Ideas are like pizza dough, made to be tossed around...

...except when the idea is making pizza sauce from canned tomato sauce. Bram and I made a pizza from scratch for dinner last night. I found the dough recipe online and I got the bright idea to make the sauce from some tomato sauce I already had on hand. The crust turned out YUMMEH. The sauce... not so much. It looks good though, right?

I added a bit of olive oil, herbs, and a tiny bit of salt. I let it simmer all damn afternoon, hoping that would bring out the flavor of the herbs more, but it was still WAY too tangy and...tomato-ish. >.<

Ah well. Bram had fun anyway. Here he is stirring the yeast.

And "taste testing".

I didn't get any pics of the dough in progress because Bram was kinda cranky at the time so I kinda forgot. But here is the finished product.

Luckily, he liked it (not quite as picky as Mommy).

Guess who's getting pizza for lunch for the next week?

Since its been almost 9 months...

...And I have internet again, I thought I would go over what Bram has learned so far again using the World Book Curriculum Guide. The ones in green are new skills!

Size
* Understands big and little.
* Understands long and short.
* Matches shapes or objects based on size.

Colors and Shapes
* Recognizes and names primary colors.
* Recognizes circles.
* Recognizes rectangles.
* Matches shapes or objects based on shape.
* Copies shapes.

Numbers
* Counts orally through 10.
* Counts objects in one-to-one correspondence.
* Understands empty and full.
* Understands more and less.

Reading Readiness
* Remembers objects from a given picture.
* Knows what a letter is.
* Has been read to frequently.
* Has been read to daily.
* Looks at books and magazines.
* Recognizes some nursery rhymes.
* Identifies parts of the body.
* Identifies objects that have a functional use.
* Knows common farm and zoo animals.
* Pronounces own first name.
* Pronounces own last name.
* Expresses self verbally.
* Identifies other children by name
* Tells the meaning of simple words.
* Repeats a sentence of 6-8 words.
* Completes incomplete sentence with proper word.
* Has own books.
* Understands that print carries a message.
* Pretends to read.
* Uses left-to-right progression.
* Answers questions about a short story.
* Tells the meaning of words heard in story.
* Looks at pictures and tells a story.
* Identifies own first name in manuscript.
* Prints own first name.

Position and Direction
* Understands up and down.
* Understands in and out.
* Understands front and back.
* Understands over (on) and under.
* Understands top, bottom, middle.
* Understands beside and next to.
* Understands hot and cold.
* Understands fast and slow.

Time
* Understands day and night.
* Knows age and birthday.

Listening and Sequencing
* Follows simple directions.
* Listens to a short story.
* Listens carefully.
* Recognizes common sounds.
* Repeats a sequence of sounds.
* Repeats a sequence of orally given numbers.
* Retells simple stories in sequence.

Motor Skills
* Is able to run.
* Is able to walk a straight line. -Using a walker. ;)
* Is able to jump.
* Is able to hop.
* Is able to alternate feet walking down stairs.
* Is able to march.
* Is able to stand on one foot for 5-10 seconds.
* Is able to walk backwards for five feet.
* Is able to throw a ball.
* Pastes objects.
* Claps hands.
* Matches simple objects.
* Touches fingers.
* Able to button a garment.
* Builds with blocks.
* Completes simple puzzles
(5 pieces or less). -Heh. He can do a 24 piece puzzle! :)
* Draws and colors beyond a simple scribble.
* Able to zip a zipper.
* Controls pencil and crayon well.
* Cuts simple shapes.
* Handles scissors well.
* Able to copy simple shapes.

Social-Emotional Development
* Can be away from parents or primary care givers for 2-3 hours
without being upset. -Doesn't happen here. ;)
* Takes care of toilet needs independently.
* Feels good about self.
* Is not afraid to go to school. -Not applicable!
* Cares for own belongings.
* Knows full name.
* Dresses self.
* Knows how to use handkerchief
or tissue.
* Knows own sex.
* Brushes teeth.
* Crosses residential street safely.
* Asks to go to school. -Also n/a.
* Knows parents' names.
* Knows home address.
* Knows home phone number.
* Enters into casual conversation.
* Carries a plate of food.
* Maintains self-control.
* Gets along well with other children.
* Plays with other children.
* Recognizes authority.
* Shares with others.
* Talks easily. -Assuming this means ease of speaking to others rather than how well he speaks.
* Likes teachers. -Again, n/a, but he generally likes his therapists.
* Meets visitors without shyness.
* Puts away toys.
* Able to stay on task.
* Able to work independently.
* Helps family with chores.

Water Play

Same idea as the flour of course, just with water! I think we both had a bit more fun with the flour actually, but on the bright side, I didn't have to scrub "paste" out of the carpet this time. :)

Flour Child

We had some fun with flour today. :) We traced letters and numbers. We traced shapes. We burried things; we found things. We got flour in our hair, on our clothes, in the carpet.

Tomorrow I think we'll try water (once the flour is as far away as possible!).

Here are some pics of the mess we made.

























We had a lot of fun. :) And I learned that its never a good idea to let diaper-less toddlers loose in a room with flour everywhere because you wind up with pee paste in your carpet. LOL

Preschool Curriculum Guide

I actually found this on another unschooler's blog and even though a few of them are irrelevant to Bram as an unschooler and because of his delays, I thought it would be a good guide. :) The ones crossed out are the ones he's already achieved.

Size
* Understands big and little.
* Understands long and short.
* Matches shapes or objects based on size.

Colors and Shapes
* Recognizes and names primary colors.
* Recognizes circles.
* Recognizes rectangles.
* Matches shapes or objects based on shape.
* Copies shapes.

Numbers
* Counts orally through 10.
* Counts objects in one-to-one correspondence.
* Understands empty and full.
* Understands more and less.

Reading Readiness
* Remembers objects from a given picture.
* Knows what a letter is.
* Has been read to frequently.
* Has been read to daily.
* Looks at books and magazines.
* Recognizes some nursery rhymes.
* Identifies parts of the body. (Not all of course, but quite a few.)
* Identifies objects that have a functional use.
* Knows common farm and zoo animals.
* Pronounces own first name.
* Pronounces own last name.
* Expresses self verbally.
* Identifies other children by name
* Tells the meaning of simple words.
* Repeats a sentence of 6-8 words.
* Completes incomplete sentence with proper word.
* Has own books.
* Understands that print carries a message.
* Pretends to read.
* Uses left-to-right progression.
* Answers questions about a short story.
* Tells the meaning of words heard in story.
* Looks at pictures and tells a story.
* Identifies own first name in manuscript.
* Prints own first name.

Position and Direction
* Understands up and down. (He knows up, we're still working on down.)
* Understands in and out.
* Understands front and back.
* Understands over (on) and under.
* Understands top, bottom, middle.
* Understands beside and next to.
* Understands hot and cold.
* Understands fast and slow.

Time
* Understands day and night.
* Knows age and birthday.

Listening and Sequencing
* Follows simple directions.
* Listens to a short story.
* Listens carefully.
* Recognizes common sounds.
* Repeats a sequence of sounds.
* Repeats a sequence of orally given numbers.
* Retells simple stories in sequence.

Motor Skills
* Is able to run.
* Is able to walk a straight line.
* Is able to jump.
* Is able to hop.
* Is able to alternate feet walking down stairs.
* Is able to march.
* Is able to stand on one foot for 5-10 seconds.
* Is able to walk backwards for five feet.
* Is able to throw a ball.
* Pastes objects.
* Claps hands.
* Matches simple objects.
* Touches fingers.
* Able to button a garment.
* Builds with blocks.
* Completes simple puzzles(5 pieces or less).
* Draws and colors beyond a simple scribble.
* Able to zip a zipper.
* Controls pencil and crayon well.
* Cuts simple shapes.
* Handles scissors well.
* Able to copy simple shapes.

Social-Emotional Development
* Can be away from parents or primary care givers for 2-3 hourswithout being upset. (Irrelevant as I've never left him with anyone other than a primary caregiver.)
* Takes care of toilet needs independently.
* Feels good about self.
* Is not afraid to go to school. (Irrelevant.)
* Cares for own belongings.
* Knows full name.
* Dresses self.
* Knows how to use handkerchiefor tissue.
* Knows own sex.
* Brushes teeth. (He still needs help of course.)
* Crosses residential street safely.
* Asks to go to school. (Again, irrelevant.)
* Knows parents' names.
* Knows home address.
* Knows home phone number.
* Enters into casual conversation.
* Carries a plate of food.
* Maintains self-control.
* Gets along well with other children.
* Plays with other children. (Yes, but as if they were toys. >.<)
* Recognizes authority.
* Shares with others.
* Talks easily.
* Likes teachers. (Yet again, irrelevant.)
* Meets visitors without shyness.
* Puts away toys. (Only with much encouragement.)
* Able to stay on task.
* Able to work independently.
* Helps family with chores.

You can find this list and lists for other grade levels here.

Beginnings

Hmm, well I guess I could start at the beginning. :) Bram was born with a rare congenital brain malformation called Bilateral Perisylvian Polymicrogyria and a joint deformity called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita. He has had a tenotomy twice to correct his clubbed feet and a hip abduction to correct congenital hip dysplasia. Also, as a result of his condition (we believe), he was diagnosed failure to thrive at around 20 months old. He's come a long way to get where he is now - he can crawl on all fours now (as opposed to the "army crawl") and pull to a stand (though not correctly yet, he uses his upper body more than his legs). We also just started him on Pediasure a few days ago and we're hoping that will put enough weight and muscle on him so that he'll be strong enough to take his first steps soon. :)

Ok, on to the point of the blog...

I have always been interested in homeschooling but after I found out that I was going to be raising a special-needs child, I ignorantly decided against it. I didn't think I would be capable of meeting his needs, much less supply him with enough social interaction for a non-verbal child. However, after learning the term "unschooling" online, I became intrigued. I did a lot of research on it, I read tons of personal stories and blogs and books, and I finally came to the conclusion that this could be the best thing for my incredibly, overly sensitive child, special-needs or not! :p I love the idea that the natural curiosity he exhibits now as a toddler could be a part of him forever as long as I didn't "squash" it out of him by forcing him to learn what I (or a teacher) says and where, how, and when to learn it. Besides, he has a lifetime of learning ahead of him and I would love to be a part of it while he'll still let me. ;)

My Bram