LaurenWelle.com

On TED.com there is a speaker whose talk was recently published with a focus on education of children.  His name is Sugata Mitra and he has devoted a greater part of his life to education research.

In 1999, he and his colleagues developed an experiment where children were left unsupervised and he noted how they were able to teach each other and others.  This was started in New Delhi and replicated in other parts of rural and urban India.

Of course we are not advocating that teachers be removed from the classroom but rather reflect on the marvel of kids and the some of the ways they are able to learn and teach others.  Quite thought provoking isn’t it?

 Please join us for a night of

shopping and fun

Friday, August 29th

8:30 - ?

 You will be treated to refreshments and a personal shopping experience after normal store hours.

 –  Please RSVP to poec@poec.org  –

 Fairfax Corner
11945 Grand Commons Avenue
Suite A
Fairfax, VA 22030
703-266-3448

 Portion of the proceeds to benefit Parents of Exceptional Children

http://www.poec.org

Summer is almost over! Are you looking for another camp? You still have time. The Young Athletes Sports Camp starts next weekend. The camp specializes in instructing children with special needs and their siblings, ages 3-7, in sports including soccer, basketball, baseball, bowling, putt putt and kickball. The camp also provides sensory activities including jumping on trampolines, ball pits and deep pressure techniques. The goal of the program is to provide an environment that accommodates the needs of the children and to provide a family centered approach. Parents are welcome to stay and cheer their children on or volunteer.

The camp meets on:

July 26th from 9-11

August 2nd from 9-11:45

August 9th from 9-11:45

August 16th from 9-11:45

August 23rd from 9-11:45

August 30th from 9-11:45

Place:
The Northern Virginia Training Center
9901 Braddock Rd
Fairfax, VA 22032-1941

Please contact:
Beth Frank at 703.359.4301 to register

Last week, my boyfriend approached me with what he said would be the perfect topic for a post on laurenwelle.com. He had read an article about autism in his favorite magazine, CPU, or Computer Power User. I know what you are thinking. Why in the world is there an article about autism in CPU? I opened the magazine and found an article titled “ZAC Gives Autistic Children Web Goodies”. It was finally starting to make sense. I quickly went online and read about this wonderful resource.

www.zacbrowser.com posts links that connect people to information regarding autism including research, facts and therapeutic approaches. Also provided is a forum for readers to share stories, real life experiences, offer advice, and discuss struggles and triumphs surrounding autism.

My favorite part of the site is the link to http://kidzcd.com, a web browser for kids. Children with autism and other related disorders can search the web in a safe and successful environment. Just download CD 1 for children ages 0-6 or CD 2 for children ages 7-12. The browser provides free web radio and TV, games, word processor and photo editor.

Be sure to check it out!

Many of you have asked me what your child is expected to know when entering Kindergarten. I have outlined some objectives in my post “Getting Ready for Kindergarten“. Below are some activities that you can do with your child to ensure success! Remember to pick activities that your child is able to do or is ready to undertake.

Cut and Paste:
In Kindergarten, your children will be completing cut and paste activities. Click here and check out:
ABC order (preschool)
Shapes (preschool)
Numerical order, numbers 1-10

Counting:
Your children will be counting objects up to 10, using one-to-one correspondence. For example, when the child sees the number 3, they can hand you 3 items.
Click here for dinosaur, fish and color counters.

Cutting Activities:
Click here for a house and a kite puzzle. Your child can work on cutting out the shapes and putting the objects together. They might have difficulty cutting out the smaller objects so make sure you help them if they need assistance.

Dot to Dot:
Dot to dot activities are beneficial for your children because they promote arm control and eye hand coordination. Click here for activities that work on connecting numbers 1-10. The spelling dot to dot might be too difficult.

Sewing Cards:
Click here and check out the template for the circle, heart, triangle or square. Put the shape on poster board and punch out the holes. Provide your child with a thick piece of yarn with tape on the end to practice sewing.

Matching:
Click here and go to the animal matching activity.

Sorting:
Click here for the flower activity which has children sort by color and size.