Homeschool

January 9, 2012 | Published in Arts and Crafts, Education, Homeschool, Individual Educational Plans

Special Needs Learning Resources from PCI Education

As parents, we spend years focused on our child’s education. We want to know what they’re learning, how they are progressing, how it will all fit into their future endeavors, not only with later grade levels but with life. We want to do the best we can to help them succeed.

Which is why when a child has learning challenges, whether because of special needs, developmental disabilities, or other struggles with comprehension and retention, parents often look to professional resources for help.

PCI Education is one such resource.

Billing themselves as “Your Special Education Partner,” PCI Education has been offering top-quality education products and services for more than 20 years. With materials for all grade and learning levels, PCI Education carries products for a variety of subjects, including social studies, math, science, life skills, reading, spelling, and more.

PCI Education products are used to support students in public schools and home schools, by teachers and parents alike. Key facts about PCI Education:

PCI Education products are highly visual, with a clean and uncluttered layout to assist struggling learners.

Lesson plans include many tactile and kinesthetic activities to foster increased motivation and retention.

Game formats allow students to interact with the subject.

The company’s products serve five diverse markets: secondary special education, secondary at-risk, elementary special education, intellectual disabilities, and English language learners.

Since education plays such an important role in laying a foundation for future success, it’s important that parents of children with special needs and learning challenges have a resource like PCI Education to turn to for information and support.

Help Us Choose the Giveaway Item

Later in the month, we are going to be offering a giveaway of some of the items that PCI Education has on their site. Visit through the link above and let us know in the comments which items you would like to see offered as a giveaway.

Stacey Nerdin is a busy work-at-home mom of 5 currently living in the Houston metro area. She’s been blogging since 2005 and writes about anything at everything at her blog Tree, Root, and Twig. Stacey believes that in life and online, everything is connected.

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…But What About the “Other” Kid?

Jack is homebound currently. We are anticipating him entering a virtual school next fall. If not, then he’ll homebound some more.

Jack isn’t my only child. I have a very neuro-typical child. As a matter of fact, she’s the most wonderful kid in the whole world. She’s bright and compassionate and funny (just like her mom! HA!). Until three years ago, she attended public school. I wasn’t thrilled with our choices for public schools, but it worked.

Then, when more and more of Jack’s issues came to light (mostly the fact that his lungs are junk and he’s so immunocompromised), we pulled her out and put her in K12′s online virtual school.

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Magic Marker Monday — Hot Air Balloon…

MMM

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

~Pablo Picasso

Welcome to Magic Marker Monday! If you haven’t heard about Magic Marker Monday yet, click here and then hurry right back…

Our very first school art project of the year! We homeschool and decided to give the Atelier art curriculum a try this year.

I have to say, so far I’m impressed! We’re using Level 4 and first lesson focused on use of color, line drawing and perspective. Even the 5-year-old enjoys the DVD lesson format (even though he decided to paint storm clouds instead of a hot air balloon).

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School Daze…

It’s that magical time of year….

Or, if you feel like school the way I do, it’s: time to spend a ton of money to buy crap they’re not going to use, fight about clothing each and every morning, and prepare for the onslaught of colds. Hmmmm….

There’s public school, home school, virtual school, private school, charter school, unschool… and we all have to choose what is best for our own brood.

Today, I am going to share with you how we school here at Chez P.

We use a public school that is taught virtually online through the K12 system.

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Magic Marker Monday — Back to School…

MMM

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”

~Pablo Picasso

Welcome to Magic Marker Monday! If you haven’t heard about Magic Marker Monday yet, click here and then hurry right back…

We started back to school this week — and broke in those new crayons!

The crayons and markers they were exited about…

The pencils?

Not so much.

What has your little artist been up to? Link up and share!

Want the Magic Marker Monday button code? Click Here!

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New year to begin…

I know what your thinking…NEW SCHOOL YEAR? How many days till school starts??? I have a friend that started counting the minute summer started. I enjoy our homeschooling time together. I love the beginning of a new year…the goals for the year, the dreams of what you want to work on, the reality of what will really happen. The fresh Sharpened pencils, crayons (even though we have 12 boxes already), the paper, the books, the construction paper…the excitement…the adventures.

This past school year offically closed today. My son had his evaluation that we have to turn into our school system with our next notification letter for the upcoming school year. Our evaluation is a little different. We take in the scrapbook of pictures of our work because the really is our samples of the year at school. We don’t have worksheets, we don’t have projects we can present, we have pictures of therapy sessions, pictures of field trips, loooooonnnnngggg lists of books we read over and over again. Descriptions of art projects, descriptions of fine arts (music) although I’m thinking we might have to invest in a tape recorder to tape some of the vocalizations that are happening more often & for longer periods of time. We are fortunate to have a licensed teacher that was a special education teacher do our evaluation. We take our scrapbook (new one every year) and a summary of things we’ve worked on. I’m always nervous to go have the evaluation done. Then after she looks over things and we talk…she signs the paperwork and gives me what I need to continue. Afterwards I always feel so much better. I second guess myself and if I’m doing more damage then good. But then deep down I already know he’s blossomed. He’s doing so much more than the doctors ever expected him to do. We’ve been out of therapy for over a year now…I’m not missing it, not sure he is either…but the doctor finally requested that we return to therapies…so we’re headed back 1 time a month. seems hardly worth it, but new insurance only covers 20 visits per year of OT and PT seperate.

So here’s to another year under our belt. Here’s to another year of growth and learning. Here’s to another year of reading books (gonna knock this year out of the park).

What’s your favorite part about this time of the year? Is there just one supply that you HAVE TO BUY because it’s back to school time? Does anyone have those new crayola dry erase crayons & wipe board? what do you think of it?

Wish you & your kids a wonderful school year! May your children reach all their IEP goals. May all your teachers understand you and your child. And may your children exceed their expectations! Wishing you MANY sucessful years to come!

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Old school still stings…

I don’t have to tell anyone, I don’t think, about how HOT it’s been this week. As I said before I’m a facebooker too, and sometimes my saturday posts get away from me, sorry. Some days blend into the next, but I digress.

My father’s family has all kind of “drifted” apart (not saying that anybody is innocent on reasons why, it’s just drifted apart). I have tried several times to put out the bridge to those that are willing to talk to me. Because I was a teenager when the drifting happened. I’ve sent things to my grandparents telling them of my high school graduation, wedding, Christmas cards and things through out the years. Nothing ever came back, not even a card or letter in response. So I thought ok they don’t want to talk with me. Then when I had my son, my mom had run into my aunt in the hospital. There fore what was going on with my son was then told to the extended family…that’s when I got letters and cards. Interesting really because it’d be almost 20 years at that point.

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learning…

Learning…I’ve not written about homeschooling yet so I thought maybe this would be a good time. Homeschooling isn’t so typical for us, we have many challenges to get over. We do use therapies as part of our daily routine (even if we are still on sabbatical from professional therapies at our local hospital). We do a lot of reading…Last year we read 163 books (several times each). This year we’re working on doubling that. We’re in the 200′s right now. Things that I have noticed lately are that my son appears to be more aware of his surroundings and is learning to place sounds. Not that he didn’t necessarily know where he was, but things that are taking place around him. Such as sounds…he’s now really focusing on where it’s coming from. He loves to be startled by a sudden noice then wants it repeated over and over. Gets excited if you wait a while then repeat a sound. He also is really anticipating…when you do something rhythmically then pause, he’ll smile in anticipation for the rhythm to continue. He’s always been musical & a music lover. Probably realizes now that neither mom or dad can carry a tune in tune. (that explains all his laughing when we sing.) He’s mimicking…we attempt to sing a scale up and back down…he trys to do it too. His new word (besides the most important “mom”) is now “dadada” I swear he actually sounds like he’s putting together sentences too (has been saying “love you” for a long time) but now he’s saying “where ARE you?” “come FIND me” and the latest “do it again” I swear it’s not just my ears hearing what I’ve longed to here words. The “Equipment” piece I wrote about before, the kid walker…we finally got approved and now have it (YAHOO!) he stands in it and pushes backward or stands while “running” like a mad man (but not really moving anywhere just legs are moving). When we move into a practical house I think he’s going to LOVE his kid walker and there will be no more sitting down! He’s able to sit, crossed legged on the floor and balance. That was a huge milestone! Can sit & balance for quite a while…at least til you make him laugh and then his tone kicks in and his legs come uncrossed and out. Oh but that giggle (my favorite!) He’s tolerating being on the floor a little more (still vocalizes his complaints but is willing to be there for a little longer). Today he rolled over onto his belly and was scooting across the floor with his arms stuck under him…if it weren’t for his legs he’s be stuck in the same place, but with the help of his legs he scoots himself across. Arms dont move even if they weren’t stuck under him. Also on the food front…moving away from pureed foods with no textures to foods with lots of textures and doing REALLY well at it…at 6 years old 49 1/2 inches tall and 38 pounds 6 ounces….I’m exstatic about how things are going!

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Gourmet baby from the getgo…

Do you cook seperate for someone in the family? Do they have special dietary restrictions or needs?

My son has a dairy allergy. I say an allergy because it appears that if we avoid it all together we have a sweeter life. We’ve never had an official test, but doctor’s have said why test you already know what works. If he gets ANY dairy during a day, he’s fine, but come 2:00 in the morning life is much more…hmmmm…trying to come up with a nice word….sour. He screams and scream and screams all night even through the morning. So we found out early on if we avoid it all together we can sleep through the night.

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Learning to ride…one step at a time…

A Cowboy Needs a Horse

Johnny lives in a big city, but has everything a cowboy could want
(Everything, everything)
He has a place to pan for gold
(Panning, panning)
And he has time to shoot a buffalo everyday
(Shooting, shooting)
And every night, he dreams he’s a cowboy riding the rangeFinally found the words to this song, it’s on a disney sing along VHS we have and we sing it all the time. (well me & Tristan…and he seems to like it

Ridin’, ridin’ along…

Oh, a cowboy needs a horse, needs a horse, needs a horse
And he’s gotta have a rope, have a rope, have a rope
And he oughta’ have a song, have a song, have a song
If he wants to keep ridin’

Now a cowboy needs a hat, needs a hat, needs a hat
And a pair of fancy boots, fancy boots, fancy boots
And a set of shiny spurs, shiny spurs, shiny spurs
If he wants to keep ridin’

Oh, the fence is long, and the sun is hot
And the good Lord knows that a cowboy’s gotta keep
Ridin’, ridin’ along

So he gets himself a horse, and a rope, and a song
And he finds himself a hat, fancy boots, shiny spurs
And there’s nothing more he needs, or can have, or can get
If he wants to keep ridin’, ridin’ along

Spurs, shiny spurs
Boots, fancy boots
Sings a western song
Ro-oh-oh-ope
And a horse
If he wants to keep ridin’, ridin’ along…

Tristan has been working up to the ridin’ for about 5 weeks now. The first time we thought it’d be a little sensory overload…smells, sights, sounds, feeling and if you can smell it you can almost taste it (even if you really don’t wanna). He was very stiff going down in the barn, down the stairs in the wheelchair, I will have GREAT ARMS…one day, but the owner brought out one of the horses for Tristan to meet. Peaches, she’s a little patchy and white & golden color and Beautiful. She’d bring her nose right down for him to touch. But she didn’t know he couldn’t see her, but he was feeling her breath on him. she nudged him a little. Picked up his sleeve with her teeth. I tried to get him out of his wheelchair but he went stiff as a board…he wanted no part of this.

Week 2 we reached Tristan’s hand up to pet the nose of the horse. Got him out of the wheelchair and pet the side of the horse, leaned a little on her. He seemed to be much better…Then she licked the side of his face. That was it for him. Although I bent over to tell him it was ok, that she wanted to give him kisses, Peaches nosed me out of the way, she thought I was hurting him. He stopped when he felt her breath on him again. Nostle breath nothing quite like it.

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