Spelling Idea

I actually got this idea from Little Bean's occupational therapist. Since he is tactile defensive (basically, he doesn't like being touched), she gave me a list of fun ways to get him touching and experiencing different textures. I combined this idea with his spelling curriculum, and he ended up really liking it!

All you need is a bit of spare carpet; we had an extra piece in the garage and I just duct taped the edges to prevent the fibers from fraying. Have your child use a piece of chalk to write their spelling words or practice letter formation on the carpet square. Have them erase the chalk with different body parts--palms, back of hands, forearms, even try feet! Little Bean really liked this! We may have to permanently incorporate it into our spelling lessons!

Review: Math Facts Computer Program

As a part of the Homeschool Crew, I reviewed Math Facts Now, a computer program for drilling basic math facts. As a homeschooling mom to a little one who is still learning his math facts, this program has been a life saver! I know we will get continued use of this product for years to come.

Math Facts Now is a no-frills computer program that focuses on memorization and retention of math facts in all four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). I say Math Facts Now is a no-frills program because it has a very basic set-up, without all the distracting computer animations of other computer programs. Despite the simplicity of this program, my son did not complain about completing his drills, and I found the program very effective for him.

Also, Math Facts Now is completely customizable--you choose which operations to include, how many problems your student will complete at a time, and how long they have to complete each problem. Math Facts Now also remembers which problems your child gets wrong, and automatically drills those ones more often (I particularly liked this feature!).

Math Facts Now is ideal for children who are struggling with memorization of basic math facts. This program is user-friendly for both homeschooled children and regularly schooled children who just need a bit of extra work on their math facts. For only $15.95 you can download this program, or choose a CD-rom version for $15.95 plus a $3.95 shipping and handling fee. Math Facts Now runs on Windows 2000, ME, XP, Vista, and Windows 7. 45 MB of free hard drive space is required. Be sure to check out the free trial by clicking here.

Note: I was sent this product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. I was not compensated in any way and all opinions are mine.

Language Arts in the New Year

My long time readers know that Little Bean is currently obsessed with the Magic Tree House series. His obsession has slowed down a bit in the last month or so...previously he would actually categorize all his Tree House books by number and organize them in his red backpack, which was his constant companion--literally. He took it everywhere from the swing set to the dinner table, it did not leave his side, and all his Tree House books were in order inside. Nowadays, while he is still reading them daily and writing down facts from them often, he does not carry them around as much and hasn't been so careful about the numerical order.

One of the things the experts suggest is finding ways to integrate the special interests of Autistic children into their school day. Actually, I think this is very sound advice whether your child is completely neuro-typical or not; and it's exactly what I am attempting to do this coming year.

For Christmas, I asked for this book, titled Teaching With Favorite Magic Tree House books. It runs for about $8.00 dollars on Amazon and is packed with Language Arts, History, Math, Science and Art ideas for children in the 2nd through 4th grades. Course, Little Bean is only in 1st--technically--but since he is reading way above grade level, and because the activities are highly adaptable, I am able to use this book with him pretty well. I will be continuing with our normal curriculum as well, but will be probably abandoning our phonics program altogether in favor of this book instead, since he is pretty much reading fluently and phonics is not longer a concern of mine with him.

Yesterday we made up our own Magic Tree House book covers (title and illustration) and today we wrote the first 4-sentence draft to match our book cover. I'm also having him read me a chapter a day to assess his reading level, comprehension and vocabulary skills. From there, I'll glean vocabulary words and ask comprehension questions based on the text. So far, I'm thinking this was a very good idea. It was nice to see a big smile on his face during school today. :)

Rules

Thank you to those who commented on my recent post asking about posting house rules. Here's what I came up with, by gleaning ideas from various sources:

1. Never raise a hand to hurt another person.

2. Never raise a foot to kick another person.

3. Never raise an object to throw at another person.

4. Never raise a voice to yell at another person.

5. Always ask before touching another person's things. Never touch without permission.

6. Always use kind words, even if you are angry.

7. Always knock before entering. Never enter without permission.

8. Always listen and respond to other when they speak to you. Never ignore other people.

Regarding numbers 1 to 3, we have problems with all these, so I felt the need to explicitly state what is not allowed. Rather than just "Be kind", I felt Little Bean especially needed a rule for each type of aggression.

Number 4 is a good reminder for all of us. It's hard not to raise your voice when you are upset, but yelling only escalates ones' anger.

Miss O in particular has problems touching my things without asking (kitchen drawers, bathroom drawers, etc) and pulling out stuff that isn't hers to play with. This is where number 5 comes in.

Number 6 is a great reminder for all of us.

Number 7 is a constant issue between the kids. They like to barge in on each other and then refuse to leave each other's rooms, often causing fights.

And number 8 is mainly Little Bean. Sometimes I think that if he doesn't like what someone is saying, he pretends not to hear them. Of course that infuriates us all.

We've had the rules posted in 5 locations throughout the house for about a week (by the door, in the hall, by the bathroom, near their bedroom and on the fridge). So far it hasn't made a wink of difference in how they behave. I do refer back to it when they misbehave, and it is good for that. However, I am not seeing much purpose in the posted rules beyond that. Now I'm racking my brain for a better way.

Review: 1st Grade Bible Curriculum

According to their website, Positive Action for Christ "seeks to supply Bible study materials that teach the heart as well as the head". Positive Action for Christ sells Bible curriculum for school or church use for children ranging from Kindergarten through 12th grade. The set I was sent was most likely intended for school use, but I easily adapted it for in-home use.

As a part of the Homeschool Crew this year, I had the good fortune to review their 1st grade Bible curriculum entitled Enjoying God's Gifts. I was sent both the teacher's manual and the student workbook. The teacher's manual is available for $33.95 and the student workbook for $12.95 ($10.95 if you purchase 5 or more).

Enjoying God's Gifts had my 1st grader focusing on the many aspects of God's gifts, namely Creation, friends, family, Jesus Christ, and God's care for us. Each lesson is extremely detailed (a plus for those of us who thrive on order and accuracy), including sections on new vocabulary, target truths, a Bible story, discussion questions, character trait activities and more. There are several workbook pages that go along with the lessons, and for an extra $9.95 you can purchase a music CD that includes songs and choruses that correlate to the lessons. While not necessary, the music CD would be an added bonus feature to enhance your student's experience of this curriculum.

Some of the things that really stood out to me with this curriculum were:

--the detailed plans. I'm usually a less is more kind of girl, but what I liked with Positive Action was that it was very clear that the people in charge of creating this curriculum really took their job seriously. Each lesson is packed with scripture, real-life stories, and creative activities for me to choose from in order to best teach my little guy in the ways of the Lord.

--the schedule options. The beginning of the teacher's manual has suggested schedule options for how to partition the lessons into 5, 4, or 3-day school weeks. I chose the 5 day option, but could have easily incorporated any of the options or made up my own. This curriculum is very flexible in that way.

--the workbook. This is a great workbook in that it is very colorful and the activities vary enough that it keeps my little guy's interest. I also like that the workbook was realistic in terms of the abilities of a 1st grader, remembering to leave large blanks for big handwriting and word banks for easy spelling. The workbook isn't necessary to use the curriculum, but it is a wonderful asset and compliments the curriculum in many ways.

I personally really liked this curriculum. I like that they have products available for children all the way from K to 12th grade. And for the price, I think it's well worth it! If you are interested in this product, check out more of their curriculum here!

Note: I received this product free of charge in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are mine.

Help With Rules

Yesterday my husband and I had an appointment with Elijah's Autism therapist to set up a behavior plan. Although we have house rules, we have never set up something explicit, and she suggested making an actual rules chart, and posting it around the house. So I need YOUR help! What rules do you have at home? How do you phrase them (positively, negatively?)? What consequences do you have if a rule is broken? What do you do it a rule is followed (success!)? Do you use pictures along with words? Tell me all about your rules system and how it's implemented! I need your help!

Chewelry Winner!

The following commenter was chosen via random.org as the winner of the Kid Companion chewable necklace:

Stephanie said...
We love the Chewelry too! My daughter is 4 1/2 and loves to chew pencils, her nails, whatever... We'd love the yellow heart necklace.

Congrats, Stephanie!

If you weren't chosen, don't fret, you can still purchase one here!