RF> Well we had our first day of school today. 
You wrote this back on the 4th... that's how long it has been since I 
nswered
my mail the way I should. :(  I confess to getting a little sidetracked by my 
recent subscription to the home-ed internet list... but I've decided that so 
far I really prefer this message area, gun-enthusiasts, etc, not 
thstanding.
RF> Jeremy had a hard time
RF> alphabetizing.  With ADHD I can understand.  I showed him how to do it 
nd
RF> also had him write the ABC's on the bottom of the page.  He also read 
lot
RF> of things outloud because that was the only way he could concentrate.  My
RF> Sara talked too much and goofed off, but got work done anyway.  
[.....]
RF> I found out these kids have a
RF> problem with following directions. even simple ones.  I will have to 
each
RF> them to find key words I guess.
Directions... Aaron just got a book from the library on how to draw 
inosaurs,
step 1, step 2, step 3, etc... I thought, this may really help him with 
learning to follow directions... so far he has made two pretty good looking 
dinosaurs.  I don't know if it will carry over to /listening to Mom/.. we'll 
see.  I also got a cassette and book from the homestudy office on 
bedience...
both kids liked it enough that they've listened to it twice already!! :)
So, how are you and your kids doing so far?  Aaron is really enjoying being 
home educated.  We've been reading a lot.. Aaron has expressed an interest in 
studying the sun, mice and the Titanic... and we are progressing well with 
studying all those areas.  Along with the sun we will be studying the seasons
and weather...  and possibly more about the solar system a little later on,
if we don't get sidetracked into another of his current interests.   Today
we did a family tree...  I did most of the work after he drew the tree, and
he lost interest before I even got done, but it was fun for me.  :) Since 
've
discovered that our school district has a social studies requirement, I've
been thinking of things like this to fulfill their expectations.  Generally I 
think I'm going to just have to figure out ways to adjust our unit studies to 
their subject requirements... because if Aaron isn't interested he really 
balks at being forced to do anything.  I'd like to know what you and your 
children are doing these days, now that you're settled in a little.
I really feel for you in having the ADHD child home all day too...  but you
guys are probably well adjusted to each other.  Oh, I am just having a tough
afternoon with her.  I also got a book on handling child behavior problems 
from the homestudy office, and it is a very simple method that I'm trying 
out... basically it is starting to count to three at any sign of bad behavior 
and if the kid persists, then on the count of three you say "take five" and 
force the kid into their bedroom for five minutes.  Cimeron has never been 
willing to do this and /used/ to break windows if I ever sent her to her 
oom.
Today she is testing the new rule very severely and is threatening to break 
the window however I don't think she will as she knows the consequences and 
has some idea of the costs involved now.  I've put her in there three times 
already today and held the doorknob while praying for her for five minutes.  
Well, the book didn't recommend praying, but I thought it might help. 
So, like I said, I don't know how you manage with your ADHD child home all 
day... I get really burnt out on that during the summer and often on weekends 
just let the housework go 90% or so until she goes back to school on Monday 
morning, when I can think straight and relax again.   I am ever so 
rateful
to have a good school to send her to this year... though now that Aaron is 
getting the homeschool attention she's beginning to put up a little fuss 
bout
having to go to school (for the first time she's saying she doesn't want to 
o
to school)... well, I'm very sorry if that's true, but she had the same 
teachers in summer school and they got along wonderfully then, so I'm not 
going to blame this on the teachers.  Anyhow, I basically do homeschool 
hings
with her every day anyway... she loves academics but needs great improvements
in her behavior.
Enough for now... I've written so much I'll probably not be able to answer 
he
rest of my mail... but it has been fun..
Zaynab
... Did you know that the sun is 4,600,000,000 years old?? :)
--- Renegade v10-05 Exp
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