Pen Pals

Remember way back in the day, schools use to encourage pen pals writing. Where one classroom would write another classroom from a different state; and throughout the school year, both classrooms would receive mail from each other.  Pen Pals writing would motivate children to write, teaches children how to address envelops and letters, and helps with penmanship. I don't know about all schools, just the ones that we've been to, because of our PCS moves. When schools have standardize testing, and teachers are no longer focusing on fun writing to motivate the children to write, but studying to take a test. Not a big fan of standardize testing or common core; not everyone learns material the same way; I have five children, who learn differently, because they have different personalities too.
My last blog, I talked about how letters are like a foreign language, BumbleBee Brie struggles not only with reading, but writing as well; the two interlock with each other. How can I get BumbleBee Brie to read and write at the same time? Well, a few days ago, there was a news story about pen pals {http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4455722/Pen-pals-finally-meet-42-years-handwritten-notes.html} and the idea just hit me. Why not pen pals for BumbleBee Brie, Jumping Jack Quarterback Jules, and Sassy Singing Stella? My three youngest don't have social media, why not pen pals. Since social media is so mainstream, the art of writing to people has been lost.


I went on my Facebook page, and asked my friends if they were interested in pen pals from my children. I had a few responses, which was perfect. This way I knew the parents of the child/ren, the would be wring to my children. I just didn't want my children to completely write to a strange, because I didn't know if this child was really a child. We do live in a not so safe society, we as parents should always be careful. So I turned to my friends on Facebook; but, I also belong to different Facebook groups for parental support for ASD, ODD, ADHD, DMDD, that I have turned to as well.
So if your child/ren struggles with reading and writing, maybe a pen pal will encourage with reading and writing; there are other parents out there, that are in the same boat. Do what I did, ask your friends or different support groups on Facebook! Safety is the priority for our children. Start an address book, and let the letters flow.

Letters are a foreign language!

BumbleBee Brie has always been a struggling reader, letters are a foreign language to her. Just speaking has been an challenge; BumbleBee Brie said her first word at three, and she finally memorized the alphabet last year, when she was eight. Oh, and as for sight words, they're a nightmare for us. Bob books are fabulous, either hard cover books or the apps for sights words. Thank goodness for Pinterest as well, getting ideas for mutli-sensory activities for struggling readers. Thank you http://blog.maketaketeach.com/ ! I got some awesome ideas from this blog, to help out BumbleBee Brie. I recently found a great Apps as well, I got the App from IPad, but don't know if it"s for Android.

As I was researching different reading online programs, I came across ASD Reading {https://www.asdreading.com}. So, yesterday I decided to do it and bought the program on a monthly bases. ASD Reading has monthly, yearly, and school prescription that subscribers can purchase. What I like about this online program, there is an assessment test for the children. When BumbleBee Brie came home yesterday, I had her take the assessment test; she did about 45 minutes, and did about 23% done with her test. It's a lengthy assessment test, but the program allows the children to take it over several days. Today will be day 2 for BumbleBee Brie taking her assessment test.

Summer break is are around the corner, and in some school districts, the reading programs are not meant for those with who have an IEP. Crazy, I know. But, those children with IEP's get help throughout the year, don't always qualify for a summer reading program. I know BumbleBee Brie understand stands letters and words, it's about piecing them together.  Puzzle pieces sometimes fit, and puzzle pieces sometimes don't fit. It's about finding the right puzzle piece, which is a struggle for us as parents. We so desperately try everything under a rock, to make life just a little easier for our children. For BumbleBee Brie, it's about her reading; for others, it's about being verbal or just to communicate somehow. Our road as parents is a rough, with hills and valleys, lots of curves in hoping to find a flat stable path. We do what we can. It's stressful and lonely at times. I will have several updates to "this" blog, underneath the puzzle piece photo. I will update when BumbleBee Brie is done with her assessment test, and when she advances to each level.

Update 1: BumbleBee Brie is done with her assessment test, there were two parts, and take three different sittings to sit and take the test; about 45 minutes each time. BumbleBee Brie is at level 1. Each level can take 6 weeks, and there 5 levels.