Curriculum suggestions for little boy homeschooling during chemo

[abidnginhim]

My 9yo nephew has cancer and will be on chemo for the next 12 weeks followed, hopefully, by surgery to remove the remainder of the tumor. He is public schooled but his mom pulled him out this week to homeschool him for the rest of the year. She has asked me to choose and purchase curriculum for him. She really has no idea how to do this. She wants something that does not require a huge time commitment or for her to do any teaching, only keep track of lessons etc. He is behind academically because he has missed a lot of school.  She liked the idea of math on a computer so I suggested teaching textbooks and have given him a placement test. They will be staying with us one day/night per week while he is in treatment and I can go over everything with her then and see how they are both doing.

 

What other curriculum (simple to use, open and go, not overwhelming to mom or student) would you suggest using? 

[Ewe Mama]

First, hugs to you and your family during this difficult time.

 

For history how about Story of the World book or cd's with some history pockets for artsy stuff if he feels up to it.

 

 

Timberdoodle curriculum kits might be a good choice for now. They are meant to be fairly independent, but not take oodles of time to complete. Can be a bit workbooky if he is ok with that. I like the games and puzzles that they include with them. The Timberdoodle staff will work with you to choose what is most appropriate for him.

 

Simply Charlotte Mason has some great downloads that are very affordable, too.

 

More hugs to you!

[houseofkids&pets]

_{:grouphug:  :grouphug:} 

 

_{What state does your sister live? Here in NY, you would get a tutor paid for by the school district because it is a medical issue. My dd had a tutor visit our home last year when she had a modified schedule at ps due to health issues. Is that a possibility?}

 

[abidnginhim]

Indiana. I don't know if that is an option. How could I find out?

[Hunter]

Sick kid with mom not willing to do any teaching? And kid is already behind? Is mom expecting "school" and expecting results, and for the sick kid to do it on his own? I'm not judging or criticizing. I'm just wanting to clarify or explore alternate goals.

 

When my youngest was still in PS, but taking off "mental health" days because he was becoming physically sick from the stress, I did a lot of reading aloud of biographies to him. Looking at books makes nausea worse. Audio with eyes closed is better.

 

Computer games can also increase nausea. Many games can increase anxiety.

 

I'd tend to give him some audio books for history and literature. I'd get him the Magic School Bus DVDs for science.

 

I'd keep math NARROW and easy, and just a few problems. Just the basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. And occasionally throw in some living math books, so he doesn't get the idea that math is nothing but arithmetic algorithms. For the arithmetic, I'd just use a free online worksheet generator or buy a generator. You could e-mail him the pdfs as needed. But that is if YOU are in charge or the math. Mom is looking for you to buy something and the kid is just supposed to do it himself though, right. While sick? I have no ideas. I'd just skip math maybe. This poor kid is sick.

 

This is tough.

[dbmamaz]

You could always look at time4learning

[abidnginhim]

Unfortunately, this is the situation she is dealing with and I'd like to help. Yes, she wants his work to be mostly independent when he is up for doing school. When he is feeling too sick he won't be doing it at all. I don't believe she is looking for results but rather keeping things normal, hopefully not falling even further behind while in treatment. Her main goal at this point is winning the fight for his life and doing a little school along the way.

[dbmamaz]

I think time4learning is perfect for that - entirely on the computer, independent, she can print out reports of what he's done.  also you get to have 3 grade levels of each subject so they can pick where he's at.  you pay by the month and can quit any time.  of course, its all on the computer, so there's no books to take to the hospital with you.  but, you know, library books?

[Hunter]

Computers can be very uncomfortable for people suffering from nausea. Just saying.

 

Really this kid needs someone to read to him, or audio books. Does mom consider reading to be "teaching"?

 

He needs uncluttered pages, preferably without grade levels splashed across the top to remind him how far behind he is.

 

I'm stumped. I don't think I've ever been this stumped. I have no ideas.

[Jilly]

I think time4learning is perfect for that - entirely on the computer, independent, she can print out reports of what he's done.  also you get to have 3 grade levels of each subject so they can pick where he's at.  you pay by the month and can quit any time.  of course, its all on the computer, so there's no books to take to the hospital with you.  but, you know, library books?

 

This would be my suggestion too if he is up to it. Along with this I would add in audiobooks on all subjects.

 

Or maybe you could do TT for math, Cozy Grammar and audiobooks for language arts, and then subscribe to BrainPop for science and social studies. I don't know. I think I would make it as easy as possible for him while making sure he doesn't get further behind.

 

:grouphug:  to your family.  

[abidnginhim]

I think we will try to avoid doing everything on the computer. I agree with the computers and nausea issue. But, she seems to really like the look of TT so maybe just that. Audio books are a great idea. I also think uncluttered, without grade level is best but what would that be?

 

Thanks for all the suggestions!

[morgan]

What about something like Christian Light, at least for language arts? We have only used the younger grades, but they can be done fairly independently and they are in small, consumable workbooks, so you could just do a few pages at a time, taking breaks as needed.

 

My other sugestion would be to get a subscription to Evan Moore's TeacherFilebox. Someone would have to find the worksheets and print them out, but they have all necessary subjects and would cover the basics. Homeschool buyers coop runs deals quite frequently, so it is significantly cheaper than purchasing a bunch of Evan Moore workbooks. They have everything from Lit Pockets to Daily Handwriting on Teacherfilebox and you can search by subject or grade level. I have only used it as supplement to our curriculum, but I think under the circumstances you are describing it would probably work out quite well.

 

 

[momacacia]

Beautiful Feet for reading list and discussion. ?? A great book list? Kumon math workbooks. And be done with it. ???

[Hunter]

I think this is the same as the Math Worksheet Factory I used LONG ago.

http://www.schoolhousetech.com/Math/

 

I don't know how to get pre-made ungraded worksheets like this.

 

 

[abidnginhim]

Thank you again for your suggestions. A couple of specific curriculum questions...

I was talking to my sil and she would like to work on ds spelling. Would Rod and Staff work well for this? Is there a placement test? 

And she wants him to learn cursive. They do not teach it in his school anymore. Would HWT be a good choice?

[Hunter]

I don't know if this blog will be of any use.

http://bobbinsandbrambles.blogspot.com

[sbgrace]

Many hugs.

 

What I think I would do is really focus on finding a composition, math, and spelling that are solid and easy to use for both of them. The rest, I'd try to make painless/fun and ok to skip.

 

Teaching Textbooks sounds good.

 

For Composition--Perhaps Essentials in Writing--it's a DVD with the author doing the instruction directly to the students, then a printable/worksheet based assignment with each lesson. You could print them out ahead of time and have them bound like a workbook. It would be a watch the DVD and do the next page thing as he can. It covers grammar and composition. You can skip and do just the composition parts, covering grammar in another way. Given the medical issues and that he's behind, If you decide on that curriculum, I think I'd skip the grammar portions. A plus to this (in addition to it being taught for her) is that the author told me a child can start at grade level even if they are behind. We did do that last year and it worked out fine. Otherwise, I would pick a workbook based composition curriculum that fits public school standards. Evan Moore has a 6 traits workbook based and I want to say Winning with Writing is possibly pretty independent.

 

I would do a workbook based spelling. I'm not sure which to suggest. Is he really struggling with spelling or a decent speller?

 

We're using Handwriting without Tears cursive here. My boys are also 9.

 

For science (fun, no work for mom, he's likely to learn) I'd do Magic School Bus videos. For history maybe watch Liberty's Kids and/or listen to SOTW audios. I wouldn't stress on those areas.

 

Lots of great audio books generally would be good.

 

When he's in the hospital and if it's a children's hospital, child life should be able to help. Riley child life was fantastic when we were there, though it's been a while. I'm sure the other children's hospital is also good.

 

Her school system should have a homebound option. I'm surprised they didn't give that information to her initially! In our county (Indiana) it's run through the special education cooperative. That may vary.

 

 

[ElizabethB]

:grouphug:

 

Spelling Plus has some cursive lists after the first few and nice simple lists, K-6 spelling in one small book, simple and easy to use. She will need another book to teach cursive, but it integrates well with cursive.

 

http://www.rainbowresource.com/product/sku/014528/

 

Math is a tough one to do in a hospital, we have not had luck with math books at the hospital, but the Right Start math games worked out. Maybe the RS math games and abacus?

 

Short iPad or computer games may work out for the beginning, while in the waiting room before chemo.

 

Many children's hospitals have areas and people to help patients with their homework, I would contact the hospital and see what resources they have available. Also, check on any resources that are available for chemo patients especially, there are often things offered for them in particular.

[OneStepAtATime]

First, hugs of support to the entire family.  This will obviously not be an easy journey.  

 

Second, having been through chemo myself, and having friends with a child who went through chemo, there are probably going to be a lot of days where this child will only want to sleep.  Even listening to audio books may be too much.  This will not be the year he catches up in the areas he is behind and the family needs to consider what their goals are.  If he is already behind, they may want to consider just going back a bit and shoring up and maintaining existing skills this year, then possibly homeschooling again for next year, but with a bit stronger push to catch up.  He may need a long time to recover, though.  

 

It seems unrealistic to me to think of putting him back in ps next year at grade level if he is already behind and this year will almost certainly put him even further behind (behind being a relative term since all children develop cognitive and physical skills at different rates, contrary to the structure of most school systems).  As for what to do this year, there have been a lot of good suggestions for you to sort through and make recommendations. I'm going to add a few.  My suggestions are as follows:

 

1.  Cursive might actually be something he COULD work on since it doesn't require a ton of thought.  However, lots of writing with pencil on paper may be beyond him a lot of the time.  Memoria Press has a great cursive workbook, the font is very easy to learn, and is good for kids with weak fine motor skills (which lots of chemo may cause him to have for a while).  It also has software that allows the parent to type out and print up whatever she wants him to practice more on.  I use this with my dysgraphic son and can print out words or passages he has particular interest in.  For instance, he wanted to write a message to his dad and didn't yet know all the letters.  I printed out the message he wanted to write using the software and it made all the words in dotted letters in a letter format.  My son was able to trace them and practice until he could write the message to his dad on his own.  

 

The boy could go really slowly through the workbook, just do a bit off of each page whenever he is up to it, then she might be able to add a page once in a while of jokes or words in a topic he has some interest.  I also suggest getting a small (paper size) dry erase board with dividing lines and some colored dry erase markers.  After practicing tracing a letter in the workbook, he might like the repetition and movement of practicing writing the letter or words on a dry erase board.  Less resistance than on paper so less strain and a lot of kids like working with colored markers on a dry erase board a lot more than pencil on paper.  It will help develop muscle memory and give him something physical to do that, again, does not take a great deal of thought and requires less physical effort.  It worked really well for the little boy I knew going through chemo.  Don't make it a chore, though.  

 

2.  Math: If he really is up for any computer work, Teaching Textbooks might work well.  He can stop after just a few problems to rest and then start at the point he left off whenever he feels up to it.  The videos do all the explaining and will review anything he missed so his mother doesn't have to do anything if she doesn't want to.  It is off of DVD so you don't have to worry about an internet connection, but they would need a laptop.  If they don't have one already, Best Buy frequently has them on sale, especially around Christmas, for $300 or so.  It would be an older model but they don't need any fancy bells and whistles.

 

 I would suggest getting the workbook along with it.  More expense, but if he is too tired or nauseated to do the computer work, he can do a few problems in the workbook and just enter the answers later.  All of the explanations on the computer are in the workbook, too, so if he doesn't understand something, his mom can read through the explanation in the workbook with him for clarification.  Also, if he has the workbook he doesn't have to worry about copying the problems, which could be exhausting and there might be errors in computation simply because he lined the numbers up incorrectly.  All the grades are tracked for them and Mom can go back and see which ones he missed that might need additional review once all of this is over.

 

Playing dominoes and card games when he has some energy can help with shoring up subitization skills in math and it doesn't seem like math.  Also, he will need interaction with other people so he doesn't feel lonely and this would give people something to do with him where lots of conversation is not required.

 

3.  Entertainment: Radio programs on cd might be fun and possibly less taxing to keep up with than a texture rich audio book read by a single person since there will be separate voices for each character and there will be sound effects clues.  There are some cute ones out there and some that are really funny.  Laughter might help keep the days from seeming so grim.  

 

4.  Books: I know everyone is saying use audio books and it is an option, but he may just be too tired to try to figure out plots and characters.  If he does have a book series that he finds interesting and already knows the characters for (so he isn't having to work so hard to figure out who everyone is when his brain isn't functioning too efficiently), that might be a good option, though.

 

 What would probably work well for him upon occasion and actually may help her if she is just willing to do it, is to have her read to him periodically, maybe something kind of funny.  Sharing a laugh together may help them both.  Also, she can slow down or speed up as necessary, stop to explain a word, phrase or expression he might not understand, start a discussion on the book that might be fun for both of them and she can judge when he is too tired to continue.  It might help them feel more connected during this very difficult time.  

 

5.  Other: Soothing background music or white noise cds may help drown out distracting and possibly disturbing sounds outside his hospital room and even when he is at home and trying to sleep.

 

6.  Additional Entertainment: If he has a favorite TV program or favorite movies, then being able to play those on a portable DVD player may work well.  It worked great when my daughter was in the hospital.  It kept her mind off of her pain and discomfort but she already knew the plot and characters so she didn't have to focus too hard on the story line and didn't have to keep her eyes focused only on the screen.  She could have it playing in the background and focus on what was happening when she felt up to it or was trying to avoid thinking about what was happening around her.  She could control the volume since it was portable and sat near her and she could turn it off when she felt like it.

 

7.  Reading and Spelling skills: If he is having difficulties with reading and spelling, now is not the time to be pushing those subjects, but perhaps going back and doing some really basic review as he has the energy to do so would work.  Maybe do lessons with All About Reading and All About Spelling?  Start a little below grade level to shore up any weak spots?  

 

8. Grammar: For grammar, I don't know that a formal, structured Grammar program is the way to go right now, but since mom isn't up to teaching anything, she may need the scaffolding of a formal program to even do basic things like talk about parts of speech.  

 

One thing I have seen done is a program where you find an interesting picture, either from a famous painter (using it as art history) or just something the child has an interest in, or even a photo of a family vacation or something like that, then you put the photo where the child can see it and you and the child study the photo.  Afterwards, you both write down on  a dry erase board all the adjectives that could describe the photo (or nouns or verbs, etc).  You can have a list available if the child has trouble recalling words.  Make it a game to see who has the funniest or the longest or the weirdest adjectives.  Do it for all the parts of speech and talk about which types of words are necessary for which parts of a sentence, what the bare minimum is to make a sentence a sentence and what you can add to make it more interesting or informative.  They could brainstorm sentences together and talk about which ones are their favorites and why.  This helps with basic grammar and increasing vocabulary.

 

I know this is long.  Sorry.  I will stop now.  I wish the family and especially the little boy the very best.

 

 

[G5052]

Hard, hard situation.  A friend of mine has a child that age who went through 12 months of chemo and radiation in another state.  They were already homeschooling, so it wasn't too hard to transition.

 

She pretty much did only the 3 R's in a structured way with A Beka because it is self-contained.  Then they did lots of recorded books and read-alouds.  My friend just picked things that she thought her daughter would enjoy in a wide range of subjects.  She said that listening was very relaxing to her daughter.

 

This started in August, and when she was done with treatment a year later and went through standardized testing, the daughter was on track in the 3 R's.  They homeschooled another year to "even out" after such a stressful year, and then the girl ended up in private school (her choice).  She's in high school now and has done just fine both physically and academically.

 

You might also mention that some children's hospitals have an in-house tutoring program with teachers that will work with children that are being treated on an as-needed basis.  My friend didn't take advantage of that because she was an experienced homeschool parent, but she said that some of the parents of children on the ward where they were used that service a lot.

 

 

 

 

[abidnginhim]

Thanks again for all the suggestions. I'll check them out and run them by her. My sil has no idea what to expect and of course neither do I so I appreciate those sharing who have been through this. <3

 

I am buying the curriculum for her and trying to get what she is asking for but she does understand he may not be feeling up to doing any of it. It's just that he has been in public school and she feels to take him out abruptly and do nothing at home right now would not be a good idea. She wants to keep some sense of normal. He has just begun treatments, they are only one day per week (so he won't be doing school in the hospital), and so far much of the time he is running around like a regular active kid. He was playing with my kids most of the day yesterday after his early morning treatment. He does tire in the evenings though. She just doesn't want him staring at the tv all day bored to death. She wants to do some school with him while he is still able. And, he wants to do school. He is behind but he is a smart boy. Talks your ear off. She knows in a few weeks the situation my be entirely different and he may be sick or in bed all day. Still, if she has this curriculum in her hand then she might be more inclined to keep homeschooling next year and use it then. So, what I am saying is, I don't have a problem purchasing curriculum for her that won't be used this year.

 

Also, she still has a public school mindset. She called me terrified that if she took him out of his school they would call social services on her. She feels if she does not have a planned curriculum to prove she intends to homeschool him  (when he is able) then she is breaking the law. My husband and I have been talking to her trying to relieve some of these fears. It was out of his fear that she she asked me to prepare curriculum for her so, I am going to do it. If it will calm her fears, I am going to provide her with curriculum rather than try and convince her she doesn't need it, at least right now. She figure that out soon enough. She told me this morning that the doctors told her to let her son's body tell her what he can and can't do. They said if it is tired, he will sleep. If he wants to be active or do school he will tell her. And she knows to listen.

 

 

[abidnginhim]

Oh, and I checked on the homebound program. It is an option but it would not be someone coming to his home. Instead it would consist of meeting with a teacher for several hours after school in the library and those are the hours he is most tired. She felt it was not worth the effort and said she'd rather homeschool him. 

[OneStepAtATime]

Thanks again for all the suggestions. I'll check them out and run them by her. My sil has no idea what to expect and of course neither do I so I appreciate those sharing who have been through this. <3

 

I am buying the curriculum for her and trying to get what she is asking for but she does understand he may not be feeling up to doing any of it. It's just that he has been in public school and she feels to take him out abruptly and do nothing at home right now would not be a good idea. She wants to keep some sense of normal. He has just begun treatments, they are only one day per week (so he won't be doing school in the hospital), and so far much of the time he is running around like a regular active kid. He was playing with my kids most of the day yesterday after his early morning treatment. He does tire in the evenings though. She just doesn't want him staring at the tv all day bored to death. She wants to do some school with him while he is still able. And, he wants to do school. He is behind but he is a smart boy. Talks your ear off. She knows in a few weeks the situation my be entirely different and he may be sick or in bed all day. Still, if she has this curriculum in her hand then she might be more inclined to keep homeschooling next year and use it then. So, what I am saying is, I don't have a problem purchasing curriculum for her that won't be used this year.

 

Also, she still has a public school mindset. She called me terrified that if she took him out of his school they would call social services on her. She feels if she does not have a planned curriculum to prove she intends to homeschool him  (when he is able) then she is breaking the law. My husband and I have been talking to her trying to relieve some of these fears. It was out of his fear that she she asked me to prepare curriculum for her so, I am going to do it. If it will calm her fears, I am going to provide her with curriculum rather than try and convince her she doesn't need it, at least right now. She figure that out soon enough. She told me this morning that the doctors told her to let her son's body tell her what he can and can't do. They said if it is tired, he will sleep. If he wants to be active or do school he will tell her. And she knows to listen.

I assume you helped her to follow whatever laws for homeschooling govern the state you are in, and her family definitely has a legitimate reason for homeschooling that the school system should understand.  Hopefully, with your support, her fears will be alleviated.

 

As for how he reacts to treatment, absolutely correct, there is no way to know whether he will end up severely debilitated or not.  I also agree completely that if he really is doing fine (and many do at the beginning and for some it really doesn't have the horrible effects it once did throughout treatment because of improvements in the meds) then a more rigorous educational program might help things seem more normal and keep him from getting bored while also helping him to keep up with his classmates.

 

She ought to mark his symptoms in a medical journal, though.  What he eats, when he gets tired, just a quick note throughout the day.  IT really helps to see where something might be causing unnecessary fatigue or nausea as treatment progresses.  Also, watch the details of his reaction to the meds over time.  I started feeling really, really awful about 3 weeks in and just thought that was normal.  I was keeping a medical journal, though and showed it to my doctor.  He immediately started asking questions about the specifics of how I felt bad then changed my chemo meds.  Turned out I was allergic to one of the ingredients but it took time to build up in my system.  I did much better after the switch.

[abidnginhim]

Yes, she is following the laws of our state. She was just overwhelmed with everything this week and started to panic. Her son was just recently diagnosed so she was dealing with that on top of dealing with a school that was, unfortunately, giving her a hard time and a lot of misinformation. I told her to give them my phone number.  

[Alicia64]

I have a friend whose child had cancer -- and recovered. Hugs to all of you. The emotional cost on the entire family can't be measured, but the family is doing beautifully today. Btw, my boys are ten. Here are my suggestions:

 

Definitely Teaching Textbooks -- one of my boys who hates math found this program to be great.

Fun computer math game that my boys beg to play: http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com..

 

Computer typing game that my boys also LOVE: http://www.amazon.com/Typing-Instructor-Kids-Platinum-Windows/dp/B002U0L1BU

 

Audio books at the library. If you want a fantastic book list for boys his age, PM me and I'll send it over.

 

Story of the World on audio books.

 

I would try to work on spelling because that's a skill that can be easily lost. I had a teacher-friend once say, "If you can't get to anything: get to math and spelling." And I've never forgotten her words. We use Spelling Work Out.

 

Listening to the songs on Song School Latin, Greek or Spanish would be fun for him.

 

Let him watch some "educational" instead of just the usual. Education fun videos:

 

Liberty's Kids

Wild Kratts

Arthur (good for character building)

 

Just an extra aside: the grilled cheese at Red Robin's is supposed to be awesome for a child doing chemo.

 

More hugs!

 

Alley

 

 

 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

Yes, she is following the laws of our state. She was just overwhelmed with everything this week and started to panic. Her son was just recently diagnosed so she was dealing with that on top of dealing with a school that was, unfortunately, giving her a hard time and a lot of misinformation. I told her to give them my phone number.  

Big applause for stepping in to help out.  You are a great friend.  I know she must be feeling overwhelmed at times.  Big hugs of support to her (and to you, too, for trying so hard to help).  Sorry that the school district isn't being as supportive as they should be (or as knowledgable).  The friend I have ran into that same issue.  Her little boy was in an extremely rigorous chemo program (experimental because of his condition) and felt absolutely horrible a lot of the time but the school kept insisting she wasn't doing enough to keep him up with his studies and that she shouldn't let him slack off (!).  She hadn't ever homeschooled but eventually pulled him out since the school was NOT understanding and made her feel bad as a parent on a regular basis.

 

Good luck to all of you.  And I don't blame her for being very uncomfortable with the idea of teaching him herself if she has never done it.  Taking on a new job you don't think you have the training or background knowledge for when you are trying to deal with all the issues involved with a child with a life threatening illness could be really frightening.  When you homeschool normally you can forget sometimes that from the outside it can seem like a really daunting task.  Thankfully, she has you to guide her.

[Walking-Iris]

((hugs)) to you and your nephew. I'm trying to think what I would do if I were in that situation.

 

I don't think I would worry so much about "teaching", or "keeping up", or making a kid who is sick do independent work. 

 

Instead I would flip it around to focusing on science and health first. As hard as it is I imagine a kid could have a lot of questions about what is happening to him----so I'd explain that, research and read with him and so on. Call it science. As well as just possible peace of mind to a kid who may be worried. Something like Daily Science may be easy to get through.

 

If I'm understanding it correctly, he may be spending a lot of time in hospital or in a chemo clinic, so if something like an iPad doesn't upset him then I'd add a ton of educational apps. Add some soothing audio books or music onto an iPod. Maybe some journaling with an art aspect if he likes to draw. 

 

The mom can read aloud to him ---just literature, history, poems etc. 

 

I would stay away from curriculum that required a lot of projects or labs for the time being. It may be nice to have some activity books for reference and find something fun to do for those days he's feeling up to it. If he can handle it (or it's allowed) nature study could be soothing. 

 

ETA; I just saw that he was 9. Something like FLL and WWE could be real simple to use. The daily lessons are short, gentle, doesn't require a lot of writing or materials. 

 

Singapore math could work. The workbooks are portable and relatively easy for parents to figure out. 

[Χά�ων]

My 9yo nephew has cancer and will be on chemo for the next 12 weeks followed, hopefully, by surgery to remove the remainder of the tumor. He is public schooled but his mom pulled him out this week to homeschool him for the rest of the year. She has asked me to choose and purchase curriculum for him. She really has no idea how to do this. She wants something that does not require a huge time commitment or for her to do any teaching, only keep track of lessons etc. He is behind academically because he has missed a lot of school.  She liked the idea of math on a computer so I suggested teaching textbooks and have given him a placement test. They will be staying with us one day/night per week while he is in treatment and I can go over everything with her then and see how they are both doing.

 

What other curriculum (simple to use, open and go, not overwhelming to mom or student) would you suggest using? 

I am a bit perplexed. Why didn't she just use the school for homebound instruction?

[abidnginhim]

I am a bit perplexed. Why didn't she just use the school for homebound instruction?

Homebound instruction is only available by taking her son to the library for 3 hrs every afternoon after school. She didn't like that option.

[Χά�ων]

Homebound instruction is only available by taking her son to the library for 3 hrs every afternoon after school. She didn't like that option.

Thanks!

 

That sounds like a violation of IDEA, not all children who need homebound instruction can go to the library. The tutor should come to the child. If the child is at home, they should come to the house, if the child is in the hospital the tutor should come to the hospital. I'd suggest an attorney or mediation but I completely understand that for a short term situation that would be more hassle then it is worth.

[Hunter]

I'm understanding better now. I'm still not coming up with solutions, but am better understanding.

 

The school is being negligent and borderline abusive, and mom is fearful and trying to comply. Also mom wants to retain some sort of normalcy.

 

Mom and child's rights are being violated, but she might not have the resources to fight to back.

 

Mom and child should not have to deal with the school like that while having to deal with cancer. Shame on that school!!

 

What is mom's religion? Are ACE Paces an option? They don't have grade levels on them and are meant to be completed by the student.

 

Does mom have any social workers available to her, that can advocate for her? I am VERY bad at advocating for myself and have to rely on social workers to do it for me when a powerful agency or company is being negligent and/or abusive with me. It often just takes phone call from one powerful person to another to nip some things in the bud.

[prairiewindmomma]

I homeschooled my dd with cancer. They will be hauling a lot of stuff around....keep materials at a minimum. Once a week chemo turns into lots of weekly appointments.

 

Singapore math or math-u-see...whatever level he is at

SOTW audio

Spectrum science---the $8 workbook plus a lot of netflix

Core knowledge book--it 's a good readaloud

Spelling--spectrum or spelling workout---one slim notebook

HWT--cursive

Spectrum language arts and several good books

 

Our hospitals all have wifi. Get her a list of good movies and a netflix subscription. Also send a stack of entertaining but educational readers and readalouds. Calliope, cobblestone, etc can help fill in history gaps.

 

This will be a year for getting the basic foundation back in place.

[OneStepAtATime]

Oh, and I do realize this is your nephew, but, unfortunately, not all family are always helpful or overly supportive in a situation like this.  You aren't just being "family" in a marriage or blood relation sense, you are also being a true friend.  

 

Are there any close friends that your nephew has from school?  One thing that helped to keep things more normal for my friend when her son was going through his treatments was to sit down and explain to the parents of his two closest friends what was going on, what they might expect, etc. and if they chose to drop by, any specifics on what would be o.k. for contact (if any) and when might be o.k. times to do so.  They invited them over for dinner to get to know each other and talk about what was happening so it was in a relaxed setting.  

 

They also did a mini-Christmas gift exchange with some games, but just with the two closest friends, their parents and some close relatives so it wouldn't be overwhelming.  The boys were more understanding when his hair fell out, more supportive when he wasn't feeling well and they have remained friends, even though he no longer attends their school.  The parents, who she and her husband didn't really know before the cancer, actually became friends, too.

[coffeegal]

Slightly different suggestions. Learning Language Arts Through Literature is a complete open and go language arts. It includes spelling, writing, grammar, and reading. There's a workbook for the student and a book for the teacher. That with Teaching Textbooks for math will cover the 3-R's. Otherwise I'd use an audiobook for SOTW and watch Bill Nye videos for science.

 

For cursive, try Pentime Penmanship. The 2nd grade book reviews manuscript then introduces cursive 1/2 way through.

 

Hope your nephew is well and in remission quickly. :grouphug:

[Alicia64]

I wanted to add that the Stacking the States app is really fun. He'll love it.

 

Alley

[Insertcreativenamehere]

What about a virtual school option through K12 or Connections Academy? 

[Another Lynn]

I would not spend a lot of money on curriculum for 12 or so weeks.  I would keep it simple - 3Rs.  If he feels up to more than that, fine - use educational apps or the library.  If I splurged at all it would be for a few things already mentioned - SOTW on CD, Liberty's Kids DVDs, Magic School bus DVDs (though your library may have Magic School Bus).  For 3Rs - I would go with an open and go workbook for spelling (R&S or SWO).  For math, if the Mom needs it to be Teaching Textbook, then go with that.  Otherwise, I would seek out cheap workbooks that are not weird in their scope and sequence, (i.e., no offense, but I definitely wouldn't use MUS since the goal is to go back to public school).  For reading - let him read whatever he wants, whenever he feels up to it.  I also like the recommendation of the What Your X Grader Needs to Know for read aloud when they are up to it.  It would be good if he did more writing than just the spelling workbook - maybe copywork of some kind.   

[hmvaughan4]

Riley (assuming that is where he will be) has teachers on staff. I just read an article about kids having lessons during their hospital stay. It they are up to it, they can participate in a classroom setting at the hospital, or the teachers will go to their room. The Child Life Specialist should also be able to help.

[Alicia64]

I would not spend a lot of money on curriculum for 12 or so weeks.  I would keep it simple - 3Rs.  If he feels up to more than that, fine - use educational apps or the library.  If I splurged at all it would be for a few things already mentioned - SOTW on CD, Liberty's Kids DVDs, Magic School bus DVDs (though your library may have Magic School Bus).  For 3Rs - I would go with an open and go workbook for spelling (R&S or SWO).  For math, if the Mom needs it to be Teaching Textbook, then go with that.  Otherwise, I would seek out cheap workbooks that are not weird in their scope and sequence, (i.e., no offense, but I definitely wouldn't use MUS since the goal is to go back to public school).  For reading - let him read whatever he wants, whenever he feels up to it.  I also like the recommendation of the What Your X Grader Needs to Know for read aloud when they are up to it.  It would be good if he did more writing than just the spelling workbook - maybe copywork of some kind.   

 

I completely agree. Everything at this point needs to be fun for the boy -- nothing can take a lot of focus. Chemo is not an easy thing. Period.

 

Arthur

Liberty's Kids

Magic School Bus

Wild Kratts

States app

audio books

 

Focusing on cursive curric? Probably just won't happen.

 

Fun, easy, but fun-educational.

 

Alley

[abidnginhim]

I'm sorry. i don't know how to multi quote.

 

It won't be for just 12 weeks. He will be out the rest of the year. And, mom doesn't want just fun stuff, but more keep life normal stuff. They both are interested in the cursive. I've seen his printing. It's petty good and I think he will enjoy giving cursive a try. Looked into virtual school and it was way too much work for both mom and son. And thanks for the info on Riley. I'll let mom know.

[abidnginhim]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm sorry if I missed any or didn't respond to comments. I've been looking at everything mentioned and I think mom and I have a good idea of what to use. You've all been a great help!

[Dmmetler]

The hospital may have a home bound teacher on staff for students in the hospital-I know St. Jude does, and that includes kids getting therapy as outpatients.

[Wabi Sabi]

Riley (assuming that is where he will be) has teachers on staff. I just read an article about kids having lessons during their hospital stay. It they are up to it, they can participate in a classroom setting at the hospital, or the teachers will go to their room. The Child Life Specialist should also be able to help.

I was just about to post the same info. Also, he should certainly qualify for a home based tutor through the school system.

 

This looks like it is geared more towards children who are in-patients, but I'd imagine that they could help your sister with more information that would be pertinent to her situation:

 

http://iuhealth.org/riley/for-patients-and-families/child-life/school-program/