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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
Leaf Collecting is a time honored tradition of childhood. Shuffling though piles of leaves and searching for the most beautiful specimens can be a delight for children. Bending over to pick up each spied treasure and making a bouquet of the collection can easily fill an afternoon. Here are some benefits of leaf collecting: Visual focus: […]
As the school year ends, parents and teachers are always asking me how to help their children with handwriting. Especially as the “Summer Activities” get doled out. I can’t think of a bigger kill joy than asking a six year old to sit inside and copiously copy letters and complete hand writing drills. Moving the […]
The School Garden is thriving and the students want to broadcast their success! What better way than to make signs that add color and easy to read labels so all can see and enjoy the fruits of their labor. We decided to have the older grades embark on this project, giving them the opportunity to […]
While May and June are packed with fun, the “To Do List” runs on and on. Graduations, birthdays, Father’s Day and the “End of the Year Gift” for EVERYONE. When you have one child this list might be manageable but multiply the offsprings by 2 or 4 active children and the list looks more like […]