Coloring Progress!

 As I mentioned in my first post about school, Jack the Scholar, Jack was having all sorts of trouble in the coloring department.  But here we are, five weeks in the school year and he's made remarkable progress! 

Here are a few of his coloring pages the first week we started school.

My favorite, the alligator.  What a mess.  I don't even know what the deal is with the black, but he was pretty proud of this masterpiece.

  This one is particularly awful, he just colored everywhere with no consideration of anything.  Don't get excited about the two red apples in the basket, that was me.

It's been five long weeks of patiently trying to get him to understand "how" to color.  I would have never guessed in a million years I'd have to teach a kid how to color.  Doesn't everybody just pick up a box of crayons and figure out that the apples are red, the alligator is not black, and the lines must mean SOMETHING? 

Not Jack.  I have to start out by showing him the picture, then have him help me decide what colors the picture should be.  Then, we pick the colors out one by one, and he colors each section before moving on to the next.  He was overwhelmed by all the choices of colors, but by introducing the crayons or markers to him one color at a time it was much easier. 

Here is today's masterpiece!

Picasso, he's not.  But I'm really happy with how far he's come since school started!

He has also finally learned the alphabet song, and can identify the letters and sounds they make up to letter e.  Progress is slow going, but we are moving along at his pace.  It's been difficult to keep him from getting frustrated, so we are taking it slow.  The last thing I want is for him to get discouraged or upset, because he is the most stubborn child I have ever met and shut down he will, in a second.  

He has also learned his right from his left, but he keeps calling his left his "wrong".  As frustrating as it is, I can totally see it... "If this is my right foot, then the other foot is my wrong foot".  At least he gets the difference, he will get the words right eventually.

He is also finally enjoying me reading stories to him.  He has been our only child that never wanted us to read to him.  He hates it.  He doesn't like books, he doesn't like the library, and he certainly doesn't want to snuggle up in my lap, Justice's lap, or anybody else's with a book.  We finally hit the reading jackpot with this book that we checked out from the library.  We read it every day, sometimes two or three times.  He absolutely loves this book, and I never tire of reading it to him.  As a matter of fact, I'm certain Santa will be leaving him a copy of his own in his stocking this year.

Most everyone knows already that Justice suffers from ADHD, but I've always been convinced that Jack does not have it.  I'm reconsidering that since we started school.  I know he does not have the "H" (hyperactivity), but I definitely see signs of just ADD.  At the age of four, he should absolutely be able to color a picture without demolishing it or without as much supervision as I have to give him, and he should be able to concentrate on a book, or a song.  He is absolutely all over the place, and not in a normal child sort of way.  I'm desperately hoping I'm wrong, but the good news is that I feel we have done a great job of getting Justice's under control so it won't be so hard the second time around.  And quite honestly, the "H" is the hardest part.  I have dealt quite successfully with The Coaches unmedicated ADD for 17 years, and it's not nearly as hard to handle without the "H" thrown in the mix.  Time will tell, I am watching him and will have him tested when the time is right, if necessary.  One thing is for certain, and that is the fact that if Jack were in regular pre-K this year, he would not be able to function with the other children.  The only reason this has been a success is because I am able to tailor our schedule around him, take breaks when necessary, and change up the schedule based on his needs.  If he were in a traditional classroom setting we would have some serious issues already and he would be left behind the other kids, and quite frustrated.  And most likely that would result in bad behavior and him disliking school.

I've really enjoyed the past five weeks, and I look forward to the rest of the year.  I've had to learn to work around my schedule somewhat, and some days are better than others.  But he's learning  something every single day, and that's all that matters to me.