Friday, December 21, 2012

For the New Year...

it would be great if parents could either send in or email pictures of things your child did over vacation...we would love to have these as "conversation starters" to use in January!  You can email the photos to your child's teacher.

jknowles@mtsd-vt.org
cpremsagar@mtsd-vt.org
shenson@mtsd-vt.org
dkinaman@mtsd-vt.org
cwilley@mtsd-vt.org


Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!!! See you all next year!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Fun Memory Game made from wrapping paper



This activity has been VERY popular this week in preschool.  Many thanks to Sarah Metcalf for making us 2 sets of beautiful cards!    Here is how to try it at home.


To make a DIY Memory Game
1.Cut the gift wrap into twelve squares of equal size. Mine were 6cm (approx 2.5 inches) square but you can adjust the size according to the size of the scraps of paper that you are using. The number of squares that you make will also depend on how much paper you have,  the age of your child and how challenging you want the game to be (the more squares that are used, the more challenging the game becomes). There needs to be an equal number of squares and there needs to be a pair of each picture/pattern. You don’t need lots of different rolls of paper to make this game. Be creative and look closely at the pattern on the wrapping paper. If your gift wrap contains lots of different design elements, you can make several pairs of cards all from the same roll of paper.
2. Cut an equal number of squares from the cardboard.
3. Glue the squares of gift wrap to the cardboard squares.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

From The Autism Discussion Page on Facebook

by Bill Nason

How can a little child make everyone feel so incompetent!

In all my years in the helping profession I have never seen emotions so intense as I experience when helping children’s and families on the spectrum. Whether it be fighting among parents and caregivers, battling between families and schools, struggles with professionals, or battles with government agencies and insurance providers, the ...
frustrations for all parties become strong and emotions high.. People point fingers, throw names and accusations around, and threaten action against each other.

What I realized quiet early, is nothing makes parents, professionals, and teachers feel more incompetent than a challenging child with autism. These children often do not respond as favorably to the typical parenting, teaching, and treatment strategies that work so well with other children. Their behaviors are so often difficult to read, and their needs are often hidden and inconsistent. They process information differently than us, so their judgment and reasoning does not match ours. They respond well to one strategy this week, to fight against it the next. Just when they begin to show progress, they suddenly regress and fall backwards. They can be excited with glee one minute, and screaming for their life the next. They can be so unpredictable, that the best of minds become flustered in confusion. Nothing makes us adults feel more vulnerable than (1) not being in control, (2) not knowing what to do, and (3) having others demanding that we change.

Whether it be parents who feel the stares, the negative comments, and accusations that the child’s behavior is the result of their poor parenting, or the teacher who has to somehow provide strong individual accommodations for one child, while trying to meet the needs of the total classroom (especially when no one may know what the problems are), or the professional who exhausts all the common therapy tricks in their tool boxes, we all have to admit, that no one can make us feel more vulnerable and inadequate than children on the spectrum. They are so consistently inconsistent, and fluctuate from what they need from one minute to the next. We all have a great need to feel “safe, accepted, and competent”, and the challenging child on the spectrum threatens that need all the time.

The principle often spoken by Dr. Ross Greene, that all children “do the best that they can, given the demands that they are under, and their ability to effectively deal with them” applies to all of us. If someone (parent, teacher, professional) is frustrated, angry, and acting inappropriately, we should immediately assume that they do not feel competent in dealing with the demands they are currently dealing with. Just like we do not want everyone to do with our children (demand, scold, punish), we do with each other. We demand, direct, and pressure others into doing something that they do not know how to provide. They feel inadequate and threaten, then they fight back (just like our children). This is a natural reaction as human beings, rather they be adults or children, on or off the spectrum. When we are faced with uncertainty and anxiety, we feel vulnerable and want to escape and avoid. When pressured, our “fight or flight” response kicks in and emotions fly.

We all need to remember that this vulnerability effects all of us, and we need to take a deep breath, assume that others are feeling just as frustrated and inadequate as us, and validate and support each other. Focus on what each other is doing right, and foster our strengths. Find a common ground and facilitate the positive. Understand and validate, before we demand change. Acknowledge that we do not have the answers, and that is ok! If we collaborate together in understanding the child, we will eventually find the path to help. Assume that the journey will be filled with hills and valleys, triumphs and backslides, and that no matter how competent you are, they can always bring you to your knees. This is the life of children on the spectrum, as well as for all of us that love them so much. Let’s look behind all the negative actions to understand the vulnerabilities in all of us. In order for us to effectively collaborate we need to be working partners with each other.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Early Ed is Diving into 2013 with drinking water at snack!


  • We will fill the small Early Ed pitchers with water at each snack.
  • This change is inspired by:
  • 1. When we and our children drink juice our bodies are receiving lots of sugar without the fiber in the fruit itself to limit the sugars' absorption (Robert Lustig MD).
  • 2. Drinking water helps flush out illness and helps keep our bodies be healthy.
  • 3. Vermont Early Learning Standards
  • VIII Physical Health and Development
  • 5. Healthy Habits - Children begin to understand how daily activity and healthy behavior promote overall personal healthy and safety.
  • d. Children begin to understand that some foods have more nutritional value than others.
  • on a lighter note, as our kids are learning and growing at each snack, juice is spilled at least once by overshooting when pouring, pouring too much, squeezing the juice box too hard when putting in the straw or drinking, accidentally knocking over the juice..... spilled juice is sticky! :) Water is not!
  • From now on when it is your child's day to bring in snack they will only need to bring in a snack to eat (we will provide the beverage…good old H2O!)
Three Cheers for Water !

SHOES SHOES SHOES

PLEASE send your child with indoor shoes to wear at school! 

Monday, December 10, 2012

Please Read...Important Proposed Rule Changes for Special Education

Vermont Families who have children who are recieving or did recieve early intervention...there is a proposed rule change that could impact future services for children (highlighted in red)...please read and respond via email to the appropriate parties so your voices can be heard.
Proposed Special Education Rule Changes: Parent Comments Needed! Deadline is January 8, 2013The Vermont Department of Education (VTDOE) is currently collecting comments on proposed changes to the Vermont special education rules for children birth to 21 years old. Parent feedback is critical in this process. We would like to highlight two significant proposed changes.
The first change will affect students ages 6-21. The current rule states that a school shall complete an initial evaluation for special education within 60 calendar days. The proposed change states that schools shall complete an initial evaluation within 45 school days. This change would particularly impact students referred for evaluations late in the year (close to summer break) and during the holidays. School vacations, weekends, and summer break would no longer be included in the count of days used to complete evaluations; only official school days would be counted in the 45 days.
The other proposed change includes a new requirement stating that children transitioning out of Early Intervention at age 3 meet a 25% delay to qualify for special education services. Currently children who have received Early Intervention services automatically qualify for special education services when they transition out of Early Intervention at age three. This is a significant change.
The Vermont Department of Education will be collecting comments on these and other important proposed changes until January 8, 2013. To submit a written comment you can email sharon.welch@state.vt.us. For more information on the proposed changes, click here. There will also be two forums held to collect public comments on the proposed changes: Wednesday, 12/12/12 Public Hearing: South Burlington High School Time: 6-7 pm Thursday, 12/13/12 Public Hearing: Rutland City SU Time: 6-7 pm.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Holiday Gift Ideas for Preschool Children


Need excellent ideas for Christmas to give your child?

Consider:

Toys to build imagination such as:

  • Blocks
  • Art materials
  • Toy dishes
  • Figurines and dolls with accessories. See attached article link.
  • Dress up clothes. Very popular items in the dress up area are pieces of fabric. Choose shiny, sequins, fleece, etc. Fabric that doesn't ravel won't need any sewing!
Things to build fine motor skills:

  • Playdough
  • Tongs and small toys to sort
  • Scissors
  • Puzzles
  • Magnet toys
  • Legos, manipulatives that snap together, Velcro together or click together and are a little tricky to separate.
Books:

  • Predictable stories
  • Non fiction
  • Wordless books where you and your child can tell the story.
  • Books with concepts about color, shapes, new vocabulary
Things to spend time together doing: 
  • Board Games
  • Certificates for a scavengar hunt, a game of hide and seek, a date to build blanket forts in the living room, a special trip to the library or lunch dates. 
 





Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Yummy Recipe from a parent!

Amish Raisin Bars
Servings: Serves 24 Makes 2 Dozen Bars
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 34 minutes
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup citric juice (such as orange)
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 Tbsp. Butter, unsalted, softened and cut into 1 Tbsp size pieces
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup Light brown sugar packed
directions:
1. Start preparing the filling. Mix the raisins and orange juice in a medium bowl, making sure the raisins are submerged, and set aside until raisins soften, about 30 minutes.
2. While the raisins soak, prepare the crust. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with vegetable cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Use an electric mixer on low speed to mix, about 5 seconds. With the mixer on low add 1 cup of the butter one piece at a time and then the vanilla. Continue mixing on low until the mixture resembles damp sand, about 2 minutes.
4. Pour about two-thirds of the mixture evenly into the prepared pan and firmlypress it into a compact, even layer. Bake until golden around the edges, about 20minutes. While the crust bakes, add the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter and the brownsugar to the remaining oats mixture. Mix on low until damp clumps form, about 1 to 2 minutes; set aside.
5. Once raisins have softened, drain the orange juice into a medium saucepan andset raisins aside. Whisk in the cornstarch, sugar, and salt until smooth. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly until thickened, about 3 to 4minutes. Mix in the raisins and lemon juice, and remove from heat.
6. When crust is ready, pour the raisin filling onto the hot crust and spread it evenly over the surface. Sprinkle reserved topping mixture evenly over the filling, forming it into rough pea-sized clumps. Return pan to the oven and bake until topping is a deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool pan on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. When cool, run a sharp knife aroundthe outer edges of the pan, then cut into 24 squares and serve. Store leftover bars in an airtight container up to 4 days, or freeze.
Source: Hannaford fresh Magazine, July - August 2011

Thanks Wendy Marchessault

Monday, November 26, 2012

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Pizza Pizza

Hello Families,

Next week we will be making pizza for snack!  This is a fun activity for you to also do a home with your little ones! Stretching the dough is a fun sensory activity.  Deciding on which toppings and talking about the different smells and tastes provide great language modeling.  There is room for conversation about colors, patterns and plenty of opportunity for counting!  Pizza as an educational experience...who knew!  You could even go all out and make one that looks like this!



We will be reading several books about pizza including Pete's A Pizza and Hi Pizza Man, which is a very silly and fun book!



Happy Pizza Making!

Monday, November 5, 2012

The Importance of Early Intervention

This wonderful essay was written by a parent in our program.  If you would like more information about services for children ages 0-3 in our community please contact Jennifer Knowles at jknowles@mtsd-vt.org or call 802-316-6181.  If you would like more information about special education services for children ages 3-5 please contact your child's teacher.  Thank you!  And Thank You to Nell for sharing her story.


Why Early Intervention is so Important!
By: Nell Solleder, a parent of a special needs child.

Long ago, when I was in school back in the 1980’s, exceptional children had their own classroom. From what I remember, these children were not integrated into the general classroom setting. I never had the opportunity to learn about the many disabilities and disorders in my community. Let alone, have the opportunity to socialize and become friends with children who have special needs. They were separated into their own classrooms and had their own recess schedules. Looking back, these children were excluded from the general education classroom setting and I believe this may be one of the reasons why “labeling” children with disabilities could have a stigmatizing affect upon today’s parents. Children back then were also not as accepting as children are today.
In today’s world, so much has changed with the Individuals with Disabilities ACT. Special needs children are entitled to an “inclusive” and “least restrictive” education in the general classroom setting. Today, with special needs children being included, all the children in the general education setting have the opportunity to be exposed to the diversity of our society. They all have the opportunity to interact and learn about each other. I believe that “inclusive” education will someday minimize the negative stigma associated with “labeling” children for disabilities. Times were much different 30 years ago.
As a mother of a 3 year old child who is on the Autism Spectrum, I had the opportunity to experience Early Intervention first hand. Early Intervention has taught me, as a parent of a special needs child, how to communicate with my son with various communication methods like sign language and PECS. I have learned how to manage various behavioral issues related to the lack of communication and the autism spectrum disorder. I certainly have learned a lot about my son’s disability through Early Intervention program and the resources they provided. I have seen remarkable results with this amazing journey with my son. The fantastic Early Intervention team and my son have inspired me to go back to college to become an Early Childhood Special Education teacher. This is how strongly I feel about Early Intervention. I am a believer and I have witnessed amazing results. It’s very rewarding to see a child overcome their challenges.
When my son was first diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, there was a possibility that he might not speak. He had only two words in his vocabulary at the of 18 months. Many people even told me to wait and not worry about this (boy am I glad that I never took this advice). I strongly believe that our lives would be very different if Early Intervention was never introduced to my son. My son’s vocabulary and communication would be very limited, there would be no understanding, there would be a lot of frustration and many tantrums. I wouldn’t even know how to manage my son’s behaviors or how to communicate with my son! This would be a very stressful for our family. My son would also be very behind in his knowledge and skills by the time he would start Kindergarten. This would be a huge setback for him! Not only would he have to learn all the new education associated with kindergarten, he would also have to learn all the skills and vocabulary to help him communicate and function in Kindergarten. There would be a lot of catching up to do.
Ages 0-3 is a critical time for cognitive development in a child (and is also a very crucial period for Early Intervention). Cognitive development slows down as the child gets older and it becomes more challenging for a child to acquire new skills and knowledge. Especially when they are behind! To all the parents out there, if you choose to not have Early Intervention services provided for your child due to the fear of labeling, think about the challenges your child will encounter as they grow older. Imagine what life will be like for your child when they are behind in skills, cognitive development, and language. It will be a much more difficult road ahead for your child and your family.
Early Intervention will provide services and resources to help you with issues related to the disability. Early Intervention will provide the education your child needs to help with their disability and help them be more successful in school. With the fantastic help of our early intervention team, my son has certainly come along way. He has gone from saying 2 words to speaking in descriptive and complete sentences! My worries of him not speaking are long gone. Research has proven that early intervention can help reduce the symptoms of the disability. There is even a possibility that the symptoms may completely go away depending on the severity. Early Intervention will help your child become caught up on their fine and gross motor skills, cognitive development, and language. Your child will be ready to start kindergarten and will have a better chance of succeeding in school. With general education being inclusive, children today are a lot more accepting of others than children who went to school over 30 years ago. Set the labels aside and do what’s best for your child, It’s your child’s future. Early intervention is a great approach to help your child with their disability or disorder, and gives your child the opportunity they deserve to succeed in school.

Exploring Sounds and Lights




This week in preschool we are exploring lights and sounds!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Our totally cute monsters!

These will be coming home next week!  Thanks to everyone who donated toilet paper rolls!  We love recycled art!

Monday, October 29, 2012

PLAYDOUGH!

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup water
2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
food coloring
Instructions
Mix together all the ingredients, except the food coloring, in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook over low/medium heat, stirring. Once it begins to thicken, add the food coloring. Continue stirring until the mixture is much thicker and begins to gather around the spoon. Remove the dough onto wax paper or a plate to cool.

Updates!

*Monster week in Preschool this week.  We will be reading books, singing songs and doing projects related to friendly monsters!  Some of our favorite books include "Go Away Big Green Monster", "Leonardo the Terrible Monster" and "Sad Monster, Glad Monster".  We have bins of monster books to read this week.  We will also be making Monster Mobiles, thanks to all who donated toilet paper tubes...they are going to be cute little monsters to hang in your house!

*Parent Teacher conferences will be the week of November 19th, stay tuned for a sign up sheet!

*The Scholastic Book Fair is in the library this week, stop by and visit!

*We are still in need of volunteers to help make playdough...this is a fun activity for you and your child to do together, let your child's teacher know if you are interested in this very important job! 

*The teachers have been creating Documentation of children hard at work in school.  These will be displayed  in the hall outside of the classroom.

*A very long newsletter is in the works...keep an eye out for it!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Fire Trucks!

Check out our fun Fire Truck collages!

Welcome to our BLOG!

Hello and welcome to the Milton Early Education Program blog!  This blog will be replacing the updates on the official school website, since we are able to edit it quickly and share information with you in a very timely manner!  Please let us know what you think!