Friday Week Review

Just a quick post to update you all on our first official week of school -

I started the week being very unsure of how we would all survive our new and busier schedule, but...WE DID IT!  I'm actually quite enjoying our schedule because I am getting so much more done and really feel like we are accomplishing things.  The only downside is I am very tired by the end of the day and I'm definitely going to have to guard my Thursdays and Fridays carefully because they are truly the only days that have any free time in them.  I still do NOT like getting up at 6am, but it is nice to see how much I've accomplished by 10am each day (Breakfast, Dishes, Laundry, Corbin on Bus and back home, finished school with Hayden for the day). 

Corbin seems to really love school, he hops on the bus without any fuss.  Of course, when you're going to school for speech, it's hard to know anything about their day.  I ask him did you have fun? and he replies..."Yesssh".  And well, that's the conversation, HA!  So, judging by his demeanor, I'm thinking he's liking school.

His private therapy is going well too, he really loves his speech therapist and she is super sweet!  Wednesday they both came riding down the hall on a plasma car!  Too cute.  Hayden and I relax in the waiting room and work on his AWANA memory verses.  I also now have a bag of fun stuff that Hayden plays with each time.  Things like card games, toys from fast food kid meals that I kept, puzzles, etc.  That seems to keep him busy for the hour.

Yesterday I finished up my lesson plans, copying, cutting, laminating and printing for the month - so I'm completely set till the end of September.  I think I will continue to work on lessons each Thursday like I did this week.  It feels good to have a buffer of lessons in case we get sick or things get hectic. 

The laminator has become my new best friend - I love this machine!  I'm finding all kind of fun games and other manipulatives to make for Hayden!  Plus, it's nice to laminate the items I know I'll use again next year with Corbin.  I definitely recommend this fun "toy" to any homeschooler!

Although it is a lot of work, I'm finding that I'm ending our week much happier than I have all summer - so I think that means Week 1 was a success!!  Come back next week and I'm sure you will find me passed out on the floor covered in worksheets and crayons in complete chaos!  But a girl can dream - and right now those dreams are of a week well done!

 

Easter Sensory Fun!

Last week I put this little sensory bin activity together and our occupational therapist loved it.  So I thought I'd share here.  Regardless of where your child is on the spectrum of development, sensory play is a vital part of their experience so this is a great activity for any child.

To make this you will need:

• Medium or large size bin - I used an old pretzel tub.
• Different sizes and textures of easter basket grass - all of these I had saved from previous Easters, I just tuck them into a ziplock bag and store for next year.  It saves me from just buying and throwing out the grass each year.  I hate wasting both money and materials like that!
• Plastic easter eggs - the kind that open.  All sizes and colors work well and add more dimension to this.  Again, I save these each year.
• Treats for inside the eggs.  I used goldfish, small toy planes, and plastic counting bears.

Essentially, this bin was absolutely FREE to make, which I love.

Fill the tub with the different layers of grass.  Add treats to the inside of each easter egg - I filled around 20-30 eggs.  Hide the eggs in the tub between the layers of grass.

Let them dig out the eggs, open them and enjoy!

This hits sensory and fine motor skills quite well.