Hello moms! Time to get back to homeschooling. Last year I tried out a new system for my homeschooling crew. I separated out each child’s books and workbooks and put them into a small box. I was just thinking it would keep things a bit more tidy. Turns out the kids liked having their own little box.
There were a few perks to this box system that I didn’t realize at first.
~Each child no longer had to keep getting up and hunting down a lost pencil, book, etc during school time. This was a particular problem with my ADHD daughter. You would think she had jumping beans in her shorts!
~It was easier to see which child leaned towards messy or tidy in their materials. Then I could begin asking them to double check that things were put away “right” Which to me means without folds, bends, half hanging out of the box… you get the idea and so did they.
~ The best thing I found was when my lupus was flaring. I was tired and sick but I needed to set up the coming week’s assignments. My loving hubby carried in the boxes and I could easily lay on the couch while working on each child’s work for the week.
~Another good thing we found out about using boxes. When I needed to take my daughter to the ER everything in the box could easily go in a backpack, or we could just bring them along and work on them in the van.
Special needs does not mean big expensive curriculum or methods of teaching and therapy. Special needs may mean we need to think out of the box. Do what is best for OUR family. Sometimes the answer to your problem will come from a book, convention, or blog 🙂 More often than not it comes from you!
Listen to your gut! If you really think your child needs more time on multiplication but….she should be moving on because of her age… WAIT! Isn’t it better to wait and get it right than to push on and face frustration at not having a good foundation. Keep in mind that just because your child took 2 years to get colors, numbers to 10 and the alphabet that doesn’t mean your child won’t go faster for the next set of skills. Persistence and patience are your best friend in homeschooling.
Stay strong! Make goals! Have fun! You can homeschool your child with special needs!
I started using a similar basket system abt 2 years ago. Each kid has a basket on a shelf on my baker’s rack, which we use for organizing school, not baking supplies. 🙂
Originally, the system was more for me. I’m a bit scatterbrained, and the baskets kept their workbooks and binders nicely contained so I always knew where to find them. But the kids grew to love their boxes so much, I think they’d be mad if we ever got rid of them. My biggest struggle now is keeping the baskets from becoming a dumping ground for whatever items, toys, papers, etc the kids have left on the table throughout the day.
We use a similar system and for many of the same reasons. I found it was easier on me to have it all in one place and they liked having the access to it. Win- win for everyone.
People often ask us what grade our kids are in and they both say what grade they are in at church. We don’t do grade assignments at home because each child works at their own pace and level. I have to take special care to remind myself not to compare them to others. God made them unique.
Hi, I just found you blog today. I already am enjoying it. I read some old post on here. I have a question. Is it normal for Special Needs kids to take longer in learnng to read? I have a 5 almost six year old who is very smart. She cannot make the reading connection. Any thoughts?
Thanks for your blog. Feel free to check ours out as well.
Followed a link from TOS …. love the blog and this idea! I’ll be implementing this today!! Looking forward to peeking through the rest of your entries this week!