Sunday, Monday Happy Days, Tuesday, Wednesday Happy Days.......What our schooling looks like

A lot of learning and fun has been happening with "homeschool" back in session.  We have had to get creative with how we squeeze schooling in along with all the therapy and medical appointments but have managed to make it work over the last couple years.

Mondays we are typically home doing our learning  - mornings consist of the basics reading, writing and math.  For us getting this done first thing ensures it gets done before anything else might disrupt the day.  Having multiple children with varying abilities we have had to be creative with how we do our learning.  We have found the Lexia program that is available as an app (and on computer) very helpful for our children that have challenges with their motor and articulation skills.  This program has really helped them progress and given them a way of demonstrating their learning.  We also use other preschool rated apps for our lower functioning children.

After lunch we have time for a walk or play outside before it is nap time for the youngest 2.  While they are getting settled the others practice their sign language - the younger functioning children really enjoy the "Signing Time" dvd series.  Adding sign language to their struggling speech abilities has been a benefit as it gives us one more clue as to what they are saying.  We then focus on science, social studies, therapy homework and art for the remainder of the day.  Some of the teens are using the See the light dvd series for art lessons.












 Tuesdays we school on the road - the majority of the day is therapy appointments in a neighboring (100km away) community.  We average 20-30 appointments every Tuesday but the one saving grace is that they are all at the same location.  Arriving first thing in the morning we sit in the vehicle or at the park down the road alternating the children, depending who has an appointment at which time.  In between appointments we do our schooling, play at the playground or walk on the nearby trails.

Wednesdays the teens meet up with their EA (educational assistant) for schooling done in the community.  They will work on social studies, english at the library in the morning and then in the afternoon they focus on life skills and social skills. It is important to us that our children learn how to access resources in the community and know how to relate to people, with their special needs this takes more work than your typical child so we practice these skills regularly.  A couple of our children have extreme anxiety and are scared of people, by schooling in the community once a week this is helping to reduce this anxiety.  The other 6 children participate in therapeutic horse back riding in the morning and then we go home for afternoon schooling.

Thursdays is a home day for most of us with schooling similar to Mondays.  The one exception is that 2 of the teens are taking a Car Maintenance course that is instructed by Dad so they are away for 1/2 the day.   This course is open to anyone who home schools in the community and has been a huge success with many teens enrolled in it and gives the teens an opportunity to school with their peers.  During the afternoon we have also been doing some sewing and/or cooking which is always fun.














Fridays is also a home day for some of us similar to Mondays and Thursdays.  Some Fridays the school we home school with has field trips planned for the high school kids.  In the last month they have participated in an internet/social media safety course and gone for a hike up a mountain to the cross.  The field trips are a great supplement to their learning.   3 of the younger children also have their vision therapy appointments each Friday.

shared at http://www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com/
http://squishablebaby.com/the-homeschool-link-up-homeschoollinkup-week-50/
http://our4kiddos.blogspot.ca/2014/09/my-week-in-review-6.html