The Education of Emma Sage

Reading to her big sister.....

2009-03-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

Emma Sage's sister is away at college [studying to be an excpetional student teacher [special education] and Emma Sage loves to read to her on the phone, but the other night we got the camera and tried to catch it [ie. me holding the camera up above my head] She was a bit distracted, but all in all, this was the first time she read this book and I think she did very well.

What have we been up too?

2007-02-16T21:10:00.000-08:00

I have been so busy of late, that I have neglected this blog.

Emma Sage has been very busy with her schooling. She just cracks me up. Everyday, she will ask me over and over again to "homeschool me Mommy". Even though we have finished with our scheduled plans.

This child has an insatiable appite to learn. So what is a Momma to do? You just keep on teaching her.

One thing that she has taken to is to carry her notebook around with her. She just loves to write, and will ask me to spell everything around her, which she puts in her book.

If I'm in the kitchen making lunch, she is there asking me to spell, clock, stove, sink, dish, bread....etc. She just finds things and says them and then asks me to spell them, which she gladly does. She can write all of her letters and is getting good at her spacking them in word form on her lined notebook. She uses a marble composition book, although I use the wider spaced lined paper for our lessons.

She is blossoming at reading. Here is a little clip Greta did of her a few weeks ago reading to me. I don't have a video camera, so this is dark, but the best I can do. [Emma Sage had a bit of a cold so she sounds real sinus[y].

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This child just makes my heart soar!

2007-02-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

Emma Sage loves to write. Everyday, she carries a notebook around with her and asks me to spell words for her, usually things that she finds in her day to day life and then she writes them in her book.

So today, we were making a sign for her friend Nash for his 6th Birthday [something we have done every year for the last five years] but before, I always made the sign and then Emma Sage sat next to the sign to have her picture taken so we could post in for her friend.

This year, she wanted to write the sign herself. I was leary, as we only had one large piece of poster board in the house [with four children, we go through a lot of poster board for various projects].....and she grabbed the big, chunky Sharpie marker, so I was afraid she would not get the hang of the fat, chisled point. But she did!!!!!

I am so proud of how she just loves to write, and she is able to write in order the letters you give her [in a pretty good straight line]. She has a few words that she can spell by heart, like her name, Mommy, Daddy, Otto, cat, dog.....and as she ages, I know she will be able to do more and more. We have not begun spelling tests in our schooling. I'm going to introduce that in about a year. Right now, I figure her asking to spell and her writing down the words is a great first step.

Here is a picture of her a few years ago with her sign for Nash. I have to organize my photographs, as I had been storing them on disk for the last five years and now I'm trying to find the time to add them to my f:drive.

Resources.....

2007-01-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a great resource: Federal Resources for Educational Excellence [FREE]

Playing.......

2006-12-09T21:33:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest ways to learn is to learn from playing.

Here is a fun game called 'ABSEAS'. It is from Discovery Toys and it is a magnetic fishing game, where you 'fish' out the ABC's which are shaped like different sea creatures. You match them on your game board.

Emma Sage loves playing this with our little daytime friends.

Math....

2006-12-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

We are using a program called 'Math*U*See' and a workbook called Liberty Mathematics ~ Level K by Florence Lindstrom.

Emma Sage loves math and mathematical concepts.

We do a lot of cooking together ~ which is such a wonderful opportunity to use fractions, and other mathematical concepts [time, etc.]

Emma Sage also loves patterns, and we have lots of fun board games that use spacial reasoning.

Here are a few pictures from the other day.....

working on numbers off in the distance.....[Emma Sage loves for me to light these candles, even when it is morning.

Working in her workbook.....

Resources.....

2006-11-29T11:42:00.000-08:00

Trying to keep a running list of outstanding resources regarding Homeschooling and Special Needs.

asp

Climbing the Mountain of Homeschool Curriculum
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art5583.asp

Developing a Homeschooling Philosophy
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art6174.asp

There is also an informative article on Dysgraphia and Handwriting by the Homeschooling editor at
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art46192.asp

What is 'unschooling'? See the article at BellaOnline.com's Natural Living site
Why I'm an Unschooling Mom
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art44206.asp

Homeschooling Children with Down Syndrome
http://www.altonweb.com/cs/downsyndrome/homeschooling.html

IQ Test Performance - Riverbend DS Website
Cognitive Development in Young Children with Down Syndrome Developmental Strengths, Developmental Weaknesses
Testing and Cognitive Intelligence
http://www.altonweb.com/cs/downsyndrome/index.htm?page=wishart.html

Books about Amazon.com Special Needs Homeschooling Resources at Amazon.com

Amazon.com Homeschooling Curriculum

Music Education and Music Therapy
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art46397.asp

Teaching Your Child to Plan Meals and Cook
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art38064.asp

Signing, Reading and Spelling
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33567.asp

Reading Readiness and Reading Strategies
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art35577.asp

Art and Self Expression for Children with Special Needs
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art17513.asp

Inclusive Education and the Culture of Down Syndrome
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art44827.asp

Teens with Disabilities - Transition Planning
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33519.asp

The Diagnosis of Learning Disability
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art45580.asp

BellaOnline Homeschooling Website
Combating Homeschool Stereotypes
Special needs kids need school services?
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art45406.asp

New Zealand
International Home Education Sites
http://home.school.nz/lkheint.shtml

Just a few Public Library Resources for Homeschooling

http://www.waterborolibrary.org/homeschool
http://www.lexpublib.org/homeschoolresources
http://www.scarboroughcrossroads.org/library/children/homeschool.html
http://www.co.beaufort.sc.us/bftlib/homeschool.htm
http://www.boisepubliclibrary.org/.org/Kids_anHomeschoolers/
http://www.slpl.lib.mo.us/netsrc/ee-home.htm
http://www.st-charles.lib.il.us/youth_services/homeschool.htm
http://www.jcls.org/jr_homeschooling.html
http://www.skokielibrary.info/s_kids/kd_homeschool/index.html

Ableplay.org provides a toy rating system and information about toys that are fun and useful for children with disabilities is a great resource for families, educators, therapists and anyone who works or plays with babies and children. Ableplay.org was developed by the National Lekotek Center
http://www.ableplay.org

Ordering Amazon.com Gift Certificates here will help support the Special Needs Children website

The Chalkboard in the Kitchen

2006-11-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

The Chalkboard in the Kitchen by Teresea Savage is a book that I have used with all four of my children. I do believe the first edition is out of print and it is being republished by another title, but for the life of me, I do not know what it is. You can purchase used copies on Amazon.com at a very reasonable price and I know our local library still has the original hardcover edition on its shelves.

One thing that I have always done with all four children is to have little learning areas in every room of the house......in the kitchen it is the chalkboard, in other rooms it is baskets of educational toys and supplies, so that while I'm busy doing my day to day routines, the children always were with me, but provided with opportunities to learn and explore.

Here is a little clip of Emma Sage writing with Greta.......please don't mind the poor quality, as my camera only allows for little clips and does not have a light to make the area being filmed brighter.

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Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos

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Beginning Reading....

2006-11-03T05:33:00.000-08:00

Emma Sage is so very excited to be reading....yes, she is reading. It is the beginning steps of reading, using sight words and picture clues, but she is reading, and this little girl has to sit everyone down and read to them. She loves this book, I like Stars! and so do I!!!

Enjoy my little girls bed time story to you.........

She was very tired at this point in the evening, so her words are soft and a bit 'muddled' but I will try and video tape her today when her diction will be much better, but she had asked me to tape her reading as she is just so proud of herself and loves looking at the video clip! {I am so proud of her also!}

The one thing I prayed for when she was born and it was confirmed that she had T21 was that she would master the gift of reading.....as reading is so very important to me in my life [it is a treasure that transends all treasures, to beable to pick up a book and read a story] so to see her crasping these beginning concepts has this Momma's heart so full of joy and happiness!

Sharing an amazing resource

2006-10-27T21:27:00.000-07:00

I have been using this resource daily......and wanted to share it.

Carl's Corner - [link]

Count the Syllables

2006-10-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a fun work sheet.........we use it for writing and phonetical awareness. It is a Count the Syllable Halloween theme. After Emma Sage claps out the syllables of the word, she writes the correct number on the line and then she gets to color the pictures.

Teach Me To Do It Myself

2006-10-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

One source that I love to use is called 'Teach Me To Do It Myslef ~ Montessori Activities for you and your child' by Maja Pitamic
Link
I highly recommend this book for anyone with young children. The ideas are wonderful and the spirit of the book will make your heart soar!

Teach Me.....

2006-10-20T20:07:00.000-07:00

Emma Sage is so funny. She literally begs me all day long to 'homeschool' her. She wants to be learning, doing, creating or reading all the time.

We have been working on easy reader books and she is just loving 'reading'. She is not technically reading in the sense of fluid reading, but instead using her sight words, picture clues and after a few runs of the book, her amazing memory.

One book that I made for her this week is called 5 Little Pumpkins.

It is the classic childrens Halloween song/hand game, but in book form. Since Emma Sage knows the hand rhyme by heart, the reading of the words in the book comes like second nature. She must have read the book to each one of us at least 5X's each. [there are five of us in the family and two daily friends, so that means at least 35Xs......and she would have kept on going if we let her! lol!!!]

Here is a link to make your own 5 Little Pumpkins booklet.

I just printed the pages on regular paper and then used the laminator to laminate the pages, hole punched the edges and then we used 'black and orange' yarn to stich up the sides and make the book usuable.

The greatest thing about these types of books, is that it allows Emma Sage to really feel great about herself and her reading. There are times she gets frustrated and just shuts down and says "I"m not a good reader" ......or "I'm a bad reader".......so you can just imagine how this makes Momma feel to see her beating herself up over something she is just learning and in no way should she be a fluid reader at this point in Kindergarten.

5 Little Pumpkins...................Wooooooooo goes the wind and out goes the light!!!!

Emma Sage's Curriculum

2006-10-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

We are using a literature-rich homeschooling program from a company called "SonLight Curriculum". The main reason I chose a literature base program is that the love of books and stories is a very important part of our lives.

Other Resources:

365 Days of Creative Play
Read to me ~ Raising Kids Who Love to Read -Bernice Cullenan
Experience & Art, Teaching children to Paint -Nancy Smith
Thinking ~ Critical & Creative Skills Preschool & K -Jim Henson Books [work books]
Seasons -Butterfield The Learning Works
A Favorite Treasury of Children's Stories -Puffin
Bubbles, Rainbows & Worms ~ Science experiments for preschool children. -Same Ed Brown
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, SRA DISTAR -Siegfried Engelmann
What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know -E.D. Hirsch, Jr.
MATH*U*SEE
Arithmetic 1
Circle Time Activities -Publications Intl
Drawing with Children -Mona Brookes
Rainy Day Play - Nancy Castaldo
Scholastic Kindergarten 100 Vocabulary Words Kids Need to Know by (K), [work books]
Big Kindergarten Workbook -School Zone

Fine Motor Skills.....

2006-10-10T20:11:00.000-07:00

Working on cutting, gluing and following directions.

Gotta love that tongue!!!

These cutting sheets are from a book by Kumon. They are wonderful products and we are enjoying using a few different work books [I promise I'll post more when I have the type to write]

and today on our walk......we were looking for different color leaves for a project.

This child just loves to learn. Everyday she wakes up excited and tells me "homeschool me Mommy".......and we spend our days learning, exploring and doing.

I have written up our curriculmn, but have to find a few minutes [Ok, a 1/2 hour to hour] block of time to type them in here. I have been finding many resources online and at the library.

One that I wanted to share works with the program we are using called "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" SRA DISTAR ~Siegfriend Engelmann

They are worksheets that go along with the lessons in the book. Manuscript Hand Writing

On the Way to Dancing Class

2006-09-15T04:34:00.000-07:00

Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education; dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be able to dance with the pen? ~Friedrich Nietzsche

I'm trying to figure out how to work this....

2006-09-14T20:43:00.000-07:00

I am trying to figure out how to work this blog, for our own record of our Journey Educating Emma Sage, for her progress and to share all the wonderful information, tools and ideas we come across. So until then, I think I will do a Friday night recap of our week [and hopefully as life settles a bit, more of a day-to-day update] and then on Sunday nights I would like to make an entry of our upcoming weekly lesson plans and activities.

This week has truly been wonderful teaching wise.....Emma Sage adores learning and thinks it is so cool that she is 'homeschooled' as she has been telling everyone.

One funny thing that happened this week is that the book that we have been using for our writing and letter practice is almost completed....yes, completed. This little girl is in love with writing and wanted to do more and more. I had planned on working on 5 letters a day, but at the five point she just wants to keep on going and one day she spent the longest time from M to Z finishing all of the work sheet activities. Her tracing of the dashed letters is going well....Emma Sage has good fine motor skills and can trace wonderfully. Her independant writing on the work pages [where you have the first letter dashed and then you complete as many more as you can along the line is really improving].

Since our focus over the next two weeks is our letters and numbers, writing them, reciting them when we present them to her and working on their various sounds is going well. One fun game we have been playing is a 'Clifford' alphabet BINGO game, which presents both upper and lower case letters. Emma Sage adores this game and we play it many, many times a day [yes, Momma is a bit tired of this game, but she loves it so and each time we play she gets faster and faster....so of coarse you know what I am doing......playing BINGO!]

Weekly Circle Time Song

2006-09-08T20:44:00.001-07:00

Since Autumn is quickly approaching, our focus will be on this spectacular season.

Our first song is as follows:

Scamper like a squirrel.
March like a gnome.
Fly like a bird when he soars to his home.
Stand Straight and tall,
Rooted like a tree.
Stretch to the sun,
Then shake hands with me!

Circle Time

2006-09-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

One of the most important aspects of schooling and child development is Circle Time. For me, I believe one of the saddest things about Emma Sage no longer being in a bigger group school setting is the missing out of 'Circle Time' with a larger group of peers, as children learn so much from this social setting. We do Circle Time at home, and we are blessed to have other friends in our home daily, so our Circle Time is a group of four. But I have put into place weekly activities that provide Emma Sage with group working in a bit larger scale.

She is signed up for Daisy Girl Scouts [the greatest of Circle of Friendship Time, I do believe] but are awaiting our troup details and day of our meetings

On Wednesdays she has her 5 to 7 year old Ballet & Tap Class. We are at a new school, Broadway Bound, this year and Emma Sage is so delighted to be going to such an amazing school. I sent them a letter ahead of time [on the recommendation of a family in our community whose little girl with T21 has been dancing at this school for the last four years and they have only high praise for the director and school]. I sent them a link to Emma Sage's blog and I got the most heartwarming response and a school that had open arms for my little girl and when we went to visit the school and register, she was just adored by all there. Her recital is on June 16, 2007, so mark your calendars!!!

On Friday afternoons, we will attend the local library 5 year old Story Hour, which includes many Circle Time activities.

Sunday School.......... ~ Emma Sage will get group instruction at our local church's Sunday School program.

I hope to include our daily Circle Time activities everyday, as this is one of my most [and the children's] favorite parts of the day.

Exploring Dry Ice

2006-09-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

One of our fun activities this summer, exploring the magic of Dry Ice.

Practicing Writing our Letters

2006-09-08T20:32:00.001-07:00

We are working on five letters a day. This is an activity that we will do daily, with different mediums [crayons, markers, pencils, noodles, clay, yarn etc.], to keep the interest level fresh and exciting....My focus is for Emma Sage to develop a seamless knowledge of both upper and lower case letters to aide her in fluid writing as she grows.

Kindergarten 2006

2006-09-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our first 'Offical' day of school on Wednesday, September 6, 2006. The older three all started on August 31st.....and what's up with that? New Jersey, we have always started school on the Wednesday after Labor Day...only those down south go before Labor Day. lol!

Here is Little Miss dressed in her first day of school dress. I made this dress for Katrina when she started shool so many moons ago, and Greta wore it, and now Emma Sage is happily playing and learning in the same jumper.

and this one makes me smile, as Emma Sage has her kitty Nona in one arm and a big ol' worm in her other.........

Playing hide-n-seek during our morning walk.....

Books ~ Math

2006-06-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

I am busy working on putting together Emma Sage's curriculm and found this wonderful list of books [many of which we already own] that we can check out of the library.

Touch Math is a wonderful program, but I'm trying to figure out the cost, or if I can borrow from the lending library.

Counting
Anno, Mitsumasa. Anno's Counting Book.
Carter, David A. How Many Bugs in a BoxCrowther, Robert.
The Most Amazing Hide-and-Seek Counting BookFeelings,
Muriel. Moja Means One: Swahili Counting Book
Lindbergh, Reeve. The Midnight Farm
Carle, Eric. 1, 2, 3, to the Zoo
Sayre, April. One Is a Snail, Ten is a Crab

Addition
10 For Dinner -Bogart, Jo Ellen
12 Ways to Get to 11-Merriam, Eve
Annie's One to Ten- Owen, Annie
Each Orange Had Eight Slices-Gianti, Paul
Going Up!-Sis, PeterHenny
PennyNumbers-Allen, Robert
Rooster's Off to See the World-Carle, Eric
The Great Big Enormous Turnip-Tolstoi, Alexei
The House that Jack BuiltThere Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly

Subtraction
10 Little Elephants-Leydenfrost, Robert
Anno's Counting HouseBea's 4 Bears-Weston, Maria
Jack and the Beanstalk Mr. Grumpy's Outing-Burningham, John
Pancakes for Breakfast-de Paola, Tomi
Roll Over! A Counting Song-Peek, MerleThe Last Puppy-Asch, Frank
There Were 10 in the Bed

Mulitplication
Bunches and Bunches of Bunnies-Mathews, L
School Bus-Crews, DonaldFractionsA-Apple Pie-Greenway, Kate
Eating Fractions-McMillan, Bruce
Half a Moon and ONe Whole Star-Dragonwagon, CrescentThe Doorbell Rang-Hutchins, Pat
The Half-Birthday Party-Pomerantz, Charlotte

Geometry
8 Hands Round:A Patchwork Alphabet-Paul, Ann Withford
All Kinds of Signs-Reit, Seymour
Boxes! Boxes!-Fisher, Leonard
Building a House-Barton, Byron
Changes, Changes-Hutchins, Pat
Circles, Triangles, and Squares-Hoban, Tana
Four Pigs and a Bee-Melville, HEather
Frosted Glass-Cazat, DenysGalimoto-Williams, Karen Lynn
Grandfather Tang's Story.- Tompert, Ann
If You Look Around You-Testa, Fulvio
Listen to a Shape. Franklin Watts- Brown,
MarciaLittle Blue & Little Yellow-Lionni, Leo
Look! Look! Look! -Hoban, Tana
Round is a Pancake-Sullivan, Joan
Shapes and Things-Hoban, Tana
Shapes, Shapes, Shapes-Hoban, Tana
Shapes: How Do You Say It?-Dunham, Meredith
Shapes-Pienkowski, Jan
The Little Wood Duck-Wildsmith, Brian
The Paper Crane-Bang, MollyThe Patchwork Quilt-Flournoy, ValerieThe Shapes Game-Rogers, Paul
The Train to Grandma's-Gantschev, Ivan
The Trip-Keats, Ezra Jack
The Wing on a Flea-Emberly, Ed
Wheel Away-Dodds, Dayle
AnneWilbur Worm-Hales, Richard and Nicky

Estimation
Munsch, Robert. Moira's Birthday

Sweet, Sweet Child

2006-05-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

It's Official....

2006-05-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

It is Official.....we are going to educate Emma Sage at home.