Special Connection Homeschool

With all the negative stereotypes around about persons with special needs and in particular Down syndrome I was very surprised when most of the negative responses to some of my posts have been from parents who have a child with Down syndrome.  They seem to think that only posting positive aspects of what my daughter does gives a false impression about what life with DS is really like.  It also seems to make them feel bad if their child is not able to do what my daughter can do. Let me assure you that it was never my intent to make another parent feel bad.  What my intent was, and continues to be, is to encourage parents to try new things and ways of teaching their child and to show that people with Down syndrome can, and do, great things.  I am aware that not all children with DS will be able to do what my daughter does but I am also aware that my daughter will not be able to do everything that other kids with or without DS can do.  It is not about who ...

My daughter Gess was thrilled when I announced that our first Schoolhouse Crew Review this year was from Science4Us.com .  Science happens to be her favorite subject and this review actually allowed her to study it more independently.  Since Gesserine has special needs she often needs a lot of teacher interaction and instruction during text book reading and of course experiments generally need to be supervised as well.  However, the Science4Us.com Online Subscription was a mixture of classroom instruction, hands on experiments and interactive video lessons which allowed Gess to work more independently. Science4Us.com offers interactive, standards based, online science instruction for K-2nd grade and also works as great review for grades 3-5. They have over 350 online lessons through which you can explore earth and space, physical science, inquiry, and life science.  They base their material on the 5 E Instruction model: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and ...

Our speech therapist has shared with us that Gess' rate of speech will be her worst enemy.  This child has a wonderful vocabulary and can read at her current grade level.  What she really struggles with is speech intelligibility and most of that is due to the fact that she just talks too fast.  Of course there are other factors that makes it hard for her to understand, but the number one factor is the rate of her speech. In order to fix this I found out that I needed to work on my own rate of speech as well hers.  Apparently, do what I say (speak slowly) not as I do (speak quickly) doesn't work very well.  While we don't consider our speech fast, to a child with special needs, it really is.  They have trouble discerning every sound we make when we talk at our normal rate and when they try to mimic our rate they can't properly express the sound properly. Now before working with Gess I need to start working on myself.  Speaking slowly and softly to y...

Our congresswoman is good about having listening sessions throughout her entire district so she ends up in our town at least a couple of times a year.  We do our best to make it to those sessions if we are able to.   Usually we just listen and take the opportunity to introduce ourselves.  It is educational for Gess and helps keep me aware of what our representative is up to.  This time, however, I had an issue I wanted to address on Gess's behalf.  The ABLE Act (HR 647) which stands for Achieving a Better Life Experience, is a bill that would ammend the IRS tax code so that persons with disabilities could save for "qualified disability expenses" to pay for things such as housing, health and wellness, higher education, obtaining and maintaining employment and other important expenses without that money counting against their assets and causing them to lose their much needed medical and essential services.  This is not a bill that costs tax payers a...

Life skills are an essential part of homeschooling when you have a child with special needs, but they are really something everyone needs.  I fear that while kids today are learning to read and write there are still some skills that they are lacking, particularly those relating to housework.   I think part of that reason may be the fact that we pay our children for any work they do. While I think finding a way for young people to make money is a good idea, I believe that paying them for work that has to be done sends the wrong message.  Kids today grow up believing that they shouldn't have to do any work at all unless they are rewarded in some tangible way. Too often then not, when children grow up and stop getting paid for doing their daily chores they often stop doing them.  When they move out on their own their house becomes a disaster.  Even those who manage to keep their house tidy seem to do so with a resentful and despondent attitude.  I know th...

A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of reviewing Reading Eggs, a fun educational website that teaches your child to read.  While we loved the program, Gess has basically outgrown it.  She is an excellent reader.  However, if you have children from ages 3 to 13 this may be just perfect for you.  It has worked well for us with our special needs, but it is great for any child. Right now they are offering a special.  You can try Reading Eggs FREE for 5 weeks!  What an excellent way to see if it will work for you.  This offer expires February 28 so be sure to take advantage of it soon!  Visit the Reading Eggs website to learn more!

I have some really exciting news!  I will be presenting a session at the upcoming 321 Down Syndrome eConference !  The 321 eConference is scheduled for March 21, 22, & 23 to help families connect for World Down Syndrome Day!  There will be some great workshops covering a variety of topics.  The exciting news for me is that this year there will be a session specifically for parents who homeschool!  I will be the one presenting the session, 'Homeschooling Helps' on Friday March 21 at 3:00pm EST but I am more excited that the topic is even available.  I enjoy going to conventions and learning about how to help my daughter who has Down syndrome but I often find that many of the workshops are not as relevant if your child is privately schooled.  While I understand the importance of IEP meeting workshops it will be fun to have a workshop where we can discuss issues specific to our form of education as well. I hope some of you will be able to join us...

I scream, you scream, we all scream for snow cream!  Well, when we are supposed to get pounded with 6 to 8 inches of snow you have to think of something to do with it all!  Fortunately we only got about 4 inches in the end, but still, it was a great time to try our first attempt at snow cream. We found a recipe online that called for 4 cups of snow 1 cup of milk 1/2 cup of sugar 1 tsp of vanilla To get our snow we just set our measuring cup outside and let the snow fall. It was this full in about one hour! Then we brought it inside. You just mix and serve so that was easy enough for any kid to do. We ate some right away and froze some.  It was the best consistency after about 1 hour in the freezer.  It was a little too soupy when fresh made and way to solid after several hours.  Still, it was delicious each and every time.

As I sit here today I find myself pulled in so many different directions.  I have a desire to be used by God in a way that matters and a huge burden for the lost and hurting.  I have many responsibilities and mission opportunities through our church so I am very active in the "work of the Lord."  In spite of all the work I do, I often feel as if I don't really do anything that makes a difference.  In my devotions this week I was reminded that my focus should be on Christ and his redemption, not on the effects of it.  It was a wonderful reminder to me and as I spent time in prayer yesterday this was the verse that came to my mind. This is what I must set out to do.  This is that thing that matters.  Whether it is in my church service, my home, my neighbor's house or at the store I must act justly, show mercy and be humble.  It certainly sounds simple enough but it goes against our very nature so it is a goal that takes constant effort, prayer...

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine loves their fans and so they are offering this Valentines Day Bouquet as a special FREE gift for you!   Each Valentines Day Bouquet consists of lapbooks, audio presentations, money saving tips, helps for a great marriage and more.  There is something here for every homeschooling mom and all of it is yours to keep!  This offer is good until February 15, 2014.  Enjoy your Valentine's Day Bouquet from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine !  They are a definitely a company that loves to share the love! 

Gess got a Crayola Marker Maker for Christmas.  It was something she kept asking for.  She must have seen an add for them on the computer because I wasn't even aware that such a thing existed.  We were excited to find that they did and got them in time for Christmas. Gess really did love making her own markers.  It was sort of difficult but with careful instruction she got it down.  Daddy helped her with her color combinations and together they chose what colors to make her markers.  Here she is putting in some of the color. Then you had to insert the inside of the marker so it would absorb the color. It was fun watching it do that. Then you had to place that inside the marker case. The hard part was snapping it into place.  You used the yellow lever and had to press really hard. After labeling the marker you were done.  The label was important because the inside didn't always look like the color. Orange, for instance...