dosducotes Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I am a 32y old homeschooling mom to 10y and 9y girls. I have ADHD and take medication. My girls both show some tendencies but haven't been diagnosed. If there are any other ADHD moms out there, I'd love to know what tips you have for homeschooling successfully. I struggle daily with scheduling, record-keeping and managing clutter. I could really use some feedback. Oh, look...a squirrel.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeninok Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I have it!!! I struggle with all the same things. I have a few systems down, and they are working so far, but it is only the second week of school for us, so we will see if I am able to maintain them :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosducotes Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Is this your first year to homeschool? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6wishes Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Do you mind sharing what are some of the signs are that you see in your girls? I have one that I'm wondering, but don't know if she's just if she's just "fidgety". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeninok Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 We homeschooled last winter and spring, and then lightly through the summer. This is the first full year though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosducotes Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Some of the things that I have seen are: -a tough time paying attention even in casual conversation -losing train of thought in any school problem that involves more than one step -improved performance when listening to classical music or having some type of physical activity during work that requires focus -lack of organization -difficulty putting together cohesive and concise writing assignments -fatiguing mentally WAY before tiring physically -tendency to hyper-focus on small tasks but inability to focus on multi-step tasks -difficulty estimating time to get a job done or estimating time that has elasped These are also the very same things that I typically find myself struggling with. One daughter has more fidgety problems that the other. Some days I feel like threatening, "If you drop your pencil/fall out of your desk/jump up for no reason/doodle on your desk, etc. one more time, I'm gonna...." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosducotes Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Jeniok- I'd love to hear what you are trying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddle Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I'm not ADHD but my husband is and my youngest I *think* is (in addition to dyslexia). Just wondered if you'd read this book: If I'm Diapering a Watermelon then Where'd I Leave the Baby? by Carol Barnier. This is for the "highly distractible mom." I'm ordering her other books on learning styles and teaching kids with ADHD, as they come highly recommended, so thought I'd share this with you in case the book is something that you might like. Paula Sign In If I'm Diapering a Watermelon then Where'd I Leave the Baby? Sign In If I'm Diapering a Watermelon then Where'd I Leave the Baby? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosducotes Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Thanks, Paula!:thumbup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeschoolingHearts&Minds Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I have ADD and I'm 40. Foggy and highly distractible. Some things that work for me: turning off distracting computers/tablets/other electronics during "school" time having a list of what I plan to accomplish during "school" time each week (schedules and me don't really mix, but having a routine is good) not mixing my teaching duties with my housekeeping duties---I try to do my teaching stuff in the morning and wait until the afternoon to do things like laundry, baking, dishes, etc., etc., because while multi-tasking sounds like a good idea, the fact is that each time you interrupt what you are doing to do something else, it takes more brain power to get back into the groove, especially when you have ADD Keep a list of things you want to get done and create a routine for getting those things done, rather than dropping what you are doing to do it this minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosducotes Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 That is very helpful. I find that the computer and the nagging dishwasher, washing machine, and dust-sightings DO mess me up more than I care to realize. Do you have scheduled 'down-time' in the day? When do you make your list for what needs to be done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosducotes Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 That is helpful. I find myself trying to be a Type A mom and spend countless hours making a crazy, rigid schedule that lasts for two weeks and then it is "Katie, bar the door!" It gets beyond chaotic until I cycle back to insanely strict. In the end, no one benefits. I wish I could give myself permission to do what works for me. Instead I just try to reach someone else's idea of what my plans should look like. Make any sense?:blush: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeninok Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 We must do math, writing and read something every week day. As well as spending about 10 minutes in a frenzy of pick up and put away before bed each night. It is amazing how much gets cleaned in 10 minutes of flurried activity. On top of that we do science 3 times a week, and history twice, this way we can slow down and focus on them for longer than trying to do everything each day. I plan roughly by weeks for science and history, and everything else is just do the next thing. I also keep everything in binders and put every appointment and field trip/errand ideas in our Cozi calendar. Pretty doesn't work for me either, I end up spending so much time thinking about making it beautiful, not messing up my plan, and trying to find just the right thing that I totally get off track. I use a regular spiral, and a black leather with pink inside, 3 ring binder for all my stuff. The other thing I am doing is putting him at the bar in our kitchen to do his independent work, that way I am totally available to help, but can be standing up, wiping counters/laundry/ etc. It seems like once our butts hit the couch, nothing else gets done that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosducotes Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 Do you guys have a dedicated school room? How do you organize what is to-be-done, what is done, what is graded, what is filed, what is supplemental, etc.? I find that too much clutter distracts me, but sometime out of sight is TOTALLY out of mind!:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeninok Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 We don't have a dedicated school room, but I do have a school bookshelf. I keep supplies in a small set of cubes with containers labeled for manipulative, crafts, etc etc. I also hole punch as much as possible and put them in his subject binders. This morning though, it was a frantic search for his meds. For some reason I put them in the basket where I keep my hair dryer and flat iron and other hair tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Not adhd myself, but I'll suggest to you, if you haven't done it already, that you invest in office supplies. Right now there's a ton of wonderful stuff. Staples, Walmart, they all have great things. Dd needs lots of structure to stay tidy. Everything has to have a place where it CAN end up. And if I want the object to end up there, I better pretty much have that storage at the place where she uses it. So I don't need a room, but I need storage for each subject's books, notebooks, etc. at the place where she's going to use them. Anything they use at the computer needs to go into a milk crate or basket at the computer. Anything they'll use at a table needs a milk crate or basket or tower of drawers to organize it at that table. Walmart has really nice milk crates and also a smaller kind called locker crates. Love 'em. Your girls are old enough to have weekly checklists or daily checklists, as you prefer. Everything you want them to do should be on there, EVERYTHING. Use that to organize your lives. Time and routine are two different things. A routine is just an order (we get dressed before we eat, after we eat we start math, whatever). Time schedules are more particular (eat at 8 am, start math at 8:30, etc.). You may or may not need a time schedule at this phase of your life. Just having a ROUTINE can be a start. I usually try to put our weekly checklist subjects in the order that I roughly expect them to flow. That way the routine is obvious. Flexible, but it's a starting point. Nan in Mass has listed some good organization books in the past. "That Crumpled Paper was my Homework" has good ideas. The biggest one I took away was not to have loose paper. Loose paper is the enemy. You can buy tablets that are bound at the top or spiral composition books or whatever you like. Yes, a hole punch is a good thing. You can buy a 3 punch kind. That way anything loose you print can pop in a notebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosducotes Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 Thanks for the suggestions! I need all the help I can get, for sure. Can anyone recommend an excellent 'all life' planner? I find Day-Planner type things that would be great for school or long-term planning or to-do lists but never all of those things. I would love to see the month, weekly notes, and appts./assignments. Ashley:bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Probably a bit overkill or the most expensive way to get there, but I love iCal on my mac. The calendar will sync on all your devices, so then you can have it popping reminders on your ipad, ipod touch, etc. On my ipad the alarm will sound even from sleep, so you could set it to ring every hour, whatever you need. For school schedules, I've been using apps like Paperless and Errands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dosducotes Posted August 25, 2012 Author Share Posted August 25, 2012 :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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