Featured Archives - Page 159 of 161

Engineering and the Senses

February 2, 2015 By Carissa Garabedian

Most of us have great childhood memories of making gooey mud pies, having friends and siblings bury us in the warm sand at the beach, squishing jello through our fingers instead of eating it, and smearing soapy bubbles all over our face during bath time for the facial hair effect. Not all children have those memories, and if they do, they are not always pleasant. Autistic children often struggle with sensory issues, the sense of touch being just one of those that can be a struggle in everyday life.
As teachers, we try to teach students by engaging as many of their senses as possible. For autistic children that can sometimes mean having rough day in school. Ironically, one of the ways to help a child work through that is by exposing them to areas that are challenging to them. This April, for Autism Awareness Month, Engineering For Kids Central VA will be hosting an event for autistic children and their parents to provide an opportunity for kids to experience engineering through their senses.
Our goal, for this and future events, is to provide parents with an opportunity to meet with each other for support and networking and offer autistic children a time to learn about engineering, make new friends, and continue to work on sensory areas they may struggle with. Activities may include chemical engineering, where they will make solutions and mixtures, mechanical engineering where they will build toys and roller coasters, as well as robotics.
Please check our website for the upcoming date and time in April!
Dara Dawson and Sara Butler are the owners of Engineering For Kids of Central VA. They began their business two years ago after nearly 20 years of classroom teaching.

Birthday Poem For Our Son

January 25, 2015 By Carissa Garabedian

Happy 12th Birthday to our son

We love you as big as the whole sky

You are the kindest soul, unable to lie

You are so sweet, so funny , so kind and pure

Read more on Birthday Poem For Our Son…

What I learn from our Special Needs Child

January 21, 2015 By Carissa Garabedian

I have come up with a few “gifts” our Special Needs child continues to teach us, for us it is Autism , many others have a different need at home with their child(ren) , but we all gain strength and give strength in all we do every day!

Skyzone’s Special Need Night

January 20, 2015 By Carissa Garabedian

When we first opened Sky Zone at the very end of 2013, we were quickly surprised to see how many families began coming with different special needs. We started hearing feedback from parents and kids that being active and jumping around our trampoline-walled playing courts was improving focus for jumpers with autism, helping expand the comfort zones of some jumpers with Down Syndrome, and many other positive responses in between. It got us thinking and led the managers to a long discussions of how we could open up the park to better accommodate those most special jumpers.
We knew that while we keep our music up during the day, it could be an issue for some jumpers.Step 1 would have to be to get the music down, or off. We also had talked about wanting to give a bit more attention to each jumper, so adding a few extra Court Monitors and a few extra managers to keep an eye on the event would be important as well to maximize safety the of the jumpers. We quickly knew we needed some professional advice so we looked around and found some really helpful folks in town.

Turning a snow day into more than just fun with your kids.

January 14, 2015 By Carissa Garabedian

Welcome to 2015! With the New Year comes six to eight weeks of Virginia winter weather. Very cold days, rainy cold days, and even worse for most parents… the dreaded snow day. Here is your Virginia winter weather tool kit for inside activities to help with movement, heavy work, and self-regulation to make those snow days successful and FUN!

Happy New Year !

January 4, 2015 By Carissa Garabedian

Me and my “KnowDifferent”

My wish to you is the happiest start to a NEW YEAR! I want this site to be your source and site for all things Special. I am thrilled you are here. The first issue was so well received and loved all the feedback . The beauty of this site is that it is growing and changing constantly to meet the needs of our community. You matter and what you want this site to bring , share and offer is what I want it to be for you.

Sportable – transforming lives for those in RVA with physical/ visual impairments

January 4, 2015 By Carissa Garabedian

As a resident of this community you probably know that Richmond is considered one of the most physically fit communities in the entire country. From running events to extreme sports to dodgeball, Richmond offers something for everyone. And EVERYONE means athletes with physical disabilities and visual impairments and that is where Sportable comes in!

“Whoo’s Know Different”- A Parent’s Perspective

January 4, 2015 By Carissa Garabedian

My parents came to the United States from Korea in the early 1960s to further their education. We moved often in my early years following their places of study and employment. While living in inner city Chicago in the early 1970s, it was rare to see Asians. Even though I spoke English fluently, I remember being teased often in elementary school and being stared at by strangers as if I were from another planet because I looked different.

For The Non Special Needs Parents – This Is For You!

January 4, 2015 By Carissa Garabedian

Being a Special Needs parent can be a little lonely and a little overwhelming at times, so I ask for you to help me and all of those that need a voice .I ask that as parents, teachers or friends, you help in the ways you can.

“Whoo’s Know Different?” A Child’s Perspective

January 4, 2015 By Carissa Garabedian

Our “Whoo” for January is Claire Foster.

Claire Foster is a 19 year old student at Mills Godwin High School in Henrico County. She also attends Highland Springs Technical Center where she is in her second year of the Early Childhood Development Program. Prior to attending Henrico County Schools, Claire attended Northstar Academy, a private school for students with a wide range of disabilities, for twelve years. Claire’s first love is singing, dancing and acting—she has performed in over 12 shows with Richmond CYT/CharacterWorks. She has also participated in shows and one act competitions with Chesterfield Children’s Theater as well as three LIVE ART productions with SPARC. She performed in her high school’s production of Little Shop of Horrors and was recently inducted into Godwin High’s thespian society. In addition to theater, Claire is involved with the young adult group at her church, West End Assembly of God, as well as the Richmond and West End branches of Young Life/Capernaum. She was a 2014 delegate to the Youth Leadership Forum sponsored by the Partnership for People with Disabilities and attended the I’m Determined Summit for youth with disabilities in 2012. She loves dogs, Disney, Broadway and hanging out with her friends.