tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135786616745389569.post5931102916249605597..comments2023-03-24T19:49:47.944-07:00Comments on Along The Crooked Path: the Zoo Boy postHarvest Moon Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13099136352105537579noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135786616745389569.post-5749769535070695422011-02-07T15:36:40.663-08:002011-02-07T15:36:40.663-08:00Lisa! So nice to hear from you! I haven't he...Lisa! So nice to hear from you! I haven't heard of Ehlers-Danlos, I'll have to go read up on it, I'm interested in anything that has to do with the sensory systems! Like Sean, J had a similar experience with school the 1 1/2 years we sent him -- he held it together really well there, but fell apart when he got home. So although he was only physically gone for the half the day, it took hours for him to recover from having to keep it together in school, so really I was losing an entire day of work with him -- very frustrating!<br /><br />Thanks for writing, and the best of luck with all three of your kids!Harvest Moon Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13099136352105537579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135786616745389569.post-59120803887419255482011-02-07T14:08:41.110-08:002011-02-07T14:08:41.110-08:00I admire the consistent time and effot you have gi...I admire the consistent time and effot you have given to BOTH your boys. I have 3 children with various issues---my son is a Pumpkin Patch kid. Sean has always (from early on) had significant sesnory issues, and has been dx as pdd-nos as well as anxiety. He attends school and does well, but we expeience the behaviors and emotional meltdowns at home.... My 8 year old has a genetic condition Ehlers-Danlos which impacts fine and gross motor skills. He receives OT and PT as well as academic sevices in 3rd grade. It's been a triage situation, but things are going okay. I'm grateful for the therapists and teachers who have helped me better help my children & other young children (I work with the EI and CPSE population.)<br />Take care and best of luck with you boys!<br />Lisa C.Lisanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135786616745389569.post-22776206816505322262011-02-06T04:59:33.863-08:002011-02-06T04:59:33.863-08:00Karen, I don't think he'd be interested in...Karen, I don't think he'd be interested in that sort of thing, but thanks for the idea. He actually is usually interested in any cultural craft I come up with, but he'll only stick with it if it's short and simple. It's when I try something too involved or intricate that he starts to balk. And since I have tried a few more involved things, he's wary when I mention a craft or project. Interestingly, he loves weaving, which is both small motor intensive and time intensive. Go figure!Harvest Moon Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13099136352105537579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135786616745389569.post-45647882231365118852011-02-05T16:05:27.046-08:002011-02-05T16:05:27.046-08:00Loved this post! I always love insight into your t...Loved this post! I always love insight into your thoughts - thanks so much for sharing! <br /><br />My younger son is very drawn to electronics as well, and while we have a few gaming systems he is very seldom allowed to play them. He has a DS with a few games we have approved, and he is allowed to have it only at the tennis club when both his father and I are playing at the same time. We know most of the people at this Club so if someone says hello to him or otherwise tries to engage him and he ignores them because of his gaming system, he loses that privilege for a while. It works well for him - I'm sure you will find a way to make it work well for Zoo Boy as well!<br /><br />I have also found, like you, that my son does best without extended breaks. He went to school for a few years and his brother is in public school, so my son is very familiar with the concepts of "Christmas Break" and "Summer Vacation." I don't want him to feel that he's missing out on these treats, and actually we do only about an hour a day during those breaks, so I just call it "tutoring." You could call it something else, but I've found that "tutoring" during breaks is perfectly acceptable to him, but "school work" is not. <br /><br />Thanks again for your insights!Kokoa's Momhttp://kokoamom.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135786616745389569.post-18682340588252570772011-02-05T15:42:19.614-08:002011-02-05T15:42:19.614-08:00What sorts of crafting are you looking for? Would...What sorts of crafting are you looking for? Would engineering type projects accomplish the same goals for you but with interest and engagement from ZB? I think Laurel still has one of my Team Challenges books - I'll try to remember to have her show it to you. There are projects that involve finding solutions to a problem by building out of common materials. If that would be a tack to try, the Kid Can Press books like Bridges and Skyscrapers might be good too. I'd guess from other reading that you'd like the crafts to go along with the other work you're doing, but if he has enough interest to sustain the small motor work in another area, it might be worth the compromise.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10026907877673492940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135786616745389569.post-81050140167736117762011-02-05T15:16:46.691-08:002011-02-05T15:16:46.691-08:00Cathy, thanks for putting form drawing back on my ...Cathy, thanks for putting form drawing back on my radar. I have been planning on doing that with him during the summer when J is involved in whatever dance camp/intensive he decides to do.<br />But maybe I should take a look at that now. I've also considered that J might not have as much a problem with that now as he would have previously, so I think it's worth a shot to pursue that at this point. Thanks again!Harvest Moon Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13099136352105537579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1135786616745389569.post-14817693844218801392011-02-05T12:44:45.200-08:002011-02-05T12:44:45.200-08:00My son sounds very much like Zoo Boy, and I agree ...My son sounds very much like Zoo Boy, and I agree that if we were unschooling he would just spend his days building Lego and avoiding writing and drawing and exercise!<br /><br />We follow a Waldorf curriculum, and I have found that, whilst my son is resistant to writing he does actually seem more motivated to do form drawing. This is using/exercising the same muscles and is therapeutic for these "issues", but is different to practicing letters and perhaps does not have quite the same pressures. I think it can also be quite meditative (I like it myself :o)!)<br /><br />I know you mentioned that you did not want to do form drawing with J, but could you do it with Zoo Boy whilst J does something else? It could be your "Special" thing that you do together......<br /><br />Thanks for posting about this. <br /><br />Blessings,<br />CathyCathynoreply@blogger.com