Unexpected BonusThis creature obsession has resulted in a tangible benefit- stash reduction. All those 1/2 balls of yarn that were lying around can finally be put to use. (See, Ian, I WAS saving them for something!)
I made this amigurumi for Ben (since Nikki got the mushroom). He has fuzzy ears so you can tell him your nightmares and fears but no mouth so he won't give away your secrets. He is my own design... tee hee. It is fun because you can make these guys up as you go. I still want to add little feet to this guy so he is not quite done yet.
Now that he is almost finished he looks vaguely Totoro-inspired to me. He needs a name....
Spelling Test Success!
All the hard work last week paid off - 9/10 on Ben's spelling test! This week should be good, too. Barbie gave me some great ideas to help Ben study and he is really enjoying them.
Ben's project is finished. Kroger store designers eat your heart out...
Parent Teacher Conference
I my parent-teacher conference today with Ben's teacher. Ms. M is worried about... drum roll please... Ben's ability to concentrate. Or lack thereof. Next month they have 1.5 weeks of mandatory tests for 2 hours a DAY! (Thanks, No Child Left Behind) Sigh.
I am not sure what to do. We definitely see it at home, too. It's not new. When Ben was 3 it used to take him 45 minutes to get dressed. Now it takes us an hour to get through 25 minutes of homework.
How do you build up concentration? Can you?
His teacher has been moving him around to try and find the best classroom layout for him. Right now she has him at the quiet kids table which is helping. Unfortunately there is no such thing at home -- Nikki is running around doing his best to be destructive and noisy. Ms. M is also going to try rewarding him for finishing incremental portions of tasks. He gets a checkmark for each part he finishes. When he finishes 10 parts he can get up and do something active before sitting back down to work. She She gave me a couple of sheets to take home so I can try that, too.
Any suggestions anyone? Should we cut all TV? Cut all sweets? Try yoga? Hire a sitter to take Nik out of the house while I work with Ben? I know he can concentrate when he is really engaged with something... but he needs to be able to focus on school work, too. He just can't seem to do it. He gets frustrated. Homework takes forever. I crochet like crazy to keep my hands busy and not get annoyed by the snail's pace and fidgeting.
3 comments:
Has anyone raised the possibility of ADD? Katya had similar difficulties with concentration and the benefit she gets from Ritalin is visible almost immediately. Along the same lines, simply KNOWING that it's ADD and that she truly can't help it has made dealing with her difficulties much easier for me. I'm infinitely more patient now that I understand her better.
You might try hiring a sitter for Nick for a week... If it helps, then you'll know... Perhaps once Ben would be used to focusing more during homework, Nick could then be successfully "reintroduced" into the post-dinner routine.
p.s. Your crocheted "cousin" and mushroom (it's not bad!) are so cute. What lucky little guys :-) And you had me LAUGHING about your mini skirt and the church-going lady... She'd need smelling salts if she saw what "respectable" clothing can look like in Moscow...
Basically see-through blouses and fancy bras to teach high school history... Mesh t-shirts on NOT-BUFF guys with a blazer to go to work... Obligatory HOT PINK or red lipstick for every occasion...But then then there are all the terribly chic Russians, too... The outrageous ones are plentiful enough to keep it interesting!
Hmmm... I not sure... when he wants to he has incredible concentration. He can listen to stories for hours or work on an intricate model without fidgeting. He spent an hour fussy-cutting pictures for his project. The kids I have met who have ADD can never focus on anything. I think it is more boredom and distraction than ADD...
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