PLEASE help me find best curricula for boy with ADHD!!!!

[truebluexf]

I'm losing my mind fighting with him to get things done. There HAVE to be programs out there that help kid's with ADHD more than others. 5th grade....

[ClassicMom]

I can truly sympathize. Have you seen this thread?

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153797

[truebluexf]

Thanks...I have skimmed it, some of it helps. I should add he loves to read and is excellent/way above grade level there. Spelling is ok, I might get him spelling workout next year. I'm planning SL 1+2 for history...he loves to listen to read alouds too. But sitting and writing, doing math, etc....it's torture. He does MUS, he says he likes it, but it's like he has ants in his pants and chases every butterfly.

[Lori D.]

It may be more a matter of a changing *how* you do your schoolwork, rather than having to switch to all new programs.

 

Patience (sounds like he is in early elementary?) to give him the extra time that ADD/ADHD students need for maturing, and keeping each subject session short and then moving to something very different can help.

 

Try having DS stand up to do seatwork, with the workbook on a table or counter, so he can move his legs and lower body around when doing his seatwork (math, writing, etc.). Or have him do seatwork at a low desk or coffee table while sitting on a big exercise ball that allows him to move while working.

 

Let him handle a fidget toy in the non-pencil holding hand when doing seatwork to help him focus (some ADD/ADHD students need to physically move in order to focus, while others need to have a constant stream of chatter going in order to "rev" their brains with the brain chemical they are missing or are low in). Fidget toys are also very helpful for focus during read alouds.

 

Try breaking writing into "mini-bursts of learning" (10 minutes per "burst", 2-3 times a day) and insert between non-writing subjects. (For example, read aloud, then 10 minutes of writing; science, then 10 minutes of writing, lunch and history, then another 10 minutes of writing. Also, work for 20 minutes, then insert a short burst of high energy physical activity -- run to the corner and back; bounce around the house on a big bouncy ball, jump with a jump rope or on a mini trampoline for 5 minutes, dance to a high energy song, etc.

 

Pick your battles; if seatwork/writing is a horror, then do a lot of work orally -- grammar, math facts, geography, etc. Have DS dictate to YOU for narrations; the next day use that as his writing copywork (a sentence or two at a time). Especially when learning a new math concept that you want him to focus on learning, YOU write down the steps or answers in the workbook as he dictates to you. As he gets older and begins to gain maturity and ability, you can begin to wean away from so much oral work, and slowly work towards more written work.

 

For writing: starting at about 3rd or 4th grade, the IEW method of keyword outlining, fleshing out the outline, revising, final copy was very helpful here, doing ONE step of the process each day, and by the end of the week you have a final paragraph; as the student becomes more adept, you can do two steps in one day, separated by time (the "mini-bursts" from above), slowly working towards middle school and ability to do almost all of the process in one sitting.

 

I would NOT recommend Spelling Workout (yet another workbook) for an ADHD student. Work with words on a whiteboard; do out loud spelling practice back and forth; try visual memory techniques from Dianne Craft, or the auditory CDs of Phonetic Zoo.

 

Also, do check out all the nutritional supplement, writing 8s exercises and other effective helps for ADHD students at Dianne Craft's website. For example, try strengthening the left-right brain hemisphere connections by starting your day with 2-3 minutes of left-right marching (as RIGHT knee comes up high, LEFT arm swings forward; as knee goes down, arm swings back; as LEFT knee comes up high, RIGHT arm swings forward, etc.)Also, as your student moves into the middle school years, check out the techniques and specific helps in all the school subject areas from Jeffrey Freed's "Right Brain Children in a Left Brain World: Unlocking the Potential of Your ADD Child".

 

 

Our younger son was highly visual-spatial learner with mild "stealth" dyslexia, and it took the first 4-5 years of homeschooling to figure out what worked, but also for him to finally begin to start that brain maturity process (some things at about age 10, others not till about age 12). So, hang in there! And BEST of luck! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited May 7, 2012 by Lori D.

[truebluexf]

He's going into 5th grade. We have done a lot of oral learning, but some things just need to be written. I'm not able to do everying aloud with him, as I have two other children who need my time. He actually gets frustrated now with too much back and forth between us, because he wants to move on. FLL4 was too much hand holding this year, and we pretty much dropped it. Ironically, a workbook that is more to the point has done us well. Math is killing me right now...and I think I figured out why this afternoon. I think it's bc MUS moves into such advanced math skills by the end of the year. He CAN do the long division, but he hasn't the patience for it yet, it's pure torture. I'm really wondering if TT would be better in that respect. (MM and Singapore were disasters for how he learns, but he really likes MUS.) I think these late chapters are too much. We had the same issues with the end of Gamma, even though we did that at the beginning of this year. The layout of their pages are perfect for him though...not too busy, not an overwhelming amount of work on each page.

 

Oh, and WWW uses that same kind of method, one step each day, and seems to work well for him. ;)

[ClassicalTwins]

http://www.amazon.com/How-Your-Child-Refrigerator-Learning/dp/1883002702

 

It has been a while since I pulled this book off the shelf, but it does have alot of ideas for doing many subjects while kids are on the move.

[ssavings]

Have you looked at Timberdoodle's grade level packages? Even if everything isn't a fit for him, maybe some of it will be? They seem to combine short but effective lessons with fun hands-on.

[MomatHWTK]

I use this program, the grades 5-8 set:

https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/plato-complete/?c=1

[lillybell]

I have a teen with adhd and a 12 year old with adhd. My 13 year old has the inattentive adhd so she is much more mellowed out when doing schoolwork and can sit still. However, with all of them, it was a struggle keeping them focused. My inattentive daughter, would start daydreaming while my hyperactive daughters just couldn't sit still. I had to come up with methods to help all of them. They each are different in what works for them. My inattentive daughter works very well with list so for her, I schedule her work out with Homeschool tracker online and print out the weeks schedule. Knowing what she has to work on she checks mark the work as she completes it. My youngest daughter who can't sit still, I struggled with but so far we are doing the workbox method and has been working very well. She is also very visual so we do lapbooks together for history along with Story of the USA, which pretty much keeps her attention. I try to make work fun for her and not to repetitive adding games and activities along the way. I find that helps a lot. My oldest was the exact same way but we struggled through it since she was the first one I homeschooled and I really didn't get the hang of it until she was older and I was trying to teach them all in the same manner. Curriculum is also a challenge because it has to be pretty custom for each child's style of learning. I went subject by subject doing a ton of research to make sure it would keep their attention. For Math, I do use Teaching Textbooks and that has worked out for my all my daughters. I do have to spend more time with my youngest with activities but only when her workboxes tell her to ask for mom's help. Also giving her breaks between workboxes helps.

Edited May 8, 2012 by lillybell

[Irishmommy]

We used Adventures in MFW this year along with Sonlight D+E, and it has been a good fit for us. My son reads almost all the Sonlight books himself (all at once - it drives him crazy to stop with a few chapters). I added in some Evan Moore pockets and he seemed to like those along with the hands-on suggestions in the MFW manual. I also have found that my son does better with a list of things for the day, as well as starting the day with silent reading.

[Targhee]

I should add he loves to read and is excellent/way above grade level there. Spelling is ok, I might get him spelling workout next year. I'm planning SL 1+2 for history...he loves to listen to read alouds too. But sitting and writing, doing math, etc....it's torture. He does MUS, he says he likes it, but it's like he has ants in his pants and chases every butterfly.

 

Is he more on the hyperactive side than the inattentive side? I have three ADHD kids (inattentive type, and two combined - these two are soooo impulsive too that I have to be ready with things because they just want to take off full-throttle and don't want to wait for me to gather things).

 

There are lots of suggestions on how to school, but since you asked specifically on curriculum here is what works for us:

 

IEW works well because there is only one step per day. My DD hates it because she hates writing, but she does enjoy watching the videos. I do have to keep on her to get the work done because of her inattention.

 

AAS for spelling works because they get to move around the tiles. We sit on the floor together with with whiteboard leaning against the wall.

 

RS math works too because there isn't a lot of seat work. There is verbal exchange, abacus work, other manipulatives, etc. That being said, I switch my kids after RS B to SM because I like the order it introduces topics better. If you don't mind the order it covers material it is a very hands-on and conceptually-robust math program.

 

I tried the Creeks Edge Task cards for social studies and science this year. While I love the idea, it simply was a bad match for my kids. There is a lot of writing involved, and lots of independent tasks.

 

Good luck!

[PeterPan]

Well definitely head on over to the SN board. You'd get lots of discussion there...

 

Are you using a daily checklist yet so he knows the plan? Are you getting serious physical in each morning before you expect him to sit and work? Are you giving him sensory input in his work time (weight for lap, something to fidget with or crunch, etc.)? Are you using multiple modalities? Are you having him DO stuff or just watch and look and read? These kids are DOers.

 

The less curriculum I buy and the more stuff we DO, the more happy we are in our house. I cherry-pick stuff. I'll buy a tm and use it just as a spine for me to guide what I discuss with her. Then I'll have her read a series of books that are way more interesting. I've got the BJU Physical Science (9th gr ) *labs* to do with her next year. The rest I'll digest and funnel down to her. Lots and lots and lots of DOING. Snap Circuits were a LOT of fun for my dd at that age. The VP online self-paced history has worked out very well for us. With it you're doing (games), seeing, listening, lots of modalities all at once.

 

You know when I've gotten really overwhelmed over the years (which has happened more than once and most often on MONDAYS), I try to make a list of all the subjects and put them in two columns: what is working and what is NOT working. That way I only fix what is NOT working. ;) Sometimes that list isn't so bad as it seems, kwim? Sometimes changing one or two things can make a HUGE difference. Sometimes an hour of good rough play outdoors before starting lessons can change the whole day. That's one thing that changes everything, kwim? Sometimes it's realizing he wakes up slowly and isn't actually ready to work till he has been up 2 hours. (Happened at our house!)

 

And Mondays, oh frightful Mondays. Honest to goodness sometimes I wish it wasn't a day of rest! EVERY SINGLE BLESSED MONDAY for *8* years my dc has woken up and looked at me wondering if there would or would not be school that day. Seriously!!! She did it again today!!!! Do you know how exasperating that is? I'll bet you do, because it's probably part of why you posted, lol. It's like a whole new job for them. They got used to weekend-ing and now have to get used to school-ing. Tuesdays are usually FINE. It's just Mondays that, well they fit that sig someone here used to have about having a day that would make St. Francis of Assisi kick babies. ;)

 

Make some little changes. Figure out what's really not working and separate that out from the things that *are* working. Sounds like spelling is working and some other things. That's awesome and will make you feel better to quantify it! Then head over the to SN boards and get some booklists and whatnot to inspire you. And if you're not using a printed checklist (or ipad checklist) so this dc knows EXACTLY what the plan is, then make one pronto. Could be index cards in a pocket chart, anything. He just needs to see the plan, every single day, and know there is one. :)

 

BTW, you asked about curriculum. Our stuff was for girls. I told you about VP history. We did CW for writing (bad fit), RS and BJU (good, good), MM (ok, so so), TT (undecided), BJU science and reading (I liked, she hated), WTM writing (I find helpful for skill acquisition, she finds challenging but beneficial, not done exactly as SWB says but with a lot of common sense and use of technology). We've done some co-op classes, which she found VERY motivating but only about 25% of the time actually a good fit. And the curriculum stuff like BJU science we tended to trim and turn into more hands-on. The more we've done that, the more successful we've been. When we've lost that, well let's just say our feet got riddled with bullet holes. Ooo, Shurley grammar, LOVE Shurley! That's good for boys and girls.

Edited May 8, 2012 by OhElizabeth

[truebluexf]

Thank you!!!!! :)

 

The day plan is big for him. I need a way to make it work. I'm unstructured, and he wants rigid lines...KWIM? I should make a new checklist for him today bc we have gone barebones for the remainder of the year due to health stuff with my youngest.

 

He is hyperactive, can pretty much never sit still, and doesn't stay focused on anything unless it's something he really wants to do (like he loves to read, and can sit in bed for hours doing so.) if I send him to do a task. There is a 25% chance he won't get distracted before actually completing it.

[truebluexf]

Looking at TT right now. I wonder if it would be better to put him TT5, most of which would be review for him, or TT6. I wonder if an "easy" year to solidify facts, etc would be better for him...boost confidence, etc bc math will be easier. I'm not sure it's so important he hit algebra in 8th grade and be "ahead."

 

(wondering also if another year of maturity during this time will make 6th grade a little easier, bc he will have that confidence, etc. Or if I should just make him do Dreambox all summer, which might tick him off lol. The only reason he has any trouble with long division or multiplication is that there are too many steps, he doesn't slow down and pay attention, and his times table recall is poor so he still skip counts everything.)

Edited May 8, 2012 by truebluexf

[PeterPan]

Give him the placement test for TT and let that help you decide.

 

You want to be careful about cutting way back on his school work or plan just because a sibling is sick. My dd gets really, really squirrelly when I don't have enough planned. When I add in more work she actually does better. Doesn't have to be more paper-pushing but something on the plan, kwim? It could be he's going to start a birdhouse project or 4-H project and gets a time slot every day for that. It could be he's going to work on learning to type (highly recommend) and he gets a timeslot for that. Mavis Beacon has been awesome for us after several flops with other programs. We also ended up switching to the Dvorak keyboard layout because of the fine motor stuff and problems crossing the midline. But that's another story, hehe.

 

Anyways, find things that he can do that you can put on the schedule. That way he knows the plan! They like waking up knowing what they're doing! Their go-bugs leave them really frustrated if they're waiting around for us to tell them what that thing is. Don't make it hard. You make make categories for his activities (screen time, typing time, outdoors time, free reading time, lego time, etc.) and put them on index cards. Sunday night talk through your plan for the week, put all the cards onto the frig with magnets in the order he wants to do them, then stick to that. Make cards for hours if he likes times, or just use them as a checklist and order for the day. That way he knows exactly what he's doing, every day. He can MOVE them if it's not working. It's not like this is perfectionist. It's just a starting point, a plan. And then it's out in the open, so he can see it. I used something like that when my dd was a certain age. We've done all sorts of ways. Just try some out and see what sticks. Doesn't have to be draconian, top-down, or strictly enforced. It's just helping him know the plan. :)

[PeterPan]

Give him the placement test for TT and let that help you decide.

 

You want to be careful about cutting way back on his school work or plan just because a sibling is sick. My dd gets really, really squirrelly when I don't have enough planned. When I add in more work she actually does better. Doesn't have to be more paper-pushing but something on the plan, kwim? It could be he's going to start a birdhouse project or 4-H project and gets a time slot every day for that. It could be he's going to work on learning to type (highly recommend) and he gets a timeslot for that. Mavis Beacon has been awesome for us after several flops with other programs. We also ended up switching to the Dvorak keyboard layout because of the fine motor stuff and problems crossing the midline. But that's another story, hehe.

 

Anyways, find things that he can do that you can put on the schedule. That way he knows the plan! They like waking up knowing what they're doing! Their go-bugs leave them really frustrated if they're waiting around for us to tell them what that thing is. Don't make it hard. You make make categories for his activities (screen time, typing time, outdoors time, free reading time, lego time, etc.) and put them on index cards. Sunday night talk through your plan for the week, put all the cards onto the frig with magnets in the order he wants to do them, then stick to that. Make cards for hours if he likes times, or just use them as a checklist and order for the day. That way he knows exactly what he's doing, every day. He can MOVE them if it's not working. It's not like this is perfectionist. It's just a starting point, a plan. And then it's out in the open, so he can see it. I used something like that when my dd was a certain age. We've done all sorts of ways. Just try some out and see what sticks. Doesn't have to be draconian, top-down, or strictly enforced. It's just helping him know the plan. :)

[truebluexf]

BC of MUS, he is ahead in multiplication and division but behind on fractions and decimals....he could go either way, but TT5 could help build mastery, which might make all later math easier.

 

My daughter has had major GI stuff going on, was down to elemental formula, and now we are getting some foods but still figuring it out. I spend a lot of time time cooking and little time sleeping, so it's been a basics kind of year. Next year will be sooo much better!!! I just want to get through this last month, and make a plan for next year. ;). I should add they all do a great job of making projects and keeping busy otherwise.

Edited May 8, 2012 by truebluexf

[Lori D.]

Math

Long division was really tough for our DS, too -- too many steps to have keep focused on and he would lose patience; it was during 5th grade it began to "click" for him, though it was never easy for him. I wish I had found this short cut method to teach him! Notice in that YouTube demo of the short cut method the use of different colors at each step to help keep it clear -- ADD/ADHD are usually highly visual-spatial learners, and color coding really helps steps "pop out" to them.

 

Also, while Math-U-See was the first math program we found (after going through half a dozen in 4 years) that really clicked for DS, we started with the OLD ORIGINAL edition, which has all the grade 4, 5, 6 topics in it, which allowed us a break to skip over whatever topic he wasn't getting and try a new topic for awhile.

 

If your DS really likes MUS, I would strongly suggest finding a "work-around" the issue of the program spending too much time on a topic for DS's interest, rather than completely jumping ship and going to an all new math program -- which loses student and teacher some time at first as you both learn how the new program works. Perhaps consider having a few different supplements you can go to for a week (or a month) at a time as needed, that have different math topics than MUS, or come at the topic from a different angle:

- the new "Beast Academy" from Art of Problem Solving (because these are teaching problem solving, it would be GOOD to start at this easier level)

- manipulative and matching workbook (Pattern Block Activities (gr. 4-6) (gr. 6-8); Dice Activities for Mathematical Thinking

- Keys to ... workbooks (these are more at a 6th-8th math topic level: fractions; decimals; percents; measurement; algebra; geometry)

 

 

Writing

For a "workbook" or solo approach, and a change-up from FLL4, DS might enjoy doing Wordsmith Apprentice this year. Very gentle and incremental; you can even break the exercises into even smaller "bites" if needed. (Our DS needed that.) Jump In is very similar to in tone and informal approach, also written to the student; it is more in-depth and requires more writing, so it makes a good next step AFTER Wordsmith Apprentice. Sounds like you've got a good routine going with WWW and incremental step approach, so maybe consider Wordsmith Apprentice as a fun supplement to go to once a week or so.

 

 

re: time

I totally understand the need to work with your 2 youngers; but also, gently, you are most likely going to have to be stretched thin for a few more years. A child with special needs just IS going to suck away lion's share of your time and emotional energy. Every day with our DS was unpredictable -- would there be a math melt-down; how much focus would he have; would we have to set everything aside and deal with an attitude issue; and yes, I had to sit next to him all the way into 5th grade to help him refocus on each next math problem... I totally understand! I still wish there had been some way to balance it better to give our older DS more of my time and energy when both boys were younger... However, along about 6th grade, younger DS did begin to "turn the corner" and things slowly improved each year.

 

How about some sort of compromise for awhile until DS "turns the corner" (fortunately, your younger 2 are still young enough that some of these things may work):

- stick with accomplishing well just the "3Rs for all the DC (consider anything else until middle school is just fun supplement, when it works out to do it)

- hire a tutor to work with your DS one day a week, leaving you a full day a week to focus on your younger children

- creative scheduling -- have a basket of solo activities for each child that will occupy them for 2 hours; then each child gets 1 hour of your undivided individual attention while the other two do their solo activities

 

 

One last idea that we only discovered last year, so have only been able to put into practice for DS's 11th and 12th grade years, has been to switch whatever subject drains DS the most (for him, it was math) as the LAST thing of the school day. I know this runs counter to everything I had read previously, but I got to hear Dianne Craft speak at our homeschool convention, and what she said made a lot of sense: when a child has a "blocked learning gate" (her term) -- i.e., a difficult area of learning -- they have to use MUCH more emotional/mental energy to do that area; if you do that subject FIRST, you've "drained the child's battery" for the day, and now they have very little if anything left for any other school subject. So, instead, put the easier things they are strong in early in the day, and do the draining subject LAST. Wow, what a difference that made for DS -- knowing that when he finished the hard thing, he was DONE with school for the day! He got through the math SO much better! Just our experience, FWIW.

 

 

BEST of luck, and hang in there! You will be getting over the "hump" of the hardest part here in about another year or so -- and then you will start seeing your DS mature and "click" with those tough subject areas more and more each year. :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited May 8, 2012 by Lori D.

[swellmomma]

It may be more a matter of a changing *how* you do your schoolwork, rather than having to switch to all new programs.

 

Patience (sounds like he is in early elementary?) to give him the extra time that ADD/ADHD students need for maturing, and keeping each subject session short and then moving to something very different can help.

 

Try having DS stand up to do seatwork, with the workbook on a table or counter, so he can move his legs and lower body around when doing his seatwork (math, writing, etc.). Or have him do seatwork at a low desk or coffee table while sitting on a big exercise ball that allows him to move while working.

 

Let him handle a fidget toy in the non-pencil holding hand when doing seatwork to help him focus (some ADD/ADHD students need to physically move in order to focus, while others need to have a constant stream of chatter going in order to "rev" their brains with the brain chemical they are missing or are low in). Fidget toys are also very helpful for focus during read alouds.

 

Try breaking writing into "mini-bursts of learning" (10 minutes per "burst", 2-3 times a day) and insert between non-writing subjects. (For example, read aloud, then 10 minutes of writing; science, then 10 minutes of writing, lunch and history, then another 10 minutes of writing. Also, work for 20 minutes, then insert a short burst of high energy physical activity -- run to the corner and back; bounce around the house on a big bouncy ball, jump with a jump rope or on a mini trampoline for 5 minutes, dance to a high energy song, etc.

 

Pick your battles; if seatwork/writing is a horror, then do a lot of work orally -- grammar, math facts, geography, etc. Have DS dictate to YOU for narrations; the next day use that as his writing copywork (a sentence or two at a time). Especially when learning a new math concept that you want him to focus on learning, YOU write down the steps or answers in the workbook as he dictates to you. As he gets older and begins to gain maturity and ability, you can begin to wean away from so much oral work, and slowly work towards more written work.

 

For writing: starting at about 3rd or 4th grade, the IEW method of keyword outlining, fleshing out the outline, revising, final copy was very helpful here, doing ONE step of the process each day, and by the end of the week you have a final paragraph; as the student becomes more adept, you can do two steps in one day, separated by time (the "mini-bursts" from above), slowly working towards middle school and ability to do almost all of the process in one sitting.

 

I would NOT recommend Spelling Workout (yet another workbook) for an ADHD student. Work with words on a whiteboard; do out loud spelling practice back and forth; try visual memory techniques from Dianne Craft, or the auditory CDs of Phonetic Zoo.

 

Also, do check out all the nutritional supplement, writing 8s exercises and other effective helps for ADHD students at Dianne Craft's website. For example, try strengthening the left-right brain hemisphere connections by starting your day with 2-3 minutes of left-right marching (as RIGHT knee comes up high, LEFT arm swings forward; as knee goes down, arm swings back; as LEFT knee comes up high, RIGHT arm swings forward, etc.)Also, as your student moves into the middle school years, check out the techniques and specific helps in all the school subject areas from Jeffrey Freed's "Right Brain Children in a Left Brain World: Unlocking the Potential of Your ADD Child".

 

 

Our younger son was highly visual-spatial learner with mild "stealth" dyslexia, and it took the first 4-5 years of homeschooling to figure out what worked, but also for him to finally begin to start that brain maturity process (some things at about age 10, others not till about age 12). So, hang in there! And BEST of luck! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

:iagree: This. I have 3 with ADHD, and 1 that if she didn't steal my coffee all day long could very well be too. There has not been a single program that works for all of them. What works is changing HOW you do things not WHAT you do.

[truebluexf]

Thanks for all the ideas. :) I have done some of these things in the past, and will be better again next year. ;) and yes, we did lay off history and science this year for the sake of getting the important things done. I have no real issue with it at their ages, especially since we find our own projects (we have a kiddie pool currently filled with hundreds of tadpoles the kids saved from a drying up puddle, and finally have a few tiny frogs...awesome!!!) I do write a good bit of his math for him, especially while he was learning long division and it was too much to keep straight. He's doing better with it now, when he doesn't whine over having to do the five problems on a page with checks. IDK. It just seems at the end of each MUS level is where the issues pop up. We'll see. My original plan is MUS Epsilon with LOF fractions for next year. I would say I have most things figured out, now that I have really thought about it, except math. I'm still debating between Science Fusion and something else for science next year. I thought he might like Classiquest bc it is written to him and he can do the lab work "on his own" and not always have to wait for me (I don't expect him to teach himself or anything lol.) He likes computer work, which makes SF look fun, plus I like how it uses multiple ways of teaching. I want things that engage him and leave less room for fighting, KWIM? Trying to mix up book and computer, etc. Like I said before, we will all do SL 1+2 together, and I don't expect any issues with that bc they love to read and be read to.

[MerryAtHope]

Workboxes. This is an incredible tool for kids with ADHD:

 

-Everything is organized--one box holds all you need for that topic.

-No more lost books! (need I say more?!) The system is structured so that they can't move on until they put the books/supplies away. We used to have lost items weekly, no matter how I stayed on top of things--no more!

-If you are busy with your other kids & can't help him, he can simply go on to his next box until you are available. It's all set up for him to know exactly what he has to do, he doesn't have to check with you unless there is a "work with mom" card in or on the box.

 

Here's pics & a description of ours. I also tend to be more "go with the flow" while my son wants structure-structure-structure! We learn to accommodate each other, LOL! I simplified the workbox concept a bit to make it work for us (labeled drawers with the same subject each day because he preferred that and changing it up was a lot of work anyway), you can find lots more out there about workboxes, but seriously...this is one of the top two best things I've ever done for our homeschool.

 

Hang in there, Merry :-)

[truebluexf]

Work boxes are awesome but I NEVER get them ready, lol!!! I was good for a out two weeks. Maybe I'll revisit them, but I think a checklist style will work better on my end....compromise....lol.

[pereztribe]

My daughter is the same way. She loves to read and likes MUS, but I find I have to keep finding ways to keep her interested, soooooo, I've decided to change MY teaching style. While I love the Classical method and try not to stray too far from it, I have changed my teaching style to unit studies that have lots of hands on activities.

 

I tried Konos, but couldn't make it work for me. My Father's World ECC, didn't have too many activities and (not to offend anyone), but was very boring. Tapestry of Grace is just too overwhelming. So, I am now trying Learning Adventures. I could not find a single bad review on it, so I ordered it. I hope this one will work.

 

I've been homeschooling since 2009 and have found that Unit Studies work best with my dd. But I was stubborn enough to keep trying the Classical method. Maybe that's what your son needs as well-- a new way of learning. I hope this info helps. Best of luck to you situation.

[wallingjan]

I could never keep up with workboxes. What we've ended up with is a simple spreadsheet each week with assignments or checkboxes for each subject each day. She likes to see where she is and if I am busy I can just prompt her to go back to her list several thousand times a week.

 

Checklists are key!

[truebluexf]

I need a good format for a checklist. :)

 

And to make math decisions, lol.

[MomatHWTK]

I use Excel for my checklists. I list the major subect areas and sub-topics/resources in the first column. Then the school days are listed across the top as the header. Each day, I go down the list of subjects and check off the ones we've done. If there are subtopics listed I check the specific subtopic and if we did something different I have room to write in an "other."