Hand Revision

Big girl had an outpatient surgery yesterday to do a revision on her hand that has a congenital difference.  A skin graft and some pins are involved, but everything went well and we got home after just six hours at the hospital. She's in a cast for a month and will need some OT post-cast, but we think we'll have a really favorable outcome from this surgery.

First Field Trip

On Friday we took our first home school field trip of the year.  I felt excited to have all three kids along this time.  We spent four hours at the zoo, talking about ecosystems and food chains, tying things together with our current fourth grade science unit.  Our favorite spot was the new blue penguin exhibit we hadn't seen yet since its opening.  

Three weeks into our home school year, I am really pleased with how things are going and with the fact that we have taken back the reins over our children's education.

Happy 12

Over the summer, we celebrated our big girl's 12th birthday.  Foregoing the traditional ruckus pool party due to Covid, we planned a few surprises for her throughout her birthday week including a park picnic with her two best friends, a pedicure, a take-out Thai dinner, a drive-in movie with just mom and dad, and of course presents.

Happy birthday, Elder One!  You are our late sleeper, messy eater, loud laugher, movie watcher, part-time poet, try any food at least once, fierce and funny, fast-talking fashionista.  You like sleepovers, hot fudge sundaes, bike rides, visiting extended family, hair and make-up, video chats, and dreaming up your future.  Your happy place is on the backyard spider web swing with your favorite songs playing and your hair blowing in the breeze.  You don't like cleaning your room, correcting your math, being quiet, getting caught breaking the rules, doing extra chores, and not having a cell phone.  

We love you.

Our First Ever Socially Distanced Vacation

 Just us, ourselves and we on a private property with private water access... swimming, watching wildlife, board-gaming, reading, experiencing Hurricane Isaias, catching some movies and documentaries, and enjoying long, lazy days.

The New School Schedule

We have worked very hard to put together a solid schedule with various professionals for our home schoolers this year and I think we have succeeded.

RM:

M/W/F: academic work at home with an educational assistant 8:00 to 11:20 beginning 8/17

T/TH: academic work at home with an intervention specialist 8:30 to 10:30 beginning 8/18

M/T/TH/F: medical ABA therapy at home/in the community with an RBT/BCBA 1:00 to 5:00 on-going

AM:

W/F: academic instruction (8 classes with 10 or fewer students each) at LOL 9:30 - 3:30 beginning 9/29

T/TH: academic intervention at a small center (class size 4 or less) 9:00 - 12:00 beginning 9/7

EM:

T/TH: academic intervention/ SLP at a small center (class size 4 or less) 9:00 - 12:00 beginning 9/7

T: 3:00 - 4:00 neuro-feedback ongoing

(We may add more services for her depending on how things go, but for some children less can be more sometimes.)

Why My Kids Are Home Schooled During The Pandemic

When Ohio's governor closed all schools in our state in the middle of March, our family felt - pandemic aside - strangely excited. It suddenly forced the opportunity to explore something we had often wondered about: how would we do with three children at home 24/7 and learning here?  We already had experience home schooling our oldest, so the task seemed less daunting to us than many others.

We did not use the virtual instruction that was offered by the district until the end of the 2019/20 academic year, but still had the support of the teachers and therapists for questions, resources and ideas.  How did it go?  It went great!

As we are nearing the new school year, our district is offering a full face to face option and a full virtual option.  Neither is viable for my children at this time, so we have decided to declare three home schoolers for 2020/21.  And here's why:

1) two of the children have pre-existing medical conditions placing them at higher risk for infection and higher risk for adverse outcomes if infected

2) one child cannot wear a mask for prolonged periods of time for medical reasons

3) one child cannot wear a mask for sensory reasons

4) one child is a hugger

5) one child has a lot of hand to mouth behaviors for sensory reasons

6) one child needs physical touch for safety

7) one child needs healthy touch for co-regulation and emotional well-being

8) two children made greater academic progress at home than at school

9) three children need close physical proximity to achieve joint attention

10) two children need hand over hand assistance for certain academic tasks

11) three children work better with flexible schedules and creative teaching methods

12) three children need frequent sensory and movement breaks

13) two children need intrusive assistance for proper distancing

14) zero children regressed in home school

Our X-factor is that during spring home school for three students, we had two adults at home at all times able to work on academics and meet any other needs.  We likely will not have this level of adult presence through June 2021, so therein lies our main concern and challenge.  In addition, we are actively brainstorming ways in which the new lead teacher (aka mama) can get alone time to rest and recharge as needed.

There's no one size fits all answer for the coming school year (if ever) and most families I know have struggled with the pressing decisions.  My hope is that everyone can find a peace and a way forward that works for them, for the time being, until we get to the other side of this pandemic with a greater appreciation for our good health, our advanced medical care systems, and all the other services we may have been taking for granted in our country for decades.

Picture Of The Saturday

The time you had to wash the family car to earn back privileges...