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| Date: From: Subject: | 1/10/2013 4:13:14 PM Home School Legal Defense Association Homeschooling A Struggling Learner--Tips from an Occupational Therapist: Part II |
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---------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner Newsletter January 2013--Top Ten Homeschooling Lessons from an Occupational Therapist: Part II ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---[ The program that takes the struggle out of reading! ]------------ All About Reading makes it easy for your student to learn, and it's easy for you to teach. The multisensory approach makes it easy for kids to understand. Everything is planned out for you with "open and go" lesson plans. Comes with a full year satisfaction guarantee! http://www.hslda.org/alink.asp?id=573 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Top Ten Homeschooling Lessons from an Occupational Therapist: Part II By Jean A. Wetherilt Guest Writer Last month, Pediatric Occupational Therapist Jean Wetherilt shared five of the top ten lessons she's learned as a homeschooling mom. They were... 1. Take advantage of opportunities to build the foundations for academic learning. 2. Use hands-on learning whenever possible. 3. Spend time on training children to be independent in life skills. 4. Allow room and flexibility for the kinesthetic learner. 5. For those who need a sensory diet (actually most of us!), be intentional about adding individualized activities to the daily routine. Today, she rounds out the list with these wonderful tips. 6. Allow more time for recess. A study published in a recent issue of the "Journal of Pediatrics" and referenced in the following summary from an article in "Science Daily" (Oct. 16, 2012) shows that kids with ADHD can better drown out distractions and focus on a task after a exercising. Scientists say such "inhibitory control" is the main challenge faced by people with the disorder. In the study, 40 children ages 8 to 10, half of whom had ADHD, were asked to spend 20 minutes either walking briskly on a treadmill or reading while seated. The children then took a brief reading comprehension and math exam similar to longer standardized tests. They also played a simple computer game in which they had to ignore visual stimuli to quickly determine which direction a cartoon fish was swimming. The results showed all of the children performed better on both tests after exercising. In the computer game, those with ADHD also were better able to slow down after making an error to avoid repeat mistakes -- a particular challenge for those with the disorder. 7. Take time to work on skills necessary for building written communication, including handwriting and typing/keyboarding. It has been my experience that time spent on these important skills in formal schools has been drastically reduced. Teachers are frequently not allowed to train their students in correct letter formation or to allow time for practice. In today's technological world it is occasionally assumed that children learn typing skills elsewhere. Handwriting continues to be a necessary skill in all cultures. 8. Provide a learning environment individually designed for the student including furniture that fits and curriculum chosen to match a child's learning style. This means more than providing and adapting the appropriate learning environment. Specific lessons regarding ergonomics such as proper posture and timed breaks from the computer can also be taught. 9. Seek out opportunities for multi-generational teachers and real life social and spiritual development. During several of the years that we homeschooled our children, we were faced with the reality of my mother's Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Our children went to doctor's appointments, sat in hospital rooms and became friends with the staff and residents of assisted living facilities and nursing homes. I believe, however hard these times may have been, it allowed them to build character qualities that could only be "caught" and not "taught." 10. Allow children unstructured play time. Play is still the primary occupation of children and should never be pushed out of a child's daily routine because of a lack of time or structured extra-curricular activities and a long school day. It is a child's "job" or "occupation" to play to develop physical coordination, emotional maturity, social skills to interact with other children, and self-confidence to try new experiences and explore new environments. (http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=16592 ) ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: The Big What Now Book of Learning Styles: A Fresh and Demystifying Approach by Carol Barnier http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=16474 Life Skills for Kids: Equipping Your Child for the Real World by Christine M. Field http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=16475 Luke's Life List (Individual Education Planner); and Luke's Academics List by Joyce Herzog http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=16476 Talkers, Watchers and Doers by Cheri Fuller http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=16477 The Way They Learn by Cynthia Tobias http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=16478 * Walks on The Wildside, Book One in a Series on Theraparent: A Guide for Creatively Promoting Motor skills in Children by Jean A Wetherilt, OTR/L Jean Wetherilt is a pediatric occupational therapist specializing in the treatment of developmental delays, learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders and sensory processing disorders. She is founder and owner of PossAbilities, a therapy clinic in Merriam, KS. In addition to her private practice, she is the special needs coordinator for Midwest Parent Educators. Jean and her husband of 29 years have two children (homeschool and college graduates). Contact Jean at: jwetherilt@hotmail.com www.poss-abilities.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> Extreme makeovers are for extreme circumstances... Most homeschools don't need an extreme makeover, but there is something to be said for attention to detail and recognition of accomplishments. Watch the media and you'll soon see that not everyone wants home educators and homeschooling to look good. HSLDA works hard to shed light on the good work of home educators so it's obvious that we don't need someone "making-over" our homeschools. Join HSLDA and help us show the world that we're fine as we are . . . thank you! More reasons to join HSLDA... http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=1943 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ====================================================================== The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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