Just a Thot

We love games at our house. They are a great way to have fun and …. shhhh, don’t tell the kids …. they are learning! http://www.ellenjmchenry.com has TONS of great educational games you can download for free! On the right hand side of the web site, the fourth tab down is “Free products to download”. Now I haven’t checked out each and every link yet, so make sure you check this out before you let your kids go on this site (you never know what’s on the internet now a days …. but everything I’ve looked at so far on this site looks GREAT).

She’s got Life Sciences, Earth Sciences, Chemistry, Energy/Machines, History/Social Studies, Geography/Maps, Math, Latin and Drama.

The Game downloads are HUGE! They are well worth it to me, but if you are on dial-up or a satellite system, you might want to go to your library and download there.

This is a Planner on steroids! It includes something for everyone. It has Monthly Planner Pages, Homeschooling Planner Pages, Household Planner Pages … you name it, it has it! This 247 page Planner is in a PDF version. If you have a Mac, you need to make sure and download it as a PDF …. do not let your Mac change the formatting. This Planner starts out with a yearly calendar (a MUST for those of us global thinkers) then moves on to the individual month …. along with Timelines, Tips, Store Resources and a couple of unique recipes …. for each month! After all 12 months, you can choose from 41 Homeschool Forms or 34 Household Forms to print out and use.

For those of us moms who are organizationally challenged, this planner is amazingly complete. I started out by printing out the three (yes, I said 3) pages of Table of Contents. Then I highlighted the forms that I wanted to print out to create my Personal Planner. This gives me the ability to personalize it anyway I need to. Make sure and check out all those cool pages you don’t know what the title means …. you might find a great help! (or you can always go and read the Instructions) For me, it’s the Homeschool Forms that really interest me …. but all of it is amazing! Once you know what you want to print out, you can pull up your Planner PDF on the Table of Contents page and click on the name of the form that you want to print out. Your PDF will go directly to that particular form without you having to scroll through all 247 pages. Then just print it out and put it in a notebook! Oh, and before printing out any of the pages, make sure and type in all the information that you already know. For example: on the My Address Book, you can type in all your information before you print it all out! Or type in your Co-Op plans into your Month Planner pages and then print it out, all complete and ready to go.

In my humble opinion, this is one of the most complete Planners I have ever seen. You can create a small Planner or take all year and create the biggest Planner on the planet! Because we have a Special Needs Child, boxed curriculum just don’t work for us. However, I’ve been struggling with keeping our Homeschool organized and on track. Not this year! Especially if you live in a State where you must “prove” you are homeschooling and what exactly you are teaching, make sure and print out the Course of Study form.
I believe there is only one thing I would change in this Planner – the color scheme. I’m really not a “Rust” person, and when I print this out on my black and white printer, it prints in a grey scale …. so it’s not really sharp. I usually print on colored paper (colored paper is cheaper than colored ink), and a grey scale just doesn’t pop like black does.
The TOS Planner does a great job of incorporating forms and ideas for Unschoolers, Classical Schoolers, Unit Study Schoolers, – really anyone who Homeschools will benefit from the TOS Planner.

We are starting a Special Needs Support Group (on Yahoo) primarily for those homeschooling their High Functioning Special Needs Kids. This includes ADHD, ADD, ODD, OCD, Aspergers Syndrome, All High Functioning Autism Disorders and all other High Functioning Special Needs Kids. However, ALL Special Needs Families are welcome.
This is a Christian Group where we will encourage one another along our journey and also share Success Stories along with our Flops!
 
You will be requested to fill out a questionnaire before you are approved to join the group.  This is to keep Spammers out. We welcome all Special Needs Families.
Once you have been approved, please take a moment to introduce yourself, the child you homeschool (boy or girl) and what Special Needs you are working with. 
No Spamming, Flaming or Advertising Allowed.
This group is sponsored by http://www./home.maggiemccormick.com and McCormick Family Ministries.

To join, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Special_Hearts

I am amazed at how many kids …. mainly boys are learning how to read later in life now a days. It’s not just the Special Needs Kids who are learning to read late. I’ve got good news for you: Don’t give up, they can still learn to read!

These “Late Learners” have a unique challenge: wanting to read something that is their level of reader, but not full of baby pictures! While trying to teach Ian to read, I came to the heartbreaking reality that there really aren’t any good Supplements out there for older learners. All the Supplements are geared toward younger kids and have lots of graphics and big chunky drawings all over them.

So, I got busy and researched and tested. My poor kids had so many different designs and “here, try this … do you like it? Will you use it?” but in the end, they loved using the Big Kid Supplements. And what’s better …. they were fun, easy and they worked!

Ian’s first favorite and therefore the first of the Supplements we produced are the Word Fans. The Word Fans consists of 30 Word Family endings that can make over 100 different words! All you need to do is print and cut out the fans and connect with a brad. Personally, I made one fan for every Word Family and put them all in a plastic bag. At first, I put them in five different bags (a, e, i, o, u). But as Ian got better and better at making real words, I put them all in one bag and he got to pick out several Word Fans for that days “Fun Time”.

These Fans are very versatile. As your child gets older, you can add other consonants that might or might not make a word in that word family. Or you can take one of each of the consonants and each of the Word Families and secure them all into one fan. Then your child can make any kind of word or create a “non-word”. That, of course opens up another avenue to teach about words and “non-words”. While your at it, try your hand at Creative Writing using some of those non-words! There are so many ways to use these wonderful fans.

Recently I was asked what I use to homeschool. Well, due to financial restrictions out of my control … I use lots and lots of freebies! But, I do also invest in some add-ons, however … I’m very particular about what I actually spend $ on! I want to be up front with you all and let you now that I do not get any money or any kind of compensation for any of these recommendations. I’m only sharing with you what I personally use.

First has to be Hands of a Child. (http://www.handsofachild.com/2/) I LOVE Lapbooks and they make the easiest Lapbook Units around!! You can check out a free (yup, I said FREE) Lapbook Unit on their site. Look down on the left hand side and you will see a freebie button, click that and you can get a FULL Lapbook Unit for FREE!!! Make sure and sign up for their newsletter too. That way you know when all the sales are! Another thing this company offers is a Membership Page. They call it Super Memberships and man is it a good deal! A brand new Unit every month plus all the extras on the Membership Page …very well worth the $. We are using HOAC for both our Science and our History curriculum this year. We love it!

Hopefully you have a lot of space on your computer, cause you’ll need it if you sign up for The Erskine Family’s “LIVINGBOOKS FOR THE EARS” Newsletter A free service of www.homeschoolradioshows.com This is a great site, and make sure and sign up for the weekly FREE downloads!!! They also have a Membership site which I invested in … and already, within the first month, have gotten more out of the site than that which I put into it! Jim Erskine is a wonderful homeschooling dad … I love reading his little adventures and such! And wow, are his kids talented!!! I’m impressed!

At my first homeschooling convention, I saw these wonderful drawings that went with the History curriculum we were looking at. The curriculum didn’t work at our house … but the Historical Timeline Figures are still a hit … 5 years later!!! You can see them by checking out http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/timeline.htm and don’t miss out by not signing up for Amy Pak’s newsletters:
http://www.hands-onteachingtips.com/newsletter/current.htm They are AWESOME!!! Each of them is a Unit Lesson all there for you to teach! So informative and now her kids are starting to write some of them! Oh, she’s just one of my fav’s!!! A real homeschooling mom and a real artist too!

Of course, HSLDA is a must for us independent homeschoolers. You can check out their site at: http://www.hslda.org Seriously, do NOT try to homeschool in the US with out being a member of this. They are lawyers and are here for you and your kids. They are awesome.

The final site I’d like to mention today is ABC Teach. Oh my goodness! I took years to finally join them, but once I did, I realized how much I could use and how it’s not just a bunch of worksheets!!! It has all sorts of helps for Ian in learning phonics … wall words, sort words … on and on and on! Go check them out … but remember … they are SO much more than just worksheets! http://abcteach.com

One very interesting note on all of these sites is that they all offer freebies! If you just don’t know and want to make sure before you buy … these are the sites you want to check out! They work for me!

Are you new to Lapbooking? Don’t fret, you were right when you started this endeavor,“ it is a good thing and your child will like it. BUT, like anything worth while, you get out of it what you put into it. So … how do you use your time wisely, plan appropriately and get the most out of Lapbooking? Start with a plan. My daddy used to tell me, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. Oh boy, was that ever me (ok, so sometimes it still is me!!)

Basic Plan. Here is a very simple check list:

• Group like Activities together
• Figure out how many days you want to do this study
• Plug in the ‘groups’ to the days available

Now, here’s where I do things a bit differently!

˜Family Outings”. Days that we will be out of the house all afternoon get a light academic load. However, days that we will be home all day get a heavier load! That way I’m not stressed, “oh, I have to get the kids to finish this before we head out the door. Now we’re late cause they didn’t get everything done, yada, yada, yada!” I’m sure you know the drill!! Learn from me: figure out what is important and don’t major in the minors.

The Basic Five: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, History & Science. Make sure they are all there. Why do I do this? Well, I want to show my kids that the Basic Five is in everything you do! Isn’t this hard??? If you join the HOAC On-Line CoOps, it is already done for you! But fear not, it’s fairly easy to do for yourself! The reading and writing is already in every HOAC Lapbook and the rest is easy to throw in:

• Reading: have your child read the guide and then answer the questions to the Activities (you read it to your child if your child isn’t reading yet)
• Writing: have your child write the answers on the Activities.
• Arithmetic: make up simple (or comples – depending on where your child is academically) math word problems. Your goal here is to show them how math is used everyday and therefore is not the eye roll – “Do I have to do this” subject that they know and dislike so well!!
• History: if you have a Science Lapbook, when in History did any of this take place? Example: Desert Habitats Unit. When was the Sahara Desert first discovered?
• Science: if you have a History Lapbook, what Scientific inventions were made during that time? Example: Declaration of Independence Unit. Who discovered Electricity and what did he have to do with the Declaration of Independence. What is electricity?

I don’t put all five in every single day, but we do cover the “Basic Five” throughout the study.

So, you’ve got your plan, now what do you do?

• Print out the activities that you are going to do the night before.
• Some (most) moms cut out the activities for the kids. My kids need something to keep their hands out of trouble while I’m teaching the lesson, so they get to cut for themselves!!
• If your child doesn’t write out the words perfectly … it’s ok! You are looking for learning here … not perfection! (this took me so long to learn)
• We keep all our “little books” in zip lock bags till the last day of the study (cut a corner off the zip lock baggie so that air doesn’t make it puff out)
• On the last day of the study, get out your crayons, colored pencils, stickers, file folders and zip lock baggies full of “little books” and let the kids create!
• Most importantly … have fun!!! The more fun you have, the more the kids will remember what it is that they are supposed to be learning!!!

Maggie is married to her best friend Dave. They live in the mountains of Southern California where they homeschool their kids. Their son has Aspergers Syndrome, ADHD, ODD along with a multitude of Learning Disabilities. Their daughter is “normal” … hyperactive, but “normal”. You can visit them at http://www.MaggieMcCormick.com Maggie is also the CoOp Coordinator for the HOAC On-Line CoOps. You can reach her there at Co-Ops@handsofachild.com with any questions about CoOps.

Hey all you fellow Californian’s! I would LOVE to meet you! I will be at the CHN Convention here in California on August 10th, 11th & 12th in Ontario. Come and say “Hi” to me at the Hands Of A Child booth or at one of two seminars. The fist seminar is on Friday, August 10th at 1pm in room 310 and it is “Lapbooking for Special Needs”. This one is gonna be great! Lots of ideas to take home and try with your own Special Kid. The next seminar is Sunday, August 12th at 9:30am. This one is a General Lapbooking seminar and fellow Homeschooling mom and awesome writer, Kris Doyle, will be joining me. We will be sharing lots of tricks to creating fun and exciting Lapbooks including the new Template Unit from HOAC!

The CHN convention will be held at Ontario Marriott Hotel. Check out the web page for the convention: http://www.californiahomeschool.net/events/expo/familyexpo.htm . Lots and lots for everyone to do! See you there!

“Stop that.” “Don’t go in there.” “Is that your toy? Give it back.” “Share with your sister.” “Stop teasing.” “Stop yelling.” “Play nice.”
AHHHHHHHH! Just be normal. But then again, what really is normal? No child, even those “normal” children are good all the time. Their mom might think that, might even say that, but the reality is no child is perfect, no mother is perfect. However, we are the perfect mother for this perfect child! (God says so)

As a mom of a Special Kid, I’ve realized that what works today, might not work tomorrow. That’s true in all area’s of my son’s life: Schooling, Discipline … you name it, I’ve got to always be on the lookout for something new to switch up with what I’m doing now (cause all of a sudden, what I’m doing now isn’t working anymore!) So I thought it would be good to share what we do, as far as discipline, with our Special Kids. Maybe we could get some new ideas that we hadn’t thought of before and make our lives just a little bit easier.

The thing that works the most often with Ian is to re-direct him. If he’s throwing a fit about not getting his way (watch TV for example), I try to get him to do something that he does well … that only he does. Something that a “man” needs to do. Remind him of something that I rely on him to do it and continue talking about that for a while, then he calms down and we can talk about the other. Because we live out in the middle of no where and I know next to nothing about cars, I rely on Ian to help me out when Dave is at work. Like this morning, he put air in the tires and then when the car wouldn’t start, he realized the battery was dead and went and got the battery charger and put it on to charge. (ok, so I could have done all those things … but who wants to?? Especially when I see the smile and confidence in my son grow and grow by letting him do the “man” things around the house.)

One thing I’ve learned the hard way is to NEVER get in his face. He is ODD and getting into his face and MAKING him do what I want him to do is like 10 steps back in our relationship. On the flip side, my daughter looses respect for me if I don’t get in her face and make her do it my way!!! It’s just the difference between the physiological make up of the two. It’s taken me SOOOOO long to accept that. And I’m still learning.

So … out with it! What do you do that works the best … and what works the worst?

“I have the best Special Needs Curriculum for you.” Ever heard that before? I have, tons of times! The longer you homeschool your Special Needs Child, the more you realize that there is NO curriculum out there that is “perfect” for every Special Needs Child. As a mom and teacher, you know your child better than any one else. God’s given you the ability to listen and learn about your child more than any one else in the whole world.

An amazing fact that I am still wrestling with is that what clicks with my Special Son one day, might not click with him the next day. How he learned yesterday isn’t how he’s learning today. It means that I need to have tons of ideas to teach the same thing. Tons of ways to say/eat/feel/act the same thing. I’m not that good. I need help!

That’s where CoOps come in. Only problem with the “normal” CoOps is that we live up in the mountains and it takes about 45 min to drive off the mountain, then another who knows how long to get where ever! So … I turned to my friend: the internet!

I’ve already written about Homeschooling Conventions and how to not sell the farm when going to one (http://www.maggiemccormick.com/?cat=6), so I won’t repeat myself. But I do want to reference back to my meeting Tammy Duby (a normal mom who just happens to be famous). When sitting in Tammy’s workshop, learning how to make Lapbooks, I realized that this is a great way to reach Ian (my Special Son). But I was totally stuck on how to take the information and actually create a lapbook.

Enter “Hands of a Child” (http://www.handsofachild.com) If you like the idea of a Lapbook, but don’t have a clue how to put it all together, you have to check out this company. They take the pain out of putting it all together. Kimm and Niki create the most wonderful mini-books and graphics and Katie writes the guides that tell all about the unit. It works out great. They have a free lapbook that you can download so that you can see if you and your child like lapbooking. (follow the “Freebie” link)

Personally, I downloaded the free Lapbook, did it with my kids and was hooked! I became a Super Member and got lots of free stuff. Then Niki started up this thing called CoOps. Oh wow! I signed up for the CoOps and we started on a learning adventure!

What we, as moms/teachers of Special Needs kids need most is options. Options of ways to present the same material in a multitude of different ways. That’s what’s so great about the HOAC CoOps. Here is a very short explanation of the HOAC CoOps:

• They are on the internet, so anyone can do them.
• HOAC has the whole school year scheduled out so that you can pick and choose what fits into your schooling schedule
• Every mom has her own “job” (Links, Story Starters, Upper Lower Math, Crafts …)
• During the “Planning Weeks” we all share our jobs
• Then it all gets put into “Daily Unit Planner”
• We pick and choose what works for our kids and teach them during the “Teaching Weeks”.

Now, here’s where we get all the options. There are about 9 “core” jobs and 7 other jobs that are filled when more moms join the CoOps. So … even if only the “core” jobs are filled … you still have everything that the HOAC ladies bring to the unit, plus all the other “jobs” that the other moms bring to the unit … all placed into the Daily Unit Planner. You can then print out the Daily Unit Planner (or just bring it up on your computer) and pick and choose all the things that will work for your Special Learner. My favorite job to look through is the Preschool Princess. No, my son is not Preschool, but the fun, hands on stuff they come up with is just perfect for my Special Son.

How do I know so much about the CoOps? Well, after several CoOps, Niki figured out just how much I LOVE the CoOps and asked me if I wanted to help out with them. One thing lead to another and now I’m the CoOps Coordinator for HOAC. But even if I didn’t have anything to do with the running of the CoOps … I’d still be signed up for every single one of them and totally involved. They are THAT great!

If you are interested in learning more about the HOAC CoOps, you can join the “News Group” at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/HOAC-Co-Op-News/ (if this link doesn’t work, please copy/paste into your browsers address bar). Look in the files section for the 2007 … 2008 Schedule and the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). The SOP will give you a great overview of what the CoOps are and how they work. You can also email Niki or I at Co-Ops@HandsofaChild.com with any questions that you might have.

My son, Ian is a Special Needs kid. He has Aspergers Syndrome, ADHD and a multitude of learning disabilities . When our kids were small, we had them in Pre-School (while I worked full time) and then started them out in Christian Schools. When Ian was in 1st grade, his teacher kept telling me that his meds weren’t strong enough. So the Dr kept upping the dosage, per the teacher. Long story short: Ian overdosed. He TOTALLY freaked out. The principle called me and told me I needed to come pick up Ian. When I got there, Ian was sitting in a fetal position, rocking back and forth. It was heart wrenching. The principle told me that she was ready to call the Police due to Ian’s out burst. Ok, MAJOR wrong thing to say to me. I picked up my child (after I had calmed him down) and never looked back!

Just for kicks, I asked the local Public School Psychologist what would happen to Ian if I placed Ian in the public school. I was appalled at the answer: Ian would go into a Special Day Class where there would be 8 other students whom all only spoke spanish. Ian would be the mildest Special Needs kid and therefore would probably not receive much if any instruction in class. I’ll never forget his next comment, “The best thing you can do for your son is to Homeschool him.” I was floored!

So, I went into my boss and told him that I needed to put my two week notice in. (I was the first female manager in the Consolidation Dept of a major West Coast Warehouse – a VERY male dominated business) My boss gave me a leave of absence instead – he really wanted me back! Four years later…I’m still teaching my kids! I’ve had to take a part time job (funny how you still need $!), but I am homeschooling my two wonderful kids.

As I’ve often said, “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done – but oh, so worth it!”