Communication, Community, and the Love of Both

This particular post is brought to you by a friend that made me stop and think - although it is something I've thought about before - I believe this friend brought it home for me.
I love helping parents and children realize that listening and spoken language can be done and we can do it together.  When children become a part of my therapy sessions and when parents come to classes at school - I want them to have the feeling that anything can be accomplished and we have a starting place to build on.  I teach the children how to listen, give them tools and strategies to become the best at aural capabilities in my activities and I teach the parents how to become a partner in the listening and language communicative intent.  Their part?  Give their children their undivided attention and become their voice for just a little bit.  Their part is to become the expressive partner for just a little while.  Their part is to believe their child will model themselves after them and believe they can teach their child how to speak and become the 'expressive talker'.  I know in my heart that we have the best activities and can give the parents and children everything they need (as I stated before); but even more important - we can give them what they need available the whole time they are with us.

Now here comes the part my friend made me think about.  What happens after they (child and parent) leave us.  Have I outfitted them with all the listening and language strategies to make them successful oral/aural communication partners?  Will the outside community be able to impart their communicative intent on the children and have the children follow what is going on?  And the second part - will the outside community be able to understand the family?  Will the outside community be able to understand where the children and parents are in their listening and language journey and will the family be able to impart that wisdom and journey to the community?

In all of this generality - I want families to understand that no matter how much fun we have and no matter how much listening and language is done within the protective confines of therapy; there is the outside community.  We still have to remember individuals and independence - we also have to remember these individuals go back into a community they feel doesn't understand them.  We have to give them; everyone involved; parent and child - the communication skills to advocate and believe no matter what community activity comes their way.

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

and how to show the community to understand why we are that way!

It's Almost Here! Camp Time!

Once again, I spent time putting together activities for summer camp and I am so excited I have the opportunity to do this!  I met with friends and co-workers to discuss and explore the fun we are going to have in one month.  Wow! one month away.  But I wanted to write it down one more time and see what you think.  A camp of fun - listening and language. 
Balloons - you can do so many things with balloons.  I read that in a workshop book for children and they were right!  Elicit language while moving a balloon across the room without using your hands. Two campers will be working together to move their 'dinosaur egg' (that's our theme this year-Dinosaurs) to the nest on the other side of the room.   Campers have to make a plan and tell each other what they need to do to move the balloon.  Pick dinosaur names and share with the group - talk about your dinosaur and what your dinosaur will do-paint a puffy dinosaur, make dinosaur feet prints and plan a dinosaur t-shirt!  That is all in one day!  And we plan on doing so many other things for two weeks.  Campers will be moving around in physical motor skills, dancing and playing games.  Campers will be chefs and deciding on what dinosaurs will be snacking on for the day.  Campers will show feelings of dinosaurs and discuss family siblings.  Campers will just have overall fun while 'listening and learning language'. 
The young ones of the camp will be having water fun through Splash, Quack, and Moo!  Sounds fun already.  Through the use of music and learning animal movements - students will use their vocalizations and words to talk about the heat, talk about 'cooling off' and talk about splashing in the water.  They too, will have music, snack and overall fun.  Come on - you know you want to join us - please do! 

Spring Time Fun

I am sitting nice and cozy in my home - watching the worst wind storm I've seen in years out the living room window. It's definitely spring time in Texas! As I look outside - I'm thinking of lessons I would love to do next week given the windy spring season has subsided. It's time for blooms, flowers and bugs! Yes, I said bugs. As much I hate them I love them, especially when I am looking at my clients and their wide-eyed faces or wrinkled up noses. They either love them or hate them as well. But my the language you can cultivate!

One of the lessons I love to do - goes with the book, "In the Tall, Tall Grass" by Denise Fleming. It is a little boy down in the grass exploring all the insects with rhyme, that's one way to enjoy, but the other way is just as fun. We make 4x4 cards of tall grass and glue it on a Popsicle stick. We get down on the floor and explore.

Before hand, I have gone to the dollar store, which is now busting at the seams with spring fling; and bought play rakes, shovels, Easter green grass and miniature plastic bugs - all varieties. Butterflies, ladybugs, grasshoppers, crickets, dragon flies, spiders, and ants to name a few - they have been placed on the floor and hidden - as we are on the floor, they explore and I make the sounds. Butterflies flitter, flutter; ladybugs dart and dip; bees hum and strum and so on. This is appropriate for four year olds through six year old to build vocabulary with action words.

For the younger group of children, I paint a mural of all green and place next to the toys. I have through the years bought lots of rubber stamps of various items through Oriental Trading - what a great outlet for materials. Anyway, I have bugs - the children pick a stamp to use on the mural and as they stamp down on the paper I have them listen, discriminate, and imitate. It could be as easy as 'hop, hop, hop' for grasshopper or a little harder 'flitter, flutter, flitter, flutter' and they go find that bug in the 'tall, tall grass'. Tons of fun for the afternoon.
Oh how I wish the winds would go away!!!

Get in Touch for Summer Camp

Summer Day Camp 2012 - Fun with Listening and Language is going to happen!  I am very excited about this!  A friend told me; 'Stop saying 'if this camp happens' and start saying 'when this camp happens'.
She was right - I started putting the word out, started having meetings and talking to people and asked for help and everyone said - 'Yes'.

We have put together a fun time and fun ideas and fun language activities.  We will talk, talk, talk, and sing, sing, sing, with Babies and Parents in the 10 mo. to 2 year old group.  This will run an hour a day.  We will learn some language while playing with activities dealing with Farm Animals, Water, and Dirt in the Toddler group; and we will continue to develop vocabulary and language when becoming scientists tracking around the world dinosaur bones with Little and Master Travelers.  Those three groups will run three hours a day and the camp itself will run for two weeks in June and two weeks in July.

The idea behind the camp is for our children not to lose the concepts and language they gained during the school year and continue to listen and to talk with help from teachers, professionals and family members.  Little ones who are not in school also continue to work with their parent in learning to listen and parents learning that auditory intake happens all the time. 

If you want more information, or just see whats happening - head on over to http://speakwithcathy.com
and get all the info.  For now, just know I am excited! yea!

So Many Things are Miracles

Where there is great love there are always miracles.  ~Willa Cather

I received an email the other day; you know the kind.  The forwards we all receive - it could be a joke; it could be a poster for 'joke of the day'; it could be a letter to help when you don't want to; it could be a tear jerker; or it could 'be your chance to cash in a million dollar check being held for you!'  They are the type of emails I quickly scan through and usually delete.  You know that kind - right?!!

Well, I received one that made me stop and read; quickly at first and then I slowed down - Whispers - it was called.  It dealt with what we listen to and how we respond - do we hear words for what they are or do we hear words with those subtle undertones.  My mom always said (and still does!) that I hear subtle undertones, even when there are none.  I am always looking for something else.  I want more.
I want miracles!

After reading that particular email - I suddenly realized I have heard words with soooo many undertones; those undertones must be my miracles.   My first great love - family at the core.  Family that talks, talks, talks, and talks some more.  We have words on everything and have taught ourselves that 'Words have Consequences'.  Do you do that in your family?  We love Scrabble, Word Search, and Crossword Puzzles.  Books to read and Documentaries to share.  Where did this all come from?  Words from language from family member to family member.

Ahhhhhh! you say;  you knew this was going to come back to language and family =)  but did you know those words are your little miracles passed on to your little miracles.  Get started showing words with those subtle undertones.  Talk about everything to your young children.  Ask them questions about what you talked about - think of a different way to say those words and share it again.  Continue to talk to your young children as they grow into young adults and watch the language in them expand to what they hold as a miracle.  They may not see it at the time, but you will be amazed at how it all comes back to a great love.  My great love is the language of family - passed to each other and beyond; which in turn sparks the language of words - and that in itself is a miracle.

Summer is Coming Together

I am so excited that my summer is coming together - and it's only March!  Only March?  I have so much to do ~ but I do want to savor the moment = )   My dream of developing and holding a summer camp is taking shape.
The summer fun of listening and talking will become a reality!  The community of people that I work with have graciously volunteered to help me put it together, and putting it together means time out of their lives to develop the theme and activities that will make it happen.  I am sooooooo excited - can you tell! 

I have spoken with people through various churches and owners of buildings, each have been willing to speak with me about using their facilities to hold the camp. 

Parents of children with language and speech disorder because of a hearing impairment and parents of children with a language and/or speech disorder because of slow development, have been very open to wanting this camp and would love to have a place for their children to spend some fun summer hours.  They love knowing they can attend with their child and have some fun, or they love knowing the children can attend with one other sibling and have some fun; and they love knowing their children will be building their speech and language skills. I am sooooooo excited - can you tell!?

Camp will take place for 2 weeks in June and July - two sessions a day.  There will be three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon.  

Social skills will be targeted in such a way that the focus will be on fun and the learning style of the child’s strength, then we will build from there.  After all, Play is a child's work!

I am overjoyed with this prospect and I will keep you posted on growth and development! Wish us Luck - cuz summer - here we come!

All degrees of joy reside in the heart.  ~Oswald Chambers

The joy for my heart will be watching this dream become a reality

If you'd like more information or just want to check out the prospect of fun, go to:

http://speakwithcathy.com

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.