September is a time of transition


September is a transitional month. Almost Fall, but not quite. Temps are changing, but not quite. Colors are starting to turn, but not quite. Kids are back in school, but – well, you know.

Labor Day is early this year. As we celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of workers in America and how they helped make our country strong and successful, let’s remind our kids that every job- big or small-carries pride and value. A professor once instructed our class of would be teachers that the two most important people in any school are the custodian and the cook. A shopping trip in Peoria will find many of our students working. Restaurants, pet shelters, car wash, housekeeping, volunteers-all necessary and viable jobs where we will find special needs adults contributing to their community. Celebrate all workers!

Maybe I’m the only one old enough to remember square dancing being taught in PE class, but September is National Square Dance month. What a fun way to get kids up and moving to a different kind of music. Add a couple bales of hay, some fresh picked apples and a homemade scarecrow and you have two weeks worth of activities.

Don’t forget that Grandparent’s day is September 10. Thank Jimmy Carter for that. First Sunday after Labor Day for those of us who never are sure whether our calendar is right or Hallmark.

I came across a different art activity involving rice. Using ziplock baggies add 4 or 5 drops of food coloring to a teaspoon of alcohol. Then add one cup of uncooked rice and shake it until the color is evenly distributed. Spread out the rice on a cookie sheet to let it dry (or outside in the sun if it isn’t windy). Use the different colored rice to make a picture by gluing it to paper.

Lastly we celebrate Deaf Awareness this month. Try a couple games that require visual skills only. Twister, charades, matching games. Practice your signing skills by letting a student show you how.

November: Opportunities to Celebrate


Welcome November! A busy month with so many opportunities to celebrate. Remember this is the month that our time changes- the only time during the year when we get to live the same hour twice. Make that hour count.

Veterans Day and voting are opportunities to include the whole family in a project. Provide pictures of service men and women while you and your family put together a care package to be sent to our troops. A note, a picture to say thank you for their bravery and service is one way to start our season of Thanksgiving.

If you would like to introduce your students to the idea of voting, some simple ideas to do at home work very well. Make a ballot box out of an old shoe box. Use index cards as ballots. You can vote on who does what chore, where to eat, what’s for dessert, a favorite song. All good ways to include vocabulary words that can be reused month after month.

As Thanksgiving gets closer and you start your meal planning, remember to involve your students in this process. Make a menu in which your child can participate. Whether it’s words or pictures ( remember canned and boxed food labels provide good pictures) it’s a great way to increase sight vocabulary. Practice setting the table- even if it’s only adding the napkins, counting can be part of the process. Kids can be responsible for making place cards by adding stickers or pictures to an index card. If your child can participate in food preparation, nothing is better than measuring, and following step by step directions. Pumpkin spice instant pudding is easy and seasonally appropriate. Allowing them to take potatoes from boiled to mashed is a fun activity and an easy way to involve them in the meal. An old hand-masher is a great way to start.

If your family offers prayers at dinner time, remember to include the service men and women that you made the care package for and tie your month long activities together.

The library has many Thanksgiving books for kids. After your meal is over, before everyone finds a TV to watch football, take a few minutes to read a book aloud at the table. A nice way to end your time together.