I am working with several preschooler who are on the autism spectrum. One of my goals is to increase their attention to and learning from great picture books. I use the books for description, re-telling, answering wh-questions, talking about the beginning, middle and end of the story, and taking the perspective of a character in the story and acting out the page while giving possible dialogue.
This week I used two books of a similar theme: “Please, Louise! “by Wishinsky and Gay and “Beatrice Doesn’t Want To” by Laura Numeroff. Both stories involve an annoying younger sister who bothers her brother in effective ways such as continuous talking, tapping, staring, and clinging. Beatrice was a simpler story with less complex drawings so a good place to start. We crossed our arms in defiance acting out her stubbornness to go to the library. Kids had fun giving dialogue with some prompts–”I don’t want to go” and “Stop that!” They especially loved the staring and tapping to annoy the other character. Louise has a little twist when her brother, Jake, has been pushed to the limit and says, “I wish you were a dog!” When a Louise disappears and a dog comes around the corner there is an opportunity to explore more abstract language. With higher level learners, have them compare the two stories talking about same and different.
Games make speech therapy fun but carefully selected games can also advance a child’s progress toward their IEP goals. “Order’s Up” by Gamewright, is not only loads of fun, but it can have language benefits too: kids learn categories of food–entrees, drinks, and how to apply wild cards like “Special of the Day” which can be hard for a child with more concrete language abilities. I have played this with children on the autism spectrum and one little boy didn’t want to use the “Special of the Day” card because he didn’t understand its advantage. As with all games, turn taking and following directions are great skills to learn with “Orders Up.” Here is my review:
Things are hopping at the Ring-A-Ding Diner as players compete to quickly fill their orders before their opponents do. A game of fast reactions, “Orders Up” builds excitement as players race to ding the bell, winning the right to add a card to their array of yummy dishes. Select two food cards filled with delectable delights like ice cream floats, spaghetti, or a banana split for you to match. Roll the dice and follow the options to try to be the first one to cover all the food dishes on the card to fill your order. Wild cards like “Special of the Day” or “Free Entree” add to the strategy of the game. Kids hope for the dice to land on the picture of the silver bell, so they can be the first to ring it, even if their hand gets smashed by others, competing to be first.
The opinions expressed in this review are solely of the author. “Order’s Up” was provided for review by Gamewright.
I have heard from several families that they are “cramming” before the opening of Toy Story 3. They are showing Toy Story 1 and 2 to their kids so they can remember the story and be ready for the sequel. I will admit, I watched number 2 last night to refresh my memory. What a lot of good, clean, clever fun for kids and adults.
The stores sure are ready with “exclusives” at places like Walmart and Target, featuring such items as figures, action sets, sleeping bags and even Adirondack chairs. What a craze.
Actually, you don’t have to buy all the toys. Be discerning. Which ones will provide many hours of new, original play and not be tossed aside as a “one event” type of toy? Certainly just a pack of figures will provide your child with open ended play as they re-enact scenes from the story and expand on the action. Sometimes less is more. I will be reviewing what I think are the best ones in the next few weeks.
Simple toys and figures from a popular movie can be helpful to a child with special needs who is challenged with social skills. Kids in preschool and early elementary school are going to be talking about characters and phrases from the movie, acting out scenes and using themes in their pretend play. In order to participate with typical peers, children with special needs can learn from parents and therapists who model play with the figures and themes from the movie. In the same way, I have introduced topics like dinosaurs and insects with preschool boys with autism so they can “speak the language” of their typical peers who love to act out play on those themes.
When I was visiting 3 year-old Will, he requested that we have a “scavenger hunt.” Now I have been known for my “candy hunts” I conduct on family vacations where I send kids off with a set of clues to find the final tin can of candy. But, I wondered how Will knew what a scavenger hunt was. It turns out that he has been watching “Dinosaur Train,” a clever kids’ show that teaches about plants and animals from the dinosaur age through a set of interesting clues delivered in rhyme.
On the left are my clues. Next time I will give them in rhyme but I wanted Will to be able to “read” them. The final clue, “Go to the Rescue Center” is a little blurred because it was hidden in the bath tub! Will loved the adventure of going up and down floors and finding his clues to his prize. Try making up clues that rhyme, leave off the last word and let your child guess the rhyming word. Now it becomes a literacy activity too.
What stories do you have about kids bridging the information from a TV show to their experience? Share them below.
This year I am celebrating Mother’s Day with a new grandson, Cooper James. His two year old sister, Caroline, affectionately calls him “Coupon.” I guess that reflects Mom’s good money management! I am so thankful for my three sons, two daughters-in-law (can’t there be a better term for the lovely women who marry our sons??), serious girlfriend, and four grandchildren. I feel so blessed.
Last night we video chatted with 3 year-old Will, and 2 year-old Ben. It was the “arsenic hour” as my friends used to call the time before dinner. Mom had asked Dad to take them for a bike ride for a little respite so they arrived in their pajamas and bike helmets. After a short chat, Will looked at his mother and said, “I’d like to get in the car and drive to SheShe’s.” Melt my heart. Come on over Will–oops that would be a 12 hour drive. Thank heavens for video chatting.
I wish all you moms and grandmas a wonderful, joyful Mother’s Day. You deserve it.
Every day is exciting as an itinerant speech language therapist, but last Thursday was particularly hilarious. It started out with my visit to Duncan’s house where I was met outside by his mom, explaining in hushed tones that Duncan had made a fort, crawled in and was petting the cat when he fell sound asleep. She couldn’t wake him enough for our speech session. I wanted to see this for myself so I went inside and watched him roll over, sigh, and continue sleeping with the cat peering out from the fort!
Then I went on to work with 7 year-old Will on his “r” sound. I had brought along a “3-in-one” LEGO set where you had all the blocks needed to make a sea plane, helicopter or boat. Of course you have to say your words or sentences with me to participate in my projects, so as Will was building and I was modeling his sounds, he looked up at me and said, “I think it’s better when you don’t talk!”
Finally, on the way to my last child’s house, I shouldn’t admit it but I was trying open my yogurt–for some end of the day sustenance–and the yogurt exploded all over my lap. So I had to walk into the house and ask for a wet paper towel to clean my pants and a towel to sit on so I wouldn’t ruin their furniture.
I was glas to get home.
I had the privilege of attending TimetoPlayMag.com’s press conference and showcase, in New York City, to introduce this spring’s hottest toys. Jim Silver, editor in chief, and Chris Byrne, The Toy Guy, highlighted the spring season’s best products for summer fun. Mattel, Hasbro, LEGO, Crayola, Disney, Nickelodeon and others were represented exhibiting their new toys and games. Here are my top picks for building language and pretend play skills with kids:- LEGO is introducing play sets from Toy Story 3 as well as Cars. The Duplo train for the preschool set as well as Woody’s Western Train for 8 years and up are must haves for flexible fun play. With just enough pieces to move and
change the action, these sets encourage kids to re-tell the story and invent their own. - Nickelodeon is introducing Dora’s Scrapbooking Adventure by Sakar that includes a 7 mega pixel camera, digital editing software so parents can help their little photographers add different backgrounds to pictures, and plenty of markers, stencils, glue and scissors to create a story from photos. Kids can document family vacations or everyday experiences and add their touch to the story. (Age 5 and up, available in summer 2010). Dora’s Musical Fiesta by Megablocks transforms a boom box into a fiesta of fun, dance and moving to the beat. The set includes Dora, Boots and accessories to get the dance going while the Boombox offers four songs and four instrument beats. (Age 3 and up, available in the fall,
2010). - Playmobil’s Wildlife Care Station is a magical world of animal relief and care in the middle of the jungle. I have played with this set for hours with kids and reviewed it on playonwords.com. With lots of compartments, animals, caregivers and office accessories, a child never runs out of stories to tell while bandaging animals or setting their casts.The Rangers Vehicle with Rhino is an excellent addition to the set for rounding up injured animals. (Age 4 and up, available April, 2010)
- Maui Toys’ Sky Ball is a hyper-charged, kid sized ball that brags about bouncing up to 75 feet in the air! I was attracted to it for it’s simplicity and potential for independent and creative play. Although they offer some accessories–paddles and catching devices–this ball can stand on its own as a kid entertainer, encouraging some inventive play. (Age 6 and up, available)
- Petcakes are too cute to pass up. Can you imagine combining sprinkle, coconut or candy cupcakes and plush dogs with a built-in home? Tuck them into their cupcake holders and the dogs disappear for a nap. The more the merrier for cup cake fun.
- Fisher Price added an Explorers 2 in 1 Lantern that tilts to become a flashlight to their kid tough collection. This light looks and feels like it could brave the toughest camping trip and sparks the imagination for a little play. Add the binoculars or camera to the field of fun. (Age 3 and up, available
now) - Mattel introduced the Ultra Blast Gauntlet, that wraps around your wrist and allows the child to shoot plastic darts, just like Buzz Lightyear. (Age 5 and up, available in May 2010), An array of Toy Story 3 character figures invites creative play as kids extend the story from the movie, becoming the producer of the show. Dr. Michael Shore, VP of Worldwide Consumer Insights at Mattel, Inc., offered to demonstrate the blaster and took out Barbie and Ken in the process! Separate sets of Toy Story 3 Action Links are sets of scenes from the movie that can be connected. Once put together, push the button and off goes a chain reaction of events where characters fly through the air, zip line to safety and defend against evil villains! Mix and match and create.
- MegaBloks is re-introducing one of my favorites–The Pull Along Musical Pirate Ship, with removable parts so your pirates can go below for a nap or listen to the sounds of the sea. (Ages 1
and up, available fall, 2010) - Jakks Pacific came out with toddler sized costumes for your little Buzz Lightyear,Tinker Bell or Snow While. No more tripping over the skirts of big sister’s outfits. (Toddlers, available)
- Insect Lore’s Butterfly Garden brings nature to life as kids watch a caterpillar transform into a butterfly. Teachers take note that this can be a science, writing or language arts lesson as kids journal about the changes and discuss the sequence of nature.
- Disney’s new Pook-A-Looz are an edgy offbeat design of
their characters in plush–looking like Disney meets Ugly dolls. My favorite was Eeyore. - Crayola gave out their new three dimensional sidewalk chalk. Just create your artwork on the sidewalk, put on the special glasses and you’re in a 3-D world. (available)
Introduce your child to Playmobil’s “Wildlife Care Station” and you’ll lose them to great creative play involving compassion and care for the injured animals. Two wildlife workers have the tools to round up the hurt animals in the fenced yard or padlock them into the crate for safety as they recover. With plenty of sticky bandages and re-usable casts, your little veterinarians can feed the baby leopards from a bottle or offer their parents some delicious grass or carrots. This little playhouse in the jungle offers lots of places to move the people and animals to change the action. Turn the station around and the wildlife workers tend to their paper work on the laptop computer on their desk or get a little sleep after pulling down the murphy bed from the wall. Lots of shelves can hold their supplies–rope, maps, or medicine. My little play partner spent hours spinning stories as different animals approached the station and the workers took over. The band-aids were especially interesting as the rhino ended up covered from head to toe. Apparently her recovered because today they are gone!
The opinions expressed in this review are solely those of the author. “Wildlife Care Center” was provided for review by Playmobil.
I just got back from a visit to North Carolina to see kids and grandkids. I had heard that an artist friend and stay at home mom, Wrenn Rippy Dorosko, put down her paintbrush temporarily and took up sewing. I was anxious to see her creations and was amazed at what she made from recycled fabrics, shirts, onesies and even her dad’s old button down shirt!
I have been around enough artist friends to know that all the items we think are destined for the garbage are options for new creations–broken dishes become picture frames, stones become collages, shells become wind chimes, or pillow cases become toddler dresses.
Her little model is showing off a dress Wrenn made from a vintage pillow case from Goodwill. The yellow lace trim already in place, she added the gathered ties around the neck. I had been told she made a dress from her dad’s old button down shirt. I couldn’t imagine how a man’s shirt would become a little girl’s dress but add some ruffle cap sleeves and and a rosette and what was once masculine is ready for our littlest female. Her skirts are fashioned from vintage fabric, colors tied together like only an artist would. She 
also bought onesies at the Dollar Store, cut off the top and sewed a matching print gathered skirt on the bottom.
It’s fun to see all her creativity spill over into her new life as a mom.
I wish you all a wonderful holiday. I love how my neighbors include each other in the passover celebrations and Easter egg hunts. We all learn so much from each other.
I thought I was so clever filling my plastic eggs with cheese and graham cracker fish as well as jelly beans. Silly me–the dog ate the real hard boiled eggs and the kids only wanted the jelly beans. I’ll have to remember for next year.
