Today was a good day. The sun was shining as a warm breeze blew. Sweet G and I sat at the kitchen table doing school with the back door open letting the glory of springtime fill the house.
I am amazed at the progress Sweet G is making since we bought the iPad for him. He sits and "plays" on it for hours. Today he worked on two new apps we bought over the weekend. One of the apps helps with phonics. The iPad calls out a word, gives three boxes for the child to put the correct spelling in, and calls the individual sounds of each letter. This has always been a very difficult thing for G but today he amazed me with the ease he displayed while using the app. He also played with an app using sight words. It has 1000 most commonly used words in the English language. G worked through the first list today and loved it.
G also worked on a math mastery app. He was practicing adding one to the numbers one through ten. This has been a difficult area for G also. I noticed that as we were playing it together that G kept looking up. I knew what he was doing immediately. He was using the hundred number chart to get his answers. Some may think that is cheating but I don't. He is learning to use tools to assist him. I didn't tell him to do it, he just made the connection and saw what adding one means.
Teachers in the past have said he is incapable of doing any of this work. Psychologists have given us some very bleak predictions as well. Independence was one of the main goals of the school system for G but they were never able to help him achieve it. A $1,000.00 piece of technology has opened up the world of learning to G. Independence is no longer an issue. I tell him which activities he is assigned and he completes them. He always goes above and beyond what I have planned for the day.
G never fails to watch a Brain Pop video. Most of them are far more advanced than he needs but he watches them and he learns. Yesterday he watched one on autism without me. He told me afterwards that they talked a lot about brains. Today the video was about Maya Angelou. He learned that she read one of her poems at President Clinton's inauguration, that she had a hard childhood, and about the effect segregation had on her life. G made the connection of Maya Angelou and segregation to the movie, Driving Miss Daisy, that we watched on Saturday. "That's why the man couldn't use the bathroom at the service station isn't it Momma?"
He is one smart little boy. There is so much potential just waiting for a way to come out but trapped somehow. $1,000.00 is nothing compared to the cost of most of G's technology needs but just look how much it has already accomplished. I am excited about the things that little boy is going to do! Lord, use him to confound those who look at him and only see limitations. Glorify yourself through the achievements of our Sweet G.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Reading and Writing, Arithmetic Taught to the Tune of an iPad?
Today was a good day. The sun was shining as a warm breeze blew. Sweet G and I sat at the kitchen table doing school with the back door open letting the glory of springtime fill the house.
I am amazed at the progress Sweet G is making since we bought the iPad for him. He sits and "plays" on it for hours. Today he worked on two new apps we bought over the weekend. One of the apps helps with phonics. The iPad calls out a word, gives three boxes for the child to put the correct spelling in, and calls the individual sounds of each letter. This has always been a very difficult thing for G but today he amazed me with the ease he displayed while using the app. He also played with an app using sight words. It has 1000 most commonly used words in the English language. G worked through the first list today and loved it.
G also worked on a math mastery app. He was practicing adding one to the numbers one through ten. This has been a difficult area for G also. I noticed that as we were playing it together that G kept looking up. I knew what he was doing immediately. He was using the hundred number chart to get his answers. Some may think that is cheating but I don't. He is learning to use tools to assist him. I didn't tell him to do it, he just made the connection and saw what adding one means.
Teachers in the past have said he is incapable of doing any of this work. Psychologists have given us some very bleak predictions as well. Independence was one of the main goals of the school system for G but they were never able to help him achieve it. A $1,000.00 piece of technology has opened up the world of learning to G. Independence is no longer an issue. I tell him which activities he is assigned and he completes them. He always goes above and beyond what I have planned for the day.
G never fails to watch a Brain Pop video. Most of them are far more advanced than he needs but he watches them and he learns. Yesterday he watched one on autism without me. He told me afterwards that they talked a lot about brains. Today the video was about Maya Angelou. He learned that she read one of her poems at President Clinton's inauguration, that she had a hard childhood, and about the effect segregation had on her life. G made the connection of Maya Angelou and segregation to the movie, Driving Miss Daisy, that we watched on Saturday. "That's why the man couldn't use the bathroom at the service station isn't it Momma?"
He is one smart little boy. There is so much potential just waiting for a way to come out but trapped somehow. $1,000.00 is nothing compared to the cost of most of G's technology needs but just look how much it has already accomplished. I am excited about the things that little boy is going to do! Lord, use him to confound those who look at him and only see limitations. Glorify yourself through the achievements of our Sweet G.
I am amazed at the progress Sweet G is making since we bought the iPad for him. He sits and "plays" on it for hours. Today he worked on two new apps we bought over the weekend. One of the apps helps with phonics. The iPad calls out a word, gives three boxes for the child to put the correct spelling in, and calls the individual sounds of each letter. This has always been a very difficult thing for G but today he amazed me with the ease he displayed while using the app. He also played with an app using sight words. It has 1000 most commonly used words in the English language. G worked through the first list today and loved it.
G also worked on a math mastery app. He was practicing adding one to the numbers one through ten. This has been a difficult area for G also. I noticed that as we were playing it together that G kept looking up. I knew what he was doing immediately. He was using the hundred number chart to get his answers. Some may think that is cheating but I don't. He is learning to use tools to assist him. I didn't tell him to do it, he just made the connection and saw what adding one means.
Teachers in the past have said he is incapable of doing any of this work. Psychologists have given us some very bleak predictions as well. Independence was one of the main goals of the school system for G but they were never able to help him achieve it. A $1,000.00 piece of technology has opened up the world of learning to G. Independence is no longer an issue. I tell him which activities he is assigned and he completes them. He always goes above and beyond what I have planned for the day.
G never fails to watch a Brain Pop video. Most of them are far more advanced than he needs but he watches them and he learns. Yesterday he watched one on autism without me. He told me afterwards that they talked a lot about brains. Today the video was about Maya Angelou. He learned that she read one of her poems at President Clinton's inauguration, that she had a hard childhood, and about the effect segregation had on her life. G made the connection of Maya Angelou and segregation to the movie, Driving Miss Daisy, that we watched on Saturday. "That's why the man couldn't use the bathroom at the service station isn't it Momma?"
He is one smart little boy. There is so much potential just waiting for a way to come out but trapped somehow. $1,000.00 is nothing compared to the cost of most of G's technology needs but just look how much it has already accomplished. I am excited about the things that little boy is going to do! Lord, use him to confound those who look at him and only see limitations. Glorify yourself through the achievements of our Sweet G.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Karaoke King
One thing I love about my Sweet G is his gregarious personality. He is not the least bit shy in front of a crowd, in fact that is usually when he is his boldest which scares me to death. I just never know what is going to come out of that cute little boy because most eight year olds haven't mastered the social skills expected when speaking in front of a group and Sweet G is at the top of his game when he has a captive audience. In fact, he has been performing for his therapists, his fellow patients, and their parents for years now. He loves to be cheered and is not shy about telling you he expects it.
Tonight we made plans to meet some great friends at a local Mexican restaurant that has Karaoke on Saturday nights. The evening started out pretty much like many other times we have taken G there but everything changed the minute our friend D sang his first song. Sweet G went wild! He started requesting songs for D to sing for him. G eventually asked D's daughter E to sing "Look It Up" with him. This is when the panic started rising in me. They took the stage and someone handed G a microphone. My heart was pounding because we all know that one of two things happens when you give a kid a microphone; they either freeze up and won't make a sound or they cut loose and totally embarrass their parents. The song started and all I heard was E as she sang the first few bars of the song. Then slowly G began to sing some of the words. His eyes met mine as he sang his favorite line in the song, "The word is easy, look it up, And you'll see a picture of that piece of trash Ridin' 'round in your pickup truck". A huge grin covered his face and I knew he was hooked and that I was headed for some good stories and some wonderful memories.
A little later in the night D and his daughter E went up to sing a duet. Before we knew what was happening G unlocked the brakes on his chair and headed for the stage as fast as he could roll. He stopped, looked back and said, "Daddy, help me get up there cause I'm gonna sing with D." G didn't ask if he could join the group. He just rolled himself right up beside them and the man running the Karaoke handed G a microphone. They were singing "Back to December" by Taylor Swift. It was amazing. Sweet G sang almost every word. He sang on key and even put in the oooo's that D and E left out. I was so proud of my little boy. He sang all those words from memory.
We have been told in the past by some experts that G has an IQ score that is well below what we know is possible. Anyone would know that the score he was given is absurd if they had a single conversation with him, but we are just irrational parents that can't see their child's limitations. He is a very intelligent and talented little boy. The problem that the psychologists have is that they can't understand what doesn't fit into the little box of what they think is normal.
Sweet G is not normal. He is not ordinary. When God created G he took something ordinary and gave it a little extra. G is extraordinary, out of the box, bigger than life, moonbeams and sunshine, with a lot of glitter on top. Oh, how I love that boy! My shining star came wheeling back to our table glowing with pride as everyone in the room cheered for him. If you ever need something to smile about just come see G sing Karaoke. I think he plans on making regular appearances from now on because I overheard him telling the man who owns the Karaoke equipment to get the song "Raymond" so he can sing it the next time he comes. ;0)
Tonight we made plans to meet some great friends at a local Mexican restaurant that has Karaoke on Saturday nights. The evening started out pretty much like many other times we have taken G there but everything changed the minute our friend D sang his first song. Sweet G went wild! He started requesting songs for D to sing for him. G eventually asked D's daughter E to sing "Look It Up" with him. This is when the panic started rising in me. They took the stage and someone handed G a microphone. My heart was pounding because we all know that one of two things happens when you give a kid a microphone; they either freeze up and won't make a sound or they cut loose and totally embarrass their parents. The song started and all I heard was E as she sang the first few bars of the song. Then slowly G began to sing some of the words. His eyes met mine as he sang his favorite line in the song, "The word is easy, look it up, And you'll see a picture of that piece of trash Ridin' 'round in your pickup truck". A huge grin covered his face and I knew he was hooked and that I was headed for some good stories and some wonderful memories.
A little later in the night D and his daughter E went up to sing a duet. Before we knew what was happening G unlocked the brakes on his chair and headed for the stage as fast as he could roll. He stopped, looked back and said, "Daddy, help me get up there cause I'm gonna sing with D." G didn't ask if he could join the group. He just rolled himself right up beside them and the man running the Karaoke handed G a microphone. They were singing "Back to December" by Taylor Swift. It was amazing. Sweet G sang almost every word. He sang on key and even put in the oooo's that D and E left out. I was so proud of my little boy. He sang all those words from memory.
We have been told in the past by some experts that G has an IQ score that is well below what we know is possible. Anyone would know that the score he was given is absurd if they had a single conversation with him, but we are just irrational parents that can't see their child's limitations. He is a very intelligent and talented little boy. The problem that the psychologists have is that they can't understand what doesn't fit into the little box of what they think is normal.
Sweet G is not normal. He is not ordinary. When God created G he took something ordinary and gave it a little extra. G is extraordinary, out of the box, bigger than life, moonbeams and sunshine, with a lot of glitter on top. Oh, how I love that boy! My shining star came wheeling back to our table glowing with pride as everyone in the room cheered for him. If you ever need something to smile about just come see G sing Karaoke. I think he plans on making regular appearances from now on because I overheard him telling the man who owns the Karaoke equipment to get the song "Raymond" so he can sing it the next time he comes. ;0)
Karaoke King
One thing I love about my Sweet G is his gregarious personality. He is not the least bit shy in front of a crowd, in fact that is usually when he is his boldest which scares me to death. I just never know what is going to come out of that cute little boy because most eight year olds haven't mastered the social skills expected when speaking in front of a group and Sweet G is at the top of his game when he has a captive audience. In fact, he has been performing for his therapists, his fellow patients, and their parents for years now. He loves to be cheered and is not shy about telling you he expects it.
Tonight we made plans to meet some great friends at a local Mexican restaurant that has Karaoke on Saturday nights. The evening started out pretty much like many other times we have taken G there but everything changed the minute our friend D sang his first song. Sweet G went wild! He started requesting songs for D to sing for him. G eventually asked D's daughter E to sing "Look It Up" with him. This is when the panic started rising in me. They took the stage and someone handed G a microphone. My heart was pounding because we all know that one of two things happens when you give a kid a microphone; they either freeze up and won't make a sound or they cut loose and totally embarrass their parents. The song started and all I heard was E as she sang the first few bars of the song. Then slowly G began to sing some of the words. His eyes met mine as he sang his favorite line in the song, "The word is easy, look it up, And you'll see a picture of that piece of trash Ridin' 'round in your pickup truck". A huge grin covered his face and I knew he was hooked and that I was headed for some good stories and some wonderful memories.
A little later in the night D and his daughter E went up to sing a duet. Before we knew what was happening G unlocked the brakes on his chair and headed for the stage as fast as he could roll. He stopped, looked back and said, "Daddy, help me get up there cause I'm gonna sing with D." G didn't ask if he could join the group. He just rolled himself right up beside them and the man running the Karaoke handed G a microphone. They were singing "Back to December" by Taylor Swift. It was amazing. Sweet G sang almost every word. He sang on key and even put in the oooo's that D and E left out. I was so proud of my little boy. He sang all those words from memory.
We have been told in the past by some experts that G has an IQ score that is well below what we know is possible. Anyone would know that the score he was given is absurd if they had a single conversation with him, but we are just irrational parents that can't see their child's limitations. He is a very intelligent and talented little boy. The problem that the psychologists have is that they can't understand what doesn't fit into the little box of what they think is normal.
Sweet G is not normal. He is not ordinary. When God created G he took something ordinary and gave it a little extra. G is extraordinary, out of the box, bigger than life, moonbeams and sunshine, with a lot of glitter on top. Oh, how I love that boy! My shining star came wheeling back to our table glowing with pride as everyone in the room cheered for him. If you ever need something to smile about just come see G sing Karaoke. I think he plans on making regular appearances from now on because I overheard him telling the man who owns the Karaoke equipment to get the song "Raymond" so he can sing it the next time he comes. ;0)
Tonight we made plans to meet some great friends at a local Mexican restaurant that has Karaoke on Saturday nights. The evening started out pretty much like many other times we have taken G there but everything changed the minute our friend D sang his first song. Sweet G went wild! He started requesting songs for D to sing for him. G eventually asked D's daughter E to sing "Look It Up" with him. This is when the panic started rising in me. They took the stage and someone handed G a microphone. My heart was pounding because we all know that one of two things happens when you give a kid a microphone; they either freeze up and won't make a sound or they cut loose and totally embarrass their parents. The song started and all I heard was E as she sang the first few bars of the song. Then slowly G began to sing some of the words. His eyes met mine as he sang his favorite line in the song, "The word is easy, look it up, And you'll see a picture of that piece of trash Ridin' 'round in your pickup truck". A huge grin covered his face and I knew he was hooked and that I was headed for some good stories and some wonderful memories.
A little later in the night D and his daughter E went up to sing a duet. Before we knew what was happening G unlocked the brakes on his chair and headed for the stage as fast as he could roll. He stopped, looked back and said, "Daddy, help me get up there cause I'm gonna sing with D." G didn't ask if he could join the group. He just rolled himself right up beside them and the man running the Karaoke handed G a microphone. They were singing "Back to December" by Taylor Swift. It was amazing. Sweet G sang almost every word. He sang on key and even put in the oooo's that D and E left out. I was so proud of my little boy. He sang all those words from memory.
We have been told in the past by some experts that G has an IQ score that is well below what we know is possible. Anyone would know that the score he was given is absurd if they had a single conversation with him, but we are just irrational parents that can't see their child's limitations. He is a very intelligent and talented little boy. The problem that the psychologists have is that they can't understand what doesn't fit into the little box of what they think is normal.
Sweet G is not normal. He is not ordinary. When God created G he took something ordinary and gave it a little extra. G is extraordinary, out of the box, bigger than life, moonbeams and sunshine, with a lot of glitter on top. Oh, how I love that boy! My shining star came wheeling back to our table glowing with pride as everyone in the room cheered for him. If you ever need something to smile about just come see G sing Karaoke. I think he plans on making regular appearances from now on because I overheard him telling the man who owns the Karaoke equipment to get the song "Raymond" so he can sing it the next time he comes. ;0)
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Bluebird
Spring was in the air when they met. She was immediately drawn to him. His voice called to her like it was meant only for her ears. He had beautiful deep eyes that she was sure were able to see into the depths of her very soul. They were meant to be together; mates for a lifetime.
Together they built their home. Piece by piece they arranged things until they were perfectly placed. Every detail was just as it should be.
The time came to begin a family. When he discovered that he was about to become a father his chest swelled with pride and he held his head just a little higher than before. She settled into the role of primary care giver. Their baby boy arrived alert and ready to take on the world.
Too soon he grew old enough to go out into the world alone. At first he practiced by taking short trips but soon the time came that his parent's home grew too small for him. He could hear the world calling his name. It was time to leave, so he hopped onto the side of the nest, spread his beautiful blue wings and flew away. At last the little bluebird was doing exactly what he was created to do. . . soar.
Together they built their home. Piece by piece they arranged things until they were perfectly placed. Every detail was just as it should be.
The time came to begin a family. When he discovered that he was about to become a father his chest swelled with pride and he held his head just a little higher than before. She settled into the role of primary care giver. Their baby boy arrived alert and ready to take on the world.
Too soon he grew old enough to go out into the world alone. At first he practiced by taking short trips but soon the time came that his parent's home grew too small for him. He could hear the world calling his name. It was time to leave, so he hopped onto the side of the nest, spread his beautiful blue wings and flew away. At last the little bluebird was doing exactly what he was created to do. . . soar.
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