March clouds

How to help a visual learner

When it comes to learning new things I have always been a visual spatial learner. Visual learners typically like to read. They tend to need complete quiet to study, likes colors and fashion, benefit from pictures,charts and diagrams, plus have an avid awareness of the artistic beauty of the physical environment, visual media, or art. I didn't realize this though until I started to teach my own children and became aware of different learning styles. In a typical classrom setting I always did best sitting as close to the front as I could. Yes, in college I was the geeky kid sitting right in front of the teacher. Looking back it was my way of keeping myself from becoming distracted by things going on around me. If someone tells me something and I do not write it down it is likely to go in one ear and out the other no matter how hard I try. Instead if I see it in writing and combine that with typing or writing it is likely to stay in my memory. So throwing in a bit of kinesthetic learning in addition to visual learning is my style of learning.

My son with Prader-will syndrome/autism seems to need an equal mix of visual/auditory/kinesthetic to learn best. Depending on the subject he will need one more than the other. To understand math concepts he has to see it with manipulatives because if you just try to explain it to him it doesn't sink in. If I'm teaching him to memorize something though, I've noticed that he pays better attention if he is standing or moving around. If he was required to sit at a desk for hours it would not work at all. The boy loves to move! Z~girl is highly visual like me and requires complete quiet when she is concentrating. Here are some ideas to help visual learners.

~Draw maps of events in history or draw out a picture of the scientific process.

~Make outlines of the information that needs to be learned.


~Take notes and make lists of importan information.


~Educational videos- We use this a lot! It's so easy to find videos that go along with what the child is learning to back up the information in their heads.

~Copy work/drawing- Sometimes I have the children do copywork that normally goes along with our history and above it they draw a picture that goes along with what they wrote.


~Use dry erase boards with colored markers.


~Use flashcards to help memorize math facts.

~Incorprate art into learning projects!

~One of our favorites is using Lego! The possibilities are endless.

~Provide visual activities such as maps, puzzles, models, matching activities, computers and word searches.

~Diaoramas.  Both of my children (and ME) like to make dioramas. We belong to a homeschool geography club and with each country we will make a scene of some aspect of the country we have studied. Last month we did a presentation on Dennmark and my daughter made a replica of a long house, complete with real mud on the walls!

Utilizing your child's learning strengths is the key to success in helping your child achieve their individual potential!


  

Learning to spell

Spelling is one of those subjects that in the summer when I am planning out for the next years learning, I have all sorts of grand plans for. Over the years I have tried out several different spelling curriculum but after a month or two I always go back to doing spelling more casually. Instead of doing it separately I include it in everything we are doing. Fortunately for me also, my daughter despite not teaching spelling to her formally as a separate subject, has very naturally became an excellent speller. I'm not sure if this is due to the huge quantity of books she has read over the years or if it is just something that would have came easily for her no matter how she was taught.

Spelling did NOT come easily for me. I remember as a child before our schools annual spelling bee, my mom drilling words to me for hours out of a book that seemed to have a million words I had to learn. This was never pleasant and tears were always involved. Still, I am glad that my mom spent the extra time with me that I needed as one year I won. (sure it was a small school but don't deflate my balloon hahah)

With my son's extra challenges I have never really pushed spelling with him in the same way I have reading, math and writing. He can spell most simple sight words but for right now he is a year behind the level that he can actually read. He can read many words that he couldn't begin to know how to spell yet- if that makes sense. Both kids also love to do spelling games online. There's nothing like having them learn how to spell when they think they are just playing a game! Also, I love Bananagrams as all levels of learners can play together.

I do think there is a lot of importance in knowing how to spell. The great thing about home education is the fact that I can tailor it individually to both of my children. Z~girl learns naturally with her other subjects and reading on her own. (she writes down unfamiliar words and looks them up later) A~man has learned simple spelling with his sight words and will hopefully continue to learn to spell bigger words as his reading advances. I will say, even though I am a fairly good speller...I am so thankful for spell/check. NOW if I could find similar way to check my imperfect grammar. ;)

~Wordless Wednesday~

why I'm writing this entry at 4:44 am

Last night I went to bed around 12....and fell asleep about 1:30. Around 3:45 I hear my husbands phone vibrating and I think that maybe it's morning and that is the alarm. Nope. He checks his phone and a sweet young lady that has done respite for us was texting hubby to let him know that A~man (currently known as Stink Weed) has been calling her and talking to her on the phone. He told her he was afraid to put down the phone as he knew he was in BIG trouble. So...I go get my phone out of his room. The only thing I said to Mr S.W. is where is my phone??!! I had to walk away I was sooo angry. WAIT that is not all! I checked dialed calls. He called probably half of my contacts in my phone book plus some unknown numbers. REPEATIDLY!! This went on for an hour according to my phone. Yes my mom (who doesn't understand sn's) and sister was in the mix, some casual homeschool friends I do not know well,some friends I do know well, and a few numbers that I have no idea who they are. So after 15 minutes of crying (ME CRYING)and the hubby consoling me...trying to point out the funny side to it...here I am. (MAYBE I WILL SEE A FUNNY SIDE IN A FEW YEARS!)I cannot sleep and obviously most anyone I know,including Z's violin teacher have also had a hard night

I am soooo embarrassed. This has to rank up there in the top 10 of my life and I had some doozies in junior high.

I guess I should be glad he didn't call 911.

Excuse me now while I go crawl under a rock....please ignore all misspellings and grammar errors....

5 Things I Wish I Would Have Known When I Started Homeschooling

How to do stop motion animation.

I'm going to shamelessly brag and share that my husband has another book up on Amazon! It would be a great "how to" book for an older child or for an adult interested in stop motion animation. Check it out!