Today we did a lot of hands on work like coloring the longhouses for the Iroquois unit we're doing, coloring a canoe model and finishing up an exercise "facility" made completely of Legos for the crabs (we have 8 hermit crabs in case you didn't know). The crab exercise facility was fun for both of us because M got to build it then we both got to watch the crabs "exercise" (yeah...that basically means find a way out of the enclosure and climb all over the little obstacles he put in there).
After we finished our observations of the crabs, we dug into writing. This was at about 11am. He did the first 4 assignments in Lesson 2 (finding the main idea) in the Daily 6 Trait workbook without issue. While I was looking at his answers he started coloring the longhouses. I asked him to stop so that I could explain to him what he needed to fix and he wouldn't stop. It escalated, we both got irritated with the other and then he went upstairs (on his own, not because I told him to). About 5 minutes later he came back down and continued with his shitty attitude, playing with a pencil and eraser while I attempted to talk to him about his writing. I explained to him that I am making an effort to give him the 1 on 1 attention he wants, so he needs to make an effort to work, even on things that suck or are boring. We had another small argument a few minutes later and I realized that he was probably hungry. I told him to go make himself a turkey sandwich because I needed a few minutes to calm down.
After he ate he was fine. And I had the feeling he would be at the moment I told him to go make his lunch. As much as M needs to chill with the attitude, I should have read the cues and realized it was getting close to lunch and he was getting hungry. I know what happens to his ability to control himself when he's hungry, and I think that had I caught the cues prior to letting him get so hungry he got grumpy, we would have skipped the arguing and gotten back to the writing.
Once he settled back in to "school mind" he was able to finish the writing assignment and he did a GREAT job on it!
At about 1:30, while he was working on the canoe project again, he started getting silly and having a hard time focusing. He continued with the canoe project until about 2, when I told him he needed to do his math lessons until 2:30. He sat and did them just as I asked and then went out to get some exercise.
Overall it was a good day. I have to remember to read his cues and help him learn to read them too. I'm very laid back with school, so if he's hungry at any time he can get up and get something to eat, or if he needs a break he can take one. As long as he doesn't abuse these privileges they will stay.
One thing I want to figure out how to teach him is that making mistakes is OK! That's how we learn. But he's such a perfectionist that he gets really pissed when he has to do something over. We're going to work on it.
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