Re: and Noble -- ideas?

February 20, 2007

Use mitten on their hands and ask them to write something (simulating fine motor skills)

Put weigths on them (weight vest) or a give them weights to hold to demonstrate low muscle tone.

Put cotton balls in their mouths to simulate the articulation challanges for DS. Check out free AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, millions of free high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and much more.

February 20, 2007

Just thinking out loud here, but maybe simulating how hard it is with weak muscles to learn how to walk. Or simulate how hard it is to talk with a bigger toungue/small mouth by having the kids put large marshmellows in their mouth and say the A B C's. Perhaps they would understand why people with downs sound the way they do. Perhaps you could make broken hearts out of red construction paper and punch holes for the kids to sew the two sides together with yarn to symbolize the heart problems that some people with down's have. Maybe explain celiac disease by showing how many foods have wheat in them.

Dinkins-Borkowski; Nolan(4) nocf, Phoebe(2) Ds & Cf

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and Noble -- ideas?

Hi! I am hoping some of you more "seasoned" parents can give me some very simple ideas. :)The and Noble is putting on their event tomorrow. As co-president of a newly formed group in our area, I will be there, but it is really a wonderful person from the ARC running the show. (Within Teagan getting ear tubes last week, and the other co-president being sick, it's a god send).One of the things the person from ARC normally does is "Empathy" excercises - things to give the kids an idea of what it is like to be different. She only has one she could thing of, but nothing else quite fits with down syndrome. She asked me if I had something I'd like to do, and I don't. Does anybody have any ideas of things to do with the kids? It's only an hour long - we will do an intro, talk about what it's like to have a disability, read a book or two (Paint the Octopus Red for one), I'll introduce Teagan and talk

about her, and another mom and her adult daughter will talk. then we'll answer questions.I am really not good at this kind of stuff - you might call me the reluctant co-president. I'm a great behind the scenes person. Anyway - the audience is kids... ThanksGailmom to Teagan, 3, and Shealyn, 16mos

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February 20, 2007

Probably too late for your program, but still something to think

about:

http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/focus/wrongmessage04.htmli

I think that the goal of any disability awareness program should

be to promote empathy, not pity. I attended a disability awareness event one

time, and the parent in charge..who meant well…did all of the picking up

pennies w/a sock on the hand, marshmallows in the mouth,,etc…yet also kept

making the statement, “kids w/Ds are more like other kids than they

are different”..but that isn’t what the activities were showing…I

think it is good to make the point that kids w/Ds may have problems with

speech, (for example)but most of the time, they understand what is said to

them. They like to have friends, just like other kids…they may play a

little differently, but they like to play, and like to be included…..they

have the same feelings as everyone else..stuff like that.

From:

Down Syndrome Treatment

[mailto:Down Syndrome Treatment ] On Behalf Of Gail

Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2007 8:29 PM

Down Syndrome Treatment

Subject: and Noble -- ideas?

Hi! I am hoping some of you more

" seasoned " parents can give me some

very simple ideas.

The and Noble is putting on their event tomorrow. As co-

president of a newly formed group in our area, I will be there, but

it is really a wonderful person from the ARC running the show.

(Within Teagan getting ear tubes last week, and the other co-

president being sick, it's a god send).

One of the things the person from ARC normally does is " Empathy "

excercises - things to give the kids an idea of what it is like to be

different. She only has one she could thing of, but nothing else

quite fits with down syndrome. She asked me if I had something I'd

like to do, and I don't. Does anybody have any ideas of things to do

with the kids?

It's only an hour long - we will do an intro, talk about what it's

like to have a disability, read a book or two (Paint the Octopus Red

for one), I'll introduce Teagan and talk about her, and another mom

and her adult daughter will talk. then we'll answer questions.

I am really not good at this kind of stuff - you might call me the

reluctant co-president. I'm a great behind the scenes person.

Anyway - the audience is kids...

Thanks

Gail

mom to Teagan, 3, and Shealyn, 16mos

February 21, 2007

I agree with Kathy. Kathie Snow, disabilityisnatural.com , says the same things and she has positive type material for presenting ideas. Her whole premis is disability IS natural/normal and we all could be disabled in the blink of an eye, and the majority of us will be disabled when frail and elderly. Some people expeerience temporary disability when injured, ill or even a difficult pregrency. Disability is part of the human experience and it does not define the person.

How to present that...... good question!

I guess I would focus on how people with DS are like typical people, rather then focus on the differences.

Have any talented kids in your group? Picture montages you could set up on an easel.. positive brochures about inlcuding people in the community including schools etc....

Carol in IL Mom to seven including , 6 with TOF, AVcanal, GERD, LS, Asthma, subglottal stenosis, and DS.My problem is not how I look. It's how you see me.

Join our Down Syndrome information group -

Down Syndrome Treatment/

Listen to oldest dd's music http://www.myspace.com/vennamusic

[DownSyndromeInfoEx change] and Noble -- ideas?

Hi! I am hoping some of you more "seasoned" parents can give me some very simple ideas. :)The and Noble is putting on their event tomorrow. As co-president of a newly formed group in our area, I will be there, but it is really a wonderful person from the ARC running the show. (Within Teagan getting ear tubes last week, and the other co-president being sick, it's a god send).One of the things the person from ARC normally does is "Empathy" excercises - things to give the kids an idea of what it is like to be different. She only has one she could thing of, but nothing else quite fits with down syndrome. She asked me if I had something I'd like to do, and I don't. Does anybody have any ideas of things to do with the kids? It's only an hour long - we will do an intro, talk about what it's like to have a disability, read a book or two (Paint the Octopus Red for one), I'll introduce Teagan and talk

about her, and another mom and her adult daughter will talk. then we'll answer questions.I am really not good at this kind of stuff - you might call me the reluctant co-president. I'm a great behind the scenes person. Anyway - the audience is kids... ThanksGailmom to Teagan, 3, and Shealyn, 16mos

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February 21, 2007

Depending on the age of the kids you could have them wear socks on their hands or mittens or a combination and then have them button a shirt, write their name, open a small piece of wrapped candy, etc...to simulate what it might be like for a person with Ds due to fine motor difficulties. I've also seen older kids stuff their pants and wear a heavy winter jacket and try to do gross motor activities like somersaults, cartwheels, etc...

Possibly use their non-dominate hand to do some writing, coloring....

Jill

and Noble -- ideas?

Hi! I am hoping some of you more "seasoned" parents can give me some very simple ideas. :)The and Noble is putting on their event tomorrow. As co-president of a newly formed group in our area, I will be there, but it is really a wonderful person from the ARC running the show. (Within Teagan getting ear tubes last week, and the other co-president being sick, it's a god send).One of the things the person from ARC normally does is "Empathy" excercises - things to give the kids an idea of what it is like to be different. She only has one she could thing of, but nothing else quite fits with down syndrome. She asked me if I had something I'd like to do, and I don't. Does anybody have any ideas of things to do with the kids? It's only an hour long - we will do an intro, talk about what it's like to have a disability, read a book or two (Paint the Octopus Red for one), I'll introduce Teagan and talk about her, and another mom and her adult daughter will talk. then we'll answer questions.I am really not good at this kind of stuff - you might call me the reluctant co-president. I'm a great behind the scenes person. Anyway - the audience is kids... ThanksGailmom to Teagan, 3, and Shealyn, 16mos

February 21, 2007

I agree 110%, but I also don't think appropriate simulations are wrong. Especially for older elementary/JH students who can also focus on the other things not just the "fun" simulations. We do a 9 week awareness unit in the 7th grade LA class. After weeks of discussing issues (history of the disability movement, people first language, specific disability issues, guest speakers with disabilities, panels of parents/siblings of kids with disabilities...) then we do some simulations. Many times the kids (7th graders) ask "I wonder what it would be like to ______?". The simulations we tell them are just that simulations...there is no way we can REALLY have them experience what it is like to have a specific disability. We also focus on empathy and never pity.