The View from the Playground: Play and Literacy

This is re-posted from Best Blog for Kids Who Hate to Read A family blog for reluctant readers and their parents

Guest Post: Together, Playing AND Reading Are Magical

December 19th, 2012 by Gail Terp

I’m delighted to present this wonderful guest post by Jerri Hemsworth. Jerri is the editor of Inspiring Play Magazine. She serves on the board of Shane’s Inspiration, a non-profit that creates inclusive playgrounds and educational programs to unite children of all abilities. She and her husband are the proud parents of an amazing daughter and love to play in and around Los Angeles.

Together, Playing AND Reading Are Magical

By Jerri Hemsworth

Editor of Inspiring Play Magazine

“Someone’s been eating my porridge!” Maggie says in her best grumbly voice.

“Someone’s been eating MY porridge!” Comes her next line in an adorable motherly voice.

“Someone’s been eating my porridge, and THEY ATE IT ALL UP!” She says in her cutest high-pitched voice.

Jessica is finishing holiday projects at the kitchen table when she hears this conversation her 6-year-old daughter Maggie is having in the family room. As Jessica peaks around the doorway, she sees that Maggie has seven or eight of her dolls and stuffed animals surrounding her as she “reads” to them from her favorite book.

This scene is one that many adults take for granted. We don’t stop to think how our children get to this amazing stage in their development. Same thing is true when we see two boys playing on the playground. One is pretending to be Jack climbing the bean stock to retrieve the golden goose from the other, who is very good in his role as the giant.

When children play, they get to make amazing connections. No matter what a child’s physical, emotional or mental ability is, they learn to explore, experiment, imitate, and communicate with others by all they encounter. It gives them an opportunity to practice their language skills. They allow themselves to be free, spontaneous and creative. It’s fun. They don’t realize that they are learning psychologically, physically and socially. Most parents don’t realize how important this kind of play is. When parents and teachers do, it profoundly transforms young lives. Especially with children who have special needs.

While working on a story about the inclusion of special needs students with general education students in schools, one teacher relayed a very touching story. She had a student with multiple physical and emotional needs. His mother arrived one morning with great concern on her face. When she spoke with the teacher, she said, “Michael started speaking in many different voices last night. He’s never done that before. Has he done that here in class? Do you think there’s something wrong?”

The teacher smiled. “No need to worry. Yesterday, our helper students were playing pretend with Michael in the library while they were reading to him. He’s been playing with them.”

Many children of all abilities find story time in school to be their favorite. When the teacher plays with different voices and inflections, children are transfixed. You can see by their faces that they are in a different world. They are in a world of wonder and excitement. When parents read to their children in this same manner, children are allowed to let their mind run free and imagine. Using play during reading time is the best incentive for children to want to read on their own. When they see the grown-ups having fun while reading, they want to do it, too.

According to Deborah J. Leong, Ph.D., and Elena Bodrova, Ph.D., “As we learn more about how young children learn, it is becoming clear that we do not need to sacrifice play in order to meet academic requirements. On the contrary, only by supporting mature, high-quality play can we really help children fully develop their language and literacy skills.”1

There are many studies that support the benefits of play and literacy. Perhaps many parents and teachers need reminding that the more fun we make reading time or story time for ourselves, the more we’re teaching our children. Play is fun. Reading is fun. Together, playing AND reading are magical.

1 Building Language & Literacy Through Play

View from the Playground: Win a school playground makeover

Scholastic and Dannon are offering a competition for schools to win a new playground! 

Check out the link: http://www.rallyforrecess.com/

The View from the Playground: Join us for an Inclusive Play Webinar!

Join us for a free webinar on: The Power of Inclusive Play

Date:
Monday, October 29, 2012

Time:

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EDT

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/784163832


Learn how awareness of different abilities by staff and students can transform your school’s playground into an extraordinary outdoor learning environment for children of all abilities.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Mac®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer
Mobile attendees
Required: iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phone or Android tablet

The View from the Playground: 600 Kids and Adults Walk and Roll for Play on September 23rd!

Early on a beautiful (and still cool) Sunday morning in Los Angeles, 600 kids, friends, and families gathered at our flagship playground: Shane’s Inspiration in Griffith Park.

Their goal: to walk and roll for inclusive play!

Pauley Perrette (Abby Sciuto on the hit CBS show “NCIS”) served as the Grand Marshal at our 15th Annual Walk & Roll. Thanks to her support, a record number of participants showed up for Shane’s Inspiration… including fellow “NCIS” star, Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer). They were fabulous hosts to the kids and parents at the park that day!

Founders Tiffany Harris, Catherine Curry-Williams, and Scott Williams (a Co-Executive Producer on “NCIS”) were joined by City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks General Manager, Jon Kirk Mukri, Councilman Tom LaBonge, and may more!

The View from the Playground: Inclusive Summer Fun!

Shane’s Inspiration had the pleasure of working with Mary Hauff, a great mom and community leader, last spring to support their inclusive play club Giggle.Play.Connect.

Mary is again spearheading playground fun this summer at Groveland Elementary School in Minnetonka, Minnesota, where children with disabilities and without will join together for a day of play, arts & crafts, refreshments, and laughter. The wonderful events are supported by Landscape Structures, Inc. (a leader in inclusive playground equipment - http://www.playlsi.com/Explore-Products/Universally-Accessible-Playgrounds/Pages/Inclusive-Play.aspx)

Check out Giggle.Play.Connect.: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Giggle-Play-Connect/433490503342917?ref=tn_tnmn

Want to launch an inclusive play club in your community? It is easy, fun, and we can help!

Contact Marnie Norris, Director of Programs, Shane’s Inspiration: marnie@shanesinspiration.org

The View from the Playground: A mother’s perspective on inclusion

Shane’s Inspiration has been given the gift of meeting over 29,000 children, teachers, and parents through our play programs since 2002, witnessing inclusion in action on a weekly basis.

Here’s a reflection from Kimberly Glasing, who attended her son’s inclusive play field trip two weeks ago:

My son Cade is a student at Washington Special Education School, which is one of the lucky schools that gets to take part in an absolutely amazing inclusion experience at Aidan’s Place with 5th grade students who are typically developing.

Cade has taken part in this field trip for 4 years now and every time I am moved to tears by the joy that pours out of him from being with these other children. If I had to list my most memorable moments with my son, this experience would be at the top of the list.

Cade is unable to speak and uses a device called a ‘talker’ to communicate. The two beautiful girls that Cade was paired up with on our most recent trip to Aidan’s Place were very interested in learning how the talker worked and how they could use it to communicate with Cade.  By the end of the day the girls were pros with it. Cade was responding to them and the girls learned about something they never would have otherwise known.

The moment that stands out the most in my mind is when it was lunchtime. The students all ate together.  Some were being fed through their feeding tubes, some were being spoon fed and of course, some were eating normally.  I heard a number of children asking and had questions answered about the various feeding methods that they were seeing.  Without this experience, they may never have been exposed to such different ways of playing, communicating, eating.

The thought ran through my mind of what if this inspires just one of these children to pursue a career in the future that they may have never thought of - Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Special Ed Teacher. What a valuable lesson learned by all because of inclusion.

These trips are so important to both sets of children.  It’s a day where these special children can play amongst their peers, and their physical limitations do not matter, and more importantly, are not noticed.  It is a day that the able-bodied children learn that just because a child has special needs does not mean they can’t have fun. There are no stares or glares at the differences.  They are just a group of kids playing, and it is a beautiful lesson in humanity for all involved, young and old.

Thank you for allowing Cade to be a child. It means more than words could ever express.

The View from the Playground: Perspectives on Inclusion

Happy New Year! Shane’s Inspiration is starting a month-long series on inclusion perspectives from children of all abilities, parents, teachers, care givers, play workers, and more.

We are reposting the following blog, as it highlights inclusion on a larger scale: one company’s choice to create an ad that features kids with and without disabilities.

Visit http://noahsdad.com/target-down-syndrome/ to read the full post and learn more about this great blog!

Target Is ‘Down’ With Down Syndrome: 5 Things Target Said By Saying Nothing At All

January 2, 2012 in Resources with 251 Comments

target ad down syndrome model kid child

If you were browsing through this week’s Target ad you may have passed right over the adorable little boy in the bright orange shirt smiling at you on page 9!  And if so, I’m glad!

The reason I’m glad?  Well, that stylish young man in the orange shirt is Ryan. Ryan just so happened to have been born with Down syndrome, and I’m glad that Target included a model with down syndrome in their typical ad! :)

This wasn’t a “Special Clothing For Special People” catalog.  There wasn’t a call out somewhere on the page proudly proclaiming that “Target’s proud to feature a model with Down syndrome in this week’s ad!”  And they didn’t even ask him to model a shirt with the phrase, “We Aren’t All Angels” printed on the front.

In other words, they didn’t make a big deal out of it.  I like that.

5 Things Target Said By Not Saying Anything

down syndrome model target ad boy ad

Even though Target didn’t make a big deal out of the fact they used a boy with Down syndrome as a model in their ad, they said plenty.  They said the same things that Nordstrom said when they used Ryan as a model in their catalog this past summer.  I could list a hundred things Target said by running this ad, let me give you 5 that immediately come to mind: 

  1. They said that people born with Down syndrome deserve to be treated the same as every other other person on this planet.
  2. They said that it’s time for organizations to be intentional about seeking creative ways to help promote inclusion, not exclusion.  (It’s no accident that Target used a model with Down syndrome in this ad; it was an intentional decision.  If want the world to be a place where everyone is treated equal we can’t just sit around and watch the days tick away.  We have to be intentional.  We have to do something.)
  3. They said that companies don’t have to call attention to the fact that they choose to beinclusive in order for people to notice their support for people with disabilities.  In fact, by notmaking a big deal out of it they are doing a better job of showing their support for the special needs community.
  4. They said it’s important for the world to see people born with disabilities with a fresh set of eyes.  That it’s time for us to lay down all the inaccurate stereotypes from the past and move forward embracing the future with true and accurate ones
  5. They said you don’t have to spend a lot for your kids to look good!  (I mean come on, that shirt’s only five bucks!)

The View from the Playground: Toyota’s Inspiring Volunteers

Shane’s Inspiration’s inclusive playgrounds and programs are possible because of the passion and commitment of our volunteers…individuals like Sheila Swanson who gives her time, talent, and incredible financial contributions.

Sheila has also been instrumental in building a powerful corporate partnership with Toyota Motor Sales. Read more about the impact one person and one corporation can have:

Grants of Gratitude: TMS Rewards ‘Volunteer of the Year’ Winners’ Organizations

December 15, 2011 | Posted to: Associates, Community
Shane s Inspiration Kayla and Brenda holding hands2-lw
Shane’s Inspiration — Playmates enjoy a fully accessible playground built by a non-profit organization supported by Sheila Swanson, a TMS Volunteer of the Year award-winner.
For Sheila Swanson and Doris Bax, giving time and talent to charitable organizations that are near and dear to their hearts is the payoff, in and of itself. But there’s no denying that Toyota Motor Sales’ (TMS) willingness to acknowledge their efforts through cash grants has made those volunteer commitments even more rewarding.
 
Swanson, a finance and analysis manager in TMS Marketing, and Bax, a procurement administrator at the North American Parts Center in Kentucky, are two of nine associates selected to receive Volunteer of the Year awards in TMS’ “Get in Gear Volunteer!” program. They are joined by:
  • Denise Jacobson, national market representation manager, Lexus Division  – Our Lady of Fatima School
  • Donna Johnson, regional business management analyst, Toyota Division – Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department
  • Pei Pei Kelman, senior business analyst, Information Systems – Friends of Weaver
  • Scott Kesselring, business operations manager, Toyota Division – Hope Chapel Hermosa Beach
  • Steve Silbiger, dispute resolution administrator, Toyota Customer Services – Boy Scouts of America, Los Angeles Area Council
  • Dave Shambaugh, technology manager field operations, Information Systems – U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps Ghostriders Squadron
  • David Statham, technology manager enterprise systems, Information Systems – Preemptive Love Coalition
Since its debut in October 2009, “Get in Gear Volunteer!” has offered cash grants to non-profit organizations supported by TMS associates on a volunteer basis.

Doris Bax
Crazy About Cats — Doris Bax tends to her feline patients at Save the Animals Foundation in Cincinnati, Ohio.
For example, Bax first offered to help the Save the Animals Foundation in Cincinnati, Ohio, after looking to adopt a cat through the organization in 1999. Over the years, her involvement has grown from cleaning and feeding the animals, to serving on the foundation’s adoption committee and Board of Directors, to administering medication under the supervision of a veterinarian. The foundation provides a sanctuary to some 600 domesticated animals that have been abused, abandoned or injured.

Bax began logging her volunteer hours at the“Get in Gear Volunteer!” website soon after it went live. When she reached the 100-hour mark, TMS rewarded the foundation with a $500 grant. Then Bax applied for a “Volunteer of the Year” award and claimed a $1,000 grant for the non-profit. As such, Save the Animals Foundation benefitted from Bax’s commitment to the cause as well as the generosity of her employer.

“The grants make a huge difference,” says Bax, a 14-year NAPO veteran. “The money goes directly to food, medical expenses, maintaining the building—a little bit of everything. Our operating expenses are high, even with a 100 percent volunteer staff.”

Swanson’s volunteer commitment dates back to 2003. At the time, she served on TMS’ Charitable Contributions Committee that was charged with evaluating applications for grants submitted by community organizations. The committee asked Swanson to learn more about Shane’s Inspiration, an organization that strives to create playgrounds that are accessible to children of all social, physical and emotional abilities.

“I remember meeting one of the co-founders at Griffith Park in the rain,” says Swanson. The two-acre Los Angeles facility was the first of what is now more than 40 playgrounds the organization has developed. “At the time, they were looking for grants to help transport kids to and from the playgrounds. They don’t just build the parks and walk away. They collaborate with local officials and schools to make sure they are used and maintained.”

Shane s Inspiration Adina and Nadav at AP
Open Access — Two kids share a play structure at one of Shane’s Inspiration’s more than 40 playgrounds.
Swanson helps out with at least one event per month and serves on the organization’s corporate advisory committee. She also takes the lead on organizing a women’s tea in June, one of Shane’s Inspiration’s major fund-raising events.

In addition to grants earned by logging her hours, Swanson also secured a $1,000 grant for Shane’s Inspiration through the Volunteer of the Year awards.

“That money goes a long way,” she says. “It costs about $300 to transport kids to a playground for a play date. And it costs another $100 for the crafts and snacks. It only took me about 10 minutes to fill out and submit the application. But the kids who will get to take advantage of the playground because of that funding will come away with memories that could last a lifetime. It really does make a difference.”
By Dan Miller

The View from the Playground: Why the City of Los Angeles Makes Inclusive Play a Priority

Cole Massie, inclusive play advocate, interviews Jon Kirk Mukri, General Manager of Recreation and Parks for the City of Los Angeles, who shares what inspired him to make inclusive play a priority.

The View From the Playground: Your Vote can help Kate’s Kause Win Big!

The City of Elmira, located in Ontario, Canada, has the opportunity to win up to $150,000 from Aviva Insurance to build their fully-accessible, inclusive playground!!

This win, combined with being a regional winner of the Together, We Play Contest (sponsored by Landscape Structures, Inc. and Shane’s Inspiration) will give Kate and her community the gift of play, inclusion, and joy!

Follow the link:  http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf10972/vote

Vote by 12/16 through your Facebook page…you have 15 votes!

Visit the link to learn more about Kate’s Kause, her family, and the inspiration behind this magical vision!                                  

          

“As Kate’s mom, I have the same dreams and hopes for Kate that any parent has: I want her to be happy, be surrounded by people who love her, and be included in the world. One way of helping us fulfil our dream of full inclusion for Kate is through helping her do what children do best: play.”