshing change that you'll wonder why you didn't try it sooner. Sometimes we (the parent) are so fearful we'll mess the kids up, set them behind their peers, or miss teaching them something utterly important-well, after these many years of hsing, I can tell you this...

you will miss stuff
you will mess them up at times
you will be behind in things
and you will on occasion-lose your marbles
you may yell
you may cry
you may wonder why God created children
you may plot a one way trip for yourself to Rancho Relaxo to never be seen or heard from again
and you may, you may
think you will never get through another day with these creatures

But as someone who has been there and felt the whole gamut of emotions-turn those thoughts around and consider these things too-it makes all the difference:

you are your child's best teacher
you love your child and know them best
you have the Lord on your side-where you miss, mess up and/or (unavoidably)create gaps-HE can fill and bring those lessons to them when HE needs them to have them
you cannot be it all and neither can a school system or someone else
GOD provides you with everything you need-you just need to pray, ask and wait
you will never get back those moments (good, bad or indifferent) and they fly by!
you will never, ever regret those tender moments and prob'ly will get a good family chuckle out of the bad moments down the road
and most importantly
the most worthy, and noble things in life come only by hard work, dedication and a lot of sweat and tears. This is not a picnic folks-it takes grit. It takes more than most are willing to even try for because it is hard! Let it instead, be a part of who you are, the way you live-not something you compartmentalize into "school stuff". Lowering our expectations to their abilities, not what we think they should be-but what they really are, then add a dash of encouragement, so they push for just beyond that. Recognize your child's "trigger" points and work the schedule around them-not the other way around (so if you child has frequent melt-downs by 1 pm-focus on getting the work done before then so they can have free time all afternoon). Do shorter lesson periods (this is a biggie-no 6 year old needs an hour of math per day-15-20 min is way more than needed), engage in more hands on things that yes-teach (baking, building, sewing, etc.), and most importantly-
stop worrying about everyone else's kids and how yours measure up to them-no child should ever have to bear that albatross around their neck. God created each of us to be individuals, with our unique and beautiful talents/skills. Encourage them to work past their road blocks, and always expect just a bit more than what they can do-and even if they don't reach it-praise them for their dedication, hard work and effort.

And remember-if they are being little stinkers and are fighting you tooth and nail-that is not an academic issue-
it is an issue of the heart.
and that needs to be dealt with before any of the disruptive school behavior is resolved.

I hope this brings some thoughts and ideas to you and helps you to continue forth.  Look to God to help you walk the tough times, so that you can bask in the blessings you will bear when your journey ends.  Sometimes it is us-the parent-that needs to die to self and start walking as Christ demands us to-in love and not out of selfish gain.  Tall order, but doable.  He will always provide for you and He will never ask more of you than can tolerate.

Trying it again-The Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading program

So, if you follow my review blog 1 of 100 (plus 25) TOS Crew Reviews, then you may remember a product I was given to test out the Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading back in 2008/09 {I didn't seem like a good fit for us then}.  At the time, I was overwhelmed with several things, and so this one just seemed to frustrate and confound me and the boy.  I knew it could work, I just wasn't sure if my dyslexic child could "handle" it and if I could ever figure out how to teach it.  I had to put it aside for a time....well to just last week actually.

Our biggest struggle with this child, is that he is the most dyslexic of our [only our oldest child is not] children afflicted by it (and yes-it is an affliction....doesn't mean you cannot succeed and do well in life-it just means it takes longer to learn some things-such as reading; and one needs to find ways to work with and around it).  So we have been going over and over and over the same concepts and getting just about no where.  I am exhausted, he is downtrodden by it and yet-we cannot give up and "chuck it" out the window.  He needs to read-for life!  So, after trying several dyslexic friendly programs, reading several books (some more than once  or even more than twice), and repeating (kind of like the movie "Groundhog's Day") the same material hoping for a break thru....(and granted we have had some) but it is not where he needs to be-we're giving this a try again. 

Now this post is not meant to slam my precious child-but rather to give hope to those who are in the same  boat with me...to encourage and offer another option to try. I want to write about this because I have watched my other 2 precious dyslexics struggle, struggle some more, start to figure it out, get on track and then with patience and time-read and read well.   LIKE really well-so there is hope- it can be worked through, it can be squashed folks-it can.

If you personally do not have a child with dyslexia, then what I am penning may sound well-odd.  Aren't all kids suppose to be reading fairly well by oh-6 or 7?  If you don't have a child who has more than the average struggles in reading-then you cannot understand the depth and scope of the issue.  That is a whole 'nother post...but suffice it to say-most children with it (depending on the intensity of it) it is a daily battle to have their brain interpret the printed word.  It is also a struggle for the one trying to teach them to read (and retain what they know) and to persevere.  It simply breaks our hearts and can (if not properly handled) destroy any love of reading (let alone the ability to do so) for the child.  

Anyhoo-I am all about giving the dyslexic child the time they need to "get it" and some kids take longer than others-but he himself has shown he is embarrassed at times by it, and definitely frustrated that he cannot read as well as his counterparts.  So our goal this year is to get him reading at a level that is closer to his age mates.  We'll take it as it comes, and keep plodding along-hopefully, with more success.  

That said-I was in prayer, and lo and behold-the Lord put that program in my heart.  OK, I can do it -as long as I can figure out what  I am suppose to do  and do it right. I watched the intro video again, scoured thru the material again, and decided to give it another shot.  So-here we are, 2 weeks into it and so far, so good.  He knows some of what we are covering, and that is making it easier.  We didn't need to do the alphabet part and such, and we have been able to go thru most the vowel teams fairly well...so we are into week 4 now and  finding (his words) that he "likes this program."  GOOD!  That is half the battle.  So one of the ideas is to have the children make letters/vowel teams, etc. out of clay or write in sand (altho his father would whoop his behind if he wrote the letters on a dirty car [one suggestion by the author]-bad, BAD idea there-writing words in the dust/dirt of a vehicle scratches the paint-and if it is a newer car, you can kiss that shiny coating good-bye....don't do it!) so I had him make Play-Doh  ropes to build the vowel teams...here are some shots to 'splain it....

I had him use different colors for the different groups. The red dots are above the ones that are "never" used at the end of a word-kind of a visual to help his remember (and it worked).

I was finding he could remember the sounds these teams make when shown the flashcards-but (common for dyslexics-at least my kids)...but when the time came to write it "cold" or do this activity...he struggled.  This uses several areas (visual, kinesthetic, and tactile) which is helping cement them into the brain there for him.  It will have to be done a lot tho (he forgot a few sounds today when I quizzed him)-but we'll keep on keeping on 

I am excited to see if this may be the answer we have been so prayerfully looking for.  I think I will cry when we get to week 5.  Especially if he gets through it successfully-without too many glitches.  I will keep you posted....

I am going to update (probably once per month) on his progress.  Perhaps this will bless a few other folks who are in this battle with me.  If anything-someday my boy will be able to read about this journey we've been on.  I think this will be quite a lesson in perseverance for us both.   

**now some tips just in case you wanna borrow em :  

for the ay and ai-we say "this is what the Fonz says" (yes, my kids know the Fonz cuz we watch the Happy Days reruns) so he actually remembers with that clue. [aayyyhhh]

for the oy and oi-I tap my forehead like I forgot something-it helps him too. [oiiiiii]

I will add more when we create em as we go thru this....I am all about clues man-all about em.  :0)

The Outdoor Hour Challenge -Queen's Anne Lace

Today was a beautiful day-picture perfect. I couldn't resist the call to nature-so I printed off the notebook page on the Queen Anne's Lace study, grabbed Anna Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study, the kids' nature supply totes and well-the kids.  We went to up the to the "hill prairie" (another section of our sub that has not been developed)...and found quite a abundance of the precious weed...here are some pics.....

We chose to use on pencils in our sketches this time.  Since this is a year long study, we have plenty of opportunities to use several other mediums...which will be fun to compare.  Unfortunately, it doesn't photograph well-I tried to darken them a bit so you could see.  

The boy's (he dictated and I wrote what he observed)

The teen's (she decided she would do more observation than drawing 

because once she starts-she gets very detailed..so this is her quick sketch)

I did a bit of both.  The object here is not to sketch a perfect looking likeness, but to 

learn to observe, and take in the amazing handiwork of our Lord.  

You can find out all about this great The Outdoor Hour study on Barb's Handbook of Nature Study blog-which is an awesome place to visit!  

New site for homeschoolers offers free stuff-yes!

So lookie what I had found out about...Lapbook Lessons and Curriculum Share are giving away this awesome new Time Travelers kit from Homeschool in the Woods.  I love HS in the Woods stuff! I was even fortunate to review a couple items of hers whilst on my TOS cruise...you can read about those here:
Olde World Maps and the New Testament Lapbook Kit.

HS in the Woods Giveaway

Visit this great new site: Curriculum Share

This is one sweet idea!

I am always excited to share ways for HSers to expand their repertoire and jazz up their studies-and this is certainly one way to do so!

*I am simply sharing info here-no financial or other compensation was received for doing so.  I could win this giveaway-but that is not necessarily my reason for blogging about it.