Year One is a Wrap!

Well, what do you know. We're through a year. This time last year, we were figuring out how to make it official and exploring ways Andy would learn. We were nervous, manically planning and re-planning and skimming through materials and trying to figure out schedules and I was generally panicking, because I knew this had to happen. Public school was a wash for the Squirrel. Would I be up to the challenge of educating him myself?

Deschooling took the whole five months everyone promised me it would take, maybe a bit longer. Then he slowly came out of the dark and fear and resentment, and started to be interested in things. At this rate, we will be rocking and rolling by fall.

I had a lot of things absolutely confirmed for me, and I hope for Andy, this year.
->Andy is smart. Holy cow, that child can learn and make connections and is totally amazing.
->When given the time he needs, he can also demonstrate his intelligence.
->When not given the time he needs, he reverts to a fetal ball of screaming sobs, because he becomes frustrated and feels like an idiot, because he's been told he shouldn't need that extra time.
->You can be smart as hell and need extra time to process and communicate that intelligence.
->Andy works his patookas off. Sometimes even when he doesn't realize it.
->He is very, very dysgraphic.
->He has an imagination to die for. Fortunately, he is happy to tell you all about it. He just can't seem to write it down.

I also learned a lot of things this year; it was full of surprises.
->Unschooling. No, really. By letting him communicate to us what is interesting him, we can use that to catch him up and invest in his own learning. We can also fit skills he needs into topics that are engaging for him. It's much easier to learn to multiply if you learn it by seeing how it can be used for something you like. For example... Pokemon. It takes a lot of math.
->Expectations for fifth graders was far lower than I expected. When looking over the materials, they looked, well, too young and simplified. Teaching to my own expectations and memories of fifth grade, he easily passed the required testing with top marks. Even in his most challenging skills, such as spelling, he was above average.
->Andy likes history, especially if he can be hands-on in experiencing it. The only program he asked for this summer? History Camp. The waking-up moment when he emerged from the public school nightmare? We were at Jamestown. His favorite activity this year? Homeschool day at Kenmore, where they let him grind corn. Never underestimate the power of living history programs and hands-on activities.
->Reading to Andy is a great way to have him retain and think about material. You know he really likes it when he asks for it to be read again.

Now that we seem recovered from the trauma of school, I'm looking into getting him back into more organized and structured opportunities, such as local classes and library groups. It will soon be time to start thinking about what adventures we want to explore next. This time, I won't be so worried about that whole "grade level" thing. Sometimes, keeping it simple is OK. Having a variety of levels within a topic is great, so that he can familiarize himself with topics and skills. We may try a more unit-based approach this year. Not sure yet.

We will figure it out together.

Moving Right Along

 Well, we've been busy here at the squirrel's nest. In the last couple of months, we have seen a pick up in interest in learning, and working on projects, and doing things- so I've been going for it. We have found a number of new strategies for getting Andy to think about material, access information, and work on his learning, so we have more experiments to do.

We did make these cool suncatchers for Mother's Day presents for my mom. They were super easy. We use cake and pie pans, regular plastic pony beads, and the cookie cutters. For the flowers, we set the cookie cutter in a cake pan, filled it with a layer of beads, and then put it on the gas grill (medium-high heat) for about ten minutes. We turned the pan halfway through for that second one; the first one you can see the uneven bead melt.

For the bigger rounds, we used a foil pie pan. We liked that the pattern from the bottom of the pan was captured in the suncatcher, giving it a star pattern. We tried a couple ways to make a hole in the catchers without having to drill, but none of them worked.

We also made some in a muffin pan, but I think Andy wants to use those as targets or something for his nerf collection. Right.

Lots to talk about with it, though- heating, melting, color. We experimented with other kinds of beads, and talked about why those didn't work (for example, glow-in-the-dark beads, when melted, are too cloudy).

Andy as a flamingo. 

We also started our animal unit, where we study different animals, and then we are making a lap book for each one. This is actually my sneaky way of teaching him writing. With the lap book, you look up information and complete several small mini-projects. Then you organize those mini-projects into a larger project, like a book or poster. You end up with a nice interactive learning tool- but also a way to break down information, process it in smaller chunks, then organize it effectively into a larger project. It give him a visual and kinesthetic organization tool! Woo-hoo!

With eagles under our belt, and cats up next, we went to the Richmond Zoo to check out possibilities for future projects. I'm thinking of doing this all summer, as he likes the animals, he likes the lap books, and hey, organizing thoughts and information! Yay!

He loves the parakeets, and did his best to pet one of each color. He watched the penguins get fed. He touched a giraffe. What better way to pique interest?

He also took some of his own photos... mostly of the peacocks.

Oh, and this owl, because he knows I like owls. 

I have the feeling peacocks are going to be on our lapbook list. We also found an animal we had never heard of: the Patagonian Cavy. We totally need to do that one. 

So our cat project is under way, and we are learning about cats. We put together some note sheets to help him remember what information he needs to learn about different animals- their classification, their special adaptations, etc. Then, hey, what better way to study cats than to take them to the vet? They needed their check-ups anyway. We made a whole list of questions to ask our veterinarian. She very patiently answered them. He was interested in the shots they were getting, and wanted to know how they purr, what whiskers do, and how much to feed them. 

I think it may all be connected to his current obsession with Garfield, but hey, learning is learning, right? 

The first mini-projects he completed were about what cats eat, and generally about pets and why people keep pets. Next up: classification and what makes a feline a feline.

 Andy also got his garden started at long last. We started some seeds, and that went really well. He has celebrity tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, basil, watermelon, cantaloupe, and crookneck yellow squash started, and he also insisted we plant some cat nip. At home we put in sunflowers and zinnias in the front, as well as some of the tomato plants. We shall see what he learns.

Part of it will likely involve "you need to mix the soil better in your garden bed" and "rabbits think gardens are yummy", but I am also hoping we learn a lot about how to can tomatoes, freeze squash, and eat melons.

Planting watermelon.

We've come a long way from curling into a fetal ball and screaming every time "learn" was mentioned. This coming fall I am hoping he will be ready for classes and more structured lessons, and get that solid base of information under his feet. He's been clipping right along in math, though memorizing times tables is definitely not his "thing".

A little caterpillar love

Spring has arrived... the tent caterpillars are out and crawling. Andy loves to touch them and pick them up, and no wonder. They are cool, and don't bite or sting. We noticed them as we were leaving our ASL class this morning. Andy got upset that one was crawling into the road as we were getting back into the car, and he was afraid I would crush it pulling out, so he hopped out and this happened:

You may not be able to save all the creatures, but he made a difference for that one.

One Paragraph At a Time

Andy has been hitting the writing hard lately. He wrote a whole paragraph, by himself, last week.

This may not seem like a huge thing when we are talking about a fifth grader. However, we are talking about a fifth grader with dysgraphia.

We learned a lot in the writing of that paragraph. It took the whole day to do it. We did the editing part the next day. This was just the writing part.

We learned that writing is absolutely exhausting for the Squirrel. He needs so many breaks to even get the words out there, that we lose the thoughts. He spent most of the time talking to me... and what he wrote was a pale shadow of a glimpse of all the ideas in there, but it was all he could manage.

We learned that he can be perfectly organized in his head, and the words come out almost at random onto the paper.

We learned that trying to come up with the words all by ourselves, instead of copywork after scribing, is what is exhausting. If we can copy the words, we do pretty well. If we are trying to think, organize, focus, sit, and get our fingers to comply all at the same time, we end up with a jumbled mess. And the handwriting is bad, too.

For those of you who know anything about my handwriting, you know how bad it had to be for me to say the handwriting was bad.

We learned we need to do something else, or writing is not happening. So we went out and bought a headset with a microphone. The project for the coming week? Write a paragraph. First, we are going to speak it- and see if we can get our first draft out into the computer a wee bit faster this time. Then we will focus our energy not on the getting the ideas out, but on the editing so others can enjoy those ideas, too.

Wish us luck.

Shades of Red and Green

Andy made that great milestone of growing up this year, the one parents both fear and love, a pivotal moment when the world shatters and comes back together in sparkling new facets.

Andy figured out Santa Claus.

Proud as a peacock, he strutted through shops with me, picking out presents for Joey, presents for Grandma, surprises and foods for Christmas morning. He understood perfectly that Joey still believes in his own way, and was careful not to spoil the magic. Yet he knew he was now in the Grown Up World, where he was, indeed, Santa Claus himself. He was in on the Big Secret.

One of the fun things about this moment is how much a child can learn in this epiphany, when he realizes that it is not just some Mysterious Stranger who brings joy and love into their lives in the magic of Christmas morning, but his own friends, family, and parents who embody that spirit of generosity, love, and wonder. To guide your child's step into the fun of the season with a real understanding of Santa Claus, into the wonder of believing and being that spirit, taking on the role for yourself- that is something to learn in making the world around you a better place.

We had been in Cicis, having lunch, taking a break of the bustle of Christmas preparations, when we decided to get Joey a 3DS XL for Christmas. They were on sale, and we had an extra coupon, and Grandma needed a big present for him. We could do it. Joey would love it. Andy's eyes sparkled and we pulled out my phone and checked to make sure we would get the best deal. He picked it out himself,  and proudly took it to the closet where I hide the other presents, to be wrapped as the Great Surprise for Christmas Morning. Yes, he was Santa Claus. He knew. He beamed with being so grown and part of the season.

Then I went out and bought another one, and wrapped both, and set them both with the stockings (which we open last).

Yes, there is nothing quite like a child who thinks he gets it, and then on Christmas morning, opens up a package and stares at it.

"This is Joey's," he frowned, a little disappointed.

"No it's not," we all chimed, pointing to the similar package in Joey's sock. He stared a moment, and then the understanding came.

Merry Christmas, little Squirrel. The beautiful, technicolor, dazzling, brilliant world. In this house, we believe in Santa Claus.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Voluntary

"What want to...? Of course! Sure!" I put my teeth back in my mouth, sat in my chair, and stared.

Andy asked if he could read the bedtime book tonight. He picked a chapter book. He read the entire first chapter, out loud. Himself. Alone. Voluntarily.

My son wants to read a book.

This may seem an odd thing to be jaw-dropping, when your child is ten years old, unless he is requesting to read War and Peace. Here, reading at home has been a never-ending struggle at pulling teeth, for both of my guys. Joey reads very well, and he will gladly read dictionaries all night long, but getting to voluntarily read anything else at home is Mission: Impossible. Andy loves books, but never likes reading them. It takes too much energy. He had a vision problem that stalled his reading with confidence. He is still shaky for ten, and I suspect there may be other issues. The book he picked is a Star Wars chapter book, geared to elementary readers, with large type.

But holy cow, people, he asked to read it. He read the whole first chapter. By himself.

A month ago, asking him to read a book might result in a sobbing, screaming child in a fetal position on the floor. Now he is asking to read a book!

I am so proud of my little squirrel.