This Month of Words

An anxious heart weighs us all down, but a kind word always cheers us up.                                             ~Proverbs 12:25

I have enjoyed this month immensely - but I have had some down times this month as well.   As I know so well, I am very guilty of having an anxious heart.  I worry about everything, everyone and want to make it all better or all happy!  Well, we can't always have what we want - and I worry about that as well.

What I do have when that anxious heart begins to effect me, and in turn, others - is the word that will somehow pick me up, and in turn, others.  (See the smile on my face.)  Friends and words are so very important for language.  Friends and words are so very important for communication.  Friends and words are so very important for all well being.  Friends, family, and words are so very important for us all.  Even though I spent only two blog moments this month - they were important.  They're important in that they spread loVe, language, and words.

Once again, I cannot tell you how important it is to speak to one another.  Once again, I cannot tell you how important it is to speak to family and friends.  Once again, I cannot tell you how important it is to grow language and meanings of language for your children.  Children cannot possibly know all the value you hold in communication if you don't communicate with them.  Children cannot possibly know all the innuendos you hold in communication if you don't communicate that with them.  Children cannot possibly know how much you loVe them if you don't communicate all they mean to you with value, innuendos and loVe.  What I have done and felt this month is nothing short of anxiousness filled with kind words from someone I love.  Don't weigh yourself down with an anxious heart.  Don't let your children get weighed down with anxiousness - kind words, new words, the loVe of language can cheer us all up.  We start learning again......in next month's words. 

A LoVe Week

We leave traces of ourselves wherever we go, on whatever we touch.   ~Lewis Thomas

Valentine's Week, and I say week because I love it sooooo much.  I celebrate all week!  I'd celebrate longer if I thought I could.  What I should be saying - we should celebrate loVe all the time.

Once again I bring my thoughts back to my clients and students.  I also think of parents, who play such a huge role with the children to which I provide services.  We leave traces of ourselves.....children look up to their parents....the person they rely on mean the world to them.  I love it when children say to me - 'mommy said.....' or 'daddy did that......'  that tells me they are listening and watching and learning.
We leave traces on whatever we touch.....parents know their children are an extension of themselves.  Parents/Guardians believe their children make the best impression and will behave in the way that they expect.

The lesson for today.....Traces of Love wherever we go and on whatever we touch.  Let's listen for the moment and let's teach the words......good, like, happy, funny, silly, love, heart, valentine, you and me, you and I.

Stand in front of the mirror with your child and make faces - have some fun and in the meantime strengthen those lip, mouth, and tongue muscles.  Smile, stick out your tongue, move your tongue from side to side, twitch and wiggle your nose.  Raise and lower your eyebrows - most of all have fun.  Then say....'I love that face your making!'  'Oh what a silly face.'  'That's a good one!' 'I like that funny face.'  'Oh, you're soooooo funny!'  Sometimes making faces can be fun!

Now, get out the different colors of construction paper and start cutting those hearts and arrows - have your child listen and follow directions.  Start simple and make listening a multilayer of elements. Listen and make abilities of auditory learning stronger and stronger.  i.e. 'Put the purple heart on your paper,' 'Put the orange and purple heart on your paper,' 'Before you put the orange heart on your paper, put the purple arrow across the yellow heart,' 'Pick your favorite color paper and place the zigzag picture of the purple heart on the yellow polka dot heart.'  'Oh I really like that Valentine's paper!'

Have a week of loVe and leave traces of yourself wherever you go and on whatever you touch!

A Summer of Fun! Listening and Language

Another month....lots of ideas.....lots of work.....and lots to get ready for!!

I am putting together a summer camp!  A summer camp of fun surrounded by listening and language. 
I have always wanted to have a summer camp.  I have helped, attended, and worked in other summer camps and have enjoyed them thoroughly.  I have seen children have tons of fun with all kinds of activities and things to do.  Each one of these camps has been a special part of someone's memories or someone's summer.  Each one of these camps range from camps for children to learn new skills to camps for children with specific types of disabilities.  The camp I am putting together this summer is for children with a hearing impairment and/or language delay and their siblings.  This will be a family-centered camp with lots to do and there will be people involved that want to give the children the tools to continue to build their language over the summer and to another part of their lives. 

Stayed tuned for more details.  I have so much to tell you!

Beginnings and Endings

For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning. -T.S. Eliot

I wrote this quote on a note pad to remember to post, that's how much I loved it!   So many blogs and status statements these past couple of days have discussed change and knowing what to do to make that change.  Resolutions have also been a part of those blogs and status statements; but for me - this quote says it all.  Last year's words and language can make way for so much more.  A different voice, a different way of speaking up or speaking out - and making an end of things to make a new beginning is always a good way to do anything.

I love what this means for me and the new year.  We always think of how we could do things differently and if we should make changes in the first place.  I do make resolutions, and as a friend put it - even though I don't follow through on any of them - at least I tried each and every one of them.  Sounds like a 'cop out' to some - but there is also the saying of - 'if you don't try, how will you know'.....and the one thing I am always happy about is the sense of knowing I got some of it done.  Sometimes a tiny thing, sometimes a great big thing.  Is it because I took on more than I should have?  I don't think so.  I believe it's because I wanted to make a big difference - so making the slightest bit of difference is a notice for change.  If I made one parent feel like they accomplished a task with their child no matter how small - it was well worth the change.  If one child found a voice - then it is an end to a great beginning!

This day marks the beginning of new ideas and works for more.  More of what?  Stay tuned and see all that may yet to be......from the end to the beginning.

A New Year Cometh

Free your spirit and dance with life - from Finding Joy by Charlotte Kasl

My mom and my mother-in-law are great ladies!  They are the true meaning of moms with all the cliches - and I mean that in the most loving way!  Even for the holidays, they always, for as long as I can remember have gotten something for everyone on Christmas or for Chanukah; and. . . . if there is a last minute guest. . . . that is not a problem. . . they are included with a gift. . . my moms make, and still do. . . make everyone feel loved.

Which brings about my thoughts for a quick blog regarding the new year.  A couple of years ago, my mom-in-law presented all the ladies with a small, delicate sun catcher - each one with a quote.  I received the one which I quoted above, it's from the author Charlotte Kasl.  If you know this author, you know she writes in regards to having a balanced, richer life.

I loved the quote when I received it and after setting things back in place after the holidays (basic holiday cheer being put away) the sun catcher caught my eye and I fell in love with the quote once again.  For soon, it will be a new year and I sit back and think about the year that was, did I dance all through the year?  Probably not. . . some little bumps along the way.  Then I think about how much time and thought is spent on the things that made me stop dancing. . . seconds, minutes, hours, days. . . . . any time would probably be too much if it made me stop dancing. 
Children are quite different, they could dance late into the night if we let them, and that is why I love spending so much time teaching and talking to them.  They make me think about life and fun and freeing the spirit.  That is why I want to teach them to communicate those feelings and ideas and thoughts of wonder with the best words I can give them - or make them want to say.  That is why I love to share with families - there is so much dancing left to be done and so many free spirits wanting to be heard! 

Do parents spend time during the year not dancing?  Of course we do, we have so many other things to worry about and take care of - especially when it comes to our children.  Parents want the best for their children.  Parents want their children to have what they didn't - we all strive for that everyday.  We strive for what we didn't have, but along the way, we sometimes sell out and stop dancing.

We have to remember to relax with our children and have some fun.  I know how hectic the holidays and everyday can be. . . with all the rushing and so much fussing.  But we can open a book and take a look, or sit in a chair and share, or even . . . .

talk about dancing and give them the words to dance.

Getting back to Language

Wow! The holidays have come and gone - soon the year will do the same; we will be in the midst of 2012!  It seems I've forgotten how to blog during this time - uhhhh ohhhh!

Although, I will find the time to post and/or blog more for the new year.  Sharing of ideas, learning, listening and language is all a part of now and always.

I have an idea which evolved from reading one of my favorite blogs this morning, thought about it all day and want to put it in writing this evening.  I believe it will be great for my students at school and even better as something to put into action at home.  The power of language can be a gift, and if you can have a conversation you can pass the gift of language from one person to another, and from there the gift will grow.  As it always has been, old teach the new. 
The first unit I'll work on when children return to school will be winter; cold, snow, snowman, seasons and clothes.  The children will build vocabulary and use it in simple to complex sentence patterns and structuring language.  The introduction will begin with the older students discussing and reading a story about one of the mentioned topics for the unit.  For instance, Jan Brett's The Hat, has animals and clothing-those can be categories learned for younger students.  This story also has idioms presented by each of the animals in the story and are great for older students to learn and understand.  Another story by this author for second and third graders - Hedgie's Surprise,  great as Reader's Theater, but even better at sequencing a story and again, learning about animals along with their babies.  We'll have a great time re-enacting the story, developing vocabulary and deciding on repeated sentence patterns; even discussing the meanings of repeated lines with idioms. I guess this part of language building makes me the elder and them the young ones - Ah ha!  Anyway, I digress, we will then make a gift box with items from the story and the older students can decide from there how to show or use the items with the younger students.  All of it must spark language and a conversation to begin between them.  What the older students do from there is up to them - but I'm crossing my fingers and I'm hoping they insist on creating amongst themselves.  Adults not invited until they are finished!
What about parent and child - the same concept in hand; can you imagine!! Jan Brett's book, The Hat, has the animals running around the farm yard trying different pieces of clothing to become their perfect warm winter hat. Kind of like that 'Easter bonnet' you are suppose to show off!  Can you imagine!!! you, the parent/caregiver, running around the house with your child running after you, to find the perfect hat. 
I can imagine 'the language coming and is turning into conversation'!!!
 The gift of language is alive and doing well and the conversations of 2012 will be great!

Words Have Meaning

The English language is such a complex system!  While I attended graduate school for my Masters in Speech Science, I didn't think I was ever going to get through development of, or the system of our language.  It was definitely a love/hate relationship!  In those years, I learned words have meaning - in sooooo many different ways.

 My husband, to this day, tells my son on every consultative conversation they have: "Your words have meaning, son - make sure you are saying the right thing - you need to convey exactly what you mean"; or on every 'man-to-man' discussion, "Your words have meaning - make sure you don't hurt the person you are talking to. . .'

As the years keep moving by, I've realized (once again) how much language matters and how so very important it is to tell parents and the students I work with. . . words have meaning.
As baby develops, language and speech develop.  They learn (as a part of brain development) their sounds and voice convey a message because some noise always gets them noticed.  A caregiver knows the baby's language and speech are developing because they have learned that each message is evolving into something they understand!

Those individuals with a hearing loss, lose some of that information and lose it at varying degrees depending on onset of loss and degree of loss, but words still have meaning. . . . that doesn't change.
So I teach children and parents to convey that meaning early on. . . in varying situations. . . in a 1000 different ways.  As an activity is introduced within a therapy session, I always write in my notes how to use or implement at home.  From there, the parent and I brainstorm about how to incorporate into other areas of life, activities and/or language - because words have meaning.  i.e. 'up' - pick me up, let's go up, put up, pick up (noun vs. verb - think about it!), dress up, move up. . . it's exhausting! Of course start with what you do for the baby first, but think of introducing all those other language, speech, idioms as the baby gets older and is a child, tween, teen, adult!

Here is an example of the season; (bless their hearts) - a therapy session with three or four 2nd/3rd graders diagnosed with language/speech impairment secondary to hearing impairment.  We are going over holiday vocabulary and try to think of synonyms for particular vocabulary words.  The word 'Santa' comes up from the vocabulary deck - not one child realized; besides the word 'Santa Claus', that 'St. Nick', 'Jolly ol' St. Nick', or Nicolas are various words for Santa. They've heard the songs and read the words, but they just thought it was some man who liked the holidays!  Guess what the lesson turned into!

Words have meaning. . . . we want to give every opportunity to teach what we know and love - language! That being said,

May the meaning of the season mean all you want it to - and be a true part of your family's language.