A New Springtime

Researching How To Teach My Son with Down Syndrome How to Read

I am praying to be able to teach our son who has Down Syndrome how to read. he will turn five in April this year. I read in this book that when a child with DS  can discriminate  items (match like things with other like things) that is a good time to begin teaching them to read. Our son can definitely do that. he has mastered this skill by using:

• a shape sorter
• matching card games (Dollar Tree)
• color matching putting items of the same color on a colored sheet of construction paper
• matching games (Brown Bear picture card game)
• Melissa and Dough wooden puzzles ( big knobs, smaller knobs)

I am sure there are many other fun ways to encourage kids to recognize like things. the internet is full of ideas!

I like to take my time to read these type of books and I also encourage anyone trying to do this to take notes. Treat yourself to a pretty journal or notebook to make this a personal and important enjoyable journey.

I think a chapter every 3 days is reasonable. After reading and taking notes give yourself a few days for the info to sink in. Go back and read over the notes before going on, highlighting anything that stands out in your mind.

I find it very helpful to discuss what I have read with an interested relative or friend, verbally discussing the information helps me to retain what I have read and get some positive feed back and encouragement from others as well!

"I can do all things in Jesus Christ who strengthens me!" This is the phrase I will keep before me while reading and praying while taking on this task.

 

 

 

Elefun

 

Elefun is a cute indoor game I picked up at Salvation Army a couple of months ago!

The game has an elephant that blows out butterflies from his trunk and when they come floating down the kiddos try to catch them with a butterfly net!

 

 

Bingo Anyone?

It is always fun to play games especially when their are prizes to be won!

A great way to spend some time with the kids, is a simple game of Bingo! pick up some cheap but enticing games at your local Dollar Tree, set them out on a table and let the games begin! I has to try and find things that were good for both boys and girls so snacks, candy, sport drinks, and some pool toys did the trick!

Sometimes after a swim in the pool,a movie or some chores, a couple of rounds of bingo can be a good  afternoon filler.

 The winner gets a something of their choice and the others get to try again. They usually share some of their winnings with the others so it is always a win win situation! You can also give consolation prizes like one or two gummy bears to the ones who didn't win, that way it is fun for everyone!

Mother is always the caller so there will be no arguing over that issue. I have to be careful because we have a little one who still puts things in his mouth. Keeping track of the balls and chips is a must around here.

This has been a nice way to pass some quality time together this summer! Do you have any family favorites that help to add to your summer fun? Let me know in the comments below!

 

Game Time!

Got Soccer?

Waiting for our older boy's games to begin.

Relaxing at the fields can be a much needed mid-afternoon break.

The other kids kick the ball around in the autumn sun.

 

Creative Minds

 I am not really a tv person, I like to be creative so I try to encourage that in my children as well.  Open ended activities are good for the brain and personal development. Birthdays are great oppurtunities to purchase these kinds of items but I also like to go to tag sales or second hand stores any time of year to see what treasures there may be.

 Summer is the perfect time for unstructured learning, certain games and books can stimulate kids and allow them to have memorable fun times! Here are some things we have been gathering and using.












 Creative activities nuture the brain but also the soul, the kids feel good about themselves when they do productive tasks. They also help and teach each other without even knowing it. It is so great for them to be little teachers and mentors. I so enjoy watching them during the day and get so excited when they bring me something they have created. I hope you are gearing up for a unstructured summer filled with many chances to learn new things!

Bonds of Love

These two are becoming the best of friends. The other day while I was cooking the Sunday dinner my two little ones were laughing and passing the ball to each other, I just had to stop and take some pictures of the precious bond that was being formed. I love experiencing moments like this.

To Everything There is A Season, A Simple All Hallow's Eve

 With everything kind of up and down the past couple of weeks with Malcolm's health, I wasn't really in the mood to do any sewing on the kid's All Hallow's Eve costumes. Each year I usually start a few weeks ahead of time but this year I just couldn't get myself motivated.

  After recieving the good news from the doc about Malcolm, I could finally move on to doing something a bit creative. The very day of All Hallow's Eve I pulled out some thrifted fabric and put together two costumes. Elle wanted to be a leaf princess and things came together from there.

 Since we usually try to do some kind of theme,  we came up with three seasons. Abba Do was the Spring Princess and she looked so bright and cheerful in her vintage floral sheet.

 Thanks to my girl's creativity, I didn't have to do a thing. Hann came up with her own idea, Princess Winter! So we had three out of the four seasons, Fall, Spring and Winter. Works for me!
We couldn't leave this lil' guy out so we stuck this basket cover on his head and he became the instant apple of my eye! Big Brother had a soccer game that dad was attending so we pulled out the great candy he bought for them earlier that day and began our annual All Hallow's Eve game of Trivia Pursuit Jr. Each correctly answered questions earns that player a piece of candy.
Of course we had this hunter boy who wanted all of the candy for himself but in the end he turned out harmless and ended up sharing some of  it with the others.
Later, when dad came home he got in on a game of Professor Noggins and  got his own stash of candy. It turned out to be a fun, silly, memorable evening.
When dad got home he got in on a game of Professor Noggins earning himself a bit of candy. The night turned out to be quite fun and memorable for all of us. Nothing spectacular, just putting our heads together and coming up with some simple creativity and spending quality time together!
 Each season of my life brings me something new and different and I'm so glad that this is part of it right now!! 

Summer "To Do Contest"

 

In order to limit and discourage t.v. and x/box time this summer, I have come up with a summer " To Do Contest" There will be a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize to encourage participation.

• 1st prize- $20.00 gift cert. to Barnes & Nobles, A to Z Science & Learning Store,  Game Stop or  a sport's store
• 2nd prize- $10.00 gift cert. to any of above places
• 3rd prize- $5.00 gift cert. to any of above places    

This is our summer bookshelf, this year we have added some new things. Mariner's Tale ($5 @ Ocean State Job Lot) looked quite interesting, it comes with a compass, a spy glass to make, a ship to build, and several maps.

                                                      The Rules:

  #1 The kids can earn a  paper sea creature for doing any kind of activity listed below:(has to be at least 1/2 of an hour)

 #2 They have to write on the paper sea creature their name, date,  and what they did

 #3  Next, Color it and Pin it on the buttetin board

#4 Whoever has the most sea cratures at the end of the summer comes in first place, and so on.

  Above: World Travelers Magnetic Dress Up Dolls ( there are also Mermaids and Pirates), and the  Sticky Dolphin Mosaics are by The Orb Factory.( many others to choose from)

Here are some of the things they can do:

• do a craft
• read a book
• write something
• draw or paint a picture
• sticker books
• maze book
• find a something in nature
• board games
• mosaics
• crayola color explosion
• bike ride
• basketball
• bake something
• read a book to a sibling

    

 In other words, anything that does not include electronic devices.                                                                                                                     

 

My son,who just turned 12, recieved this " DK Ocean Sticker Book" for his Birthday. I was afraid tha the would think he was beyond it but he liked it right away and he hasbeenusingit regularly. A box or basket of shells can be looked at a whole different way with a magnifying glass nearby.

 I found this little book called, "Baby Turtle's Tale", last year on vacation. It has movable pictures in on each page called animotion, kind of a neat thing.

So with all of these hands-on activities and  our contest I am hoping the electronics don't have as much of an appeal. We started today and I can already see a difference. Sometimes a little competition can be good.

 

 

 

 

Soccer Finale!

  Another soccer season has come to an end. This year we had four playing. We had a JV , a Suburban Traveler, a Rec. Dept., and one on instructional. Husband and I, actually did pretty good at managing the chaos and not losing our heads. It was actually quite a fun season we met some great new families!

It was also nice to be able to relax the formal meal schedule and kind of wing it a bit. A couple of times we even ordered Chinese food and a pizza to eat right there at the fields. I would have never guessed in a million years that I would be a mom of 4 little soccer players. It felt good to cheer the kids on! Another thing that was nice about it was I got to see the kids as siblings get excited over each games.

I feel so blessed to have my children. They are the joy and highlight of my life. They are the ones who are teaching me through our Lord how to be less selfish. I learn something new everyday.We are truly becoming a team not just in number but in the sense of family. It's not always perfect but as we practice and with Jesus as our coach we keep getting better and better.

Congratulations to all of you who made  it through another season!