It’s no secret that my youngest son struggles with reading. Profoundly dyslexic, his learning differences affect every aspect of learning to read proficiently. In order to best help him, we work consistently and in a systematic way. He practices every single day, in one way or another. I am constantly trying to find ways to make…
When my youngest was in preschool, he LOVED little figurines. He is a collector and has been since forever, so in his early years, every little tiny plastic creature became a coveted item of glory around here. Tiny little shark from the aquarium? A must have. Ten thousand little 2-inch farm animals? Of course we…
My youngest son and I spend a lot of time working on reading skills. At 12, he is profoundly dyslexic and only reading comfortably at about a second grade reading level. His language arts lessons are tough, to be sure, but the truth is, his ability to read and recognize letters, words and numbers effects…
My youngest has always been a water baby. He never cried at bath time. (He made a huge mess with all the splashing instead.) He is always the first to jump in the deep-end at a pool party. And now that we have our own pool, I can see the difference it makes in his…
My youngest son has been fascinated with gemstones and rocks for as long as I can remember. The interest has intensified and waned and then intensified again over the years. As a result, he has gathered quite the collection. When we moved last week, he asked if he could use a built-in display area (probably…
When my youngest was in first grade, we participated in a one day a week homeschool hybrid program. He loved playing with the other children, lunch time and science. But every Thursday, when it was time to get our shoes on and go, he resisted leaving and going to the school. I asked him why….
When I first started blogging, I gave my boys online nicknames to protect their identities. My youngest was Bacon (for obvious reasons). My oldest? Sourdough, not because he likes to eat it, but because he has been fascinated with microbiology and chemistry since he was four years old. Over the years, he has taught me…
I spend a lot of time trying to find ways to help my sons learn. Learn to read and learn to pick up after themselves. Learn to manage time and learn the multiplication tables. Learn to toilet independently and learn to sleep (for the love, yes, learn to sleep). I have been relatively successful at…
When my oldest son first began occupational therapy more than five years ago, I was a little surprised. I observed, and even participated a little bit, as his OT took him through all kinds of different activities that honestly just looked like playing around. Making stress balls and throwing stuffed animals at each other was…
Easy just might be my word for this summer. I want easy afternoons, easy meals, and easy ways to incorporate learning into our days. I know many of you feel exactly the same way! In an effort to make things as easy as possible for all of us this summer, I am so happy to…
When my son was seven and struggling to read, I enrolled him in a summer reading intensive. It was taught by reading specialists at our local college and I honestly thought it would be perfect. The program included parents with the idea that the parent could also learn how to help their struggling child. The…
It’s finally feeling a bit like summer around here. The bees are buzzing. The flowers are blooming. The mom is sweating. (I mean, come on. Let’s keep it real. Summer and motherhood can be sweaty.) And, my boys are wrapping up their school year. We finished up our learning about photosynthesis and the water cycle…
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