'Progress' reported in standoff with Idaho kids

Aerial photos around the McGuckin family home

SANDPOINT, Idaho (CNN) -- Five children began a fifth day holed up in their rural Idaho home on Saturday, but a court-appointed attorney for their mother said "progress has been made" to end the standoff.

The children have held police at bay with guns and vicious dogs since Tuesday, when police arrested their mother.

JoAnn McGuckin is in jail on charges of felonious injury to children. A hearing to reduce her $100,000 bail, scheduled Friday, was canceled when a storm knocked out power to the court.

Bryce Powell, Joanne McGuckin's attorney, said an intermediary had established communication between the children, ranging in age from 8 to 16, and authorities. Powell would not reveal the intermediary's identity and said he did not know when the children might leave the property.

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"But at least we have communication established with the children again," Powell said. "That is progress. Things are looking better, but we've got a lot to do."

Sheriff's deputies delivered food and water to the children Friday.

"The children have food and water and they know their mom is alive," Powell said.

Children outside home cooperating

Bonner County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Robert Rahn said deputies were "trying several things" to end the standoff, but he would not comment further on their strategy. He said the mother was still "not cooperative" and would not be brought to the home to try to talk to the children.

Powell said he and Joanne McGuckin were working with authorities on ways to resolve the standoff peacefully.

"It's a very volatile situation. We're trying to handle it the best we can," he said.

Rahn said 15-year-old Benjamin McGuckin, who entered protective custody on Thursday, was assisting police with the types of weapons the children were believed to have and other conditions inside the home.

Prosecutor Phil Robinson said Benjamin -- who may have been in the woods around the house since the standoff began on Tuesday -- told authorities the children were frightened, not knowing where either he or their mother was.

"They hadn't had any communication with anyone," Robinson said. "There are very few people that they've even trusted."

Two other children -- including 19-year-old Erina, whose concerns led to the charge against her mother -- did not live at the home. Erina McGuckin was working with authorities to end the standoff.

Family 'extremely poor'

Powell said the mother and children have gone through an excruciating ordeal since their father, Michael McGuckin -- who had been bed-ridden for several years with multiple sclerosis -- died about two weeks ago.

A coroner's report attributed his death to malnutrition and dehydration.

The family is "extremely poor," Powell said, and the mother had trouble getting Social Security payments in recent weeks. Powell also said the family's water well broke and they could not afford to get it fixed.

"They had no money and were doing what they could to survive," he said.

The five children still believed to be in the home are Kathryn, 16, Mary, 13, James, 11, Frederick, 9, and Jane, 8. It was not clear when Benjamin left the house. He approached the some neighbors at their house Thursday and they contacted authorities.

The children released as many as 27 dogs when sheriff's deputies tried to take them into protective custody Tuesday after their mother's arrest. Neighbors said the children were afraid their family would be split up if they gave themselves up to police.

CNN Correspondent Lilian Kim contributed to this report.