Supplies 1 bar of soap (we used Dove for sensitive skin) 1 box grater with removable lid 1 bowl to hold grated soap 1 tablespoon of warm water 1 medium sized cutting board 1 cookie cutter (approximately 2”x 2” works well) 1 spatula Procedure 1.Set up the grater so that child will pull the…
Make a Popcorn and Cranberry Garland to Improve Fine Motor Skills
Supplies 1 bowl of plain (not butter) popped popcorn 1 package fresh cranberries Thicker thread such as upholstery thread Sewing needle Procedure 1. If using sewing needles is new for your child, demonstrate safe use, pointing out sharp and dull ends of the needle, and safe storage (such as in a pincushion) when not using…
Homemade Pomander Balls
Supplies 1 or more navel oranges Whole cloves Pencil or other child safe object to poke holes in orange Ribbon if desired Procedure 1. Draw lines on oranges to create pattern as desired 2. Push small holes into orange spaced appropriately along lines or for children who need help judging space, use marker dots rather…
Crack Nuts to Improve Fine Motor Skills
Use these Tools to Strengthen Little Hands and Improve Coordination this Holiday Season At the holidays, many families have nuts set out with the appetizers. The Nutcracker Toy Soldier has become a Christmas icon. But in addition to this decorative soldier, there are a variety of fun nutcrackers that children can experiment with during the holidays. …
Sometimes reading fluency is not just about decoding: How hidden vision deficits made me rethink my tutoring session.
As a special educator with 45 years experience and training in Orton-Gillingham, I have always believed in the value of using multi-sensory tools and strategies to teaching reading and math. The Orton-Gillingham approach to reading is a language based, multi- sensory, structured, sequential, cognitive and flexible program. Orton-Gillingham is a well known and respected reading…
Summer Fun Supports Learning and Positive Behavior in Children
Why do children seem so much better behaved in the summertime? Is it because they are enrolled in camp and they “get all of their energy out?” Is it because being outside in nature, children are getting away from iPads and television and are less irritable without the screen time? Or maybe children are…
Part 2: Listening foundations: Beyond whole body listening
Listening with your whole body is a concept used in schools to teach what “active listening” looks like for students by demonstrating an attentive listening posture. It assumes that a child’s body is working well for them but they just need more support to follow the listening rules and routines of the classroom. But we…
Whole Body Listening in the Classroom
As a child in a busy classroom how many times do you hear: “Pay attention,” “Quiet down and listen up,” “I’m not going to tell you again; You should have been listening to the instructions,” “Didn’t you hear me?” Teachers use many different strategies to gain the attention of their students and get them to…
Preparing for Peaceful Mealtimes
Tips for Peaceful Family Mealtimes Tip One: Never force your child to eat or clean their plate, bargain, punish, threaten, reward, coax, negotiate, or strongly encourage your child to eat. By doing this, you are setting yourself up for a show down with your child and making extra work for yourself. Tip Two: Ignore refusals,…
Essential Foundations of Fine Motor Skills
As a parent, when you bump into a fellow parent at the community center or local Starbucks, you may find yourself sharing about your child’s firsts…the first time he/she sat up or walked, spoke his/her first words…but not often when your child first held a block or grabbed a Cheerio with a fine pincer grasp….