Learning w/ the Littles~

Andrew style

I discovered something about Andrew.

He thrives on the 3 R's concept.

I base Reading & wRiting on this simple format.

We study a page,
one page,
for an whole entire week.

Mon: use words/letter sounds to create flashcards. I read the entire page to him.
Tues: I re-read the story. He sounds out the flashcards. He wRites the words on no-lined paper.
Wed: He reads flashcards, then sounds out the story (w/ guidance); he then uses the flashcards to create (imitate) sentences.
Thurs: review flashcards, reads story, writes out one sentence. (I emphasize the need for a capital beginning and an end mark).
Fri: reads flashcards and story, has an oral spelling test for the words, and writes one sentence from dictation.

We do also work on word families in free time at his will:
this week is the ~at family.
And I just introduced word ladders to him, and because he knows sounds so well (since age 2) this has been very successful!

aRithmetic studies is currently addition facts. These particular flashcards we use have been excellent for visual comprehension! I have subtraction facts lined up and ready to use next!
And since I am sharing links from this wonderful lady, I mine as well add the plug that we use (& I love) her Letter-of-the-Week preschool program. no.strings.attached.just.appreciate.her.work.to.make.my.life.so.much.easier. =)

~Here
is
Andrew's
check list~


Read,

wRite,

aRithmetic,

& story time.

I find it best to do storytime in the evening, then in the morning he can narrate back to me. This seems to help him with retention/comprehension.

What I discovered about Andrew is that *fluffy* curriculum overwhelms him. I have homeschooled for 9 years, and have ran daycares/preschool programs much longer than that. I love the fluff! The songs, crafts, fingerplays, etc... I love the eager eyes of a young child having fun learning & playing all at once!

But our Andrew is special. He already has an overactive imagination, so additional imaginative stimulation only agitates him. The more he thinks it is suppose to be fun, or my delight in his learning is expressed, he quits. period.

Most kids thrive off of positive reinforcement; Andrew will do school work because that is what is done at our house.

He sees our other kids "do" school, they have a list to check off, it gets done; so he does his. I don't clap & "woot woot" at my senior student who finishes a difficult economics book, or do the happy dance when Katie gets 100% on a math test, so Andrew (being who he is & how he functions) does not want that fluff either.

The other kindergarten victory for Andrew is his ability to hold his pencil correctly...finally! Let the writing begin...

l.i.f.e Academy

It is refreshing to realize we are halfway through the school year. This is usually a time, where the new calendar year begins, to start questioning myself on how we are doing; to second-guess my agenda & goals for my children; to juggle my ideas around. This is the first time I am just moving forward, no changes, confident that what we are doing is right for us. (Actually, I suppose that is not completely accurate, as I did switch up the literature reading for most of the kids, but that had already been done before now).

~3rd quarter~

December Goals...

Science:
Meteorology-
study of rain, wind, snow, & storms

Bible:
The 12 Apostles.
(family study w/ Mom)
Pilgrims Progress
(read aloud w/ Dad)

History:
Life of George Washington
(family read aloud w/ Mom)
Constitution & the Federalist Paper
(family study w/ Dad)

Economics:
What Has Government Done to Our Money
(a study for Nick, to get an economic credit for his high school transcripts)

Literature:
TJ- Rover Boys on the Ocean
Katie- Charlotte's Web
On the Banks of Plum Creek w/ Mom...
(from Nov. goals, just now getting to it ;^)

English:
Interjections! amazing adjectives, and conjuctions.

Math:
Katie- intro division, multiply by 8's & 9's
TJ- decimals, fractions, & percentages.
Nick- volumes of cylinders, cones, & pyramids.

Fine Arts:
composer- Sergei Prokofiev
w/ Peter & the Wolf
artist- Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze w/
George Washington Crossing the Delaware.
"quotes" from George Washingtons Rules of Civility

French:
We will be in the throws of lots of review this week. =) The following weeks will include Things we have, and Things that we do. This is our 2nd year, so conversation is beginning to get easier.

TOT School:
I am going to use a more multi-sensory teaching approach with Andrew (Bryson can just follow along w/ the fun). We use a lot of audio/visual activities. Some are embraced, others are strongly opposed...'sense of control' seems to be a determining factor. I am planning on introducing much more tactile means for teaching a concept. We do playdough, shaving-cream writing, & finger paints already. I intend to add sand paper, rice, velvet, & cold-cooked spaghetti noodles to the mix. This ought to be interesting.... =)

Learning
with the
Littles.


Letter of the week: Ff

Katie-girl reads during Story Time.

Andrew helps count the Frogs, Firemen, & Fish.

Bryson loves helping his mama color!

Abstract
vs
Concrete...

Our Andrew thinks differently. He is clever; his brain just processess things differently. I, as his mom & teacher, am still learning how that works, and what school will look like for him.

Andrew has had reading lessons for a few months now. "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" I love this book....very effective & efficient. We are not getting very far. He does not want to do it. Is this rebelliousness...or lack of attention... or... too concrete?

So, I pull out an old book called "The Heart of Learning" from Oak Meadows. I researched this curriculum at the beginning of our homeschool journey. (9 years ago) Back then I was researching how to best help Nick absorb information while reading. The concept from this is interesting. It is not a Christian based curriculum; it has more of a 'Mother Earth' tone to it. None-the-less it has some fascinating concepts to guide the child while grasping how they learn... being aware of the mind, heart, & body.

I decide to approach "school" for Andrew at a different angle. Today we had Story Time & Table Time.

Table Time: A stack of paper...and crayons.
Too simple? ...not so much....

The crayons create softer lines than markers, so this was intentional. Andrew is an abstract thinker...he has a lot going on in his brain at once, but to create a concrete idea, it takes process.

His Lesson: Each of us have one blank piece of paper.

I draw grass...not a concrete line, but blades of grass...randomly across the bottom of the paper.

I talk about how grass grows from the ground.

He draws a sun...with a smiley face.

I draw a flower stem...from the grass upwards.

I talk about how flowers grow up out of the ground.

He draws the moon... with a smiley face.

I draw the flower...discussing the flower petals as I go.

He draws two people...he decides that it is him and Katie.

I let Bryson "color" my sketched picture I drew.

While I am "busy" with Bryson...

Andrew draws grass (blades of grass)

While I am talking with Katie (still at the table)...

Andrew draws the flowers (focusing on creating petals).

He begins to take pride in his project, and starts to talk about his creation.

The sun & the moon are Far away.

The two people are Friends.

Our lesson was on the letter Ff.

What I thought was lack of attention was actually very intentional...

and sometimes it takes a mama a moment to slow down, view things from a different angle, and to simply...listen.

The world
would label
our Andrew
as special needs...

I tag him as special
...period.

The disability in question...

Asperger's Syndrome.

At this point we do not have the desire to send him through specialist to have him officially labeled.

Andrew has always drummed to his own beat. The things that were cutesy as an infant & tot, now are the very things that define his different-ness.

As a baby, he loved fans...but 'tremor' at his own excitement. Grandpa pointed it out to us; we thought it was cute.
As a little boy, he regularly faces tics when overly stimulated. Crowds, loud noises, the 'unknown' of circumstances, fun excitement are a few of the triggers.

As a baby, he loved car rides ONLY if no one bothered him. No talking or singing or playing with him as we did for all the other children (who hated car rides). It was common to say "Don't look at him!" as he would be content to just sit and stare at his passing surroundings.
As a little boy, he does interact some while in the car, but for longer trips is truly content to just "be".

As a tot, he loved to act out scenarios from mini cartoon clips. He couldn't talk well, but he made all the sound effects for it... it was adorable.
As a little boy, he lives in the world of ONOMATOPOEIA, that is, he sounds out many things while he plays. The action is in his head, the sounds come out his mouth. Just picture an old Batman cartoon- BAM, OOF, POW is what you hear as he acts out the scenario, only we don't always know what movie, show, or book he is acting out.

As a tot, he loved shapes, numbers, and letters. He learned them very well by sight and sound at an early age.
As a little boy, he wasn't potty-trained til almost 4, finally figured out his colors by 5, and struggles with his writing skills.


He is about 2 years behind socially, yet in some of his academic interest he is ahead
He has minimal eye contact, but will talk your ear off. =)

I have read, research, reviewed, & revised many resources on Asperger's Syndrome.
We are equiped to guide, mentor, and nurture him as needed.
I am not naive to the challenges he will face as he gets older.

~We know Andrew is special,
and lucky for him,
he has many brothers that will be his keeper.
And a sister who holds a certain level of empathy towards him also.

~Love one another with brotherly affection, giving precedence and showing honor to one another. Romans 12:10

***pictured: a sweet lil gal and Andrew playing at the park. She was kind and gentle, and they played wonderful together. Kinda reminds me of Jenny in Forrest Gump ;^)

A day in the life of ANDREW...

I decided to casually observe my 4 yr old for a day. Andrew can be laid back and simplistic for the most part, easily entertained. He is known for marching to his own beat. A bit aloof in practical things, yet amazingly creative in his own world.

Practical:

Colors... he can not seem to learn them as of yet. Two of his older brothers are mildly color blind (blue/green contrast, pastels), but I am beginning to wonder if Andrews colors all just kind of muddle together?

Traffic safety... uh, yeah, parking lots can be stressful. "Stop, look, & listen" does not seem to be grasped so well by this 4 yr old. Variety of cars and different 'paths' (between cars) seem to fascinate him more.

Dressed to shoes?... He does not favor pants much. never wears them at home. He can walk in the front door and flick them off in 1/2 a second flat. We are into reasonable modesty as a standard in our home; so now that he is 4 we are working on staying clothed, especially when company shows up. Ofcourse, he would NOT be caught without his baseball cap on! (note picture: removed hat to make him look at it as to stand still for the photo)

His own world:

Will take colorful pipe cleaners and bend in shapes of letters of the alphabet...content for an hour.

Uses his sisters life-size rag dolls for ninja warriors... stairs are his favorite place to battle.

Sporks (those picnic spoon/fork things) are a favorite... he will march them around as soldiers. (Nick added a variety of faces to some for Andrew's Christmas gift...endless entertainment)

Lincoln Logs... is getting good at building houses, but by far loves to "line up" all the short stubby pieces along any table or desk.

Movies... can and will re-enact any of his favorite movies...word for word. Will also re-enact a daily scenario in our home with Little Peoples, Leggo people, even straws used as people, etc... Thankfully, it is usually "good morning honey", "let's get dressed Little Bug", "are you ok sweetheart?"...(hmmm, never knew I used so many pet names, lol)...which is better than mimicking "shut up Asia" as when our dog barks too much!

Monsters?...loves to hang out in the dark, looking for monsters; aren't kids usually afraid of the dark AND monsters? ;^)

Our Andrew is of constant chatter, yet is just now being more articulate w/ his words. I just figure he has a lot of information in his head that doesn't always come out of his mouth so clearly.

He will be super fun to homeschool once I figure out how to channel his creativity in more of a structured setting...all the while knowing that we will be playing outside the box.