Amazing advancements have happened in the learning side of our home these past couple of months.   Many of you know that I have one son who has dyslexia – audio memory deficiency – ticks – and some physical development issues. We sat down at just before age five with the desk that was passed to us by the late Mrs. Turkington – a wonder and marvel of a Lord’s servant to the Charleston fishing community.  Filled with sharpened pencils and the ingredients of the list from Charleston Elementary School with its back to a cupboard filled with preschool and kindergarten wonders of arts, crafts and learning – we were ready to start Home Schooling.  Flashcards and worksheets, musical instruments, science projects, math manipulative’s and a dozen Home Schooling Teacher books at the ready.  Pared with the depth of wisdom gleaned from 2 weeks of reading everything I could on the topic – I was primed- ready- excited – and on the go.  My little pupil – however – was not so ready.  We started with the alphabet – how to write it  – how to learn it – how to sing it.  I started to wonder if my methods were off when on the second day my son remembered nothing from the wonderful day of learning before.  Third day- nothing. Forth Day – Nothing. And on it went.  He just could not remember the letters, or sounds, or how to write them. We tried rice in a cookie sheet, sticks on the beach, flashcards several times a day, songs in the car, in the kitchen and on the DVD. We tried noodles, pipe cleaners, and sign language. We tried Playdough and construction paper and lapbooks. We tried chalk hopscotch in the driveway.  Each day the same – learning the letters as if for the first time.  In May – we gathered all of the family members – grandparents – great grandma – and a few friends and had a ceremony in honor of Letters.  Nathan recited the alphabet – received a certificate – and a Keepers of the Faith Pin in honor of the achievement.   Nine months after we started – he could slowly recite the alphabet – minus the letter L.  Its ok L’s not that important . . . . . 

During this time- I went to my mentors. I read countless books by those who had gone before. I realized that my own schooling training – aimed at children like myself with a love of words and books – was just not going to be the same school that my son would benefit from. I learned a phrase "Better Late than Early". I learned that my son was not so different that many boys. I learned that boys do not have the maturity or desire to learn until after ages 6-8. Also – I was told countless times that most boys did not learn to read – really read – until ages 10-12. During that time – one day – they would just start reading. 

We took time each day to learn phonograms and how to draw each letter.  It was a slow process but he did learn the 72 Spaulding Phonograms. We also learned to depend on our mentors.  I was challenged to toss the kindergarten curriculum – books and worksheets and tedious mornings. My options were to spend my days in second hand books stores gleaning all of the field guides I could find that related to my area on the coast.  The boys and I spent hours in the woods, at the beach, in the parks and under the stars. Asking questions. Finding the obvious. Questioning the differences. Learning habitats. Marveling at all that God gave us to explore. Flowers, rocks, animals, water, fire, bugs, butterflies, plants, gardens, people and His Word.  I took opportune moments to relate what we found in the wild to the field guides at home. Writing down a Latin label here and there, drawing pictures of what we found and labeling them, inserting our findings into lapbooks, or just onto misc. papers.  I can offer my experience – that this was the best k-4 curriculum I could have found.  Pared with KONOS and Keepers of the Faith to help me with some of the meaty questions and scientific observations – we had a WONDERFUL k-4 learning experience!