Here comes Summer!!

                               

  Here Comes Summer!!!!

Summer means warm days, afternoons at the beach, swimming in the pool, outdoor play!!! And kids at home!

Living in San Diego gives us so many choices of outdoor activities during the summer! Many of those choices involve WATER! This month’s blog has a lot of ideas for fun, outdoor play, developing strength and balance, getting exercise to help the kids feel calm and good about themselves, water safety, learning about fish, and ALL of the activities involve water!!

Water can mean playing with Bubbles!

Bubbles delight all ages, interest kids, and encourage active exercise. Try popping, blowing, stomping, and chasing bubbles! Check out this month’s recipe for Making Your Own Bubble Solution. This is a good activity for learning to sequence, measuring, mixing, and taking turns. Then, look at this month’s craft for How to Make Your Own Bubble Wands! Wow… you can make HUGE bubbles!!

Water Play!

   

Warm summer days can be fun with simple water play…. Like painting with water, pouring water, and splashing in water!

 

Swim, Swim, Swim!

Being close to the beach and swimming pools in San Diego, we need to make certain our children are water-safe. When our children have developmental delays, autism, or other special needs, it can be a challenge to find safe and fun pools, and swimming lessons for those with special needs.

For a safe and fun pool for the kids, check out the GREAT public swimming pool at Miramar College in Mira Mesa! It’s called Ned Baumer Aquatic Center. In addition to the large pool, there are also two smaller pools with interactive children's play equipment and a water slide. Their phone number is (858) 538-8083.

Here are some great places for SWIM LESSONS:

·        Floaties Swim School, Poway, 877-277-7946, Special Needs Welcomed, warm indoor pool, salt purification system, www.floatiesswimschool.com

·        Noonan Family Swim School: www.noonanfamilyswimschool.com, 451-0794, 4S Ranch/RB, indoor pool, 92-94 degrees

·        Murray Callan Swim School, San Marcos, 760-744-7946, indoor 93 degrees

·        Aquasafe Swimming, Will come to your pool, www.aquasafeswimming.com, 619-531-8888

·        Aqua Pros Swim and Surf School, indoor heated pool, home pool lessons also, Special Needs Welcomed, programs for children with autism, 619-209-2990, www.aquapros.com. The Aqua Pros Swim School works closely with The San Diego Chapter of the Autism Society of America Pool Pals Program. They provide swim lessons and recreational activities to children and families in the autism community. At the Clairemont pool, they host monthly Pool Pal Pizza Parties sponsored by the San Diego ASA. Parties are held the second Friday of the month from 6 PM to 8 PM with lifeguard supervision. Call (858) 715-0678 Pool Pals is comprised of four programs for kids with autism:

• Pool PALS Swim Lessons

• Monthly Family Pool Parties

• Pool Party for Teens & Adults

• Surf Camp

What Lives in Water: Fish!

Take the kids to beautiful Birch Aquarium in La Jolla! Visit the Shark Reef, look at the wonderful fish in the Hall of Fish, and touch real animals in the Tide Pool! www.aquarium.ucsd.edu

Maybe it’s time to visit Sea World…. Whales, dolphins, seals, and splashes!

Time to Visit the Beach!

Low tides make it easy to see the animals that live in the ocean. There are tide pools in Point Loma, La Jolla, and Del Mar. Here are some of the best low tides in June…

6/1     12:50 pm                   6/5     4:02 pm                    6/13      11:32 am             6/2      1:37 pm                    6/10    8:55 am                    6/14      12:16 pm 6/3      2:25 pm                    6/11    9:49 am                    6/28      10:19 am 6/4      3:13 pm                    6/12    10:42 am                   6/29      11:22 am

         

               

Have a wonderful Summer!!

We hope your June is Water-Safe, Wet, Wild, and

FUN!

Prepared by Janet Buttermore, PT

In the Kitchen

May is exciting because we are starting to wind down the school year and begin preparing for the summer months just around the corner.  As school days are be fewer or shorter, we are able to do more daily activities with friends and family.  This often includes running errands, especially to the grocery store.  More time at home means more meals at home, and everyone can be involved!  Going to the grocery store can be lots of fun for the whole family.  This month we will provide tips on how to make grocery trips and time in the kitchen less stressful by getting the whole family involved in preparing and participating before, during, and after the meals.  Grocery shopping and cooking can be fun, educational, and therapeutic.

The Featured Therapist for May, Morgan Patton, M.A., CCC-SLP has put together a fantastic variety of activities, tips, handouts, and other materials to make going to the grocery store and preparing meals a wonderful learning opportunity. Morgan has highlighted the role her mother has played in her enjoyment of food and cooking, as tribute to Mother’s Day.  All of the activities and materials found on our pages work together to help create a fun and meaningful culinary experience for your children, from preparing the grocery list to enjoying your meal together as a family!

The Sensory/Social Story, “Mealtime With My Family”, helps to teach your child what to expect before, during, and after meal times. As we sure can’t forget the important women in our lives this Mother’s Day, the Craft of the Month features a homemade recipe card holder that can be given as a gift. This could possibly hold our Recipe of the Month, Gluten-Free Pancakes. All you moms out there may even wake up to a delicious gluten-free breakfast on Mother’s Day! (Hint, hint, dads, grandpa’s, and kids!!!) The Book Recommendations include a mixture of books about going to the grocery store, foods, and Mother’s Day.

The K.I.D.S. Therapy website has gotten a whole new look! Check out our website at www.kidstherapyassociates.com to view the brand new cite and find out more about what K.I.D.S Therapy Associates, Inc. has to offer. Also, don’t forget to take a look at the Special Events page to gather more information about the summer SPORTS CAMP that K.I.D.S. Therapy will be involved in this summer!

In the Garden

April is an exciting month in San Diego because everywhere you look plants are showing new growth. It is a fantastic time to head outside to help children develop sensory processing skills, language, and motor skills in the fresh spring air. This is why the theme for April’s blog is “In the garden.” The blog provides great ideas that families can enjoy together outdoors. 

This month's featured therapist, Lori Lester Brown, M.S., OTR/L,  has provided some fun ideas for how to use time in the garden (or a dixie cup full of soil) to engage your child in activities that promote growth and development. Lori has also provided some fun handouts (find them under Craft of the Month) that you and your children can do to improve motor skills as well as reflect on what you grew or found in the garden.  Make sure to take a good look at the excellent links Lori has provided for more resources your children are sure to love. Lori also wrote the Social Story of the Month, I Can Stand Up for Myself.

The Craft of the Month sets up a simple way for you and your family to learn about the process of planting a seed. Be sure to print out the visual support and sequencing photos. The delicious Recipe of the Month, Stuffed Zucchini with Brown Rice, Ground Beef, Red Pepper, and Basil, can use items from your personal garden or a local farmer’s market. Make it a fun family outing to spend the morning at the market or pick your own vegetables to prepare for the meal. Help your child make a shopping list of the ingredients needed before hand. Involve your child as you prepare the meal and talk about each step of the recipe. Make sure to allow your child to experience the ingredients through a variety of sensory inputs by smelling, feeling, and tasting each food. The Book Recommendations we have provided this month center around gardening as well as using fresh crops in the kitchen.

Be sure to take a look at the Special Events page to find out more information about the summer SPORTS CAMP that K.I.D.S. Therapy will be involved in this summer!

Getting Ready for Spring

Spring is almost here! Many people view this season as a time to starting thinking about spring cleaning and getting ready for the upcoming changes in weather and activities. Along with organizing your home or other areas, this is a great time to focus on sprucing up self-care skills. This month’s Getting Ready for Spring blog focuses on the importance of establishing self-grooming and self-care routines to support your children’s' daily life.  March 's Featured Therapist, Sarah Sibajene, M.A., OTR/L, has provided information  and tips about self-care and your child's development, including a number of handouts, templates, and directions about how to easily implement these skills and routines in your family's daily life. She has also given several fun ideas for kids of all ages about how to facilitate your child’s development in the areas of daily living skills, motor development, and more. 

This is a great time to focus on helping your family work on grooming skills and gaining independence. The Social Story of the Month, "Why Should I Get My Hair and Nails Cut?," teaches the importance of grooming as well as the skills and steps needed to complete these tasks. It also discusses strategies that can be implemented when kiddos feel worried or anxious about getting their hair or nails cut.

Take a look at our Craft of the Month and Recipe of the Month for fun activities that you can do with your children to work on sequencing and following directions through a multi-sensory approach. We have also made several Book Recommendations that can help your family learn all about spring as well as offer fun and educational ideas for experiencing spring through multiple modalities. We encourage you to view our Special Events page to view the schedule for Sensory Friendly Films, presented by AMC Theaters and The Autism Society. This month's showing is the LORAX! K.I.D.S. Therapy will also be participating in the 2012 San Diego Race for Autism. Take a look at the Special Events page for more information about this event.

Self-Regulation

During February, we often find our time and efforts centered around expressing how we feel about the people we love in our lives. This offers a great opportunity for children to learn about understanding and identifying emotions and developing self-regulation. Self-regulation is a term that refers to the child’s ability to focus his attention and control his behavior. Parents and families play an essential role in helping your child develop self-regulation. The close relationship you build with your child helps him to regulate his emotions and his actions.

February's blog focuses on expressing feelings and regulating emotions and actions. The social story of the month introduces the idea that our bodies are like engines, and can reach different levels of arousal. "My Body is Like an Engine" teaches the different levels of arousal (HIGH, JUST RIGHT, LOW) as well as some strategies for helping maintain a "just right" state.

Our Featured Therapist, Laureen Franklin, M.S., OTR/L, discusses the topic of sensory processing and self-regulation and how parents can help. She provided a few handouts about this topic and a poster about "Steps for Calming Down." We have also posted a template for making your own book about emotions. You and your child can create a "Feelings Book" to identify how different things make you feel and understand emotions better.

The book recommendations of the month focus on sensory processing and self-awareness as well as our favorite Valentine’s Day books. On our Craft of the Month page you will find a fun way to make your own heart basket to use this Valentine’s Day. Take a look at the Recipe of the Month page to find information about gluten-free and casein-free treats!

Happy Valentine’s Day from your friends at K.I.D.S. Therapy Associates, Inc!

Routines

This month's blog focuses on starting fresh this new year by implementing routines into your family's daily schedule. Establishing routines at an early age can help your child prepare for future success. Children crave routine and structure. Routines are repetitive, predictable, and stable, and often eliminate power struggles because the rules and expectations are clear and predictable. Some routines might be: morning routines, nap time, snack time, setting the table, story time, bedtime routines and holiday traditions. Setting up routines at home will help prepare your child for routines at daycare or school.


Check out all of our pages which provide great ideas for easily establishing routines into daily life using a variety of methods including visual schedules and social stories. We have provided easy breakfast recipes to get your kiddo's day started right, books about routines, and a fun and interactive craft. Don't forget to take a look at our "Special Events" page to view resources for finding activities and support in the San Diego community as well as stay updated with what is happening at our clinic.


This year we have started a new "Featured Therapist" page. Every month we will feature one of our occupational therapists, physical therapists, or speech-language pathologists. Take a look at the featured therapist's biography and picture to learn about his or her specialties, interests, and hobbies. Additionally, the featured therapist will write information and make handouts that will be posted on the "Therapist Tips" page.


We have also included a handout, prepared by one of our physicial therapists, about implementing fitness opportunities into your family's daily routine. Take a look at it on our "Therapist Tips" page. 


All of us at K.I.D.S. Therapy Associates, Inc. wish you and your family a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from K.I.D.S. Therapy Associates, Inc!

We hope you and your family are enjoying this wonderful time of year.

 

This month's pages contain information and ideas for supporting your child’s needs this holiday season. As mentioned in last month's blog, the best way to support success during this time of year is to take the time upfront to prepare. While it may take a little time initially, this preparation will be well worth it.

Take a look at the handouts developed by our occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and physical therapists on the Tips from Our Therapists page. These handouts offer ideas and strategies for helping your children develop and maintain their skills through fun and easy activities. 

Also, don't forget to check out November's "Tips from Our Therapists" page, as the strategies and tips remain very useful this month.

We also have a new Craft of the Month, Recipe of the Month, as well as Book Recommendations for December.

Don't forget that our clinic will be closed from December 19th-January 2nd!

We will miss all of your families and will see you in the New Year! Best wishes!