Not a failure, but I can’t think of the right word 🙂
My DS9 (a very newly turned 9 on 6/11) is attending two awesome camps at a local science center this week. The morning one is called Create and Animate. It is about making stop motion movies. He loves that kind of thing. The other is a Lego Machine camp, which he also loves.
Today when I picked him up he expressed embarrassment over the fact that he was the only one who needed help in using the computer today in one of the camps.
I felt this would come, but didn’t know when it would happen.
We don’t use many electronics at our house. At all. I have a laptop and an iPad. My husband has another kind of tablet, but DS doesn’t use them very much. Mostly just to play educational games and those are touch screen. I have never really let him use the computer. I just could never think of a reason, or time, for him to get on it. He is also left-handed, and I have a right handed ergonomic mouse 🙂 That has a lot to do with it too!
I’m not sure EXACTLY why he needed help, but I do know that he needed help with spelling the title to his movie. He said he named it “What’s Up With The Ducks?”
He didn’t know how to spell those simple words. He has no confidence with spelling. I was planning on holding off until next year to start spelling because of . . . well I just thought he wasn’t ready. I am planning on starting him with typing this year. This is supposed to be his “fourth” grade year, but he is barely 9. Using the SCM materials has always been kind of hard for me, especially this year because I never know when to use the age versus the grade recommendations on things, ex. book of centuries, 1-3 books or 4-6 books, when to start Spelling Wisdom, etc. Sorry, I’m rambling off on another topic altogether now!
So, advice here. Is there some sort of computer game/program that he could go through to learn how to use a computer more? Do most public schooled children use a computer daily? What types of things are they learning?
I told him that we were going to do typing this year (I go year round starting in July) and that I would look into something to help him learn how to use a computer more. I also mentioned starting spelling of a sorts. He told me that sounded good. He didn’t want to be embarrassed anymore about any of those things.
Is this resounding with anybody? Tips? I just feel like I have “dropped the ball” a little. I know that none of this is detrimental and it can all be fixed. I, like most moms, just don’t like seeing my little guy embarrassed!
TIA,
Jenn