Tutoring & Learning Resources of Connecticut

Help Making Charts

2013-06-20T16:41:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to share a great site that I have found for teachers and parents that need visual aids (picture charts, social stories, "First,Then" charts, picture boards, picture schedules, etc.). For your PC they offer a program called DO2LEARN and soon they have an app coming out with the same type of prinicple. Check them out www.Do2Learn.com.

In the pictures you will see the bedtime routine that I made for my daughter. When she is done with one task she puts the card in the envelope at the bottom of the chart. This way if she "forgets" what to do next I can direct her back to the chart. The chart is the boss - not mommy. The chart says, next you must put your clothes in the hamper. This takes the tension of mom (or dad) being bossy, while at the same time keeping her on task. If she doesn't do her tasks - then she looses "song." (Meaning that I will rub her back but will not sing to her.) To her this is enough of a motivator (most nights). I encourage everyone to use your child's interests as part of your discipline routine. If you do "good listening," I will give you a sticker. If you get 5 stickers, I will give you a match box car or a princess necklace (or whatever it is may interest them.) Negative reinforcement should be tried last. Such as if I count to 5 and you don't put your dirty clothes in the hamper then you will not get to watch 5 minutes or 15 minutes of your favorite show or play your favorite game. Find what works for you and your child.

Below are some images of the bedtime chart I made for my 5 year old daughter. I bought a cheap $1.00 Class Schedule at Target, then printed off pictures that were relevant to our routine.
Pick up toys
Take off clothes
Put pajamas on
Put dirty clothes in hamper
Go potty
Brush teeth
Pick out a story
Get in bed
Wait quietly in bed
Read a story
Sing song
STEPS
1. Type in search words (ie. bedtime, pajamas, hamper)
2. Print out images
3. Laminate the printed piece of paper
4. Then cut out each image
5. Cut half-one inch strips of velcro
6. Place velcro on the images and then on the chart
7. Staple an envelope to put the images in when the task
is complete.

If you don't get lucky and find one of these charts then use a piece of construction paper and a sheet protector.

Buy a roll of velcro at a craft store or walmart. Cut into 1/2 inch to 1 inch strips. Stick one side to an image and the other side to the laminated chart.

Some additional advice-
Make sure that when you are buying velcro that you aren't buying the pre-cut shapes above because they need to be sewn and have no sticky backing.
If you use a piece of construction paper and sheet protector, I recommend taping it shut to increase its durability.

New Blog

2013-06-20T16:22:00.002-04:00

I have started a new blog that is entirely related to autism.
http://leslieburby.blogspot.com/

Handouts for Milestones and Developmental Delays

2013-04-04T17:27:00.000-04:00

Milestone Handouts

http://www.birth23.org/files/referrals/DevMilestoneEnglishSpanishCombined.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/checklists/checklists_6mo.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/checklists/checklists_2yr.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-3yr.html

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/checklists/checklists_4yr.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/checklists/checklists_5yr.pdf

Sensory handouts

http://spdsupport.org/resources/infant-spd-symptoms.shtml

http://spdsupport.org/resources/files/SPD-Parent-SHARE-International-Flyer.pdf

Spotting Signs of Autism

2013-04-04T10:44:00.000-04:00

The CDC says, "If you're concerned - act early." However, most people don't know when to be concerned. I am very excited to be speaking at the Southington Library in Southington, CT tonight at 6:30pm. The talk will go from 6:30-7:30pm and I will be answering autism related questions and selling my co-authored book Emotional Mastery for Adults with Asperger's after the Q&A. If you plan on going please pre-register. All attendees will get a code for a free issue of Autism Parenting Magazine.

To register for this program on-line go to www.southingtonlibrary.org, click on Calendar or contact the Reference Department at 860-628-0947 x5.

Hope to see you there!

Sneaking Educational Activities into Birthday Parties

2012-12-31T00:14:00.003-05:00

These were the plates that we used from www.orientaltrading.com.

As always I try to squeeze in the educational lessons even at my kid's birthday parties. Of course, it's important to have a mix of games. Not all of them have to be educational. This year's theme was unicorns and rainbows for my daughters. So we had some classic party games like "Pin the Horn on the Unicorn" (instead of pin the tail on the donkey) and plastic multi-colored "Unicorn Shoes" (instead of horse shoes). However, I try to have activities to keep the kids busy while we set up the next game or get the cake ready.
For instance, a big floor puzzle that everyone can work together on is fun. A craft area is always a must, too. We had simple unicorn themed mazes, connect the dots pages and coloring pages for the younger kids and then more complex mazes and word searches for the older kids. I use www.colormountain.com and www.educationalcoloringpages.com to print out free pages for my kids to color year round. Now-a-days there is no reason why we should pay ten bucks for a coloring book, if you have a computer and printer at home.
As a science lesson, I taught the kids the colors of the rainbow and their order. I had the help of Sid the Science Kid (I love that show). We sang "Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet, too."

For my son's Sesame Street birthday party we played Match the Rubber Ducky Number with rubber duckies from Oriental Trading.
The kids made foam Ernie, Bert, Grover, Elmo, and Cookie Monster out of pre-cut foam shapes and glue dots. Goldfish were served in a goldfish bowl. Instead of goodie bags everyone got a ziploc bag filled with fresh baked chocolate chip cookies and a miniature foam cookie monster attached to the front. Sesame street coloring pages were spread out in the craft room. Ernie's "123 Count with Me" Sesame Street video was played while we got the cake ready. Just for fun we provided kick balls in primary colors. Whatever the occasion - sneak education into your kid's lives and have fun!

Sneaking Education into a Night Out or a Night In

2012-11-11T20:18:00.001-05:00

I love to sneak educational activities into everyday experiences wherever I can, including when I go out to dinner with my family. For our latest trip to Friendly's, we kept my four and five year old happy, quiet, and entertained while waiting for their food by using a Highlights product found at Target.
I love Target! I am always there buying something. A card, diapers, milk, school supplies, toys, board games, bedding, etc and then I get to reward myself for checking one more thing off my to-do list by buying a caffeinated beverage at Starbucks. So the other day I was shopping at Target and was pleasantly surprised to find some neat educational products that I hadn't seen before in the aisles. I think their favorite was the flip notebook of Hidden Pictures that came with stickers by Highlights.

Another great product we found at Target was paint. My kids love to paint pictures. However, I think they have the most fun when they mix two colors together.

The primary colors are red, yellow and blue.

The secondary colors are green, orange and purple.

Mixing Equations

red + yellow = orange

yellow + blue = green

blue + red = purple

To further the fun, check out the science experiment at http://www.kidzone.ws/science/rainbow.htm.

Another great idea when eatting out with kids, is to use the seating arrangements of the restaurant as math word problems. This is a fun way to practice math skills. For instance, ask questions such as:

How many chairs do we have?
How many people can sit here?
How many people are seated in this row?
How many more can be added?
If there are three rows of booths with six booths each how many booths is that?
If each booth sits 4-6 people, then what is the maximum occupancy of customers?

For family fun, try some board games. For kid games that 4year old to adults can play, try Super Why ABC Letter Game, Scrabble Junior, Rivers, Roads & Rails, and Pegs in the Park.

So sneak education into your kids lives today and have fun!

What to do with kids on days off

2012-10-29T15:55:00.000-04:00

When people think of preparing for a major storm, they think of buying food, water and batteries. However, as a mom, (and a life-long resident of CT), I also plan on ways to entertain my kids without power. If I'm not prepared, I'll have to listen to hours of whining.
Books-
I went to the library and got books that they haven't read yet.
Crafts-

I stock up a crate with construction paper, markers, crayons, paper lunch bags, glue and paste, kid scissors, paper plates, pipe cleaners, yarn, empty cereal boxes, etc. I print out crafts to make with them so if the power goes out, we have something to create and then play with for hours on end. So far we have printed out Dora's Mermaid Puppet Theatre and Puppets from www.Nickjr.com. The theatre is 4 pages hat we glued together with a gluestick and then used Elmer's glue to stick to the back of a family-size empty Kix cereal box. The ocean floor is glued to a regular size Cascadian Farm cereal box. Although the mermaids are made to standup we had a problem getting them to stand. So for some of the puppets, we glued them to cereal box cardboard and folded them but cut off one of the half circles on the bottom to help them stand better. For other puppets, we stuck craft sticks (or popsicle sticks) between the cardboard.

Paper bags are used to make puppets, and my girls retell a story that we read them while ducked down behind our coffee table. My favorite templates are from www.abcteach.com. Of course, it's fun to dress up and put on a play or have a dance party (if you have a radio with batteries or tunes on your phone) then drag out the dress up clothes or let your kids raid your closet.
Games-
Board games come out and puzzles are dusted off to create old-time family fun. When things really get bad, like last year's storm when we were without power for 8 days, we move in with my parents. It's like a camp out. We huddle around the fire place in the family room and play outburst, which is a blast to play with a ton of people. You shout out a topic and they have to guess the ten things listed, (ie. ways to cook potatoes-au gratin, baked, mashed, etc.). Get creative and have fun! PLAY with YOUR KIDS! We get so busy that we forget to stop and have fun with our kids. So make the best of the storm and PLAY!

Solving Sensory Sensitivities While Shopping

2012-10-20T02:30:00.000-04:00

If you are a reader of my blog then you should know by now that I have a daughter with Asperger’s. One of the first tell-tale signs of her having Asperger's was the sensory sensitivities that she had while grocery shopping. For awhile, I gave up shopping all-together. I would use delivery services like Peapod.com to get my groceries. If I forgot anything I would ask my friend/neighbor (Ivana) to pick me up something when she went to the store. Eventually, I learned about sensory issues. Some kids have S.P.D. (sensory processing disorder) or S.I.D. (sensory integrative dysfunction). Not all kids with sensory issues have Asperger's. However, children with Asperger's have sensory issues.

Working with developmental specialists and occupational therapists, researching the topic, and joining the Sensory Smart Mom's support group helped me better understand the condition and better manage the issues.

To better understand sensory issues you can read the previous blog posts that are sensory related.

Thankfully, I have a daughter that can think back (after the meltdown) and tell me what was bothering her. To people with sensory issues, the hum of the freezers can be as loud and bothersome as a chainsaw is to the general public. The fluorescent bulbs and other lighting used to display food and signs are as bright as staring directly at the sun without sunglasses. To people with sensory issues, these everyday noises, illumination, etc. are accentuated. Unlike the average person that can tune-it-out. These sensory issues are severe and bothersome enough to interrupt daily activities.

Eventually, I learned to carry a little bag with sunglasses, a hat (with a visor), a sweater and noise reduction headphones. If they don't want to keep noise reduction headphones on, you can try to use headphones that play music. Let the child decide the volume. The music might help distract them until you’re out of the store. For some cool bag ideas checkout the post about backpacks. If your child is having a "sensitive day" don't torture them by bringing them to the store if you have another way of getting the item (ie. can your husband stop on his way home, can someone watch your child while you run in the store). If you have to go into the store, bring“the bag” and try to only get one or two things and get out of the store quickly. Now is not the time to stroll down every aisle (although you might need the break). If you need to get out of the house, go for a walk at a park or somewhere else outside where your child won't be overwhelmed. If you have any questions on any of these items or ideas please feel free to comment or leave me a message.

October is National Book Month

2012-10-18T10:40:00.002-04:00

October is National Book Month, which is sponsored by the National Book Foundation in an effort to celebrate how books can "open our minds." As an author, freelance writer, tutor and mother - I couldn't agree more that books help "open our minds." In fact, I have written a series of children's books to help educate children and adults on Asperger's Syndrome and language skills. The first book in the series has been picked by a few publishing companies and I have the pleasure of announcing that I have chosen one of them to sign a contract. "Grace Asperger Goes to School" will be printed in approximately the next 6-12 months. To help fund this project please feel free to donate (anonymously or using your name) by going to www.GoFundMe.com/publishLeslie.

Parents have asked me how to explain Asperger's to their children. My hope is that each book will help people better understand how people with Asperger's think very literally while teaching some English terms at the same time.

My idea for these books came to me when my oldest daughter (that has Asperger's), was told to "throw out her ice cream cone." We were at a restaurant and I was in a hurry to get going. She looked at me and then turned to stare at the garbage half-way across the room. She shrugged her shoulders, then "threw the ice cream" at the garbage. Due to the fact, that it was one of those garbage containers that you have to push open, the ice cream splattered all over the place. Many people stared at us horrified at the mess. My daughter looked at me innocently, and said, "What? You said to THROW it out." I burst out laughing and said, "Yes. Yes I did." Then, I proceeded to clean up the mess. However, the lesson was far from being over. I had many people talking about me. I'm not deaf, I heard the comments: How can she just laugh?; Why isn't she punishing her daughter?; If that was my kid... It made me realize that Asperger's is a hidden handicap. My daughter "looks" normal and therefore people assume she is being a "bad" kid when she does something out of the ordinary. My hope is to educate kids but adults, too.

Celebrate National Book Month by finding and reading a book that "opens your mind."

Selling Lesson Plans

2012-10-01T15:14:00.001-04:00

Many teachers can relate to juggling bills. I thought I'd share this great article on how teachers can sell their lesson plans for money. I think this is a great way for people to earn extra cash.

Teacher article on AOL written by Claire Gordon

1st-Grade Teacher Deanna Jump Earns $1 Million Selling Lesson Plans

By Claire Gordon
Posted Oct 1st 2012 @ 2:02PM

How to reward good teachers -- and punish the bad -- is one of the most fraught issues in education. But now talented teachers can earn a bonus without going through unions or principals or politicians. On TeachersPayTeachers.com, they can sell their lesson plans, worksheets and quizzes for a few dollars -- dollars that can add up, at least in one case, to over a million.

Deanna Jump, a first-grade teacher from central Georgia, is TeachersPayTeachers' first millionaire, reports CNN. Big money certainly wasn't the reason Jump got into teaching 17 years ago. "Like probably 90 percent of the teachers in America, I was juggling bills," she told CNN. "Like, 'OK, I can pay the electricity bill this week, and I've got seven more days before they turn off the water.' "

Then three years ago, Jump joined TeachersPayTeachers. Since then, she's posted 60 items, including the best-selling gingerbread-man-themed activity packet, and amassed almost 18,000 followers. Many of her resources are free to download, and most cost less than $10. But with over 160,000 sales, the mother of three and grandmother of two has found herself snugly in the "1 percent."

TeachersPayTeachers is one of several start-ups transforming the teaching profession, reports TechCrunch. New edtech platforms not only help teachers collaborate; they also allow teachers to reward their especially innovative or hard-working colleagues. Kindergarten teachers "don't have the kinds of textbooks and materials available for grade-level teachers," Jump told the teaching blog KQED last year, when her earnings were still in the six digits. "So I began creating my own."

TeachersPayTeachers has generated $14 million in extra teacher pay since Paul Edelman, a former New York City public school teacher, founded it in 2006 -- and it's growing exponentially, spreading the best resources by the best teachers across the country, to the benefit of students, as well as educators with an entrepreneurial streak. With her extra earnings, Jump funded a scholarship at the private school her teenager attends, reported KQED.

Many teachers are struggling on their current salaries (an average of $55,000 a year, according to Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers), taking on second jobs to pay the bills. According to a controversial report from the right-leaning Heritage Foundation, however, teachers are actually overpaid, because when they transition to the private sector, they usually take a pay cut.

But as Jump proves, teachers can win big in the free market. After all, 2.7 million Americans teach kindergarten through high school, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And that's a lot of potential customers.

Chicago Teacher Strike

2012-09-13T21:45:00.003-04:00

Being a blog about education, I thought I would share this great article about the Chicago teachers going on strike. For those of you, here in Connecticut, many of these same problems occur right here in our state. I think that it is important to view both sides of the story. Below is an article written by a Chicago teacher, Bobby-Renee Oommen.

For Friends Who Have Been Asking About Why CPS Teachers Are On Strike.

by Bobby-Renee Oommen on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 1:33am ·

Let me begin by stating what the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of my coworkers agree with:

There should be a streamlined process to get rid of genuinely bad teachers.
A longer school day is a GOOD thing (provided some of the issues below have been addressed)
Salary issues have (for the most part) been dealt with.
We are forfeiting our pay, standing outside, and protesting systemic INJUSTICE in Chicago public education- why must urban students be given LESS than their suburban counterparts???

Here are some of the issues (that I deal with on a DAILY basis) that need to be resolved:

1. We need class size reductions: Last year I had 35 8th grade students in a single classroom. This year, I have 33 students and we’re only 4 days into the school year. It is exceptionally difficult to effectively teach when there is such a large class size. In addition, last year I had 2 students who did not speak ANY English, and 4 students who had just come into the country- making the job of teaching that much more difficult. And finally, because I can control a classroom, I am consistently given the students with behavioral problems. Smaller class sizes are a better learning environment for students.

2. We need money for appropriate services for our students:
* My school of 1200 students has ONE school nurse who is only on-site 2 or 3 days per week.
* My school of 1200 students has TWO counselors.
* My school of 1200 students has TWO social workers.
* In general, schools need counselors, social workers, nurses, and other support personnel. 93% of students attending my school come from families living below the poverty line. 32% currently require language services. Simply stated, the support services for the wide range of care these students require are not available.

3. We need Professional Development: EVERY skilled profession allows for its professionals to be continually trained. In fact, the highest performing countries in the world extensively train their teachers throughout the year. CPS increased our school year by TAKING AWAY our days for professional development. We have 5 days of development for the ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR….and those days have already been used. CPS required that all of those days be used the week before school started. Our teachers were not trained in anything related to our daily teaching practice. We were just informed about the new evaluation system.

4. Address the other REAL issues that must come along with school reform: POVERTY does not just affect one’s material resources, but vastly affects his/her spiritual, emotional, and mental health. If you are not consistently around people who are at/below the poverty line, you have no idea how this affects a person. My school has 93% of students receiving free lunch (a primary indicator of poverty). Parents/families need support systems. Kids need counseling services.

5. Re-evaluate the purpose of standardized testing: Standardized tests can provide some useful information, but should they be a determinant of teacher performance? How does one account for the innumerable variables? Also, creating a culture of over-testing students and heavily weighting standardized tests adversely affects curriculum development and the learning experience.

6. A more well thought out evaluation plan. CPS wants to evaluate teachers on three factors and eventually the following weight system:
a. 50% from Principal Evaluation- Principals received an ONLINE training to try to identify good teaching. That essentially still leaves their evaluations to a large amount of subjective opinion. Why not have the principal go into the class with a trainer from the city, score a teacher, and then identify and talk about discrepancies to account for subjectivity?

b. 40% from Scores on TWO tests:
Test #1: Growth on the MAP test.
Test #2: A performance test that is to be given in November and May. CPS told us last week that the homeroom teacher will grade one of the tests that they will use to then determine our pay. Does that make any sense?
As mentioned previously, there are too many variables that affect a student’s performance on standardized tests. Last year, 3 of my students had their parents incarcerated. Does that not affect a child? Most of my students come from single-parent homes. Does that not affect testing? I had a student last year who thought she was pregnant and a student who was pregnant the year prior to that. Surely, these factors affect test scores.

Let’s try to extend this to the corporate world: Imagine that 40% of your pay would be determined by the performance of your subordinates on a task given to them during ONE hour of ONE day. Forget the rest of the gains/knowledge/contributions you’ve seen them make in your daily interactions with them. Your pay comes down to their performance at one point in time. Oh, let’s also make it unbearably hot in the room they’re testing in. =)

c. 10% on STUDENT feedback- My pay will be determined by the opinions of my students…13 and 14 year olds. Need I say more?

7. Money to pay for more specialized teachers- Not a single teacher I know is against increasing the school day. However, we must be given money to hire specialized teachers. I grew up having gym and Spanish class EVERYDAY. My students get ONE special class PER DAY: Gym twice per week, and Spanish 3 times per week. The newly added time has come with NO funding or resources. I want my students to have a similar educational experience as a suburban student. In addition, the Mayor has said that the longer school day will provide foreign language and art instruction. This is the FIRST year that Spanish has been offered. They will not receive art instruction this year (Art has not been offered in over 3 years).

Mayor Emanuel says he just wants to get students to the starting line. Placing them in schools longer without anything to do with the extra time is not what teachers would say is placing them at the starting line. The students, teachers, and community need resources, specialized teachers, and an intelligent plan for the use of that newly allocated time. Without the funding and resources, the time can easily amount to nothing more than babysitting.

We understand that this is a real inconvenience for parents. We are parents ourselves. However, if these issues are properly addressed and resolved, it could make a difference for generations of students to come. At the very least, we're hoping it will get us started on the road to repairing an incredibly unjust, ineffective, and broken system.

Those are the issues I have. CPS teachers feel free to add. Others, let me know if you have any questions. =)

Cool Educational Products

2012-09-05T21:25:00.000-04:00

Every year the school shopping items get more impressive. This year is no exception. From the jumbo erasers to the Lego pencil sharpeners - things are interesting. I was pleasantly shocked to see school items at Old Navy. They had tin lunch boxes (priced around $5), which I thought was interesting. Very retro! The coolest item was a Lego pencil sharpener I found in the front of the store near the registers while I waited in line.

Thought I'd share some great coupon codes for school supplies and other neat school ideas.
Check out great savings on school supplies and use the coupon code below to save big on pencils, paints, etc.

10% Off Back-To-School Products

Use Code: B2SWDSS

Valid Now through September 14, 2012

www.discountschoolsupply.com

The other store that was featuring some cool (I checked with tweens and teenagers) school items were Barnes and Noble. They have these huge erasors with the words - "FOR BIG MISTAKES" on them or other jumbo erasors in the shape of owls, ice cream cones, and more that were approximately the same size as my smartphone. They also had these neat packs of 5 small highlighters that are scented for only 3.95. The bookmarker pens are a neat idea to have bc you have a pen and a bookmark in one school supply. The Barnes and Noble that I was at had bookmarker pens with butterflies, days of the week and in primary colors.

Officemax has some great promotions going on and always have a great selection of school supplies including binders and folders. For Officemax deals check out the links below.

FREE Pencil Case & Snack Tote with $100 purchase. Code: BTSDEAL
http://www.officemax.com
09/02/12 - 09/08/12

Books About Starting School

2012-09-04T23:08:00.000-04:00

I meant to get this posted a few weeks ago but life has been busy. Besides being a mother of three, managing a household and running a company, I am also a writer. So I apologize that I didn’t get this posted sooner but I wanted to make sure that I got my favorite children's books about starting school posted.

My Favorite Children's Books about Starting School

1. Amanda's First Day of School written and illustrated by Joan Elizabeth Goodman

2. We Like Kindergarten by Clara Cassidy illustrated by Eloise Wilkin

3. Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready For Kindergarten by Joseph Slate illustrated by Ashley Wolff

4. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn illustrated by Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak

5. First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg illustrated by Judith Dufour Love

6. First Day of School by Mercer Mayer

I'm pretty sure that every kindergarten classroom has the book "Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten" by Joseph Slate illustrated by Ashley Wolff. If you are unfamiliar with the book, it is an adorable tale about how the teacher sets up her classroom while the kids each prepare for their first day as well. The words rhyme and each letter is represented by an animal. (Adam the alligator, Brenda the beaver, etc.)

Two classics that my parents read to me when I went to Kindergarten (yes I still have them), both by Little Golden Books are: "Amanda's First Day of School" by Joan Elizabeth Goodman; and "We Like Kindergarten" by Clara Cassidy illustrated by Eloise Wilkin. These books are still fantastic today! My daughter was nervous about starting kindergarten tonight. After reading these two books she calmed down. Amanda in "Amanda's First Day of School" is scared when her mom goes to leave but she soon makes friends and learns that kindergarten is a lot of fun. Carol in "We Like Kindergarten" does many of the same things that my daughter knows she will be doing in her class (ie. hang up her coat, paint, read, etc.) and then goes home to be the "teacher" to her little sister, pets and teddy. This comforted my daughter because she saw that other kids are having the same emotions as her and it showed her that she will learn another role to pretend play at home with her little sister. (Thanks Mom and Dad)

The Kissing Hand was given to my daughter by one of her aunts. (Thank you Auntie Christy!) To be honest, I had never heard of it until she gave it to my daughter, but it has become one of our household favorites. It is about a little raccoon that doesn't want to go to school. He wants to stay home with his mom. His mom kisses the inside of his left hand and tells him to hold it to his cheek to feel her love. A very sweet story. My daughter was begging to stay home with me, so I grabbed this book and she giggled when I read the words and said, "Look he says what I said."

First Day Jitters is an adorable story about how everyone is encouraging this person to start at a new school and that she'll make new friends. You finally see at the end that it is the teacher that is new and anxious about starting at a new school. A very cute lesson for kids to learn that they aren’t the only one’s nervous on a first day.

I have to say that I adore anything by Mercer Mayer. The wording is always right on and the pictures are entertaining yet not overwhelming.

Please feel free to comment on your favorite children's book about school.

On a side note, I just want to say – Good luck to all the kids starting school and to all the teachers that teach them. May you all have a fantastic school year! To all the parents that have to say Good Bye to their babies walking into kindergarten – Be proud and teach them to walk with their heads held high.

Back to School

2012-08-23T15:06:00.001-04:00

Back to School Shopping

Well, it's about that time again - back to school shopping has arrived. Parents everywhere are hit hard in the pockets. If you have the money, I highly recommend buying tons of school supplies now. You will not find better prices on pencils, pens, erasers, white out, glue, glue sticks, folders, lined (filler) paper, index cards, backpacks, colored pencils, and crayons then in August. So stock up!

Backpacks

Character and sport backpacks at Marshalls for only 12.99.

Everyone needs a backpack. It is always a given that every student will need a backpack. For parents that are new to the school shopping scene - be aware of durability and school restrictions.

Durability

Remember when shopping for a backpack that heavy text books will be pulled and dragged around in this contraption. It needs to be durable and have a good zipper. It is possible to find a cool backpack, that is well-made, that will last all year long. Shop around.

Restrictions

Most schools do not allow backpacks with wheels. You know the ones that roll like luggage. Although, it would be a nice break for your child's back to roll the books instead of lugging them around on their back, they are just too bulky and can't fit in most lockers.

Full size backpack on the Left compared to
smaller 10-12 inch sized backpacks on the right.

Also, many schools require that your child has a full-size backpack, which is approximately 16-18 inches in height. This means that they don’t want a small toddler sized backpack. Why do teachers insist on huge backpacks for these tiny little backs? Artwork and paperwork. Younger students primarily need their backpacks for those huge art projects and paperwork to be sent home. So if the paperwork won't fit - then the backpack is useless. I recommend bringing a 1” binder (if you have a preschooler or kindergartner) or a 3” binder for older students to see if it will fit in the backpack that they choose.

Another, new trend that not all schools are going along with is the “messenger bags” or "trapezoid bags." Although the messenger bags can hold a good amount of books, their awkward shape makes it difficult for schools with small lockers to fit these rectangular or triangular shaped bags. So check with your child’s school. Don’t be shocked when you get a letter sent home – just call the main office now (they are open in August). A simple call to the main office can save you from trying to find a replacement backpack in the first week of school. Don't know the phone number - just type in the town that your child's school is in or the name of the school (without commas or apostrophes) and you'll get a list of schools by using this directory for Connecticut schools http://www.dir.ct.gov/kids/Schools_Libraries/ctschools.asp.

Three and Four Year Old Backpacks

However, if you have a jealous 3 or 4 year old sibling you might want to consider letting them into the "back to school shopping" fun and get them a cute toddler-sized bag. Here are some toddler backpacks that I found at Marshalls, which are a perfect size to keep small toys to entertain the kids while waiting to eat at a restaurant.

Zoo Pack and Zoo Lunchies sold at Barnes and Noble Bookstores.

Preschooler and Kindergartners

For younger kids, there are some cute options like these animal inspired set I found at Barnes and Noble Bookstores called Zoo Packs by Skip Hop for $19.95. The Zoo Lunchies by Skip Hop are adorable animal, collapsible lunch boxes for an additional purchase of 14.95.To the right you can see the Monkey Backpack and the smaller monkey is the "Zoo Lunchies."

Just keep in mind that if you can't fit a folder in the backpack that you shouldn't buy it.

Old Navy has some cute animal inspired backpacks in-store for a more reasonable price, but I can’t speak from experience on the durability of Old Navy’s backpacks since I haven’t bought from them.

Princess backpack with lunch kit undone.

Princess backpack with lunch kit
attatched to the front.

TJMaxx and Marshalls always have great deals on backpacks and in a variety of characters that elementary kids love. Always test the zippers and look at the brand that you are buying. If you zip it up and down a few times and can fit a folder -then it is a good start. I bought my preschoolers Disney backpacks with a collapsible lunch box that attaches to the backpack for only $12. So I got Disney Tinker bell backpack w/ an attached lunch box for only $12 for one daughter and the other daughter got a new Disney Princess backpack w/ attached lunch box for $12. So for $24.00 and tax they both have lunchboxes and backpacks. If you go directly to the Disney store, (which I love,) the backpacks are now on sale for $12 but you have to buy the lunch bag separately for an additional $8.00. However, you can have the backpacks personalized with the child's initials or name. I don't put my kid's first name on their backpack because I don't want to advertise their name to strangers, but initials are helpful to differentiate if another kid gets the same backpack in class. Also, Wal-Mart had a ton of backpacks at various prices starting at just $9.88 - $12.98 for character backpacks some of which came with the lunch box.

Avengers, Disney Cars and Spiderman Sets.

Justin Beiber, More Disney Princess &
Hello Kitty Sets at Marshalls.

After I chose the backpacks at Marshalls, I went poking around the kid section and I found stationary sets to coordinate with their backpacks. Each set only cost me $5.99 and came with two folders, 3 pencils, a three-hole pencil holder, a pencil sharpener, a 6" break proof ruler, an eraser, a small notebook and a large notebook and the princess one came with a calculator, too.

Minnie Mouse, Princess, and Tinker Bell stationary sets at
Marshalls and Pink Locker Set.

They even have some cool locker sets with white boards, markers and magnets. At my local Marshalls they had a variety of different stationary and locker sets. For girls they had Minnie Mouse, Disney Princess, Tinker Bell, Hello Kitty, Justin Beiber, Peace Symbols, etc. For boys they have the Disney Cars, The Avengers, and Spider Man. Check your local TJMaxx or Marshalls to see what characters they have on hand.

From there, I went to OfficeMax and got a 6 pack of glue sticks for my kindergartner and Crayola crayons. I have to say, that if you want to pinch pennies - DON'T do it on the crayons. Have you ever tried coloring with the poorly made crayons that hand out at restaurants? They are awful. I highly recommend Crayola. Anything else breaks easily and doesn't color smoothly. Check your local flier for crayons sales. Walgreens, Wal-Mart and Target usually win in sale prices for Crayola every year. Be careful with the "buy one get one free" sales. I went to buy Mead, college ruled, 1-subject notebooks at only .47 cents from Rite Aid. While I was there, I compared Rite Aids "but one get one free" sale to prices at other top name sellers and found that the only thing that was cheaper was the 6 packs of Elmer glue sticks. Everything else was significant over priced when compared to Wal-Mart and Target. This week, Target and Wal-Mart are tied at .50 cents for a 24 pack of Crayola crayons. Also, be careful when you shop to not grab the wrong product.

Older Kids (Middle School and UP)

If you have a child going into school that is in 6^th grade or higher, chances are good that they have a list of school supplies that they need to have on the first day of school. Be prepared and shop now. Bring the list with you to the store and make sure that you have plenty of time to poke around. Although, Wal-Mart had the lowest prices while I shopped this week - they also had the messiest stores, which made it nearly impossible to find anything. Target matched Wal-Mart on most of the prices while maintaining a neatly organized school section. So in my opinion, Target wins. Wal-Mart was so messy and disorganized that I almost bought the Washable Crayola Crayons for $1.97 instead of the regular Crayola Crayons for .50 cents. Sale prices are only a good deal if you can find the correct product that is on sale. Thankfully, I didn't have my three kids with me so I had an hour to walk around looking for crayons.

Backpacks for older kids need to be durable. In my opinion, L.L.Bean has the best backpacks for durability. They are even so convinced that you’ll be happy with their product that if you’re not “satisfied” they will refund your purchase and without a hassle. I bought my nephew a L.L. Bean Deluxe book pack for $39.95 and it just so happened that the style I got him didn’t have a stretchy side-pocket for his water bottle. He was unsatisfied, which made me unsatisfied. They kindly refunded me the current selling price of the backpack even though I had lost the receipt. He was happy to get to pick out his own backpack in all black with tons of pockets, and it lasted him all year. He chose the Super Deluxe Book Pack at $64.95. They have some great backpacks online like this cool skateboard themed one for only $16.99 or a nature one named Blue Wave Batik for $16.99. L.L. Bean has free shipping on all items. I like supporting an American business and frequently enjoy visiting Freeport, ME where L.L. Bean still originates.

However, I was shocked to find that Marshalls carried a variety of Jansport full-size backpacks that come with a Life-time Warrantee for a maximum selling price of $24.99. http://www.jansport.com/js_warranties.phpJansport’s website states, “Guaranteed for Life
JanSport engineers quality, durable, and reliable products. So, if your pack ever breaks down, simply return it to our warranty center. We'll fix it or if we can't we'll replace it. We stand by our packs for a lifetime and since we've been making packs since 1967, that's a guarantee you can stand by.”

Not too shabby. My only concern would be how long it would take to ship it, wait for them to repair it and then wait for them to ship it back. However, it’s always nice to go with a company that stands-by their product so confidently.

Marshalls also had Marvel characters like Spider Man and sports team backpacks.

Wal-Mart has a wide range of backpacks. Including a neat purple peace design by Wildkin, Eastsport mesh backpack approximately $9.00, plaid designs by Everest, Triple Pocket Funky Love Print $8.88, ful Heart Breaker $31.99, and ful Superstition $23.99

Free lunch kit comparison (from Toysrus and from Marshalls)

Toysrus always has a large selection at reasonable prices. They usually have a special promotion where you get to pick a free lunch box with the purchase of a backpack. I have done this before. The last backpack I bought from Toysrus lasted two school years and many sleepovers. In addition, the lunch box that my daughter picked was a good size and durable. Here is a picture of the Free lunch kit we got from Toysrus two years ago compared to the free one we got this year that came attached to the backpack at Marshalls. As you can see the princess lunch kit on the left is much larger and even has a zippered section on the bottom where as the lunch kit on the right is smaller and only has one compartment. Toysrus is still featuring the promotion that if you buy any backpack $12.99 or more that you get a FREE lunch kit up to $9.99. Check it out here

Backpacks at Target.

Target had a bunch of character backpacks at 19.99 and other solid color, full-size backpacks ranged in price up to 34.99.

Target had a better selection for teen girls than most stores that I visited. Many stores seem to have many little girl backpacks but not that much for the older girls who have outgrown character backpacks.

Girl backpacks at Old Navy

Old Navy has a small selection but great prices on backpacks and lunch boxes. For girls they have polka dots, peace signs, and butterflies for only $7.00 per backpack and $4.00 per lunch box.

Boy backpacks and lunch kits at Old Navy

For boys, Old Navy has a sports theme, a camouflage design, skulls design and a skateboard designed backpack. Each is priced at $7.00 with matching lunch boxes for an additional $4.00.

Old Navy has a bunch of tin lunch boxes for sale, too. They have Kermit and Disney Cars on sale for only $4.99. The other lunch boxes are priced below $8.00. They had characters such as: Hello Kitty, Disney Princess, all the Marvel characters and much more. They are not selling them online but you can check with your local Old Navy to see what they are carrying.

Wherever you go shopping, I strongly recommend bringing a binder or folders to see if the backpack will be big enough to fit the supplies that are mandated by your school.

Happy Shopping!

BONUS UPDATE-
Office Max is going to be featuring backapcks for 50% off starting on the August 26th and the Disney store has marked down their character backpacks to $9.99.

Changes to CT Mastery Testing

2012-08-13T21:51:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to share this great article from the Hartford Courant about changes to the Mastery Test that will be taking place soon. I know that most teachers are probably already aware of the changes to come but think that parents should be well-informed as well. I can't wait to read the comments in response to this article.

State To Replace Mastery Test With Computerized, Personalized Test In Two Years

Goodbye To Bubbled-In Answers; New Tests Will Be Interactive, Use Audio, Video

By KATHLEEN MEGAN, kmegan@courant.com The Hartford Courant

10:18 a.m. EDT, July 15, 2012

If all goes as planned, the Connecticut Mastery Test, bubbled in with pencil on paper, will become a relic of the past in two years, replaced by a new, more customized online testing system.
By the 2014-15 school year, state officials hope to retire the mastery test, which is taken by third- through eighth-graders, and its companion, the Connecticut Academic Performance Test, which is taken in 10th grade.
In its place will be computerized tests, essentially personalized for each student. As a student progresses through a test, the questions presented will vary depending on whether the student got previous questions right or wrong.

Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor said that with the new tests — under development by the federally funded Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium — if a student gets a question wrong, "the system will provide other questions to try to get at what the underlying deficiency is."

The interactive test "adjusts to students' skills and deficiencies as it operates," he said. The number of questions students are given during a test also will vary depending on how they perform.
Pryor said the adaptive properties of the test will provide teachers with a "deeper diagnosis of what the student is struggling with, which most standardized assessments absolutely fail at currently, because if you get the question wrong, it doesn't ask you any more questions."
The new tests also will use different types of questions, including audio and video components, and, proponents say, assess a student's knowledge in deeper ways than possible before. The testing system also offers a series of mini-tests teachers can use throughout the school year to quiz students on their understanding and progress.
Complex Tasks,Critical Thinking
One of the most striking changes in the new tests will be the "performance task" questions — in some cases multipart projects that require students to do some research, plot data points on a graph or use tools such as a ruler to construct an answer.
One sample performance task question asks students to read a short story and article, watch a video, review research statistics and then write an argumentative essay on their opinion of virtual schools.
Pryor said the purpose is to "ensure that we move beyond merely rote learning" and assess analytical and thinking skills.
"In the real world, the tasks that we are asked to perform in the workplace or in life do not involve bubble sheets," Pryor said. "They involve research, analysis and the use of items that we find in the real world."
Connecticut is one of 27 states working with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Curriculum to develop a test for English language arts and mathematics aligned to the Common Core State Standards — national curriculum standards adopted by 45 states, including Connecticut in 2010.
Two years ago, the federal government granted $350 million in federal Race to the Top funds to two multistate consortia — Smarter Balanced and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers — to develop new testing systems rooted in the core standards.
In May, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the new tests will be "an absolute game changer in public education, but we need to get it right. We need input from teachers and the public, and we need to make sure that the tests provide parents and teachers with the information they need to focus and personalize instruction for all children."
Pryor said that the test, which will have a bank of more than 35,000 questions, is still very much in the development stages and that it's not clear whether a computerized version will be ready to go in 2014.
The Smarter Balanced consortium estimates that the new test will cost $19.81 per student. State officials said they could not provide a comparative cost figure for the mastery and academic performance tests, but said the tests cost $24.5 million last year, with about a quarter of that covered by the federal government.
Renee Savoie, an education consultant with the state Department of Education, said Connecticut's standardized tests are expensive because they contain many questions with open-ended, written answers along with the bubbled-in responses.
"My understanding is we're not going to be spending more on the Smarter Balanced test," Savoie said.
Teaching To The Test?
Monty Neill, executive director of the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, a Boston-based organization that is sharply critical of standardized tests, said, "We think for a lot of money, energy and hoopla, we'll end up with a marginally improved standardized test that won't solve the problems caused by the misuse and overreliance on standardized tests that we now see."
Neill said the new tests — including the mini-tests — are likely to lead to even more teaching that is based on test preparation, rather than curriculum.
But Sandi Jacobs, vice president of the National Council on Teacher Quality in Washington, D.C., said the computerized test will be "a huge step forward," and the mini-tests will offer valuable information to students, teachers and parents before the end-of-the year "summative" test.
"The end of the year is not the time you want to find out that the student hadn't mastered things from many months ago," she said.
Jacobs, who taught fourth grade, also said the test's adaptability to a student's skills is helpful. "There's nothing worse than watching a student who doesn't know the first couple of questions and then they are so demoralized, they can't keep focused on it," she said.
Neill's colleague, Robert Schaeffer, public education director at the center for fair testing, said computers offer "tremendous potential to get beyond simple-minded bubble-in tests."
He said the consortium is promising that the new tests "are going to measure much more than regurgitation — that they will assess higher-level thinking skills, problem-solving." While that sounds impressive, he said, "the devil will be in the details." Too often, computerized tests are simply an online version of the typical "low-level multiple-choice test," he continued, because that's the cheapest way to do it.
An advantage of the computerized tests, Schaeffer said, is that the scores are often available more quickly. In Connecticut, students take the mastery tests in March, but the scores aren't released until July. This year's mastery test scores were recently delivered to cities and towns but have been under embargo until the state releases its report. Pryor wouldn't say exactly when that will happen, but he said it will be soon.
Several education professionals said they expect students will prefer the computerized tests.
"Students don't have any sort of phobia. It's what they've known, what they're comfortable with," Jacobs said. "We wouldn't be promising it would be just like a video game experience, but it's hard to think of anything less fun than sitting down with a bubble sheet and a test booklet."
For more information on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, including PowerPoint presentations with sample questions, go to http://www.smarterbalanced.org/smarter-balanced-assessments/

Article from The Hartford Courant
Special Thanks for permission to reprint from Kathleen Megan
http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-mastery-testing-ending-0713-20120713,0,5890056.story?page=1 by Kathleen Megan

Cognitive Skills, Adaptive Behavior, Receptive Language

2012-08-04T01:00:00.000-04:00

What are cognitive skills, adaptive behavior, and receptive language? To be honest, they are skills and behaviors that most people take for granted. However, a lack in these skills can be a signal or warning sign to a bigger problem, like a specific learning disability. Really everyone should take a minute to learn what each means. If you know of someone that has a delayed child, please be careful as to how you approach the subject with them. It is extremely hard to hear that there could be something wrong or a delay in your child. (Trust me, I know.) You might just want to kindly suggest they read the blog or visit the Birth-to-3 Program website to get a free evaluation for their child. I mean everyone likes FREE, right?

Cognitive skills are the more well known of the 3 areas that I will be writing about in this post.

“Cognition is a group of mental processes that includes attention, memory, producing and understanding language, solving problems, and making decisions.”

Cognitive skills for toddlers include:

· Ability to explore and interact with toys

· Perceptual Development (to notice a difference in objects)

· Memory (to retrieve information)

· Problem solving (to understand features of objects and their relationships)

The difficulty with this is that testing for cognitive ability is based on one's ability to communicate. So if your child has delayed verbal speech then the current cognitive tests may fail to represent your child's cognitive ability.

Adaptive Behavior

Adaptive behavior refers to the independent skills that people need to execute everyday tasks.

For toddlers (ages 1 -3) and young children this includes:

· Attention span (can they sit still on your lap)

· Eating (do they eat well)

· Sleeping (do they sleep through the night)

· Dressing (do they help stick their arms through the shirt hole, etc.)

· Safety (are they aware of dangers)

· Toileting Skills (do they lie still to be changed; is potty training not going well)

For teens and adults this includes:

· Communication and social skills (interacting and communicating with other people)

· Independent living skills (shopping, budgeting, and cleaning)

· Personal care skills (eating, dressing, and grooming)

· Work skills (following directions, completing tasks, and getting to work on time)

· Practical academics (reading, computation, and telling time)

Receptive Language/ Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)/ Aphasia

Receptive Language is the ability to interpret and process spoken language. It is also known as Auditory Processing Disorder, Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), Aphasia, or Comprehension Deficit.

For toddlers - teens this includes:

· Looking at a person or object when you say the word

o (ie. Where’s mommy? Where’s the baba? And looks at it.)

· Difficulty understanding and following directions

· Struggles with longer complex sentences

· Has trouble understanding figurative and literal language

· Often Avoids answering questions –

o Says, “I don’t know” or “I forget”

o Ignores the question all together

o Shakes head yes or no

o Repeats the last couple words of the question but doesn’t answer

For a more in depth explanation of receptive and expressive language I recommend reading this article:

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Receptive_language_disorder

Works Cited:

http://speechtherapyweb.com/late-talker-or-receptive-language-delay/

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Receptive_language_disorder

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognition

CT Birth to Three Program

Battelle Developmental Inventory -2

http://www.howkidsdevelop.com/developSkills.html

Child Development

2012-08-02T21:44:00.002-04:00

I sometimes forget that everyone is not use to the same special educational language that I have become accustomed to in my life. Then, every once in awhile something happens that makes me realize not everyone is knowledgeable about child development and special education. So I thought that I might explain and give some resources for developmental delays. I cannot stress the importance of early intervention enough. Trust your instinct! If you think that a child may be having trouble with some skills, get help. For many people it is free and for others there is just a small monthly fee. If it does cost you anything – it is money well spent. You wouldn’t make your child walk around on a broken leg for months and expect it to fix itself. So don’t expect a developmental delay to magically fix itself either. Speak to your child’s pediatrician or call 211 CT’s info-line. The earlier you get help the more help they will receive.

The following is from http://www.howkidsdevelop.com/developSkills.html

Let’s start with the five main areas of development-

Cognitive Development
This is the child's ability to learn and solve problems. For example, this includes a two-month-old baby learning to explore the environment with hands or eyes or a five-year-old learning how to do simple math problems.
Social and Emotional Development
This is the child's ability to interact with others, including helping themselves and self-control. Examples of this type of development would include: a six-week-old baby smiling, a ten-month-old baby waving bye-bye, or a five-year-old boy knowing how to take turns in games at school.
Speech and Language Development
This is the child's ability to both understand and use language. For example, this includes a 12-month-old baby saying his first words, a two-year-old naming parts of her body, or a five-year-old learning to say "feet" instead of "foots".
Fine Motor Skill Development
This is the child's ability to use small muscles, specifically their hands and fingers, to pick up small objects, hold a spoon, turn pages in a book, or use a crayon to draw.
Gross Motor Skill Development
This is the child's ability to use large muscles. For example, a six-month-old baby learns how to sit up with some support, a 12-month-old baby learns to pull up to a stand holding onto furniture, and a five-year-old learns to skip.

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities has recently launched a campaign to promote child development. For more information on child development, visit the Act Early website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/.

Summer brain busters for all ages

2012-07-28T20:56:00.002-04:00

The summer is time to have fun, but let's not throw away all the knowledge that your kids have learned this school year. There are tons of clever ways to have fun and boost their brain power. No matter what age your kids are check out www.greatschools.org for tons of great ideas.

Math fun at home

2012-07-06T23:15:00.002-04:00

Parents are the first teacher that children are exposed to in their life. It has become increasingly more popular for parents to read to their children, but often parents forget or just don’t know how to incorporate math skills into their children’s daily lives. Also, there is always the challenge of getting your kids to actually want to participate in an at-home activity because after all, “Parent’s aren’t cool and we don’t know anything.” [joking]

I am always looking to sneak learning into my kid’s daily lives. For example, for my preschoolers, I have tons of cookie cutters in various shapes and letters, and I will let them pick one out of the plastic container to use on their sandwich at lunch. Then I ask them questions such as: “What shape is this?” or “What sandwich do you want the triangle or the circle? Or tell them to take the sandwich with the letter that is at the beginning of their name.

For math ideas in the kitchen, we learn fractions while eating watermelon and quesadillas. I ask questions like, “Do you want one half, or one quarter?” To make things more interesting you can serve them pizza-style on a silver round platter. Most grocery stores sell three packs of disposable aluminum round platters.

Do you want one sixth or half?

Do you want one quarter? What is another way to ask for two quarters?

I am always encouraging my kids to play outside, but of course, I have to sneak math into outside playtime as well. We get out the sidewalk chalk and play hopscotch the traditional way or make up your own game. For preschoolers and kindergarteners just drawing a hopscotch and numbering it is a challenge. Learning to take turns, and practice their motor skills are complex tasks.

Another great math activity is letting your kids play with plastic liquid measuring cups. Dollar stores usually have them. On a hot day, kids love to pour water in and out of containers. For fun you can see how much water will fit in each container. Will 1 cup of water fill the kid sized watering can or is that too much? Let's try three quarters.

Share your clever math ideas by commenting below. I'd love to know how you sneak math into your child's life.

Lead By Example-Reading is a habit

2012-06-28T21:30:00.000-04:00

One of the biggest complaints from parents that request tutoring or even my own friends is that their kid doesn't like to read.
Let's get one thing straight - Reading is a skill but it is also considered a hobby and a habit.
Like most hobbies, they are usually learned by example and there has to be an interest.
Consider the fact that quilting and knitting are hobbies.
Would you expect a child to pick up some yarn and some knitting needles and start knitting without being taught how or without ever having watched someone knit? No. Of course not.
So don't expect your child to wake up reading one day. Reading is complicated. It takes many skills to master reading. The earlier you expose your kids to reading the smarter they will be.
How do you get kids interested in reading?

start young - from birth you should be reading to your kids (Lately there is a new trend for people to buy baby or children books instead of a greeting card for baby showers, which is a great way to start a collection of kids books.)
make it age appropriate
the subjects of the book or the magazine should be topics that your child is already interested about (If your son likes football then get books or magazines on football or football players. If your daughter likes Barbie, then Barbie books is what you should be buying or checking-out from the library.)
use technology to your advantage

a. Look into purchasing a Tag reading system from Leapfrog or a VTech toy.
b. Use the computer, there are tons of online books, that will highlight the words while the computer reads.
c. For preschoolers and kindergarteners start with the alphabet and then the sounds associated with the alphabet. My favorites are:

www.starfall.com,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/alphablocks/games/alphablocks-games/
www.familylearning.org
http://www.fisher-price.com/en_US/GamesAndActivities/onlinegames/PhonicsLearningGame.html
http://pbskids.org/lions/stories/
www.cookie.com - NO it's not recipes
www.sesamestreet.org
www.mrsperkins.com - dolch sight words

So parents, here is a quiz for you -

On a rainy day do you sit your kid in front of the TV or take them to the library/bookstore?
Do you have children's books and magazines at home?
Do those books contain topics that are of interest to your child?
Do you snuggle up and read to them on the couch?
Do you have storytime?
Is your child excited about learning?
How often does your child see you curled up with a good book or are you in front of your computer/tv?

Don't get me wrong - clearly I spend time on the computer writing and researching and running a company. However, in front of my kids I limit my computer usage and I never watch tv (other than the news). (Mommy needs her cup of coffee and FOX CT in the morning to get going.) I have taught them that mommy has computer time and so do they. Balance is key.
At the same time, we always have reading time. Bedtime storytime is such a treasured activity in our family that I can use it as leverage against my kids. Instead of them choosing story, mommy gets to pick if they aren't good listeners throughout the day.

The bottom line is simple, if we want our children to be scholarly - then we must give them the proper tools. Help your kids build a great habit that they will use all their lives.

books at home + parents that read = kids eager to learn

Sensory Products:Part 2 and the proprioceptive sense

2012-06-18T22:26:00.000-04:00

Sensory Products Part 2:
Learn about the Proprioceptive Sense and
How to help Proprioceptive Dysfunction

Here are some more great sensory products and/or cheaper alternatives to meet those sensory needs. I will try to feature one great product a week with links to sites that sell the product and at-home alternatives for it.
This week's products are to help with proprioceptive dysfunction, which is when the proprioceptive sense can't receive and interpret information to the brain in regards to one own's body movement.
If you are a parent or teacher that doesn't understand why your child/student keeps slouching, enjoys tight clothing, has trouble dressing, seems clumsy, is constantly breaking the tips of pencils and crayons or is banging/rocking in their seat then you need to read this article.

Explanations and definitions are in the links below:

Proprioceptive sense
Proprioceptive dysfunction

CRASH MATS

When I first started taking my daughter to Occupational Therapy for her sensory issues, the only thing that she wanted to do was climb up a triangular (wedge) cushion and jump into the crash pad. Eventually, we used the crash pad as a motivator to get her to do activities that she wasn't excited about.
The sensory store, Fun and Function has two different crash mats priced for $119 each, which is quite a deal.
Another great product for a crash mat is the Yogibo cushions. They are like a "giant-pillow-meets-bean-bag" and some can even be used to sink your child into, so they get the compression input that they need. Both Fun and Function crash mats and the Yogibo products come with washable slip covers.

In my house, I let all "my little monkeys to jump on my bed" or the couch for that matter (as long as a grown-up is standing by the edge to make sure they don't land on the floor.) However, before I had my cushiony leather couches, my good friend Anne, bought me one of those inexpensive air mattresses. I don't think I will ever forget opening my door to see her standing there with an air mattress already blown up. You would have thought that she bought me a diamond ring. I was elated! So were my girls. They would climb on our ottoman and crash into that mattress over and over and over again. When they got bored with that, we would lay the air mattress on the stairs and slide down it - like one of those inflatable bounce house slides. Of course it eventually popped, because that's not what it was meant for, but it got me and my daughter through some difficult stuck-inside, winter days. Again, always supervise these activities. I always pad the bottom of the stairs with pillows and lay down the rules such as: only one at a time and wait until the person is done and has moved before you go sliding, etc.
Another alternative idea that I have heard of was when one of my daughters' Occupational Therapists told me that she knew a woman that sewed a bunch of body pillows together then stuffed them into queen size sheets that she sewed together on three sides and zippered on the fourth side. In all honesty, I don't sew well, nor do I have any time to be taking on extra projects but "YOU GO GIRL" to the momma that made that for her child.
The last idea for creating your own crash pad comes from one of my favorite books, "The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder" by Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A. It is similar to the idea that the mom did above. In the book she recommends... "sew two together on three sides, like a large cloth envelope, fill the liner with foam scraps or pillows, sew the fourth sides of the sheets together." To make a cover Kranowitz recommends "sewing two more sheets together on three sides" and "sew in a zipper or velcro" on the fourth... or "buy already-made duvets (covers for down comforters) or covers for futons."
Of, course, when all else fails - pillow fight!

Squeezes

If you are out in public and your see that your child needs some input. Try "squeezes."

"Squeezes" in my house are bear hugs that you hold for a small length of time. When I see that Mary is getting overwhelmed, I ask her if she needs squeezes. When she was younger, I would just grab her and give her big hugs. The key is to hold the squeeze for about 5 seconds. Follow your child's body signals.
You can actually buy a "squeeze machine," which Temple Grandin (a famous Aspergian speaker created). If you haven't read her books or seen the HBO movie - I highly recommend them all.
Another great alternative is to give head compressions if you have a child that seeks input by banging their head. To do this you cup your hand and slowly press the top of their head. Press down for two seconds then release. Repeat for a set of five. You should not attempt this with any child unless an OT has shown you how to do this and how much pressure to apply.
This is like a massage. It is very calming and soothing. However, you need to be careful when it comes to the head and neck.

Heavy Lifting

A beneficial activity to do with kids that have proprioceptive dysfunction is lifting, pushing, or pulling heavy objects.
Make it fun. Some clever ideas that I have used at my house are:

filling empty water or soda bottles with water, roll them up hills or put in backpacks for weight
take a sack of flour (put in a gallon size ziplock) dress in baby clothes & rock back-and-forth
pushing or sliding a sibling or bags of potatoes or rice in a heavy duty, plastic, circular laundry basket across the room on a rug or the grass is best
pushing cans of food in a kid sized grocery cart ( I love the one made by Melissa & Doug shown below because it comes slightly weighted already to help keep balance)

lifting (or helping) put books away (if you have a young child don't expect them to align them neatly on a bookshelf, get a basket they can throw them in)
pushing or pulling someone or something heavy in a wagon or pushing the baby in a stroller
sand buckets are great - use them in the sand box but you can also fill them with water and tell the kids to water the bushes or the trees
have them help you carry in the milk or if they are old enough -let them help you get it out of the fridge
if you have an exercise ball hold your child in a seated position and bounce her straight up and down it can be difficult at first because they have trouble with balance but it is a very good exercise to help them build core strength and balance (to help distract them it helps to sing a silly song or play music that they like)
to help build core strength which will also help with posture - have the child lie on their belly with the ball under them (like they are superman/superwoman) and have them reach for something on the floor like a small toy crossing their mid-line.

I hope that this topic shines some light on the proprioceptive sense and the next time you see a kid that can't sit up straight at his desk or at the dinner table - please consider proprioceptive dysfunction. Now, if a child needs some sensory activities to help them function better throughout the day, you know how to help.
There is a ton of information on this topic. If you are interested in learning more, please comment or ask a question.
Also, I recommend the following books:

The Way I See It Revised and Expanded 2nd Edition: A Personal Look at Autism and Aspergers by Temple Grandin
The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Stock Kranowitz;
The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder by Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A.
Asperger Syndrome: A Guide for Educators and Parents by Brenda Smith Myles and Richard L. Simpson;
A Parent's Guide to Asperger Syndrome & High-Functioning Autism: How to Meet the Challenges and Help Your Child Thrive by Sally Ozonoff, Phd, Geraldine Dawson, PhD, James McPartland;
An Early Start for Your Child with Autism: Using Everyday Activities to Help Kids Connect, Communicate and Learn by Sally J. Rogers, Geraldine Dawson, Laurie A. Vismara
The Sensory Processing Disorder Answer Book: Practical Answers to the Top 250 Questions Parents Ask by Tara Delaney
The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders (And Their Parents) by Elizabeth Verdick and Elizabeth Reeve
Take Control of Asperger's Syndrome: The Official Strategy Guide for Teens with Asperger's Syndrome and Nonverbal Learning Disorders by Janet Price and Jennifer Engel Fisher

Sources used for this article are the books listed above and the following websites:

www.sensoryandmore.com

www.sensory-processing-disorder.com

Wholeness and Completion Issues

2012-06-10T23:59:00.000-04:00

If your child or a student that you teach, seems defiant or like they "just won't listen," then you need to read this blog post.

When my daughter, (who has Asperger's Syndrome), was a toddler I had concerns that she was deaf at times because of the way she would ignore me when her name was called.

Me: "Mary."

Me: "MARY."

Me: "MARYYY."

Me: "MARRRRRRYYYYYYYYY!"

Mary: "What." {Expressionless, without even looking up}

So I did what any concerned parent would do, I talked to her pediatrician who scheduled a hearing test at CCMC (CT Children's Medical Center). Her hearing was perfect.

Completion Issues and Routines

I have learned very much from my daughter. Even after years of being an educator, it amazes me the information that I have yet to learn.

As soon as Mary was able to walk, (which in her case wasn't until 2 and half or a little later), I noticed that she would shut every door that was open. It drove me crazy because I was worried that she would smash her little fingers. I was unaware that what she saw was something "incomplete." In her eyes, that door HAD to be shut. This was perhaps the first completion issue that Mary presented.

Mary has the ability to envision entire scenarios before they happen. Also, until she plays out the entire scenario, she has the innate ability to focus so intently that she can tune everything else out. This is sometimes not just an envisioned scenario but can also be an action that she is accustomed to doing. In either case, you cannot interrupt! Saying or screaming her name will not stop her, and if you physically try to stop her from completing the action or scenario then a major melt down will occur. This is normal for children with sensory issues and autistics. It is commonly referred to as a "completion issue." To many people with autism, things have a distinct shape. A ball is a circle (to a child) or a sphere (to an adult). When this shape is altered it creates a certain amount of anxiety and/or discomfort because the image that they are used to is dissimilar. Any change, be it change of plans or a change in imagery is unsettling to a child with autism. Just like a change in scientific materials will undoubtedly bring about a different concluding result in an experiment, so will a change in plans or imagery bring about a different emotional response in an autistic person.

Routines are extremely important to a person with Asperger's Syndrome. For Mary, part of her weekday routine is walking down the sidewalk to her bus stop. Day after day, I would try to stop her before the end of the sidewalk to keep her away from the road as a safety precaution. Her defiance continued to grow. Instead of walking out with me, she would bolt out the front door in hopes of completing her path to the school bus before I could prevent her from finishing. However, I was unaware that what she was doing wasn't defiance. It was her "completion issue."

To Mary, she had a path and a routine that must be completed before her bus got there. If she didn't complete her path then who knew what would happen next. Autistics need a routine for comfort, safety and security. With all of their sensory issues, they often feel like they don't have much control over their daily lives, which is quite aggravating.

So try to become creatures of habit. I'm not saying set a schedule every day and stick to it, because life changes. However, you can give your kid a great sense of security by creating some routines throughout the day. Trust me; it relieves a lot of anxiety and behavioral outbursts. I will admit that when someone told me to make a picture schedule for Mary at home, I didn't want to even consider it. I admit that schedules are imperative to achieve peace and tranquility, but I also encourage "wiggle room." For instance, have "open play time" (kids can play anything alone or with someone) or "out-of-the-house time," (which can be going to the grocery store or going to the park). At first, I thought I had to plan every second of everyday, which to me is just not practical. Life changes and I want my daughter to know that.

So what I have done, that works for us is to have a "wake up routine," and a "bedtime routine."

Our WAKE-UP ROUTINE

For my family, the kids wake me up at 5:30 almost every day. I tell the girls to go use the bathroom and get dressed. While they get dressed, I change the baby's diaper and get him dressed for the day. When I am done changing the baby, I go into the girls' room and check to make sure that their clothes match and that the clothes they chose are appropriate for the weather. Then I tell them to brush their teeth. Once teeth are brushed and clothes are approved they are let downstairs. (I have gated the top of my stairs.)

When we get downstairs, Mary has a cup of warm chocolate milk and watches one kid-approved show from our Netflix Instant Queue. Meanwhile, I set up the coffee maker and feed the baby. After the baby is fed, mommy has her coffee and watches the news while the girls eat breakfast. Then we have what Mary has come to call "open play time." The girls can play what they want. Around, ten in the morning I pull out the crafts and do something crafty with them. It can be something as simple as folding a piece of construction paper and letting them use my stamps to make a card for someone; playing with play dough or floam; or something more constructive and planned like the cookie monster foam crafts that we made this morning. At eleven my cell phone alarm goes off to remind us to clean up our craft and make room for lunch. I make lunch. We eat. Get shoes on and begin the battle to brush hair. So we can make it outside by 12:20 to stand at the edge of the road to wait for the bus.

After school, she has a snack and has "open play." At 4:30 my cell phone alarm goes off again to remind me to start making dinner if I haven't started yet. So if the girls are playing outside they know that they have to come inside, while mommy cooks. We eat dinner between 5:30 and 6. Then, bath time, a Backyardigans episode, brush teeth, use potty, read one story, tuck in the girls, lights out then say prayers, and then I sing a certain order of lullabies until they are both asleep.

I highly recommend timers. There is no arguing with the timer. It is concrete. It has helped in so many ways. We even use the microwave timer if one of the girls wants a turn with what the other sibling has. If you don't have a timer on your, stove, your microwave or your cell phone - buy one. You'll thank me later. I have become used to my cell phone since it is always on me if I'm at home, at work, at the park, etc. It is my built in timer.

Whole and Half

Most, if not all autistics, have aversions to food. In other words, they are extremely picky eaters usually because of their sensory issues. However, you can help alleviate some of the food tantrums by understanding this next issue.

One of the worldwide habits that parents do for their young children is cut their food. Why? To avoid choking. It is just a natural occurrence at any dinner table to see a parent cutting a kid's dinner up for them.

However, cutting up food to some kids with autism creates a problem. For instance, cutting a strawberry in half can be disturbing because the fruit is incomplete. So now the child is not only struggling with the temperature of the strawberry (was it refrigerated or room temperature) and the texture (all those tiny little seeds), but now they have to deal with the food not being whole. This of course leads back to completion issues. They have an image of what a strawberry should look like and you have altered that image. This provokes anxiety and frustration.

In no way, am I suggesting that you stop cutting your child's food. However, if they are old enough and have a full set of teeth, you might want to consider it.

In conclusion, there is light at the end of the tunnel. This completion issue has many benefits. For instance, Mary knows that she cannot step into the street until the bus door is open. Once I learned about completion issues, I was amazed to learn that Mary could run full speed up the sidewalk but she would stop dead in her tracks when she got to the edge of the road. Why? Because the path was complete and she couldn't move until the next task, which is waiting for the bus driver to open her door. My neighbor asked my one day, "Aren't you scared that she'll run into the road?" I confidently smiled and said, "I know she won't." She said, "How can you be so certain?" I said, "Because that would break the routine. She has programmed herself to know that she takes 6 steps out the front door, twelve to the left and fifteen straight and she can't move until the bus door is open." Mary has never once, stepped into the road until that bus door is open. Oh, and in case I haven’t mentioned it - every autistic person is differently affected. I am just trying to shed some light on the issues that I have seen and lived first hand so that other parents and educators might be able to understand why an outburst or meltdown occurred and possibly prevent one next time.

Summer Tutoring Discounts

2012-06-09T08:33:00.003-04:00

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Money-saving solutions to meet sensory needs:Part1 swings and tactile trays

2012-06-05T16:24:00.001-04:00

A MSE is a multisensory environment. I have three kids under the age of five so money is extremely tight. The oldest has Asperger’s Syndrome, which comes with sensory issues, as well as, her comorbid issue of hypotonia (low muscle tone). Kids with sensory issues need sensory tools and products to help them calm or stimulate them, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend thousands of dollars. Unless, of course, you have that kind of money to spend. Then by all means – support an American business and help our economy. For the rest of us that need to pinch pennies everywhere we can, here are some great solutions to providing your child with some great sensory solutions. I am always on the lookout for bargains and have learned to swallow my pride and accept toys from others that are no longer using them. When my husband and I moved into our modest three floor townhouse, I swore that I would make the basement a playroom/sensory room for our kids. So for each birthday or holiday, I would make a wishlist for friends, relatives and myself to use with toys and products that would help with sensory issues and be fun to play with as a kid. Slowly, we came to have one of the coolest playroom/ sensory rooms in the neighborhood and for hardly any money. Below are some great links to sensory products and great money-saving alternatives.

Part 1: Swings and Tactile Trays/Containers

Swinging in a dimly lit room

When my daughter is having trouble with her sensory issues, it is always apparent to me because she starts stimming. She tries to self regulate by flapping and rocking but if she starts to repeat the same silly phrase over and over again - then she usually has gone over the top and needs help calming down. So we go to the basement to swing. Not just any swing but an enclosed swing filled with stuffed teddy bears and other soft toys to give her the compression she needs while at the same time receiving the soothing rocking motion of the swing. In therapy centers, they use a swing called a cuddle swing sold for $155.00 or an Airwalker Therapy Swing made out of spandex currently selling for $359.00, but my mother (thanks mom) bought a great substitute at Ikea for only $25.00 seen here under their Ideas & Inspiration page gray ikea swing.
Tactile (sense of touch)
One of my daughter's favorite tactile activities is also the simplest. She loves to dig/hunt for treasures in plastic containers. Some great containers have been made like this "exploration tray" (sold for $65) to put water, or rice, or curl dried uncooked pasta into and mix small toys like little dinosaurs or toy cars or small princess figurines for kids to dig through and find. To save a ton of money, I went to the nearest store and bought a plastic container with a lid for $12. One week I filled it with dried uncooked rice and hide tiny toys mixed into the rice container. I would have her look for 5 things one day or the next day give her more specifics (ie. find Ariel, Barbie's shoe, a red car, etc.). This way she has to dig through the sensation for at least a few minutes. The next week I would put other small toys in the container mixed with dried curly pasta.

Educational Games and Activities for Rainy Day Fun

2012-06-02T16:38:00.000-04:00

In my house, TV and computer time is limited for my children in an effort to encourage imaginative play and to promote physical activity. On sunny days, physical activity is not a problem because we get dressed and get outside. However, in Connecticut the weather loves to change, leaving us running inside wondering what we should play next. I am a huge supporter of Children's Museums in Connecticut but if you can't afford to take your whole brood try some of these ideas in the comfort of your own home. Below are my favorite educational games, and activities to keep your kids busy and the sibling fighting to a minimum.

Let's get physical:
I am always trying to encourage physical activity. So we frequently have dance parties in my living room. I can throw in a CD or turn on Kids Bop and get grooving with my girls. To make it extra fun, we dress up. For instance, we will listen to Tchaikovsky's swan lake or the nutcracker and the girls will dress up in tutus and practice ballet moves. So the girls can stay active while learning some musical history about a famous composer and they get to dress up.
Another great way to get everybody off the couch is to play one of our favorite games called Hullabaloo by Cranium. It encourages listening, following directions, problem-solving, and friendly competition while learning shapes, colors and musical instruments. The kids spread the colorful pads out on the floor then press the on button and the "radio-like" machine comes on and tells everyone to hop to a red square or crawl to a musical instrument. I love it because everyone has to be quiet to hear what is next. The game ends by saying, "Freeze who ever is on the ______ pad is the winner. Winner do a funky dance."

Sitting still is important too:

Obviously board games and puzzles are great. You really can't go wrong with classics like monoply, or memory but you can always add new twists to an old classic by purchasing a new version of monoply like Dino-oply to not only learn banking, trading and counting skills but learn about different prehistoric facts about a topic that all kids love - dinosaurs.

Hasbro and Milton Bradley has added many different versions of Memory to include all the newest loved characters like Dora Memory, Diego Memory, Toy Story, Disney Pixar Cars, Disney Princess, Sesame Street, Winnie the Pooh, and Spiderman. The Wonder Forge has made memory versions with Dr. Seuss, Richard Scarry's Busy Town, Angelina Ballerina and Curious George.

Of course, when all else fails, make your own memory card game. All it takes is some index cards, glue or paste and some printed images or magazine pictures .
On a rainy day you can really stretch this activity out by having kids clip magazine pictures or print some pictures off the computer that you know your kids will love. Have them cut and paste the pictures onto index cards. Then play memory. Just remember that you need two of each image for matching purposes. If your kids are older, you can always do memory with sight words written on index cards. (ie. match the words ) For a complete list of sight words by grade click this link mrsperkins dolch words. If sight words are too difficult, you can start with the alphabet ( ie. match the letter "A" with the capital letter "A" or match capitals with lowercase letters "A" with "a").

Mary playing in a bowl of water.

Another great sitting still activity is when my girls do "a science experiment." There are tons of books out there that have loads of ideas for age appropriate science experiements. However, since my girls are young, I let them experiment with a bowl of water and some food coloring. We mix different colors together to see what colors make other colors. So they learn their primary colors and secondary colors. For extra fun, let them pick their favorite colored water and stick a piece of celery in it to see what happens to the celery. Every kid loves water. Just make sure you have the paper towels handy.

Ana being a foreman. Writing directions for Mary.

Pretend play is extremely important for children. It helps them learn many social and emotional skills. For this reason, I keep my kids room full of different dress up clothes. Not just tutus and wands (although they have plenty of those) but all sorts of role playing costumes like construction hats, police hats, fireman hats, pirate eye-patches and hand hooks. To go with the costume, we always have lots of cardboard boxes and duct tape on hand. I ask retail stores that are going to throw out most of their boxes, to keep a few large ones for me (thank you Famous Footwear). We keep the boxes broken down and tucked behind or between bookshelves until we need them. Then when we have a rainy day we pull out the boxes and duct tape them together to make a creation that will transport us to an imaginary place. Just last week, Mary and I created a cardboard pirate ship. It was all great fun until she threw me a sponge and told me,"Since you're good at cleaning, mommy, you swab the deck." I laughed so hard I fell off the ship into shark infested waters.

Another great activity that we do on sunny or rainy days - tea parties. This helps the kids learn manners. Parents should act out the role and then let the kids copy your behavior. (ie. Please pass the sugar, Would you like another cup of tea, etc.)

Often we forget what it was like to be a kid. Having kids is a chance to be young again but it is also a chance for you to model good behavior and good language for your kids. Mary remembered the phrase "swab the deck" from reading childrens books about pirates. So have fun and sneak some education into your play time.