I love this girl. What I don't exactly enjoy is her flailing out of her chair, reading with her legs sprawled up on the wall and her hair in her mouth for a better part of home school. This girl line dances in her sleep. Because sternly saying "sit down," has become like the announcements at church-nobody's listening.
So, I've decided to tackle this head on. I've got a straw and a drink to prevent hairballs from forming in her small intestines; an exercise ball to keep her from falling back 85 times before 2 pm; and a bean bag iguana to keep her left hand busy while she works with her right.
It's only been a day, but it worked pretty well today. As long as I can keep this thing from being used as a total elimination dodge ball, I think we'll be good to go.
If you've got any other magic cures, I am all ears.
**As a side note, I went to title this post and originally I wrote "Beating Energetic Kids." I meant winning, but clearly this would have caused some issues between me and CPS.
Ok, so I wrote the above blog about a week ago. One day I decided to document how this ball thing was working. Here's what I captured in the span of 2 hours:
Reading. Note the toy placed between her knee caps. She told me it was to help keep her legs straight.
Reading comprehension questions. I could barely understand her answers to "What happened when the shepherd found the sheep?" Her head was actually under her desk at this point.
Working on her worksheet. Notice the blurry legs. Blurry legs=massive amounts of motion.
We had just finished math.
Seriously. I am out of good ideas. If you have a child who is in perpetual motion, how in the world do you get them to sit for 5 seconds? We do tons of physical activity during her homeschool, but at some point she does have to sit down for a few minutes. I'm up for any and all suggestions. I'll try and post them so that others can learn from your wisdom.
I don't have any good ideas, but she is just too cute! I love a girl who is always in motion and full of energy! :)
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain! Here's what's helped here. Some sort of kinesthetic activity first - a walk, bike ride, piano practice. Short lessons - no more than 15 minutes max. We alternate the type, so perhaps math, then reading, then handwriting, then history, etc.
ReplyDeleteHabit formation is big: when dawdling is happening, I give a warning and then if it continues, switch to a lesson as different as possible from the first, with the understanding that we WILL be returning to the one that was dawdled upon! We found dawdling had become a huge habit that had to be broken, which meant my habit of not paying attention to the dawdling had to be broken first. Ugh. I need to give very focused attention to get this child through school, while the others do independent work and check in with me. They get more focused time at intervals and in the afternoons.
We did not use an exercise ball for just the reasons you've found LOL, but an exercise disc on a chair is a bit less distracting. We've found a daily supplement of Nordic Naturals DHA to be very effective in helping the child be more calm and focused - the difference is apparent when we've run out. Don't know if that helps, but do know you're not alone in wiggle-land!
You are brave!!! My kids would be fighting over that thing in an instant and think that our apartment had been turned into a jungle gym. Wish I had some advice for you. I love that kid too!
ReplyDeleteCarrie, I wanted to email but didn't see a link - please excuse the second comment. You prompted me to put together a post I'd been meaning to write about this subject, and I linked to your post as well - thought I'd give you a heads-up!
ReplyDeletehttp://undertheevergreens.blogspot.com/2012/04/when-it-is-so-hard-to-sit-still-and-pay.html
- Aimee
"L" was alot like this. We did away with desk work unless she opted for it herself. Math was usually done with her workbook on the floor and her body half off the couch. She laid on the trampoline to read, drew maps while sitting on the kitchen floor, etc. some days I would have her draw a slip of paper every 20 minutes with an activity. ( do one math page, do 10 jumping jacks, read five pages, eat a graham cracker- she always finished her work, and did it right) "L" graduated in the top 3 percent at TWHS, excelled at A&M and is now a recruiter at a large firm. Try asking her where she"d like to work and don't sweat it. She IS learning, just unconventionally. Suzanne Handley
ReplyDeleteSuzanne-These are good reminders for me. I think I just project her 15 years from now and see her wanting to pace her way through college lectures. I love your "L," so if Charis turns out anything like her, then I'll be a happy mama.
ReplyDeletePut that sweet girl on a stationary bike and let her peddle away while she is reading/writing on a desk-like platform attached to the handlebars!! (Her cousin, Faith, has similar energy!!!)
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