In our youth oriented culture, getting older tends to herald the decline of bodily functions and a wistful outlook, with memories of good times receding in the past. The silver lining of growing older, is that you get to witness how things turn out. In my case, I get to hear about the kids I […]
I have just begun sharing humorous videos & pictures of my chickens, garden and beautiful scenery on Cape Cod. Come follow my Instagram Account at: Jills_chicks
Ten days ’til Christmas! Planning simple holiday themed activities helps to channel some of that palpable energy. The trick is to keep the projects simple. When kids’ sensory systems are overloaded with multi-colored lights, never-ending Christmas music and constantly changing routines, they don’t need any motor planning challenges. Activities that incorporate easy to do steps […]
I have been making gingerbread houses as a holiday celebration activity with the students for many years and it has become almost legendary. The children are thrilled. While it looks like all fun (and is!), I glean a great deal of information from this holiday activity. Benefits: I use the activity as an assessment of each […]
We are approaching the most heavily traveled season on the year. Along with the joys of visiting family and friends, we often struggle through traffic jams of mammoth proportions. Whether facing flying delays or miles of crawling traffic, when kids are in tow, the frustration and anxiety can multiply. No matter whether you take a […]
It’s time to Tuck in the Garden. As Daylight Savings ends and temperatures plummet, the days of growing delicious food at the Truro Community Children’s Garden is ending for the season. We’ll still be able to snitch kale and mint leaves for smoothie snacks, but our big job right now is preparing the garden beds […]
I am always looking for new ways to incorporate interesting drawing with the arduous task of learning how to draw diagonal lines, which are very difficult to learn! After children begin to draw rudimentary oblique lines, the next step is to draw diagonals in several directions and spatially accurate. Drills are boring. Scary spiders are […]
Benefits: When the push pin is held correctly, the muscles required for grasping a pencil are strengthened. Both hands are used, thereby building the habit to use two hands while working. Visual attention is required to make sure the pin is exactly on the line. Dots should be close together, so simple spatial planning/reasoning is […]
What motivated you to begin the Children’s Garden? The Truro Children’s Community Garden really grew out of the Ag Fair. We had many children’s events at the fair to involve children in the festivities: Pie Eating Contest, crafts related to agriculture, old fashioned games like potato sack races. The activities brought the community together. When […]
The Core gets a great workout when you crab walk. Activating all those muscles and joints also stimulates filters and organizing parts of the brain. So, when the kids start to get really excited about Halloween, grab a few pumpkins and challenge them to a crab walk race. Along with the positive brain organizing effects, […]
I try to maximize on the exuberance children exude as Halloween approaches. The late Stanley Greenspan said, “Kids need to become emotionally involved to learn.” No better way to teach challenging skills and concepts than wrapping them in a cloak (no dagger) of intrigue, a touch of “scary” and fun! So I teach kids to […]