Term Four - Part Two

The last half of term four was not a particularly productive period of time. End of year fatigue set in shortly after our return from Broome. 

Unexpectedly though, Bee decided he was interested in undertaking some courses at TAFE in 2025. Together we researched what requirements he needed to proceed. He has shown an interest in becoming some type of therapist.

In 2025 he will undertake Cert II in Adult General Education in semester one, with a view to do some other courses in semester two (as yet to be decided).

Term 3 - Part Two

We were all knocked out with the flu (again) for the best part of the second half of the term. Bee has reached a point where anything that looks remotely like "school" is a no-go. 

Our focus has been on everyday life skills: cooking (planning a meal, shopping for it, preparation, and cooking), hygiene (personal, hygiene with food preparation, etc), discussing how taxes work in Australia (and how it differs from other places like the USA).

Thai yellow curry - Bee's favourite

Term 3 So Far

I'm not sure where the last few weeks have gone. It has been a bit of a blur. We have definitely moved from a relaxed home-schooling approach to unschooling/natural learning approach. Anything formal results in strong PDA and set backs. This has been a complete leap of faith for me, but I can see the results and Bee's confidence grow.

I had started the term with some prepared materials, having purchased a molecules model set. It was met with mild interest. Later that same week we were in the kitchen preparing breakfast, and in the process of making an iced chocolate drink the glass exploded. This totally captured Bee's interest and we discussed how the hot air and water trapped by the ice-cream caused pressure on the glass due to the uneven temperature distribution. Bee posited some theories about which forces were at play and we debated as to whether it was an implosion or explosion. After some research we found that it was an explosion rather than an implosion. These moments are far more invigorating for Bee than anything I can plan.

There have been some breaks recently in the dreary winter weather, allowing us to get out in nature more. We have enjoyed some family walks in the forest and visited the waterfalls to see the effects of all the rain we have had. 

The most recent podcast we have listened to was about bonobos with anthropologist Natalia Reagan. Natalia mentioned that bonobos, chimpanzees and humans have a common ancestor which lead to some robust discussion about evolution and DNA.

Bee has been assisting me with shopping and experiencing first hand that maths is indeed a part of everyday life. Working out prices based on cost per kilo, percentages and fractions have been highlighted through his experiences. Bee has been playing Geometry Dash again, building his own levels. He relishes making impossible levels.

Week 10

 

We have continued on with our discussions in hygiene and self care. Bee's father spent time helping Bee deep clean his bedroom (in an attempt to get on top of Bee's ongoing allergy issues). Bee's dad had a thorough discussion about the how's and why's of self care and health hygiene. 

Bee has started reading 1984 (George Orwell). 

Week Nine

 

Monday we listened to a Podcast on Anatomy with Professor Alice Roberts. This led to a variety of discussions during the week on health and the human body.

I dug up our anatomy chart and we took a look at the skeletal system. We found a book in our library about the human body. 

We also had some discussion about hygiene, particularly around self care and acne. There was also some discussion about hormones.  

We were also on the hunt for some good apps for world maps and the solar system. We settled on these: World Map 2024 and Solar Walk Planetarium.

Glimmer

 

A better start to the week. Bee has taken an interest in creating some videos and graphics. So we started the week with an introduction to Shotcut and Canva. He was pretty overwhelmed by some of the technical aspects of using these applications, so small steps. Bee has a tendency of becoming impatient and frustrated when he doesn't pick up new skills straight away. He wants to be an instant expert in any new interest, which can be tricky. 

Bee chose 1984 by George Orwell at the book shop the other day. So far he has only flicked through it, but it is the first time in years he has chosen a book for himself. 

Bee also enjoyed some games of pool with us this week, first time in a while he has wanted to. We also went to the library to find out what resources are available for us. We have been looking through the audiobooks available on some of the apps.

Week Seven

 

Another hard PDA week. Bee has really regressed with his social anxiety and is not even wanting to do things he would usually want to do (going for a drive, walk, etc) - not even tempted by fast food or treats. 

In the meantime I have loaded up some new podcasts and made a list of documentaries he may be willing to watch with me. I have rearranged our shelves to see if something interests Bee. I have some geometric nets printed out to be constructed along with some geometry illustrative books. I have also put some geography charts on display (rock cycle, seasons/solstices, land formations). I'm hoping a revamp might trigger some interest and engagement. 

Week 4

 

The whole house had the flu this week. I managed to broach the subject of school work with Bee, who is finding it difficult to see the value in most things he deems to be "school" related. His logic is that if he wants to learn about something he simply will when he needs or wants to. I tried to explain that he needs a certain level of numeracy and literacy for work and that it isn't always the content of "school" but rather the processes that teach critical and creative thinking skills. On the topic of maths he said he hasn't enjoyed the maths we have been doing so far and I reminded him that we had been doing worksheets so I can ascertain where we need to focus. He seemed to take that on board and I have left him to consider what I have said. 

We did listen to a podcast about The Great Barrier Reef with Dr Helen Scales.

Thursday was Occupational Therapy day.

We also had a reproductive health discussion on Friday. 

A Non Week

As the title suggests, this week was a non-week. Monday and Tuesday were firm PDA days. After pushing too hard last week I decided to just let it go and focus on other things.

We had our intro meeting with our home school moderator - I'm relieved to say she was happy with everything.

Bee and I did listen to a very interesting podcast about Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles. 

Thursday and Friday Bee was unwell. 

Not Enough Spoons

Bee's capacity this week was very low. All his spoons were used up for basic tasks and allied health appointments. He mentioned during therapy he was feeling stressed and not ready for learning.

We did manage to listen to a podcast about Galaxies with astrophysicist Dr. Jacinta Delhaize (we may have found a new podcast - Cosmic Savannah).

We also had a very robust conversation about conveying stories and how different mediums (tv, movies, video games) use different ways and tempos to unfold a story, especially in terms of time limits/constraints. We talked about "filler" - Bee felt that a lot of story telling has unnecessary scenes or arcs. I explained that this can be a way to control the tempo of a story and provide deeper understanding of certain characters or ideas. This links back to our visit to ACMI.

Another robust discussion we had was about the social and economic impact of automated registers in retail and fast food chains. Bee doesn't really mind them because for him he'd rather not have to make small talk when making purchases. We talked about the need for low skill/entry level jobs for people and the economy. 

Week Nine

 

It was a busy start to the week as we prepared for our first family holiday in a decade. Between allied health appointments and packing it was already Wednesday and time to fly.

Bee was highly anxious as there were so many unknown variables with this trip. He was worried about his sleep, the flight, having safe foods, being away from home and being in a big city.

Bee navigated all of the new experiences quite well. We attended some comedy shows, ate out at a variety of restaurants and admired the architecture whilst roaming the city. 

One of our key destinations was ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image). The centre has an amazing display of historical and contemporary pieces celebrating moving imagery, showcasing several pieces from Australian cinema, television and gaming. 

Bee was mostly interested in the optical illusions and displays for some Australian developed games which included sketches and outlines for story development. He also took an interest in some of the prosthetic pieces on display.

This trip gave Bee an opportunity to see a glimpse of the wider world and enjoy new experiences. There were definite times where he was overwhelmed and finding it difficult to communicate his needs in that moment, but there were also times he was able to overcome some of these difficulties without our intervention. 

Week Eight

 

This week we managed to get some work done on Bee's terms. I'm trying to keep demand low and bribes minimal. 

Monday - Bee asked to do some punctuation revision. He said he wasn't very confident with comma's and apostrophes. He wrote some sentences and used his comma's appropriately. When working on apostrophe's he wasn't very keen to use some of my/text examples and spends quite a bit of time thinking of his own. 

Tuesday  - Maths: Fractions, decimals and percentages revision. I think Bee surprised himself with how much he really did remember on this topic. 

After our work was done we went for a drive and listened to some podcasts, one on the Human Heart (only got half way through and Bee was overwhelmed thinking about it due to his recent testing) and the American Revolution.

Wednesday - Sleep issues have raised their ugly heads again (I don't think it truly goes away but rather gets to a point where Bee is unable to cope). We went for a scenic drive and finished our podcast on the American Revolution.

Thursday - Physiotherapy day. 

Week Seven

 

Now the weather is starting to cool Bee has been wanting to go for more walks and move his body about. He is still incredibly work resistant. The other day I gave him a choice between a maths worksheet and an English worksheet - he chose the math worksheet.

We had planned a trip to Augusta with some friends who also home-school, with primary focus to visit the Historical Museum. On the day our friends were unable to join us and when we arrived in Augusta the museum was closed (website said they would be open). We will try again next term. 

Week Six

 

I've been sitting here reflecting on this week; it felt like a particularly difficult week. There were two BIG emotional days, a lot of resistance. Looking at my diary though there were some educational positives.

Bee wrote (!) down some the things that are bothering him at the moment. He made a pros/cons list for our upcoming trip as he is anxious about some aspects of it. 

Podcasts we listened to this week were about Constellations, Elephants and one about the attempt to begin a New Australia in South America. 

Bee confessed he felt unsure about punctuation, so we did some revision focusing on full stops, comma's and apostrophes. 

Bee wrote his own math equation which led to us discussing different strategies, why certain strategies are important and provide the basis for further learning. I asked if he remembered BIMDAS - he said he had heard of but doesn't recall it.

We ended the week with a podcast on genetics - a topic that is close to home at the moment.

Week Five

 

Over the weekend I formulated a bit of choice plan for term two. I want to give Bee some choice and control over his learning in order to get optimal engagement. He has previously expressed interest in a more project based approach. 

I took some broad topics from the HASS and science curriculum that I know he either hasn't worked on before and I think will be of interest. If none of these grab his attention I have a more more broad approach in providing choice:

From here I can incorporate all learning area's and elements of the curriculum. 

Workwise we revised nouns, Bee completed a maths worksheet. Bee also wrote a plan for balancing work, play and mental health priorities. He wrote over half an A4 page which is HUGE for Bee, he was quite pleased with himself. Being left-handed, having hypermobility and proprioception dysfunction makes writing difficult for Bee and he often avoids writing tasks.

Bee watched several Vsauce videos - "What is the World Worth?" "What Will We Miss?" and the nothing episode:

Friday Bee baked some brownies. The only assistance he had from me was confirmation of turning on the oven and setting the temperature. Having dyspraxia means a lot of the movements required for cooking can be quite awkward for Bee. 

Bee is contemplating the project approach for next term. 

Week Four

 

We started the week with a trip to the beach. I then had a medical procedure scheduled, so was out of commission for the rest of the week. 

Bee did draw a mud map to assist in his recount of a story. He also spent some time drawing 3D objects and experimenting with line and shape with a mathomat. He has asked to do some cooking next week.

Bee finished the week by attending a birthday party.