Schooling with Spice

I don't know why I didn't think of this trick earlier, but it's been working for about a week for my boy.

During school, he and I both have salsa and chips.
It helps him listen better and feeds not only his stomach (calming his amygdala), but also feeds his need for sensory input.
The boy likes things spicy.
And then he drinks ice water...which helps him cool his core temperature.

He has one book that we're reading (currently a missionary biography about Amy Carmichael) that he constantly says "this is not my favorite" but listens politely to.  (We read about six or seven different books each day, and that is the only chapter book that I read to him...)  But today, with his chips and salsa, he was actively engaged and remembering details about the story and asking questions about the characters.

It's rare that I post blogs like this, because I know that things could change and in a week, this could completely flop.  But today, I just want to celebrate the success.  We only have four more chapters of Amy Carmichael, and then I promised him we'd read a more interesting book to him.  He's voting on Eric Liddel.