| Author | |
Cheryl
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 20 2005
Location: Massachusetts
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 978
|
| Posted: Sept 28 2006 at 7:50am | IP Logged
|
 |
|
That's wonderful. Thanks for the update. We didn't do lessons yeterday because we take Wednesdays off. We'll see how today goes. Right now he's in the garage building an airplane out of cardboard and duck tape.
__________________
Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
mom2mpr
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 16 2006
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1550
|
| Posted: Sept 28 2006 at 8:27am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Cheryl wrote:
| That's wonderful. Thanks for the update. We didn't do lessons yeterday because we take Wednesdays off. We'll see how today goes. Right now he's in the garage building an airplane out of cardboard and duck tape. |
|
|
Our guys sound a lot alike.  My ds would get lost doing a project like that--and after we moved, with all the boxes, it was often.
Have a great day, we are off to Mihaels to get a model and some craft supplies--it is going to be rainy for days here.
Anne
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Angel
Forum All-Star
Joined: April 22 2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2293
|
| Posted: Sept 28 2006 at 4:57pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Cheryl,
I'm wondering if you had tried to figure out your son's learning style? From the way you describe him, he sounds like a very creative visual-spatial/mechanical kind of guy.
My ds 9 is visual-spatial and he hates workbooks, cannot seem to memorize math facts to save his life, but needs structure because of his ADHD and other factors. We have certain non-negotiable subjects -- like math -- but I try really hard to ask him when I'm evaluating resources or planning a schedule. I would never have suggested, for example, that he do his math during quiet time, but it has worked out phenomenally well. He's the one who decided he wanted to do it then, so he wouldn't be distracted. Whenever he had to do that kind of work around the other kids, he couldn't concentrate.
The other thing is, if I can incorporate building or art into whatever we're doing, he enjoys the learning much more. Construction is so mathematical, but it's mostly geometry, which most elementary workbooks relegate to basically nothing. I do wish I had been more consistent with basic fact practice when my ds was younger (visual-spatial kids often have a hard time memorizing math facts), but if I had to do it over again, I would use a Montessori approach to do it -- very concrete and manipulative. My son has fine motor difficulties; handwriting is a chore for him, and if he has to write too much he has to concentrate on the writing and not on the thinking. He also has a low tolerance for frustration. Since my son has Tourette Syndrome his difficulties are magnified, of course, and none of them may be applicable to your situation. I just thought I'd throw them out there, though.
Because of his low tolerance for frustration, we keep our required subjects short. Math is broken up into 2 sessions: about 15 minutes with me, tops, and then another 15 or 20 minutes while he does a page of math problems independently. I am modifying Saxon this year, but last year I made up my own program. We started out with much less time, and worked up to this point. Spelling takes about 15 minutes, Latin takes about 15 minutes, and he takes about 15 or 20 minutes with his handwriting/copywork in the afternoons. That's less than 2 hours of "academic" work a day. We're seeing progress with this approach, though. The rest of our day is spent reading aloud, reading to ourselves, playing outside, doing art... etc.
We also do our reading aloud/artwork *first*, which is the reverse of what a lot of people do, I think. This is because my kids *need* to get their creative work done every day. This is self-initiated work. But if it must be put off, it is as frustrating to them as it is to us to have to put off something we are internally driven to do as well. After we've spent about an hour or so reading, drawing, and doing art, then the kids are focused enough for some short academic work. Then they need to go outside for about an hour. (Taking short breaks is not an option for us because the kids have such a hard time transitioning, and I hate to interrupt them in activities they've only just sunk into because I know how I hate to be interrupted as well. When we need to switch from reading aloud to math, I send the kids to brush their teeth. That functions as a break.)
Has this eliminated all grumbling and complaining from our lives? Well, no. But it *has* made things easier, and we *are* starting to get somewhere finally. It's just a lot of trial and error, unfortunately. When my ds and I were fighting every day, nobody was learning anything. Trying to meet him where he was resulted in a few setbacks and wrong turns and him being "behind", but all the "mistakes" I made have led us closer to a place where learning can finally take place.
--Angela
Mom to 3+2
Three Plus Two
__________________
Angela
Mom to 9, 7 boys and 2 girls
Three Plus Two
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Karen E.
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 27 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1161
|
| Posted: Sept 28 2006 at 10:05pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
mom2mpr wrote:
My other issue is to get the work done, I do a lot of the writing for him. He will do a page or two of HWT but that is about it. He can verbally tell me what to write but I could wait all day for him to write something |
|
|
Take heart. We are coming out on the other side of this, and I see tremendous benefit in having done a lot of the writing for my oldest for a long time. She's 12 now, and will sit in her room and write page after page of a story, but when she was 10, I was still doing a LOT of writing for her. It was partly a developmental thing. Keep in mind that your son's mind can race and create and narrate much faster than his little hand can work.
My hope was that I would keep the interest up, the love of learning and composing alive, while helping her with the mechanics until her hand caught up with her mind. It seems to have worked.
__________________
God bless,
Karen E.
mom to three on earth, and several souls in God's care
Visit my blog, with its shockingly clever title, "Karen Edmisten."
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Cheryl
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 20 2005
Location: Massachusetts
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 978
|
| Posted: Sept 28 2006 at 10:26pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Angela,
I thank you for all of your ideas. I don't really know what my son's learning style is yet. I will try to get his input on our schedule. I do know that my son's fine motor skills are very good, but he writes letters and numbers backwards a lot. I'm going to look at your ideas again tomorrow. I need to go to sleep!
__________________
Cheryl
Wife to Bob ('97)
Mom to Matthew 13, Joseph 11, Sarah 10, Rachel 6, Hannah almost 4 and Mary 1
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
mom2mpr
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 16 2006
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1550
|
| Posted: Sept 29 2006 at 9:50am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Angela,
Thanks for your insight and ideas. Tranisitions are hard here too! I'll have to try some of your ideas. I have actually been toying with doing science first but haven't been able to take the plunge yet. It might help us get focused.
Cheryl,
As Angela mentioned figuring out learning styles can really help. I tested ds at Mercy Academy(online) for his learning style and he enjoyed the test and it really opened my eyes to how he works. It was so truthful and helped me find things that work for him and make "school" a little more fun. Also, they suggested block type scheduling, doing Math, Religion and LA everyday and doing other subjects for just one month at a time then switch. That took so much pressure off me and has made it more fun--when we can get going :)
Today isn't quite as great as yesterday. We are off for our walk(it isn't raining) and I am hoping things will look better when we return.
Anne
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
dizzylaurel
Forum Rookie
Joined: June 02 2006
Location: Pennsylvania
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 56
|
| Posted: Sept 29 2006 at 10:32pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Gee, maybe it's a virus travelling around the country...it's now 11:30 PM and I'm looking at my dd's list for today...with 1 of 5 things checked off! (sigh...) So glad our first quarter ends next week...mommy needs a week off! :O)
Hugs,
Laurel in PA
Homeschooling dd 12  and dd 7 
__________________
Who you are is God's gift to you; who you become is your gift to God.
Plodding Toward Holiness
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Leonie
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 28 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2831
|
| Posted: Sept 29 2006 at 10:54pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Anne ~
Thanks for the update!
You asked how I get the kids back inside - well, sometimes I just wait for a natural break in activity
( eg for snack time) or sometimes I just call them and remind tham about our plans for the day.
Either seems to work here, especially if I have a relaxed attitude - 'schoolwork' can be done at a variety of times or on a number of days.
__________________
Leonie in Sydney
Living Without School
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
mom2mpr
Forum All-Star
Joined: May 16 2006
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1550
|
| Posted: Sept 30 2006 at 7:03am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Leonie wrote:
Anne ~
Thanks for the update!
You asked how I get the kids back inside - well, sometimes I just wait for a natural break in activity
( eg for snack time) or sometimes I just call them and remind tham about our plans for the day.
Either seems to work here, especially if I have a relaxed attitude - 'schoolwork' can be done at a variety of times or on a number of days. |
|
|
I TRY to do that. We take our walk and play outside for awhile and then it is lunch time. But, they are so busy playing they don't realize they are hungry-well, dd will but ds is in his own world. He could go thorough the day and never eat-then at 9pm I am trying to get them to bed and he is eating his way through the fridge I will look for more natural breaks but it seems everyone, puppy, 3 year old and ds(oh yeah, and me too!) are all on different pages and timetables-something I have been struggling with for weeks! We all need to meet in the middle and some of us have problems with that
Thanks everyone!
Anne
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
Forum Locked) 
4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: just frustrated
