Posts tagged ‘special needs’

Day 1 of Homeschooling

As we sat and tried to read the beautifully illustrated book about clouds, my son’s body was wiggling all over, his hands were twiddling like crazy, and he was full of one thing – BOREDOM! All my carefully planned lessons for the year were going to be a complete flop with this highly active child!

All too soon I realized that his learning style was totally different than mine. And I had just finished creating a year’s worth of lesson plans that I would enjoy…. What to do now?

Determined to make his first year of homeschooling a success, I began scouring the Internet for resources and activities for my active child. Before long, I landed on Lesson Pathways.

My quick search for a lesson on clouds hit with success! A quick trip to the local supermarket and I was ready to try again. My son was skeptical as I pulled back out the Cloud book, but I was prepared for his reaction. I quickly added a piece of blue paper and a can of Redi Whip. Now I had his attention (and that of his younger sister as well ☺ ).

Six months later, we are still thriving on the hugely hands on lesson plans found in Lessons Pathways, and I have a household that LOVES Monday’s, which for them is “When all the fun starts”.

I would read a page, we would look at the pictures, and he would build me a cloud on his page from what we learned. It was AWESOME! My son, that only yesterday told me “I HATE LEARNING”, was now totally engrossed in the material! And not only was he totally into it, the whole family was soon getting involved in the hands on fun.

Six months later, we are still thriving on the hugely hands on lesson plans found in Lessons Pathways, and I have a household that LOVES Monday’s, which for them is “When all the fun starts”.

Bringing Action Into Your Home

Are you struggling with an active child’s lack of interest in learning what you are presenting through workbooks and table work? Here are a few great tips for adjusting your lessons to their needs:

1. Try not to stop them from moving – they are still listening even if they are pacing your living room or dribbling a ball at the same time.
2. When sitting is unavoidable, keep lessons short and offer little breaks in between each part.
3. Play games! They acquire information fastest when participating in a science lab, drama presentation, skit, field trip, dance, or other active activity.
4. Finally, check out Lesson Pathways for their great hands on applications!

And, as a Homeschooling Mama that appreciates using friends as my #1 resource, I would love to hear back from you. What are your tricks and tips for teaching the kinesthetic or physically active learner?

This post was written by Jody N.  A homeschool mom of two, living with her family in west Michigan.  You can read more about her and our other contributors by visiting the Our People page.

Jennifer B. is a long-time LessonPathways.com team member and our resident expert on Special Needs.  She’s often found providing support to other homeschool parents with special needs children.  Her special brand of humor and sensitivity is always welcomed.  Read her advice to all homeschoolers:

Where to begin? I guess the beginning is a good spot! I’m Jen B, married, with two boys-both with special needs. My eldest was told he would never learn to read, he’s presently in grade 11 in public school, getting straight A’s. We homeschooled him until he was high school age. My youngest was told he will never talk and although his articulation is poor, the boy never stops talking. We still homeschool him and love it. My point? What do people know? Go with your gut!

This advice fits well with homeschooling too. You are the parent, you know your child best. If you feel your child learns better by doing than a textbook, than go ahead and modify things. If your child does better with reading than doing, again, feel free to modify things. Go with your gut.

Since my children have special needs, I was asked the strangest things when we first started out with this strange and wondrous adventure of homeschooling. “Shouldn’t you leave it up to the professionals?” is an all-time favourite of mine. I usually answer by asking the questioner if they know his/her children well. Of course the person replies and then why wouldn’t I know mine enough? I am a professional, a professional parent. I go with my gut.

Why would homeschooling be any different than parenting? It’s really not, that’s why homeschoolers chuckle when uninformed parents say they can’t do it. Teaching your children is just ‘extended parenting’, you watch them a little longer, past kindergarten age, instead of having the schools do it. If you doubt that you can homeschool your children, think again and go with your gut.

I’m sure glad I did!

If you are interested in homeschooling your children and there are special needs involved, look me up! http://www.specialneedshomeschool.com/ I’d be happy to hear from you!

Our daughter, Hannah, is a wonderful, bubbly child who often has a little too much energy. Last year, she was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Her diagnosis was not unexpected. She has been almost constantly in motion since birth!

ADHD is often misunderstood by the general public. I’ve spent many hours reading books, online resources and even message boards about ADHD. There are almost as many suggestions for how to “fix” a child with ADHD as there are kids themselves, so I really don’t want to get into the medical side of the disorder. The problems associated with ADHD are real, but a child is far more than any disease, disorder or disability.

I have been blessed to find some amazing support from people who have come into my life with children who also have ADD/ADHD. One of my nieces was diagnosed with ADHD nearly 12 years ago. She is now a bright young woman who has many stories, both positive and negative, to tell about her early years. She is, of course, an inspiration to my own daughter. Hannah also has a little boy in her class this year who has ADHD. He is one of the most positive, upbeat kids you could ever meet! His attitude has helped Hannah understand that she can not only live with ADHD, but also thrive as she faces its challenges.

There are almost as many suggestions for how to “fix” a child with ADHD as there are kids themselves, so I really don’t want to get into the medical side of the disorder. The problems associated with ADHD are real, but a child is far more than any disease, disorder or disability.

Hannah and her friend also attend karate classes together. It is a great fit for a child with hyperactivity. Karate allows children with ADHD to learn to control their body movements and handle stress and anxiety in a natural way.

There are numerous online resources that provide parents with medical information, reading sources and the support of others who have children with ADHD. A good place to start is Chadd.org. This site not only provides lots of information, but also helps with finding local ADHD support groups. If you are interested in a Christian perspective on ADHD, Christianadhd.com has wonderful articles on treating ADHD naturally as well as resources for deciding whether medication is right for your child. For online support, ADHD groups on Cafemom.com and Dailystrength.org have excellent message boards.

Recently, I’ve been checking out books on the subject of ADHD. One of the best books out there, for basic information, is The ADHD Parenting Handbook: Practical Advice for Parents from Parents. While reading this book, I began to realize just how common my questions about parenting a child with ADHD really are.

My daughter is such an ordinary little girl in so many ways. She loves to play dress up with her best friend. Recently, she learned to ride her bike without training wheels, and give her a pool and a swimsuit and she will happily stay in the water for hours! The fact that she is so energetic has proven to be a gift instead of a hindrance in so many ways.

For too long, I was focused on her diagnosis and how ADHD seemed to make life more difficult for us as a family. Every conference with a teacher in which I heard the same words about her difficulty to focus and remain seated, and every glare directed at my daughter in a restaurant or other public place, seemed to intensify my feelings of inadequacy as her mother. Why couldn’t I just “fix” her?

I don’t remember the exact moment when I realized that I was focusing on the wrong thing. Maybe I was the one who needed fixing! ADHD is just a small part of who my daughter is. Since I have been focusing on her wonderful qualities, she has begun to blossom in so many ways. And so have I.

This post was written by Lee Ann T., a LessonPathways.com volunteer blog contributor.  You can read more about Lee Ann, and the rest of our volunteer bloggers by visiting the “Our People” page.

We have homeschooled for 10 years, but we are not unique. We are no different from any other family. We love each other and learn together every day.

What makes us a little different is the fact we all have special needs. That’s right–all of us. Each of us brings a different quality to our home. My eldest is high school age and my youngest is elementary school age. I want to share with you a few things about my youngest since he is still being homeschooled. Travis is 10 years old and has invisible special needs, which means he appears to be an average child because his special needs aren’t clearly visible. He has Tourette Syndrome, Central Auditory Processing Disorder, and Sensory Processing Disorder. He may be on the Autism Spectrum (presently being assessed) as well.

He enjoys learning things through visual aids, in 15-minute increments, through one-on-one instruction, and with concise printables. He does not do well with workbooks because he likes to complete what he started, and a whole workbook is too much. His grade levels span from grade 1 to 5, depending on the topic and subject. He is a true perfectionist and a lover of science. He is a puzzle!

I searched high and low for a curriculum that would fit his needs. I tried all types of styles of homeschooling, from relaxed learning, unschooling and child-led learning to classical education, unit studies and full box curriculum. Nothing fit his way of learning. When everything I tried with my eldest failed with my youngest, I was desperate. I had to come up with something! I decided the only choice was to make our own curriculum. We decided to “Tailorschool,” and I built his curriculum to fit his individual strengths and needs. This is how we used to homeschool: http://specialneedsinhomeschooling.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-we-do-this-homeschooling-thing.html. The Internet provided more than enough information.

I searched high and low for a curriculum that would fit his needs. I tried all types of styles of homeschooling, from relaxed learning, unschooling and child-led learning to classical education, unit studies and full box curriculum. Nothing fit his way of learning. When everything I tried with my eldest failed with my youngest, I was desperate. I had to come up with something!

If Travis was doing grade 1 English and grade 5 math, I could find resources that catered to his strengths, allowing him to learn at his level. It was work, and I do mean WORK! I spent hours scouring the Internet to find the safest links with the best opportunities for him to learn. I searched for links to printables so he could work in small increments, links to videos and audio resources to feed his learning style, links to explanations of the lesson so I could learn it in order to teach him, and links to fun activities he found engaging and I found educational. Then he would progress, and I would have to do it all over again! I spent close to 20 hours a week making his lessons and organizing everything.

Then, Lesson Pathways was presented to me, and the ideology behind it was to build entire grade levels and whole lessons based on exactly what I was doing! I was intrigued, but at the same time, I thought it was impossible. There was no way anyone could build an entire website, with that many resources on all the topics needed. A year later, it was built and is still growing!

I am not spending time building his curriculum or tons of money buying resources I may enjoying every minute of it! I am spending time learning with him. never use, and he is Travis absolutely LOVES LessonPathways.com, and so do I.

Lesson Pathways has done it! It has exceeded my expectations and provided the best resources found on the Web, with a multisensory approach to learning. For the first time in my 10 years of homeschooling, I have 20 hours a week to spend WITH my children, instead of planning for them!

Travis is using LessonPathways.com, and it’s set up to provide visual and hands-on learning components that are perfectly matched with his learning style, meeting his special needs in a way that can guarantee his success. I can mix and match Pathways of different grade levels to match his needs. All I do is add the units to his personalized planner and check off each unit when he has completed it! I am not spending time building his curriculum or tons of money buying resources I may never use, and he is enjoying every minute of it! I am spending time learning with him. Travis absolutely LOVES LessonPathways.com, and so do I.

*While “Travis” is a very real person, his name has been changed for this story.*

This post was written by Jennifer B., a homeschool mom and LessonPathways.com team member.  To learn more about Jennifer and the other great blog writers, visit the “Our People” tab.