So this morning I got to meet with Max's teacher and discuss his progress in school. Apparently he has grown leaps and bounds since last year...in his over all development. She is really impressed on how far he has come and how well his is following direction with very little or no prompting at all. She is emphasizing that the tools she is using for Max's sensory needs are really helping Max to gain control of his idle hands. One really great suggestion she made, was to create a "sensory box". This involves items that could help Max refocus when he has launched himself to the moon. Certain Items could include...bubble wrap...squishy ball...finger paints....feathers...playdough... Items that require focus to play with and utilize his fine motor skills. She says that there are many different reasons that this would be good for Max. (attn: grandparents of max... perhaps it would be a good idea to create your own sensory box to keep there as well :) She also said that it seems that he is very intelligent perhaps above average (lol...as he brings me over a turtle shell...turns it over and proceeds to tell me where the "spine" is.) And that impulsivity is not an issue with him AT ALL in her class room. I'm so glad!!! Perhaps I was just misreading his behavior all along. (I will stick to my guns that knocking out the food dyes and preservatives from his diet made a drastic difference right away). I can't wait to try these new tools with Max at home...I really REALLY want to try and avoid medications at all costs...(this was the direction the Child Development Specialist 18months ago told us would probably be needed eventually)
Anyway, Kindergarten starts for Max this upcoming fall...we were under the impression that it would be 5 for 5 (that's five hours a day 5 days a week). Most county's have already implemented that change. I was just told by a class parent today that our county schools wont have full day kindergarten until 2010 due to county budget cuts. I'm a little puzzled about what they will do with the kids... right now max gets 4 full hours a day of educational benefits... for public schools he will really only have two active learning hours a day...the rest will be hustle bustle and lunch. Is it worth it??? I would put him back into the first presby program but then KatyRo will miss out. (we can only afford one child in private school at a time) She was ready LAST year and Is soooo looking forward to school.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Parent teacher conference day
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
It's so great to read about your commitment to your children. You seem like a wonderful parent. I think it's great that you are doing all you can to keep Max off of medicine. This might sound crazy, but have you considered homeschooling him. Maybe even just a year or two. It seems that sometimes boys take a little longer than girls before they are ready for classroom schooling. Just a thought. :)
So great that you got a positive confrence! I was just reading another blogger who took all food dye out of her child's diet and it really helped her son's behavior...now if I could just remember who it was. Hmmm.
The sensory box is a fantastic idea. I taught full day Kindergarten for 2 years. A waste of time for kids that age. I spent most time with discipline, lining up, btahroom, etc. I could have taught a small group of children the same curriculum in half the time. Boys had an especially hard time. Plus, research shows that the benefits of full day kindergarten diminish by third grade.
Post a Comment