Take Your Child On A BackYard Safari

As a TeamMom mom, I was sent the following products to review and keep:


Cargo Vest, ages 5 & up
FEATURES:
RUGGED POLY-TWILL FABRIC WITH REINFORCED DETAIL
4 CARGO POCKETS WITH VELCRO CLOSURES
1 TWO INCH DEEP ZIPPER POCKET WITH MESH-NET OUTER POCKET
6 D-RINGS
CUSTOM ZIPPER PULLS
CARGO SHOULDER EPAULETS WITH SNAP CLOSURES
ADJUSTABLE REAR STRAP
2 OVER-SIZED MESH-NET CARGO POCKETS IN REAR
PLUS CLEAR-VU FRONT POCKET CONTAINING ESSENTIAL FIELD POP-GUIDE


Mega View Periscope, ages 5 & up
FEATURES:
THREE NESTED SECTIONS EXTEND OVER 4 FEET
WIDE-VIEW FACE PLATE FOR BINOCULAR VIEWING
ERGONOMICALLY DESIGNED HAND GRIPS FOR STEADY, VERTICAL HOLDING POSITION
16 INCH WATER-TIGHT SUBMERSIBLE SECTION FOR UNDERWATER VIEWING

And

Bug Vacuum, ages 5 & up
FEATURES:
2 CATCH & RELEASE CAPTURE CORES WITH BUILT IN MAGNIFYING GLASS
PLUS: EXTRA NOSE CONE FOR THE REALLY BIG BUGS


These toys are part of the Backyard Safari Outfitters line of toys from Summit Toys. They arrived in a big box and I was eager to check out the quality of these products. The vest was a big surprise. I have bought my daughter a lot of dress-up clothes. Most are poor quality, and don’t last long. The Cargo Vest is made with your child in mind. It is high quality, durable, and practical. It is made to stand up to your child wearing it multiple times and to being well used. The quality is on the par of a Cargo Vest you would go out and buy for yourself. I like the pockets to hold all kinds of things. My daughter looks so cute in it. She absolutely loves it. I wanted to get a picture of her, but I dropped my camera recently, and now need to go purchase a new one.

The periscope is not my favorite item. It’s big and difficult for her to use and carry around. I would prefer her to have the binoculars from the Backyard Safari Outfitters line. The Bug Vacuum is great. If you have this, you need to get their habitat to store the little critters your child catches. We don’t have it, so I implemented the catch and release policy before coming into the house.

The toys also included a detailed Pop-Up Field Guide that can fit conveniently into a pocket of the Cargo Vest. My daughter uses this as a guide to determine what bug to go looking for next. I’m in love with Backyard Safari Outfitters. They bring science to life. Also, since my daughter hates to touch live insects, the Bug Vacuum allows her to capture bugs without actually touching them.

Backyard Safari Outfitters is available now at Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, and Target. For more information about Summit Toys and a complete list of Backyard Safari essential field gear, visit www.summittoy.com

IEP YouTube Video

I hope you find this helpful.

Providing ABA Therapy For Your Child

ABA Therapy is one of the most recommended forms of therapy for a child with autism. I interviewed Kelley Prince, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, and asked her several questions about ABA Therapy. Here are the questions and answers:


1. Can you introduce yourself to my readers and explain what ABA therapy is?
My name is Kelley Prince. I am a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and the President of Behavioral Consulting of Tampa Bay, Inc. (http://www.bcotb.com). I graduated from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis. I have been working with children with autism and related disorders for more than 11 years. Currently, I have 2 clinic locations in the Tampa Bay area that provide clinic-based, school-based and home-based behavior intervention programs for children with special needs, or for children who engage in problem behavior.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the science of human behavior. It involves applying behavioral principles and techniques to improve socially significant behavior. ABA therapy is two-fold: interventions are used to increase behaviors that are not occurring at an appropriate rate (i.e. the individual has a skill deficit) or interventions are used to decrease behavior that is occurring too frequently (i.e. problem behavior.) ABA therapy is the only therapy with more than 30 years of research and statistics proving it’s effectiveness for children diagnosed on the autism spectrum as well as, as an intervention for a variety of populations and behaviors.

2. What can parents do if ABA therapy is not available where they live?
If ABA therapy is not available to a family in their area, they may contact an out-of-town Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) who can provide consultation, assessments, and staff training on a limited or perhaps monthly basis. Most families in this situation contact their local university to find students who are interested in receiving ABA training and who are available to work directly with their child under the supervision of a BCBA. The number of students needed depends on the number of therapy hours the child receives each week. Once students are secured, the BCBA comes to the home for 3-4 days and completes an initial assessment of the child, develops program goals and trains the private therapists. The BCBA then provides supervision and consults with the family and therapists on a weekly basis via phone calls, emails, and videos. Face-to-face consultations occur on a limited basis and involve observing the therapists implementing the program goals and instituting changes to the goals based on the child’s performance. Additional staff training may also take place depending on new goals as they are developed.

3. What about the cost of providing ABA therapy for your child?  Do you know of any grants available to parents to help cover the cost?

The overall cost of ABA therapy is dependant on the total number of hours per week the child receives the therapy. The average rate of therapy is between $40.00 and $60.00 an hour, and depending on a child’s individual needs, many are enrolled for 10 to 40 hours of therapy each week. There may also be additional costs for services provided by the therapy supervisor, or BCBA. The child’s initial assessment, the development of a child’s specific program goals as well as the monthly supervision of the therapists may be a separate, initial or on-going charge that can range from $60-$150 an hour depending on the BCBA’s experience level. Always check with the BCBA or clinic to verify any additional expenses and what they entail.

In the Tampa Bay area, funding sources such as the ASO Grant are available to offset the costs of ABA therapy. Otherwise, if a family resides in Florida, and the child is in the Medicaid Waiver program, behavioral services are, in fact, covered.

Additionally, the “Window of Opportunity Act” was passed last year by Florida Governor Charlie Crist and requires insurance companies (within the state of Florida) to cover up to $36,000 of ABA therapy for every child who has received a diagnosis on the Autism Spectrum Disorder including ASD, PDD, and Asperger’s. There are limitations and stipulations to this legislation, but it has already helped several families in our area receive ABA therapy, who otherwise may not have been able to afford such treatment, at no out-of-pocket cost to them.
 

4. Is there a cut-off age for ABA therapy?  Is there an age that introducing ABA therapy with an autistic child will not be helpful?

There is not a cut-off age for ABA therapy as it helps individuals of all ages, including older adults. However, for the most effective therapy, early intervention is key. I recommend children in need of ABA therapy begin services before the age of 5 to have the best possible outcome.
 

5. How would a parent go about finding a qualified provider of ABA therapy services?

A parent looking for a qualified provider of ABA therapy services should ask other parents who have children with autism as well as their pediatricians, neurologists or other therapy providers such as speech or occupational therapists. If parents do not have access to other parents or professionals who are familiar with local BCBA’s, their best bet would be to search online using the Behavior Analyst Certification Board Registry at www.bacb.com.

6. Can parents be trained to provide this therapy if there is no one in their area to hire?  If so, what would that involve?

Parents can be trained to provide this therapy and even if the child is presently receiving services, it may be a good idea to help supplement the child’s time at home. However, if a provider is not located within a family’s particular area, the parent should contact a qualified BCBA to discuss home therapy. The BCBA will need to travel to the home to conduct a thorough assessment and analysis of the child, create program goals suited to the child’s needs and then provide the parent training – similar to the process of a BCBA training private therapists. (See response in question 2 above)

Letting Your 1st Grader Use Facebook

Letting my child use the internet is a scary thing. There are a lot of weirdos out there. On the other hand, I think it is a necessary skill and should be developed at an early age. I also believe that monitoring your child's use of the internet is extremely importatnt.

I let my 6 1/2 year old use Facebook. She uses my accout to play Farmville and Fishville. She loves it. She also loves chatting with family on Facebook. We have an understanding. She is only allowed to chat with family. Anyone else pops up, she is not allowed to chat with them. If I happen to be in the kitchen, she is to come get me if someone pops up in chat that isn't family. I do my best to stay right there and watch while she is on the computer, but it is not always possible.

I trust my daughter and I know she understands the conditions of her using my Facebook account. I like the way that chatting with family improves her spelling. I like that she is learning responsibility. I like that she can talk to her older cousins, her uncle and aunts, and her grandmother in the Facebook chat.

You may not agree with me. You may not approve of letting a child of my daughter's age use my Facebook account. That's fine. I feel that it is fine, as long as it is monitored. She understands the rules for using the computer. She understands what she is allowed to do and what she isn't. My husband and I keep a close eye on her when she is on the computer. If we can't, then she has to play on Kidzui until one of us is ready to monitor her.

Sending Your Child To Summer Camp

Summer can be a very stressful time for parents with an autistic child. We worry that being home all summer will have a bad affect on our child. We worry that they will regress while out of school. This was always a big concern for me. I soon realized that my son didn’t have to regress during the summer. I could keep him engaged and learning with different activities during the summer. It was my success in doing this that gave me the confidence to home school my son.

In the past, day camps have played an important part of our summer. My son spent two summers at a special autistic, overnight summer camp. It was one week, overnight, and my son loved it. Because of the cost, we have only been able to do this twice with him. There are several day camps in our area that are available for my son to attend. My son has attended some of them and will do so again this summer.

Of course, there has also been the all important swimming lessons during the summer. This is not just an important life skill to learn, it is also a great learning experience for motor planning. Both of my children have enjoyed swimming lessons during the summer. My daughter will be 7 this summer and will need more activities to keep her occupied. I have not planned out what I will be doing with both of my children, but summer camp will be included.

One choice for a summer camp experience for your child is KinderCare. KinderCare centers are springing up all around the country. They offer summer camp programs for children from Pre-school age to school age. This summer, they have several great themes that are designed to encourage your child’s creativity in learning. Such themes include Wild, Wild West and Dig Ancient Egypt. KinderCare has “crafted a summer day-camp program that delivers just what they’re looking for: irresistible learning opportunities, hands-on involvement and unique experiences.”

I don’t have a KinderCare near me. If you would like to find out if there is a Kinder Care center near you, please visit their website. I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of KinderCare and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Miss Trimble's Trapdoor Books Review and Giveaway Closed

I was sent the first two books in a series of children’s books by Lori Jordan-Rice to review and keep. The book s are titled “Miss Trimble’s Trapdoor” and Miss Trimble’s Trapdoor, The Perseverance of Christopher Columbus.” Both books were illustrated by Fox Carlton Hughes.

Most of the children’s books that I read are geared for young children, about the age of my daughter(6 ½). These books are for children around my son’s age, 11 years old this weekend. The main character in the book is a fifth grade boy named Tyler, that is shy, socially awkward, and has trouble paying attention in class.

Because of this, Tyler has his own corner in the classroom that is designated his “quiet place.” This is where he goes, or is sent, when he is having trouble concentrating. When I read this, it reminded me of my son and how he needs a quiet place to work. He is easily distracted. This is also true for a lot of autistic children and for children with other disabilities. However, there was nothing in the book that stated that the character had a disability of any kind. I asked the author what was the inspiration for the main character, if he is based on anyone in particular. She replied, “The main character, Tyler, is based loosely around my own oldest son, who is shy and struggles with self esteem. He is smart, but really needs his own "quiet space" to think and do his best.”

Ms. Jordan-Rice is a former elementary teacher that had become frustrated with the lack of knowledge children were able to demonstrate in the area of history. It seemed that more and more, our children are growing up “historically illiterate - meaning, our kids may not know which country the United States fought to declare its freedom, what explorer discovered America or even who won the battle of the Alamo.” She has written these books to teach history in a manner that will be engaging to young children. Ms. Jordan-Rice says “ The ‘Miss Trimble’s Trapdoor’ series revolves around a fictional classroom full of characters and their daily lives, with an extensive history lesson embedded in each story.”

I did not find this to be true in the first book. To me, the first book was centered on introducing the characters in the book and had a little bit of historical information in it. I felt that this was the best way to write the first book in the series. It gives the reader the opportunity to learn about the characters and to get invested in the story that is being read, and the ones to follow.

The second book does contain an extensive history lesson it. Both stories have important life lessons that are taught, using what has happened in our past (history), to teach the main character how to handle problems he faces in the present. In the first book, “Miss Trimble’s Trapdoor,” Tyler meets Barnabas Bailey, a talking dog that acts as his teacher and guide when Tyler discovers the trapdoor.

Tyler learns an important lesson about friendship and the importance of liking yourself first. In the second book, “Miss Trimble’s Trapdoor The Perseverance of Christopher Columbus,” Tyler learns that you have to work hard, be persistent, and accept failure in order to achieve success. These are great life lessons that children need to learn and understand.

It is my opinion that these books are not just books that your child can read for entertainment. They would be excellent books to use for book reports. They provide opportunities to discuss and relate events in the past to the present. You can use them to challenge your child’s critical thinking and interpretation skills. There soon will be other books in the series available for purchase. I am looking forward to that. For more information about the “Miss Trimble’s Trapdoor” series, please visit www.MissTrimblesTrapdoor.com.

This giveaway is for one autographed copy “Miss Trimble‘s Trapdoor“ and “Miss Trimble‘s Trapdoor The Perseverance of Christopher Columbus.” You must live in the US to enter. This giveaway begins March 4, 2010 and ends March 20, 2010.

Main Entry: Leave a comment telling me who you would give this to and why. (If this rule isn’t followed, no additional entries will count).

You can get extra entries by doing any or all of the below. Each entry needs to be a separate comment.

1 Extra Entry - Follow @taless on Twitter and leave your twitter id in a separate comment
* 1 Extra Entry - Twitter this giveaway and leave your twitter name in a separate comment (You can get up to one extra entry by tweeting each day and leaving a comment here each day.)
1 Extra Entry - Follow my blog and let me know in a separate comment
1 Extra Entry - Subscribe to my RSS feed via email and let me know in a separate comment
1 Extra Entry - Write a post on your blog linking to my blog, and let me know in a separate comment

Chidren's Game Pack Giveaway Closed

I was introduced to a great new game. You may have heard of it. It’s called You’ve been Sentenced! This is a great educational game for children 8 years old and up. It comes with five decks of cards and each deck fits into it’s own spot in the box for easy play and storage. You can also buy add-on decks on specific subjects like Sports, Sci-Fi and Pop Culture.

I was sent this game to review with my kids. I was hoping that my son would take to it, but he didn’t. My daughter loved it. Even though she is only 6 ½ years old, she was able to play it with a little bit of help from me. Once she got the hang of it, she was able to come up with some great sentences.

That’s the point of the game. You pick ten cards to start with and you have to use as many of them to create a proper sentence. Each card has five different words on it and each word is assigned a point value. After everyone has made their sentences, the total points are recorded and added up. You can challenge another player’s sentence and it is up to all of the players to judge the authenticity of it.

The sentences that we came up with when playing were hilarious. We would laugh at each other’s sentences and help each other to come up with the craziest ones. You aren’t supposed to help each other, but we did. It made it fun. My daughter has had trouble with how to form a proper sentence and this game is really helping her. My son simply doesn’t like to sit still. Maybe when he is older that will change.

If you are a home school mom, teacher, or therapist, this is a great tool to have in your arsenal. It is fun and educational. My daughter doesn’t see playing it as a learning activity. She just sees it as fun. You’ve Been Sentenced is produced by McNell Designs. You can find more information on products from McNeill Designs on their website.

McNeill Designs also sent me the Wheel of Chore-ture and Twisted Fish. My daughter uses the Wheel of Chore-ture to determine what job she is going to do to earn money. This has become a big hit with the two of us. The Twisted Fish is a card game that is based on the classic Go Fish. The cards are colored and have different fish on them. There are also Zinger cards that allow you to do things like pull a card from another opponent’s hand and look at it or prevent a player from taking a card from you. I enjoy playing this game with my daughter and with the girls in her Girl Scout troop.

This giveaway is for a game pack consisting of 1 You’ve Been Sentenced, 1 Twisted Fish and 1 Wheel of Chore-ture. You must live in the US to enter. This giveaway begins February 23, 2010 and ends March 8, 2010.

Main Entry: Leave a comment telling me who you would give this to and why. (If this rule isn’t followed, no additional entries will count).

You can get extra entries by doing any or all of the below. Each entry needs to be a separate comment.

1 Extra Entry - Follow @taless on Twitter and leave your twitter id in a separate comment
* 1 Extra Entry - Twitter this giveaway and leave your twitter name in a separate comment (You can get up to one extra entry by tweeting each day and leaving a comment here each day.)
1 Extra Entry - Follow my blog and let me know in a separate comment
1 Extra Entry - Subscribe to my RSS feed via email and let me know in a separate comment
1 Extra Entry - Write a post on your blog linking to my blog, and let me know in a separate comment

Homeschooling an Autistic Child in the Community

Home schooling an autistic child can be challenging. You need to be parent, teacher, therapist and psychologist. You need to understand your child’s strengths and weaknesses. You need to be able to engage your child in the learning process, every day.

I have learned a few things that have helped me home school my son. He has limited fine motor skills and is nonverbal. He is also extremely stubborn, and there are days that I can not get him to sit at the table to work. His writing skills are slowly developing. He is slowly learning how to independently write letters and numbers.

Because there are a lot of things that my son needs help with, I arranged for a private speech and occupational therapist. Allowing them to work on communication and hand writing gives me more time to work on academics. I still work on the same issues that the therapists work on; however, I don’t have to spend as much time on them.

I use Boardmaker Plus, a software program that allows me to create intricate communication boards and use them on the computer with a touch screen. I created a series of interactive boards that my son accesses by touching the computer screen and selecting picture buttons. I have found this to be a key part of our school day. I use TapToTalk, a communication program that runs on the Nintendo DS, for basic communication. TapToTalk allows me to take school out of the home.

This is what has been the most important part of our home schooling. When my son decides that he will not do any work at home, I take school out of the home and into the community. I’m working on getting my son to independently point at things when asked. He prefers taking my hand and directing it to what he is selecting. He has responded well with using a stylus on the computer and on the Nintendo. However, I would like to se him use his finger to make selections.

At any store we go to, I can ask him to point out items by request. I can also have him find things in the store. This may not seem like academic learning to you, but the skills he learns during these activities are important life skills. Plus, the skills we work on in the community reiterate, or reinforce, what we do at home. If you take a walk up and down the aisles of K-Mart, you will see a lot of opportunities to use products at a store as a learning tool.

The toy aisle can be a hunt for animals (including dinosaurs), a treasure hunt for items that are determined by answering a question, or a lesson in math. The key is to turn whatever environment you are in, (a store, the park, a hiking path), into a learning environment. School does not have to occur only at a table. You can leave the house and continue your teaching in an environment that your child considers fun. Be creative, be adaptable, and always remember that you are only limited by what you determine are your limitations.

Hello Kitty Party Nintendo DS Game Review

I was sent the Hello Kitty Party Nintendo DS game to review and keep. I let my daughter play it for a couple of weeks, before I checked it out. She enjoyed it. The game is rated E for everyone. This is a great game for ages 5 - 7.

Game Description (from the Majesco Entertainment website)

More than 25 different easy-to-pick-up-and-play mini-games starring Hello Kitty and her Sanrio friends: Keroppi, Badtz-Maru, My Melody and more
Have a Party - Send out personalized invitations to any of Hello Kitty's friends.
Dress Making - Sew, iron, cut patterns, and play the button, maze or material hoopla games!
Go to the Shop - Pick items from your list and shop for your party.
Cooking - Satisfy your culinary appetite by cooking, slicing, frying, washing and even cleaning up, because every good party leaves a mess!
Party Time - Party down by dancing and playing spot the difference, the slide puzzle or the memory game.
Dress Up - Dress up Hello Kitty in a variety of outfits and accessories (including jewelry, hats and handbags) and then take photos that can be saved to your album.

I sat down and started to play this game with my daughter seated next to me, watching. Do you know the KISS policy? Keep It Simple Stupid. Well, I had a reminder of this while playing Hello Kitty. I would start playing an activity in the game and be stumped. The sewing activity, for example, I had no idea what I was supposed to do. My problem, I quickly found out, was that I was trying to make it complicated. My daughter took the game from me and showed me what I was supposed to do. “See, Mommy? This is how you do it. It’s easy.”

Yes, I was schooled by my daughter, and she was loving every minute of it. We sat together, playing the game. It was fun and entertaining for us both. This game teaches shape recognition, memorization, problem solving, and following directions. I recommend it as a fun activity and a learning tool for young children.

Learning with The Price is Right for the Nintendo DS

My son loves The Price is Right. He has been watching the show since he was a toddler. As he got older, he started noticing the games in the stores. He discovered the television game, the computer game and the Wii game. He would insist that I buy each one until he had a complete collection of The Price is Right game types.

He would try to play them, but they would be too difficult for him to pick up quickly. When I bought him the Nintendo DS to use for his TapToTalk, he kept trying to get me to buy the Nintendo DS version of The Price is Right. I made him wait until after Christmas.

As luck would have it, he was given two of The Price is Right games. They are two different versions, 2008 and 2010. I was relieved. Buying for my son at Christmas is difficult. When family members asked me what he wanted, I always included this game on the list. Because of this, he ended up with one from my husband’s side of the family and one from my side of the family.

I am pleased to announce that he can play it on the Nintendo DS. Both my husband and I take turns sitting with him and teaching him how to play the game. In a day and a half, he has picked up on lot. He prefers the newer version better. The pricing games are a little easier for him to do.

I am extremely proud of my son. It requires a lot of skills to play this game on the Nintendo DS. It works on his eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills. Improving his skills with the stylus and selecting pictures on the little screen will help improve his communication skills when using the TapToTalk on his Nintendo DS. It is also great to watch him having so much fun doing.

After Education

This morning I was having a discussion with my children about what my daughter's interests are after high school.  Her brother, who is already married and out of school, recommended that she have a back-up plan in case the direction she wants to take just doesn't work out.

That led me to wonder...what do the autistic children do after high school?  Are the parents having to use so much of their attention for the here-and-now that they can't afford the time to wonder about that before it comes?

Is learning for an autistic child a lifelong challenge, a never-ending education for both parents and child?  Are the autistic children ever able to live and function on their own, or must they live with their parents for life?  I'm sure there are those who must "graduate" into being able to care for themselves, right?

Actually, being a parent can be a full-time job even for parents who have children without autism.  But I'm sure it's even more of a challenge for those who struggle to conquer it, or even to learn to endure on a daily basis.

Once again, I'd love to hear your comments.  Please, educate and enlighten me.  Help me to understand.

Books For Homeschooling Your Child

Today I would like to review several books together. These are some really good books for home schooling your child. They are also good for expanding your child’s understanding of the world around him or her. I found these books to be entertaining and fun for both of my kids.

The first book is from Nomad Press. Explore Transportation! Was written by Marylou Morano Kjelle and illustrated by Bryan Stone. This book is from the same series as the Explore Winter! book that I recently reviewed. It contains projects, activities and experiments. This book covers just about every form of transportation you can think of. From rollers kating, walking, boating and driving, to planes, trains and camels, you will find them all in here.

This book is for ages 6 - 9 and most of the activities require only a small amount of supervision. It depends on your child’s abilities. My son requires more help than my daughter because of his lower level fine motor skills. When we are reading the book, his understanding is more advanced than my daughter. She is 6 and he is 10. My son is also an advanced reader. Surprisingly, I also learned some new things from this book. I am not mechanically inclined. When my husband starts to talk about cars, my eyes kinda glaze over. When he starts getting into what is under the hood, well, let’s just say I start thinking about anything else that will block it out. This book actually provides definitions of some common parts found under the hood in a way that I could easily understand.

The next book I want to mention is Living Planet, Uncovering the Wonders of the Natural World, from Tick Tock books and written by Paul Bennet and Barbara Taylor. This book is geared for children 9 - 12 years of age. It covers life in the oceans, deserts, rainforest, and polar regions. The photographs are beautiful. They really help hold a child’s attention while reading and helps them connect what they are reading to life.

Next is a series of books from Tick Tock Books. They are from the Little Science Stars collection: Backyard Bugs, Solar System, and Electricity. Backyard Bugs (written by Jenny Vaughan) and Solar System (Helen Orme) are for ages 5 - 7, while Electricity Clint Twist) is geared for ages 9 - 12. I enjoyed that these three books were easy to understand. The pictures helped illustrate what was being read and the questions at the end of the book were a great way to encourage critical thinking and reinforce the new concepts learned in the book.

All of these books were sent to me compliments or their publisher to consider for review on my site. I loved them all and am happy to have them to use while home schooling my son. My daughter and I have also enjoyed reading them together.

Story Time Felts for Christmas

I don't say much about my business on here, because that isn't what my blog is about. I have my little LearningFelt advertisement button on my sidebar and I have done one post about using felt boards with kids, but today I want to do a little more. Christmas is right around the corner and we are all looking for the right presents for our children.

With Story Time Felts, you can give your child a fun and creative learning toy that is interactive and can promote communication, learning skills, and imagination. If you are looking to make some money, you can also sign up to sell Story Time Felts products while the kits are on sale.

I started selling STF because of my son. The felt boards and figures are high quality, can be washed, and store easily. Currently, there are several Christmas themed felt board sets and figures on sale.
What’s On Sale in November?

Order early! Deadlines for Christmas regular ground are:
East Coast -- December 11
Mid West -- December 15
West Coast -- December 17
Product is shipped from Utah.



4207 Advent Calendar a $5 Savings!

Uncut $19.99, Pre-cut $22.99

Start your tradition of counting down the days until Christmas as Mary and Joseph take a step towards Bethlehem each day. There are also figures that can be used to tell the Christmas story. Set includes Velcro, 18” x 30” background and 9 figures.










4209 Christmas Tree Advent a $3 Savings!















Uncut $11.99, Pre-cut $14.99

Your children can count the days to Christmas as you decorate the house and tree. When the all the decorations are place, it’s Christmas! Set includes Velcro, 25 figures, background and literature explaining each symbol of Christmas.








4208 T’was the Night Before Christmas a $3 Savings!

Uncut $10.99, Pre-cut $14.99

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without telling this classic story! You can purchase it alone or with the Let’s Play House and use that background.









770647 Let’s Play House Deluxe a $12 Savings!




Wow! What a savings! You get the T’was the Night Before Christmas, plus the Let’s Play House, board, figures, and CD! Not only will you have a classic Christmas story, you will have hours of fun year round playing house! Board is 23” x 23”, over 80 figures and a CD that sings songs about safety and manners.



6317 It’s Christmas! Toggle a $5 Savings!

Uncut $17.99, Pre-cut $19.99

Perfect for keeping the little ones busy as they wait for Christmas day. Cozy up with this fun toggle and decorate the tree, hang stockings, make cookies, and dress Santa, all in felt.


I would love to welcome in seven new Consultants this month. The Story Time Felts Business Starter Kits will REMAIN ON SALE during the month of November 2009. Are you ready to join my team and help sell this imaginative and educational product to parents and teachers in your area? Contact me to sign up with one of the following Starter Kits while they are on sale!


Business Basics—SAVE $15

This kit contains are the literature and paper things you need to promote your business. The only felt that is included are samples of the thank you gifts. Business Basics is regularly $75 plus $10 shipping and tax.
This kit includes:

Activation Fee for a year

Customer Order Forms

Wish List

Consultant Order Forms

Consultant Applications

Catalogs

Postcard Invitations

Hostess Guides

Ask Me Why Brochures

Information Sleeves

Sample Door Hangers

Name Badge

Hostess Party Envelope

Information Cards

Consultant Manual

Planner (while quantities last)

Just Like Me Order Forms

Thanks You Gift Sample



Business Basics PLUS--SAVE $20

This kit contains the items from the Business Basics kit plus a few samples of product. The cost is regularly $110 uncut, $124 precut, $15 shipping plus tax.

Sm Tall Tales Board

Sm Paul Bunyan Story

Tall Tales CD

Classic Rhyme Toggle with Nursery Rhyme CD

ABC Train

Sample JLM Girl Doll

Sample Color My Own Girls Clothes

Hostess Community Helper Doll

Current Community Clothes



Starter Kit—SAVE $25

This kit and the Power Start Kits are the best buy for the money. The prices have not changed even when we had our price increase this spring. The Starter Kit includes everything that is in the Business Basics kit and these products:

Grandma’s Favorites CD

Down on the Farm Activity Book

Animal Tales

Pet Pals Toggle

The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly

Duffle Bag

STF Board Bag

LG Grandma’s Favorites

Finger Plays Fun with CD

Girl Clothes

Set of 5 Girl Dolls

The prices for the Starter Kit is regularly $175 uncut, $209 pre-cut, shipping$29.90 plus tax.



Power Start Kit—SAVE $30

This kit is even more extensive. It includes everything in the Business Basics kit, the Starter Kit and these products:

Toy Counter CD

Toy Counter Math Set

Wacky Learning Book

Prehistoric Pals

International Costumes

Birth of Jesus

File Case & 5 Velour Sheets

Dinosaur Set

The price is regularly $250 uncut, $318 pre-cut, shipping $45.10 plus tax.

Explore Winter Book Review

It’s the perfect time of year for this book review. It is titled Explore Winter, written by Maxine Anderson and illustrated by Alexis Frederick - Frost. The book is geared for children ages 6 - 9 or grades 1 - 4. I like getting books that combine learning by reading with learning by doing. This is one of those books.

If you are a homeschooler, this would be a good book to use with your young child. There are activities, projects and experiments for you to use using items from around your home. I like that more and more, authors are taking to doing this. When I have to go out and buy a lot of things to do activities in a book, it tends to put me off buying the book.

My favorite activity in this book is freezing distilled water. It is really cool. Explaining why water freezes or why it is cold in the winter and hot in the summer can be difficult for me. I was never a science person. This book helps me explain things in terms that my son will understand. It also gives us fun things to do to illustrate the concepts of winter.

Explore Winter is available in stores and costs $12.95. This book is one ia a series of children’s educational books. Others available are Great Civil War Projects You Can Build Yourself, Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself, and Explore Spring!

First Day Homeschooling My Autistic Son

Today has been interesting. It is our first day home schooling and both my son and I have some adjusting to do. I decided to play it by ear. I wanted to concentrate on his weakness with his writing skills by using his strengths in his academics.

My son is extremely intelligent. It is going to be challenging for me to keep him academically challenged. I was going to start him off with Pre-Algebra, but he wanted to go straight into Algebra. It has been a long time since I did Algebra. I may have to call on my husband to help me with it. Since he is already tutoring his mom and niece with their Algebra, it should be no problem for him to also tutor our son.

I set up the dry erase board on the table for us to work with. My son and I sat at the table and actually worked for thirty minutes straight with the Algebra. I was happy that he was able to stay on task with me for that long. I pushed him a little. When he started showing signs of wanting to stop, I made him continue for a few minutes longer.

We had to do hand over hand for the writing of each problem. I noticed that the more we did, the less assistance I had to give him to form the numbers on the board. I think that working everyday this way will improve his writing skills and am hoping to have him independently writing out his math problems in a couple of months. We’ll see.

I gave him a break and then we returned to the table for handwriting. I have a box of cards with words on them and used them to get him to write. Again, we had to do hand over hand. He has some letters that he can do himself, but there are still a lot that he isn’t sure about how to form. Again, I saw improvement the more we did.

After we did the words, I decided to work on his drawing skills. That was tough. He hated it. We used the dry erase board and worked on drawing simple pictures together. He whined and kept trying to get up, but I made him keep at it. All together, we only worked for about thirty minutes on the writing and drawing. The main point of this was that we actually did it in one sitting.

I am thrilled that I was able to get two sessions of thirty minute continuous work done today. Of course, I had to fit at least one more thing into today. We sat together and started reading from his Civics and Economics book. I was worried that this might be too advanced, but he enjoyed it. I was also able to sneak in some writing by doing a couple of suggested activities in the reading. He didn’t like it, but we got it done. This time, we only worked for ten minutes. He just seemed like he had reached his limit.

I would have liked to have spent more time doing school work today, but we did accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Tomorrow, my daughter has the day off because of Teacher Work day. I’ll use this as an opportunity to go to the library and to do a couple of craft projects.

My husband had joked around the other day that I could use his old communication folder to log what we did each day. It sounded like a joke, but I knew that he was really hoping that I would do it. He likes knowing what our boy is doing. I decided to do it. It will also serve as a good way to track our progress. All in all, I think that this is going to work out well. I really think I made the right decision by home schooling my son.

Books By Tara Help Autistic Children

Introducing…..Books By Tara!


Since you are reading this, your life has probably been touched (or more likely “profoundly changed”) by a child diagnosed with autism. Mine too! My introduction to autism came first as an Early Childhood/Special Ed. teacher before my youngest son, Jake, was even born. Shortly after Jake’s first birthday, he began showing all the tell-tale signs of autism. Eventually he was diagnosed on the severe end of the spectrum, and my journey which began with my students continued at an even deeper level with my son. Through this journey of connecting, learning, and celebrating; Books By Tara were created. Here’s how it happened in a nutshell.

The deceptively simple skills of being able to attend, learn, communicate, and function even at the most basic level can be very challenging for kids on the spectrum to acquire. Through the Son-Rise® Program I learned to stop fighting for my son’s attention and instead pay attention to it. What does he attend to? He frequently finds everyday details, ones that used to escape my attention, absolutely fascinating! Looking together at photos, illustrations, objects, etc. without pressuring Jake to interact often results in more interaction! Sometimes during these relaxed, connecting moments he breaks through his communication barriers and new words pop out! I feel like I’m winning the lottery!!! One of the first times this happened was looking at a photo of a child with a box on his head in Tana Hoban’s Is it Red? Is it Yellow? Is it Blue? Time after time we had studied this photo together silently, and I really had no idea exactly why Jake found it so interesting. Sometimes I’d comment briefly, “He has a box on his head, that’s so silly!” Jake would occasionally comment back in his usual simplistic, echolalic style “head” or “box”. Excited to have him say anything, I’d celebrate, “Exactly! There’s the box on his head!” and point to it telling him how great he was doing talking to me. Then I’d wait silently for his turn in the interaction. Imagine my surprise when he said super clearly, “Can’t see.” WOAH! He did it! He told me what he’d been thinking about!!! “You’re RIGHT, you brilliant boy! Way to tell me that! He can’t see with a box on his head!” Wow. An interesting photo can be a powerful interactive tool and language promoter if used in a fun, relaxed way. I wanted more.

After years of spending hours and hours scanning old magazines and calendars for just the right photos to make interactive books and games to use with Jake, I received a camera for my birthday. The first book by Tara was born - HOLES. Now I can get pictures to highlight those concepts and activities that most kids find fascinating such as WATER, going through the automatic Car Wash, and making a Jack-O-Lantern. Each book has 19 or more pages of interesting objects and scenes. Big 8X10 photos freeze-frame our fast-paced world to allow as much time and repetition needed to support those non-verbal connections as well as communication breakthroughs. The real life images make these books appropriate for any aged individual to enjoy them, hopefully with an adult who cares deeply and wants to connect at whatever level he/she is able. Interaction is a gift in which we can all learn from each other.

Currently there are 7 titles available, and many more are in the works. Please visit http://www.booksbytara.com/ to find out more. Here you will find testimonials and even more extensive reviews from both parents and professionals. You can also look inside some pages of an actual book. Articles regarding how to invite interaction in positive, effective ways are available to support those who are blessed to interact daily with someone on the autism spectrum. Don’t forget to sign up for the FUN, free eNewsletter for on-going information and updates!

I sincerely appreciate Tammy for this opportunity to introduce the books to you. Our children can be the most amazing teachers and sources of inspiration. Let www.BooksByTara.com bless you on your journey towards connecting, learning, and celebrating life with that special child. By supporting each other, we all learn and grow together. ~ Tara


Language development is more than words;
It starts with connections that can not be heard.
http://www.booksbytara.com/

Help Homeschooling My Autistic Son

It was obvious when I made the announcement at the last IEP meeting, that no one thought I could do this. No one thinks that my son is as intelligent as he is. They all believe that his weaknesses are a sign of his intelligence.

My son is just learning to write. I would say that he is at the beginning of Kindergarten with his writing skills. With the TapToTalk, he is now communicating independently. I believe that this will be a great asset for school work. I can set up a screen for multiple choices, A, B, C, D and E. Independently, he will be able to answer questions that are presented as multiple choice.

Math will be a little more difficult. We have to work really hard on improving the writing skills and, of course, his attention span needs to be increased. I know I am in for a lot of work and so is my son. The good thing is that my son and I are both willing to put in the hard work.



I do have a problem that I could use help with. I am trying to come up with his curriculum. I looked through the guidelines for 6th grade in NC. My son is fully capable of doing this curriculum, but he has so much that he was not taught in previous years. I would like to test him at the end of the year at the 6th grade level, but I am not sure I am being practical.

He needs to learn NC History and US History. I did cover 5th grade science with him the last time I homeschooled him, but that is all he has had. He is at the Pre-Algebra level for math, but I believe he has some things missing from basic math that he needs to learn (like shapes, measurements of them).

So, what should I do? I want to make sure he learns everything he needs to, but I need to be practical. I need to make sure he has the foundation that he is missing and still build on what he knows. I need to challenge him, while still working on improving his weaknesses. He is going to hate working on his writing skills everyday, but I need to take advantage of the fact that he is finally showing an interest in learning this important skill. On the other hand, I don't want to push him too hard and have him shut down on his writing.

Any advice?

iKnow and Marvelous Toy Review

I was sent Tom Paxton’s children’s book “The Marvelous Toy” and Take Pride Learning’s iKnow Animals, Letters & Sounds Beginning Reading System to review. I enjoy reviewing children’s educational items. Things have changed a lot since I was a child. There are a lot of really great educational products available now that I would have loved as a kid.


Let’s start with The Marvelous Toy, words and music by Tom Paxton and illustrated by Steve Cox. The book comes with a CD that is stored inside the back cover. There are four very nice children’s songs on the CD. The book is a cute story about how one special toy is handed down from father to son for two generations.

I enjoyed the illustrations. They are bright and engaging depictions of the story. I also liked that the author and illustrator both leave what the toy is to the child’s imagination. The words and pictures hint at what it is, but they don’t tell or show you. This gives you, the parent, the opportunity to engage your child’s imagination. This book captures the wonder a child feels when he discovers a very special toy.



The other item I reviewed was iKnow Animals, Letters & Sounds Beginning Reading System. This took me a while to review. It comes with one CD with music and three DVD’s. The DVD’s are approximately 80 minutes in length and are titled, Rain Forest, Africa and San Diego Zoo. They also sent me the iKnow Animals, Letters & Sounds card set.

I thought that the beginning of each DVD was good. I liked the way they started them off with a song and had the words of it on the screen. I enjoyed the combination of real photography and animation. I felt that these were a great way to teach children their Alphabet and animals. I also think that it is great for beginning readers.

The DVD’s cover a lot of animals and provide a lot of information about them. I did think that they could improve a little with the presentation. After the opening song, the rest of each DVD is very low key. I think that children would have a difficult time sitting through one DVD. I would recommend showing them to your child in 15 minute increments. My children liked the videos, but would lose interest quickly. They responded better with me only showing parts of them at a time.

I think this is a good learning system. The cards that come with them come in a box the size of regular playing cards. The pictures are really nice and I loved the raised letter feature on each card. The company has an area on their website that parents can go to for additional resources. It is called Parent Place and you can easily register for it by using your code on the booklet that comes with the DVD set.

Things you can find on the Parent Place include games and instructions to use with the cards, interactive play, and printables. Watching part of a DVD and then going online and doing an activity is a great way to reinforce what your child is learning. I recommend this for parents of children just learning their alphabet, beginning readers, and to teach about animals.

Multiplication Card Set Giveaway Closed

Butterfly Junction sent me their Multiplication Card Set to review. My son is too old for these (plus, I don’t think he would appreciate me giving him something geared towards girls) and my daughter is too young. So, here is some info from APRIL MRAZ CEO/Creative Director, Open Creative Group about the cards. I will say, that I think these cards are great and I will be saving my set for when my daughter is old enough.

“Dry erase flash cards with a sense of style” –DailyCandy Kids
“For the coolest girl in class, these write-n-wipe multiplication cards are not only beautiful but educational. What better way to get your ‘tween’ girl interested in math?” –LA Splash Magazine
"One of 'Five Fun Things to Do Today'” –About.com

Introducing a gotta-have math tool that’s actually getting kids excited about multiplication!

Remember learning your multiplication tables in school? Memorization of rote number charts nearly drove us mad, and you probably felt the same way when you were a kid. All we had were boring, “you-have-to-use-these” kinds of math tools. Not inspiring, “you-want-to-have-'em” tools that make you clamor for more.

Flash forward to the Butterfly Junction line of products, custom built for girls ages 7 to 12 and produced by a mom with a daughter who used to struggle with multiplication. The Multiplication Card Set is so fun, girls want to use it and even share with friends. The color and design virtually sing as they pop off the page. Seems everyone’s catching on—Butterfly Junction products have recently been heralded by Grandparent Times, DailyCandy Kids, and trendymommies.com.

If you’re looking for a way to make math cool, the Multiplication Card Set can help you do just that. A great gift for your daughter, granddaughter, or any girl learning her math facts. At just $15, we can’t think of a better value. A toy that you can finally feel good about buying, hooray!
The www.bflyjunction.com site also hosts some great learning music you can listen to for free—one song for each of the 12 multiplication table numbers. Check it out.

Multiplication Card Set, $15
This beautifully designed set of multiplication write 'n' wipe cards contains a full table on each card front with a key on the back. Also included is a progress card for tracking finish times. Dry erase markers wipe off with ease. Contained in a hip little tin, the card set is easy to store, fun to carry, and best of all, satisfyingly
educational. All pieces are reusable, making this gift a learning incentive that's also friendly to the earth.

Set contains:
– 12 write 'n' wipe multiplication cards
– 1 write 'n' wipe progress card
– 1 aluminum storage case

Available at www.bflyjunction.com or www.amazon.com

Now, for the giveaway. There will be two winners. Each winner will be given a set of multiplication cards. The giveaway will run from August 31, 2009 until September 13, 2009. The winners will be chosen by RandomGenerator, so please leave a separate comment for each entry. Also, if you are entering using the anonymous signature, please leave an email for me to contact you. Open to USA and Canada.

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit the bflyjunction.com site and name your favorite product for one entry

EXTRA ENTRIES: Leave a comment for each. You can do one or all. Each one is good for one extra entry.

~Become a friend of Butterfly Junction on Facebook

~Blog about this giveaway with a link to my blog and to www.bflyjunction.com

~Tweet the giveaway by copying this and pasting it into your tweet (leave your twitter id in the comment so that I can check. My id is @taless):
For girls 7-12: Two winners will score cool Multiplication Card Sets! Enter at http://bit.ly/4tjaf #butterflyjunction

Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect

Subscribe to my RSS feed via email


Make sure you leave an email! This assures that the correct winner gets the prize. I will delete entries that do not include an email.

Day 4 of Learning Autism

Today, I decided to do some research for those of us who do not understand autism. My favorite pasttime aside from my addiction to the computer is to read. For those of you who groan at the idea of reading, and I know you are out there (you poor souls), there are handy little devices called audio tapes which allow you to listen rather than strain your eyes and your patience on print.

I have not read these books myself, so please do not judge me or send me virtual rotten tomatoes. I am merely trying to assist and hopefully get someone started on an educational journey that will enrich their knowledge and understanding of autism. If you are not the parent or teacher of an autistic child, perhaps you are a relative or friend who could lend tremendous moral and emotional support by showing your interest in wanting to help.

Any comments or reviews on the books for today's list are welcome and could prove helpful. The list is as follows:

Learning as we Grow by Nicole Beurkens
Learning to Live with High Functioning Autism by Mike Stanton
Mindblindness: An Essay on Autism and Theory of Mind by Simon Baron Cohen
Understanding Autism for Dummies by Stephen Shore and Linda Rastelli
Understanding Autism by Susan M. Dodd
Disconnected Kids by Robert Melillo

If you have a book to add to the list, please send your suggestions. Any of the books listed above can be found online. A wonderful source that I always support is a nearby library. Sometimes the librarians are able to have the books borrowed from other libraries, so ask about the particulars of this process.