More Fall Fun!

    

Can you feel the change in the air?  The days are getting shorter with cooler mornings and cooler evenings.  The leaves are just starting to change their colors.  Autumn is here!   Are you looking for fun family things to do with your toddler or older children?  Check out this link for a bunch of fun autumn activities…

50 Activities for Autumn

This post was shared by Ann Pedersen who is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant working with the Early Intervention Program at the Ionia ISD. She helps to organize classroom activities and playgroups through the ISD.

Family Fall Fun!

The kids are back in school.  The sandals and swimsuits have been packed away.  And the warm days filled with summertime fun are now a memory.  If you’re like me, you’re feeling a bit sad about that.  The change of seasons means that bare trees and icy roads will soon be upon us.  But let’s not overlook autumn when there’s a chill in the air, the leaves are starting to fall, and pumpkins and apples are everywhere.  It’s a beautiful time of year to enjoy outdoor activities, fresh foods, and gathering as a family.  Here are some fall activities you can do to keep your family occupied until the holidays roll around.

1. Visit a local farm market, apple orchard, or pumpkin patch

There’s always plenty to do: pick apples, drink cider and eat donuts, go on a hayride, find your way out of a corn maze.

2. Have your kids help you carve/decorate a pumpkin

Give younger children markers to make marks and designs on the pumpkin.  Older kids can use safety cutters to carve a face.  Don’t worry if it’s not perfect!  The goal is to spend time together and have fun.

3. Bake cookies together

Let you kids help you measure and pour the ingredients, mix the batter, and put the dough on the cookie sheet.  Then enjoy a warm cookie with a glass of milk.  Or teach your child about giving and sharing by taking a plate of cookies to a neighbor.

4. Take a walk or bike ride together

Collect pine cones and colorful leaves, watch for squirrels and other wildlife, jump on a pile of crunchy leaves, describe the things you see ( for example: yellow leaves, red apples, big pumpkins).

5. Curl up under a warm blanket and read a favorite book with your child
6. Make  pumpkin pie play dough

Mix together one 15 ounce can of pumpkin and 3 T. of pumpkin pie spice.  Slowly add 2-3 cups of corn starch, ½ a cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.  You may need to add more or less cornstarch depending on the brand of pumpkin you use.  Once the dough reaches the desired consistency, knead it with your hands.  Now you’re ready to have fun rolling, cutting, making shapes with cookie cutters, etc.  Let your kids’ imaginations go wild.

7. Take time for yourself

After everyone is in bed, enjoy a pumpkin spice latte or hot apple cider, take a warm bath, read a magazine or book, or do something else that you enjoy.

8. Come up with a list of things you are grateful for (and have your kids contribute, too)

Sometimes we’re so busy we forget to stop and take stock of the good things in our lives.  It’s not always easy to do, but taking the time to count your blessing, big and small, can increase your happiness and well-being

So enjoy time with your family this fall and be grateful for

all the fun it brings!

Holly Nichols is a School Psychologist and Early Interventionist with the Ionia ISD

Kitty's Great Start

I am Jessica Murphy and this post is based on a presentation I gave last school year about inclusion and my experience with GSRP and my Autistic daughter.




Kitty is almost 5.  We started in Early On around the age of 16 months because of a speech delay and she was diagnosed with Autism and  Global Developmental Delay at age 2.  She is sweet, very social, very sensitive and very dramatic.

With more time left in ECSE ( Early Childhood Special Education, children can stay in the class until age 6), why did we want to put Kitty in a mainstream GSRP (Great Start Readiness Program) classroom?


      "Inclusion is about a sense of belonging, about feeling respected, valued for who you are. It is an all-encompassing practice of ensuring that people of differing abilities related to, for example, sex, age, and race, feel a sense of belonging, are engaged, and are connected to the goals and objectives of the whole wider society.”
      - Buyie Masuku

Above all we wanted to Presume Competence, and we also really thought she was ready.  Her verbal skills were growing by leaps and bounds and she is an eager learner, very easily motivated.  Because she likes people so much, so we knew she would learn by watching her peers.

Another big factor is our confidence in the support we knew she would receive.  We would have had a hard time going forward without it.  

But above all, we wanted her in the mainstream class because she deserves to be with her peers and have every opportunity afforded to her.

So, what did the day look like?  Because GSRP is a half day program we decided to keep her in ECSE in the morning (the less intensive nature of that classroom was a good way for her to start her day).  She then had one and half hours of lunch, recess, and rest time.  This was very important to us because we knew she would need some down time during the day.  Then she would go to GSRP in the afternoon.  There were a few hiccups along with way, but over all, it was pretty great!
She learned to write her name, say the pledge, all of her letters, to count to thirty, and so many other things.

She had a wonderful team behind her.  The folks from ECSE and GSRP worked really well together, and the aides, they were amazing.  We were lucky enough to have the mother daughter wonder team for our girls and it was amazing!  They used a daily report sheet to show how each day went, which was great since Kitty wasn't really able to tell me how each day went.

Toward the end of the year she started to really push for her independence, and I definitely attribute that to her time in GSRP.  They worked really hard to find ways to teach her the class curriculum.  One of my favorite stories is how they found out how Kitty wanted to be a farmer when she grew up. Kitty isn't always able to answer direct questions so the teacher took the time to sit with her and some occupation figures and would watch to see which ones she gravitated towards.  They used this information at the end of the year celebration and my Dad (who is a farmer) was over the moon!

One of the best things about Kitty's experience in GSRP had to be her classmates.  They really took to her and looked after her.  I really believe her growing independence came from being with her class every day.  And they learned from her too.  She had a social story about the voice level system used in the school and she "read" it to her class at the end of the year when it was time for them to learn about it.  They were amazed!  

Kitty loved GSRP!  Her aides would always tell me how antsy she would get on Mondays when she was in ECSE all day.

She is now in Kindergarten and I really believe her experience in GSRP helped prepare her to succeed there.  It gave her access to a more intensive learning environment, while still letting her keep her feet on the ground in ECSE.

I really don't think there is much I would do differently.  The lines of communication were always open, Kitty got the support she needed when she needed it and was given the respect she deserved.  I really couldn't ask for more.  I really hope we can keep it up!

Seals Swim, Monkeys Climb, What Do Young Children Do?

            

I had the opportunity to visit the zoo this summer.  I enjoyed watching the animals interacting in their habitat.  It was especially exciting to watch the seals swim over our heads while we were in the glass tunnel.  It occurred to me how animal behavior is so natural.  Seals glide through the water.  Monkeys climb trees.  Prairie dogs dig burrows.  So what about young children?  

I observed many young children and their parents on that day at the zoo.  One mother I noticed was trying to keep two young girls entertained while they waited for their friend who was in the restroom.  This mom was responsible for an infant in a pack that was strapped to her chest, an infant in a stroller and two young girls who wanted to keep walking.  She decided to keep the two young girls occupied by singing “Ring around the Rosie”.   She said, “Remember Ring around the Rosie.  Hold hands.”  So the girls held hands but did not create the circle needed for that game.  Two of their hands were still open.  Mom said, “the other hands”.  So the girls let go of the hands they were holding and took hold of their other hands.  I had to smile because the girls did exactly what the mom said but it still wasn’t what was needed for the game.   

As I reflected on this simple interaction, it occurred to me how trusting the girls were. They did exactly what mom told them to do, trusting that she would guide them in the game.  Children who are responded to and whose needs are met from birth develop trust with their caregiver.  This is natural for young children to trust and develop attachments if the environment is right. Just like monkeys learning to climb and swing from trees—if trees are present in their environment. Children depend on the adults in their world to teach them about the rules and how things work.  Children want to please their parents, have fun and explore their world.  Parents have the responsibility to respond to children by being trustworthy and by providing opportunities to explore, learn and feel enjoyment while doing it.  This trust forms the foundation for all other learning, so how about playing a game of “Ring around the Rosie” today?

This blog entry was contributed by Christine Wilcox, who is a teacher for the early intervention program at Ionia ISD and the mom of three children who are in college.  Christine still likes to play and explore with her adult children.

Each stage of being a parent is rewarding and beautiful, as you leave one behind remember there is another amazing experience ahead.  Read "Things I Will Miss About The Baby Stage" by Amy Nielsen, and think about your own memories of this stage or if you are currently here--write down some of your special moments you treasure.

Things I Will Miss About the Baby Stage

Saying Goodbye to My Daughter the First and Last Time

As I was perusing through some posts searching for tips and wisdom to support moms and dads cope with their young children heading off to preschool or kindergarten this piece caught my eye.  As I read through it, I sure got more than I bargained for.  I as a mom  have looked into “ those eyes” multiple times  over the years as my children have embarked on numerous firsts in life such as dance recitals, summer camps, new schools, sports activities, college and even heading down the  wedding aisle... excited and a little scared but moving ahead with that next step.  

The end of this piece really got me as today I am looking into eyes that are now telling me, I am scared about what is to come but now I am the daughter coming eye to eye with my mom.  

Even though your hands shake and tremble I remember mom when you taught me to make a perfect trimmed pie crust, embroidery beautiful pieces and play the piano.  

Those legs that you can hardly make move, once played horse with me in the driveway, pushed me on the swings and walked many fields picking fruits and vegetables so you could teach me how to can and preserve food.

You struggle  physically each day with a body that is frail, needing help from your daughter, a daily reminder that you are not the mom you once were.   

I don't know what will come next,  but I do know  I was loved, you were a  great mom  and I do remember  all the moments, just like I hope my kids will remember our moments and your kids remember yours  too.  

Read the blog post by Jaye Watson, Saying Goodbye to my Daughter the First and Last Time, shed a little tear then go make a moment for you and your child to remember.

Saying Goodbye to My Daughter the First and Last Time

PRESCHOOL HERE SHE COMES

This fall I will be sending my oldest child, Ella, off to preschool for the first time.  She couldn’t be more excited to go to school! She picked out her backpack with extreme care making sure that it would be just perfect for preschool.  Meeting her teacher and seeing her classroom at the open house was a little scary at first, because Ella can often be shy at first around new people and in new places.  Her teacher was warm, sweet, and made sure the classroom was inviting and fun.  I could tell that it made Ella feel safe, because after a few minutes, she quit hiding behind my legs and started to explore the room.  That made me feel a little safer about Ella going to school for the first time too.  

Preschool will be so good for Ella’s development and learning.  I am so happy that she is excited about school, her teacher, and all of the other children who will be in her class.  It will be a great environment for learn and explore and gain more confidence and independence when she is trying new things. She will learn essential social skills like meeting and playing with new friends, instead of just the kids she has grown up playing with.  She will learn that if something doesn’t go just perfectly, then she will need to step back and figure out a better solution to the problem.  She is excited, and I am excited for her!

With all of her excitement and my excitement, I am still nervous.  I am sad that I won’t be there to help her through some of the struggles of her day.  I won’t be there to hold her hand if she is beginning to feel sad or anxious, because obviously as her mother, I pick up on the more subtle cues she gives before she gets really upset.  I’m nervous about not knowing the other kids she will be playing with and hoping that she plays nicely with them and that the other kids are kind to her.  

Honestly, I think some of my sadness is because my sweet little girl is getting independent that she 
doesn’t need me as much, and that she is getting old enough, that she shouldn’t need me as much.  She is growing and learning, and preschool will just be one more stage that she needs to go through.  I still may cry after I drop her off that first day, but I know that all of my sadness and fear is insignificant compared to the fun, new experiences and learning that Ella will experience this year.  

This blog post was contributed by Jenna Denittis a mom or 2 with one on the way.