Yoga for Kids (and adults, too!)

I’ll have another post up soon about all of the components that we’re using for our afterschooling program, and today I wanted to share another part of it. Sweet B does receive adapted physical education time as a part of her IEP. They have a nice gym at her school with adaptive equipment available. She also goes bowling on the weekends and will soon start taking part in swimming lessons. One of the other ways we get our physical activity and gross motor play in, is by adding in a board game to our afterschooling routine. But this isn’t just your average board game- this one promotes yoga for kids (and adults, too!).

Using a Weighted Sash

We’re going to be starting afterschooling with Sweet B in November. I realize that it’s already two full months into the school year, but I needed to have all of the components ready or at least close to ready. Sometimes we’ll use printable packs (both from fabulous bloggers and made by myself specifically for our focus lesson), sometimes we’ll use board games, sometimes we’ll use crafts, and sometimes we’ll use our All About Reading. I want to mix it up for her, so that it’s not the same thing every day. Right now, I  wanted to talk about one of the necessary components for afterschooling or at least for Sweet B. [Tweet “We love our weighted sash from @FunandFunction! “] Since she was little, she’s…

Autism and Afterschooling

Because of her disability, and learning level, Sweet B doesn’t have homework. That’s not to say that she isn’t learning at home, but it wasn’t really structured. That was something I wanted to change, but I was kind of at a loss with where to start. That was until I treated it like an IEP meeting and developed some goals and how those goals would be reached. I understand, also, that I need to be flexible with this- especially in the beginning. It’s a change in routine for her, though once we’ve found something that works, I’m sure Sweet B will flourish. Autism and Afterschooling: The ‘IEP’ First, I had to create a set of goals, similar to what would happen if this were Sweet…

Autism Friendly Halloween

Halloween- one day of the year that it’s acceptable to dress in costume and go out in public. And, if you were like me as a kid, to sneak your treat bag (or pillow case full of candy) into your room and over-indulge in sweets. My parents didn’t let me have a lot of candy on a normal basis, so Halloween was definitely a treat for me. I would regret it later though because it was quite the shock to my poor system. But, Halloween isn’t always fun and games for everyone. For children with autism and related disabilities, Halloween can be downright miserable. So how can you have an autism friendly Halloween? Well, here’s some advice from myself and other moms of children with…