Good reads, good causes

Kayak Anna and the Palindrome Creek: A splashing eco-adventure for readers ages 9-13

This was book was recommended to me by a friend of a friend of the author.

The initiative was spurred by the author's time observing first hand the perils of the lack of clean water.

Sales of this book help provide clean, safe drinking water for children around the world.

Hear new music, learn more palindromes, find out how to start a clean stream project of your own at Kayakanna.org.

And while you are reading for fun and for a good cause, please visit Better World Books where you can get a great deal on books while funding literacy around the world and reduce your carbon footprint -- all at the same time. 

Hopes for Broken Glass and China -- an ode to Artisans

It was bound to happen.  You can't have small children in a house and precariously placed China without something happening.  Yes, one of my grandmother's unique China pieces tumbled to the floor.

In previous generations, the death of ones grandparents happened at a time when their great grandchildren were much older. (So China was likely much safer in earlier generations!) ..sigh... Another downside to delayed parenthood...not so much overlap in the generations.

Oddly enough, just the day before the "great break" I had been searching for someone to repair my grandparents' antique beveled mirror.

It suffered some stress fractures and broken pieces during it's transport out of their house.  We cannot blame the kids for that one!

I was extremely impressed with the artisans at Bruening Glass in Ohio. You can see all the steps involved in how they skillfully repaired this antique glass with tons of beveled pieces.

I was hoping to find something within driving distance -- It'll cost a fortune to ship this mirror. It weighs like a zillion tons.

I hadn't been through all the google search results for the mirror restoration before the "big break." So after the "big break" I came back to the search results and Svetlana's page was the first one I opened...

Learning to write Chinese

One of the great books we checked out at the library is The Pet Dragon by Christoph Niemann.

It's a really fun book that has a great story AND shows you how to write various Chinese characters.

See more Chinese language resources in an earlier post and anything from Grace Lin.

Try to stay on the outside!! One version of the emotion color wheel

This emotions color wheel has been really helpful for me this week as a mother of a child with a sensory modulation disorder. 

It's hard to keep track of when my child needs to get revved up with more sensory input or when he is on overload and needs respite from stimulation....

Parents reports of sensory kids' challenges affirmed in clinical studies

Just one of many studies objectively documenting what we as parents observe.  Details of this and other studies at the Star Center are also reported in Dr. Miller's book Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder


Abstract


Sensory-modulation disruption, electrodermal responses, and functional behaviors; Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (1999), 41:608-615 Mac Keith Press; Daniel N McIntosh PhD, Lucy Jane Miller PhD OTR, Vivian Shyu M, and Randi J Hagerman MD

It was hypothesized that children clinically identified with sensory-modulation disruptions (SMD) would have atypical physiological responses to sensation, and that such responses would predict parent-reported behavioral responses to sensation. Nineteen children with clinically identified disruptions,

Free K-12 Life Science lesson plans

One of the MSU grad students from the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology referred me to this K-12 Life Science project from Oregon State University.  Thanks, Shannon!

There are lesson plans here for a variety of ages on these topics below.  I was impressed how the lessons integrated multiple intelligences and multiple subjects in the science experiments.

Keeping kids on track with a visual "to do" list

Thanks so much to Nancy Peske over at SensorySmarts.com for another terrific newsletter with this great  resource.

This online "Make-a-Schedule" program from the great folks at Do2Learn allows you to create daily schedules with picture cards for our kids (okay, and some of us parents) that need some extra help staying on track with the activities of the day!

It's also great for calming anxieties about what is going to happen next, transitioning to a new activity or preparing for the dreaded medical visits. The cards for those are great...

If you see a broken old level....

Now I really want to scour the thrift stores and garage sales for a broken level.

It has to be broken or I wouldn't feel right doing this!

Check out this Level necklace from Instructables contributor Sunbanks. 

It's especially cute when adorned by the Instructables Robot.

This was cleverly inspired by...

The snowflake principle

I've recently started reading some down-to-earth useful and insightful blogs about personal finance. A topic I normally find painful at worse and boring at best.

But I've been enjoying reading a very interesting blog called The Simple Dollar, written by Trent, who likes to say he is a normal guy openly and honestly discussing money and is not a financial or frugality expert.

And he's a parent of a young child, so that makes him an expert in my book.

He is a talented writer and his work goes beyond the frugal living discussions and addresses some additional practical and reflective issues. There are tons of free resources here that seem really useful.

Turning plastic, paper, and household ingredients into bling and scholarships

Green jewelry ideas from Instructables.com.  These look like so much fun to try!!

Clove necklace and beads from instructables

Beads from wavy-cut paper from instructables

Jewelry charms from #6 plastic from instructables and expanded on at the dabbled blog

Faux pearl necklace from cornstarch clay from instructables

And if you really want to stick with the recycled theme, you can make your own jump rings from used paperclips!

The ultimate repurposing gig can be found at the Fool for Art silent auction.

The John Tyler Community College, employees of Chesterfield county, and area businesses and schools all join in the fun to create items that are made of at least 75% recycled material.

These items are then sold to raise funds for scholarship. The items range from simple to incredibly artistic.

One of my favorites was this adorable doll house made entirely of recycled materials.

Repurposing Clementine boxes

We're coming to some big hurdles in the organizing as we try to clean THE basement. 

It's a giant puzzle akin to the Rush Hour Traffic Jam game in which stacks of things need to be moved and shifted several times to get everything in the new location. 

Oh, where are you Clean Sweep team when I need you????

In the shuffle I'm encountering my odds and ends face to face, including my giant stash of clementine boxes. 

They are just too wonderful to throw away! 

So I needed to find a way to repurpose them and hopefully pass them on in their new reincarnation.

photo by www.re-nest.com

Here's what I found:

Easy, No Knead Crusty Bread from Mother Earth News

Moms in my area have been discussing how to make the transition to healthier eating (raw foods, non-processed food, sprouting, home made yogurt, etc.).

One suggestion was to make home made break and this recipe from Mother Earth News came highly recommended!  The secret to the crust is in the use of a Dutch Oven.

Slowing down for the kids....

Traffic Calming.  It's a big topic in our neighborhood right now. 

And it looks like many citizens are taking things into their own hands to solve traffic problems in this age of budget cuts.

In our post-war era neighborhood when cars were king everything was designed around the automobile.

We are realizing we need some immediate steps to slow down traffic in our neighborhood for the safety of our kids on bikes and on foot.

Thankfully there are huge efforts underway to promote the Complete Streets idea in which pedestrians, bicyclists, strollers, wheelchairs, and other modes of transportation are given the same importance as the mighty vehicle.

[And let me tell you...if you have a sensory challenged kid who cannot tolerate car rides or car seats and screams bloody murder with every car trip you will SOOO wish you lived in a walkable city!!!]

Here are some great ways to learn more about traffic calming -- the successes, challenges, pros, and cons to different approaches. See also the innovative approach of shared space conceived by traffic engineer Hans Monderman that has reduced traffic speeds by up to 50%.

Or really treat yourself to the tactile sensations of The New York City Street Design Manual.

It not only provides a beautiful overview of best practices in terms of street design, but it also does so on lucious paper if you purchase the print version instead of just downloading the pdf.

 

[Vintage Car Photo by AgnosticPreachersKid shared under Creative Commons License]

Some good reading for parents...especially with kids on the autism spectrum

Identifying Brain Differences In People With ADHD - Fascinating research profiled on NPR. It helps me to understand why my son craves "Monster Drinks" and can be so hyperfocused and so unfocused at the same time.  I just hope and pray that this kind of research grows exponentially so we can truly understand the underlying neurobiological causes for these challenging behaviors and create effective treatment, or at least empathy for the challenges our kids face.

When a Parent’s ‘I Love You’ Means ‘Do as I Say’ - Great article from NY Times explaining the importance of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE in parenting and how our society is promoting CONDITIONAL LOVE in parenting.  In many ways we are told to withhold our love or our very presence until our children "behave according to our wishes."  I find this behavioral strategy particularly noxious with children who have neurological challenges. When our kids are melting down and acting out it is really a cry for help, not abandonment. Thank goodness attachment parenting offers a totally different paradigm and has wonderful results associated with it...deeply bonded parents and children and kids who grow up confident and able to face challenges.

Get the future delivered to your doorstep!

It's amazing to see the amount of educational and university resources online. You can sign up for some great email updates.

Here are just a few more to add to the list:

Openculture.com - Claims to be "The best free cultural & educational media on the web"

Futurity.org - "Discover the Future from Leading ResearchUniversities - An online news source featuring the latest discoveries in science, engineering, the environment, health, and more from North America's leading research universities."

Academic Earth - "Free academic video courses from leading universities"

Free and low-cost resources for Unit Studies

Resources recently mentioned on my UU homeschool listserve:

Living Math! - offers resources for teaching math naturally and integrating math and history in the unit studies

Intelligo - offers thematic lessons that integrate math, science, language arts, etc. within the topic of interest

National Geographic Kids - Free games and activities and studies about people and places

Want to start a charter school in Michigan?

Want to start a charter school in Michigan?  You can find assistance here.

Want to find a charter school near you in Michigan? Look here.

Chinese Language Resources

Homeschool High School Students can enroll in Chinese classes, among other things, through Michigan Virtual High School, a division of Michigan Virtual School.

Michigan State University's Confucius Institute offers some free basic Chinese lessons and offers you a way to learn one new Chinese word or character a day!

Then of course there is the well-regarded Chinese Immersion pre-school through Lansing School District and Michigan State University as one of the Education for Global Citizenship Schools.

Free Civics Curriculum (middle and high school)

"Our Courts: 21st Century Civics is web-based education project designed to teach students civics and inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. Our Courts is the vision of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is concerned that students are not getting the information and tools they need for civic participation, and that civics teachers need better materials and support."


There are games, lessons, and activities for middle and high school students as well as resources and opportunities for teachers, lawyers, parents, and citizens.

Sports Skills Program for Children and Adults with Disabilities

Michigan State University offers this unique program that may be of interest to families dealing with sensory processing disorders.  Hopefully this resource is available to families near other public universities.

Sports Skills Program (SSP)

Overview. In the Sports Skills Program, MSU undergraduate students provide coaching and instruction in sports skills to children and adults with disabilities who reside in the greater Lansing area. SSP provides opportunities for: (a) MSU students to develop an appreciation of human ability and acquire teaching/coaching skills; (b) persons with disabilities to improve sports skills and physical fitness; and (c) MSU students and faculty to conduct research on physical activity and disability.