A retrospective exploration into our learning journey: September 2020-August 2021

In January 2021 I set a simple theme for the art lesson. Draw a pirate scene using paint. This is Sophia's picture.  Two months later I set the same task. Draw a pirate scene using pencils. Sophia drew a ship on the ocean and included all the traditional features. She had prisoners on the middle level, a little boy and girl who had been captured. Someone was looking through a telescope on the top. There were pirates on the beach where X marks the spot. Coconut trees towering up above, with the odd coconut falling in top of the pirates. Flags were down to claim the beach.  Her detail was amazing. What had changed between the two pictures? Time had passed and the art material had changed. Allowing time to pass and changing the environment can make unbelievable difference.

It was a problematic substance in our household until the children reached 3-5years old. Kira wanted to eat it, and the other two struggled greatly with the feel of the texture. Sophia thought it made her dirty and had to wash her hands between every touch.  Through patience and gentle exposure they all have embraced the activity, they're not a fan of the accompanying machinery options however. These are absolutely awesome for encouraging hand strengthening, however they failed to capture the imagination of my three. They like to be free to create individually. Naturally they've all been through the stage of mixing all the colours and making 'poo'. As a general rule the children choose a food based theme to their imaginative playdoh sessions. They run a cafe or restaurant and make dishes to order. Xander decided to make wriggly worms the other day and was chasing the squealing girls through the house.   This past year they have also loved using it for making dinosaur fo...

Do you have a 'know it all wall' in your home? This is Sophia's name for the space we provide to stick up information they are currently learning, and display work they have completed, in amongst posters.  We have had fun with ours throughout the years. They learnt how to spell their name by having a name wall, learnt colour mixing, themed alphabets, habitats etc. My children gravitate towards their walls at all times of day. I was chasing them to bed yesterday and found Sophia and Xander in the school room, in front of a poster. They were chatting about the continents, what they would find in each continent and which ones would be good to visit.

Favourite books can be a great source of early projects. Making a favourite book the focus of a topic is so much fun. This along with favourite nursery rhymes was a key teaching tactic when they were little. They would decide how long we spent on it.  It remains a popular teaching method with them. A few years later and they still randomly choose a book and research it. One of the first books the girls gravitated towards for this purpose was 'The Three Little Pigs'.  - They listened to me reading the story.  - They recalled the story in their own words.  - They created a picture depicting the houses, pigs and the wolf. - They learnt the properties of the materials discussed in the book.  The science behind the story has always been of particular interest to them.  We have studied the science behind a number of nursery rhymes and books and it really makes the story come alive for them. They also loved studying the 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'.  This c...

How do you get someone's attention when  they're just three years old? How do you reach them when they're autistic and living in their own little world? How do you excite a love of reading when they're so young?  You observe.  Kira has hyperlexia. She could read any word without being taught and knew what many of them meant. She did not like to snuggle down and listen to traditional stories. She did not tune into life unless her sister was nearby, until she was introduced to educational YouTube channels. She became alive, spun around and rocked her toddler days away singing educational content. She learnt a song and the meaning of the contents within a few times of hearing it and could talk to you about it. So back to reading. She could perform the technical skill to an incredible degree, reading level of a seven year old months after starting to read. She was not emotionally connecting with content however, no matter which story books I was presenting to her.  I bro...

Experience through me, a typical reading session with a toddler with adhd and hyperlexia.  Give yourself forty-five minutes for the session.  Wait for ten minutes for her to stop performing flips and tricks, bearing in mind she will have asked for this activity. Another five minutes for her to get snuggly in your lap, and have a giggle because she is purposely holding the book upside down. She will then flawlessly read a page of a Peter and Jane book.  Then point out that the next page is pretty much the same as the one before so why does she have to read it?  You refocus her.  She reads the next page flawlessly.  'Oh look I have a bellybutton', poking at it and giggling.  Refocus.  Next page read flawlessly.  'Mummy, I'm Kira Morris, what's your name?' (saying her name frequently is part of her torrettes).  Refocus.  Next page read flawlessly.  A screaming fit, 'Sophia's looking at me!' then launching straight into another fla...