peacefully
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Posts posted by peacefully
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I am also doing the CK science sequence. Have you looked at the Delta Science Modules at School Specialty? These are FABULOUS inquiry-driven science units, which mostly align with the CK sequence (the grade levels may be off by a year). You can download a pdf of the activity sequence for each unit. Most of the supplies are readily available, with only a few specialty items. Personally, I think they are easier to implement than GEMS. The teacher handbooks are expensive, however. We just make our science stuff a high priority in our homeschool budget.
Another good one is FOSS (also developed by Livermore Hall of Science), but DSM is easier to implement.
If nothing else, the pdf samples of the teacher handbooks are a good source of inspiration for developing your own units.
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Well, my ds is only 6, but these air pressure demonstrations also had my 8-12 yo nephews really excited.
The first is keeping an upside-down full glass of water from pouring out, using just an index card. It takes a while for the kids to figure out what the heck is going on. I ask them to try to do it and explain what is going on.
The second is crushing an empty soda can, simply by creating a vacuum inside the can. You heat a small amount of water in the can on your stove until the water is vigorously boiling (thus steaming). Then you quickly turn the can over into a shallow pan of water, creating a seal. Wham! The can collapses with a loud POP!
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Their use of the manips is not what bothers me. There are plenty of times that when it is necessary to show that a 10-rod can be represented as 10 units. When a student is learning regrouping strategies, it is necessary that they see the two representations as interchangeable. Also, it's pretty standard in many math programs to use base-10 manipulatives to teach decimals.
I would not want to use that EM teacher's guide though. I got a chance to look over a TM and student materials. It made me very glad that we use Singapore and supplement with Miquon and Math Mammoth. I do admit, though, that after looking at EM, I have been thinking more about how to inject more cross-curricular math into our homeschool day and what kind of math "projects" that we can do.
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Acetylcholine is also an important brain neurotransmitter and is thought to be involved in memory, learning, self-regulation, and organization of sensory signals.
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I wish I knew more. A few years ago, I researched certain aminos for mild depression. I was taking 5-HTP, tyrosine, and GABA to shift my serotonin and dopamine levels. As I recall, there was quite a long metabolic cascade that started with proteins and enzymes, fatty acids, vitamins, and cholesterol and ended with the precursors and catalysts that synthesize the neurotransmitters that your body needs to regulate mood, memory, mental alertness and energy. I have no information at all about how neurotransmitters might specifically influence muscle tone. Michelle's article is the very first time I've considered the connection. But I was thinking that poor protein absorption will lead to a deficiency in aminos, which will hamper the production of the neurotransmitters that might be needed to regulate the neurological responses that govern muscle contraction.
If your nutritionist is saying that there is a digestion issue (bioavailability of aminos), that absolutely will affect neurological function, one way or another. I've always wondered if ds's issues are impacted by digestion. Remember the conversation about the GAPS diet? That diet was developed by a neurologist who maintains that compromised digestion can aggravate the symptoms of a whole host of neurological conditions (autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, etc.). Now iirc, her position is mostly that poor digestion leads to conditions that allow neurotoxins to cross the blood-brain barrier (I think???). A model of neurological function that looks at the bioavailability of aminos is going in a different direction, but yeah, digestion is always going to be a big component of brain function. [Editing to say that digestion isn't always going to be an issue. What I meant is that where there are these neurological learning issues, I would also look at nutrition/digestion].
Your google search is going to be as good as mine on this one. I will, however, get dh and some of his doctor buddies to help me decipher some of the medical literature as I continue to look into this. If I find anything interesting, I will be sure to share.
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I personally don't see a big discrepancy between what your nutritionist and John Hopkins are both saying. Proteins are how our bodies obtain amino acids, which are vital in the production of various neurotransmitters.
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It helped me. :001_smile:
I'm getting through this bout of insomnia with some videos on dyspraxia. Thanks, Michelle!
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This is just one of many articles out there on Muscle Tone and Nutrition.
http://devdelay.org/newsletter/articles/pdf/356-how-nutrition-impacts-muscle-tone.pdf
I don't think this "circle" is coincindence. They have to be co-morbid or related, IMO. L Carnitine helps me, no doubt and I am diagnosed through a muscle biopsy as low tone. When my kids have their next allergy bloodwork drawn, I want them to also check their L Carnitine levels. My other concern is with the multiple food allergies, slow growth, and EE likely that there is a mitochondrial issue. We've been to the dietician, whom reviewed everything, said my kids are eating the right foods and right amount of them, but there appears to be an absorption issue. We've had too many doctors look at parts and not the whole child.
Oh man! Reading that symptom list is making me freak out a little. Ds doesn't have all of those issues, but he has most. :(
I'm seeing another huge area that I'm going to have to research.
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I was just talking to dh about this, and he mentioned that hypothyroidism is the most common cause for the set of symptoms you are describing. If that has definitively been ruled out, he thinks you should try to check your basal body temperature to see if you are simply feeling cold or truly not regulating (are you still 98° or are you currently hovering at 96° or 95°?). Less common reasons for feeling cold can include infection (sometimes chills can occur without accompanying fever). Also, true thermal dysregulation can have some neurological component. If you are feeling profoundly cold, you really need a full work-up by your physician.
I'm always running on the cold side myself, so I totally feel for you! I have to remember to stay warm, because when I'm cold, I turn wickedly cranky. In the winter months, I have to stay away from carbs and eat a high fat diet (well-sourced, organic, saturated fats). This past winter, the only things keeping me feeling semi-normal was a large amount of organic butter and extra-virgin coconut oil, especially the coconut oil (the medium-chain fatty acids change your metabolism).
I hope you feel better soon!! :grouphug::grouphug:
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I'm not sure I have anything helpful to add, but my dh (primary care physician) insisted that we get a pediatric neurology screen after we received the neuropsychologist report and the SPD diagnosis from the OT. The neurologist found absolutely nothing that warranted further testing, and based solely on our descriptions of ds's behaviors, she shrugged, saying that some kids are just quirky and she sees a lot of that. I was a little peeved because, while the neurologist was supportive of homeschooling, she was perhaps the most condescending health care practitioner I have ever met (this is saying something).
My own personal annoyances aside, my dh was relieved to have obtained the screening. He kept saying that we don't know what we don't know and that motor issues can often be the first sign of degenerative conditions, heavy metal toxicity, and who know what else. At the time, I was hugely annoyed and skeptical, but now, I suppose that the lack of a diagnosis from the neurologist is a relief.
I have no suggestions or further information, but I just wanted to share and offer my support for whatever decision you make. :001_smile:
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Ruth, thank you so much for your post. My ds is almost 7, and he would LOVE to do an extended investigation, such as the one you were describing.
My question is how would someone who has almost no experience in such a process learn the various methodologies that scientists might use? Your background in biology clearly helped you to help your dc design a real science project. Where could I get a crash course in designing science experiments or investigations? I'm not really talking about just learning the steps of the scientific process. Are there resources that might teach different methodologies for gathering and analyzing data for the different science subjects?
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