Day 5 of Home Schooling - Friday 17th October 2014

We've made it to the end of the week. I must admit that I am feeling tired. Tired, but happy. It's been fun spending quality time with Sam. For the first time in a long time I am really seeing him and listening to him. I've learned just as much from him this week as (hopefully) he has from me. When you have a child with special needs, you can very easily become so overwhelmed with all the daily challenges - medical, developmental, behavioural - that you lose sight of the little human that you ferry to and from medical appointments, therapy sessions and school. I think our home schooling adventure will benefit both Sam and I. We are taking time out to focus on what is important. So what is important?

 

My first goal is to reduce the stress and anxiety in Sam's life and that means I too need to relax and find some peace. A run down, stressed out Mummy is not a good role model for Sam. Over the past couple of months, both Sam and I have succumbed to the winter ills and this had a huge impact on Sam's behaviour and well being. He spent more time at home than he did at school last term. I, of course, picked up Sam's bugs and battled a severe case of tonsillitis followed by a delightful dose of the flu. This week, both Sam and I worked at a more reasonable pace and took breaks when Sam needed them. I can honestly say it was the most enjoyable and relaxed week I've had in long time. I asked Sam today if he enjoyed learning at home with me and he said "Yes."

 

My next goal is to create a learning profile for Sam. I'm reading a very good book - 'Educating Children with Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome (also known as 22Q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and DiGeorge Syndrome)' by Donna Cutler-Landsman, Second Edition. I highly recommend it to any parent, teacher, or therapist working with a 22Q child. It is helping me to highlight the common learning deficits experienced by 22Q children and from what I already know about Sam, I can design lessons and activities that are tailored to his syndrome and his own individual needs.

 

So what did we do today?

 

First stop was the park. Sam loves this time and I find it's a great way to kick off the day and get him ready for more academic tasks. He is more focused after some physical activity and of course a healthy dose of fresh air and sunshine is always a good thing. Playing on the equipment and 'working out' on the exercise machines is a great way to strengthen his muscles. The park can also provide some great learning opportunities. This morning we had a nature lesson when a mother bird and her young visited our picnic table. Then we noticed the ants collecting our biscuit crumbs and this lead to a discussion of how and where ants live.





When the birds that had been scavenging for scraps at our picnic table took off, Sam and I followed them to a group of trees and this lead to a discussion on where birds live.

 

A morning snack...

 

...followed by a spot of climbing.



Back at home now. I have each session planned and all the activities laid out ready before I call Sam to 'class'. I have three set tasks, plus an iPad activity to finish off. This morning we had a writing exercise followed by a cutting exercise. Then we read a book together. 

I give him a 5 minute heads up that we will be starting class so that he is prepared. He grumbles and protests for a minute or two, but I use a calm voice, keep the instructions simple and repeat them as needed. I also find that if I initiate the activity, he gradually joins in. Once he's engaged, we're off!
 

Sam's lessons all ready to go.

I start off a session with Sam's less preferred activity. This morning it was writing. We talked about what we did at the park. I needed to prompt him and he confirmed what I said was right. I also threw some false statements in there to check that he was listening. At this stage he was still a bit grumpy so teasing him into telling me I'm wrong worked a treat. He likes being right. I wrote the story on the whiteboard and then I had him rewrite the story in his book and draw a picture of what we did.



 

 

Our next activity was inspired by our experience with the birds in the park. I thought we could build our own nest. I drew simple birds and egg shapes on coloured paper for Sam to cut out. However, despite all my efforts to gain his help with hunting for nest building material, Sam refused to join in. So he watched me collect the twigs, grass and leaves and then construct the nest. I explained what I was doing as he watched and I showed him a picture of a nest on my iPad. My efforts were not quite as grand as the real thing, but it wasn't bad. Sam was happy to do the cutting exercise and he did a really good job. They were not easy shapes to cut out.

Voila, our Mummy bird, Daddy bird and eggs had a home.



Our next activity, reading, was again inspired by our visit to the park. I like to buy non-fiction books as well as fictional books for the kids. One of my recent school Book Club purchases included some non-fiction early readers and as luck would have it, one of them was all about ants!





 

To finish up, we enjoyed an online book about ants. I've discovered a great app called Reading Rainbow. There are hundreds of books to download, plus videos and games. The books are interactive so Sam loves it.