Blog Cruise: Grandma to the RESCUE and What Daddy Does~

Long past Winter FUN!

The last two week's subjects have not pertained to our homeschool AT ALL so I took those weeks off, but the question this week is:

How are your spouse, grandparents, or other family members involved in your homeschooling?

 There's an interesting story about my son.  When he was little, he was delayed in speaking and therefore learning to read. When a young baby fails to gain the necessary verbal skills early on, it shouldn't be surprising that these created delays that have been a hallmark in our educational process all along~we are playing CATCH UP continuously~But here's that story:

As part of trying to teach my boy HOW to read, I first began teaching the letters and sounds via ABeka Book curriculum K boxed curriculum. He loved it, and we also played with all kinds of manipulatives and did speech services as well...he also attended 3 and 4 year old preschool which he LOVED~and had speech services, but Kindergarten was the year I brought him home and we began learning to read together. Let me say also that I read to the children, memorized poetry, and did all kinds of stuff when they were littles~but he was difficult to understand~but he did try to BE understood~well, it was a challenge!  But anyway, we began working and learning, but it didn't seem to be progressing~at least not fast enough for me.  I also used Starfall.com for the computer games/interactive reading lessons and even the physical workbooks that they offer to NO avail~then I head about a multi-sensory Sing Spell Read and Write (SSWR) program by Sue Dickson.  Enter in some progress as there are songs, games and all manner of FUN with a race track for a race car to mark the progress like a game~this went on the fridge~the resources were colorful and fun! We worked and worked and played and played...still NO independent reading...very little...

We had begun living out of state from where we are originally from and my mother had come to visit~ENTER Grandma! Grandma began to read a loud with him~or RATHER, he read to HER.  This provided some wonderful bonding between them, but also gave my boy some intense one on one beyond what I was doing or had done AND speech therapists~what a blessing! Well, he showed her...something he wouldn't show me...he could read! His skills were stronger than I knew~ha! AND that booger was READING his online games on the computer too~no kidding! 

 

We were in AWANA at church, and my son was a Sparkie at the time which is K, 1 & 2nd grades...anyway, he was working to memorize his verses, and well, one day, I looked over at him~HE WAS READING AND independently memorizing his verses...Ha! WHAT A STINKER! and sooo from then on, I've known that Grandma has a special touch~and he DOES READ, praise God! Well, the upshot is that today, fluency is still an issue, but it's a speech issue, yet; however, reading is a skill he has/is still mastering. He's a freshman in high school and as such took a test to judge his ability and compare him peer to peer~GUESS WHAT? He's inline with the national average for his peer group~Okay, now, I don't know what THAT IS for the public school and it's a little frightening for me to think about it~BUT...he's in there with the whole lot!! Soooo dear reader, WE PRESS ON...(and this is a topic for another day...LOL!)

Daddy has always been part of our homeschool whether it is directly or indirectly.  Right now, he is serving indirectly as our FRONT LINE technical support, room designer, and  TOTAL principle and math and science tutor~oh yeah, I NEED help in these areas, and he's helped our children when it was beyond me~Of course he is absolute disciplinarian and also the leader of this tribe.  His attitudes quickly become theirs in all things whether it's spiritual or relational~he's our mentor.  Daddies are hugely important, and ours is here! I couldn't do this job without him for the good, the bad AND the UGLY parts of our lives together~oh, it's not all pretty~this thing called, LIFE...but we are in this together...teaching our children directly and INDIRECTLY!

Right now, he's out in a freezing garage (we've had teen temperatures these past few days) creating a book/printer shelf to go over my son's work space in the newly renovated (but not  perfectly finished yet) school area. He did that part too~you can read about that in Revamping and Remodeling  
New Method For Our HSing.
 First Day... 
 Change Ahead...
We're Workn' It...

State of the Union...!)  We are a total work in progress~

Grandma lives with us now and her part today is keeping the food rolling and doing laundry.  I clean and teach~Daddy works and builds...the kids work too~we're all doing it ALL together~each part. Grandma is also teaching GirlThingOne how to cook...BoyThingOne is learning this too...

There are some max benefits to having the family all homeschooling together, and since coming to Virtual Academy, the team work approach is even a better fit. Now we have teachers to help us too~and WHAT a blessing to find just how great this help has been!  

The CREW is discussing FAMILY involvement in homeschooling              ! Go CK IT OUT!! 

Thanks for stopping by~leave me a thought or two~how are you doing this day or week? HUGS!!