Tuesday 3 January 2012

Rick's Christmas Homework

Photos Copyright: Maggie May

The Christmas and New Year period went very fast and now my daughter and grandsons have gone home and it seems very quiet here now.
I was very grateful to my daughter for all the help she gave me with the mounting up of cleaning jobs that neither Harry nor I have been able to do very easily. I thought I had tidied up the place before she came, but she got to hidden places and dealt with them, often in secret.
Now I will have to make a better effort to do regular tidy up jobs and get rid of surplus clutter on a daily basis.
New Years Resolution? I don't think so, but I will endeavour to do a little more and often.

When the grandsons came to visit, Rick who is on the Autistic scale (nearer the top) and who isn't exactly an easy child being 15 yrs old, brought an art project to do here because he had not completed it at school.
It seemed to be a mammoth task and involved bags of material and my ironing board and iron and a good chunk of my back room. This went on for days during the holiday and the difficulty was getting him to start the work in the first place. He seemed to think it was a very overwhelming thing to have to do and he was very down hearted about it.


Rick does not believe in homework and seems to be constantly at loggerheads with his teachers who make him stay in at lunch times to complete it. This suits Rick fine as he doesn't like noise and would much prefer to be in a quiet place and to retreat into his own safe little world. There was a dead line to finish this work and he is a very slow but thorough worker. He had to follow a plan and complete a collage of nine squares individually made and I assume they will be fitted together somehow at school and will go towards his exam result.
Although it was a great effort on our part to get him motivated, when he did get going, it started to take shape and on the last day of the holiday, he completed the last square to much cheering and encouragement. I took photos and told him it would be going on my blog. He was so thrilled to have finished it on time and the look of satisfaction on his face was a treat to see.
I would have loved to do this when I was his age, but would have probably worked a little on each square to get the general effect first. However Rick likes to work meticulously one square at a time, so that only he new what each square was supposed to be and he left the middle bit of the face till the last.
So well done Rick! Hope the school like it and realise what a tremendous amount of time and effort you spent on it.






26 comments:

Clare Dunn said...

Wow! That's really beautiful/incredible/fantastic!!!

WTG, Rick!

xoxoxo, cd

Mimi said...

Oh Maggie, it's fantastic!
Rick is obviously very artistic. Congratulations Rick!
Glad your daughter was ablt to help with the spring clean, Maggie. I sometimes (with work etc) feel overwhelmed with keeping up with cleaning, and it'd be great for have someone give a "headstart", so I understand how helpful it was to you.
But it's more important that you give your health a chance, so don't be worrying too much about cleaning. You could always get Minimaids in once every few months to do those corners!

Akelamalu said...

Goodness me Rick is VERY talented!! That's fabulous. :)

Suburbia said...

Wow Maggie he has a real talent. Thats fantastic. People on the autistic spectrum have such original ways of doing things, who'd have thought he would work square by square, that sounds sounds so difficult.

Such a shame they get homework over the Christmas holiday as it is such a busy time and they are always tired at this time. My daughter has a big exam to go back to, trying to get her to revise in the holidays was excruciating!

FeltByRae said...

Well, echoing the other commenters here, but really, he has got a talent there - that is really impressive for any age, but for 15 even more so

Good luck on keeping on top of de-cluttering - I know how easy it is to get overwhelmed - I only keep tidy now because I have *very* tiny flat!

Rx

Celia said...

dWow, very nice work by Rick. Nice work by your daughter too. Through and through cleaning gets more difficult as time goes by. I do just toss more and more stuff out, makes it easier. A glorious new year to you and yours,

Mya said...

Great job, Rick! Brilliant stuff.

Mya x

PS Happy New Year, Maggie! x

CiCi said...

You can only do what you are capable of doing, Maggie. When you are not well and your spouse not well either you are lucky to have energy and interest in fixing a meal and just keeping the house sanitary. Clutter, who cares. So glad to hear you had a nice time with your family over the holidays. Three cheers for Rick for completing his assignment and for doing a good job.

Jackie said...

I would love to know more about the project. It is a very good one, and he did a great job with it.
Hugs and love to you Maggie....
Jackie

CorvusCorax12 said...

this is incredible...wonderful job he did, he should be very proud and hope the teacher rewards it accordingly.

Rosaria Williams said...

That's quite difficult for anybody!
Rick has achieved a level of perseverance and committment not usually seen in children his age.
Congratulations to him and to the rest of the family for staying on top of the homework.

Irene said...

I think your grandson did a fantastic job on his project. He really does have a talent and all the more so since he did one piece at a time. That's even more difficult. I hope he gets the appreciation he deserves from his teachers. Does his creative talent run in the family by any chance?

Bernie said...

This is really great Maggie, well done to your grandson. I am sure you are finding it quiet, I find my life is settling down now after a hectic few weeks. I am quite pleased about it though as I was getting a bit tired. Take care my friend, hope Harry is doing well.
.......:-)Hugs

Gail Is This Mutton? said...

Well done to Rick, and to you for your patience and encouragement

Formerly known as Frau said...

Happy New Year!! Wow Rick's project turned out awesome way to go!!

Sueann said...

I say wow too!! What a beautiful collage! He did well
'Hugs
SueAnn

Dimple said...

Rick did a wonderful job on his homework. Congratulations to him on completing it!

Deb said...

What an accomplishment for Rick ~ not only did he finish the task, he truly created a piece of art. I also hope his teachers' give him the praise that he deserves. And I agree with Rick, homework can often be a waste of time. It depends on the purpose and intent. Glad your daughter helped you out...that was kind gift ! Focus on your health and on Harry ! Take care.

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

Oh well done Rick. What a marvellous job he made of it Maggie. I do hope his effort is appreciated. A x

Jeni said...

WOW! I am majorly impressed at what an awesome piece of work that is! A great job, for sure!

Anonymous said...

Like you, I would have loved the opportunity to do 'homework' like that - brilliant, well done Rick.
Thanks for the comment on my blog. The journals for the last ten years are still in existence, but everything before that has been destroyed. Some of it is too personal to want others - especially strangers - to read, and to be honest, I haven't made that much of an impression on the world, so why would I be bothered to leave any? That isn't important to me, knowing I did the best I could, that's enough, no need for others to know my innermost thoughts, fears, achievements. Enough that I know I got through. That's also why when I die, it will be a quiet cremation, just me (and my husband if he is there) and my ashes fixed to a special rocket firework (made by a firm not too far away), and I will be let off into the sky off the nearby cliffs.

Anonymous said...

He's doing very well - made a great job of that, I hope he gets good marks - do let us know.

A very happy new year to you, dear Maggie. Hoping this year you will be well and fit and very healthy.

CJ x

Suldog said...

I think that's a magnificent piece of work! Bravo, Rick!

Hilary said...

Oh my goodness.. that's wonderful. I had no idea what was taking shape when I saw that first square but he sure did a fine job. He must be very proud.. and rightfully so. That boy is a talent.

Rose said...

Wow! What a fantastic piece Rick created! This is an impressive work and really shows how talented he is. He has every right to be proud of it, and I hope the teachers give it the high marks he deserves. And good for you, Maggie, for motivating him to finish it--sometimes that's the hardest part.

Now that my daughter is living with us, she sometimes reorganizes closets or storage areas for me. Not because she's being kind, but because she can't believe I save so much "junk":)

Jinksy said...

That is a fantastic result, no matter how long it took to achieve! Beats granny squares hollow! LOL