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Developmental Activity
of the Month
Coffee Filter Shamrocks
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Your child can explore science, colors and shapes as he mixes colors and circles
to create four-leaf clovers. Also finger strength and dexterity are practiced by coloring with markers and by squeezing a spray bottle. What a perfect way to celebrate St.
Patrick's Day!
1.
Use blue and yellow washable markers to color 4 coffee
filters. Color one side of a filter blue and the other
yellow. On a second filter, mix the two colors evenly. Or try dots of
both colors. Make stripes of blue and yellow on another filter. Be creative.
2.
Cover your work area with newspaper. Fill a spray bottle with water. Spritz filters with water and
watch how the colors run together to form green. Notice how the greens
differ depending on the blues and yellows used. Let dry.
3.
Place the 4 coffee filters together so that they overlap in the shape of a four-leaf clover. Glue the
shamrock to construction paper or recycled cardboard with a glue stick. Draw a shamrock stem with a green marker.
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OUR SPONSORS
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Dear Parenting Digest Subscriber,
As February comes to a close and winter continues to drag on, we all find ourselves wishing and hoping for an early Spring. Unfortunately since the groundhog saw his shadow earlier this month, it looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer...but Spring does begin on March 20th, just in time for our next newsletter.
In this month's Parenting Digest we explore what to look for in quality child care for children with special needs, why a sense of humor is important for therapists, parents and kids alike, and we have also included a St. Paddy's Day shamrock craft that you can make with your child.
Don't forget to check out our BLOG as well as the latest in early intervention news on our FORUM at the Early Intervention Support web page.
Early Intervention Support is a place for families who are facing any challenge
pertaining to their child's growth and development. It is a place where you can
come to find answers and practical suggestions from licensed therapists on how
to work on a variety of issues. Whether you are a parent, grandparent or
therapist of a child with a disability, challenging behavior or other
developmental issue-childhood is short, it should be savored and enjoyed!
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FEATURED ARTICLE: Quality Child Care for Children with Special Needs
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By Tamara Guo, M. Ed.
Including children with special needs into regular child care settings is becoming a trend in today's society. The benefits of inclusion (defined as having children of varying skills and abilities in the same class) far outweigh the negatives, as long as the director and staff are committed to making inclusion successful. It is beneficial to have at least one adult in the center who is specifically trained to work with children with special needs. An ongoing system of planning, training and support in special needs topics should also be in place.
The term "special needs" is a broad one and encompasses anything from a child with a heart condition to specific diagnoses such as Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism or ADHD. Children with special needs can benefit greatly by having everyday opportunities to interact and play with typically developing peers. Children without special needs will also develop an awareness of diversity, empathy, self-esteem and the value of friendships with those who are different from themselves.
The challenge to inclusion is that children with special needs may not have the required skills that other children in the center have, such as talking in sentences or being toilet trained. They may exhibit behaviors which require more re-direction, one-on-one support or program adaptations. The child care staff will need to make adjustments so that children with special needs can actively participate at their own skill level. Communication with a particular child's parents, therapists and other support personnel can be the key to successful inclusion. Inclusion can be appropriate for every child, but it is the program that must be ready for inclusion, not the child.
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The Importance of Humor
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By Tamara Guo, M. Ed.
In working with children with special needs and their families for nearly 18 years, I can honestly say that the old cliche "laughter is the best medicine" rings true. Being a teacher, therapist, caregiver or parent of a child with special needs is certainly stressful at times, but it also brings many joys and special pleasures each and every day. Laughter can actually help speed the physical and mental recovery process, thus it is beneficial not only to the caregivers, but to the children themselves. By keeping and using our sense of humor and bursting out in laughter, we can keep ourselves from bursting from stress.
As parents, therapists and teachers, we can keep our own sense of humor by nurturing the child's sense of humor and recognizing the joys in their every accomplishment, no matter how small. We can inject humor into our daily routines at home or in the classroom by reading silly stories, singing comical songs, playing dress-up along with the kids, or hosting special days such as "Pajama Party Day" or "Crazy Hat Day".
We can remember to focus on the present and celebrate a child's smile or their contagious giggle and try not to think of what the future may or may not hold. By nurturing and preserving our sense of humor, children, therapists and parents alike can continue to cope with what outsiders might perceive to be an incomprehensibly difficult situation. Even children with the most severe disabilities, who may not even walk or talk, can connect with their caregivers through laughter and I have shared many a heartfelt giggle with the best of them.
It's been reported that the average preschool child laughs 400 times per day, while the average adult laughs only 15...so by all means start laughing!
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"We all dream a lot - some
are lucky, some are not. But if you think it, want it, dream it, then
it's real. You are what you feel."
A quote by Tim Rice
HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!
From The Team At Early Intervention Support
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