Happy New Year: Resolutions and Goal Work ... make it fun!

Happy New Year to You All !!!

Goal work ... this is what we work on all the time in therapy with our kids.  This is the time of year, though, that we all take pause to do a little self reflection, and come up with our own self goals.  Hence, the New Year's resolutions!  It's also a great time to reiterate some of the goals some of our kids have (related to interventions, therapies, and such that our kids are receiving).  Why not make it fun? Our kids have been hearing a lot about New Year's resolutions this month, in particular.  Why not create a fun game, activity, and/or craft project to map out applicable goals. 

Another thought that would be easily replicated at home is to rewrite an already familiar song (i.e. "Twinkle, ,Twinkle", "Mary Had a Little Lamb", "Hokey Pokey", or use a more current song that your child likes).  Focus the lyrics around goal work ... what area(s) you want to work toward on a daily basis.  Most of you are familiar with Social Stories, and how effective they are.  Setting social stories to music takes it one more step further, making it more exciting (fun!) as well as making them easier to memorize and recall on spot.  Also, we all know how a certain tune can get "stuck in your head", right?   Why not use this concept to your advantage?   It's what was done with the ABC song, and look how effective that has been! It's used in every commercial you see for a reason.  Sing the song (maybe even have pictures or some visual prop to accompany) in the mornings and/or just before the related task (goal related task). 

Jessica

Bycicle Camp - DSAL event for children with special needs

Down Syndrome Association of the Lowcountry (DSAL) Event!
(Click link below for registration form/info)

Lose the Training Wheels

Bicycle Camp For Children with Special Needs
 
Did you know that only 10% of children with Down syndrome and 20% of those with autism ever learn to ride a bike?


This camp will help teach up to 40 children with special needs how to ride a conventional bike without training wheels. We provide specialized  bicycle riding equipment developed by Rainbow Trainers, Inc., as well as a team of experts and volunteers.

Each child will attend one 75 minute session per day for five consecutive days. There will be 1-2 volunteers assisting the trainers with each child.

Our goal is to change the lives of children by teaching them a skill that will build self-confidence, provide inclusion with their peers and open the door to unlimited recreational opportunities. This program has an 85% success rate.
 
When:    July 26-July 30, 2010

Where:     North Charleston Convention Center     
                 5001 Coliseum Drive Charleston

Schedule:

Session A 8:30-9:45
Session B 10:00-11:15
Session C 11:30-12:45
Session D 1:45—3:00
Session E 3:15-4:30

Registration Fee:   $175
*  Majority of camp costs will be covered by grants and donations. Some scholarship money is available upon request.

Father's Day Gifts and Crafts

Looking for gift ideas for Father's Day? Visit the below links for lots of great little 'from-the-heart' crafts for the kids to make ... my favorites are the Car Air Freshener Craft, the Altoids tin pocket memory book, and the luggage tags ... brilliant. The site includes pictures, directions, and templates for crafts listed.

http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/mengifts.html

Jessica


 

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1129/562815285_bee11adbe4.jpg&imgrefurl=http://mamaurchin.com/category/paper-crafts/&usg=__J43zM7NcJ0qrf_WKcEWLKVY5BbQ=&h=333&w=500&sz=50&hl=en&start=125&sig2=m1mRaUg_khHZulLJ9Bet-A&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=ENZTiqu9cR2Y_M:&tbnh=87&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfather%2527s%2Bday%2Bcrafts%26start%3D120%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1W1TSHB_en%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=znAZTOrbO4OClAer4MCpCw

Summer Sensory Spaces!

Here's another activity I found online.  My very first thought, actually, with this was that it could also be used to make a "Summer Sensory Place".  For children who are on the spectrum and/or have sensory processing needs, you could include sensory toys/materials/items.  This would also be helpful for some of my little clients who have anxiety related needs.   Have fun!                    Jessica

Summer Quiet Place


This provides a place for children to go to be alone or to read a book.

Materials:

• A small plastic pool
• scissors
• blue tissue paper
• one or two small blow up rings used in swimming pools
• few good books (or for sensory - sensory materials/toys/items/etc

Description:

1. Put a small plastic swimming pool in a corner of the room.
2. Add several sheets of blue tissue paper and scissors. The children will love taking turns cutting the paper in small pieces. This will be your water. OR use satin type blue material/cloth
3. Add a couple of small swimming rings that you have filled with air.
4. Add a child or two and a few books.

*No problem at clean up time. They love picking up the "spilled water".

Comments:
This is a good quiet center when talking about water, swimming, oceans and lakes.

http://www.preschoolrainbow.org/preschool-summer.htm

Summer Scrapbook Activity - skill building/summer bridge activity

I found the below activity online, and it sounds like a great summer activity.  In addition to being FUN, this would help in maintaining and/or developing certain skills (good bridge activity), and ... you are creating a memory as well. 
Have fun with it! Send me pics of your sweet little scrapbook projects, if you'd like!

Jessica

Literacy: A Summer Scrapbook


Promote language skills as preschool children express their ideas and communicate
feelings during the creation of this early childhood scrapbook by Julie M.

Materials:

• Scrapbook
• children's own contributions of drawings, paintings and verses
• scissors
• glue
• felt tipped pens.

Description:
Talk about summer flowers with the children. Encourage them to contribute to the conversation by describing colors, smells and so on that they associate with summer. Show them the scrapbook and explain that they are each going to add something which reminds them of summer, such as a drawing, a pressed flower or something they remember.

Ask each child/family member to contribute their idea or piece of work, sticking it into the scrapbook themselves if they want to. Provide plenty of support for younger children, offering suggestions or scribing for them. Give each child a label and ask them to think of a few words to describe their entry and write the words on the label (if they can).

Ask each child/family member to draw small pictures to stick on to the front of the scrapbook. Then write a title Our Summer Scrapbook. The book should be available for the children to look at, read and share.

new look

It's me!

As you can see, I've changed my blog layout and design, but it's still me! I thought you could all use a change in scenery here every now and again. 

This reminded me of summertime, and we sure are officially in the thick of summer now aren't we (especially after that scorcher yesterday)?!

Stay cool out there.

Jessica

Black History Month - the great Odetta Holmes

In honor of both Black History Month and of an amazingly beautiful musician/music, I wanted to dedicate today's blog to Ms. Odetta Holmes. 

My Uncle Alan, one of the great influences on my life and my music, sent me an email recently with YouTube links that lead me to Odetta's gorgeously (a new word just for blogging ;) haunting rendition of "House of the Rising Sun". 
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aaya8jYZBO8&feature=related
You aren't able to see it in this clip, but Odetta was an amazing guitarist as well.

Excerpt from Wiki on Odetta Holmes:


Her first professional experience was in musical theatre and was in the national touring company of Finian's Rainbow.

While touring, she was bitted by the early folk music bug in California. She played in the major/developing folk clubs/night clubs in Calif (hungry i) and NYC (Blue Angel) then performed/recorded with Woody Guthrie, Harry Bellafonte, etc. In addition to folk/blues recording and concerts, involvement in 60s civil rights, she also acted in several films including film of William Faulkner's Sanctuary (1961) and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974).
 
Jessica

Here's a Little Pumpkin

Orange and Round

Sung to :  I'm a Little Teapot

C

Here's a little pumpkin,

F                   C

Orange and round,

G7                    C

Here's a little pumpkin,

G7       C

That I found.

When I get him cleaned up

F       C

I will say,

"Here's a little pumpkin

For my holiday."

-Jean Warren

The above song and signs are from one of my favorite little activity resources, Piggyback Songs to Sign.  I have mentioned this little book before, and I also have it included in my aStore in the left hand column of this blog.  This is a great little activity that can accomplish a lot.  Here are some goal areas for which this activity would be useful:

• 
  
  Teach/reinforce cognitive concepts (holiday themes, colors, shapes, etc.)
  
  
  
• 
  
  Increase communication skill (facilitate nonverbal communication, teach ASL)
  
  
  
• 
  
  Increase visual attention
  
  
  
• 
  
  Improve auditory attention (listening for certain auditory cue to perform task/ASL signing)
  
  
  
• 
  
  Improve hand/eye coordination
  
  
  
• 
  
  Facilitate midline/cross lateral work
  
  
  
• 
  
  Increase range of motion/quality of movement
  
  
  

You may find other great uses not represented here as well or you may enjoy building from this activity. 

Have fun and happy fall!

Jessica

Happy Fall!

Happy Fall!

Yes, I know I am late with this greeting.  It seems my family (as many) was busy fighting off seasonal illnesses, and we completely missed the first day of fall! We have this nice little tradition that we started when my son just a little thing, and we called it out "Fall Celebration".  On the first day of fall, we would take out all our fall decorations and decorate the inside and outside of the house (wreaths and gourds and pumpkins and such ... Halloween decor is left for the week of Halloween).  We would also buy our pumpkin (but not yet carve it), make caramel apples, and make some sort of centerpiece for our dining table (usually involving those little mini pumpkins and gourds and candles). 

Although we missed having our fall celebration on the actual first day of fall this year, we did still have it.  This past Tuesday was our day dedicated to fall celebration, and it was a great one! We are still munching on caramel apples, and enjoying the season. 

I have to fess up here, though.  This sounds all fun and quaint, however, I have to be honest about why this whole celebration came about in the first place.  See ... I adore the spring and summertime.  I am a beach girl.  I love picnics at the park.  I love fishing and crabbing.  I love the sunshine and looking out on a beautiful marsh.  I love cookouts, and well ... I just love summer! I, selfishly, decided that instead of mourning the end of summer as I often did (well, mourning is a harsh word ... 'clinging desperately' fits, though) ... instead of dreading the summer's end, I decided to begin celebrating fall's beginning.  There are so many wonderful things about each season and each 'time'.  Once we started focusing on that, things got a lot brighter :) So from that, this wonderful family tradition came about, and we just love, love, love it!

Enjoy this time of the year ... all the yummy fall scents, leaves changing (for those of you fortunate enough to live somewhere more north of here that has this beautiful phenomenon), a little nip in the air, festivals, state fairs, the anticipation of the holidays, and so on and so on!

Jessica

Leaves Are Falling Down

LEAVES ARE FALLING DOWN
(to the tune of Farmer and the Dell)

Leaves are falling down,

Leaves are falling down,

All the colors all around

Leaves are falling down.

Leaves are falling down,

Leaves are falling down,

Orange, yellow, red, and brown,

Leaves are falling down.


Even a song/rhyme as simple as this can go along way in reinforcing certain concepts such as colors, teaching certain ASL signs, seasons, etc. This could even be used as a fun game for movement/muscle strengthening.

Jessica

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day!

I'm hoping you and your family are able to enjoy some labor day fun activities that involve sunshine and outdoor fun today! Here is a nice resource for some of your indoor downtime today.

Here is a website I found that has information on Labor Day as well as interactive coloring pages (related to Labor Day). From this link http://www.apples4theteacher.com/coloring-pages/labor-day/ you will find black and white coloring pages to choose from. Once you choose a page, click on it, and you will then be able to 'color' the page online. You are also able to print your page after you've colored it!

You will also find other fun Labor Day activities there. Here is a little info on Labor Day (taken from this website):

About Labor Day
Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September. It's a day dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday tributes the working class contributions to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.
Labor Day became an official national holiday in 1894. In an ideal society - everyone plays a role, or works a job that supports the community.

Activity ideas given to use with these interactive color pages:

#1 Beginning reading:
Have your child practice reading the sentence on line as they color their picture.
Print out the picture and post your child's coloring on the refrigerator.
Have your child point to each word in the sentence and read the words to you.

#2 Sentence matching:
Print several completed coloring pages.
Cut off the sentence from each picture.
Have your child match the sentence with each picture.
Have your child read each sentence and explain why that sentence goes with the picture.

#3 Following directions:
Some of the coloring pages use sentences that specifically describe the picture (ie mentions colors or numbers).
Have your child complete the picture as described in the sentence.

#4 Literacy with math:
Find all coloring pages that use number words in the sentence.
Show how the number is represented in the coloring page.

#5 Letter recognition or beginning word sounds:
Print out the interactive alphabet coloring pages and use for an alphabet book. Room has been left on each page to glue pictures of words that start with that letter. Old magazines work well with this idea.

For my clients, I have to mention something that I that I know the kids will find amusing. The whole time that I've been trying to post this blog, little Cooper kitty has been swooshing his tail in my face, trying to walk across my laptop, meowing, and trying to get his head under my hands for me to pet him. Oh! And he just put his paw on top of my hand as I was typing ... so funny! Many of the kids just loooove Cooper!

Have a great day,

Jessica

September is a Busy Lady!

Wow! I was looking up some dates on the September calendar, and found that September is an even busier month than I thought! The world is celebrating/observing all kinds of things. See below for just a small dose of those. I, personally, already have my hands full enough with all the birthdays of special people including my father, sister, mother-in-law, and best friend ... not to mention back to school & client birthdays! Whew!


September 7 - Labor Day
September 9 - Teddy Bear Day
September 13 - Grandparent's Day

ADHD Month
Honey Month
Apple Month
Baby Safety Month
Children's Good Manners Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September

"The breezes taste
Of apple peel.
The air is full
Of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs,
Burning brush,
New books, erasers,
Chalk, and such.
The bee, his hive,
Well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts
Chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean
With suds, the days
Are polished with
A morning haze."

- John Updike

Happy September!
Jessica

August 09 Newsletter posted

Oh! I forgot to mention ... the August 2009 Newsletter is up and posted on the website.

Jessica

Oh no!

Something is missing! I apologize for not posting a newsletter on my website for this month. July has been a bit of a hectic month. I will have a newsletter posted for the month of August (I'm working on it already, actually) so look for it close to the beginning of August.

I'm trying to keep my newsletter somewhat brief while still informative and useful. I've noticed that my page numbers have been increasing monthly, and although I am glad to provide the information, I don't want you using up all your printer ink just to print up my newsletters!

Starting this blog has given me opportunity to share some of those resources daily. I serve a good little mix of clientele with a mix of needs. So, although not every blog posting will serve every person, I hope that you will all be able to find things along the way (in the newsletters, my website, and my blog) that you find valuable.

Enjoy your day

Jessica

A Camping We Should Go

Children far and wide look forward to the adventures of summer camp. Games and camp fires and fun, oh my! There are so many out there from which to choose.

There are also more specialized camps out there that are designed with a specific focus and/or need in mind. For example, there are space camps, art camps, sport camps, etc. There are also all sorts of camps out there for our children who have specific needs. There are camps geared toward special needs populations, medically based needs (i.e., Camp Happy Days), etc. These types of camps not only provide the children with fun filled activities, but also respite for the parents.

The camps designed especially for children with special needs are much more than an added opportunity for summertime fun. They provide many opportunities for skills-based work (many summer bridge activities) that help to reinforce things learned and accomplished the previous year in school (maintaining skills). They also help your child to develop socially as they work alongside and/or with other children to accomplish goals and tasks.

For some of you who have had your children in these types of summer camps, you are probably nodding your head in agreement. For others of you who have younger children and/or this is new to you, I wanted to point out just how great of a tool summer camp can be especially to our children with very specific needs.

Please know, also, that there are funding options out there for these types of camps as well. Camp can be a bit expensive at times. There are various charities, state organizations, etc which offer opportunities for summer funding. I always encourage anyone interested to apply for summer funds early on (at the start of the year before spring). If you wait too late, the money they set aside for this will be gone!

Oh! One more thing! The picture above is also a link to the website of this album. I do not own this album (although I hope to one day), but I loved the songs that I listened to on the website. I don't know if it's because I am hungry at the moment, but I especially love the food based songs ("Tater Pie" and "Campfire Beans"). Great lyrics and instrumentation - not just your everyday kid's songs. Love it!

Happy Camping!

Jessica

Thank you, June, for being so kind

First and foremost ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my step-father, Jose! I look forward to celebrating your bday later this evening!

Wow - can you believe it's the last day of June already? I am looking back on this first month of summer break, and hoping I've spent it wisely. As far as my family goes, I think we've made the most of it. We've celebrated 2 birthdays, Father's Day, made a weekend trip to Disney, I had a weekend NC trip with my sisters, my son has spent some nice time both at our pool and his grandmomma's pool, and we've had several beach days fit in there as well. Professionally, I think I've managed to get through this month of new clients, changed client schedules (due to summer schedules), treatment updates and meetings, and have had some great new client sessions. Thank you, June, for being so kind.

Summertime is my favorite time of the year, and there is nothing like getting to the end of your summer and realizing you didn't make the most of it. I've certainly done that before. I also find that if I stay too busy (even if it is with fun things such as trips), then my summer feels like it's gone too fast. Lazy days (or sometimes just lazy moments) are crucial!

I'm looking forward to July ... fireworks, cookouts, boat trips out to Dewey's and through Shem Creek, and good times with friend's and family, a short trip to Fontana, and lazy days. I look forward to new client progress (some I am already seeing - yay!), strengthening new client and client family relationships, and more summertime Music Therapy fun!

I relate this whole summer thing to being like a squirrel storing up for winter months. So, on some cold, grey January day I will bring out the memory of sunshine on my face, the sight of my tan faced boy playing in the surf, the smell of the grill, and the sound of the waves hitting the boat, and it will bring a little sunshine into my day.

On that note, I hope you all are enjoying your summer. Make the most of it!!!

Jessica