Storytime With S: Dad and Sam

Guess what?! 

My little boy is getting the hang of reading! It's been a HUGE struggle (and frustration) for him since he has some visual processing issues associated with his Sensory Processing Disorder. His ability to track letter-to-letter and word-to-word is very difficult...but he's doing it!

Looking for a creative way to encourage his reading - we already do star stickers on his Hooked on Phonics poster - I decided to record him with my old camera so he could SEE and HEAR himself reading. He thought it was "really cool" and asked if I would "share with the world". So, here it is!

And if you could leave a comment for him, it would be AWESOME! He's looking forward (excitedly and anxiously) to seeing who listens to his video story! Thanks!

Weekly Wrap: Days 92-96

And it's a win! J's basketball team won their first game of the season: 27-25. Their win-loss record: 1-1.

J Defending the Basket

S had his 2nd Basketball Skills and Drills on Saturday. He sat out the last 10 minutes or so, frustrated that he wasn't making more baskets. His dribbling and passing is already improving as he didn't have to chase down as many "loose balls". But! the biggest accomplishment is that he's able to focus and follow instructions even with all the noise and movement bombarding his sensory system...and if you've been to our new Rec Center gym, well, you know, it's CRAZY noisy in there! (Go, Occupational Therapy!)

S Making a Shot

Boing! Bump! While J and A were at the Museum of Science in Boston, MA with the Boy Scouts on Sunday, C, S and I went to the Bounce Zone. Have you seen those inflated "jumpers"? Well, the Bounce Zone takes it up a notch and adds in ball pits, jousting arenas, mazes, and side-by-side racing slides. Crash! Bounce! A perfect place for a kid with sensory-seeking SPD! S LOVED it! And C had a blast too!

C Down the Slide

S Down the Slide

C Exhausted!

On a beautiful, sunny, but CHILLY Monday, we completed a full day of assignments. With J doing more and more of his work on the computer, I decided to was time to ditch the "hen peck" typing and learn keyboard skills. He started doing lessons at Dance Mat Typing. I already have SpongeBob SquarePants Typing - I know, I know! Spongebob?! But, it just might keep him interested in improving his typing with video games - and Jump Start Typing for additional practice.

The fine, dry snow turned to slippery freezing rain on Tuesday afternoon so S's OT, C's basketball practice and J's Boy Scout meeting were all canceled. Another day at home! C finished up Lesson 7: Rodentia and the Rest in Apologia Zoology III by Mapping It! Our world map is getting QUITE populated with animals from her studies! Her notebooking pages were a mixture of short summaries, pictures and drawings for this lesson.

Mapping It! Thumbnails of Where Animals Studied Live

Flying Squirrel, Beaver and Squirrel

Hedgehog, Shrew and  Hare

Colugo, Platypus and Echidna

Sloth, Anteater and Armadillo

Fortunately it was warmer in Wednesday and we were able to finish up our daily assignments and head outside for a Winter Wednesday walk. Click here to check out our Winter Wednesday nature walk photos and notebook pages! 

C and S continue to work on their unit studies. C completed 3-out-of-8 North American tribes in her History Pockets: Native Americans study. She'll be studying the Maidu next. And S finished up his Winter lapbook! He'll be taking some time off from lapbooking to do some Lakeshore File Folder Science Games and his US Geography Sticker Book. You can see their unit study accomplishments here!

S has been diligently working on his Hooked on Phonics: Learn to Read short A words and readers. Next week, he starts short i! 

S's Short A Copywork

Due to continuing slippery weather, J's Not Math Math was canceled on Thursday, but the kid's friends came over after class for an afternoon of imaginative play, Snap Circuits Electronics, Marble Run, making home videos, Arts and Crafts, building with cardboard boxes, playing in the snow, and video games.

S Making a Closed Circuit for the Speaker

S's Adjusting the Light Bulb so it'll Work

And activity cancellations continued on Friday with yet ANOTHER snowstorm this week. A WHOLE school week with NO activities?! Huh?! J woke up not feeling well anyway. We finished our week up with warm cinnamon muffins and movies.

Check out other fun Weekly Wrap-ups at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers and join up with the Friday Blog Hop and Hip Homeschool Hop by clicking on the buttons on my sidebar!