A Funny School Moment

Ah, this kid never ceases to entertain me :)   We were doing our school work.  A few days ago I had printed a list of Dolch sight words and I was going through the list seeing which words Jessie knew and which ones she still needed to learn.  This type of task, where she encounters many words she doesn't know, is always frustrating for her.  I usually don't keep pressing much once she gets to the frustration level. We had started with the pre-primer and worked up and covered much of the list in one day last week.  Today, I really wanted to finish the list so that I could make a list of the words we needed to learn.  Jessie was getting more and more aggravated when there were words she didn't know.  Finally she told me, "finish tomorrow."  There were only a few left, so I pressed on.  In just a second came, "I'm sick and tard of it!"  I laughed and hugged her.  I told her we were almost done. Then, when I pointed to the word "if", which I knew she knew, she said "sweating".  Sweating? Really?

 I was very pleased with how many words on the list Jessie knew. This was a list through 3rd grade. There were some words she's learned that she didn't remember and will just take a little review. But, there were many words I didn't think she'd know that she did.

I probably should have broken the list into more days so she wouldn't be as frustrated.  Because I have been completely wrapped up with working on scholarship applications with Jordan, Jessie has been slighted with her school, so I felt pressured to get more done this day.  She showed me, huh?

In every possible way, this kid keeps me on my toes :) 

"Where is my #2?" Our progress with number order :)

Yesterday, Jessie surprised me and cracked me up.

Jessie has a set of apples with the numbers 1-10 on them that I made as part of a Fall themed lapbook.  I included the apple/numbers in the lapbook as we were in need of a fresh way to approach the same thing we'd been working on what seemed forever, the correct order of the numbers to 10.  Usually, I get the laminated numbers out of the bag and put them in random order.  Then I let Jessie put them in correct order, talking her through it step by step.  I ask, "who comes first?" (cause everybody knows #1 always get to be the leader!) and "what number comes next", or " what number comes AFTER 4", etc.  This day I dumped them on the table and let her sort them out and put them in order.  She had her own system....all the numbers were upside down until she was ready to put them in their proper place.  She did it perfectly, with only one number out of place, with NO help from me.  No guidance at all.  I was so tickled.  I had known we were close to getting it, but didn't really think she would do it on her own.  Usually, she is easy to get frustrated if she doesn't immediately know the answer.  She has always had difficulty with the number 6.  Why she discriminates against number 6 I would love to know.  Often, when counting, she would leave out 6.  This day, she put 5 in the wrong place.  Rather than immediately correcting her, I suggested she count them to check herself.  When she said aloud 5 but 6 was there she immediately realized her mistake, found 5 by the 7 and corrected it.  After she put the numbers in order, she placed the number word directly beneath them, with no mistakes!!  The order number we have worked on for what literally seems like forever, but learning the number words hasn't been that difficult for her at all.  We've only been working on them a couple of months.  She knew most of them within a very few days.  Funny, the crazy mixture of strengths and weaknesses.

  

What cracked me up?  While Jessie was putting the numbers in order, she was looking for 2.  She knew 2 came after 1, but it was hiding in the pile.  She says, "Where is my #2?!!  I had it last weekend!" Jessie has no good concept of time.  She knows tomorrow is the next day when you wake up.  She has no idea when last weekend was, but she does understand that it is a section of time, possibly even understands that "last" weekend is a time in the past.  Probably one of my favorite things about the age range we are in right now, is the way she makes me laugh.  Sometimes she does it on purpose, as she has the same "Hall" (sassy and a bit sarcastic) sense of humor that we all do.  Other times, that crazy mixture of things she understands and things she doesn't gives us all a great laugh.

Jessie read a blend!! Our phonics experience thus far...

I was completely taken by surprise. She just did it. I didn't at all expect it. We were working in our Bob Jones Phonics workbook*. I bought this workbook as recommended to go along with the adapted Kindergarten Bob Jones curriculum. We had used the adapted K-4 successfully, so I had started the beginning of the school year with the adapted K-5. We didn't stick with it very long as she just wasn't ready for the reading with phonics.  She loved the colorful readers and the first few she really enjoyed, until we reached the part where she was expected to begin reading "word families". For example, taking the word it, that she can already read, then adding a letter to the beginning to read hit and sit. She has known all of her letter sounds since she was 3. She just hasn't been ready to progress to blending the sounds together. She seemed to understand the concept, but it required something of her that she just wasn't ready to give.  Even with sight reading, which she does very well, sometimes she is easily frustrated and just doesn't want to give it that much mental effort. Although I discontinued, temporarily at least, the rest of the curriculum, I continued to use (sporadically) the phonics workbook just to "keep" what we already learned and modified it if it required something she wasn't ready for. We don't work out of this workbook every day that we have school, so she hasn't gotten bored with it and we haven't progressed in the book beyond her current skill level. Other than letter sounds, the other benefit to this workbook has been vocabulary. There are pictures on the pages where we identify the beginning letter. She knows most of the pictures, but some are more detailed than she might identify them. A cactus she might call a plant, a wig she'd never had reason to know (!) and well (water well) same thing. You get the idea.

Today, we were using the phonics page to review the letter sounds and determine which pictures began with an H. At the end of this assignment the words it, hit, and sit were in a box at the bottom. I knew she could read the word " it".  I pointed and asked her what the word was. She responded appropriately. So, I asked, "Do you know the next word?"  I didn't expect her to say it. She looked at it. She said, "h....hit."  I got SO crazy excited that my son in another room thought something was wrong or someone was hurt!  I was shouting, "Hallelujah!" and we were giving double high fives and going nuts. Just to see, I said, "Can you read the next one?" Again, she just did it, "s....sit". Hallelujah! I feel we have turned a corner that I've longed to look around for a long time.

*Phonics Practice for K-5. This workbook can be purchased separately, directly from Bob Jones University Press.

Learning With Stickers

 I apologize that I don't know how to rotate the picture! We have had this sticker book for quite a while, but was reminded to try it again when my friend Heather recently showed me hers.  The last time we'd used it Jessie was more quickly frustrated with it.  She has really been enjoying it again this time around. We bought this sticker book at Sam's Club.

Typically, in a sitting, we will do a 2 page spread (sounds like we're talking about scrapbooking, doesn't it?). This day all the pictures were things you would either find in a tool shed or at school.  The part that gets a bit tricky is that not all the pictures that belong on one page are found on the same page of stickers.  I find the stickers we'll need for the day and only give her those so the task doesn't seem too difficult.  Some of the other categories of pages are :  Our Bodies, Things we do, Clothes we wear, In the home, Toys and games, Food, Fruits and vegetables, Town and city, Things that go, Farm babies, Pets, Birds,Wild Animals, Little Critters, Sea Animals, At the beach, Time, Sticker Alphabet, Counting Stickers, Opposites, Shapes, Colors. 

Jessie has enjoyed this activity.  It has given us some variety in our school day.  This has been an excellent fine motor exercise, she still has a hard time lining the stickers up perfectly on their outline.  It has also been very helpful for categorizing.  I don't think she "gets" that in just reading books, but this way she "sees" what goes together.  It has been excellent for vocabulary as well. Many of the pictures aren't things we would normally talk about.  Although she won't remember all of them, it has given her exposure to new things that aren't in our day otherwise. 

Jessie is always happy these days to pose for a picture for my "bwog".  When I take pictures of her school work she knows that's where it's going. As a record of what we've been working on I write the date at the top of the page.

Stella: A Sweet New Addition To Our Family

For several months Evan had been pondering, thinking, trying to decide if he wanted the responsibility of a new dog or puppy.  It was understood that feeding and caring for the new dog WOULD BE his responsibility.  Accidents, etc., in the house, HIS responsibility.  He weighed the pros and cons of puppies vs. dogs but wasn't fully decided when we began our search.  We visited Animal Control and the Humane Society.  The only dog he fell in love with failed to pass their temperament test :(  Jordan and I fell in love with a beautiful lab puppy.....Evan just wasn't interested.  Still searching, we started looking online....Craig's List and Pet Finder....and found Stella.

Stella was fur and bones, very skinny.  She weighs 50 lbs, but the vet said she should weigh 70.  In the nearly two weeks we've had her, she has started to fill out so beautifully.  Her ribs and spine were painfully noticeable and bony.  She had been adopted by someone else just a few days before.  Kelly said she looked even worse before we saw her, that in the few days she'd had her, she'd filled out a little.  Kelly already had a bulldog and hoped the two dogs would be companions, but "Tater" wasn't having it so she had advertised her on Craigs List. 

When we first talked about the dogs Evan was interested in, Jay and I agreed that with certain breeds (Dobermans being one of them), that we would want to have them as a puppy to grow up with Jessie, being used to her.  When I first called about Stella, I misunderstood, and thought she was a younger dog.  She is estimated to be 2 to 3 years old. After emailing with Kelly several times, she sounded like a perfect fit for our family and decided to meet her, even though she was older than we'd  first thought we wanted. 

We loved Stella right from the start.  She is THE sweetest dog ever! She wants to be loved every minute of the day!  To be such a large dog, she is surprisingly calm.  She is loving to everyone in the family, and very tolerant of Jessie being somewhat unpredictable.  Jessie doesn't know if there are things dogs don't typically like; but Stella doesn't seem to be bothered by much of anything. At first she didn't pay any attention to the cats.......but now, if they run she will chase.  If they aren't running (or hissing at her because she has previously chased them!) she isn't concerned with them.  Boo (our other dog) has been terribly jealous, but is starting to calm down.  They have started to play together and it is HILARIOUS to watch because of the difference in their sizes, and seeing long- legged Stella playing like a puppy.  Evan is so in love with his new dog.  Getting a new dog/pet is always a bit of a gamble.  There are always things you can't know for sure.  Whew! Glad this one worked out! 

This is Jessie's handwriting from the day or so when we first got Stella.  I always try to make Jessie's handwriting (and other schoolwork) meaningful to her whenever possible :)

First Day of Coop

Today was the first day of the new coop semester.  My kids LIVE for it, I try to survive it! Truly, there are many things I love about it too.  But, it makes  for a   l   o   n   g   day on Tuesday, and once the kids get to Jordan's and Evan's grades, it is difficult to get their schoolwork done in a four day week.

Typical Coop Day: Well, it begins EARLIER than we like to start our days around here.  We have always homeschooled and are spoiled by not having to rise early and be dressed and out of the house early.  We left our house at 8:00 and have a 25 minute drive to the church that is our homeschool umbrella.  Jordan drives us now :)  I wake Jessie sitting over her with a cup of koolaid and her Prevacid, so she can have that on an empty stomach 30 minutes before eating anything. I try to let her sleep as long as possible, since it is earlier than usual for her, but have figured out if I try to save time by having her eat on the way to save time, she usually won't, so I may have to go back to getting her up a little earlier. I digress, easily sidetracked....

This semester I signed Jessie up for four classes, 8:30-12:30. I plan to try four classes, but if it is too much, we will drop the last one.  The 8:30 class,  I thought I signed up for a class about holidays, but today's class was a story, craft, and coloring.  If I had realized it would be a story type class I might have signed up at 9:30 for playdoh instead of story time. 9:30:  Story time, read stories, sang couple songs and had a snack. 10:30 Song and Dance. Jessie LOVED this.  The teacher owns a dance studio, so she's had a lot of experience with little people.  They did a little pre-ballet (what she called it!) there was no pressure to be perfect, just fun, then did other songs that had motions and movements.  We're Going On A Bear Hunt, If You're Happy And You Know It. For me it all ran together...she loved it. 11:30 was supposed to be a Bible Class, but the teacher didn't show (!!) and helpers (including me) took the kids to an indoor soft play inside the church.  Each of the classes I signed Jessie up for are geared for preschoolers, up to age 5. I have sometimes signed her up for a couple of elementary classes, it really just depends on what is offered.

Up till now, I have attended every coop class with Jessie.  Every parent is required to help 1 hour of their child's coop, not necessarily in their class. I have chosen to stay with Jessie for every class.  When she was younger I just didn't feel comfortable leaving her because she couldn't communicate well enough.  Now, she talks a lot, and although not every word is understandable, I don't worry that she can't express her needs and wants.  There's no mistaking those!!  Also, I have always seen myself as the mediator between Jessie and other children, helping her to be understood.  Finally, I feel that more adults and children know her, so that maybe I can take the tiniest step back. A tiny one.  Not much, just a little.  I will still take her to each class and hope to stay only for PART of each class, except for the one hour I am the committed helper.  We will see :)

Evan took Communications 101, Composition, Game Time and Game of Life.  Jordan took Communications 101, Composition (Essays), Biology Lab (Dissection).  They LOVE coop and look forward to it so much between semesters.  Having the entire day out of the house on Tuesday causes them to have to work into the summer some, and it is worth it to them.  I love that they are both taking writing with a teacher that loves it, it is an area that I really can't give them what she can, so I am thankful they are getting this opportunity.  I am so happy too that Jordan is getting to do Biology lab with a mom that has that background and loves science.  They did microscope last semester, dissection this time.  Jordan was very happy that she was paired with a boy who didn't mind being the one to touch "all the slimy dead stuff without even wearing gloves"!  In the afternoon Jordan and Evan ate lunch with their FLOW (Future Leaders Of The Wiregrass) group, had a devotion and set out for the places they would volunteer for a couple of hours.  Evan was writing letters as part of a pen pal program.  Jordan went to a place that ministers to a variety of people, some are homeless, some are recovering from some type of addiction.  They weren't working directly with those people today, but Jordan has a heart for both of those groups of people.  Mama Tina, that runs the place, made an impression on Jordan and she wants us see how we might volunteer there again later. 

Since Jordan and Evan were having lunch with FLOW, it was just me and Jessie together for lunch and she got to choose where we would go. Not surprisingly, she chose Things N Wings, one of our families favorite places.  After lunch, Jessie and I came home to chill for about an hour 15 minutes, then headed back to pick up Jordan and Evan.  We made a quick trip to a Christian store to find Jordan a track, as she is scheduled to sing Sunday at church.  Raced to Jessie's dance class, then Winn Dixie, and finally, home at about 7:00 p.m.

At lunch Jessie made my day.  I told her I enjoyed having lunch with her by herself, just the two of us.  I asked her if she liked it.  She said, "Yes, it's a bomb".  My sassy girl meant having lunch with me was THE BOMB.  I wasn't 100% certain that was what she meant until at bedtime she told me french fries were a bomb.  My sweet, sassy girl.

Reading

I wish reading was as fun for Jessie as the Science has been.  Although she's coming along nicely, it's difficult enough for her, requiring concentration she doesn't like to give, and I have to coax her along.  She doesn't hate it; but she doesn't love it.  I have figured out that it helps to have her start reading a story not too difficult for her, mostly words she remembers easily, then move on to a story that has words she doesn't remember as well. Then, when she's ready to quit, I offer to read her a story (from her reader), then she reads me another. The stories are short, so I'm not a slave driver, but if I don't have her read more than one we never get to new words to practice.  Truly, I think the most difficult thing about homeschooling a child who has difficulty and is struggling (I have another kid who does; it's not just DS) is motivation.  The trick is to find the balance of difficult enough to be making progress; but not too difficult to kill desire to keep learning.  Whew, it just makes me tired.

Abeka Kindergarten Science: God's World

Yesterday, I pulled out an old Abeka Kindergarten Science book that I used with Jordan, (who is in the 10th grade now!), long, long ago. I haven't done any formal Science curriculum with Jessie up until this point, we've just read some books from the library that would be about topics that fit into the science category.  That is in addition to the trillion books we own.  I'm planning to simplify it for her a bit and not do all of the activities that are in the teachers book but she is ready for this now.

The first topic in the book is about Our Senses.  Before yesterday, when we've discussed it, Jessie couldn't consistently tell me which part of her body helped her to see, smell, taste, etc. We have to get pretty silly and make it fun, but today she can tell you that her eyes help her see, her nose is what is used to smell, and her tongue is what you use to taste. I would cover her eyes to help her "see" that it is her eyes that help her see.  We smelled minced garlic, the kind refrigerated in a jar....gross! It was very strong smelling. We gave a sniff to a couple of other food items that had different smells and talked about smelling flowers, etc. The funniest thing was when I put a couple drops of lime juice on her tongue! I think she now not only realizes that her tongue is what she tastes with, but the distinct difference between sweet and sour. After the lime juice, she tasted/ate some mini marshmallows which she loves.

The book is broken into 6 sections. The book has a mixture of cartoon looking pictures/drawings and actual photographs. The topics covered in this science book are: 

God's Plan for Me
The senses, brief overview about safety, what we need to grow, personal hygiene. This is exactly on Jessie's level. It is written in very simple language that I think an advanced typical kindergardener/1st grader can read on their own. Each topic is just one page, with large colorful pictures.

God's Plan for Weather
Very basic. Makes the connection between weather and the clothing you wear. Picture of a thermometer and simple understanding of it's use.

God's Plan for Seasons
We have talked a good bit about seasons and I'm waiting for the puzzle pieces to just fit together. Hoping this be a good addition to help with that. Again, it is simple, and that is good for us.

God's Plan for Seeds
We've read a little before about seeds, it has had no meaning for her. There are pictures of fruit with seeds in them (I've never thought about labeling that for her before!) Probably, we will study this section when we can plant some seeds and help her to understand.


God's Plan for Animals
Discusses animal homes, what they eat (basic, not too detailed). A couple pages about the most common (5) insects, spiders, zoo animals, farm animals, birds and reptiles.

God's Plan for the Seashore
Seashells, crabs, starfish, seahorse, sand dollars, sea gulls. She's read about these things b4. There are few enough topics that she could actually learn this material.

I've had this book forever, and it seems that she is in just the right place now to learn about these things.  The book is colorful and interesting and after we read/did it yesterday, she wanted to do it again today. Yay! I am actually excited about this. We may decide to get some library books about each of these topics, but will probably wait until later after this book is complete. I very much like the simplicity of this book and want to keep it that way.

My purpose in giving this thorough description is in hopes that if you are looking for a source to cover this material, if you aren't able to get your hands on a copy to look at it, you would be able to evaluate it by reading this review. Hope this helps someone!

Back 2 School....The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

We started back to school yesterday.  I had dreaded it.  Not the actual schooling, just the loss of down time and  having no schedule to keep.  I have mourned it, that's for sure! I did start the day yesterday feeling refreshed, with a real sense of purpose and managed to keep my energizer self going all day...loads and loads of laundry, paying bills, clearing out 2009 files of bills, school with Jessie, made the kind of phone calls I HATE and always put off (making appointments and checking on medical bills and homeowners insurance) an easy but cooked (not sandwiches, etc. I mean!) supper of spaghetti, bread and salad.  We managed to go to bed with the house tidy, dishes clean, ready for the next day.  I woke up Tuesday thinking, "Are you kidding me? I've got to do all that again?!"  So......today was good but no energizer bunny. 

Today when we were studying her spelling words, Jessie was so stinkin cute.  I wish I had a video of it, I'm just not that high tech to get it on here.  I know, however, in retelling it, it can never be as cute.  There were a couple of words she had learned but forgotten (from and name).  I would ask her how to spell the word and she would react a little bit frustrated.  I would cover the written word with my hand, then allow her to sneak a peek.  She would quickly try to remember it. Then I would cover it and she would spell it. High fives every time she got it right.  We were giggling and having such a good time with it.  She (and I) love it when we can make it into a game.  We reviewed the words is, my, Boo (our dog's name) from, love, name and introduced did and it. 

Jessie's dance class started back today and gymnastics starts back Thursday.  Officially back to normal routine.  I was so pleased as I watched to see how in the 3 months or so she has been doing this, how much better she is at walking on her toes.  As part of the dance they walk on their toes in a circle. When she first started she could barely stay on her toes at all and keep her balance, now she can stay up for the whole time! She still has a ways to go on learning to skip.  She doesn't enjoy dance as much as gymnastics but it is so good for her. She does enjoy getting to see all the girls each week.  It is a class just for kids with special needs.

Hope all are having a good New Year so far!

Taking A Break

We have enjoyed our Christmas break so much!! Ah, the freedom! Sleeping in for two weeks now...slower pace, staying in my jammies a FEW days.  It has been SO heavenly.  I hate for it to end.  In fact, I dread Monday when we will start homeschooling again.  Please don't misunderstand!!! I would choose nothing else over homeschooling, but any way you look at it, it is work.  We have homeschooled since Jordan was 4, thinking at that time we would be preparing her to start kindergarten the next year at a Christian school.  She's in the 10th grade now, Evan is in the 8th and Jessie is always happen to announce, "I'm first grade!".  Although in the younger years we never said this is forever, I think it is safe to say now that we're in it till the end.  A couple years ago I saw an article in HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) that was titled, "How Long Are You In For?" with a picture of a person inside a cell, looking out through the bars.  I've been IN for a long time now! I feel so certain that this is the path that we are supposed to be on...but at the moment I'm just tired.  Anemia might have something to do with that! When we are out for the summer, I read books about homeschooling, research to see what materials would be best for the upcoming school year, work on projects around the house that simply can't get done in the school year, purchase books for the next year, try to sell those we're done with.  I always have a list of things I want to accomplish when we are out for Christmas Break and Spring Break too.  Whether we are in school or on break, my mind is always thinking of what all needs to be done.  I'm sure many moms can relate, whether you homeschool or not...when I'm home...it is difficult to truly relax...even if I am doing "relaxing things" my mind is so busy.  The first week of our Christmas break there was much to do in preparation for Christmas.  This week, although we have certainly done things around the house, I have rebelled against that feeling of "I must be doing something productive every minute I am home!" Jordan and I have shopped, we have enjoyed watching movies together and tv shows.  Today I tickled Jessie till she peed in her panties, Oops! I knew we were going to have "tickle time" so I prepared in advance by taking her to the potty, but we just had too much fun.  Jordan, Jessie and I talked, and tickled and snuggled, then did it all again.  I wish Evan had been around for that but he was wrapped up in Xbox.  Yesterday, I didn't let him play Xbox all day so that he would hang out with us.  We alternated doing some things around the house and taking time to watch tv and play.  I have enjoyed this time with my kids so much.  We do some of these things all the time, but this week I was different.  I have allowed myself to relax.   There are several things I had hoped to accomplish this week that I haven't yet, but I am trying to be o.k. with it.

There are four more days left till school starts back....If you take out Sunday (when we have to get dressed in the am) there are three.  I hope to spend a fair amount of those three days in my jammies....

We love Dick and Jane!

I keep a journal of sorts as a record of what we are doing in our homeschooling.  DO NOT think this is a normal day's entry! I normally have abbreviations/acronyms for the things we do and things aren't written in full sentences but try to write enough to keep me out of trouble in case someone were to check to see if we are actually schooling.  Since I hadn't written in this journal for the entire week about what we'd done in reading, I wrote the following paragraph as a summary for the weeks' work. Hope you can feel the excitement!

This week we started reading "Dick and Jane Fun With Our Family".  She LOVES it!  I can't believe what a breakthrough this is for us.  She read 52 pages the first day!!!  When reading I would immediately supply the word she didn't know/recognize, so she would not experience frustration.  I read several more stories to her when she could read no more.  Today, (Friday), she read 40 pages then she begged me to read till I finished the book! 143 pages!  This book is giving her a lot of repetition/repeating the same words.  She gets confused sometimes if the beginning is varied with uppercase/lowercase.  This is the transition we have been looking for from reading cards to reading books.  Praise the Lord! And thank you God for Beth (who suggested the books to me)!

Okay, I realize all those exclamation points don't make for good writing...but you can't write what I wrote without using them.  It is nearly impossible to convey the excitement I have felt.  Jessie has been reading sight words for a long time, not sure how many words, over 100 I'm sure.  We just hadn't been able to find just the right books to transition to real books.  I had made her one book, using a scrapbook, but we needed more materials to choose from.  The Dick and Jane books repeat over and over the same words, varying the beginnings (upper and lowercase) and consists of mostly words she knew on cards.  We had tried some simple books from the library, each page having 1 sentence, such as I like______ or I see______.  Even though they had pictures, they weren't terribly interesting to her because there was no real story.  She has a bit of a fascination with names, and there are plenty of names in the book to suit her, and the stories, while simple, are sweet and funny.  Although they use the same words over and over somehow in this one book they manage to make many, many stories.  The pictures TELL the story, and she really enjoys that too. Hurray for having found Dick and Jane!

A Good Coop Day

Today our day at coop (our homeschool coop) started a little later than usual.  Jordan had gotten a haircut on Friday that we both weren't very happy with, so we had to miss our first class to go get a haircut redo.  Jessie wasn't happy about missing her music class.  This semester of coop has been the best fit we've ever had for Jessie.   The difference is a combination of that the classes we chose are on her level (always hard to tell in advance if they will be a good fit) and we don't have time to kill in between.  One semester we had 3 hours when her siblings had class that she didn't.  That was really difficult.  This semester she has 1) Preschool Music - the teacher dresses as Miss Patty Cake and they sing the songs, have a color sheet with Bible verse to take home and have a snack 2)Preschool Art - she has taken art classes with this same art teacher before and really enjoyed them, but has liked this one the very best.  The other classes she learned from and enjoyed but had to wait more, listen more (much of which was over her head) so this class has just been the perfect fit.  Also, her teacher, Mrs. Denise is just THE BOMB.  She is so entertaining, engaging and fun while keeping amazing order in her class, even when it's preschoolers. 3) Preschool Playtime - the other kids are 3-5 year olds and most weeks we take the class to the soft play area in the church. 

Her classes end at 12:30, she is always mildly irritated that Jordan and Evan stay for the afternoon with the highschoolers who do volunteer projects in the afternoon.  She only doesn't pitch a fit because she knows we will go somewhere for lunch together and she loves to go out to eat, whether it is fast food or one of her other favorites.  For this semester, she has really enjoyed that we go out together, usually just the two of us.  We colored together while we waited for our food.

Today, after lunch, I had a dentist appointment.  Ordinarily I wouldn't schedule one when Jordan or Evan couldn't keep her at home, but I'd had a tooth bothering me that I felt desperate to be seen for and this was when they could fit me in.  She had a blast!  After they saw about the issue I'd been having, they said they could fit me in for a cleaning if I wanted to go ahead with that while I was there.  See, the truth is (and I'm sure some of you can identify) my kids go to the dentist faithfully every 6 months, while I might go 2 years if I'm not having a problem.  I think she knew if they didn't do it today....might be a while.  I was a little worried about Jessie sitting that long, but decided to go ahead.  The hygienist has a nephew with special needs and was so wonderful with Jessie.  She let her hold the "straw" to suck the water out of my mouth and turn it on and off.  A little bit, she even let her help hold the toothbrush/polisher, but Jessie knew she wasn't really in control of that the way she was with the straw, so she preferred the straw.  All the other hygienists kept coming by (the doorways are open, no real door there) commenting on what a good helper Jessie was.  When we left she had on gloves and a mask in hand so she could check her babies teeth when we got home.

After the dentist, we went back to the church to pick up J & E, and she really enjoys socializing with the teenagers there.  She thinks those are her people too.  A couple of years ago we seemed to be struggling so, trying to find places to fit, it was an agonizing time for me.   Right now we are in a better place.  All the teens  when we go in there are not only kind to her but when she initiates dancing with them (she loves to watch So You Think You Can Dance) they feel less self conscious now and dance with her or talk to her.  She never wants to leave there, but is persuaded because our next stop is dance.

This is Jessie's second year in the Special Steppers.  A free (!!) dance class for special needs kids.  It is funded by donations and fundraisers.  Jessie enjoyed it at first last year then started not wanting to go.  She has a new teacher this year, the owner of the dance studio, and is doing much better.  The class although simple in some ways, is excellent physical  therapy and after 30 minutes, Jessie is tired.  Jessie doesn't have great endurance and most of that time they are at least standing/moving.  She is learning to skip (not well yet!) and is, after a few weeks of working on it, walking on her toes.  At first she just couldn't walk on those toes for more than a couple steps.

We came home where she nagged us all about wanting to be our dentist and check our teeth.  She ate supper and stretched out side to side in the recliner (that is her spot) and watched TV.  When I sent her to the bathroom to get ready for bed, walking through my bedroom she flicked on the light (knowing her Daddy wouldn't like it!), when he said "huh uh" with an irritated sound, she said, "Gotcha"!! That's my funny girl.

In bed, we played the kissing game, this time she picked where she wanted her kisses. She REALLY enjoys the negotiations.  After I got way more kisses than she said I could have, she kissed me a few times, counting them.  A great way to end a good day.

Jessie Can Spell!!

Wow! We had a sweet moment tonight.  For about a year I guess, I'd been thinking about how to move Jessie to learning to spell, but knowing that she just wasn't quite there.  Jessie has a couple of ways of letting me know when I introduce something new, that it's just more effort than she's willing to give.  Sometimes I can (with those Mama Super Power Tactics) get her motivated and other times just have to give it up for a while.  She'd been showing interest in spelling...but only if it was what she wanted to spell. She can spell a few names: her own (first and last), and a few friend's names at church that she always wants to make notes for. She has copied their names over a few times until she can spell them. I was quite impressed that 2 of them have 6 letters each.  She is close to being able to spell her brother and sister's names; and can spell our dog's name, Boo.  So, the last week or so, as part of her handwriting practice I gave her 5 words: love, my, girl, dog, name.  I chose these words because they are words she reads, understands and they have meaning to her.  Mind you, I've tried this before but at that point she wasn't quite ready, so I dropped it for a while.  We always read the words that she writes for handwriting, so we just changed it up a little. Pointing to love, I ask her if she can spell love, then say with her, moving my finger across the letters L, O, V, E, that spells love.  You get the idea.  Tonight at time to brush her teeth, I decided to review her spelling words with her....and discovered that she can spell love, my, dog, and is close to having girl and name. Woo hoo!! I clapped, squealed and carried on....she loved watching me make a fool of myself, she laughed too.

Choosing to Homeschool Jessie

When Jessie was very young (still an infant!)I began worrying (that's just me!) about whether I should homeschool her, like I already was with my other two, or if she would be better off in school with the benefit of someone trained in special education. By the time she was a preschooler I felt pretty sure we would homeschool, but not sure about at which point. She did attend preschool at the local public school for two school years with her best friend, Joshua. You'll be hearing lots about him all along. She attended three mornings a week and was home by lunch. The first year her class was very small, with only special needs kids. The second year, the class was 1/2 special needs, 1/2 typical (if there is such a thing) kids. It was a pretty good experience for us, and I don't regret doing it, but there were things that helped convince me that homeschooling was going to be our route. Deciding to homeschool her kindergarten year, when her buddy, Joshua, continued at school was really hard for me. I agonized over the decision for months, weighing every pro and con, and cried quite a bit, and prayed A LOT. It was terrible trying to make the decision.

Heather (Joshua's mom) and I had become friends partway through our pregnancy when neither of us knew our babies would have Down syndrome. We were already becoming good friends and when they were born just 3 weeks apart, both having Down syndrome, we became the very best of friends. Our families spent a lot of time together. It has been so wonderful to always have a friend, who really understands almost without words, to go through things together with, the good and the bad. When she was leaning toward school and I was leaning toward homeschooling we both felt swayed by what the other one was feeling. It was extremely difficult for us to each make the choice about schooling that was right for each of our families. In those first months of Joshua going to school and Jessie homeschooling, it continued to be difficult comparing everything the other was doing. There were things about school that Jessie enjoyed and she would say sometimes that she wanted to go to school, that was ROUGH, but truly, she just can't evaluate all the variables. The grass always seems greener on the other side.... Eventually, we each settled in, happy with the choices we'd made.

I homeschool Jessie mostly for the same reasons I homeschool our other kids. I am able to target her teaching to exactly where she is. We don't spend time, except for more occasional review, on things she already knows. Nor am I teaching above her level of ability, things that don't have any meaning for her. Jessie is a good sight reader (not as good as others I've read about!), but she's got a very good visual memory. Second year of preschool she could read all her classmates names and wouldn't wait for them to answer when the teacher held up their names. I am able to teach to this strength at home and am constantly searching for new ways to teach Jessie things. While I know some special education teachers do an excellent job, it is hard for them to know and teach to the different strengths and weaknesses of each child in the class. I don't know much about all other disabilities...but I eat, sleep, read, live Down syndrome. No matter how much a teacher might have her best interests at heart, all of our teaching is one on one with only Jessie's learning style to consider.

Also, I realize I have control issues where my kids are concerned, but I think that is a good thing. I like knowing all of the things that influence them and choosing which influences are acceptable and allowed. As they mature, they have more freedoms and are exposed to more and make more choices on their own. Right this moment that applies more to the older two than Jessie, but is true for her too. I haven't said anything at this point about spiritual reasons why we homeschool only because at this point they apply more to Jordan and Evan than to Jessie. They each have Bible teaching on their level as a part of their school day, as well as "teachable moments" that happen nearly every day!

With all 3 kids, we have so many wonderful memories of hours spent reading together, cuddled on the couch, or propped up on pillows reading in my bed. Teaching them each to read....truly priceless. I will never forget the excitement or the phone calls to Daddy. When Jessie was just beginning with homeschooling her siblings would fight over who could call him and tell Dad what new thing she'd learned or done, now she calls him herself. She LOVES the phone.

There is plenty of time in the day for dancing in the kitchen together (she watches way too much "So You Think You Can Dance"!), she loves to "help" cook, and I really enjoy so much the more relaxed lifestyle of homeschooling. Although we are very busy, I think the homeschooling lifestyle allows for more family time and though hectic enough, is less stressful in many ways. For example: we never have homework...when we're done, we're done.

At one point, I considered letting Jessie go to school for the social reasons she wanted to go and supplement her teaching at home after school. After seeing how tired she was after 1/2 day of school during preschool, I really don't think I could get a lot of value out of her later in the day, after having gone to school. As hard as it was initially to make the decision, I have no doubts or reservations now that we are doing exactly what WE should be doing, what is right for OUR family.