Making History Relevant to James Today

Helping James get immersed in his education is one of my goals.  Putting himself in his studies is another.  Today for history, James was to read primary sources from "What was early contact like between Europeans and Natives".  James really got into this activity!

"The wemen are very cleanly in making their bread and prepareing meat. I found they account after death to goe into an other world pointing eastward to the Element, and when they saw vs at prayer they observed vs with great silence and respect, especially those to whome I had imparted the meaning of our reverence. To conclude they are a very witty and ingenious people, apt both to vnderstand and speake our language, so that I hope in god as he hath miraculously preserved vs hither from all dangers both of sea and land & their fury so he will make vs authors of his holy will in converting them to our true Christian faith by his owne inspireing grace and knowledge of his deity."


James asked if he could read it and he did a valiant effort.  James was asked to answer several questions about what he read and again, he had fun doing it.  The answers were brief but as James pretended to be a 13 year old boy from the Age of Exploration, I could see him in every word.

1. Did you have fears before you went on the voyage?
1. "Dying mostly... I never went on a ship, but I know that I might not last."
2. How did you feel about the Natives after the first time you met them?
1. "Curious, these people weren't like us, but we're friendly, I even met a Native my age. I had no idea what he said, but my bow with arrow's were there're but habbit's die with age."
3. What do you think you can learn from these people?
1. Not much, sign languadge was all I learned."

I know that some of his answers are hard to understand but he has really improved his ability to put words together to make sense independently over the years.  Homeschool Day 2 ✔

8th Grade!!!! I Can't believe it!!

So it happened!! My little man started 8th grade today!!! We decided to do the homeschool, (yes, I looked it up and this is an appropriate spelling) again this year which gives me the opportunity to really fine tune his needs for when he goes back to the classroom for 9th grade.    I nearly had a heart attack when I saw all of the textbooks that were going to be living in my house for the school year.  I have been dreading the Algebra 1, but we made it through the first day. For all families trying to decide if home schooling is going to be a good decision for their family, there are a few things to keep in mind.

• Homeschooling can be very flexible
• you can take vacations that work for the whole family (just take the materials you will need with you)
• you don't need to do all subjects all of the year.
• we decided to do math and English all year and History for the first half of the year and science the second half.  That way, James won't get so bogged down with 4 classes.
• you can do 5 days of work over the whole week making the actual time spent for one day much less.  This works really well for a lot of our kids because they like the same thing every day.

As a creative mum, I have spent a lot of time trying to find games and activities to teach James what he needs to learn without him knowing that he is learning.  This morning for English, I decided it would be great to start back at the beginning working on parts of speech.  James had a blast playing >>this game<<  he didn't even realize that he was reinforcing necessary skills.  

There are a lot of really great sites where you can find free and very inexpensive materials to help enhance you families educational experience.  One of my favorites is Teachers Pay Teachers >> here <<  I just put in the grade I am looking for and click on free.  YIKES!! There is so much there that James will have to be in the 8th grade for 5 years for me to use it all!!  

Finally, for James, one of his favorite things about homeschooling is he adores his classmates and they adore him back!!

Makes Sense to Him

I feel horrible that I haven't sat at the computer and blogged since last April!  Not that there hasn't been a ton to write about, I just haven't had the inclination to put it to the blog world.  That is about to change.  James starts 8th grade tomorrow (home school style) and I have promised myself that I will sit and write several times a week.  It will be my "homework".  But, to start us off, a little something to whet your appetite for all that is to come.....

James is responsible for several chores around the home.  He does his own laundry, cleans his bathroom counter, empties the dishwasher, and vacuums his room.  All of this with reminders but he does do them.  This morning, I called him to come and empty the dishwasher.  He came quickly, (which is unusual), stood at the kitchen table and asked, "Mom, Dad, when was the last time either of you emptied the dishwasher?" I replied without hesitation, "Yesterday Dad did it." James smiled and simply stated, "That's good enough for me." and off he went to do the dishwasher.  No drama. No "That's not fair's!" No "I always have to do everything's"... He just got to work and did what he was asked to do.  I have to wonder... Who is this child and how long can he stay?

Guided Note Taking

This I made from the Social Studies lesson
on the Increase of Spanish Power (no plagiarism was
intended but this one follows fairly close to the lecture) 

James and I continue to grow in our home schooling experience.  I have enjoyed having him home and being more involved in his education and how he learns.  He has limited Executive Functioning skills, like a lot of kids with Autism. One of the main deficits James has is note taking. It is difficult for him to listen to a lecture, organize the information, and write at the same time.  One of the ways I have helped him with this is to listen to the lecture before he does and create "guided notes." These notes take the information and leave spaces for important words to be written in.  This does several things.  First, it removes the problem of a blank page that needs to be filled up with the wise words of the lecturer.  Second, it keeps him focused because he has to follow the lecture more closely.  Third, James remembers the information because he is getting it through many different avenues. I have asked his charter school to contact the company that makes the curriculum to see if this can be part of their program for next year.  Happy Note Taking!!!

Happy Homeschooling!!!

It has been so long since I have sat and blogged but today was just a day that I couldn't not blog. Quick update:  I am now homeschooling James because he had an illness that kept him out of the classroom for 3 weeks.  His charter school offers a home school program so we transferred him and although the first couple of weeks were rocky, we are now in a really great pattern of getting work done before lunch.
This morning, James was taking a quiz in Social Studies on European Exploration in Southeast Asia.  Up popped this question:

James cracked up rhyming Albuquerque with turkey!  He needed several reminders to focus on the task at hand.  He really wanted to take his break and he knew that he needed to finish the practice and quiz before he could do "James stuff." He eventually finished this question and finished the practice and quiz with 100% on both and was able to take his break.
I never thought I would home school either of my kids.  I have always said that I am a much better mum when my kids go to school and I have time alone during the day.  I am finding that with James, I am having fun, well most of the time.  I am relearning 7th grade curriculum and for the most part, James is cooperative.  He has very negative times but I have worked out a plan for that, (we have had several days without "James computer time." Today has been a great day, well so far.
I hope you enjoy this little clip of my silly guy enjoying Social Studies.

Came at the Perfect Time

James is currently studying Meiosis in science and they have gotten to sexual reproduction.  I have been working on a new pamphlet for my website >>click here<<  about him growing up and starting puberty.  It is a very basic little book about how to talk about relationships, girls, boys, puberty, body changes and the dreaded M word.  (if you read the pamphlet you will get it)

Please let me know if there is anything else you might like me to include or research for you and your growing pre-teen.  >>click here<<

Hold on.... It is going to be a wonderful ride into adulthood!!

What Does "No Homework" Really Mean?

I used to LOATHE doing homework with James!  He would tantrum for hours over putting 5 words in ABC order or doing 3 addition problems.  I have requested countless IEPs to discuss homework modification. I have been a strong advocate for teaching kids at school and allowing them to have time to just be kids at home.  I have spent so many years dreading the minute James walked through the door knowing that the next 30 minutes - 4 hours were going to be a living H E double hockey stick time!  Fast forward to August 2016.  I am not sure what happened but time at home supplementing what has been done at school is now a pretty special time.

The following is an actual recap of the class from my son's teacher's website,

"Today, we reviewed percents, decimals and fractions.  It has been a while since we have had a full day without MAP testing, so I wanted to go over the material again.  We will be reviewing this information tomorrow and have a quiz on it by Wednesday. ​NO HOMEWORK" (Thank you Mr. H. I chatted with him briefly when I picked James up today and he said that there is no homework but that doesn't mean James can't study.  Huh... is that going to be the next battle in my house?  I think I will stick to not telling James we are studying and continue what we are doing because it is working.)

Most kids would probably dance a jig when told there was no homework but for James, that doesn't apply.  No homework in our house just means that there is no formal homework but there is Mum work.  We go over vocabulary learned in Science, and currently we are tirelessly going from decimals to percents, percents to fractions, fractions to decimals and every combination that can be done until James doesn't even need to think about the process.  James reads and is read to.  We do about an hour every day after school as soon as he gets home.  It is working because James is doing very well.  

This is the picture I think of
when James does his best

Not every kid with Autism is like James.  But it doesn't matter if your kid is in preschool or high school or a special day class or a regular class with or without supports; every kid can do some kind of Mum work, Dad work, Grandma or Granddad work when the backpack gets dumped in the hall.  It could be learning a new PECS word, hanging their coat up and placing their shoes neatly in the hall, matching colors, sorting silverware, listening to a story and pointing to a picture in a book, memorizing multiplication tables, or unraveling the mysteries of Shakespeare.  EVERY kid on the spectrum is capable of great things!  Just don't be fooled; most but not all, will require additional support from the home team.  

Even if his brain is giving him the silent
treatment, it is often willing to spend
time thinking, learning and becoming
the best student he can be

To be a successful home team takes planning, research, great communication with teachers and other school personnel, and sometimes the patience of Sisyphus. Start small; 2-3 minutes for each subject, and work your way up to 15-20 minutes.  Put it on your child's schedule, (Unless it is on his schedule, James won't do anything without me knowing how unhappy he is about it.) Take many breaks, have finger snacks available, invite a lovey to the table for comfort and settle in.  In the beginning, you child might need a lot of support.  Give them the support they need to answer the questions and feel proud of their accomplishments.  I promise that in time, your child WILL become more independent.  James and I have been working on this plan for many years and we have finally found a place where all I have to do is set the timer and let him go at it.  Sometimes he wants me to correct as he goes, and that little extra support is usually all it takes for him to finish the Mum work in good spirits.  

HAPPY SCHOOL YEAR EVERYONE!!