We went for a lovely walk on Thursday in the sunshine with the dogs to look for flowers, so that M could study the flower structures from his Briteschool homework task of the previous week. We also had great fun searching for wild plants that can reproduce via runners in our surrounding neighbourhood.
The pace of the Briteschool KS3 science curriculum is quite a brisk one, so we can't always find the time for this sort of thing. It takes M so much longer then the norm to produce any written work, even the models he's been producing in recent weeks instead of reports are time consuming to produce. The British weather may not be on our side for much longer either, as it's hard to make scientific observations in the driving rain.
I'm really pleased with the diagrams that M has managed to produce so far this term as it's a tangible sign that his fine motor skills are improving. His drawings are so much neater than when we began our homeschool journey, making it feel like all our fine motor skills work is beginning to pay off. If he can only pick up some speed then I can see an iGCSE in Biology perhaps being a tangible reality for his future in the coming years. Handwriting as a means of recording information is at last becoming a meaningful concept in its' own right for him after years of pain. He can see the purpose of recording the results of his experiments so is keen to improve his handwriting where he had previously almost given up seeing no purpose beyond making himself feel stupid in comparison to his peers. I believe intrinsic motivation to be a key component for learning in children with social communication disorders like my son, so am thrilled at this new development.
We also stumbled upon an amazing literacy resource to help M with creative writing this week in the form of a free trial Lego story starter pack. Like many children with a social communication disorder M has real struggles with creative language work. The curriculum guide that accompanies the pack is really helpful and well structured. M spent a happy hour with the neighbor working on a story plot for his Briteschool homework.
We also feel that the software would be great for helping M produce his own social stories in conjunction with resources like the "Talk About" series. The only issue for purchasing a full curriculum pack for M is the cost at £100 for the software licence and another £108 for the lego and teachers resource this isn't a cheap solution.
On the social front M's second puppy training class went well, and it is lovely to see him starting to form tentative friendships with some of the other children who attend with their parents. Once again the challenge of right from left had him confused - this time as he attempted to weave in and out of a circle of dogs with his pup. The instructors are lovely and very clear in their instructions to him, and it is nice to see him forming a trusting relationship with them, and beginning to ask for help when needed. It was commented on that his body language seemed far more relaxed this week.
The class is quite busy and a little noisy at times, as pups yap. This means it's a very challenging sensory environment for M. He uses his Nintendo DS to "zone out" the noise when it gets too much. At an hour's duration I think the class is at about the edge of his tolerance limit. He is keen to continue, so we will look at strategies for him to manage his sensory issues in a calm way for future classes, He'll be working on the Kennel Club's "Good Citizen" puppy foundation scheme this year, giving him a tangible goal to work towards, and hopefully a sense of achievement at the end.
Our Flat Stanley - "Around the World Adventures" audio books arrived this week. Although we've read the original "Flat Stanley" book together in the past we've only recently come across the accompanying UK home school group. The scheme involves sending out a Flat Stanley laminated model and an adventure story to another child, and in return receiving theirs. As it's a global project it seems a wonderful way of encouraging & motivating literacy & geography skills while having a bit of creative fun. We'll listen to some of the books in the series that is new to us before joining the postal scheme in a couple of months, when M is feeling confident about what he'd like to produce and contribute. In the mean time, it helps bring the World map on the living room wall to life for M, and compliments our Monday global breakfasts inspired by Grain Chain. By starting our postal adventure in the UK this year we'll build up confidence perhaps to try some of the global destinations in future.
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