Reading-the more you read......

 

'Oh! The Places You'll Go!' is a Dr. Seuss book that I, and many of my friends, have given to children over and over again.  My mother even gave this to my son when he left home for a life ready for the making.  But leaving home, or even getting ready to embark on something new is not the focus of this blog.....

.....After my first summer camp was over and I felt so happy that I saw my dream come true with the help of family and many friends; I was ready to write and create for the blog.  I was ready to tell everyone what we had accomplished at camp, give ideas to parents about listening and language, provide some lessons for speech and reading, and overall just write.  So? What happened?  

I couldn't get one idea going for the blog.  My mind wasn't focused.  It was summer and I wanted to do anything but write.  I was ready to go do my therapy lessons with children and parents before I wanted to sit down and write.  I was ready to put lessons on paper for school before I wanted to sit down and write.  I even wanted to straighten up the house before I wanted to sit down and write. Yikes!!  

I promised myself I would read that stack of books and magazines from the past couple of months as well, and that is just what I did.  I read.  I read and read and then I read some more.  I can't tell you how good it felt to read and enjoy fun reading time.  I got ideas and lessons from others, reading their articles.  I spent a great deal of time just enjoying myself through books.  

And then it hit me, what is the one thing I tell my new clients.  Parents and children, tweens and teenagers, adults and other therapists.  READ!  

Everyone knows how important it is for a child to get started in the reading process.  Listening and enjoying, learning that print means something, and learning that letters are connected to sounds and combinations of sounds make words and so on and so forth.  Now how important is it to those who have difficulty with listening and speech and language?  Double that reading effort, no triple it.

We should read at every opportunity we have - read with someone, read with family, read for learning, read for entertainment, read for the love of it!  Today, in this growing age of more technology, more ipads, more tablets, more Nooks and Kindles - more printing, more digital printing, more accessibility, there is no reason not to teach the love of reading.  Yes we get busy, I just shared that I was playing catch-up on my reading list, but sharing a moment of reading can be done!  

I am a firm believer in technology, but not for the sake of sitting and entertaining oneself with games while mom and dad are busy.  There is a time and place for that.  I am so in favor of technology to share, find the time to be together.  E-books - I love them - once I've shared with the children, they can do it by themselves.  Once I've shared with an adult, they can access whenever they want on what technology they have.  And if perchance, I have a client that loves the feel of books like I do - well, that one is easy.  

The whole point of this particular blog - Read! I love to read.  Make the love of reading a part of your list of 'to-do's' with your family.  You can do so much from reading a book.  Ideas and activities can stem from reading.  Correct speech and language can stem from reading. My favorite part of all ..... Conversations, discussions and yes - going places can stem from reading.  

Share the love of reading before the school year takes over in all it's other forms.  Somewhere in your day - take 10 minutes to read, on your own or with family or friend, but share reading with all its intentions of enjoyment in every emotion you can think of and then.....

Talk about it!  

Discussions

I want to spend some time talking about the older children I know and serve.  They are a very special group of children, of course they all are, but these kiddos attended camp.  I fretted before camp started with being able to keep the older children engaged and providing things they would enjoy.  I have known some of the children since they were three years old.  Some of the children were new to me and to each other, but as it worked out, they all loved each other and from reviews - they loved the camp. 
An activity I knew would be difficult for them, but I decided to go ahead with was an item called 'Action Art' - I took it from a workshop put on by Sibshops and adapted it for this particular group of children.  It was meant to be an 'ice breaker' and 'get to know you', done each morning as group music finished and we transitioned.  At first they hated it, struggled with it, and then something wonderful happened.....but I'm getting ahead of myself.

After each camp session was over for the day, the adults would get together and discuss how the campers did that day.  The adults came up with one word that described the campers as a whole.  It was written as bubble letters on a huge piece of butcher paper, torn up and given to the campers the next day.  Item number one: the campers then had to take those papers and decorate what they saw; be it coloring; fancy art work, or painting.  Item two:  they then had to try and piece the letters together.  Item three:  they could not work by themselves....they had to work as a group!! discussing!! Whew! That was hard!! 

They kept talking to me...I didn't want them to talk to me...then they turned to the other adults in the room.....I didn't want that either.....the idea of the activity is that they talk to each other, learn to work together and ask each other the questions they were asking of us adults.  My thoughts kept coming back to: did they not trust each other or the understanding they thought they had of each other?  Did they not trust each others language?  I even found myself repeating what each had said....could they not hear each other?                                       

 And then it happened.....It finally dawned on me; the adults had to remove themselves from the group entirely.  It was Thursday of the first week, the campers sat looking at each other for about 20 minutes not talking to each other and trying to engage the adults in conversation.  The adults were under strict orders not to interact.  The two older campers finally took charge....stood up and began to ask questions of the others and interact with each other.  They discussed and gave orders and in no time, of course after an hour and a half of getting nowhere, they got their word together and were extremely proud.

So was I - they had finally realized they could do it and do it with confidence.  Each morning they began asking me for the papers and each morning they got a little faster on working, discussing, and coming up with the word that described their group - what is even more amazing; they discussed the word and what it meant!  Then decided if it truly described them - all I can say is amazing!  I believe they came up with the correct conclusion....those words truly described them! 

 They were full of energy, and tried everyday.  They were helpful and absolutely, without a doubt - GREAT!

Pop! pop! pop!! Happy 4th of July!

It is quiet here today.  Enjoying some relief from 100+ degree weather for the past week.  Last night started the rains, no heavy storms, thank goodness.  Today there will probably be scattered fireworks with rain in most areas. 

I would like to share some more pictures from camp and tell you how you can make some noise this fourth of July!  I stated before that balloons were great game makers and I do believe that!  A balloon during camp and even better - a game involving a balloon always made the campers smile.

 How about the balloon that always changes colors?  The campers had to keep the balloon up in the air and each camper was only allowed to touch one color at a time.  The learned, through the game, it was a much easier game if they worked in pairs or asked others for help; keeping the balloon off the floor and helping with a balloon they had already touched. Great language building and team building.  It turned out they made great partners/groups to work together and keep the balloons up in the sky. No popping!  Hmmmmm  But what about popping?

A great language builder and fun thing to do on this Fourth of July afternoon.  Go outside, sit down and blow some bubbles! Pop, pop, pop!!!  You can use a flyswatter for flies and a clean one for the children!  No, not to swat the children, but to dunk in the bubble solution and blow lots of little bubbles, they don't go anywhere and the children truly can stay in one place and talk! 

Popping can take place from balloons, to bubbles, and did I mention popcorn? Popcorn in an old fashioned popcorn maker - yes, they really do make popcorn out side a microwave.  Watch even more language come out while the popcorn swirls around and around and around and then all of a sudden......pop! ...... pop!!  ........pop! pop! ........pop, pop, pop, pop! Over and over, children are just mesmerized - and talking!  Happy Popping!! and Happy 4th of July!!

Summer Camp: Fun with Listening and Language

Two weeks quickly came and went, and the first of what I hope will be just the beginning; Summer Fun with Listening and Language finished.  It was wonderful to see the campers each day and know they were having fun with mom, dad, or another family member.  It was even more wonderful to see siblings listening and coaching each other with language appropriate for letting their feelings known without getting frustrated.  It was wonderful to see them discuss and work things out with language and with listening.  It was even more wonderful to watch friends being renewed and friends being made.  But the most wonderful thing of all to watch:  babies smiling and laughing and listening, toddlers smiling and laughing and talking, and campers with siblings smiling and talking and telling me they want to come back and do this camp again.  Wow!  I have never had so much fun!  This was a great experience for me and now that I have done it - I am already thinking of how to make it even better.  Enjoy some more experiences with me!  Notice the fun?!......and notice it's all about family and friends.....the only way to have fun!! 

I have used this quote before, but I think it is very appropriate here again.....

'What families have in common the world around is that they are the place where we learn who we are and how to be that way."                                   ~Johann Georg Zimmermann