Links

Here are several links for educational activities, games, symbol stories, books, art projects and more.
Several of these links came from Ellen at To the Max, be sure to go visit her blog, she is currently having a giveaway.
Some of these links I have explored and even tried out with Junior but some I have only had a chance to take a quick glance at.

Story Line Online This site has many stories for your child to listen to. They are read by people like James Earl Jones, Tia & Tamara Mowry, Mellisa Gilbert, and Amanda Bynes to name just a few.

OT Plan This site has lots of occupational therapy activities. You can even choose the supplies you have on hand and they will show a activity using those items. This is one I will be visiting often.

Tar Heel Reader You can find many, many stories at this site for all ages, and skill levels. I have not had a chance to explore this site but it says it can be accessed by touch screen, intellikeys, switches, and more.

Jumpstart games and educational activities, it is free for basic use but also has a membership program.

Jacob's Lessons This site was created for use with autistic children, it is made to be used with both the parent and child.

Do 2 Learn activities and resources for special needs

Symbol World I have only had a chance to check out the Learning link on this site. It has lots of stories and educational material, all with symbols.

One Switch This site has a listing for free switch accessible game downloads. I have not checked any of these out yet.

Ipod, Iphone, & Ipad apps for special education This site has a huge listing of special ed apps for the itouch products. Junior's teacher and I spent quite a while yesterday looking through some of them and many are free or low cost. Junior absolutely loved the Vocal Zoo app(animal pics with the sounds they make), Doodle buddy, and Doodle Kids(these two are art apps and one has silly sounds as well), each of those were free.

I would love to hear what your favorite links are for your child.

Skateboarding with Junior

When Junior was much smaller I would stand him on a skateboard and push him around. Now he is a little too big for that, though we do put him in his standing sling and let him get on his skateboard.
Now Junior likes to skateboard a little differently. We took a regular skateboard(make sure it is not the wide kind), folded a blanket on top of it and covered it with a small sheet. I then duct taped the bottom to keep everything in place. I lay him over it on his tummy and use a couple velcro straps from another piece of equipment to hold him in place. This is a fantastic way for him to do some weight bearing on his arms and shoulders as well as legs(he is in a partial crawl position, and you could add another blanket for more height with a larger child).
As you can see he loves this and I use a couple of the giant floor puzzle pieces to give him a firmer surface then the carpet. He likes to just hang out and push himself up on the skateboard but I also like to help him move his arms and legs to actually move the board.


With spring here our weather has been gorgeous and we are trying to get outside and enjoy it. I am not getting to post as often as I would like but just haven't had the time. I am so very thankful to have Junior so much healthier this year and we are making the most of every moment. I will try to at least get a post or two up each week.

Voice 4 U Review

We were recently given the chance to try out the new Voice 4 U app. on the i-phone/i-touch.
First off I want to say we loved it. I do not have an itouch or iphone so Junior's home instructor put it on her phone and used it with Junior and her two other home instruction kids(Junior as well as the other 2 children have significan motor control issues). So this review come from Junior's teacher and I.

The app was a little bit small on the iphone because of these children's motor issues but they all responded so well to the program and we can't wait until the ipad comes out.
There were a few things that could be changed/added which would be helpful in our situation. It would be great to have the ability to place 2 pictures on the screen at the same time(once the ipad is available with the large screen). We also had trouble getting the sound loud enough when we inputted our own pictures. It would be nice if there was a way to change the voice for the preloaded pictures and add more categories.

Junior's teacher and I were both very impressed with this app. It was super simple to use and the graphics are great. Being able to input your own pictures with sound so quickly and easily was a real bonus. Other communication programs we have used may have allowed you to input your own pictures but it was not an easy task.
It was great to have the preloaded pictures broken down into easy to find categories.
This was an excellent program to have on a heat sensitive device like the iphone because it made it very touch sensitive and easy to access for our kids with motor issues.
The Voice 4 U app definitely gets an A+ from Junior's teacher and we look forward to using it on the ipad.

Meteorite Math

Right now in school Junior is doing a unit on Space and we are trying to find ways connect all of his subjects to this unit topic.
Today we had been talking about meteorites so I decided to do some meteorite math with him.
It was a huge hit and I don't think Junior realized he was actually doing a math lesson.

I used a board with a piece of felt attached to it. This is also his puzzle board.
I attached little pieces of velcro to several lightweight plastic balls(you could also use the smaller balls but for Junior using eye gaze the larger ones work better). The more little pieces of velcro the better it will stick when thrown against the board.
These are the numbers and symbols we use daily in Junior's math lessons. I ran them off in a very large print and used contact paper to laminate them. Added a piece of velcro to the back and they are ready for use.

Of course you can adapt this to whatever your childs needs and level are but I will share how Junior used it.
I started out by telling him that for now the board is the moon and the balls are meteorites. We initially just threw the meteorites at the moon and then would count how many we had thrown.
Once Junior got into that part I started holding up two numbers and asking him how many meteorites he wanted to throw at the moon. He would choose a number and then I would place that number at the top of the board followed by a plus symbol. After we threw the first number of meteorites we would do the same thing for the second number and then count them all together.
I have been trying to introduce subtraction to Junior for awhile and it has been a struggle. He is slowly getting the concept but it just hadn't really clicked. Tonight we took some huge leaps forward and it seemed to really make sense to him.
I put several meteorites on the moon and then I told him that he was going in his space ship to knock the meteorites off the moon(I think I will make a little space ship cutout for him when we do this next). Junior got a big giggle out of that and then we discussed how many we would knock off into space.
After we knocked them off I told him okay you had 3 meteorites and your space ship knocked 2 of them into space now how many are left. I held up a couple numbers for him to choose from and he didn't miss a beat. I then followed with 3 take away 2 equals 1.

Junior loved throwing the balls at the board and seeing them roll down a little as the velcro caught. I am sure just that part will be a favorite game of his now. I have considered attaching some type of bulls eye to the board. I am also sure there are lots more ways to use the velcro balls for math.

Decorating With Artwork

As I am sure you can tell by our posts here as well as on Junior's personal blog we do lots of arts and crafts projects. I would love to keep each and every painting and project Junior does but I would need an extra house to do so. We take lots of pictures and I do have boxes with some of the extra special projects.
Junior loves to see his artwork on the wall or fridge so awhile back we took several of his "sensory" paintings added a giant letter from his name. Then used strips of construction paper to create and border and laminated them. Now one wall in his school area has his name and art, and also looks very cute.
Here are his paintings ready to be put on the wall(you could also use real frames of course, but Junior liked making his own)
Hanging on the wall
Just in case you are curious
J- bubble wrap painting
U- bead painting
N- yo-yo ball painting
I- car painting
O- circles painting
R- brushes

To add the letters you can cut giant letters out of construction paper or for this project we used picture paper. First we cut out a letter shape with contact paper and stuck it to our paper. Then we did the painting, let it dry, and gently pulled off the contact paper. You could leave the letter area white but we decided to color it in(some of Junior's paintings still have a lot of white so the letters weren't as obvious as they needed to be)

What is your favorite way to decorate with your child's art?

Morgan's Wonderland

Todays post comes to us from Ellen and Max. Be sure to stop by their blog To The Max to read more about this amazing family.

March 11, 2010

Morgan's Wonderland: why it's such a big deal

There's been a lot of buzz on the web about San Antonio's Morgan's Wonderland, the first large theme park to cater to kids with special needs. Dave e-mailed me about it from London. He's there on a business trip and had seen it on the news.

The story's amazing: A real estate developer with a daughter who has special needs raised some $30 million to open the park. It has wide ramps for wheelchairs, a carousel with adaptive seating, and a sensory village where kids can interact with lights, colors, sounds and textures. It's even going to limit the number of visitors so as not to overwhelm kids. Admission is free for those with disabilities and $5 for friends and family. The Grand Opening is April 10.

I was psyched to hear about Morgan's Wonderland, but all the hoopla has left me vaguely troubled. Because if adapting places to kids with special needs were more of a regular thing, a park like this wouldn't be making international headlines. Morgan's Wonderland is a big deal not just because its the first of its kind but because this concept seems so novel to people. Wow! Lots and lots of opportunities for kids with special needs to enjoy themselves, as opposed to the slim pickings available at mainstream parks.

The topic's totally on my mind. We're headed to Disney at the end of next week, a place that is considered exceptionally accommodating to kids with special needs. Last time we went, though, we were limited by the number of rides we could go on because they scared the hell out of Max. Make that, we were limited to the race track. Everything else was sensory overload. I made the mistake of dragging him onto It's A Small World since I thought he'd get into it only he wailed the entire time as the robo-children in adorable outfits sang their hearts out. Max will probably run screaming down the Disney streets at the mere sight of it.

Morgan's Wonderland deserves all of the attention its receiving. I just wish that the Chuck E. Cheese's and Great Adventures and water parks and all the other mainstream kiddie fun places of this world did more to include kids with disabilities, you know?

Thank you Ellen and Max for sharing this with us

I am not sure why blogger keeps putting two videos up, and it is not letting me delete just one of them. You will need to pause one of them.

Website With Switch Accessible Games

I found this website through a couple other blogs I follow and just had to share it here.
www.helpkidzlearn.com
This site has simple games, stories, and more. Most of which are accessible by a switch and all you need is a switch interface to play. Switch accessible software can be very pricey but it also can easily become boring if you don't have lots of different activities. So nice to find a site where Junior can enjoy the activities without the cost.
There are several different switch interfaces available. This is the one Junior uses to access his computer. Click the picture to go to one of the sites that carries them. This type is very simple to use, you just plug it into a usb port on your computer and then plug you switch into one of the ports on the front any you are set. Though in the description it is considered a single switch interface we have used 2 switches with Junior's with no problem.

Sensory Board

This is something Junior doesn't use much anymore but when he was younger it was used daily.
It fits in his lap or on his wheelchair tray so anytime he moves his hands he is touching a different texture.
It is very simple to make.
We used a piece of foam board as the base, cut to whatever size you need.
Then glue on different textured items. For Junior's, I used a piece of a grass rug, the insert from a box of candy(turned upside down), a piece of rubber non skid shelf liner, a couple of brushes, duct tape(folded into little flaps), some crate paper, and a piece of floor puzzle.
You could use pretty much anything to make it work for your child depending on your their needs and abilities. The sky is the limit with the sensory board, you could even attach some sensory toys to it.

Junior's Sensory Cart

Many children need lots of sensory input and Junior fits in that category. Sometimes we barely do any specifically "sensory" time but during times of stress, changes, growth, etc. it helps him to cope.
A few weeks ago he was having a time with lots of meltdowns and could not deal with even the slightest change from his schedule. It was time to pull out his sensory cart. During these times we try to combine sensory with his exercise/stretching time a couple times a day. Within a couple days I noticed a huge change and decrease in meltdowns. He was able to calm down and cope without losing control.
Here is Junior's sensory cart.
The top boxes hold scent bottles, tactile balls, and beads(we place the beads on the pie plates by his feet so when he kicks them he can "make his music")
This is the top drawer, it holds auditory and oral sensory items as well as items that vibrate(hairbrush, the green bug, massager).The second drawer is full of visual items such as brightly colored scarves, penlights with lots of different colored lenses, etc. Junior has good vision so these are for sensory and not vision impairment though much of what you see also is used for children with low vision.
The last drawer is full of tactile items
Junior's sensory sessions are usually combined with his exercise. There is no set way to do things and he thinks it is just great fun. We talk about the different feels of things as we do the tactile(rough, smooth, bumpy, scratchy, etc.). Right now he is doing a unit on space in his school so when we do the vision stuff we turn out the lights during a portion of it and he likes to shine the different colored lights on the ceiling and we say they are space ships. This is also a time we use his weighted blankets.

Sensory Puzzles

The name drawn to receive the sensory puzzles was Laura, congrats I will get them into the mail as soon as I get your address.

Coloring

Junior has no use of his hands so things like coloring are very difficult. He can stiffen his arms to make his hands move across the paper while coloring but then cannot hold onto crayon or marker.

We discovered that finger crayons work really well for him. They have a large circular top which fits in his palm and the pressure against the paper holds it in place. I purchased these at Target but haven't seen them there lately, I did find plenty on Amazon.

Regular crayons and markers will not stay in his hands so we made some elastic bands to keep them in place.
I sewed velcro to the ends of a wide piece of elastic.
Being sure to sew the rough side of the velcro on one side and the smooth on the other so you can fasten them and make a loop.
Be sure when attaching the strap to your childs hand that the rough side of the velcro is up.
I know this is not the best hand position but this is how Junior rotates his hands when he colors. We may stretch and use hand splints at other times but when he is coloring I want him to be successful and do as much as he can by himself .

Here is a picture with the marker correctly positioned, it just doesn't work for Junior

More Favorite Links(Educational sites)

Here are a few more links that we like. These are educational sites that we use frequently.

Enchanted Learning this site has all kinds of educational resources for all grades. I print off pages frequently that go along with whatever we are learning in Junior's school work. They also have many craft ideas that also go along with specific topics. There are lots of free sample pages but full access to the site is $20 a year. It is the only site I actually have paid to use the full resources and it has been well worth it. Junior's teacher frequently uses it as well when planning her lesson plans for Junior.

Star Fall this site is for kids and has lots of educational games and activities to play. Junior's teacher uses this often with him and he loves the different activities(range from very basic to more advanced), one of his favorites is the signing part. He can't move his hands but really likes for us to help him sign the letters or words.

Nasa this links you to the education part of Nasa's website. There are so many great projects and teacher resources, printable project, directions, coloring pages, and lots more(for every age group). Junior just started a school unit on space and flight so his home instructor and I have been spending lots of time finding ideas from Nasa.

None of these sites are technically for special needs but we have found them very useful with lots of great ideas that can be adapted for our specific needs.

Some Favorite Links

A busy week again which means I am not getting to post as often as I had planned.

Today I thought I would share a few of our favorite links/sites. Each of these are actually listed on the sidebar but I wanted to highlight each one here so you would know what they were all about.

The first one is Angels 2 the Heart, this is an amazing program that sends "angel" mail to chronically ill children and adults. I could never express how blessed we have been by this program. Even when Junior has been ill his face lights up when he gets his angel mail, they have given him something to look forward to even during some very stressful hospital stays. Be sure to check out their site to learn more about this program.

The next one is Songs of Love, this group writes songs for children with chronic/life threatening illnesses. Instead of trying to describe this wonderful program I will share the song they wrote for Junior a few years ago(I made the clip soon after Junior received his song so the pics are several years old).

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Another amazing group is Quilts for Kids. They make quilts for children with life threatening illnesses. Junior's quilt has made many trips with him to the hospital and provided comfort during difficult times. These are some truly wonderful people, we have requested quilts for several children over the years and they are so happy to send out just the perfect quilt for each child.

The last link I will share in this post is for Challenged America. They provide small grants to purchase recreation/mobility items for the disabled. A few years ago they funded a full support swing for Junior which was such an awesome gift. Junior loves to swing but our area has no parks with swings(or anything else) for those with disabilities(his health also makes it hard for him to get out to parks).