Homeschool Highlights - week of November 8, 2009

Days 46 -

Maybe I'm suffering from a mid-life crisis or something here, but I have really been freaked out by how much I have yet to teach my kids. 

My middle daughter, Morgan, will be 16 in less than 2 months.  She is an honor student with a 3.8 GPA, but I need to teach her about cooking, health and nutrition, child care and budgeting.  True, she did pick up quickly on the CVS/coupon shoping thing, but still.  She will soon be taking her driving test.  In just two short years, I will have no say over her choices.  She becomes an adult. 


Shayla is 8-1/2 now.  She has many learning disabilities and social problems, although not diagnosed with ASD.  Nothing comes easy for this child.  I really freak out when I think that we only have 9-1/2 years with this child before she becomes an adult.  There is so much she needs to learn, where do I begin?  Life skills seem to need to be learned, in addition to reading and writing.  Does anyone know of a curriculum that teaches common sense?  I would like to incorporate this more into our day and not separate it as another subject. 

Ok, composure here.  Back to our week. 

It has got to be better this week.  I feel like a new woman.  Last week was a one week break from football to basketball season.  It was less hectic than normal. 

I actually planned out our menus for several weeks (something I haven't done in quite awhile).  We will be using out of our freezer and pantry until December.  I plan on not stepping foot in stores (except for a weekly trip for fresh fruits & veggies.  Oh, and of course, Christmas shopping.  That ought to help our Christmas budget!

I finally found time to get a new haircut.  Three months past due.  I showed the girl a picture, she totally did her own thing.  I'm not happy with it, but hey, it'll grow back, right?  My husband agreed, but he said, "It looks better than it did."  I guess I was looking pretty shabby.  LOL!  It looks like something from the 80's, but hey, retro or vintage is in . . . right?

I bought a new organizer for Shayla's many school supplies - clutter control. 

We also got our computer fixed again.  My husband was able to do this over the phone with our ISP tech support.  Yay!  A big time saver there.

I was able to go through and clean up two piles.  I am a bad paper pilot. 

I have been decluttering.  My pantry will be looking better after this month's meals.  I have been going through closets and getting rid of clothes like crazy.  More on that later.  We have been participating in the 30-days of giving.  Maybe at the end of this challenge my house will look more like a home and not a storage shed.  LOL!

I have been involving my girls in the 30 Days of Giving Challenge.  That is part of our homeschool day for now.  I am thrilled to see the change in both of them!  Shayla wakes up now and says, "What are we going to give today?"  and she's actually excited to be a part of it!  What better time of year to do this challenge, before they get all the Christmas gimmes. 

Monday:

Phys.Ed:  Someone commented on another post about trusting a chiropractor for my daughter's neurological problem.  I realized that many would not understand my decision regarding this.  I worked with my daughter's preschool teacher and OT (occupational therapist) the year she went to preschool.  Since my daughter was born I have read volumes.  One book was The Out-of-Sync Child.  There are different exercises that help sensory processing problems.  One common denominator in sensory processing is low muscle tone. 

Another good read is Last Child in the Woods.  It talks about ADHD actually being caused from Nature Deficient Disorder.  The kids need to feel where they are in relation to the world and this does not happen in the house in front of the television. Boys especially, need a minimum of two hours outside a day.  My daughter needs about the same.

When I read Disconnected Kids, it made me more aware of the fact that my daughter does have low muscle tone.  I remembered many things from my OT friends.  One such thing is children like this have problems crossing the mid-line.   If you don't have any learning differently children, this probably sounds crazy to you.  It means that riding a bicycle is very difficult, crawling,  toe touches, writing letter x or y.  We have been working on exercises to improve this and the low muscle tone.  Shayla has also visited our holistic chiropractor for two sessions. 


After four weeks of these exercises and two chiropractic adjustments, I am pleased to say that we are seeing noticeable improvements.  Shayla began quietly speaking in the car again.  She is riding her bicycle mostly independently now and enjoys it.  Her sit-ups, push-ups, and toe touches actually resemble the correct way.  Her handwriting has greatly improved. 

To the naysayers, I say, do what works for you and your situation.


Calendar:  We have one of those magnetic calendars.  Each day Shayla likes to talk about what month it is, what day it is, events that we have going on that day.  On the back of it, you circle the season and weather.

Character Education:  Thankfulness.  We are making a paper cornucopia.  Each day Shayla colors, cuts out and glues a piece of fruit to her cornucopia.  On each fruit we write something she is thankful for.

Geography/Social Studies:  We are continuing our learning about harvest festivals in other countries.  This week we learned about the Wheat Harvest Festival in France.