Teaching Kids w/ the Attention Span of a Flea...

A Crazy Little Thing Called...Attention  

We homeschool 3 kiddos at 3 different grade levels. It is already tough keeping things organized and on track but its even worse when you have three kiddos that can't sit still, won't look at you when you're explaining things to them, think too much, and have the attention spans of jumping fleas!!!

Can I blame them? Sadly...no. I have the attention span of a flea, I can't even focus enough to watch a movie with my hubby. My mind goes 509 miles per minute, so quietly reading a book doesn't suffice either. Why think of one thing when I can think of 600 things at once?! After all my education, I have finally figured out what works for me. I walk & think...I think & walk...I chew gum, think, & walk...I multitask like no other. I'm not perfect at multitasking but as crazy as it sounds it helps me focus and get things accomplished. So, how do we teach kiddos with the same issues. 

Inflow & Outflow 

Inflow:

As a therapist, I always try to exclude any environmental and external factors first. 

Keep a food journal for your child for a week or two...then make a behavioral journal for the week...do you notice any patterns? For example, my son can not tolerate the slightest bit of caffeine. Even sweet tea will boast his energy and this kid already has enough energy to power the state of Texas! Needless to say, Trysten rarely has caffeine:) and God help the person who gives my Sophee a smidgen of brownies... 

Keep in mind that a food "allergy" may not be that simple to discover. For example, many people are allergic to gluten but do not know it. People with a gluten allergy will often have mood swings, a tough time digesting their foods, and tummy troubles. Many times young children will manifest their bodily pain or discomforts with behavioral outbursts (or hyperactivity) because they don't know how to explain their pain or discomfort. 

Some foods to watch out for include:

A. Red, Blue & Yellow dye

B. Caffeine 

C. Sugar 

D. Gluten

E. Dairy Products 

F. Eggs

Environmental Factors:

People swear that their bodies react differently to chemicals in their laundry detergent, shampoos, body soaps, conditioners, hair products, and even certain feminine products. 

Try using the least amount of chemicals possible while keeping a behavioral journal.  

Some chemicals to look for that are suspected to contribute to altering behaviors:

1. Parabens

2. Chloride (chorine)

3. Fluoride

4. Petrochemicals 

5. BHT (used in many cereal boxes) 

6. Sulfides 

(There are many more) 

My rule if thumb is, if I can't pronounce it then I am not using or consuming it! 

Outflow (exercise):

Many kiddos just have a ton of energy. When we were kids in school, we had several recess times plus a full hour or two of physical education a day. Schools nowadays, can go full weeks without PE or recess...then the teacher asks why these kids have so much energy...hmmm they're confined to a windowless room full of overstimulation with no breaks.....for 8 hours STRAIGHT. Hmmm... 

My advice...exercise your kids! Trust me, I am the first to admit that I just want to get the lesson completed as quickly as possible but these kiddos need breaks and time to let what they've learned sink in. 

I will often forget to do this but when I do it makes lesson days go so much better. Implement a routine of 15 minutes of lessons and 2 minutes of exercise. I often ask my kids to do 10-15 jumping jacks between lessons or when they're attention is failing during lesson times. We also have a great backyard in which I will ask them to run a few laps around the playscape (during cooler weather) when I've lost their attention. I've learned that exercising is key to maintain a healthy brain throughout the day. 

If you try all if these things and you still have a jumping bean at the lesson table, you may be swayed to seek medical advise. Many teachers and parents revert to medication, I'm a child therapist...medication is NOT always the answer, maybe for a few children but the majority of kiddos can benefit from a personalized learning plan and the above suggestions. 

Personalized Learning Plans:

My 8 Year Old Jumping Bean:

If I had just one ounce of the energy my Trysten has....this kid almost never sits still. He will even fiddle with his thumbs during nap time (in his case "quiet/be still" time) for an hour...a whole hour of thumb fiddling! Needless to say, at the lesson table I often find myself flying by the seat of my pants and thinking on my toes. Trysten can read it and understand it simply said but he gets bored fast. I'll often implement the exercise between lessons or I'll simply ask him to push his chair back and stand during a lesson. It catches his attention and motivated him to complete whatever he's working on. We also use a large exercise ball to bounce on while working on lessons, while reading (obviously it doesn't work while writing), or while working with manipulatives. 

My girls love project based learning and will often learn best when creating something or using manipulatives. We also learn "on the go" a lot! We love being outdoors so a lot of times we'll spell, sing, count, do algebraic equations and division while on a hike. 

The most important concept to consider is that just when you think your child is not listening...they'll blow you away with what they've absorbed throughout their day, whether its a Spanish song they learned while jumping on the sofa or how to add double digits while walking around the kitchen (lesson) table! 

Happy ACTIVE learning y'all! 

Swimming Against the Current, Why We Homeschool

When I first decided to homeschool, I was drowning in a raging ocean. My husband was a full time public school teacher, my parents thought I was an overgrown hippy, my adult siblings questioned my sanity, and the rest of the world questioned the process. 

Why I decided to homeschool?

First of all, I had issues in the public school system. I graduated at the top 10% of my high school class, then why upon completing my first semester of college did I fail Organic Chemistry? I had all A's in the rest of my classes but for some reason I couldn't get my brain to think "organically". I didn't have kids then, but I was so disappointed in my public education that (after I failed organic chem twice more) I decided that I  would teach my own children at home, well...when I had them:)

When my husband and I got married, we were fresh out of college & an awry of things opened my sheltered eyes to an ugly world. My first "real world" job was to help victims of domestic violence write up and defend protective orders against their perpetrators. It was awful! Completely and horribly awful, I was witness to children being abused by their parents, parents being abused by each other and children being bullied by peers. On the other side of my world, my husband had started teaching bilingual education at a local elementary school. We had no children yet, but I attended every school function in support of my husband. I learned a lot about public school...a lot. My husband is awesome but he wasn't so organized, he was literally thrown into a class room with no real direction. He was given this little sheet of paper with what his classroom should look like but that was about it. Silly me, this whole time I thought that teachers were equipped with atleast a list of things that their students should know by the end of the year. Sure, there were district wide websites and lists can be found online but the school itself provided no guidance at all. While, I was upset with the school, I was amazed at how these teachers, who get paid in pennies, dedicated so much of their own time to really teach a child. 

Over the years and after having two of our three babies, my husband showed signs of exhaustion and frustration. He was not a happy camper at the end of his work day. Testing every spring was a huge ordeal and all this pressure is placed upon the teachers and these poor children. Promises of field trips, pizza parties and movie days filled these little hearts and most of the time they weren't fulfilled if you failed your tests and teachers were placed on the chopping block. 

Meanwhile, I had taken a job "helping" children in which we would go to public schools around our district and preform a little skit exhibiting bullying and "good & bad" touching. After we'd discuss this awful topic in their classrooms the children had the opportunity to discuss anything with myself (the counselor). Too many times, I had these precious kiddos ask if his family member's touch was a good touch (they usually weren't) or why their friends at school would call them names and push them everyday. A few of those cases were so horrible, I have a hard time forgetting the details. Bullying is a huge issue. Nationally, it has caused children to contemplate and commit suicide.  

I knew that my Trysten would be school aged soon and I was either going to war with my own one (wo)man army or I'd come to terms with sending my child off into a beautifully cruel world. I just let it all sink in, it festered and brewed in my heart. 

It was definitely extremely hard, for the first three years of T's education, I taught him alone, my husband thought I was nuts, my parents thought I was nuts, and my world was crashing. After all, who homeschools when one of their parents is a public school teacher?! 

It all changed when my husband was laid off from a charter school (he was the last one hired first one fired when budget cuts were demanded...2 days before Christmas). He took it upon himself to "test" my 6 & 4 year olds. He was AHHH-Mazed. I'm clearly not a teacher. I am not patient with my own kids. I'm not anything special yet my 6 year old was reading chapter books by the minute and working on multiplication & my 4 year old was reading 3-4 books per day and excelling in beginning mathematics. My husband was speechless, surprised and speechless. Now he is just as motivated to teach our kiddos at home:)  In terms of my parents, they express amazement every time my children read to them. 

Hmmmm maybe homeschooling does work and I'm not a crazy overgrown hippy...well...the point is that it does not matter why you homeschool or what pushed you in this direction, but it does matter that you know that you can swim against the current and succeed! It's an exhausting but rewarding task!

 

Hiking While Learning

We love going on hikes with our kiddos. We have visited every park and almost every trail around Austin and Central Texas. I've compiled a list of hiking trails that we've enjoyed and conquered with our kiddos!

We love Pedernales and Enchanted Rock! The lower falls at Pedernales are amazing and the Summit Trail at Enchanted Rock is so beautiful! 

Please pack plenty of water, we have kiddie CamelBaks that the kiddos wear and they hold a small snack too. It really helps them feel independent and helps keep our hands free:) 

I use an Ergo Baby child carrier to carry and maintain my 2 year old while we walk, occasionally she'll want down and she'll walk for a few minutes then asked to be held again. The Ergo Baby is awesome in that I can backpack her or side carry her. She's a little to heavy to front carry her on these hikes but I'll do it if she's sleeping (Sophee monster is 30lbs). The older kiddos will do a great job walking and drinking their water, they climb, jog, run, hike, etc right along with us. Often we will head to a place where there's water that they can wade in to cool off and almost all of these trails have benches every so often to rest! 

Like I've mentioned before, hiking gives us the opportunity to work as a team and build our family up! It's also a great way to teach lessons to active kiddos! We've done everything from counting money to inspecting wild animals out on a trail! Right now, it's story telling and multiplication :) 

Here is a list of great hiking adventures in the Central Texas region (Not in any particular order):

Townlake Trail

http://www.texasoutside.com/townlake.htm

Buescher State Park

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/buescher

Bastrop State Park

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/pedernales-falls

Pedernales State Park

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/pedernales-falls

Barton Creek Trail Head

http://www.growingupaustin.com/growing-up-austin-kids-hike-parenting/my-very-favorite-barton-creek-2/

Mount Bonnell 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Bonnell

Enchanted Rock

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/enchanted-rock

Inks Lake State Park

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/inks-lake

McKinney Roughs LCRA Park

http://www.lcra.org/parks/developed_parks/mckinney_roughs.html

McKinney Falls State Park 

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/mckinney-falls

Shoal Creek Trail Head 

http://www.growingupaustin.com/looking-for-bears-on-shoal-creek/

Happily Married w/ Kids...My Psychotherapeutic View

This woman wrote an article published on Yahoo about how to be happily married with kids except that she forgot to actually add in the kids part! She mentioned dating your husband WITHOUT the kiddos and hanging out with friends separate from your husband! I'm appalled. I'm a marriage and family therapist and these are the two things that often lead to marital issues. I'm not saying that attending a once a year happy hour for work is detrimental to your marriage or that going on a few dates alone with your husband is a bad thing, I'm saying that we decided to be parents. We decided to have and maintain a family, therefore we must take on the responsibility of raising this family. Is it hard? Heck yes! Would I love a bottle of a wine every night, yes but is it healthy for my family? No. Therapeutically...still NO! 

Let me describe what Nick and I do to be (mostly) happy! Then I'll describe to you what my patients often do that helps them maintain a happy and healthy marriage with kiddos. 

1.  First off, we always eat dinner or lunch together as a family. One meal a day, at a dinner table, no electronics, no alcohol, just genuine - raw- family time. We eat, we chat, we discuss kids and other important household things. We make it a point to eat together once a day...everyday! My patients swear by this:) 

2.  The kids definitely stick to daily routine three days a week and we stick to a really nice bed time routine. Our kids sleep late...I know, I know but somehow it just works for us. We start with a bath, short story, prayer and tuck into bed. They're usually out by 10pm. It just works:) so find a bed time routine that works for you. It doesn't have to be exactly like ours, but try one. PS it takes approximately 7 days to create a habit so even if it gets hard for a few days, stick it out!

3.  We have ADVENTURE days!!! We literally put ourselves (kids and all) into situations that stimulate us mentally, physically, and  emotionally. Our "thing" is hiking (right now). We have found almost every hiking trail in Austin, walked every trail in all the state parks in central Texas, and hiked in a lot of LCRA parks as well. My favorite park to hike at is Pedernales State Park. There are huge boulders we have to climb and water puddles to jump thru. My husband is often the superhero and will have to carry one or all of us over a boulder or thru a deep water hole and this builds more confidence in our family. It's almost like those lame ice breaker  "team building" exercises at the office meeting but this is real and fun:).  This also helps our kiddos trust each other. Often they will hold hands on a trail, share snacks,  find hiking sticks, work together to find the stuff on their scavenger hunt list, etc! So, find an adventure the entire family can participate in. (Please don't go put yourself in danger) it can be something like engaging in making dinner together, letting the kids choose a recipe, shop together, and prepare the dish together:) 

4. We actually do have "couple time". It's usually after all the little monsters are asleep! We'll watch a tv show, share a snack, drink coffee together, etc. we talk about interesting things, not just about the kids but deeper issues like our beliefs, ideas, hopes, aspirations, etc. we make each other laugh (I make him laugh the most) but we genuinely get along very well. If there is an issue or concern we usually try to settle it fast and move on. 

Nick Submission:

5. As a husband and father something that helps in our marriage is being able to try to help as much as possible. I know that we are all busy with our schedules but the little things can actually make a big difference. 

6. Communication is big as a couple. We work very hard in making sure we talk about how the day went at home and outside the home. We also discuss how the kiddos are doing, progressing in their learning and areas they need to improve on.

7. Be on the same page when it comes to parenting. Ensure that you and your spouse work as a team and have the same expectations for your kiddos because it reduces confusion and doesn't create the "good cop bad cop". 

8. Last, love unconditionally your loved ones because the love is returned immensely.

Educating a Child with Special Needs or Autism

I am a child therapist who also home schools my three kiddos. Please remember that there are many ways to learn not everyone can verbalize or communicate using vocal abilities. I suggest that you look up special "occupational therapy" techniques that can accommodate learning for your child. For example, instead of writing with a pencil and paper you would use a sand tray and his finger to help him trace letters. If your child can't sit still for long periods then have him sit on an bouncy exercise ball. Things like this will help facilitate learning for your child. Please also remember that there is NOT a RIGHT way to learn. An excellent education can come from taking a hike in the woods just as much as it can come from sitting in a student desk at a thriving educational institution:) 

Here are some really good occupational therapy resources (these are just a few). I'd like to encourage you to think OUTSIDE of the BOX. Every child is special and a label or a diagnosis doesn't change that:) These websites provide you with a few ideas but you know your child the best and you can take what he/she loves and base their entire day of learning on it! For example, he wakes up and points to his stuffed dinosaur...so you make him Dino pancakes for breakfast, help him make a Dino out of playdoh, go for a walk around the neighborhood discussing the weather while searching for Dino bones, foot prints, fossils, read Dino books and then finish it off with a little Dino math by finding round rocks (Dino eggs) and counting, adding and subtracting them! See, it's educational, fun and doable with your special needs child! 

Reading:

http://therapystreetforkids.com/EyeHandCoord.html

http://readingtokids.org/ReadingClubs/TipOccTherapyTips.php

General Ed:

http://www.theclassroomcreative.com/2012/10/19/occupational-therapy-ideas-for-kids/

Writing:

http://drzachryspedsottips.blogspot.com/2012/05/matching-colors-and-improving-fine.html?m=1

http://therapystreetforkids.com/Handwriting.html

Free Educational Sites & the "Curriculum" we use

Free Child Education Websites:

www.starfall.com (phonics/reading)

www.pbskids.org 

www.enchantedlearning.com

http://www.tlsbooks.com/

http://www.allkidsnetwork.com/worksheets/

http://www.abcteach.com/

http://www.beginningreading.com/Free Workshe.htm

http://www.lucylearns.com/

* http://www.dltk-kids.com/ *

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/math.html (math)

Www.crayola.com

Www.orkin.com (science bugs) 

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/ (science)

http://www.kidzone.ws/

Www.spellingcity.com

We use www.time4learning.com ($19.95 a month) it keeps record of every lesson, print report cards, print lesson plans and worksheets and my kids love it! It's fun enough yet challenging for them and they love it! We do about 2 hours 3 times a week on this (not all at one time either). Everyone thinks that T4L is not a full curriculum on its own but I beg to differ, it's very bright, thorough, and fun. My kids are above their projected grade level for 2013-2014 school year and our main curriculum source has been T4L. That being said we ARE NOT BIG curriculum people and most of our learning is accomplished while we are out and about.

We've also starting using Life of Fred mathematics curriculum and it has been amazing! It was $65 for the first four books. They are hard cover books and very easy to run thru! Each "chapter" is a few pages long (2-3) and then there is a "now it's your turn" assignment section with 2-3 questions the kiddos must answer on a separate sheet of paper. They love it. We got the books on Tuesday and they are on chapter 5 already and I had to slow them down! We purchased this series because I was reading through more AAH emails and a few families were expressing interest in how this math book series is unlike no other. I'm not into "unschooling" per-say but I'll try anything that includes learning outside of the box! 

I hope this list helps a few homeschoolers and I'll make sure to update it as often as I can! 

Our Thursday Adventure

I was reading about the free admission for the month of August into the Umlauf Sculpture Gardens and Museum and thought how I could potentially terrorize that nice place with my three little tornadoes...I'd never been before and my hubby had volunteered to work with my pops today, so I was alone with all three kiddos:) oh me oh my! 

I felt brave and thought "why not"?! So I packed our usual snacks and H2O bottles and headed to the Umlauf with all three tornadoes. I managed to park the Tahoe without hitting anything (parking was tight) and checked in at the front desk. The young lady asked the kids if they wanted to participate in the scavenger hunt and handed each kiddo a  laminated colorful card stock page with pictures of specific sculpture pieces and a washable marker. 

Wow, here I thought this place was not for kids at all but the staff was awesome and while it took my kiddos a little less than 30 minute to find all their sculptures, they really enjoyed gazing at each art piece! Yes, my very active children behaved amazingly while at an art museum! I'm glad they loved it! I'd recommend it for children of all ages. 

http://umlaufsculpture.org/

 

My kids amaze me :)

I was going to post this stuff on FB but I decided to not bombard my friends with my prideful boasts about my children...again, although I feel like I boast much less than others it still feels awkward and not everyone can homeschool nor is every 7 year old on the same level (they shouldn't be anyway that's he beauty of embracing homeschooling you are where you are)! Anyway in saying that...

My almost 8 year old son, Trysten is finishing up the 3rd grade level in all his subjects! 

My 5 year old daughter, Leabella is finishing up the 1st grade level in all her subjects and is a super duper reader.

Now, my 2 year old monster, Sophee is...well...a little terror! My mommy used to read me a poem when I was a little girl and I think my Sophee monster is my karma! Here's the poem: 

There was a little girl

BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

There was a little girl,

            Who had a little curl,

Right in the middle of her forehead.

            When she was good,

            She was very good indeed,

But when she was bad she was horrid.

No matter what type of monsters I have,  I am so proud of them! 

Working Parents and Homeschooling...It Can be Harmoniously Accomplished.

I am a licensed professional therapist & my husband works for Apple, Inc from home. We both work part-time hours for pay but work 24/7 with our three amazing kiddos (without pay).

This is what our weekly schedule typically looks like:

I see patients Monday and Wednesdays from 11am-8pm

My superman husband works 20 hours a week which vary although we have been able to stick to a pretty stable homeschooling schedule for a few years now.

Our kid's schedule:

Mondays - Wednesdays - Fridays
9 am - Brush Teeth
9:15 am - Eat Breakfast (while mama runs on the elliptical)
10 am - Login to Time4learning.com
11 am- Break Time (Usually play outside or with Legos)
11:30am - Math Project
12pm - Writing Project
12:30pm - Lunch Time
1 pm - Reading Time
2 pm- Nap Time (Yes, my 8 year old still takes a nap, its the only time I can focus)
4pm - FREE TIME!!!!

Tuesdays & Thursdays
These days are typically our adventure days. We usually go with our family to local parks to hike or fun outings to learn like the zoo, children's museum, caves, local military bases, etc.

Saturdays & Sundays
Our family days, we do whatever we please on these days, including church or simply sitting by a bubbling brook and listening to God's noises.