Laura, I've read quite a bit about ADD/ADHD, and one thing that was suggested for kids to get schoolwork done (or adults to get paperwork, etc., done) was to either (1) have a place set aside where there are ZERO distractions -- no music, no TV, as plain of a setting as possible; OR (2) see if he can work better with music or something in the background; apparently it kind of keeps part of the brain occupied while the rest of the brain does the work it's supposed to do.

The Boy (this is NOT an excuse to go all Carrots) has ADD, and I can ask him later what worked best for him, and if he knows of any other good resources.

There is music software out there that will translate what you play on to screen in notation - then you can play with the notation to make it sound different - It takes the drugery out - and I think voice recognition software could be used that way too.

I have a cousin that basicly had a brain where the two halves didn't communicate - she learned to spell while jumping up and down on a trampoline.

I wonder if IM or some other version of Chat would be good.- it won't help spelling - but because it moves so fast - my typing speed is way up - which makes typing less of a drugery.

And what about Runescape - or one of the other on line adventure games - where co operating with other players - that you to use the computer to talk to- gets you further. Now, I do have kids that come to the library that come to play, and they play for hours , which is not so good, but the basic idea is good. Lots of problem solving

Hello SCube!

God, I can't believe Emmett's in 5th grade! Craxy.

He keeps growing up! He's 4'8" now. His mom is only 5'1" so he'll probably lap her in sixth grade. Maybe before - he grew 3-4 inches last year.

It's going to be interesting having a baby in the house again. Emmett was soooo much work as an infant and a toddler (more than the average toddler, that is), but he's gotten very easy as he's gotten older. I think potty training was the last really big stressful hurdle. A couple minor things to deal with (like his balking at the Triple-A tryouts), but otherwise he's just very balanced: socially adept, bright A-minus / B-plus type student, athletic.

His teachers always like him in class. He's funny but doesn't disrupt class. He's apparently very good at oral reports (his teacher last year said his was by far the best and he had the class spellbound). Which I think speaks to his combination of social and research strengths. He thinks he's pretty hot shit with math, but there are usually three or four kids better than him in his class (according to his teachers).

t /Emmett Likes Carrots

I'm sort of fearful that he's going to be kind of wild as a teen, though. There will definitely be some clashing of wills.

I'm expecting Matilda to be more bookish and introverted than Emmett, but you never know how the gene roulette will play out. I'm really looking forward to having a daughter.

Aww. it's really neat to read about all the buffista parents and kids. So different from my life. Insight into parenting, all that jazz. Love it. And the buffista teachers, too!

Though this isn't Gris' first year, right? Just first-week-this-year.

It means so much to be able to discuss things here. Some great ideas. I'll pass them along to DH since he is taking the lead with Bobby this year. This works on a number of levels. The way they relate to each other is just different. His personal ADD issues seem to help him relate. We tried working with and without music. Music seems to help. DH takes him along with him in the car when he has to drive anywhere and he works well in that confined environment. It is constant experimentation to find something that works.

I'm doing a bunch of copy and paste to send along to dad.

We all learn so differently. It is a constant challenge to figure out what works.

I think this is Gris's first actual year. He was, I think, student teaching last year.

I'm sort of fearful that he's going to be kind of wild as a teen, though. There will definitely be some clashing of wills.

Ship 'em to Auntie Erin. He may come back with a tat, but I'll ship him to my caver friends with kids and he'll learn a valuable lesson in PAY ATTENTION -- there's a reason!

Hee. We could make a hella killing, shipping 'Ffista kids off to various 'Ffistas for a week in summer. Book camp, caver camp, robot camp, sex ed camp, math camp, music camp. What else? Rock climbing, research, SNARK, computers, marketing, guerilla law.

And it'd be good for Single Buffistas too. Do they really want kids or just cute Christmas card pictures? And, you know, it takes Buffista Island to raise a child. Minor peeve: The book group that I wrote back to, thanks to Robin, has now left it to me to select an accessible meeting place for some future date. Which is smart of them, but spot-putting to me, and I sort of suck at that game, considering my lifelong gimpiness.

Erin, what is a caver friend?

Laura, I've got nothing. I'm just reading and trying to retain, because learning-style-wise, my three children are so different, it's a little surprising they've even met, forget about being related and raised together.

what is a caver friend?

I would imagine a friend who caves. t not sarcastic