Sorting by Color

As I was scouring the web for ideas, I came across The Easiest Toddler Color Sorting Activity. I loved the simplicity yet effectiveness of the activity.

I do have construction paper and various colored pegs and what not around and could have done the activity just as laid out here but I decided to try it with Jack's light box hoping that it would help him to more easily distinguish the colors.

 I pulled out the blue and red overlays,

the red and blue pegs,

and also the red and blue bowls*.

*Jack has fine motor issues and difficulty distinguishing colors so I decided to decrease the challenge a bit for the introduction of the activity. I pre-sorted the pegs into their correctly colored bowls.

Here's the set-up with the overlays side by side on the lightbox.

Here's what it will look like with two of the pegs correctly placed.

Jack seemed to have real difficulty with this activity.



I helped him place one blue peg in the correct spot to get him started.



He really acted as though he did not get what I was asking him to do. I previously mentioned that we were concerned that he might be color blind. At times, he seems to recognize colors in isolation but it's not 100%. Even though he knows color names now, it's hard to tell if he's not paying attention (looking at the object) or he just doesn't know the color.

Off to the web I went to try to understand why this task might be difficult. I found this comparison of what a person with and without colorblindness might see when looking at a color wheel.

See how similar the red and blue appear?

So the big question.....was the activity difficult because he just plain old wasn't interested or is he color blind and finds it difficult to distinguish the two colors?

And I wonder if using the light box and light box materials exacerbated the difficulty of identify the colors.....

I'll take any suggestions especially from those of you who are color blind.

Fishing Rodeo

Thanks to AAPVI (Alabama Association of Parents of Children with Visual Impairment), Jack had his first fishing trip on Saturday. It was sweltering hot and Jack was having a difficult "allergy" day but we still had a blast!

Oaky.... so he really wasn't all that interested in fishing but he humored me for a bit and sat with me.

Uncle Noah WAS all about the fishing. This is just one of the many fish that Noah caught that day. Unfortunately the lighting, the lake, and the color of the fish did not combine to make great pictures so it was hard to see the fish in most of the pictures we got of Noah and his fish.

Jack and I caught our first fish when we had put our cane pole down to get a picture of Noah with his fish. Here I am trying to get Jack to pose with the fish. That poor fish had the misfortune to be spinning around when I put it in front of Jack so Jack gave it a whack with his hand and sent it spinning some more! LOL!

Oma and Opa took Jack for a walk and look what I did!

Jack's favorite parts of the trip were the interesting brick tiles in the stable, the drain in the stable, just generally running to and fro and eating hot dogs and COOKIES!!! All in all it was awesome. Each of these little adventures helps Jack to see how much fun it is to hang out with other people and try new things.

Thank YOU!

Thank you all our sweet bloggy friends!! Your prayers have helped to sustain us through this time. We had a lovely memorial service for Nana last Saturday. The love that she spread to so many was so clearly evident in the room filled with people who came to share her memory. I do think think Jack remembers and will continue to remember her. He frequently mentions Nana and that is a great comfort to my heart.

Things have been very busy here and I hope to return to blogging soon to share our latest adventures with all of you. But for now I'll share a sweet conversation I had with Jack about Nana not too long after she died. I was having difficulty explaining that we would not see Nana anymore.

Jack: Let's go Nana's house.
Me: Nana lives in heaven with Jesus now.
Jack: Let's go church.

Nana took me to church when I was a little girl. She showed me first how very much she loved me then she took me to church and taught me that there is a God who loves me infinitely more than she is able. I'm trying to pass both the love and knowledge down to Jack.

Life at Dusk

Do you ever think and think and think some more about a subject but find that you cannot wrap your brain around an idea? So you just kind of shelve it and labor along with your limited ability to understand. Then one day something fairly insignificant happens and the cartoon light bulb pops on over your head and you hear the ding ding of the jackpot in your ears?


Jack would live outside if we would let him. We returned home from church one evening and the usual clamoring to play outside began from the back seat. "Okay, 10 minutes!" I declared with a plan to be firm.

We stepped out of our garage into the cooling evening temperatures and I shivered a bit, glad that I had already time-limited this little adventure.

Jack took off for our backyard. I ran after him as my eyes began to adjust to the dim light from our neighbors' houses and the few street lights. I could make out Jack's form ahead of me and I could tell that he had dark colored clothing on but I could not make out the color. When he turned toward me, I recognized the shape of his face and his glasses but I could not make out his facial expression. I thought I saw something in the dark and tried to step over it but my foot found nothing to step over. I tripped over the garden hose that did not stand out in the dark. I found myself able to make my way around the yard but the trip over the garden hose was enough to make me extra cautious lest I fall over any other unseen objects in my path.

Suddenly, ding ding ding, a heavy fog lifted from my brain. This is it! This must be it. Jack lives in a constant state of dusk. He's not completely blind. He can see but he has difficulty making out fine details. Without high contrast and good lighting, he cannot distinguish one color from another. He needs high contrast thick letters 2-3 inches high for near work.

It's life at dusk with a couple of additional challenges. The difference in the left and right eye causes Jack not to use his left eye causing depth perception issues. We also learned at Jack's recent follow up with the vision rehabilitation doctor that Jack has cortical visual impairment.

His brain does not always process the signals it receives appropriately. Some days he sees better than others.

Here's a quote I found interesting "When a child with CVI needs to control his head, use his vision, and perform fine motor tasks, the effort can be compared to a neurologically intact adult learning to knit while walking a tightrope." And that is just if a child has CVI.

I guess you'd have to add "at dusk and without depth perception" to the end of the quote to describe Jack's optic nerve atrophy as well as his CVI.

Take a walk at dusk sometime and think of Jack.

Easter Tradition?

Anybody remember last year's ignoring of the Easter basket? Well this year, Jack actually met the Easter Bunny! Mr. E. Bunny himself went to Jack's school and shook Jack's hand. Ms. Sunny reported that Jack thought the Easter Bunny was one funny guy.

We were thrilled! Since Jack enjoyed meeting Mr. Bunny, we thought it would be a little more concrete for him this year. I talked to Jack about how the Easter Bunny was going to bring him a basket with some surprises. And with a few ideas from some friends, there were great items in the basket. They were sure to please. I just *knew* that this year was going to be different.

To help build the anticipation, I really hyped up the Easter Bunny and the basket on Saturday. Then Saturday evening, I got Jack to help me decorate a very tactile high contrast Easter egg.

It's a foam "egg" on black construction paper. Jack added the bright foam shapes stickers.

I told Jack that we were decorating the egg and leaving it in the basket to let the Easter Bunny know that we celebrate Easter and he was welcome to stop by our house. I even got Jack to help me put the basket in place. My plan was going great!

Sunday morning we woke up to find the egg moved to the art wall and the basket filled.

Dancing, singing, light up rabbit, Spinner rabbit, water balloons, bubble spinner, spinning tops, chocolate Easter bunny, miscellaneous candy, cheese puffs, and popcorn.

And here is a transcript of our conversation:

Marie: Let's see what the Easter Bunny brought you!

Jack: Take a bath!

M: You want to take a bath now?

J: Yes. Irish!

M: Okay, let's go find Irish.

J: Searching. Irish.

M: Searching. (Spots Irish). In the bag.

J: (vision not so good this AM--fluctuates due to cortical visual impairment) Irish?

M: In the bag.

J: Irish?

M: (thumps Irish to make noise) Here's Irish!

J: Irish! (Grabs Irish)

M: (squeezes singing, dancing, light up bunny's hand hoping to generate Easter basket interest) Look!

J: Turn it off.

M: Turn it off?

J: Yes.

M: (turns bunny off)

J: Take a bath (heads to bathroom)

*sigh* Jack was not this conversational last year. He speaks so much more and so much more clearly this year. We have much to be grateful for. But I have to be honest....I really really really wanted him to get excited about that basket this year!

To see other's Magic Marker Monday posts and to link up yourself, click here.

Where is All Access Pass to Jack?

PEEK A BOO!

Sorry I've been scarce around these parts. We have had some very busy days in our household. I hope to get back to more regular posting soon but I wanted to reassure all of you that Jack is not sick or having surgery or anything. He is busy growing and being a little boy and amazing us with how mature he is becoming.

Haircuts have always been a big chore for Jack. Back when he is around one and a half, David and I decided that haircuts were a Jack and Daddy activity. Jack would flail his extremities and his head so that he looked like he was caught up in a tornado while getting his hair cut.

David has been taking Jack to Ms. Barbara, the barber, since that time. Ms. Barbara has always been patient and understanding. In fact, she and her cohorts at the barber shop kept telling us that they have seen much worse.

Then there was yesterday. Jack walked into the barber shop without fuss. He walked up to Ms. Barbara and said "Hey!" After she said, "Hey Jack", he said "Sit in the chair." Ms. Barbara set up the chair for Jack to sit alone and to everyone's amazement, Jack climbed up, sat down and sat still for his haircut. Ms. Barbara said, "Who is this? Where did Jack go?"

Sensory Experience with White

Remember Ms. Denise's color plan? Jack has moved on to white.....he's not enjoying it quite as much as black. Here's Ms. Sunny getting Jack to play in shaving cream. I don't know where Ms. Denise was for this shot.

To see other's Magic Marker Monday posts and to link up yourself, click here.

Praises During this Small Storm

Jack threw up again sometime last night/early this morning. It's all a blur sometimes. The scary thing is that we did not wake up immediately when it happened. It seems like God usually jolts me awake for these things. But no worries God had his eye on Jack as usual and Jack was laying facedown when I woke up. ***Stop reading here and skip down to the last few sentences of this paragraph if you have a weak stomach.*** I know this is a little graphic but I just want you to know how much God takes care of our little guy. Jack was lying facedown and that caused all the vomit to exit the mask into the Bipap tubing so he did not breathe it in and cause lung damage. Our God is an amazing glorious God who deserves oh so much more praise than I will ever give!!! Anyway I don't know how long he laid like that before I woke up and turned on the light to check on him because I realized something was odd (yet another praise because I was really very sleepy and was just going to turn him over but something (shout out to God!) made me turn on the light first). Anyhow, I turned on the light and was getting him cleaned up when he began vomiting again and much more that time. He refused to eat all day and David said he was pretty lethargic until I finally dragged back home. He perked up a little when his biggest playmate and snuggly comfort item (ME!) arrived. He did eat a little dinner (some cereal and fruit bars--his choice). He's been asleep for a couple of hours and he has not thrown up yet. Pray pray!


Dave is feeling okay. He says he's feeling better since he's at home where he has his medications (Mucinex and Sudafed) and remembers to take them.

I had to work today while my brain tried to knock its way out of my skull little by little. I went to the doctor this afternoon. He says that my neck and shoulder pain were most likely the precursor to me getting sick. He says it's yet another viral sinus infection to be blamed on the ever changing barometric pressure. He gave me a shot to decrease the inflammation, particularly my throat and gave me some other meds and praise the good Lord, meds for my head to quit pounding. They are working.

Under the Weather Rewind

We're under the weather here so we could sure use some prayers. Jack appears to have the stomach bug that's been going around and another cold. David has yet another cold/sinus infection. Marie is having severe neck and shoulder pains leading to a headache as well as a severely sore throat and ear pain.

On to today's MMM....

I have mentioned numerous times how much I love finger art. No surprise that this litte beauty meant so much to me!

Jack made this last year toward the end of the school year. The aide who helped him reported that at first Jack resisted because he does not like the feel of finger paint. After they told him it was a special surprise for Mama, he happily cooperated.
 
It now hangs on a kitchen cabinet and makes me smile everyday!
 
To see other's Magic Marker Monday posts and to link up yourself, click here.

Not All "Art Projects" Work Out

So our post this week, isn't your usual kind of craft but hey it's crafty! *Sorry for the blurriness of the photos. My camera phone is having issues or my hand is wobbly--not sure which.

We had a special event to attend yesterday evening so I decided to "sculpt" Jack's hair with mousse and hair spray.

He knew he looked good.

That evening when it was bath time, I discovered something.

Short hair with hair product goes nuts when it gets wet! We decided to have a little fun with all that messy hair product hair. We had it sticking up in various places then I had a brilliant idea!

A Faux Hawk!

 

Or not....

Well, we tried...maybe more hair product next time?

To see other's Magic Marker Monday posts and to link up yourself, click here.

Don't forget to check out the latest Life is Therapy and come back tomorrow to leave a comment or link up with your Life is Therapy moments.

Popcorn is a Sedative

1 am Sunday morning I woke up to the sound--the sound that sets my nerves on fire, makes my heart race, my pupils constrict, and my palms begin to sweat. Jack was crying.

It took him awhile to calm down and then he did NOT go back to sleep. I even made him stay in a dark room and lie down for a couple of hours. I think he really tried but he just couldn't get back to sleep. And that means Mama did not sleep either.

I spent most of the day feeling like this

Jack spent most of the day like this

He happily worked on his symphony and enjoyed his various musical instruments, cars, and books. He was a bundle of energy. I had to find a way to get Jack to relax.

He began to slow down in the warm waters of the tub. He even rested his head on Irish. I thought he might actually fall asleep in there. Suddenly, he hopped out of the tub ready for more activity.

That's when I remembered this

Jack can be so very very sleepy but will not go down without a little snack first.

Yes, I did put him back in the same jammies after the bath. He'd only slept in them and we were not going anywhere. Sue me.

And at last, he began to act a little tired

He gladly accepted the offer of a pillow

And finally

Don't forget to check out this week's Life is Therapy.

Open Ended Questions

According to Wikipedia, a closed-ended question "is a form of question which can normally be answered using a simple "yes" or "no", a specific simple piece of information, or a selection from multiple choices."


Dictionary.com defines open-ended as "allowing for a spontaneous, unstructured response".

Open ended questions are a big deal for preschoolers. Give it a try. Ask a little person you know "what is your favorite store?" And then ask why it's their favorite. They may stare at you blankly or give you a completely nonsensical even fantasy-like answer. It takes a lot to think of the question you asked and then to think of what the answer might be. Particularly because preschoolers are still at the stage of wanting to make you happy with the right answer. So not only are they trying to think of the name of a store, trying to figure out whether or not they like it, they are also looking at you and trying to determine what answer will make you happy.

Contrast that with "Do you like Wal-Mart or Publix?" You'll get your answer a whole lot quicker but if you move on to the why question which is open ended you are back at the blank stare or nonsensical answer.

It reminds me of a scene in Elmo Loves You. A little girl says to Grover, "I love you!" Grover says, "Really, what is love?" She says, "Huh?" and kind of looks away. She does eventually answer. It's not that she doesn't know what love is or that she did not mean it. She just doesn't know how to explain it.

So anyway, it's a big deal and guess who surprised his Mama and Daddy by answering two open-ended questions that were on his preschool homework assignment?

Jack! Yes, Jack!

M: Hey Jack, what is your favorite store?

J: Publix!

M: Why is Publix your favorite?

J: Drive cart.

I love love love love love love how much he's communicating these days. If you don't understand his spoken language he will use signs, other spoken words, body language or he'll try to show you some other way what he is trying to say. Good times...

Don't forget to check out this week's Life is Therapy.

Jack Tackled the Sweeping!

My brain did not kick into gear until a little too late and I could not grab the phone fast enough to get a better shot.

I told Jack that he had to help clean up. I meant pick up his toys that were strewn about the house after a day full of Jack and Daddy fun.

I was sweeping the dining room. Before I had a chance to give him a more specific instruction, he came over, grabbed the broom and said "Sweeping".

His sweeping actually looked a lot more like dancing as he kind of hugged the broom and twirled in a bit of a circle while looking up at it. He "swept" the dining room then moved on to the laundry room.

I don't know if he was going to sweep in there or if he was going to put the broom up since that's where we keep it. Anyway, he got distracted in there and wanted to do laundry.

To see more Tackle it Tuesday posts, click here.

Don't forget to check out this week's installment of Life is Therapy.

More Christmas

Another bonus to being home Christmas Day! Jack's big brother, Patrick, his sister-in-law, Holly, and his niece, Elise, came by for a visit.

Apparently Jack was fascinated by Elise's hair.

I was fascinated by the very girly and cute cotton dress that, as we found out later, was also very stain and water resistant.

We had already done some of our present exchanging at the whole family get together the week before but we saved a few items for opening on Christmas Day. As you can see, Jack just loves this part of Christmas gatherings.

Elise and Holly went to see Princess and the Frog for their first just Mommy-Daughter movie so Elise loved her new Tiana doll

and her new Princess Tiana book.

Patrick was thrilled to be the first to give his little brother a remote control vehicle. Jack loved the squishy new car with the big wheels.

Then, Elise proved that it's not just Jack. The newly renovated play area is just too attractive for any kiddo (even a kiddo with brand new toys) to resist.

In fact, Elise's favorite thing was the bucket of miscellaneous freebie toys.

She dug right through it to see what treasures she could find

and prompted her mother to ask if she planned to put her mouth on everything in the bin.

Of course not, Mommy!

But, wait! Where was Jack while all this playing was going down?

Cookies*!!!!

*Keep your eyes peeled for the new t-shirt Jack got from his cousin. I'll have to get a picture of him wearing it soon. It's too cute!

Don't forget to check out the latest installment of Life is Therapy.

Christmas Morning

Santa came to our house and look at all the loot he left!!!

What do you think got Jack's attention first?

The nice tall plush giraffe?

The big wheel?

Um....hamster in a wheel?

Mmmm...'kay....so it was Elmo hanging out of the stocking, right?

Nope, none of the above. Jack walked in the living room, kind of nodded toward what Santa brought, and headed over to his newly renovated play area to delight us with his Schroeder from Charlie Brown impression.

We decided to take it easy and drink a little coffee and let Jack just take his time checking out all his new surprises. After what seemed an eternity, I could take it no longer and started the hamster spinning in the wheel. BINGO! Immediate attraction!

Oh boy! It's a hamster!

Let me look at it from the left.

Got to check the view from the top

and the right

and upside down!

Daddy, did you see my hamster?

After much, much hamster love, Jack turned his attention to his other things.

He went for a spin on his new big wheel,

he subtly cozied up to the giraffe,

and he and Elmo and Irish took a bath.

It really was nice not to have to rush through present opening and out the door.

Check out this week's latest Life is Therapy.