Fun Time On Break

 

Discussion of topics to build awareness, increase knowledge-base, and ultimately assist in conquering the challenges of being special parents of kids with special needs, such as those with autism or adhd.

    My baby and I had the best time over the holiday break.  I love being able to do productive things with him.  Although, I sometimes have to be careful that I'm not depriving him of a variety of activities because I'm simply afraid of accepting the challenges that come with having a child with special needs.  Yes, he requires more help to do things.  Yes, I may have more to clean up.  Yes, I may have to put more thought into planning appropriate activities.  But when I see him enjoying himself, learning something, strengthening his abilities, and building some confidence and self-esteem it is worth it for me to take on the challenges.  He was home with me for 2 weeks.

    First, I decided to have us make some simple bird feeders.  It was super easy to do.  All we needed was pinecones, string, peanut butter, bird seeds, a knife, a bowl, and scissors.  We went together to the trail near our local track to collect the pinecones.  Took only a few minutes to gather the sizes and number we wanted.  I purchased peanut butter and birdseeds for outdoor birdfeeders for around $5.  I already had some yarn, a bowl, and scissors at home.  I spread a huge plastic garbage bag onto the floor to catch any spillage; to minimize my clean up time 😉.  He did a great job during the activity.  He enjoyed it.  And he was really excited when he saw the birds feeding on the food we made for them.  I must say that I personally benefited from seeing the  birds lingering around our backyard bush.  Seeing their fabulous colors and energetic flittering was a mood booster for me.

    

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    Second, I decided that we would make some things from paper mache.  I already had lots of scrap paper on hand, flour, water, paint brushes, and glue.  I found other things lying around my house to make our "skeletons".  I only went to the store to buy more paint. It took more than one day to complete this project because we  had to let the paper mache dry and do the painting later.  My boy loved it.  So much better to have him engaged in a fun activity like this than watching tv.  Also, his favorite thing to do these days is bouncing around on our huge body ball.  So, this activity and the previous one were opportunities for him to turn his attention to something else.  

    Now, I made 3 of our objects.  I assisted him with one and the other he did all by himself.  I'm not sure what it is 😁.  We were trying for a cool insect, but I think it ended up just being an abstract art

piece.

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