Hello I am majorly torn on whether to switch to universal PreK next year or stay at the half day private school I’ve been going to for years. This is for my second child. Boy who is 3 now. The program is brand new and just started this January. This is red flag #1. The second thing I’m concerned about is the amount of academics. It is very much more like real school with worksheets and even homework (?!) according to a family I spoke with who is in it now. I really don’t think he’s ready for that. And I would prefer to stay at a more play based program. It’s kind of a tight community at my current school. I know most of the families and the majority are staying. I feel like he’ll be sad to have different friends and I’ll be sad about not seeing those moms.
But pros are longer day (until 2pm) and FREE. Ugh.
Any universal PreK stories to share to help?

My son had a speech delay that we noticed around 2 years old (some months after we isolated during Covid). We put him in a program that would address it and he was essentially looped into prek program that helped with speech therapy at the elementary school. He speaks a lot now with some grammatical issues. But this basically set him up for an IEP and is in a level 3 ASD Resource classroom.
I don’t think he’s autistic because he’s very engaging, loving, sweet and helpful. But he may have a learning disability where he needs extra attention and help focusing on his worksheets. I worry he will have a IEP all his school career and I worry about being separated from the rest of his peers. It seems there is no escaping an IEP because they always bring up something he needs to work on in a new EP after he has mastered what they previously recommended. There’s also the stigma associated with being ‘special Ed’. I’m a millennial so when I was in high school in the early 2000s I don’t remember anybody in an IEP. Special ed was strictly for those with severe handicaps. I don’t understand this resource classroom vs self contained is either.
I don’t know. Feeling dejected over my son and his issues with school. As teachers do you have any insight to the IEP process and if there were any kids that ‘graduated ‘ from it?

UPDATE: expulsion reversed, for now!
Coming back for an update. We met with the headmaster and made our case. They agreed to let our son stay for the remainder of the year on very strict probational terms with all the power in their hands. They have instructed his teachers to extend zero extensions or generosity in expectations/ grading. They said it is very unlikely he will be allowed to remain at the school for next year, but they are willing to defer that decision to see what he can produce in these final months. It's in his hands.
On a very positive note, his mental health has improved. Opening a fresh term (they are on trimesters) without any late assignments hanging over him was a sweet relief. Although, due to his low grades, at least two courses have to be repeated in the summer. But he is doing much better and setting so many goals for himself.
I really appreciate the comments, even those who worried they were harsh. I can handle it, and I appreciate all of it.
I would in fact love to be less involved. When I try ignoring the school’s emails and phone calls, they only dial up the pressure and demand we come in for meetings.
As for my son’s need for autonomy and wanting to be in the driver’s seat on these enrollment decisions, I can’t do entirely so without feeling financially irresponsible. I went to free public school and to an affordable state university. A SINGLE year of his current tuition is more than was spent on my entire education from age 5 - 22. And not just because I’m old, lol, - a year of his high school cost more than 3 years of current tuition at my university. My parents graciously paid for that, and my obligation was clear in repayment: good attendance and respectable academic effort. The thought of just failing classes (almost entirely due to lack of attendance) on someone else’s dime seems entitled and ungrateful to me, especially since the whole thing (leaving public school) was his idea.
I will share some really mature insights he has offered in case any of you have very young children. From his perspective, all the years of IEP accommodations hurt him. He wishes we could go back and have no accommodations or supports, including extended time, modified/shortened assignments, etc., because he said it only pushed the problem off to an older age when it was much harder to adapt to "normal" expectations. He says being an A student in public school (with a robust IEP) prevented him from developing necessary skills that a 15 year old should have. And of course, he is also upset that it is all on his record because he wants to apply to West Point or the Air Force Academy and says the long history of accommodations will make that nearly impossible. The military was never on his or our radar before this year.
As I am facing an upcoming psycho-educational analysis with my 8 year old who is almost a carbon copy of my 15 year old (clinical dx of autism, anxiety, ADHD), I will take accommodation recommendations with a huge grain of salt and reflect deeply about whether they will serve him in the long run. I’m also halfway through a controversial book on childhood therapy that has me questioning everything and is somewhat supporting my teen’s opinion that many of our efforts to “help” him, from school accommodations to SSRIs to therapy, may not have only been unhelpful but potentially even harmful. He's asking to come off all meds. We let him come off ADHD but I'm nervous to have him wean off the SSRIs but promised we can try. It’s a lot to digest.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/716567/bad-therapy-by-abigail-shrie
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Original post:
TL;DR - are there alternatives to the Low Demand Lifestyle for supporting PDA? And what educational options should I consider for a 15 year old who has flunked out of school?
I don't think in the long run my son will be happy with the results if we go with Low Demand Lifestyle, he has in fact tells me I should've pushed him more his whole life and not let him quit so many things. To be fair, when I'm able to convey expectations in a non-confrontational manner, I do try. But an expectation is an expectation, and he can read between the lines. He has PDA but is also ambitious, which is a tragic combination. In moments of clarity throughout his life, he's expressed such anguish over all the things he quit (like team sports, musical instruments) and has such grief and regret for all the things he's said "no" to. But he's rarely in the right mood to say "yes." So in the moment, low demands might feel good to him, but I think that he will be incredibly unhappy in the long run because his world is just getting smaller and smaller and more screen-based and it's not what he says wants, even as he resists most offers of support and forms of therapy and tough love.
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Background: I will just start with an apology. I'm sure I'll say something wrong because no, I haven't lurked on this board lately and I'm sure I'll put my foot in my mouth even as I endeavor not to. I am breaking my self-imposed Reddit and social media ban to ask this because my family is in crisis. (I get screen-addicted very easily, just like my neurodivergent kids. I had to make a clean break from Reddit, Twitter and all other social media and hope that beyond the rare post like this I will stick with it).
I have 4 kids, 3 of whom are clinically diagnosed with autism, ADHD and anxiety disorders. I'm am very similar to them, but, you know, getting a clinical diagnosis for a 46 year old woman who's masked her whole life is a familiar and frustrating story in these spaces.
My oldest is in crisis. He is in the process of being expelled/flunking out of his high school. They are letting him finish the tri-mester term (finals are next week) after we begged so I'm using this time to make an emergency transition plan. He does have a psychiatrist and a therapist but I don't know how much I can lean on him because it turns out he just lies to them and they don't really "know" him. The PDA profile was suggested to me by a BCBA when he was 7 and he checks all the boxes for this condition perfectly, even though no other therapists, doctors or educators we've worked with are familiar with it and we are in the US so it's not a recognized DSM diagnosis.
His school, which he begged to attend, is a rigorous college prep school that I was adamantly opposed to because it's way too hard (AND requires 2 team sports! He's not a sporty guy and he has asthma which he uses to get out of most practices and games). It's also incredibly expensive, more than my college tuition for just high school. His rationale was that we pay college savings to high school instead, then he'd do so well he'd get scholarships.
He hated public school (which he attended Prek - 8th with a homeschool detour during Covid) despite the fact that we are in a very reputable district and he had a robust IEP. He didn't like it because he felt like he wasn't learning and that they discouraged critical thinking (any attempts at counterpoints or challenging a teacher on a historical inaccuracy was promptly shut down). He got excellent grades with little effort, there was not much homework and in our districts' attempt to close achievement gaps, they've just been continually lower the expectations across the board. So, I guess that was indeed a very Low Demand Lifestyle and on paper it looked like he was doing fine, straight As.
Even so, he's had school refusal his entire life. It got worse as he got older, like average 30 days absent per year. We used to get the threatening letters from the school about attendance. Which was really fucking rich during Covid, since they were the ones who'd they'd send him home if he so much as sniffled and not allow him back without a negative Covid test (which was before the home tests rolled out), and banned nebulizers for asthma during school hours because it could "aerosolize the Covid particles" then had the audacity to send us a sternly worded letter about attendance and referrals Child Family Service referrals. I digress.
I must emphasize that HE begged to leave the district. We are public school graduates, raised by public school teachers, it's all we knew and all we had considered. So when he applied then miraculously got accepted into the hardest private school in our region, I pled my case to pick any number of other more relaxed private schools like a really interesting Montessori high school that felt like a great fit. But no, he loved this one because it's hard, it's prestigious, it was more open to diverse viewpoints. They were fully aware of his diagnoses and IEP and made him their own version of a learning plan, which is not like an IEP but more like a 504. They offered the typical accommodations like extended time and organizational assistance.
He's in his sophomore year. From day 1 of freshman year, he's resisted all of their academic support. He doesn't check or respond to emails, he ghosted the peer tutors and learning consultants (until we tied his cooperation to screen time) and he didn't put in the time required to stay afloat. They were very upfront about rigor: high school students average 3 hours of homework per night. Other families we consulted confirmed their sons came home, worked, ate dinner, worked some more, and went to bed. I TOLD HIM ALL OF THIS and begged him not to go there. I was overruled. My husband thought that if there was even a chance that he would grow up and throw his heart into this school, who are we to stand in his way? My husband's best friend attended there in the 90s and barely got through it, but he says that it made him the successful man he is and that he had no regrets.
Things have only gotten worse. His grades and attendance have been terrible. I offered many times to let him transfer to an easier school. He refused (and still refuses, he says if this doesn't work out he won't consider any other school). He took a medical leave of absence this fall to go to Rogers Behaviorial in Wisconsin to treat his anxiety (total disaster, we picked him up 6 days into his planned 6 week stay). That, too, was his idea. He wanted to go "resolve" his social anxiety and we were sold a vision of peaceful walks in the woods, horseback riding, and strategies to conquer anxiety. Instead he was put in a locked depression recovery unit with suicidal kids (he was not suicidal) and he didn't breathe outdoor air once in the 6 days he was there and he wasn't even allowed to have books in his room. Suffice to say, his mental health declined while there instead of improving.
Upon picking him up early, his school didn't let him immediately return. They said it was finals time and he'd missed too much so he should just come back at the next term (around Thanksgiving). This meant weeks at home and retreating further into Youtube and videogames and daily battles with us for more screentime. I can't overemphasize how draining these daily battles were (and still are). We even tried it his way "if you remove ALL limits it will be less tantalizing for me and I will self-moderate." We tried that...without guardrails he'd spend 9-10 hours a day on screens! Which I get, my own screen addiction has been a constant battle.
They let him return in November for the second trimester and we are still in that term but his performance has been very poor, even as they let him drop one class to makeup over the summer. He has racked up absences and turned in almost no work and currently has two failing grades. Before winter break the school made it very clear that a massive turnaround was needed. He went into break full of ambition. He squandered it. He spent all of his time doing anything but work. We argued constantly about screen time and even when we stood firm on our limit (2 hours per day) he would find anything else to do besides work on his overdue assignments. The expectation was that he would return from break fully caught up. He did not, not even close.
We were clear then and have been clear throughout that they weren't going to let him continue in this manner. They told us that if a drastic improvement didn't happen immediately, he would have to repeat his sophomore year. That was a nonstarter for him. "I will not. I will have to quit in that case. I refuse."
We have tried SO FUCKING HARD. We've broken down every single missing assignment (there were over 50) and showed him exactly what to do, offered tutoring, offered to take him to dad's empty office on the weekends to work in peace, offered helpful apps like Photomath, he refused all of it. And the lies, oh the lies. We have caught him lying about completed work so many times. And that's what brought things to a head last week, ahead of schedule. He was supposed to have until the end of next week, the end of the term, before they lowered the boom. But they caught him lying to his advisor and learning consultant about having turned in work he hadn't turned in and they confronted him and he had a panic attack and said "ok! ok! I guess I have to quit!" and I think they were relieved and took that at face value. He didn't mean it. They told us there was nothing else they could do for him and that we were at the end.
Over the weekend he did 6 months worth of Algebra 2. He did it. For real. He said "I don't deserve another chance, but can you ask anyway?" So we went and plead his case with the powers that be yesterday. They were unmoved but we finally got them to let him take the finals, with a huge caveat that there is very little chance they will change their mind regardless of how he scores because his avoidant behavior and lack of honesty have been so persistent, and that the level of daily support they have been providing him is far beyond what they've ever done for any student at that school and just not in keeping with their standards for rigor and preserving their reputation for academic excellence. :(
I'm not sure if he is deluded about his propsects, all month he's been telling me he wants to get off all medications and drop his learning plan so he can apply for a medical waiver and try to get into USMA (West Point) which automatically disqualifies based on autism, adhd, IEPs, and related medications and supports. You can apply for an exemption, but based on his record even BEFORE he was about to be kicked out, it seems incredibly unlikely. It is bizarre to me that he is even interested. We are not a military family. He is a healthy weight, but I can't imagine he could keep up with the physical demands. He doesn't exercise daily (like we tell him to), he doesn't like to wake up early, basically everything about the military lifestyle seems counter to his nature, but that's his "thing" right now that's all he can think about.
So he's at school for the next week and a half and I need to use that time to figure out what happens next. The year we homeschooled (7th grade) was so stressful. He learned a lot, but not what I asked him to learn. I made daily work plans and he would just push them aside and watch educational videos instead on totally different topics than what we were supposed to be learning. We fought a lot. I am not sure I can try that again, but I also know he refuses to go to any other brick and mortar school. I'm also hesitant to do any kind of online school because he is SO SCREEN ADDICTED that it seems like a terrible idea. I was thinking of going old school with textbooks, worksheets, pencils and just avoiding screen-based work as much as possible. But every single day will be like pulling teeth and I'm not sure I have the emotional bandwidth for it.
The only school that *has* to take him at this point is obviously the public high school. I know he will not go.
I'm not sure what to do. And back to my original question -- are there other schools of thought besides Low Demand Lifestyle? My husband considers it a nonstarter. Even some of the "success" stories I've read for that approach don't sound like what I would consider success. There is some PDA coach I was looking at, reading her stuff, until I realized she just lets her kid on screens all day every day. That feels kind of like giving up to me, and I believe screens are the worst thing that ever happened to my family. I am forever regretful of letting a single smartphone, ipad, Switch or gaming PC into this house. I know I'm unlikely to find anti-screen allies on Reddit of all places, but...worth a shot. Are there approaches to PDA that allow you to maintain firm screen limits and have healthy expectations for a child in terms of schoolwork, hygiene, chores, employment? Or am I in denial about what living with PDA can look like?
Again, I'm sure I've offended lots of people with my post and word choices and anti-screen mentality. Mental health spaces are hard for me to navigate deftly. I'm sorry.

My son is 5, with a diagnosed genetic disorder causing global developmental delays, he has a lot of good speech but still working on it, started walking last summer (was previously in a wheelchair). My son is in a district K (also did 2 years in district Prek and did wonderfully while mainstreamed with a 1:1). This year we are on the STRUGGLE bus. His mainstream class is not the issue, he’s excelling in all his specials especially art, gym and music. He’s very social and loved by his classmates who fight to play with him at center time, playground and always want to read him books. My concern is his “pull out class” for reading and math. It’s so many worksheets. I feel that the modifications aren’t meeting his needs and I have proposed a meeting. I get a call that the pull out teacher is referring him to a behavioral evaluation because he “yells” and has taken to “attention seeking”. I’ve been getting calls all year only from this teacher about all of the things he does wrong (ex he bit a crayon, tries to mouth objects - he is occasionally sensory seeking when bored and sees OT, has chewy necklace etc). He is overall a happy and calm guy who just loves to be a part of it all.
I have a feeling she is seeking him moved out of her room, another parent told me the one class aide (not his 1:1) said “this just isn’t the place for him” and they want him in a contained class (MD). I need some good talking points as to why it’s not appropriate to move him to a contained room when he’s flourishing socially at all other times? Are those things I described really considered behaviors? I don’t know of any intervention the teacher has taken except to put him outside the class to “remove him”. I’m lost and I just want to do the right thing by my son while taking into account that I’m not the educational professional and I want what’s best for his education as well. Thank you all in advance.

My daughter has homework 4 nights a week. None of them are things that challenge her and she's starting to fight doing it. It's 1-3 worksheets per day...things like letters, sight words, handwriting, math, etc. She's ahead of grade level in every way they've ever tested and is reading about 3rd grade level.
Is it worth the fight to keep her doing it every night or should I talk to her teacher about not requiring it? I'm going to try to get her to work ahead on a weekend so she'd at least get a day off during the school week when she's worn out...but it seems silly to make her do this for a whole second semester when it's not information she's learned this year, it's thinks she could do since preK (started reading Level 1 books October of PreK4).
As far as I can tell homework only counts for earning "free dress" each grading period but not I'm sure if it could affect report card if we stop sending it in...will have to ask.
Update I spoke to her teacher and came up with some other things she could do on the days where the homework is super basic (letters, sight words)! I'm hoping it being something more interesting will help her be more into it...

So I've seen multiple different answers and was hoping I could get clarification.
I was substituting for a math class and one of the problems on a worksheet they had was to prove that 4 points created a rhombus. I figured that you only needed to prove that all 4 sides are equal, but the teacher put on the key to also prove that opposite sides are parallel. Is the second part necessary? Is there such a quadrilateral that has 4 equal sides but isn't a parallelogram/rhombus?
Thanks yall

My 4yo started a prek program, two half days a week. Up until now he’s always been with me or dad so I knew it would be an adjustment. He didn’t struggle at all being away and I felt like things were going fine initially despite some concern. When we enrolled him the teacher was a retired elementary teacher and seemed like a perfect fit for him. A week before school started they quit and they have not been able to hire anyone so they have someone “teaching” in the interim. Unfortunately this person does not seem like a good fit and my son’s behavior has regressed tremendously since starting school. Recently I talked with my kiddo and realized he isn’t doing his worksheets at school. I called the teacher to check in and apparently this has been a problem for months. I was basically told my kid is a distraction to others for being vocal about his refusal to do a worksheet and also that he acts inappropriately at times… such as pretending to have super powers or grabbing other students on the playground. I’m really taken back by this because I feel like these are all normal things for a preschooler and shouldn’t their preschool program be working on this with him? I of course work with him at home, he’s very smart and is reading some words already. He really struggled with writing though and despite my best efforts at home I’ve seen no improvement. He told me he hates school and never wants to go back. I’ve kept him home and his behavior has been better and overall he is happier again. I’m not sure what to do here; do I keep sending him to school or do I just take him out? It’s a really hard decision for me because I feel like it’s a lose/lose.

My kid started kindergarten (local public school) mid August. We're on the third week of homework every weekday. Usually 1 or 2 worksheets and some flash cards he must practice for a few minutes every day. He went to prek so he's ahead of some of his classmates. Usually it only takes roughly 10-20mins if he's cooperative. It's nothing difficult for him but.. I'm just totally baffled. I expected maybe SOME homework later in the year.. but right at the beginning, pretty much daily?
I don't believe it's optional as the teacher has sent out a notice to all the parents reminding them to have the kids do homework. But it just feels like too much. I don't want to refuse it or tell my son he doesn't have to when he knows it's been assigned.. I want him to grow up as someone who actually does projects and assignments in a timely manner unlike I did lol. But at the same time this much so soon feels like he's going to turn out hating and despising homework/projects etc. Which most kids do, but I feel like this enforces it as I've already seen a change in his attitude. First week he was excited, and now he moans and groans about it. :/ So is there a way we could ask the teacher to assign less? Idk how to go about this..

I am planning on homeschooling my 5 and 3 year old daughters using mainly the kinder and prek books ive picked up at various stores. Ive got that planed out and everything finalized.
We are doing little explorers for geography as my dad got them a year subscription for Christmas. I'm also doing simple science experiments and thinking of starting a small garden.
Now here comes my question. My 17 month old daughter is going to want to ne doing anything they do. She is behind developmentally in that she is barely starting to even pull up. In talking she is ahead of the game and thanks to my 5 year old she is pretty good with handling a crayon too. She wants to be anywhere her sisters are and do anything they do. Knowing this I am trying to figure out what I can have her do durring lessons that will go along with what I'm teaching.
In general we are focusing assignements along the themes of
Letter of the week Number of the week Shape of the week Color of the week Animal of the week Plant of the week Career of the week Continent or ocean of the week (yes I know we will be doing it over and over but thats ok) Sight words of the month
Lessons are going to be really simple such as finding two of something or how many words start with the a sound. Some work sheets but alot of discussing different facts. And of course pretend play. We will mainly be doing worksheets in the morning and no more than 5 each depending on how they handle the concepts.
That is where I need the help on. Durring the worksheet portion of the day I need some ideas. Id like to include her in on the lesson but I'm not sure how.

Phone and Internet:

• Free Access to Spectrum Broadband and Wi-Fi Internet Free For 60 Days for households with students
• Charter will offer free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription and at any service level up to 100 Mbps. To enroll call 1-844-488-8395. Installation fees will be waived for new student households.
• T-Mobile & Metro Active Customers: All current T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers who have plans with data will have unlimited smartphone data for the next 60 days (excluding roaming). here is more details
• T-Mobile is offering all current customers unlimited data and waiving late fees for next 30-60 days
• Mint Mobile: New and existing customers can get Unlimited 4G LTE Data for free. Click here for more details
• AT&T: AT&T is suspending broadband data caps for home internet customers. You can read more here. They’re also waiving late fees for next 30-60 days. They’ll also provide free access to its public WiFi hot spots.
• Sprint is offering unlimited data for all users and waiving late fees for next 30-60 days
• Verizon: Verizon will waive late fees and keep residential and small business customers connected if negatively impacted by global crisis. More here
• Comcast/Xfinity: Comcast opens Xfinity WiFi Network Nationally for Free and Offers Unlimited Data for Free. Click here for more details
• Enterprise will waive underage fees for college students age 18-24. here is more details

Major Domestic Airlines:

• Southwest: They always offer free flight changes so nothing changes for them. Any difference in fare will apply.
• JetBlue: JetBlue has suspended change and cancel fees for all new flight bookings made between March 6, 2020 and March 31, 2020 for travel through September 8, 2020. The change/cancel fees suspension still applies for bookings made between February 27, 2020 and March 5, 2020 for travel through June 1, 2020.
• Delta: No Change Fees For All Tickets Purchased Between March 1 to 31, 2020. Ticket Can Be Changed One-Time To An Alternate Itinerary. Must Be Re-issued On/Before: February 28, 2021. Any difference in fare will apply.
• American Airlines: American Airlines will waive the change fee only on published Non-Refundable Fare tickets. Tickets must be purchased between March 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020, with original travel between March 1, 2020 and January 30, 2021. Changes must be made prior to the departure of your original flight. Any difference in fare will apply.
• United: When you book a flight between March 3 and March 31, 2020, you can change it for free over the next 12 months. Any difference in fare will apply.

Fitness:

• Planet Fitness is offering Free in-home workouts for everyone. Workouts will be led by trainers and surprise celebrity guests. If you miss the live class, you can come back and watch it later.
• Peleton is offering an extended 90-day free trial to its at-home workouts application during the quarantine. The in-app workouts don’t require you own any Peloton equipment, and include yoga, HIIT, stretching, and other categories. Download the Peleton app for free in the App Store or Play Store.

Credit Cards/Finance:

• Apple Card holders will be allowed to skip their March payment without incurring interest by signing up for a Customer Assistance Program, Apple is informing its customers. To join the Customer Assistance Program, Apple Card customers can call an Apple support rep directly through the Apple Wallet app and ask to be added. Click here for more details
• · American Express will waive 2 months of payments without charging penalties or interest. However, if you use this benefit, you won’t be able to use that credit card or points until you opt out. Click here for more info or to sign up for their hardship program
• · Chase, and other banks will offer 60 days of no late fees or interest for those impacted by the quarantine, call your bank to find out if you are eligible and what terms will apply.
• · Some leasing companies are offering to push off payments for 1 to 3 months. In return, they’ll extend your lease by that amount of time and have you pay regular payments then, essentially giving you an extra 1 to 3 months for free. Your max miles for the lease though will remain the same. Contact your auto see what they’re offering.
• · Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac owners get free On-Star and free in vehicle internet
• · Many states (New York included) and mortgage companies are offering 1 to 6 months of no mortgage payment requirements. Contact your mortgage provider to see what they’re offering and if you qualify.

Food / Misc:

• Uber Eats will waive delivery fees on all orders amid the quarantine. Service charges will still apply though. More info here
• Starbucks will give a free tall hot or iced brewed coffee to anyone that identifies themselves as a front line responder from today through May 3rd
• Crocs will be giving out 10,000 pairs of their shoes for FREE starting 3/26 12pm EST to healthcare workers. here is more info
• · Airbnb is offering free cancellations on most reservations
• · CVS and Walgreens: Both CVS and Walgreens will waive charges for home delivery of prescription medicines
• · Zoom Video is offering free video conferences for schools.

News Publications that are removing their paywalls:

• · The New York Times
• · Wall Street Journal
• · The Washington Post
• · The Los Angeles Times
• · The Guardian
• · AP News
• · The Athletic

Master List of Educational and Fun Resources

• · Scholastic has setup a “learn from home” website which will offer free daily courses for kids stuck at home because of school cancellations. You can click here for more info or to sign up.
• · Free Early Learning Academy for Kids from Pre-K to 2nd Grade. Use Promo Code: SCHOOL7771 or AOFLUNICEF
• · Free Access to Reading IQ for Kids in Preschool through 6th Grade. Use Promo Code: SCHOOL7771 or AOFLUNICEF
• · Free Access to Academic Adventures for Kids in 3rd grade thru 8th grade. Use Promo Code: SCHOOL7771 or AOFLUNICEF
• · Prodigy Math has free video game style math learning and questions. Click here
• · Free access for 30 days that will be extended as long as schools are still closed
• · Hundreds of printable educational worksheets for free. Click here
• · The San Diego Zoo has a website just for kids with amazing videos, activities, and games. Enjoy the tour! https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/
• · Tour Yellowstone National Park! https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm
• · Explore the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover. https://accessmars.withgoogle.com/
• · This Canadian site FarmFood 360 offers 11 Virtual Tours of farms from minks, pigs, and cows, to apples and eggs. https://www.farmfood360.ca/
• · Indoor Activities for busy toddlers https://busytoddler.com/2020/03/indoor-activities/
• · Play games and learn all about animals https://switchzoo.com/
• · Play with fave show characters and learn too https://pbskids.org/
• · Travel to Paris, France to see amazing works of art at The Louvre with this virtual field trip. https://www.louvre.fen/visites-en-ligne
• · This Virtual Tour of the Great Wall of China is beautiful and makes history come to life. https://www.thechinaguide.com/destination/great-wall-of-china
• · Math and Reading games https://www.funbrain.com/
• · Phonics skills https://www.starfall.com/h/
• · Read, play games, and hang out with Dr. Seuss https://www.seussville.com/
• · 300,000+ FREE printable worksheets from toddlers to teens https://www.123homeschool4me.com/home-school-free-printables/
• · Geography and animals https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
• · Math practice from counting to algebra and geometry http://www.mathscore.com/
• · Fave kids books read by famous people https://www.storylineonline.net/
• · Crafts, activities, mazes, dot to dot, etc, https://www.allkidsnetwork.com/
• · High school chemistry topics https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/articles-by-topic.html
• · Math and reading games https://www.abcya.com/
• · Math and language games https://www.arcademics.com/
• · Hands on Elem science videos https://www.backpacksciences.com/science-simplified
• · Voice based learning… learn through Alexa https://bamboolearning.com/resources
• · Fun games, recipes, crafts, activities https://www.highlightskids.com/
• · ClickSchooling brings you daily recommendations by email for entertaining websites that help your kids learn. https://clickschooling.com/
• · Math as a fun part of your daily family routine http://bedtimemath.org/
• · Games to get “into the book” https://reading.ecb.org/
• · Online history classes for all ages preteen through adults https://school.bighistoryproject.com/bhplive
• · Biology https://www.biologysimulations.com/
• · Elem Math through 6th grade https://boddlelearning.com/
• · Educational games K-12 https://www.breakoutedu.com/funathome
• · Digital archive of history https://www.bunkhistory.org/
• · Test Prep for SAT, ACT, etc. https://www.bwseducationconsulting.com/handouts.php
• · Geometry https://www.canfigureit.com/
• · Resources for Spanish practice https://www.difusion.com/campus/
• · Music is for everyone https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Experiments
• · Science, Math, Social Studies https://www.ck12.org/student/
• · Grammar practice for middle grades https://www.classroomcereal.com/
• · Daily free science or cooking experiment to do at home.http://www.clubscikidzmd.com/blog/
• · Chemistry https://www.playmadagames.com/
• · Reading passages for grades 3-12, with reading comprehension and discussion questions. https://www.commonlit.org/
• · Vocabulary, grammar, listening activities and games in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Korean, and Latin. https://conjuguemos.com/
• · 35,000 pages of online content on the cultures and countries of the world. https://www.countryreports.org/
• · K-5th Science lessons https://mysteryscience.com/
• · Tons of free classes from leading universities and companies https://www.coursera.org/
• · Free printable K-8 Reading and Math activity packs (available in English and Spanish) https://www.curriculumassociates.com/supporting-students-away-from-school
• · Digital learning content for preschool through high school https://www.curriki.org/
• · A wide range of math content from middle school through AP Calculus. https://deltamath.com/overview
• · Day-by-day projects to keep kids reading, thinking, and growing. https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
• · 3 Free Weeks of Maker Stations to keep your children creating at home! Each challenge includes simple instructions using materials around the house, QR code video resources, and a student recording sheet. bit.ly/freemakerstations
• · Classes for older teens or adults https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/lp/t1/freemo
• · Online homeschool platform & curriculum for Pre-K to 12th grade. All main subjects are covered, plus extra curriculum courses. http://discoveryk12.com/dk12/
• · Printable board games, activities and more for phonics and reading all using evidence-based methods. Can be customized to any student’s needs including creating flashcards for other subjects. https://dogonalogbooks.com/printables/
• · K-8 online math program that looks at how a student is solving problems to adjust accordingly and build a unique learning path for them. https://www.dreambox.com/at-home
• · Engaging reading game for grades 2-8 that combines strategy, engagement, and imaginative reading passages to create a fun, curriculum-aligned literacy game. https://www.squigglepark.com/dreamscape/
• · Higher level math series… online video series with detailed solutions to more than a thousand publicly-released College Board SAT Math, Subject Test Math Level 1, and Subject Test Math Level 2 problems.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbQoCpvYRYRkRRvsObOPHaA?reload=9
• · Foreign languages https://www.duolingo.com/
• · Interactive video earth science based curriculum supplement. https://www.everyday-earth.com/
• · A safe research site for elementary-level readers. They are offering — free 24/7 access
• · Username: read
• · Password: read
• · https://www.facts4me.com/
• · Resources for AP students including live reviews, live trivia, and study guides! https://app.fiveable.me/
• · Educational brain breaks to help students review essential literacy and math skills, while getting in some exercise. Find over 900 videos to help your child keep learning at home and burn off some extra energy. Our site is best used for ages 4-8. https://fluencyandfitness.com/registeschool-closures/
• · Movement and mindfulness videos created by child development experts. https://www.gonoodle.com/
• · 7,000 free videos in 13 subject areas https://hippocampus.org/
• · Carmen Sandiego videos, stories, and lessons for all subject areas https://www.carmensandiego.com/resources/
• · Math Videos with lessons, real life uses of math, famous actors https://www.hmhco.com/math-at-work
• · Entertaining & educational videos for all levels and subjects https://www.izzit.org/index.php
• · Online education program for toddler through high school… https://www.khanacademy.org/
• · Free Printables for PreK-2nd Grade https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Literacy-With-The-Littles/Price-Range/Free
• · Free printables library with activities for children 0-6 https://www.littlesparkcompany.com/printables-library
• · Free at-home kids yoga lesson plans https://littletwistersyoga.com/online-store/
• · Magic Spell is a carefully crafted spelling adventure. https://brainbox.games/
• · Resources for AP students https://marcolearning.com/
• · Enter your math problem or search term, press the button, and they show you the step-by-step work and answer instantly. 2nd grade through college. https://www.mathcelebrity.com/online-math-tutor.php
• · Elem Math games, logic puzzles and educational resources https://www.mathplayground.com/
• · Poetry and music https://www.thewell.world/mindful-music/mindful-poetry-moments
• · 3D printing projects and Coding projects, involving math and other K-12 subjects https://www.instructables.com/membeEdgertonCenteinstructables/
• · Introductory and intermediate music theory lessons, exercises, ear trainers, and calculators. https://www.musictheory.net/
• · Scads of free resources, games, learning resources, and lesson plans for teaching personal finance https://www.ngpf.org/
• · Improve your typing skills while competing in fast-paced races with up to 5 typers from around the world. https://www.nitrotype.com/
• · Illustrated recipes designed to help kids age 2-12 cook with their grown-ups. Recipes encourage culinary skills, literacy, math, and science. https://www.nomsterchef.com/nomster-recipe-library
• · Online curriculum that builds better writers. https://www.noredink.com/
• · 80+ do at home science activities https://elementalscience.com/blogs/news/80-free-science-activities
• · Daily lessons and educational activities that kids can do on their own https://www.superchargedschool.com/
• · Adaptive curriculum in Math and ELA for Grades K-8
• · https://www.scootpad.com/
• · Novel Effect makes storytime a little more fun for kids (and grown-ups too!) As you read out loud from print books (or ebooks!) music, sound effects, and character voices play at just the right moment, adjusting and responding to your voice. https://noveleffect.com/
• · Quick & easy at home projects curated for kids 2 and up
• · https://www.kiwico.com/kids-at-home
• · Teaches students how to write a paragraph through interactive online tutorial http://www.paragraphpunch.com/
• · PreK-12 digital media service with more than 30,000 learning materials https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/
• · Curricular content hub specifically designed for K-3 students.
• · https://pebblego.com/free-pebblego-capstone-interactive-access-school-closures
• · Science and math labs and simulations https://phet.colorado.edu/
• · An online physics problem and video bank designed for conceptual, standard, honors or AP1 physics. https://www.positivephysics.org/home
• · Prodigies is a colorful music curriculum for kids 1-12 that will teach your kids how to play their first instrument, how to sing in tune & how to understand the language of music! 21 for free https://prodigiesmusic.com/
• · Free videos from around the world from grade 3-12 https://www.projectexplorer.org/
• · QuaverMusic is offering free access to general music activities to all impacted schools, including free student access at-home https://www.quavermusic.com/info/at-home-resources/
• · For students to practice and master whatever they are learning. https://quizlet.com/
• · ReadWorks is an online resource of reading passages and lesson plans for students of all levels K-12. https://www.readworks.org/
• · Critical Thinking resources for K-6 students https://marketplace.mythinkscape.com/store/redtkids
• · Science simulations, scientist profiles, and other digital resources for middle school science and high school biology https://sepuplhs.org/
• · The Shurley English program for grades K-8 provides a clear, logical, and concrete approach to language arts. https://www.shurley.com/
• · Sight reading and sight singing practice exercises. https://www.sightreadingfactory.com/
• · Music practice transformed https://www.smartmusic.com/
• · Spellingcity is free right now with code VSCFree90 https://www.spellingcity.com/
• · Kid-friendly workouts — choose from Strength for Kids, Agility for Kids, Flexibility and Balance for Kids, Warm-Up for Kids, Cooldown for Kids, Stand Up and Move for Kids, OR create your own custom kid workout. https://app.sworkit.com/collections/kids-workouts
• · A collection of hundreds of free K-12 STEM resources, from standalone models and simulations to short activities and week long sequences of curriculum materials. https://learn.concord.org/
• · Course sets (Levels 1–5) that combine and thoroughly cover phonics, reading, writing, spelling, literature, grammar, punctuation, art, and geography—all in one easy-to-use, beautiful course. https://www.goodandbeautiful.com/
• · At home OT, PT, and ST resources designed to build skills in children through movement and play. https://www.theottoolbox.com/
• · Science projects that can be completed with or without Internet access https://sciencespot.net/Pages/classhome.html
• · Keyboarding practice https://www.typingclub.com/ or https://www.typing.com/
• · Next Generation Science video game focused on middle school where students directly engage in science phenomena as they solve problems. https://www.tytoonline.com/
• · Short videos and readings that answer various burning questions for students. There are vocabulary challenges and comprehension questions. http://wonderopolis.org/
• · Math practice https://xtramath.org/#/home/index
• · K-5 curriculum that builds deep understanding and a love of learning math for all students https://www.zearn.org/
• · A quick start resource to help families pull together a plan for surviving the next 1-2 months at home with their kids, but it can also be a time of slowing down and enjoying kids as they learn.
• · Preschool through 8th grade https://abetterwaytohomeschool.com/learning-at-home-everything-you-need-in-one-place.html
• · Spelling 1-4 grade https://www.spellingtraining.com/
• · 2,500+ online courses from top institutions https://www.edx.org/
• · 22 languages to learn https://www.memrise.com/
• · Miscellaneous games for all subjects k-8 https://www.funbrain.com/
• · Phonics and learning to read https://readingeggs.com/
• · PreK – 5 games for all subjects https://www.turtlediary.com/
• · Online digital coloring pages https://www.thecolor.com/
• · Every course you could possibly want to homeschool preschool – 8 https://allinonehomeschool.com/
• · Every course you could possibly want to homeschool for high school https://allinonehighschool.com/
• · Phonics worksheets for kids https://www.funfonix.com/
• · Free stories online ages 3-12 https://www.freechildrenstories.com/
• · National Geographic Young Explorers is a magazine designed specifically for kindergarten and first grade students. Children can listen to the magazine being read to them as they follow along with the highlighted text. https://ngexplorer.cengage.com/ngyoungexploreindex.html
• · Learn all about earthquakes https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/
• · Learn all about the periodic table https://www.chemicool.com/
• · Farmer’s almanac for kids… Date, weather, moon phase, etc. https://www.almanac.com/kids
• · Guide to gardening for kids https://web.extension.illinois.edu/firstgarden/
• · Website allows students to play basic games to reinforce math skills and compete against the computer or others https://www.mangahigh.com/en-us/
• · Space science for kiddos https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/index.html
• · Math Games, Logic Puzzles and Brain Builders https://www.mathplayground.com/
• · Games, quizzes and fact sheets take kids on a journey through time. https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/forkids/
• · NGAkids interactives offer an entertaining and informative introduction to art and art history. https://www.nga.gov/education/kids.html
• · News and more for kids https://www.youngzine.org/
• · Randomly generates 356,300,262,144 story starters https://thestorystarter.com/
• · Immerse yourself in cryptography https://www.cryptoclub.org/
• · Math games galore https://gridclub.com/
• · Experiments that you can do at home https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/
• · An interactive way to learn history https://www.mission-us.org/
• · Just explore, have fun, and learn some science along the way. https://thehappyscientist.com/
• · Interactive games based on the book series https://www.magictreehouse.com/
• · Work on the 8 parts of speech https://www.grammaropolis.com/
• · Learn all about cells https://www.cellsalive.com/
• · All sorts of learning here if you dig in https://www.google.com/earth/
• · Scratch draws students of all types into coding and lays a foundation for future learning. https://scratch.mit.edu/
• · A wonderful, endlessly detailed way to get kids engaged in the world of art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/metkids/
• · Tests kids’ geography skills. Using images from Google’s Street View, it plops players down in the middle of the street and asks them to figure out where they are. https://www.geoguessr.com/
• · Allows students to type in any city, state, or country to view an archive of historical photographs and other documents. It’s a unique way to help them learn about history.
• · http://www.whatwasthere.com//
• · Short videos about numbers that help kids explore complex math topics and make math more fun. https://www.numberphile.com/
• · A human visualization platform that allows students to explore the human body in really cool ways. https://human.biodigital.com/login?returnUrl=/dashboard
• · Helps kids learn to appreciate the arts by providing them with the opportunity to play games, conduct investigations, and explore different forms of art. https://artsology.com/
• · Lets kids play instruments online. Instruments include the guitar, piano, pan flute, drums, and bongos. https://www.virtualmusicalinstruments.com/
• · Crafts, activities, bulletin board designs, and finger plays for early education teachers and parents to use with kids.
• · http://www.preschoolexpress.com/
• · A large selection of fun songs to help teach preschool and kindergarten students https://www.songsforteaching.com/preschoolkindergarten.htm
• · Resource section includes free flashcards, coloring pages, worksheets, and other resources for children, teachers, and parents. https://supersimple.com/
• · Life skills curriculum for students in grades K-12. Their resources include strategies for teaching social and emotional skills. https://www.overcomingobstacles.org/
• · Coding for ages 4-10 https://www.kodable.com/
• · No need to travel to one of the Smithsonian’s zoos or museums — this website brings your child everything from live video of the National Zoo to the Smithsonian Learning Lab right to their screen https://www.si.edu/kids
• · Cool Kid Facts gives your child access to educational videos, pictures, quizzes, downloadable worksheets, and infographics. They can use these to learn about geography, history, science, animals, and even the human body.
• · https://www.coolkidfacts.com/
• · This interactive website, hosted by the U.S. Government Publishing Office, allows your child to see the ins and outs of the U.S. government by taking a series of learning adventures with none other than Benjamin Franklin. https://bensguide.gpo.gov/
• · This NASA initiative covers a wide range of topics including weather, climate, atmosphere, water, energy, plants, and animals. https://climatekids.nasa.gov/
• · Ask Dr. Universe is a science-education project from Washington State University. Kids can send Dr. Universe any question they may have about history, geography, plants, animals, technology, engineering, math, culture, and more. https://askdruniverse.wsu.edu/
• · Your child can play games, learn fun facts, and find out how to turn coin collecting into a hobby. https://www.usmint.gov/learn/kids
• · From rainbows to tornadoes and winter storms to tsunamis, meteorologist Crystal Wicker breaks down the fascinating world of weather. http://www.weatherwizkids.com/
• · Kids Think Design explores careers in fashion design, graphic design, interior design, book design, product design, film and theatre, architecture, animation, and environmental design. http://www.kidsthinkdesign.org/
• · This educational website hosted by the Smithsonian Museum takes a deep dive into ocean life. https://ocean.si.edu/
• · Brainscape offers over a million flashcard decks for every subject, entrance exam, and certification imaginable. https://www.brainscape.com/
• · The Theta Music Trainer offers a series of online courses and games for ear training and music theory. https://trainer.thetamusic.com/en
• · Banzai exposes students to real-world financial dilemmas to teach them the importance of smart money management. https://www.teachbanzai.com/
• · Innerbody explores the 11 bodily systems in depth. With interactive models and detailed explanations, this website will help them learn more about the internal mechanics of the amazing human body.https://www.innerbody.com/htm/body.html
• · Alcumus is specifically designed to provide high-performing students with a challenging curriculum appropriate to their abilities https://artofproblemsolving.com/alcumus
• · Find and fix learning gaps https://www.mobymax.com/
• · Algebra games for kids https://www.dragonboxapp.com/
• · Fractions practice http://www.mathchimp.com/freddysfractions.php
• · Education for kids all topics https://www.ducksters.com
• · Math and logic problems for ages 5 and up to adult https://www.aplusclick.org/
• · Science podcasts to listen to with your kids https://medium.com/kidslisten/19-great-science-podcasts-you-can-listen-to-with-kids-6fe46ac506b8#.rb23iuaw6
• · Alaskan Wildlife cams http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=viewing.webcams
• · Coding with Star Wars https://code.org/starwars
• · Tons and tons and tons of games some learning some just fun https://www.crazygames.com/
• · Crafts, projects, science, recipes for young children https://www.funology.com/
• · Amphibian unit studies https://premeditatedleftovers.com/naturally-frugal-mom/amphibians-unit-study-resources/
• · Engineering challenges with things you have at home https://thehomeschoolscientist.com/paper-structures-engineering-challenge/
• · Online photograph jigsaw puzzles You can set the pieces from 6-1000+ https://www.jigsawexplorer.com/
• · Toddler and preschool age ideas https://preschoolinspirations.com/
• · Free science lessons during school closures. Click here
• · Duolingo: Learn a new language for free! Click here
• · Click here for a bunch more educational offers for kids when they’re off from school
• · LinkedIn is offering several very informative courses for free. Courses on time management, productivity tips, managing stress, learning various video platforms and software & more!
• · Adobe is offering free Creative Cloud apps and conferencing.
• · U-Haul is offering college students 30 days of free storage.
• · Amazon is offering 2 Months of Kindle Unlimited for Free! Previous Members are Eligible Too
• · Amazon is also offering kids shows videos for free
• · NFL will offer fans free access to NFL Game Pass for the next 2 months! Click here
• · NBA League Pass will be offered for free thru April 22nd. Click here
• · Get your kids listening to various stories for free via Audible Stories
• · Resource of learning materials and work sheets on Google Drive
• · Various arts and crafts, lessons and more for free from Crayola
• · Jamm is a video call platform that’s offering 4 months for free
• · MeeroDrop is a visual content sharing site that’s now offering large file transfers for free. You’ll be able to access these files for 3 months for free.

Sorry for the large wall of text but figured it may be useful.

hello, I am currently teaching young students English as their second language (so I am guessing a textbook for PreK - Grade 5 would be a sufficient learning level?) Does anyone know any textbooks that have good explanations and exercises/worksheets for practice?

Until recently, our 3yr old has had absolutely no interest in coloring or writing. He is finally coming around. :-).
While we are figuring out a homeschool curriculum to go with... we don’t know where to find links that have free printable letter and number worksheets. We have found coloring sheets for printing, but nothing in regards to letters and numbers.
Thanks so much.

I was told kids should "grow out of it", so why every year since about 2.5 has he gotten worse? Not better with age. Worse.
He is just weird, ornery, and whiny if I boil it down to something. I'm trying to think of specific examples because any time I try to talk to anyone about him, save for a few people who lived with similar kids , I get "well he's 3/4/5 and a boy so *shrug* that's normal. But having been around other kids his age, he doesn't seem completely normal to me. He had 2 years of pre school where he frequently gave his teacher a hard time and refused to sit still. Alright, it's PreK I thought, these are 3 year olds they don't sit still for anything. But it never got any better. His teacher has been doing it for 20 years and she old me "you know Pting I've been doing this a long time. I can usually figure a kid out by the second year. What works for them and what won't. I can't figure out your son though. What works one day will be completely useless the next". Oh, cool...yay me. Also example, at his Kindergarten meet the teacher night he was the ONLY KID in his class to be running around bouncing off the walls. He was yelling and completely nuts, refusing to settle down. Any time I tried to hold his arm or restrain him and keep him quiet he would just scream at me to let him go. I was so freaking embarrassed in front of the other parents whos kids were all quiet and eager to find the seat with their name on it. He even ran out of the school and into the parking lot on our way out. My husband had to run after him and then carried him all the way to the car while he screamed "put me down". He thinks because he went to safety town and they taught him to look both ways it means hes allowed to cross parking lots himself. We've continued to tell him IT DOESN'T MATTER IF HE LOOKS BOTH WAYS because he's a small kid and cars can not see him. Bottom line it's not safe and he can only cross with an adult. He tells us he understands but goes right back to the behavior.
He's always touching shit that isn't his and making decisions for other people that no one asked him for. Today he was taking papers and stuff off my desk to hang on the fridge for no reason or just straight up THROWING THEM AWAY. I was sitting near by feeding his brother when he would hold something up and say what's this? I'd remind him it wasn't his and he didn't need to know. Just put it back and leave the office. He'd say we didn't need it and motion to throw it away. Again, without yelling, I'd remind him it is not his and if I wanted it in the trash I'd have thrown it away. He would then move on to stuff like the light switch, the fan, my stuff hanging up, all trying to rearrange them or turn things on/off and I'd tell him to PLEASE STOP AND LEAVE I DO NOT WANT YOUR "HELP". He will say things like "I'm going to turn off the lights you don't need it on"...I'll say please don't I DO need it on I'm working in here and he will just turn it off and walk away. I then have to start loudly yelling or counting for him to scurry back and turn it on. When I talk to him I usually phrase my questions like "Is this yours? It isn't? Should you be touching things that aren't yours? Should you be in this room? Why are you touching things that aren't yours, in a room you know you shouldn't be in? All I ever get out of him is "I don't know", him changing the subject to something completely inane (want to see me count to 55?), or him giving an excuse that clearly isn't true like "the dog told me to".
Example of weirdness, he never puts any thought into show and tell. He will literally try and grab the closest item to him and say "this is what I'll bring". A tattered book, a washcloth, a jacket. Like wtf. Aren't kids supposed to be super excited to bring a toy to school? He puts 0 thought into it and it's like pulling teeth for me to get him to pick something show and tell worthy.
He has an entire room of toys he refuses to play with unless I drag him into it and shut the door. He is up my ass all day because he "doesn't like being alone" but this translates into him literally hanging on me while I'm trying to type, twirling my hair, and sitting so close I can not move without pushing him off me. He is always shoving stuff in my face to look at and will go out of his way to interrupt 2 people talking. If he isn't bothering me he is bothering the cats, stomping his feet near them sleeping to wake them up, chasing them, and smelling their tails. Yeah I don't fucking get it either. He has been warned multiple times about scaring the cats so it's an instant spank when he does it. It seems to me he is absolutely DESPERATE for any and all attention. I am a stay at home mom though I run a business ( a real one too not any MLM crap) out of my home. For the most part I can do my work after the kids are in bed but there are some things I NEED to do during the day. Other then that this child is glued to me from sun up to sun down. He is getting plenty of attention. He recently started Kindergarten which is a blessing for me (I get touched out easily)but he has been having a tough time listening to his teacher and settling down. Hey, just like the last 2 years! She says he has explosive tantrums over things and refusing to listen to simple directions like "stop doodling on your desk/hand/the worksheet". We're only 3 weeks in and he has already been to the principals office. She told me my son was blowing raspberries at her and exclaiming "Well I'm allowed to do whatever I want at home". This is a fucking lie. So now his teacher and principal think his shit behavior is because I'm a shit pushover mom. Which is the complete opposite of what I am.
I don't think anyone puts in the amount of effort I do to get up and immediately correct bad behavior. He doesn't "get away" with anything. He doesn't care about much but he does care about his screen time, which has to be earned and only after dinner, so maybe 2-3 hours a day. If he has a bad day at school it's gone, and he knows this. If he has continuous bad days he gets toys taken away to be earned back, but he doesn't really care about any toys. He gets immediate time outs for his shitty behavior at home and gets multiple warnings before getting spanked. Even straight up saying "you know if you do this one more time after we've asked you twice already to stop you are going to get a spanking and a time out, is that something you like?" No mom. Ok great, we're on the same page! Immediately goes back to the behavior and gets the punishment he was warned about. It. Does. NOTHING. On the days he loses screen time he will bug and remind me every hour "can I have my tablet now?" No dude, you were bad at school remember? Oh...ok. Hour later, mom I can have my tablet now right? Uh...No....do you even remember why it got taken away? He says no. So it's like the punishments never work because he can't remember why he's being punished in the first place. I never wanted to be a spanking mom but I swear it is the only thing that is even a tiny bit effective because it's an IMMEDIATE consequence to the problem. But obviously spanks can not be used for every situation so I feel powerless to correct him in places like school or at the store, coincidentally the places he acts shitty the most. It genuinely hurts me that we can't do anything as a family because he just whines the whole time that he wants to go home, and then when home whines that he's bored. I want to go on vacations, I want to go to a pumpkin patch, I want to go to dinner. I can't. My child ruins all of those things with his shitty behavior and whining.
I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I don't waffle, I stick to my threats, I make the consequences understood and predictable, I'm not a pushover, and I try SO HARD to talk with him and it gets nowhere. I keep seeing these parenting things like "just talk to them and you'll be surprised when you come to a solution together" but my child DOESN'T TALK through things. The only conclusion we ever get to is "I don't know why I did that" and "I'll try to stop". My husband insists he is a clone of himself because he had a lot of the same behaviors as a child and his mom refused to get him diagnosed or medicated with anything. So what, is this an ADHD thing? An emotional immaturity thing? A "he will grow out of it eventually just wait longer" thing? I'm so lost and over it.

Both of my children are on the autism spectrum and my daughter who is 8 had to repeat the first grade and switch schools this year so she could be put into an isolated autism classroom instead of general ed/inclusion.
Now my four year old has been diagnosed as gifted/high functioning autistic. We had the school do an evaluation to see if he could get approved for Occupational therapy. He is only really affected by sensory processing and a small fine motor delay. He has a hard time making friends because he doesn't get that everyone is not his friend just because they share the same place. And his interests are research, anatomy, bugs, marine life, and plants vs. zombies. He plays with microscopes and we do kindergarten and first grade worksheets at home to keep his brain busy.
We have conversations like what the difference between the trenches and the abyss ocean levels are and what lives there. Google is my best friend....
So instead of just OT they wanted him to go the full five days and he will start riding the bus with his sister this week when transportation finishes his paper work.
I was fine until after I dropped him off and now I am very sad and worried about him lol. 😢 he was already in a regular prek so he is used to going to school. I have a hard time with change and I miss him even though I am used to him being at school. Sigh*** 😐