Worm poem

Xander had a story to write about following a worm during his day. This was based on a unit on worms he did. He decided to make it into a poem (ie: rhyming). His family is very proud, especially his great-grandfather who wrote poetry most of his adult life.


The Burrow is all filled with dirt.
It all fell onto my shirt.

A bird is out of a hole in the burrow.
I sure wish it doesn't eat the worm tomorrow.

I pulled out my rope and saved the day.
The bird will have to find his dinner some other way.

"Weekly" check in - February 5 2011

In my life this week…
Got to the taxes appt but it's not simple and that is still stressful for me. I hate money stuff it causes huge amounts of anxiety. Just wish he'd just do my taxes for me make it simple. sigh.

Been watching the tv show parenthood with eric since it began. There is a child with aspergers on the show. This week he went camping with his grandfather. The grandfather realized all the parents deal with all the time. That when the parents send an instruction manual with him on the trip there is a reason. It's not about spoiling or coddling. He has real issues. It was very gratifying. Not that my family will ever stop calling Xander a spoiled brat. But it's nice to see a family get turned around, even if it is fiction.

In our homeschool this week…
we tried a writing workshop at the homelearners centre. Great workshop with a great homeschooling mama but I underestimated X's issues.
1. the copy book I had him bring to the workshop had one page of a story written already in it so of course to xander it was impossible to write anything else in it but the story and began to continue that ignoring why we were there in the first place.
2. I insisted he focus on what the rest of the children were doing and use the back of the copy book for this work. Again very upset. Breath mommy breath!! Finally I had him go ask her for a piece of paper after making a few other suggestions as solutions all of which were unacceptable..
4. By this point they were almost finished the first activity and I was so distracted i didn't understand what was expected and he certainly didn't. He sort of did part of the activity and we moved on to the next activity.
5. I held my breath hoping it would be ok to do two different activities on one paper. It was. Just in case I offered to get him another piece of paper just in case. I was exhausted already and was desperate to make this work. Also very grateful for the great moms and other children at the centre!
6. So the next activity was she wrote on the board "I am so strong I can lift a man up by his hair". There task was to do their own similar sentence; "I am so strong..."
7. Xander didn't understand. I am not strong he said. She is lying he continued, again with emotion. More breath mommy breath. Smile apologetically to the person doing the workshop. "you are strong Xander!" "It's pretend." All the while stressed we are disturbing everyone else, although it didn't appear to be the case. They all seemed to be enjoying the task; many were laughing and smiling. Admittedly I felt like crap but thought why can't X be like them? He was so smart why can't he understand?
8. Finally he wrote "I am so dum I put a banana in front of my face." I almost burst into tears. Breath mommy breath mommy. Ok so Good xander you wrote something that was pretend. Ok i wanted to say that, I should have said that but all that came out was "sweetie you aren't dum!". She write another sentence on the board. He freaks when i ask him to copy it to finish it. That is not allowed!!! It's cheating to copy other people. I try in vain to make him understand.
9. I couldn't deal. Xander couldn't deal. He burst into tears. I asked him if he wanted a hug (it doesn't occur to him to just seek comfort from me) and we'd go back to the gym and finish up for now.
10. I make it all the way down to the gym, show the paper to other moms and then i burst into tears. How can he feel that way???
10. Later on the way home we do the activity orally. I let him finish sentences about me. "mommy is so strong she..." etc. He still does things that are not "lying". We finally after much practice with mommy i do sentences about him. Start with things that would easier like I am so handsome or funny, things are not about things he feels crappy about. It ends well. No tears. we also have a discussion on the difference between cheating and copying.
11. I think we'll take a break from these activities as a group and practice more at home.

Places we’re going & people we’re seeing…
We are having a big get together monday at our house with a few other homeschooling families visiting. we could have up to 7 children in our place. Yikes! lol But looking forward to it and X is very excited!

My favorite thing this week was…
A discussion I had with Xander about why he didn't want a sibling. Not that it is in the cards but he has been so emphatic about not having one I was curious. Apparently he was afraid that the added expense of a baby would mean we could no longer homeschool. Also he was worried that he didn't know enough of how to take care of a baby. Of course I reassured him that we would make it work financially and that nothing would stop us from homeschooling. Also that he was a very good big cousin so i'm sure he'd be a fabulous big brother. His response: "can you please get me an instruction manual for babies?" Just how serious he was made me respond seriously. I told him if I was ever pregnant we'd spend the whole 9 months learning about babies. He could come to work with mommy and learn about babies first hand. I told him he could probably teach the volunteers a few things :)

What’s working/not working for us…
I have to deal with the thought that more things need to be done orally and not try and force something he is not ready for. I just feel so much pressure. My grandmother asks almost weekly what he is writing. I just feel so judged like i'm not doing enough. It doesn't help that she doesn't acknowledge that there are any issues. That there are just things he must do or he is not being "educated".

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…
To follow up last week's post, I spoke to the psychologist who did Xander's assessment about ways to deal with his sensory issues. She didn't really have many suggestions and certainly nothing remotely comprehensive. So I looked at it as a challenge. If the psychologist can't find something let's see if i can. So i didn't find anything comprehensive but found some activity ideas that I might be able to elaborate on in order to create something consecutive.

picture...
Xander's (self-created) bedtime routine

Check in - Emotional and science

So i thought after 4 months (i don't count december as we didn't do much with holiday stuff and a death in the family) i'd do a check in as to what we are doing and where we are at:


Emotional:
His general anxiety level and ability to try new things and adjust has improved quite a bit since September. He seems happier and has a more positive attitude. A long way to go but a definite great start. He is starting to recognize some areas that he likes to learn (although only in the moment) which is a step above huge temper tantrums at the mere suggestion something might be educational. We are looking to work on some of his issues around sensory; getting dirty (he still won't do art).

Science:
His definite favorite area of learning! He enjoys hands on science experiments and documentaries. His highlight was a trip to a micro-biology museum in Laval (with some friends from the homelearners group) where he got to wear a real lab coat, learn what different tasks there are in a lab and actually perform them with his friends to extract DNA from a banana. He learned a lot of the science behind what is being done. He would excitedly explain to anybody that would listen for weeks afterwards. Currently we are doing science experiments that we make up based on goals from cycle one (grade 1 and 2) of the Quebec's ministry's curriculum guidelines. So far we have done: "Which objects are permeable to water?" so he learned in a general way the types of objects that would be (cloth, paper, candy) and which wouldn't (plastics). He also learned what the word permeable meant and how to look it up in the dictionary. Another we did in the same manner is then using what we learned from the first, we "compare amount absorbed by different materials". I was admittedly annoyed by the simplicity of these questions. After all, there are so many more exciting science experiments for young minds out there but he got really into it. To expand on this we are hoping to save up enough soon to buy a comprehensive science curriculum that was recommended and used by families at the community centre. Found at: http://www.gravitaspublications.com/ we'd be using the pre-level 1 bundle (chemistry, physics, biology) for k-3. All of their materials are viewable online.

"Weekly" check in

The Homeschool Chick has started a new Meme this week especially for us homeschool Mums out there. I need structure to my posts whenever they tumble out so thought i'd use hers.

In my life this week…
Financial stress is still alive and well. I finally made an appointment for thursday to get my taxes done. So that will mean some much needed cash plus, more importantly, my child tax benefits back in my hot little hands each month. I also learned that i might be eligible (with X's dx) for some extra $$.

In our homeschool this week…
Xander is knee deep in math as he suddenly noticed hey i am in grade one (in the curriculum we are using) and I don't want that. I want to catch up to my age. So he did 30 activities and quizes monday alone. Of course the activities are just a part of his learning as it's more of an introduction/assessment then i look at the scores and then i assign more practice in certain areas he is scoring low in. But i applaud his energy even if it's only to get it done. Baby steps. The areas to work on: skip counting by 2's, fractions, equal numbers (what numbers add up to a certain number), estimating, number line, problem solving (this is a very weak area for him)

Places we’re going & people we’re seeing…
Monday: home with a quick very cold walk to the bank.
Tuesday: X at his great-grannys in the am as usual and doing a creative writing workshop at the homeschooling community centre in the pm. Crossing our fingers the workshop goes well as writing is difficult for him in terms of confidence.
Wednesday: at his friend's naeem.
Thursday: X will be reading while I get my taxes done then drama in the evening. He was to have karate in the pm but i think i might have to take him out for a little while while we get some financial stuff in order.
Friday: At grandmas (eric's mom). Will color a quebec flag, do some math practice and whatever she has for him to do. Usually some reading together (popular fiction, insects, etc.). He also plays with his lego, plays the board game trouble and watches some tv.

My favorite thing this week was…
feeling a little more on top of things (other than $)

What’s working/not working for us…
Having a physical list of what to be done each week. This gets changed as needed but Xander seems to desire and work well with the knowledge of what's to come. He still asks each morning and evening but has done well with organizing his needs based on this template. I think his brain sees things as so huge an undertaking the list tones down what's in his head to a manageable point.

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have…
Been looking for PDD-nos (pervasive developmental disorder) specific homeschooling or educator tools as I feel at a loss sometimes. All homeschooling tools are for the typical child give or take. Although I feel capable of figuring it out and just the adaptation so far has been helpful to him there are some gaps. How do i work with math (especially word problems) when he has difficulty transferring information from one context to another?

A photo to share…
It was so cute! He held it up all excited and said "it's permeable". Love him!

Xander's first song/poem

I found this amongst my files. Not sure when it was written. It said Oct. 2009 as the day it was last modified but not sure if that's when it was written or just the last time it was opened.
Either way Soooo sweet!!

You love me cause your shy with me
you love me because i'm your baby
You love me because your cuddly with me
you love me because i'm your big boy

You love me because you do
and it's cool to love somebody
and it's cool
and your wishes is true

you love everybody because you do
because it's just a plan to

Xander's assessment part 1

I've decided to try an online curriculum site and see how it goes. It is very much a games/animation style of learning and it is controlled by him. I think it is something he might get into. I like it cause it doesn't assume what level he is based on his age. So i can put grade one for math and grade two for language arts even though he is technically in grade 3. I put it so low based on his recent cognitive-developmental assessment. Although he is at a grade 6 reading level his ability to then comprehend what he is reading, ie: answer questions, notice sentence structure and grammar is lacking. Plus i want him to feel confident as he starts so i'm low-balling it. In math apparently the psychologist says he has a learning disability. As she says: he's smart but he has trouble in math so it's a "disability". Sigh! I personally think part of the difficulty he is having is based on how the testing was presented. It was presented, like school, with lists of equations to be answered without any visual context and well boring. I don't deny that he has difficulty with math. I have realized in the 4 months we've been homeschooling that he has great difficulty in transferring over information learned to different contexts. Which can be quite frustrating for his 'teacher'. I can be all excited yeah he has learned X or Z then we'll do another example with different variables (but the same concept or skill) and he has to relearn it all over again. big sigh!! But facts on the other hand stays with him! That is his strength! Love him for that (well and everything else even when it is frustrating)! He can understand and retell with obvious understanding what he learned when at a lab a couple months ago. A field trip with the homelearners group to a semi-local microbiology museum where he got to be as he says: "in a real lab". They used real materials and got to wear a lab coat. The experiment was to extract DNA from a banana.
I will, when he has used it some more, post a detailed review of the site. I'll also post a second part explaining more the developmental part of the assessment.

Some editing

Did some editing today to make it more like something Xander would have picked. Also decided to change the title to something a little less pompous. He is definitely in a "hero" phase so the phrasing works. I am looking into other blogging sites that might be more functional. Specifically, More than one pic per post would be nice. I'd also like to link to youtube which maybe i can do on blogger not sure still figuring it out.

Inspiration

While voting for a wonderful friend's blog (http://mamamanuscriptsplace.wordpress.com/) I took a little look see at what else is out there. It never really occurred to me that blogs can be a space of inspiration, beyond friend's thoughts and lives. I found one blog of an unschooling family (http://childledhomeschool.com/) who, although christian, was had interesting, very specific advice/ideas for unschooling smaller children. Sometimes it gets hard. Another was a homeschooling mom to a dyslexic child (http://counterculturalschool.blogspot.com/). He works well learning in an auditory fashion. Which I am looking forward to learning more about cause that is so Xander. Although he isn't dyslexic he just seems to internalize and enjoy audio books and workbooks, etc when done orally.
I hope to one day have important and similarly interesting things to write about on here :)

30 day blog challenge - day 1

Day One-Introduce, Recent Picture and Fifteen Interesting Facts

(as dictated by Xander, typed by mommy for speed and to limit frustration)

I am Xander. I am eight years old.

1. I like Star wars and Avatar the Last Airbender.
2. I went though some good things and some bad things.
3. Some people like me and some people don't.
4. Sometimes i'm a nice boy and sometimes I'm a bad boy.
5. I go to a lot of places.
6. Somebody being mean to me makes me unhappy.
7. When somebody makes a joke i am happy.
8. i am homeschooled (this one typed by xander)
9. My favorite thing to play with is lego.
10.I like being at my friend Naeem's house.
11.I like going to swim and gym and play dates with Alisdair.
12.Vampires, ghosts, crazy mazes, and lots of other terrible creatures scare me.
13.I feel terrible when i get dirty.
14.I feel terrible when something changes in my routine (ex: a different kind of pizza is offered than i usually have or it gets colder and I have to wear a different jacket) (typed into a sentence but that's what he said)
15.i tell people what i do (this one typed by xander)

Tuesday October 19th

He came to me out of the blue and said “i think i need a hair cut” and gave a reason; “I have to keep pushing it away from my glasses”. It's a small thing but i'd like to think it's the beginning of his taking responsibility for his own things/self/learning rather than the school taught, adult, top down infusion of knowledge rather than self-thinking.

With a workbook and he has a fit. Us sitting together comfy on the couch with a “reading book” but one that has word problems and a visual representation of adding, subtracting, multiplication tables and division and he is fine for 30 minutes. I am the one who said maybe this one will be the last one we do in the end. He would ask for the ones illustrated with coins (“cause I am going to be rich one day”), witches and other animals or characters he liked. Word problems certainly were difficult for him. Simple adding ones and he would say: “wait mommy you are going too fast”. But he didn't have a fit. He calmly requested we slow down, we did, and he figured it out with a few repetitions. :)

Discussed what to do for grandma's bday and how to get info. He called grandpa: asked him what her favorite dessert was. He was articulate, spoke of keeping it a secret and why.

Monday October 18th

Workshop at the redpath museum on dinosaurs
Made a cast of a plastic dinosaur
Found this difficult due to the mess. Needed to wash his hands immediately, several times.
Got upset when his chair was moved: got loud (but calmed fast). Accusingly. Felt it was done on purpose against him.
A child running up and down the stairs outside: same thing: he is doing it on purpose to annoy him and he of course is going to break his cast and/or his lunch. Again a little loud (but calmed fast).

Learned: Certain dinosaurs used rocks to digest their food because they only had the sharp teeth for killing and biting off meat and not the flat teeth to chew. They would eat the rocks so they would go into the stomach.

Generally better than the first workshop we did at the Redpath museum in September on Meteorites. He was too bothered by the smell of the clay (wasn't noticeable to anybody else) to spend that much time in the workshop.