iPad Apps- PreK Numbers

Pre-K Numbers

• 123 Numbers- iTouchiLearn Numbers (FREE).  This opens with familiar music and as spoken words and animations to show each number.  It does it very quickly and doesn’t pause to allow you to count the objects, though it does count them for you.  The games are something Brianna enjoys playing,  The Frog Game has 3 frogs and gives oral directions to select the correct number for how many frogs are there.   Music plays throughout the time on the app.  You earn stars in the games and has encouraging comments throughout.  The matching game is one that Brianna likes to play, especially.  It goes into a little higher math skill with “touch the lowest number”.  Another very basic app, but if my kids like to play with it and will learn while doing it, then that’s worth it to me!  This version has only 1-2-3 unless purchased, so the free version gets kindof boring pretty quickly. 
• Finger Count (FREE). Practice is interesting… you have a visual that’s very abstract that looks like two hands placed palm down on the iPad (thumbs in the middle).  The fingers are numbered with number WORDS, which isn’t helpful for kids who are learning their letters and numbers still, but does introduce the sight word of the numbers for later on.  This is one of those apps that looks like a great idea and ends up being a bust.  It’s uninstalled.  Too abstract, not enough directions to figure out what you’re supposed to do, etc.  And that’s ME, not the kids J
• Toddler 123 Free (FREE). This is a partner to Toddler Alphabet/ Toddler ABC also reviewed.  The number one seems to be better designed!  It describes what to do a little and at the top has arrows (tho they appear to be disguised!) to advance activities.  This is the same wooden puzzle idea, with a story spoken then you choose the puzzle pieces and it audibly counts which answers the question.  You do have to get the right squid into the right space, which is kindof annoying.  But, it’s a step up from the toddler ABC game.  The number song is cute.  It has something written in some weird language next to the 123 at the top, but then sings “10 little Indians” with a unique accent J.  Writing numbers is another fail out because you just have to scribble on the page and it says “cool” as long as the entire number is colored in too…
• Dots Lite! Tots for Dots (FREE).  This shows one dot, then speaks “one”.  Touch the dot, the number 1 shoes.  Touch the number 1, two dots show and “two” is spoken.  Each time the screen is tapped it advances.  You cannot count the dots by touching the screen because it advances.  Another very basic one, not one I love.  

iPad Apps- Alphabet and Writing

I've been going through our iPad apps and writing up what each one is about and whether we like it or not along with what its best uses are.  Here's the first (of several) post with the alphabet and writing apps that we've tried out and have at least made it to the "second cut".  Many of them are GREAT apps which I highly recommend!  Several of them made it to the second round on the iPad and are about to be uninstalled.  So... happy reading, and please share any Alphabet and Writing iPad apps that you like (or don't like!) with us as well!  Please also note if they are FREE or if they cost something ($-$$$)

Here goes...

 iPad Applications  (05/2011)

Pre-K Alphabet and Writing-

• Starfall ABCs ($)  This is one of my favorite app’s for the alphabet!  Brianna spends literally hours exploring this app.  Originally designed for iPhone (but being used on our iPad), it brings up the uppercase alphabet as ‘stacking blocks’ which move side to side sliding along their rows as the iPad is tipped sideways.  When a letter is selected, the letter shows up in uppercase and lowercase form and says the letter name twice along with an object that starts with that letter (not spoken) such as a horn (with sound) for H.  There is a blinking arrow in the corner to press to go on to the next screen, and the letter sound (hhh) is made as it transitions pages.  Another pointer shows to press the lowercase letter on the side of the page, with a picture in the background (h, helicopter).  Press the letter and it makes the sound, says the name of the picture, animates and puts sound to the picture, and brings the letter down to the bottom of the screen where the word for the picture is written (hhh, helicopter), then another arrow appears to advance to the next screen, along with a vocalization of the letter sound with the screen transition.  There are two more “identical” screens, with different words represented and animated, etc. **The program does not allow the child to advance to the next screen until the animation and sounds, etc are complete!**  After 3 words, the letter H goes to a game saying “make a match” which is a basic concentration or memory game with uppercase and lowercase letters being matched together (6 pairs).  Letters are spoken as they’re chosen, and the letter sound made when the match is made.  Encouragement “You did it!” and music plays at the completion of the game.  The next screen shows a sentence with an animated picture “See the happy hippo”.  The words are spoken and the picture animated, and it’s hard to see, but that picture was under the concentration game while playing.  This is one of the few apps I’ve paid for but I’m very happy with the amount of thought put into its development.  Starfall.com has been a long time teaching tool we’ve used with our children which has additional (free!) features too!
• 5 Pumpkins ABC and Me!  (FREE) I love this 6 in 1 app!  These are basic flashcards, but with some customizing available.  The six areas are letters, numbers, shapes, colors, vehicles, and foods.  Each area allows you to ‘star’ certain cards and in the settings you can choose to see only starred selections.  When working on 5 alphabet letters or three basic colors, you can choose to have only those shown.  This is great!  With letters it shows a capital letter with an object (A, apple) and the object name (Apple) written below.  A ‘flick’ advances the pages, right to left.  The letter is spoken, the sound spoken, and the name of the object as well.  For the other sets of flashcards only the name of the number, shape, color, etc is spoken.  The colors have a child’s voice.  It’s a very basic app but with the ability to customize which flashcards are shown it is worthwhile, and, FREE!
• ABC Al… Touch  “PhotoTouch” ABC.  (FREE) This app is just a little more advanced than basic alphabet flashcards or ‘teaching’.  It shows three uppercase letters on the screen then says “Touch the L”.  Choosing the correct letter ‘circles’ the letter and a verbal encouragement “Super!” (rotating encouragements!) is given.  If incorrect, a sound (not discouraging) is played.  The same positive encouragement is given regardless of the number of wrong answers previously given.   After several correct answers, it becomes a choice from four letters, then five, six, etc up to 10 letters shown.  Their layout on the screen (scattered) changes as well.   In the corner is a “replay” button to repeat the requested letter (spoken). 
• iWW Lite, I Write Words (FREE)  This is the lite version and isn’t a full program, but, it’s FREE which is nice!  This is a cute concept that teaches how to make the letters (writing).  It uses spoken words and small animations to encourage and make it fun, clapping sounds, etc.  A little face shows up with colored numbers on dots along the outline of a letter.  Drag the ‘monster along from number to number like connect-the-dots to form the letter.  If it’s dragged outside a small perimeter box, then it resets at the beginning.  If you stay within the box and within generally close proximity to the letters, it accepts your approximations.  Uppercase A, B, C are included in the lite version as well as lowercase a, b, c, numbers 1-9, a few basic words (cat, cup).  This is one we will consider purchasing in the future if our kids take off with the concept, but the lite version allows us to know if they’ll really use it before purchasing!
• ABC Alphabet (coloring)  (FREE)  This is a very basic app, but if your kids like to color with their iPad then it is a good one.  It’s got a basic technique of coloring in a whole area at a time and shows the entire available color palate on the side of the screen.  Can zoom in and out on the photo and save, though we don’t really use those features.  Each ‘coloring page’ shows a letter, object, and word “B b (picture of ball) Ball”
• Pocket Phonics ABC LITE  (FREE).  There are two games here, letter sounds and writing and word game.  This one is also based on writing letters correctly and suggests “Say iii then write”.  It is more precise than the other writing app and says “try again” if it’s incorrect.  Some of the directions are written (when I say a sound, touch it) .  It forms words by asking for sounds and you touch the corresponding letter ie: “iii”   “ttt”  “it” “it”.  It also shows pictures.  It’s not a very exciting game and the voice isn’t super encouraging, but it is a good app if you’re sitting with your child and able to encourage them to continue and give brief promptings to get started on activities.  Full version includes the entire alphabet and you can add users. 
• ABC Free (FREE).  This app shows an opening screen with the alphavet, a mixture of uppercase and lowercase (lowercase I and J) with pictures next to each letter representing their sounds.   When you select a letter, the screen changes to show a scrolling version of the homescreen in one long row across the top, then speaks the letter name “O” and shows the image for that letter larger in the center of the screen.  Tap the picture and it says a sentence “O is for orange” and has it written in all CAPS across the bottom of the screen.  I didn’t think it was that entertaining, but… Brianna enjoys it.  So, we kept it and she is learning when using it, and that is the goal!  The images are fun and in a ‘drawn’ style.
• ABC Coloring Book (FREE).  This app opens with a painter’s palate with the alphabet on it.  Select a letter and it speaks “M, monkey” and shows a small image of a monkey near the alphabet letters.  You can change the backdrop from a painter’s palate to a winter scene, but some letters are locked in the winter scene.  Click the image of the monkey and it becomes a coloring page with a digital ‘pen stroke’ to color with (as opposed to clicking an area with auto-fill).  The next letter is at the edge of the screen to choose to advance that way instead of by going back to the home screen.  A cute coloring tool.  “Monkey” is written at the edge of the screen and clicking on it vocalizes “M, monkey”.
• Alpha ABC Free (FREE).  This is one that I don’t think will stick around long on our iPad.  The voice, quite frankly, is annoying!!  It’s a child-like voice but not a comforting or playful one.  You can choose which type of African animal is above the alphabet flashcards and advance the cards with the right to left flick. “Aa” with a picture of ants and “Ants” written below them show on the card.   Ads on the top of the page.  Again, not one that’s sticking around on our device, but another generic flashcard program if you’re looking for diversity.
•  Phonics Land Free (FREE).  I am impressed with this one and will likely purchase the full version soon.  The opening screen shows 6 letters and plays music.  Choose a letter and it shows three ‘cards’ with an ‘A’ word on each (Ant, Alligator, Apple).  Use your finger to ‘erase’ the white card and show an image below of the word.  The word is then shown at the bottom and the word spoken.  Not difficult to ‘clear’ the entire image, as much grace is given.  When all three cards are uncovered,  an animation begins. A , A, aaa aaa aaa, then “Ant” “apple” “alligator show with animations and speaking.  Then the three words are put together into sentences using those three words, all animated, all read, and the first time through the words are shown at the bottom.  The story repeats two more times with rhythm to it.  Very cute!  Only six letters are included in the free version.  This is an app we will look at purchasing the full version of!
• Alphabet World Free (FREE).  I believe this is by the same developers as Phonics Land.  Four letters (and two songs) show on the opening page.  This says the letter name, then shows how to write it both uppercase and lowercase.  It shows a word “apple” then goes into a fun song using the word and an animation “Apple, apple, crunch crunch crunch”.  Then goes on to other words with a.  “Ant, ant, crawl crawl, crawl”.  Very cute, though I can see the little catchy tunes getting on my nerves after a while J  After the animation there’s a coloring part.  This doesn’t give any boundaries in coloring and you cannot see the letters when you color as soon as you color over their boundary lines.  There’s also an alphabet game that asks to find the picture that matches the word “Apple” and there are 5-6 bubbles floating around, you click the corresponding picture.  These go with the words introduced with the letters.  At the top of the screen is a menu that pulls down that allows you to choose ‘home’, ‘chant,’ ‘letter,’ ‘color,’ and ‘game.’  After every 2 letters there’s a song choice, which puts the chants into a cute little song.   It shows the words at the bottom of the screen, highlighted as they are spoken.  A cute one, another that we may purchase in the future.
• Z is for Zebra (FREE).  This opens with an ad… which is annoying!  The free version has the first 8 letters of the alphabet.  Choose a letter from the home screen and it shows the letter with a picture representing it “Ff (pic of fish)”  There’s a “volume” looking button in the corner that makes the letter sound.  VERY basic, one that won’t stick around for long because it’s not very exciting and because it doesn’t engage.  It’s one the kids quickly click the button on because they can’t figure out what to DO with this app.  But for some simple instruction on letter sounds, it’s one more avenue to use. 
• Toddler Alphabet- Toddler ABC Lite (FREE).  This one looks cute and plays music and speaks in a fun voice when opening it, but that’s about how long it lasts with Brianna.  It works like a wooden puzzle, putting 3 puzzle pieces in to a puzzle, all starting with the ‘a’ sound.  Then… what do you do??  At the very top of the screen you have to move a small picture along a maze to go to the next activity.  It’s not a very exciting game.  No suggestion as to WHY the baseball, boat, and bear are chosen… no visuals of their words or the letter sound isolated.  Another that we click on and expected fun learning but were disappointed.  HOWEVER, there is an alphabet song with the ABCs all dancing which the kids like to listen to as well as an area to write each letter.  Except… that it doesn’t make you do the letter correctly or say “oops” or anything, it just makes sure a few key areas of the letter are covered with pen, but the ENTIRE page could be colored in and it says “good job” and continues on… The “learn the alphabet” area has a whole page of letters but no directions of what to do with them.  You eventually figure out that you press the “b”s if that’s what is shown at the top of the page.  Not very good directions.  It circles each correct letter and makes a sound at wrong ones, then uncovers a picture when all the letters were selected.  Again, not really a winner, but has potential to be a decent app maybe with some upgrades to the directions. 
• Phonics Free- Learn Phonics (FREE).  This one has three parts.  Letters part has all the uppercase letters and as you touch them they say their letter sound.  Very simple, but cute and easy to use and understand.  Word Construction you choose a letter and it shows a word starting with that letter.  Click the word’s letters and they make their sounds.  Also shows a picture.  Changes one letter at a time to make new words when possible.  “Bad”, “bed”.   Several words for each letter.  Does not allow you to advance the word before the previous word is written and sounded out.  A cute app, decent build to it and one that we’d consider purchasing if the kids enjoy using the free version.
• Trace Right! (FREE).  This is a PARENT app, one that shouldn’t be handed to a child and let them go with it.  Instead, it’s a great one to sit with the child and do together.  It shows ‘b’ and shows how to draw it then has another one drawn to trace over.  It does correct you but only if you ASK it to.  It is also pretty precise, since I did it ‘close’ and it kept telling me to try again… you can advance without it being ‘right’ if you decide to.  Also, if you tap three times, it starts the same word three times and stutters.  This is one of the 'tests' I do with apps since my kids tend to press multiple times for a single request.   I like the concept, but it does need a little work.  

Your turn!  Any Alphabet and Writing apps that you love??

My word board

Here are some pictures :)

Because I need to write

I have no idea what this will end up being, but, here it is...  Because I need to write.

I've had so much going on lately that it's been hard to blog.  And a lot of what has been going through my head and heart isn't stuff that I feel like I can openly post about.  My opinions of how things are going with the school-- knowing full well that many people will be reading here that are involved in our school things-- aren't exactly something that I can write about.

So here's my attempt at putting words on paper (?- digital paper?) because I need this outlet... without being too outward in what I say since I don't want to get myself in trouble :D.

Ok, here goes...

Aleksa lost a tooth!  Michael and I were talking while I was at Wal Mart on Sunday and was panicked that Aleksa's tooth fell out, and there wasn't another tooth under it :).  Confused?  HE WAS!!  LOL  Kristopher's teeth have always been 'pushed out' by the adult tooth underneath.  So Michael hadn't had a child lose a tooth that didn't already have a tooth under it already :).. So... YAY, for Aleksa's first tooth that she lost at home (tho we have no idea what she DID with it...).  This is her front right bottom tooth, the second ones out.  She'd already lost her front bottom teeth before she came to us (Wesley too!).

I've been working on some summer projects.  We try to continue working on academics in the summer time, in fact, working on things that will head the kids in to a successful year the coming year!  One project that I just finished making is a word board.  We had an empty science backboard, so I took some strips of hook velcro and put one on each 'end' piece and three down the length of the back portion.  Then, I took some plastic folders and cut them into strips.  On each strip I wrote a word.  I used family names, color names, days of the week, months, number words 1-10, the numbers 1-20... then I got two different kindergarten sight word lists and combined them... and the DownsEd list of words.  I put a hole punch in each word strip and bought rings to group the lists into separate rings so they can easily be accessed.

Right now, Kristopher's having a great time working on family names, numbers 1-20, and color words with both Brianna and James!  Kris is enjoying being the teacher, James loves being able to do anything that Kristopher does, and Brianna is enjoying being successful at the game since she already knows her colors (and at the moment the colors are all written on their own color word strip-- later they will be on white strips too!), and she knows her sibling names and numbers 1-10.  So, she's having a lot of success and just working on 11-20 and having success with the rest of the requests.

School... well, here goes.  We have IEPs for Aleksa and Wesley on Friday.  I wrote up an explanation of where our kids are and where they have come from and sent it on to the people writing the IEPs for them.  I included our desire for them each to attend 2-3 day school weeks initially and the behaviors that we are seeing from Aleksa that are of concern.  I learned today that the kids will have to be on psychological homebound in order to not be held to the compulsory school attendance and truancy issues.  I already knew that this was a possibility, and I'm fine going through the process but it's just one more thing that we have to take on to jump through the hoops to.  And so... I have contacted our pediatrician and social worker to get their input and assistance in going through the process.  Another full day of hone calls and research and emails and faxes.

I also cleaned our room today.  You know, the room where the adults in the house sleep... the one that never gets looked at by anyone other than Michael and I and therefore... piles up.  When we are up three or four times at night we're tripping over still-packed bags from our last trip out of town and boxes of things that got moved out of the main areas of the house.  Well... now they're out!  The bags are unpacked.  The toys are pitched back into the playroom.  The clothes that had been set aside after being washed (or not?) are back in the laundry.  The room is CLEAN.  Walkable.  Livable.  It was highly overlooked... and looking much better!

Today was the first of 4 shortened school days.  The last 4 days of school before summer.  The kids all had a nice day, and tomorrow is THURSDAY!  Another day without plans.  The second one in three weeks!!!  I can't wait.  :)

Ok, enough therapeutic writing :)  Time to tend to the little boy that just started crying in his bedroom.  I'm SO glad he's decided to sleep better even with his hip brace for night time.  He's such a sweet little guy...

It's been a year!!

It's been ONE YEAR since James moved in with us!  I can't believe it's been an ENTIRE year, but at the same time it's been ONLY a year!  So much has changed, and James has grown up a lot too!  He's now walking steadily (all the time!), off the bottle (for 6 months!), and is such a sweet little man :).

We are so thankful for our little "baby blue eyes!"

IEP #3

Yep, more on IEPs!  After receiving comments, it often opens up other thoughts on the subject :)  So, here is a response to a comment...

In 2 1/2 years of IEPs for 4 kids (currently, the other two are next week), we have had many 'easy' IEP meetings!  Several that we went in, went through the IEP, were comfortable with everything, and we left.  I recommend getting an advocate or family helper only if you have difficulty understanding the IEP, the process, or being able to speak up for your child, or if you feel there is or will be conflict that you want help with.  If any of those is the case, then get some help :).  Help doesn't have to be adversarial!  It is to help you and your child to find our way through the system and through the wording and through the process without being stressed out :).

YES, our IEP for Brianna was stressful, and any IEP for a child where the expectations of the school personnel and the parents is known to differ before the meeting will inevitably be a little difficult.  But, as I tried to stress in the previous posts, Prayer, Trust, and setting yourself AND the school up for success through educating yourself and informing the school staff will help everyone to have a successful meeting.

Be KIND, ALWAYS.  That's a necessity! :)

More on IEPs

Ok, so I got started this morning, and later talked with people and got reminders of other things that we do to help an IEP go smoothly.  I also had a few requests posted (which I don't think have been published yet because I read them while on the phone).

Anyway... here's a little more about IEP's!

When preparing for the IEP, if your team is open to it, talk to them before the meeting.  Your teachers and therapists are likely in contact with your child on a regular basis if your child is already in school, but if this is a first IEP, especially, then the team may or may not really know your child.  Even if the child is already in school, input from home is never a bad thing!  Making up a quick document that says some of your current concerns or things you'd like to see done in the next year and giving that to your IEP team ahead of the meeting while they are still determining goals and writing up the IEP.

For families with a brand new IEP-- whether it's because you've moved, adopted a new child, have a child entering in as a 3 yr old into the school system, or have a child newly-diagnosed with the need for an IEP-- giving the IEP team a little background information can be very beneficial!  Each time that we adopted we wrote up a bio and sent it in to the IEP team ahead of time.  I haven't finished Wesley's yet (Aleksa's was done this afternoon!) but in general I tell four basic things:  background of the child including info pre-adoption, behavior, what things we have been working on at home and how the child is doing with those skills, and what your brief outlook is for the coming year for your child.

That was a big piece that I'd left out :)  Communicate BEFORE the meeting!!

A second thing is KNOW YOUR RIGHTS.  Know the laws.  Know what IDEA is, what FAPE is, and what the LRE means.  Those three are biggies, and so are their meanings :).  IDEA is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and is the federal law that supports our children's rights to certain things.  FAPE means Free Appropriate Public Education.  LRE is the Least Restrictive Environment.  That is a piece of IDEA and means that your child's placement decision should START by looking at full inclusion and from there go into more restrictive placements based on the needs of the child and what aspects of that child's disability may make it difficult for the child to be fully included with their typical peers.

I would HIGHLY recommend Wrights Law.  Peter and Pam Wright have written MANY books and also have a great website that supports parents and disabled persons.  They also have conferences across the country listed out on their website.  I'll be attending one in June! :)

Also, someone asked what we wish an IEP team knew before the meeting.  I only have my own take on this, but I will share...

I think there are some definite things an IEP team should know before the meeting.  One major thing is to make sure the team knows what your intentions are.  What are your goals for the next year and your intentions for placement?  Even if a school doesn't agree with my intentions for my child, I would rather not blindside them with my ideas  At the same time, I want to prepare myself knowing what I desire for my child and knowing WHY I want that :).  It helps to be able to say what the reasoning is, and what the laws are that support that as well.

A second thing that the team should know is the child's background.  If there are unique aspects of the child that may not be obvious, changes taking place in the home, or other info that you think may be important, then those are definite things I would be sure to let the IEP team know ahead of time.

Lastly, the IEP team should come to the meeting with something that no parent can just "say" to them and make them aware of.  The IEP team should come to the meeting with something that the parents also must come with (after all, parents ARE part of the IEP team!).  That something is VERY important, and can really make the meeting go well.  It's the knowledge that one part of the team without the other won't work.  And that each part of the team brings something very important to the table!

So, there's the second IEP post of the day :).  Feel free to post any comments (and YES, they will be published, when I get to it! LOL).  Please consider leaving comments on the BLOG rather than FB so that they stay with the post for others that are looking back at this post later on :).

More later

I received some great input about the IEP post, and some requests as well.  I will write more on this later!  Right now, I need to actually prepare some more for our IEPs :)

About those IEPs...

Last week was one IEP, one that we knew was going to be more involved because some of the school representatives had expressed different desires for Brianna's placement than what we were wanting.  We also knew there would be three schools represented, which inevitably adds to the length of the meeting.

Here's a few thoughts on how we prepared for Brianna's IEP, and some things to consider when preparing for your own.  We have another two IEPs next week for Aleksa and Wesley, so this is not only fresh on our minds, but also something that we are about to do two more times next week.

Though we have six children with special needs, since they are all 1st grade and younger this year, we haven't been at the IEP thing for long!  It's helpful, though, that in 2003 I graduated with my bachelor's degree in education.  Though my focus was elementary, it gave me a basis for understanding the basic IEP process as well as where to look to learn what I don't already know.  I'm thankful for this basis, because it has really helped us to know where to start when we needed to look deeper.

So-- Here are a few things that I'd suggest for any parent going in to an IEP, especially if you know that there may be some differences between what your desires are for your children's education and what some of the school personnel may want.

FIRST AND FOREMOST:  Know that whatever happens, this IEP is a work in progress.  It isn't something set in stone for the rest of their lives.  It is a very important first step, but it's not the end of the world.  I have a hard time with this, simply because we have 6 IEPs and I don't want to have to have more meetings than necessary as we redo IEPs that aren't working out.

1- Ask for a draft copy of the IEP and request to have it at least 48 hours ahead of time, even if it isn't nearly complete.  If there was any testing or evaluating done on your child that will be presented in the meeting, ask for that as well.  Also, it was helpful for us to ask who was going to be attending the IEP meeting.  Our meeting notices only named a few people, but many more were invited yet unconfirmed and not written on the invitation because of that.

2- Get someone to help you.  If you don't understand the IEP or the process, ask someone for help!  Look at parent advocate organizations and even ask your children's school if there is an organization in cooperation with the school system.  Other parents can be a great help, especially if they are from your district or a nearby district that uses a similar layout for IEPs.  Our IEPs in our county are very different than those where James used to attend school and different from others in other states as well. All the same information is on an IEP from any area, but it's laid out very differently in each area.  Find someone to go over the IEP with you before hand, and someone to attend the IEP and help explain and ask questions with you at the meeting as well.

3- Consider the goals.  Aside from the goals on the IEP, consider what things you want your child to be doing a year out.  What Math, Reading, Social-Emotional, and Self-Help skills do you want your child to accomplish over the course of the year?  What goals do you want your child to accomplish in the areas of gross and fine motor skills, as well as speech?  Write down where you want your child to be in a year.  Then look through the IEP.  Match up the goal subjects and see what your thoughts are regarding the goals that are on your page and those on the school's.  We found that several of our goals and the school's lined up fairly well, and would accomplish the same result.  We also saw that a few of their goals weren't on our list of things  that we wanted her doing, and since they weren't steps to further education, we asked for one to be changed and in the second area an additional goal was written for that subject area to address the concern we had.

4- If you're asked to come up with some goals for your child, consider looking at developmental profiles to see what gaps your child may have in those areas.  Also, look up your state educational standards, and even modified standards to see what things your child would be working on at grade level or even several grades above or below to get a bearing on what you want your child to do in the future and what things need to be done between now and then.

5- Consider placement.  This is the last thing discussed at an IEP meeting, generally, but you should think about it ahead of time.
     a- Do you want a self-contained classroom, full inclusion, or some combination of the two?
     b- Will therapies be push-in or pull-out (served in the classroom or in a different room) or a combination, or will it be left to the discretion of the therapists and teachers?
     c- How will time out of the main classroom be handled? If your child will have a combination of different rooms, which rooms will provide what aspects of the IEP, and how will it be determined what times each room will provide each? (for example, if your child will be in a regular classroom but pulled out for reading block, how will scheduling be handled between the two classrooms?  Will the exed teacher adjust to the regular ed schedule?  Something to discuss...).
     d- How will your child get to and from school?  A bus, walk, or be driven?  If they will ride the bus, will they need a carseat or restraint or will they ride in a regular seat?  If they won't ride the bus on a regular basis, but will ride it for field trips throughout the year, will they need a carseat or restraint at that time?  All of this will be written into the IEP.
     e- How much therapy and services will your child receive, and what types?  Occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, vision therapy, behavioral consultation, technology consultation, adaptive PE...  Consider the amount of time that your child needs to work on each area, as well as the amount of time that it will take away from other educational tasks.  Determine which is more important and go from there.

6. Pray, and bring snacks!  Those are my favorite two parts of the IEP.  In addition to being a time where the entire team gets together to discuss the coming year for your child, it's also a great time to rely on God, on prayer, and on His peace.  It's also a good time to thank the team working with your child by treating them to a little snack.  It's also another way to break up the meeting a little bit and have two minutes of social time together instead of working straight through with everyone being serious the entire time.  Sometimes a little cookie or muffin break is just what is needed in the midst of an IEP!

7. TRUST.  This one comes from friends, and IEP members that they keep saying to me.  I have had people say things to me about my family and children that have made this very difficult.  And that makes it hard for me to let my guard down at a meeting and TRUST that the entire team has my child's best interest at heart.  I am trying, very hard, to trust that everyone wants to see my kids succeed!  And this is the hardest part of the IEP for me.  Don't get me wrong, I trust every person that interacts with my children on a regular basis!  The IEP team consists of more than teachers and therapists, and people aren't perfect.  It's difficult to have an IEP meeting with someone that you may not get along with, but it is also part of life... part of dealing with people :) Another area where PRAYER comes in even stronger.

If you have any other IEP tips, PLEASE SHARE!  If you're reading this on FB, consider sharing your comments on the BLOG instead of on the FB link so that others looking back at the post later on can find your comments!

Back down to earth

It's been a busy week and more, but what a blessing it is to have a relaxing day!  Of course I still had stuff going on today, but I was able to be productive at the same time.

This morning before 10 I had cleaned and sorted the boys' room putting all of the toys away-- in the right places! LOL  That's a big task :).

Then I vacuumed and shampooed the carpet in there, rearranged the furniture, and put Wesley's bed back in there now that he is back sleeping through the night since he's out of the cast.

Then... I rearranged Lynae's room and cleaned up in there.  The kids had made a HUGE mess in there, and it had been totally UNorganized... you know... all my school supplies for the kids' homeschooling.  Now it's all back to usable, at the very least!

An RR board meeting took the rest of the morning and some R&R after the kids were in bed was very helpful :).

Now awaiting wake-up time so I can go get the kids from school in about 10 minutes.  This evening is a laid back night.  Maybe I'll actually get more of the house cleaned up.  After a week and more of neglecting the house and just tending to the kids and outside responsibilities... well, it's time to pay a little attention to the house again!

Happy Mother's Day!

My 8 little duckings and the mommy duck at the zoo with her 8(?) Little duckings too!

On second thought I think there are 9 duckings.  Oh well, hard to see on my phone!

Happy Birth Mother Day...

Today, the Saturday before Mother's Day, is known as Birthmother Day in the adoption community.  It's a day that was created by birthmothers for their own remembrance, yet picked up by adoptive parents and adopted children/adults to remember the birthmothers that brought the children into this world.

Today we remember the five birthmothers that each made a choice to bring life to their children.  In 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006 our children's birthmothers brought life to the gift that we later received.  We remember their sacrifice.  We remember their gift.  We remember their hardship in giving birth to a child that wasn't who they expected.  And we are grateful that we have each of our 5 children that were birthed outside of our family, but are now every bit our very own!

To the birthmothers who we will never know... thank you.

A week with all Mondays

I think this week has all been Mondays!

The first Monday, the real one, I spent in Orlando with Wesley getting his cast off then getting a brace fit for him.  It was an all day event, getting home right at the end of school for the kids then Mike had a meeting at church in the evening, so he came home for a quick dinner and I had the kids for the evening.

The second Monday, well, Tuesday, I spent in Orlando with Wesley doing his MRI and then dinner.  The MRI was running late, and he hadn't eaten all day... They finally did it at 2pm.  Finished up around 4... grabbed some dinner... then got a call from the brace company that Wesley's brace (yes, ordered the night before), so we went and picked that up.  Got home just before bed time.  Then sat and researched the paperwork that I'd received from the school for Brianna's IEP...

The third Monday, Wednesday, I spent the morning at the kids' school at Field Day!  It was a lot of fun, but also HOT and I had three kids with me plus the two participating (Emma and Kristopher), so it was a busy morning too!  After that, we went to observe at one of the schools that they may be placing some of our kids at.  Aleksa was, by then, in rare form.  I guess maybe it's not rare form, because she seems to do it often, but goodness, she was not listening, acting out like a true institutionalized child that has no bonding... it's so sad to see.  She was taking off her glasses, running away with a grin on her face, standing up every 20 seconds when asked to sit down, running up to strangers and taking their hands or climbing them to pick her up... she was wetting herself once we got home (she was in pull ups for the day since I knew we'd be on the field for field day, and I'm not sure if she wet herself in the morning or not).  It was a TOUGH time with her at the second school then at home in the afternoon.  We were supposed to have a vision eval but the therapist had called our home phone... which was not yet reconnected since the lightning strike took out our phone modem... so I had a babysitter to help with the kids and, he didn't show up.  Youth group at night for Kristopher so another solo evening for me!  I also got a draft copy of the IEP for Brianna that afternoon and spent most of the evening going through it and, well, rewriting it... because there was quite a bit that just wasn't what we were looking for with Brianna's school year next year.  I was up until about midnight working on that...

The fourth Monday, Thursday, I spent the morning working on the IEP again.  About 1230 I left for the school.  The IEP started at 1:30... and I got home at 6:30!  Just in time to get the kids in bed and...EAT.  A pop tart and can of coke only go SO FAR for a day!  I was exhausted and starving!!  Then I made a few phone calls to people that wanted to hear about the IEP and attempted to hit the sack early.

The fifth Monday, Friday, I went to WalMart first thing in the morning to buy gifts for the kids' teachers!  It's teacher appreciation week, and I hadn't had a second to breathe to get something for the teachers!  So... off we went to WalMart then parked at a park near the school to sign the cards then to the school to drop off gifts!  I love delivering gifts, especially when the teachers aren't 'expecting' them.  It's also nice to drop in on the kids every once in a while and worked out that the timing of it was during down time in each classroom so we were invited in to each one to visit for a minute... even with three kids in tow!  I really like all the kids' teachers this year!!  We rescheduled the vision therapist for today at 11:30, so we ran back home for lunch and the final piece of the vision eval.  Nap time was also bill time and apparently phone call time too!  Then back to the school to pick up the kids (in the rain) and to my parents' house to drop off my mom's mother's day gift.  I was going to drop off Mike's mom's also, but it was late and raining, and well, she'll read that here before I talk to her since she didn't know we were coming :)  But that one just had to wait a day! LOL.  So we ran home, unpacked, got everyone settled and made another phone call or two between playing with kids and supervising the building of a cardboard box house by Kristopher.  Mike had a ball game tonight so wasn't home for dinner (or until about 11pm LOL!) so I cooked up a quick dinner, PJs, and bed time for the kids...

Which brings me to now, when I've been sitting on my bed with my iPad watching multiple shows of Brothers&Sisters and just TOTALLY VEGGING.  Oh, and I ate a drumstick ice cream in bed too.

Tomorrow... Mike has another meeting in the morning, then I'm running to Sam's, and we have the privilege of having friends over for the celebration of their daughter's 5th birthday!!  I'm looking forward to celebrating with friends and some down time with it :)

Sunday- CHURCH.  THAT'S ALL.  I think...

Brianna's IEP

It's been a crazy 48 hours...

Brianna's IEP is written for next year.  In the end, it's the best compromise we could all come to, and I think it will work for Brianna.  We still don't have a school placement and it will take a while to figure that one out, but we're half way there!

Brianna's IEP is written to have her "homeroom" in the Kindergarten class- starting and probably ending her day there.  She will be pulled out for a 45 minute math block and a 90 minute reading block and go to a supported level classroom for resource time.  The rest of the day she'll be in a kindergarten class with push-in and pull-out therapies, to the discretion of the teacher and therapist.

I think there were 17 people at the IEP meeting today... lots of good input and lots of controversial input.  I think the general consensus of the group of school personnel was that they want to put her into a full time supported level classroom.  I'm not 100% opposed to that setting (after all, I do have a child in that class right now- Emma!), but I want for Brianna to have the greatest opportunity at inclusion that she can have, and the biggest chance of success in that classroom.

Based on Brianna's personality, she is VERY shy.  Most people were concerned that she wouldn't hold her own in the classroom and that she would withdraw.  Unfortunately, no matter what classroom she's in,  SHE WILL WITHDRAW!  She's just that kind of kid... She's going to be quiet whether she's in with typical peers or if she's in with disabled children.

We talked about her personality and how she would be better sitting back and observing in a room full of typical peers with appropriate behavior and language modeling that is learning advanced skills than in a classroom with lower level skills and mostly low-verbal skills.  We talked through a bunch of reasons why a regular classroom would benefit her, and different accommodations which could be used to help her fully participate in a kindergarten classroom.

Almost 5 hours later... we have an IEP!

Now, we have to figure out what school her IEP will be served at.  Not our zoned school because she can't get resource time there.  The "feeder" school may be where she's staffed, but they haven't made AYP (adequate yearly process) in five years... so likely she will have the opportunity to choose another school at that time.  Hopefully the school she's at this year.  It's also possible that we'll go about another wan of getting to that school.  There are a few ways- McKay scholarship,  out of area...  So, we'll see.

We're most of the way there!  Just need to figure out a school now.  I was REALLY hoping we'd know that today too!

May 20th are two more eligibility, IEP, and placement meetings... for Aleksa and Wesley!

Thank you for the prayers!  It was a long meeting, needed to speak up for Brianna quite a bit... but I'm happy with where we landed.

I'm not sure, but I think Brianna may be the first child in this area with Down syndrome to be an inclusion student, even tho she'll have resource time.   Either way, we'll keep close tabs on how it works... and be careful that she's not overwhelmed-- or the teacher!  But I'm glad that she can have this opportunity!

Would definitely appreciate some prayers!

Over the past few months we've been anticipating the IEP process for Brianna, Aleksa, and Wesley.  Anticipating it may not be the right words... maybe dreading! :)

I now am no longer dreading the unknown, because I feel much better about KNOWING, yet, we still know it will be a very long day tomorrow.  I believe that there will be at least 12 people at the meeting representing 3 different schools.  Michael and I will be there as well with our advocates.

If you think of us around 1:30 Eastern time, say some prayers for us!  We want what's best for Brianna.  I hope that the other 12 people around the table do too!  THANKS!

Oh my

Legally, the best way to disqualify a child from being able to go to an inclusive classroom is to write the IEP in a way that it cannot be reasonably executed in an inclusive environment.  Include the words "very small group" (meaning 1:3 ratio) a lot.  That justifies a self-contained classroom.

In case you were wondering...

Waiting...

MRI scheduled for 1pm.  45 min later waiting to be called back.  I think we have convinced anesthesia to do gas before the IV.  I hope...

Mom's heart cath

This morning my mom had a heart cath done.  All went well and thankfully her heart is good!  More will be emailed to family I'm sure...

Bye bye Spica!

Wes got his cast off this morning!

Brianna's PreK Videos

Brianna's doing so good with her letters and colors, I recorded her using the StarFall app on the iPad and identifying her letters, then in our bathroom with the towels and washcloths telling me colors. They're a bit quiet (it was nap time!) but she's very articulate with her colors and letters. She does make a few mistakes, but we're so proud of her!

Here's the colors...

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

and her letters...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com