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Blessed with Boundless Energy

Help for the Energetic Child

Almost since his birth, we have noticed that our sweet Krash was a bit on the HIGH energy side of life.  Now at age 7, we have more than confirmed that his daily energy output is much more than the average child and literally exhausts adults around him! We choose to look at his massive energizer bunny state as a wonderful gift from God.  If you ask him about it, he will tell you his abundant energy is a gift, not a problem.  It is our job as his parents to help him channel this energy positively and teach him how to have self control when he needs to put his high activity level away.

Homeschooling can certainly be a challenge for me, and I am constantly trying new things to help our day run more smoothly. I learned early on that doing things the old fashioned way would never work with him, so we’ve always homeschooled a bit on the livelier end with him.  Now, in 2nd grade, the subjects get a bit longer and the seat work required is a bit more.  I am attacking the challenge head on and doing my best to adapt our environment to meet his needs, while also challenging him to learn self control and the ability to tone down the energy at specific times.  We call it, “putting the energy in your pocket for now.”  We never want him to think his energy is a nuisance, a problem, something that makes him a bad kid, or anything negative.  We firmly believe God will use his boundless energy for great work in the Kingdom one day! We are thrilled that he was blessed with this gift, even if it does challenge us at times!

Many of the ideas I have in this post have come from lots of research I have done browsing around on OT {occupational therapy} sites.  Krash isn’t diagnosed with anything, but I am always looking for ways to engage his energy seeking body. I am a student of my child and constantly reading, growing, and learning all about how to meet his needs

Adapting Homeschool for an Active Child

Here are some of the things we are doing during the school day {and all of the time} to help him channel this energy.  Specifically, I have him do some highly energetic movement and some relaxing focused balance type work right before we begin any seat work.  We have been going in this order and it has helped a lot.

You can follow me on Instagram to see many of the things he is doing, sometimes I show little videos of him.  Here are a few if you haven’t seen them:..

image image image

image image

{disclaimer ~ affiliate links are used below, thanks for your support!}

Energetic Work

  • Jumping on the mini trampoline, often crashing into our huge beanbag {ahhprods.com}
  • Jumping Rope
  • Jumping Jacks
  • Cartwheels, Round-Offs
  • Running up and down the stairs a few times
  • Play outside if weather and time permits

2nd Grade Homeschool -6477

2nd Grade Homeschool -7256 2nd Grade Homeschool -7255

 

Focused, Calming, Balance Work

  • Handstands, Headstands
  • Using the balance ball for balance in many ways
  • Balance Disk
  • Balance Board
  • Balance Pods
  • Lying on the floor for a balance or medicine ball “massage” from mom {basically I roll the ball over his back and arms to help relax and calm him}

2nd Grade Homeschool -6371  2nd Grade Homeschool -6372

2nd Grade-7176

2nd Grade-7183 2nd Grade-7186

2nd Grade Homeschool -7393

2nd Grade Homeschool -7382

Help While Working at the Table

  • Balance Disk or Balance Board under feet
  • Hand fidgets {sometimes helpful}
  • Frequent wiggle breaks
    Obviously seat work is required for a 2nd grader, as much as he wishes it wasn’t! We have high expectations for him as he learns that there is a time to wiggle and a time to control the impulse to wiggle. We do provide him with some resources to try to help him, since even as an adult I struggle with the wiggles!   We have found the Balance Board to be the best solution, with the Balance Disk coming in a close second.

2nd Grade-7198

We have tried sitting on the balance ball but it didn’t work for him, for now he is on a simple stool, but I’d love to find a better seating solution that is affordable. For now this has to work.

In the photo below he has the disk up on a stool but we had to remove that since our stool wasn’t sturdy enough and kept flipping {translated ~ driving mommy nuts}.  Placing it on the floor {as shown above with the board} is working better because it forces him to sit closer to the edge of his stool which helps with the rocking back and forth on the stool {also drives me nuts}. He prefers the board {above} over the disk {below} right now.

2nd Grade Homeschool -6384

 

Sometimes he uses a hand fidget {the purple spikey ball shown below}, but often for him they become a source of trouble.  It varies from day to day whether it is a distraction or a help.  For some kids it is a BIG help, it’s worth a try! You can also see the hands on math work he is doing, I bring as MUCH as possible for him to do with his hands.  Here’s a simple blog post explaining what a fidget is if you’ve never heard of them.

2nd Grade Homeschool -6376


The specific tools we have are listed below and throughout the post.  We have acquired them over the years and have been adding to our collection as we are able to.  Some of these are pricey, so I am putting them in the order we are using them most.

  • Balance Ball {ours shown in this post is 55cm}
  • Mini Trampoline {our exact trampoline was a Black Friday deal last year and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, so I linked to the category on Amazon, I would like to upgrade ours eventually}
  • Balance Board
  • Balance Pods
  • Balance Disk
  • Medicine Balls {we have one 2 lb ball right now}
  • Bosu Ball ~ we don’t have this yet, it is on my wishlist! 


Putting Krash in gymnastics was one of the best decisions we ever gymnastics meet-1416made, he is now on a competitive team and is thriving in so many ways.  It has given him focus, determination, and helped his self esteem tremendously. If you have a child with boundless energy, I definitely think trying gymnastics is a great idea if you can afford it! It has been way more than just a sport for him, we are so grateful.

We love our little energizer bunny and are so grateful for the journey we are on with him.  Children blessed with boundless energy are unique and wonderful, I feel it is our job as parents to help them see themselves this way.  Often the world will look at them as being a problem, even close friends and family members will often see them this way. Our positive attitude towards our child’s energy can help them feel more confident in who God made them to be!


Do you have a child blessed with boundless energy?

What are some ways you are helping your child?

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged with: 2nd Grade, Behind the Scenes, Gross Motor Skills, Krash Leave a Comment

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Carisa Hinson
The gymnastics season comes to an end and he’s t The gymnastics season comes to an end and he’s taking home the 🥈 silver medal on pommel horse again! 

It’s been a fun week of competition and time with friends. Thankful for this time together in Arizona and excited for the new season already! 

#krashthegymnast
He is 16!!!!! 🎉🥳🎉 We are busy with so m He is 16!!!!! 🎉🥳🎉 

We are busy with so much right now, most importantly final prep to leave for nationals in Arizona tomorrow! This past weekend he was presented with an award from his coach(with him in this pic) - Athlete of the Year, which is really special. He heads to nationals tomorrow in good shape, feeling confident! 

@kyler_hinson I am so proud of you for so many reasons! Seeing you fight so hard through continual pain the past few years has shown such a strength of character, determination, dedication, and perseverance. I love the man you are becoming and am so thankful to be your mom. 

We have a fun week ahead of us and I’m so excited to be by your side. ❤️
He’s 20 today. Lives on his own, with an AMAZING He’s 20 today. Lives on his own, with an AMAZING job, managing adult-ing beautifully, constantly making me smile when I think of his perseverance, determination, commitment, and ambition. I can’t put into words how proud I am of this man of mine. My son, my baby.

Happy birthday @paxtoroni ❤️ I pray you know how loved you are.
In case you missed their intro in my stories, I’ In case you missed their intro in my stories, I’d like you to meet the new fluffy trio! Named by my daughter and her friend after characters in the show Gravity Falls. 

Mabel (calico, girl)
Dipper (white/gray, boy)
Soos (tabby, boy)

They are so adorable and came at the perfect time to bring healing after we lost Bruno. ❤️

My guess is about 5-6 weeks old, and they will probably be in foster for about a month, the smallest weighing 1 pound, 3 ounces. 

The look like little dust bunnies flopping around the room, they are so round and fluffy! 

#gravityfallsfosterkittens #fosterkittens #fosterkittens4thehinsons #fosterkittensofinstagram #fosterkittenlove #kittenfostering #kittenfostermom #kittenfoster #fosterkittenlove @animalscmpd
Our youngest child is 13. I’m not sure how that Our youngest child is 13. I’m not sure how that happened. We celebrated Lili today with our best friends from Philadelphia here to visit for the weekend! She opened her presents from us, and loved on our new fluffy foster kittens. Her wish was to foster a fluffy set of kittens and that wish came true yesterday!

So thankful for this awesome kid of mine. She is such a blessing to me and inspires me continually. She is strong, compassionate, brave, unique, artistically talented beyond belief, and I just love being her mom.
8 weeks old today!!! We are in the final countdown 8 weeks old today!!! We are in the final countdown of our time together! 

Bruno and Camilo are both snuggle bugs and love to curl up on laps, or up by my chin. They both love to play hard and they still love momma’s milkies (especially Bruno). Camilo is a round plump potato weighing 1 lb, 13 ounces. Bruno is a bit skinnier (1 lb, 9.5 ounces) because he’s been having some tummy issues but he’s doing better. They won’t leave me until both are 2 lbs and 100% healthy. I’m assuming a little over a week from now. 

#encantofosterkittens #fosterkittens #fosterkittens4thehinsons #fosterkittensofinstagram #fosterkittenlove #kittenfostering #kittenfostermom #kittenfoster #fosterkittenlove
These sweet boys are 7 weeks old today. They are S These sweet boys are 7 weeks old today. They are SO sweet and often run to cuddle like this when I come to visit them. I am soaking up our last weeks together (probably 2 more), I love them so much!
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#encantofosterkittens #fosterkittens #fosterkittens4thehinsons #fosterkittensofinstagram #fosterkittenlove #kittenfostering #kittenfostermom #kittenfoster #fosterkittenlove
My husband and I went away for the weekend to a cu My husband and I went away for the weekend to a cute little cabin we found on Airbnb and it had SUPER friendly ducks. 🦆 

These ducks brought me so much joy. As I looked back through our photos, the final photo is reflective of me in one of my happy places. I see pure joy on my face and I love the photo. Not because I want my own ducks, but because I truly love animals and being around them makes me smile. This is reflective in my fostering adventure also, it is truly one of my favorite aspects of my life right now.

So thankful for this short time away to do nothing. Well, nothing except hang out with my best friend and some awesome ducks. ❤️
The season has flown by! He is the NC State Champi The season has flown by! He is the NC State Champion on pommel horse! We head to regionals in a few weeks!

He also had a season high on rings (historically a tough event for him) and placed 3rd! That was fun to watch! 

Thankful for grandparents who were able to be there and teammates that have been there since they were babies many years ago. 🥰

#krashthegymnast
I can’t even find proper words to share how much I can’t even find proper words to share how much their 3 week birthday means to me. I am finally relaxed and just enjoying these precious boys, rather than constantly worrying. The changes in the past few days are adorable - walking all around, playing, purring, rolling over for belly rubs, climbing on my lap when I’m near!  I just LOVE them! 

#fosterkittens #fosterkittens4thehinsons #fosterkittensofinstagram #fosterkittenlove #kittenfostering #kittenfostermom #kittenfoster #fosterkittenlove #encantofosterkittens
Another meet complete! I wasn’t at this one, my Another meet complete! I wasn’t at this one, my wonderful friend (teammate’s mom) took him to Orlando for me since I couldn’t leave the kittens (who are absolutely perfect, praise God!).

He had a solid meet, had fun with his team (who won 1st), and brought home some new medals. 

A few weeks off and then it’s time for the state championship meet! #krashthegymnast
This is Camilo. He sticks his tongue out a LOT. It This is Camilo. He sticks his tongue out a LOT. It is VERY cute. 

Bruno and Camilo are 2.5 weeks old and thriving. We are so thankful for them. I’m still not 100% relaxed from my worry, but a lot better. They are gaining weight, playing, and nursing well. Thankfully they seem very different from their sisters. We are sad the girls aren’t here growing alongside of them but we have healed a lot in the past few days. These two boys and their amazing momma are a huge part of the healing.

#fosterkittens #fosterkittens4thehinsons #fosterkittensofinstagram #fosterkittenlove #kittenfostering #kittenfostermom #kittenfoster #fosterkittenlove #encantofosterkittens
Oh Fern. So elegant, so fluffy, so fabulous. Swipe Oh Fern. So elegant, so fluffy, so fabulous. Swipe to see her *other* look. 😆 I love this girl so much and her sweet snuggles have been very healing to me this past week. #fabulousfluffyfern
So sad I missed his meet but so proud of him and h So sad I missed his meet but so proud of him and his team! He competed yesterday as a part of the state elite team and they won 1st place team! His home gym team is in the top photo and they all had a great meet which is wonderful! He brought home 2nd All Around, and 1st on floor and pommel. He’s still improving his routines this season, heads to Florida to compete again next weekend!
#krashthegymnast
My sweet tiny Dolores is gone. She was the one I w My sweet tiny Dolores is gone. She was the one I was most worried about from the very beginning because she was the runt and gained so slowly. She fought hard and was with us for 13 days.
.
I held her in my hands as she slipped away last night around 1 am. Crying tears over her and keeping her warm and held as she left us. I thought I had accepted that we would lose her too. The entire day I just knew. When she was finally gone I just screamed. My husband and son were away at a gymnastics meet, and my daughter spent the night at my moms to get away from the constant worry here. I’m so glad Lili left. I’m glad everyone was gone so I could just scream in the middle of the night. I just never thought this would be what I’m posting about. Let alone three posts in a row. 
.
Whatever took Isabela, Luisa, and Dolores was probably all the same. There’s nothing I could have done. Dolores got every single life saving support throughout her last day and when I went in to tube feed her at 1am, I just knew. Instead of feeding her, I wrapped her in the warm blanket and just held her as she passed. It wasn’t time for trying all of the things to save her, it was time to let her rest. 💕 
.
This photo was taken earlier yesterday when she was still with us. 
.
#fosterkittens #fosterkittens4thehinsons #fosterkittensofinstagram #fosterkittenlove #kittenfostering #kittenfostermom #kittenfoster #fosterkittenlove #encantofosterkittens
This girl. I love her. We shared one of the sweete This girl. I love her. We shared one of the sweetest and saddest moments of my fostering journey when her baby Luisa died. I can finally share the story without sobbing as I think about it.
.
I had taken Luisa and Dolores to the vet for fluids, and for the vet to show me how to give fluids at home. Everything seemed fine at the vet, we commented on how much better Luisa seemed. She wasn’t out of the woods by any means, but her nose was slightly clearer and her weight was good. Honestly in that moment I was more worried about Dolores, who is the runt, and wasn’t nursing well. 
.
It was heavy traffic time so my drive home was 45 minutes. I checked on them while driving several times, placing my hands in the carrier to feel them. During the last 15 minutes of my drive, the traffic was heavier and I was in the interstate so I focused on driving. I was at peace the all was well. I didn’t put my hand in the carrier.
.
I came inside and my daughter and mom were in the kitten room awaiting the news, which I said was good. Gosh how I wish I would have checked them in the carrier before this. Hindsight. 😞 I pulled them out and that’s the moment we saw Luisa was gone. I so wish my daughter didn’t have to see that moment, it was awful for her. I was just so angry. I knew Luisa’s passing was possible, even likely, but in the moment I was just so mad because she seemed to be doing better.
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Lili left the room and Mirabel was pacing around and very agitated. I was holding Luisa in my hands and I bent down so Mirabel could see her. Mirabel immediately began licking her baby and I just sobbed as I held Luisa and watched momma say goodbye. It was a moment I will never forget, one I wish never had to happen.
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After this, Mirabel was calm and attended to her other babies. She just needed to say goodbye.
.
I am hopeful for the final 3, while also knowing anything can happen. ❤️ I have all of the resources now, I know how to tube feed, I know how to give fluids, and have direct contact with the shelter vet who is amazing and answers my texts within minutes. We are fighting for them together.
.
#encantofosterkittens #fosterkittens4thehinsons
I don’t have many words. It’s taken me hours t I don’t have many words. It’s taken me hours to even come here to type this. We lost Luisa today. We knew it was likely, but still devastating. Especially a day after losing Isabela. I’m focusing on being there for Lili who has taken this one hard because she was with me when we discovered that Luisa had died. It was awful.
.
I may explain more later. I just don’t have the emotional energy to share more right now. Pray for our hearts and our ability to move forward with hope rather than fear with the remaining 3 kittens.
.
This photo was taken when Luisa was still with us. ❤️
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#fosterkittens4thehinsons #encantofosterkittens
The post I hate to write. Also the post I wasn’t The post I hate to write. Also the post I wasn’t even remotely prepared to share. I was expecting for Luisa to possibly not make it. But when I went in to tube feed Luisa earlier today I found sweet Isabela, the calico, had passed away.
.
I spent about an hour hysterical because of the shock. I was prepared for complications with the birth, prepared for the sick kitten to possibly not make it, prepared for other kittens to possibly get sick. I was not prepared for a kitten that seemed perfectly healthy to die. I knew and now know even more that it happens a lot and it was most likely congenital. She got to live her short life in a warm, safe home and passed away snuggled with her momma. We don’t know why she died only that there was most likely nothing we could have done differently.
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The last photo we have of her was this one taken yesterday. Lili was snuggling her and we remarked how “calm” she was, now knowing she was probably heading downhill and we never knew. 
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I know she was loved by so many from afar, she was certainly loved here. I pray the other 4 make it and will do everything possible to care for them. 💕
.
#fosterkittens4thehinsons #encantofosterkittens
In case you’ve missed my stories recently, this In case you’ve missed my stories recently, this is Luisa and she is sick with really bad congestion. It’s been touch and go the past couple of days and I’ve been tube feeding her since she can’t/won’t nurse due to severe congestion. She is slowly regaining strength and I’m cautiously hopeful. I’m so thankful for the help I get from the vet at the shelter I foster for, she came in last night to teach me how to tube feed so we could give this baby the absolute best shot to make it. She was the first born and was the biggest before getting sick, I’m hopeful she will be back to her strong self soon. 
.
The kittens are 9 days old and the other 4 are doing fine. We even saw some eyeballs today (visit stories to see)!
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#fosterkittens #fosterkittens4thehinsons #fosterkittensofinstagram #fosterkittenlove #kittenfostering #kittenfostermom #kittenfoster #fosterkittenlove #encantofosterkittens
If you’ve missed my stories be sure to go back i If you’ve missed my stories be sure to go back in the “Encanto” highlight to see more of these babies!
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They are 2 days old, and I was able to figure out their sex today! (although I could be wrong, we have backup names to change to if I am wrong, thankfully the kittens could care less!)
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Introducing the Encanto kittens…
Luisa - light gray tabby
Isabela - dilute calico
Dolores - white/gray
Bruno - darker gray
Camilo - gray
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They are all gaining weight and eating well. Momma Mirabel is absolutely perfect!
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#encantofosterkittens #fosterkittens #fosterkittens4thehinsons #fosterkittensofinstagram #fosterkittenlove #kittenfostering #kittenfostermom #kittenfoster #fosterkittenlove
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