Experiencing Life Differently, Space (part 2)

Here are a few more of the things we did during Junior's unit on space.

Can't have a visit to space without seeing the planets so we made a model of the planets. There are so many different model kits available and I picked up the one we used at Tuesday Morning.
Junior painted a different planet(or 2) each day and during this time he would learn different things about the planet he was painting.
It took a couple weeks to complete the planet model and then we hung all the planets from his toy bar. We also had some star lights(found them at Ikea) hanging from the toy bar along with some rope lights.
The planet model came with a poster of the sun which we taped to the back of his toy bar. We then covered it all with a space blanket and Junior had his own personal planetarium.
Junior's teacher brought him a model rocket so he had a ball putting that together and then we added it to his planetarium.
Every astronaut has to eat while in space so we had to make some food for the flight. Thanks to one of our blog readers for sharing this idea. Junior can't eat by mouth but it was still a great hands on way to teach him. Put 1 Tablespoon of instant pudding mix and 1/4 cup of milk in a freezer ziplock bag. Gently press out the air as you seal the bag. Then squish it around to mix. If your child is going to eat it just cut off a corner of the bag.

Another thing we did during one of our space visits is to go to the Nasa website so Junior could view a space shuttle lift off. He was very impressed and wanted to watch it several times.
This is he and my niece viewing the lift off on her itouch.
After viewing the shuttle launch we decided to launch our own rocket indoors. First we printed off a rocket pattern then we tied a string to one of Junior's lift bars(the back of a chair on either side of the room would work as well) slid a drinking straw over it and then tied the other end to the lift bar on the opposite side of the room. I then inflated a balloon, twisted the open end and clipped a clothes pin on it. We taped the balloon to the drinking straw and the rocket pattern to the balloon. Here is Junior's rocket ready for takeoff.
This is a few seconds of video from his first rocket launch. Junior was being a serious guy but loved this and we launched his rocket over and over and over again.

Experiencing Life Differently, Space (part 1)

A few months ago Junior did a unit in school on space. It was a bit of a challenge to make all the activities revolve around the theme but he loved it and had a great time taking trips to the planets.
In his reading we learned words that had to do with space and/or flight. For example: Jet, wind, moon, sky, etc. Reading was the one area we also continued his regular curriculum.

Math was much easier to fit into our space theme. Nasa has a fantastic website with lots of great materials for students of all ages and abilities. We used their 3...2...1... Liftoff! Educators Guide for many activities. This one called The Right Order was one Junior really enjoyed. It teaches about the order in which a space shuttle launch takes place and then has pictures to color and sequence. This activity has a large rocket shape as well as several small rocket shapes. We used these for addition and subtraction by adding a number to each rocket shape.
We printed off their rocket sheets and compared their sizes, counted them, and placed them in the correct order. Of course during this we also talked about the rockets, what they were for, what they carry, their names, etc.
Junior has been working quite a bit on addition and subtraction so the all time biggest hit with him was Meteorite Math. I did a post about it earlier so click the picture to read all about it.

In our next post I will share more about our space activities

Now for all my wonderful blog friends I need some ideas. We have decided that Junior's next school unit will be farms(with a little old west thrown in, his teacher brought him some great stuff which we want to work into our lessons). I want to include learning about growing things but also farm animals(Junior loves, loves, loves all things with animals, as long as the cats stay away, he is terrified of cats).Now how to visit a farm at home is the big challenge. We will be starting this unit in July so I am starting to gather ideas and materials now. I would love any ideas.

Color Mixing

Awhile back Junior was learning about mixing colors and I was trying to figure out a craft that would help him understand the concept.
This butterfly is super simple and not fancy but it really helped him understand what we were learning about.
We used a piece of finger paint paper, paints, and some black construction paper for the antenna(Junior also decided his needed a smiley face).
Junior finger painted a yellow wing on one side of the paper and a red wing on the other. Then we mixed the two in the center for an orange body for the butterfly. You could do many different colors mixes and also add glitter or other decorations for a much fancier butterfly. Also cutting it out after it is finished would make it look more like a butterfly.


Junior recently did a unit on space in his school so over the next couple weeks we will be sharing some of the activities he did as he visited outer space right here in our living room.
I also want to share some of our favorite totally wheelchair accessible places to visit during the summer. Are their places in your area that are a favorite for your child with limited mobility? Email me if you have some favorite spots you would like to share about, I would love to have you do a guest post.

Communication

I thought I would share a little more about Junior's communication for those who might find something helpful in their own situation.
Recently we have been really working on consistently using his symbol cards regardless of the time it takes. I have also made some small boards and laminated symbols right on them for the things he uses most often. This helps me get to what he needs more quickly.
I am finding that the more consistently we use the symbols the more Junior wants to communicate with me. I am trying to give him choices about everything that I can. Some things have to happen and he doesn't get a choice about them but other things he can at least be a part of the choice process. Everything from what he wants to wear to which chair he will sit in.
It is time consuming and not a portable system but it is working for Junior and thats what counts.
Here are just a few of his many boards.
This is the board I grab when he is upset
If he chooses the "pain" symbol I then show him this board. Both boards need to be added to in the future. One of his activity boards(the symbol that says sensory is for sensory painting)
His favorite outdoor activities
Favorite quiet time activities

I wanted to touch on something that has bothered me for awhile now. If you read this blog or Junior's personal blog then you know we are working on getting him an ipad for communication and other educational needs. Though it was not commented on, on my blogs I have personally been contacted by a blog reader about the legitimacy of Junior's need for an ipad. The point was basically that it is just the next big thing so that is why we are wanting to get him one. In other words we want one because it is cool but not because it would really help him. Let me first say that Junior's teacher was able to trial one for a month so we have seen Junior in action with it. Also before you judge go try one, check out the communication programs available and then just for fun check out the difference in cost between the ipad and the programs available on it and other communication devices(which are solely communication devices and don't have all the other educational programs available). Go to this amazing blog and watch the ipad in use as a communication device.
As for the ipad being the next big thing, is that such a bad thing. Giving a child a way to communicate using something that is not "special", but is instead something their friends will recognize.
Please do some research before judging our motives, it is all about giving Junior the best possible chance to be the best he can be.

Ipad

I follow a blog called TherExtras and their is a post up today with several links to blogs where the ipad is looked at. I checked out most of the links and they are excellent. I was especially impressed with the Ipad review by Glenda Watson Hyatt which is also linked to on the TherExtras post.

Communicating

I just put this post up on Junior's regular blog and though it is not an "adaption" I thought I would still share it here. It may give someone in our same situation some ideas to deal with communication needs. I would also love to hear how your child communicates.

I regularly get asked how Junior communicates so I thought I would do a post about it. I am going to start with what we used when he was very little.

When Junior was really little we relied on facial expression to determine what he needed but as he got older we found that wasn't enough. When Junior was 4 he started having many tantrums and melt downs which clearly were happening because of his lack of ability to communicate. With Junior being unable to move his hands we decided to try introducing eye gaze. When we started with eye gaze we used two large cards which were each a different color. We used red and green because that is what worked for him(I know that most vision therapists would have a fit about us using those colors but each kids needs are different). Each card was the size of a full sheet of paper. The green one had a big smiley face on it with the word Yes printed on the bottom. The red card had a frowning face with No printed on the bottom. Initially those cards went everywhere with him but within a couple months we stopped using the cards and Junior knew that looking to my right was yes, and left was no(he looks to my right when I am facing him so technically it is his left). Literally within days Junior's tantrums all but disappeared.
You can also show him several items(movies, books, toys, etc) and he will show you with his eyes what he wants. If he does not want any of the items he will look up at the ceiling(also his response if he doesn't want to do something and is ignoring me)
Here is a picture of him using his yes/no cards when he was little.
Junior caught on to the yes/no eye gaze so quickly that we decided to start adding symbols and see how he did. In 2005 Make A Wish gave him a computer with Boardmaker on it and this allowed us to make the symbol cards for him.
Here is one of his early choice boards
His weather board which we used with his school work
The choice boards were good when he was little but took a lot of time to set up and use. We rarely pull them out now because of that issue. We tried a Super Talker for a short time and it was able to be plugged into his head switch. Junior liked it for about a week but then got frustrated and bored because he could only make a choice between two things(he has 2 head switches). Each time we wanted to add something it required me to put in new picture cards and record new audio. For a child who can use their hands symbol communication is great option but with little support from the school district(which might have helped find a technology way to help Junior use the symbols more efficiently) it is not the best option for Junior. Junior also has a handful of words which he is able to use but most people do not understand him(he has an extremely high palate so no matter how hard he tries he is very limited in the sounds he can make). Most of his words use open vowel sounds, out, on, hIIEE(Heidi), aaa(Abigail), aaa-aww(grandma), O(no), yaa(yes), ass(grass, yep he has been known to bike down the sidewalk hollering that one perfectly clear as he tries to get me to let him ride on the grass), etc.

We have tried many things and over the years have weeded out what works for Junior. Though he may get frustrated at times he is one determined kid and always finds a way to get his point across.

We are still looking for technology items to help Junior with his educational needs as well as communication and I am sure this will be an ongoing challenge. It is all about helping him reach his full potential and be all that he can be.

Here is a picture of Junior doing his schoolwork with his teacher. He is using eye gaze to show her which letter starts the word(this picture is from several years ago).

Noodle Pillows

Noodle Pillows are something we use every single day. They are tube shaped pillows which are nearly six feet long. These blue camo are Junior's favorites but they come in lots of patterns and colors.
In bed Junior has them next to him for support and positioning. In his recliner we use one noodle and put one end under his arm pit then it loops down under his knees and up to his opposite armpit for full support. Under his arms in his wheelchair when he is relaxing, in the car he always has one around him to support his arms.
We have found a never ending number of uses for these pillows.

UPDATE: 11/2011
The noodle pillow site is no longer available but I did find a lovely lady on fb who made Junior one. Busy Bee Sewing for SMA, she does wonderful work and by purchasing from her you are supporting a good cause.
Here is Junior with his cool new pillow, we even have a matching pillow case and oxygen tank cover.

Junior's Fire Truck,

Junior's favorite toy is a big fire truck with 3 nobs on the side which activate the lights, sound, and ladder. He has a fire truck that is switch adapted which he does enjoy but this one is his favorite and isn't one we can switch adapt(or at least not the ladder which he loves to play with). Junior is usually happy to play hand over hand with his toys but when it comes to his trucks he thinks he should be able to do it himself. We have dealt with many tears and lots of frustration not to mention several bruises(on his arms where he tries to push his arms into the truck to activate it).
I knew there had to be a way to allow him to at least activate some things on his truck and finally figured out something that works for Junior. It is super low tech and not at all pretty but it works and thats what counts.

The fire truck has 3 nobs on the side, each of them must be pulled down to activate.
We used some yarn a 3 sensory balls. I tied a piece of yarn to each nob and then to a ball.
For Junior to play with we placed the truck on a raised tray so that when he stiffens his arm to push the ball it will pull down on the nob. when Junior gets excited his tone when he pushes can be quite strong so I used a velcro strap to be sure the truck didn't flip off the tray. I also put a book on the back of the tray for even more stability when he realized he could do it himself and was really stiffening those arms.
I placed a ball in each of Junior's hands and pretty soon he realized that stiffening his arm made the truck turn on and I had one very happy kid on my hands.


I would love to hear others super low tech adaptions.

Yoyo Ball Painting

This is another way to add a little sensory fun to your painting. We did this just yesterday while in the house but beware, it can be very messy and probably is best done outdoors if you have a more mobile child.
All you need is paint, paper, and some yoyo water balls. I purchased our yoyo balls a few years ago at walmart but have not seen them there again. They can be purchased at Oriental Trading for a reasonable price but you do have to buy a dozen at a time.

We were doing our project indoors so we also used a shallow tub to avoid too many paint splatters. Add one happy kid and you are ready to paint. To start place your paper on a table(or in the shallow tub). Dip the yoyo ball in paint(or just put dots of paint on the paper), hold onto the rubber string and start bouncing.
You can use a different ball for each color or dip one in several colors and see what designs you come up with. We decided the patterns kind of look like fire works so I think we will add some glitter next time.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful moms.

I am sorry to be MIA on this blog at the moment but Junior is sick.

Education Apps

We looked at many, many educational apps over the past month. There were lots of neat apps but most just didn't fit our needs. Many had the letters/numbers too small or too close together or where just too confusing for our differently abled kids.
Here is a list of the ones that worked best for Junior. I put a star by our favorites, most are free or have free versions to try.

Word Magic *(Junior did really well with this one)

First Words: Sampler

ABC Tracer Words *(this app has the child trace letters and words)

Teach Me Kindergarten *(this is an excellent app with various reading and math activities. It also keeps track of how the child is doing and what has been learned)

PreK Safari Lite

Words *(simple activities)

Smiley Sight Words *(this is for the child learning simple words)

Math Train ( I listed this because I like the idea, the numbers are too small for Junior)

LunchBox *(simple and fun educational game)

Animal Sound Chase *(Has the child match the animal to the sound it makes)



Here are a few links for read along book apps.

Toy Story ***(Junior watched this several times and it was perfect when we were out at the doctors appt. I sure wish the other books like this weren't so expensive)

The Cat In the Hat (not one we have tried, since Junior thinks it is too babyish, but thought I would list it)

How to Train Your Dragon (another that we haven't tried but I am sure Junior would love this one)

Jack and the Beanstock (not tested by us)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (not tested by us)

Alice in Wonderland Lite (free version of the book, we have not tried this one)


If you put Children't books in the search box at the app store there are many more available.
Has your child found a favorite book on the ipad?

I have lots of fun game apps and some misc. apps to share in my next post.























Please share your favorites. I am going to try to keep this updated as we find more. I will be placing a link on the sidebar so you can click directly to these posts with lists of ipad apps.

I-Pad Apps

I will postpone my planned posts for when my brain isn't completely fried. Our fabulous neuro is helping us work out the sleep issues Junior is having but for now we aren't getting much sleep at all.
So this week I thought I would share some of our favorite ipad apps. Junior's teacher's ipad test run ends today so Junior is so very sad to say goodbye to it. We aren't giving up though and are working to get it funded through the district as an educational & communication device.

These are for the most part cause and effect type apps. I put a star beside the ones that are favorites of Junior. Clicking the name should send you to the app, please let me know if any of the links don't work. Most of these are free or have free versions to try.

I-Beams Lite *

I-Love Fire Works *(this would have to be in Junior's top 10 favorites)

I-Glow Stick *(this is fun but does require the child to shake the ipad)

I-Horn *(very loud but who doesn't love playing with an air horn)

Sponge Bob Lite

Doodle Kids *(technically this might be considered an art app but Junior loves the multiple colors and shapes which you can draw with)

UP (you will need to get the right spot to start this one for your child but Junior really likes popping all the balloons)

Vocal Zoo *(another top ten for Junior)

ClickySticky *(This is technically an art app, it has a background and then you add stickers, many of the stickers move and make noise)

Fart Piano *(Junior's number 1 "just for fun" app, not sure what category it should go in)


I will be doing another post later this week with our favorite educational apps as well as a post with our favorite games and misc apps. There are so many apps out there, what are your childs favorites?

Foot Painting

Most kids love finger painting(Junior sure does) so we decided to try letting Junior "foot" paint.

We put something on the floor to protect it then put down a very large piece of paper. Added some paint and put Junior's feet on the paper. He had a blast and loved the feeling of squishing his toes in the paint. Works great for sensory input.
We had a second piece of paper for him to step on the make foot prints
Ahhh love the feel of paint between the toes.

Trouble Game

I know I haven't posted a game adaption in awhile but I do still have a few to share. I also have lots more arts and crafts projects to share if I can find the time to get them posted.

Trouble was one of the first games I adapted for Junior. Pushing the little dome to roll the dice was not something he could do so we cut the dice dome out of the game.
I found this adapted dice on Ebay and now wish I had bought a bunch of them since I have not been able to find them again. I am having trouble even finding this size electric dice that has not been adapted. If you are able to locate some of this type dice here is a site that shows you how to switch adapt them. You could also use the adapted game spinner which we use in many of our games.
I attached the adapted dice in the center of the game where the dice dome would be. I used a strip of duct tape across the back to hold it in place.
Strips of velcro were added to the back of the game board so it can be hung on the game easel or any other board with velcro(I have started using Junior's puzzle/felt board for many of his games).
A small strip of cloth/medical tape was wrapped around the base of each playing piece so that it fit snuggly into the spaces. Doing this allows the game to be on its side while on the game easel and not have the pieces fall out.
Now you are ready to play(in this pic the game is on his book easel).

not feeling well

Sorry for the lack of posts. Junior has been dealing with sinus issues(very bad headaches) and then the past couple days it has been his asthma. We saw the ped and he started Junior on something to help those plugged up sinuses which has helped a lot.
Now we are praying that this weather will stay warm so the asthma episodes will stop.
I hope to be able to get back to regular posts very soon. I am way behind on this blog as well as Junior's blog.

All Purpose Toy Bar

As Junior has gotten bigger we needed something to get his toys up at eye level for him. A way for his toys to be accessible to him in his wheel chair and other seating/standing devices.
I picked up a bunch of PVC and put a giant toy bar together for him. We made it very large so even his recliner and stander can fit.
This was something I made several years ago so I don't have step by step directions but will share lots of pics as well as the dimensions. The dimensions could easily be adjusted to fit your own child's needs.
The sides are 12 inches wide and the bottom has an extra 5 inch piece of pvc plus a 3 way joint on each side for added stability.
To add to stability as well as give more area for hanging items we added a cross piece approx 2 feet from the ground and then a second one a foot from the first.
The top has a corner joint on each side(the entire toy bar is approx 5 feet tall)
The top of the bar is basically the same as the sides. There is a cross bar one foot from each end. The middle space between the two sides is 3 feet.
We added giant pool noodles to the upper sides on Junior's toy bar. In the past he was having seizures that caused his arms to jerk to the sides or straight up and he could bruise his arms on the pvc. If you want to cover the pvc to make it look nicer you could use colored duct tape or some kind of "safe" paint for plastics. Also it would be best to add pvc cement(needs to be done outside a few days before your child uses it) to the joints so the toy bar doesn't loosen from movement. We did not do this with Junior's and regularly have to be sure the joints are pulled tight.
You could use many different things to hang toys from the bar. For ours I used wide elastic with velcro sewn to either end. I wanted to be able to safely hang his heavier "big kid" toys from the bar.
We use the toy bar to hang all types of toys as well as other things. At Christmas it gets decorated with Christmas ornaments and lights. We sometimes even hang his portable tv on it.
In this picture Junior is in his stander playing with his toy bar.
Here he is in his recliner under the toy bar.
Today Junior's toy bar was turned into his own personal planetarium.

I-Pad

I have been hearing a lot about the i-pad and how well it works for those who are differently abled.
I couldn't wait to try it for myself and last night Junior's teacher brought one over for us to test drive, all I can say is WOW. The screen is huge, large enough for Junior to be able to use his eye gaze. There are apps with every kind of educational program along with communication apps and of course lots of games. The screen is super sensitive to touch so it was easy to help Junior with the activities.
The kids goofing around with the games this morning.

Aside from stiffening his arms Junior has no ability to use his hands so no he can't manipulate things on the screen but it keeps his attention and brings education to him(it is also much easier to move and get up close to him then a regular computer). For a child who is stuck in the house many months out of the year that is very important. Reading is a struggle for him and it takes a lot of work to keep him interested and focused. Today on the ipad we were doing exactly the same activities we had been doing on his boards but there was no struggle to keep him on task. He was totally focused and didn't miss one question. Some of the words were ones we had never worked on before. Sometimes it is all about finding the right tools to help your child reach their potential. I am so excited to find this tool and now to figure out how to get one for Junior(regardless of how much it would effect his educational progress the district will not purchase one for him because of his lack of movement).

I would love to hear what others think of the ipad and for those who have tried it with their child, how did they respond? Also is your school district considering the ipad as a communication/learning tool for their special ed population?

Happy Easter