More than Swimming: How Our Family Learned to Love (and Respect) the Water

Posted on May 19, 2021May 5, 2021 by Melissa Schumacher

Melissa Schumacher, SPED Homeschool Team Member

When my older son was five years old, we took our first trip to Florida. Living in a northern state, my children had only experienced splash pads and bathtubs. I was shocked when my son – with no swimming pool experience – wanted to jump into the deep water. And he wanted to do it over and over and over again. When we returned home, I immediately looked into swimming lessons for him. I was not excited about his love of water because I knew that, without proper training, water posed so many risks for my son.

As a mom of two boys, I am used to adventure and shenanigans. I generally don’t worry about the climbing and jumping. But I had real fears about water. I know that children with autism frequently and quietly elope, like my son. I know that children with autism, like my son, are attracted to water. I also knew that we would move soon to a warmer climate, and swimming pools would be a part of our experience.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

Through a local moms group, I was connected with another military spouse and swim instructor, Sheila McCarrier. Sheila has been an Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) Instructor for nine years and has taught hundreds of children water safety skills. Even more than teaching children, she has taught families like mine to enjoy the water, be vigilant around water, and spread the message of water safety.

We had tried swim classes at our local community center years before but my son refused to go into the water or participate in the silly songs. I did not want to repeat that experience. To make sure ISR was a good fit for my son, I observed Sheila’s lessons for almost two hours. I wrote down my questions and asked her after her lessons were over. I spoke with other parents about what to expect and how to prepare my son for this new experience. Sheila even met her students for pizza a few days before lessons started! This allowed all her students to meet her and connect with her over something everyone loves – pizza! Before our first day, we also watched several videos of friends swimming and talked about how we would learn to swim, too.

While it was a big commitment, both of my sons became quick swimmers, and we have loved the water ever since. The water provides great sensory input for my son and he has gained more strength and confidence through swimming than through years of physical therapy. I am so thankful that my children and I can enjoy the water, but I still do not let my guard down.

I asked Sheila for her water safety tips as we all head into the summer season.

EFFECTIVE SUPERVISION

The most critical line of defense is adult supervision. No level of aquatic skill can replace active supervision. If your child is ever missing, look in the water first.

ASK TO ENTER

Teach children to ask permission before entering the water. Being present and actively engaged means being IN the water. Never let a child go in the water alone. They will learn they can get in without you, and this increases the risks they will when you are not present. Even non-verbal children can be taught to wait for an adult before entering the water.

POOL FENCES

Install a permanent 4-sided fence with self-locking gates. Ensure that the pool fence is at least 3-5 feet from the pool edge.

ALARMS

Make sure all doors and windows leading to the pool are locked and alarmed. For children with eloping behaviors, door alarms can provide additional protection and can be easily transported during travel.

SURVIVAL SWIMMING LESSONS

A moment’s inattention does not have to cost a child his life. ISR’s Self-Rescue® training is an added layer of protection, teaching your child water survival skills in a completely safe environment.

CPR

If an emergency happens, it is essential parents and families are prepared. Learn to perform CPR on children and adults and remember to update those skills regularly.

A key phrase frequently repeated is “Be a CEO” – have Constant Eyes On. No one watches your child like you do so be sure others know your expectations for safe behavior if you have to step away. “You go, or it’s a no” is another popular phrase. As children age, they are invited to playdates and pool parties. The risk of drowning does not go away, the type of injuries and drownings just change with the older more grown bodies.

Sadly, as I finished writing this piece, a news story popped up about a young boy with autism who eloped and drowned in a local pond. My heart sank to hear of this tragic accident. Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children under 14 with autism. We know how much joy and fun the water can be for our children during the dog days of summer. But let us all remember to enjoy the water safely.

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50+ Ideas for Homeschool Extracurriculars

Posted on August 26, 2020August 4, 2020 by SPED Homeschool

SPED Homeschool Team

We can turn every activity we do with our children into a learning experience. Thankfully, homeschooling allows families to turn active learning into homeschool extra-curricular subjects. The possibilities are endless, but below you will find 50+ ideas for homeschool extra-curricular subjects based on what we, the SPED Homeschool team, have taught in our own home schools.

Peggy Ployhar

Scuba diving

Sewing and Dressmaking

Aerial Silks

Taekwondo

Structural Engineering

Photography

Computer Skills (including IT skills, building a computer, keyboarding, and software implementation)

Welding

Band/Instrument Lessons

Film and Cinema studies

Podcasting

Digital Art

Starting a Personal Business

Dance

Knitting

Speech & Debate

Cammie Arn

Horseback Riding and Equine Care

Gardening

Landscaping

Taekwondo

Theater: acting, set design, mural painting, costuming, stage managing, lights and sound

Fine Arts/Spoken Words: poetry, producing a children’s literature book, sermons, vocal solos, short story reading

Piano

Handbell Choir

Speech & Debate

Computer Programming

Food Preservation and Storage

Menu planning

Food Preparation

Money Management

Horticulture

Animal care

Music Theory

Art History

Sewing

Knitting

Ballroom Dancing

Lara Lee

How to draw YouTube videos

Kid’s Engineering YouTube videos

Cooking

Gardening

Neighborhood walk, bike ride, or scooter

TinkerCrate

Cardboard models of appliances

Coloring books

Busy books (downloadable pages from TeacherPayTeachers, then laminate and add velcro to the back of the pieces)

Puzzles

Board games

Self-made experience books using photos and construction paper

Photobooks/Social stories (Such as documenting night time routine or a trip to visit family)

Daily rotating busy boxes (filled with toys and activities to do on only that day of the week)

Nakisha Blain

Nature journals

Feeding squirrels

Online summer camps

Art projects

Hiking

Home economics

Go-karting

Building/Construction

Volunteering

Helping parents with a family business

As you can see, we basically turned anything our kids or family are doing into school. That is the beauty of homeschooling.

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Unconventional Learning To Encourage Struggling Students

Posted on August 12, 2020July 23, 2020 by Peggy Ployhar

This article contains an Amazon affiliate links associated with the SPED Homeschool Mom-Care Store.

Peggy Ployhar

Do you have a student who struggles with a core subject? Maybe math, reading, or spelling? Many parents do. But many parents also try to solve the lack of progression in a core subject by focusing more heavily on that subject to “catch up.” Unfortunately, this is actually a counterproductive move.

How? I will start by sharing a scenario I have shared with many parents over the past 15 years when they told me they were not seeing progress using the tactics I described above. But, I usually start by saying, “What I will tell you will probably seem rather illogical at first, but I want you to consider this parallel first.”

Here is the parallel argument I share:

What chore or activity do you dislike doing the most? (Parents responses vary, but most say cooking, laundry, cleaning, car maintenance, or any other necessary chore that needs their attention regularly.)

For me, it would be cleaning my house. I could cook all day, but I hate to clean.

Now consider if someone were to remove all the extra activities out of your day so you had more than enough time to do that one activity you disliked?

I don’t know about you, but if someone told me all I had to do (thus all I had to look forward to) when I woke up Saturday morning was clean my house, I would sleep in as long as possible. Would you feel the same way?

Next, let’s now consider how you have removed most of the other subjects and activities in your student’s schedule to focus most of your homeschooling time on his/her “struggle” subjects. Your child feels the same way as you do about the activity you mentioned to me just a few minutes ago. Do you now understand why your child has a hard time just doing the few subjects you have left for him/her to learn?

The solution takes us in the opposite direction. We add in MORE unconventional learning.

“…consider if someone were to remove all the extra activities out of your day so you had more than enough time to do that one activity you disliked?“

We all know the concept of incentives. In training our children we often use rewards like toys, food or stickers. Those external incentives teach our children there are wonderful outcomes that come from perseverance. I am all for these tangible external incentives, but over time we want our children to move beyond external incentives to external incentives. This is where MORE unconventional learning can help your student understand the rewards of learning and using their unique giftedness.

Yes, learning can be an incentive for your student. What would that look like? Here is an example of what this looked like in our homeschool for my oldest son.

At 11 years old, my son still struggled to read. Every day we used various curriculums to keep moving forward in his progress toward learning to read independently, but I knew if we pressed in too much with just reading I would crush his spirit and he would lose his interest in learning all together. This same child loved to build. So, I incorporated his love for building into an actual school subject he would have listed in his planner each week. I didn’t know what I would use at first for this “class” until I came across a K’NEX Education set on how to reconstruct 7 real bridges. I called the class “Structural Engineering” and we spent time each week learning about these bridges and building them. Instantly, I saw a boost in my son’s self esteem. He was now seeing what I had seen for so long, that he had a knack for engineering and was a gifted learner. Now 12 years later, this same young man recently received a degree in Biomedical Engineering. Was it a surprise to me? Not at all.

As you look ahead to your homeschooling year, make sure the pressures of catching up do not crush your student’s potential. Add in MORE learning instead and show your student how despite their learning difficulties he/she is still a gifted learner.