We want to say a HUGE thanks to the ladies from the Citrus County Health Department who came out yesterday and talked to us about the importance of eating healthy, brushing our teeth, getting enough sleep, and exercising. They had goodie bags for the kids and staff, and provided the center with a bin full of balls, frisbees, jump ropes, and more!
WOW WHAT A WEEK! Our kids and staff had so much fun, its no wonder wacky week has always been everyone's favorite! We wore silly socks, we had a crazy hair day, we tie dyed t-shirts, we had the best water day ever, we dressed up as our favorite characters, we had fun with face painting on two different days, and we made popsicles and smoothies for snack. Needless to say, we are exhausted!
Not only did we have fun playing and being silly, we learned a lot. One of the highlights of the week for many of us involved our new friend Tyler. You see, Tyler is not quite three years old, which makes him our youngest student, and he is Deaf. You may ask, why was this a highlight for our staff and so many of our students? It was a highlight because in just a few short days, we have made amazing breakthroughs in communication! You see, Tyler is just beginning to learn basic sign language, and with the exception of our afternoon teacher who was on vacation this week, no one at the center knows sign language. It was such a joy to see several of the older girls we have take him under their wing. They pulled out a sign language chart and begin learning some basics, they asked to watch a video we have at the center on sign language, and on Thursday, Tyler's occupational therapist joined us at story time and signed Brown Bear Brown Bear as Miss Karen read the story and put the characters on the felt board. Everyone worked very hard to in overcoming the communication barrier and help Tyler feel at home. The real magic happened on Thursday afternoon and Friday, On Thursday, as we were cleaning up from face painting, Tyler approached Megan, pointed at the paint and then at his face, letting Megan know he wanted his face painted. At this point, both of their faces lit up as they realized that they had broken the barrier they had been trying to overcome all week! Then on Friday, Tyler really opened up! He was pointing at stars on our bulletin board and signing their colors, he was letting us know, and we were able to understand, many of the things he wanted to do. Breaking this communication barrier was just an awesome experience for us all. We also learned a lot about many of our kids. During face painting, several of our students asked if they could help paint faces, and we learned that we have some genuinely talented artists. We learned how caring and helpful all our kids can be when someone with special needs comes into the center. We learned more than I have time to write about. No matter if we are playing, doing artwork, or leading other activities, we always try to include a lesson to be learned. I think its safe to say, that our children taught us as as much as we taught them this week. We shared a post a couple of weeks ago on our Facebook page about the benefits of instilling a love of nature in your children. Children who spend time in and appreciate the wonders of the natural world around them are smarter, more creative, and less distracted, which are just some of the reasons we think including lessons about and activities inspired by nature is so important. If you have not read the article we shared, you can read it by clicking here.
Our kids enjoyed looking at and identifying a variety of birds, lizards, bugs, and flowers through binoculars and a spotting scope during our "Nature Week" activities! The diversity of life that can be found in such a small space is simply amazing! |