Explore the world of dance with our online workshops. This package includes three online courses. Among them are Hip Hop and House by Khmel, Coordination and Rhythm by Zulu and Roni, and a set of 5 lessons by Roni. These practices open up endless possibilities for you to dance. Learn the basic steps and their variations, improve your coordination, and learn to improvise. Move forward and learn to express yourself through music and movement. Your dance journey starts here!
Join me as I explain a little of the journey of writing Roni Rainer Mysteries.
Archangel Raphael who ministers health conditions of living beings. Archangel Raphael even guides you in your dreams. Seeing positive you.
Photographer Lennart Nilsson spent 10 years of his life recording the growth of the human embryo, from conception to birth.
Today is what teaching is all about! Every year I invite parents to come in and see what their children have been learning in Second Grade. We turned our classroom into a Safari complete with Jeeps and all. Then students took their parents through a journey of their Second Grade year. They shared a book they wrote, taught their parents how to play a math game, read their favorite story from the Imagine It book, and shared their portfolio of all their writing projects from the year. I enjoy watching all the giggles, smiles and enjoyment from parents and students. The afternoon came to an end with the surprised Candy Bar Awards. I love presenting these to my students and have so much fun matching their personalities to a candy bar. Some cute monkeys greeting parents as they arrive (Thanks Mrs. Jump! I got these from her Zoo Unit) The students created a "map"and organized the things they needed. We wrote about "Two" cans for Third Grade. These writing forms and patterns are available on Teacher's Notebook. Just click the picture above! These are our portfolios. Students keep their writing projects in them all year to share on this special day. The idea came from "The Bag Ladies" The Candy Bar Awards We couldn't wait for the parents to arrive! We had a full house! Thank you to every parent who rearranged their schedule to spend the afternoon in Second Grade!
The brain is much like the body. If we exercise areas that are weak or underdeveloped, we can overcome significant difficulties. In fact, we may even be able to turn a weakness into a strength. Just like a personal trainer or physical therapist can strengthen an underdeveloped bicep or repair a sprained ankle, a learning specialist or educational therapist can remediate troublesome cognitive processing areas like visual processing or auditory memory. In fact, I often tell my students that I'm a personal trainer for the brain. What is Cognitive Remedial Therapy? Cognitive remedial therapy involves activities that improve mental abilities such as attention, working memory, reasoning, visual and auditory processing, cognitive flexibility, processing speed, stamina, organizational skills, time management and more. In addition, educational therapists and learning specialists can use activities to strengthen other areas of weak cognition such as language, as well as visual and auditory processing. This form of remediation offers a wide range of intensive interventions designed to address and eliminate learning problems. This intervention is individualized for each learner. How Can Cognitive Remedial Therapy Help Students with Learning Disabilities? Cognitive remedial therapy helps to strengthen weak areas of cognition through focused activities that target areas of weakness or deficit. Activities begin at the individual student's level and increase in difficulty as the individual experiences success. The key is keeping the individual in their zone of proximal development, which is an instructional area between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through solving problems with guidance. When remediation focuses intensely on one area of cognition, measurable gains can be significant. What are the Common Key Areas that Students with Learning Disabilities Need to Strengthen? Every student with learning disabilities has their own unique profile, but the following offers a list of some common areas of deficit: Working memory Executive functioning Processing speed Visual processing Auditory processing Attention Memory Sequential processing Reasoning Linguistic skills Higher order thinking Critical thinking How Can I Help? As no two people with learning disabilities are alike, be sure to use a tailored approach that can meet the unique needs of each individual student. If you are looking for cognitive remedial tools, there is a great selection of options at Good Sensory Learning. Cheers, Dr. Erica Warren Dr. Erica Warren is the author, illustrator, and publisher of multisensory educational materials at Good Sensory Learning. She is also the director of Learning to Learn and Learning Specialist Courses. Blog: https://learningspecialistmaterials.blogspot.com/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/warrenerica1 GSL Blog: https://goodsensorylearning.com/blogs/news Stores: www.GoodSensoryLearning.com/ Courses: http://www.learningspecialistcourses.com/ Newsletter Sign-up: https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/694000
The first few weeks of weight loss are no joke. Don't let any of these all-too-common blunders derail your weight-loss goals.
Researchers revealed important new information about how brain changes that affect more than language and reading may be behind dyslexia
There are 5 times during the IEP process that are conducive to 'extra' parent participation. Learn how to use them to be a better advocate for your child.
You’ve probably heard the term “adrenal fatigue’ before, but you may be surprised to learn that most of us are suffering from it to at least a mild degree. Adrenal fatigue is becoming more and more common in modern society. It’s no surprise, as we’re con…
I so wish I had a magic wand to get schools to say yes when the child clearly needs services but the schools are obviously manipulating the situation to make sure they can say no. Special education advocates know that the law is the way to get schools to change their mind. The following questions …
Are you the type of person who spends months pinning fun craft ideas for the holidays only to realize the holiday is tomorrow? Pinterest should have an alert button or something. Well here is your reminder: Rosh Hashanah begins next Wednesday night, so it’s time to stop pinning and start crafting! I have found with […]
Looking for an easy, romantic meal for two? This steak is simple to make but tastes like it was made by a professional!
Yes, we are here! We are still alive! I know that it has been well over a month since I last posted. Here is the thing, I wrote most of this post about a month ago then I sort of got side tracked and well, life happened. This post is something that was difficult for me to write because it is a "hot topic" and I am shy in the face of conflict. I welcome discussion, but this post is absolutely not about the school system and what educational placement is best for so-and-so. Rather, this post is about something I have been witnessing amongst parents for a while now and it really came to a head these recent months as we prepared for Ellie's transition IEP into Kindergarten. Jane Doe : “I have an 8 year-old daughter with Down syndrome and she has full inclusion at x school”. The above statement runs rampant in several Facebook groups related to Down syndrome or special needs. The introduction includes the kid’s name, age, and if they have full inclusion at their school. Well, you only list their schooling if they are in full inclusion. If it is partial inclusion or full seclusion, forget about mentioning it to the masses. Now, say that you are to introduce yourself in a Facebook group: Johnny Appleseed: “I live in Austin, TX and I graduated summa cum laude from an Ivy League school.” What is that??? Seems pretty pompous, right? Bragging. Snooty. Gives an air of superiority. Leaving people wondering why on earth this person is announcing their credentials during a basic introduction. It isn’t like you all asked where this person went to school! How is Jane Doe’s introduction of her daughter any different? It isn’t. Why do some parents feel the need to take on their child’s school placement as a badge of honor? What if you kiddo spends 50% of their time in a special education classroom? Or 100% of their time fully secluded? Does that make your child “less than”? Does that mean that you are less successful? Whether or not a child is in a fully inclusive environment or a self-contained environment doesn’t mean a whole hill of beans. Your child’s school placement is not a reflection of your self or your success as a parent. It is, therefore, not something to be touted about either. So leave it out of the introduction. This brings me to something that has been heavy on my mind lately. It is what we as special needs parents and educators refer to as “IEP season”. IEP stands for an Individualized Education Plan. The emphasis being on Individualized as in a “not one size fits all”. You will hear horror stories about schools railroading parents into placing their kids into a fully secluded classroom because that is just “what they do with all kids who have a disability”. You will also hear about wonderful teachers who truly want what is best for these kiddos and will fight tooth and nail to get that child what she needs. You will hear about LRE [least restrictive environment], which is truly open to interpretation by the parents and by the schools as well as mainstreaming and inclusion. However, this post in not about the schools or school placement or LRE-that is a whole other blog post. This is about the parents. How parents are treating other parents when it comes to educating their child with special needs. Facebook can be a great source of support for parents, but it can also be a place of shame. Arguments are popping up like dandelions all over my newsfeed and it makes me sad. There are two schools of thought: You should fight for total inclusion and if your child isn’t in a general education classroom with /without support, you are doing a disservice to your child. You are not setting them up for success. You are not fighting hard enough. Or your school isn’t good enough and is breaking a gazillion laws. You are being completely unrealistic if you think your child will thrive in 100% inclusion. She has a cognitive disability. She needs to be pulled out for more 1:1 education or she will otherwise sit in the back of the classroom not learning and will be disruptive. Oh Wow! Damned if you do and damned if you don’t. There is not legal definition of what exactly “Inclusion” entails. No step by step direction on how schools must implement inclusion along with LRE. This can be a great source of anxiety as well and frustration for us parents. We need each other’s support, not shame. First, a brief breakdown of terminology: Full inclusion is a child being included 100% in the general education classroom with typically developing peers. Inclusion for many may look like having a 1:1 aide or an aide amongst 3 kids with special needs, or moderate classroom adaptions. Among parents, it is often pushed as the gold standard for special education. Maybe it is the gold standard, maybe it isn’t. That isn’t what this post is about. The biggest complaint among parents is that the schools will not help their children be fully included in every general education class. That some of these schools look at the disability label of their child and put her into this little box saying that she need to have her education in the X classroom. Full Seclusion involves a special education classroom with all kids who have special needs. It is full seclusion when there is no time spent in the general education classroom. This is something that many of us parent struggle with. There are several studies that do not support this type of academic setting. Children need to be included with their typically developing peers — this is to the benefit of BOTH those who have special needs and those typically developing kiddos. However, there are some parents who know that their child will thrive if the majority of their time is spent in this type of setting. Then there are the in-betweens - also referred as mainstreaming or partial inclusion — spending most of the time in the general education classroom with “pull outs” into a resource room or the spec ed classroom for more 1:1 teaching on specific subjects. i. e. “Sally will spend x minutes in the general education classroom with pull outs for Math”. Or you can have the opposite where the majority of the time, the child is in a special education classroom and is “pushed in” the general education classroom for certain subjects. For instance, “Ellie will spend most of her time in her Functional Academic Classroom [FAC - spec ed classroom] with push-ins for art, music, social studies, and science.” When she is pushed in, she will have an aide accompany her for added support. I will always fight for my little Bear. I know that many of you reading this have an idea on what educational setting that I described above is ideal for your child and some of you are not sure - either way, that is okay! Just please, this is NOT about the school system and these different classrooms or what the school is/isn't providing your child— like I said, that is a whole other blog post. It is how the parents behave towards other parents. It is about needing to support each other as we try to navigate the complex maze of the school system in working towards enabling our children to learn in the best way possible while developing healthy peer relationships. There are SO MANY ways to help a child reach her maximum potential. Each child is an individual and as such there is no “magic” school setting that is best for every single child. Rather, the setting must be adapted for each child; catering to her strengths, weakness, and learning style. What am I saying here? Let us stop belittling parents for the choices they make. Let us stop shaming parents when they decide they need to go up against the school and fight for what their child needs — whether it be full inclusion, full seclusion, going to their home school, or going to a “better” school 20 minutes away. Let us no longer tell a parent that they are “not doing enough” or that they are “setting their child up for failure” or that they are "being unrealistic" because their child’s education plan doesn’t match your child’s or is what your idea of a perfect IEP is. They are doing the best that they can. They want the same thing as you — what is best for their child. Instead, can we all just support each other? Say “I have been through this too and it is exhausting and draining. You need to do what is best for your child individually and I will support you.” So, what happened in Ellie's IEP meeting? The one that I didn't post about on Facebook because I "just didn't want to deal with the drama"? It went well. I was all prepared for a battle, but I didn't need to be. We all went in knowing how Ellie learns best, her strengths, and her weaknesses. Where her challenges lie and what she excells at. We have opted to have Ellie attend a school outside her home school about 20 minutes away. This school has a more inclusive environment in which she will be "pushed in" for art, science, social studies, lunch, recess, and music - pushed into the general education kindergarten. For the remainder of the time, she will receive more 1:1 instruction in the FAC classroom which has 8 kiddos with special needs, ranging from grades K-5 and reverse inclusion for reading and adaptive PE. This is what we wanted for her. We want Ellie to have interactions with typical developing peers, yet we know that she gets overwhelmed in large classroom settings. She freezes up and then acts out, unable to learn. We know how her ADHD drives her. Full inclusion would not be a good fit for her, but full seclusion wouldn't be either. We needed something in the middle and we are excited for what lies ahead. https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Chronicles-of-Ellie-Bellie-Bear/216738345037166
\"RONI Discovers Mindfulness: Introducing Kids to Eating and Living in a Mindful Way\" incorporates mindfulness strategies in a story about and for young children to help them become aware of the eating process and internal body signals that guide food regulation. Eight mindful eating and lifestyle tips for kids are included to help children begin the journey toward a more mindful way of living.The Roni Children's Book Series shares insights about a child who is overweight in relation to social situations, athletic performance, food and lifestyle choices, social interactions, and more. The colorful books, illustrated by artist Rob Peters, are suitable and encouraged for all children. Helpful online resources, eating and lifestyle tips, and questions for discussion are included for use by teachers, health care professionals and coaches, and family members to boarden their understanding and work with children.The Roni Children's Book Series is an engaging and educational teaching tool for school-age children and their families. The series supports the establishment of nonthreatening and wholesome environments to help children grow, learn, and accomplish their dreams. The books are recommended for use by health care professional and coaches, by family members at home, by teachers in schools for elementary grade-level health and wellness curriculums, and by instructors of social and emotional learning programs for children.Dr. Roni Roth Beshears is a registered dietitian nutritionist and principle of Nutrition Associates, LLC. This book is her fouth illustrated children's book in a series of stories on healthful lifestyle choices for children.
What are you doing that hurts yourself? What need is that behavior fulfilling? Where did that need come from? And how are you going to fill it that works for your life?
When a child struggles with reading we often look to their effort or the teaching method as the source of the problem. After all, if they tried harder, or if we cater to their optimum learning style, chances are good the information will click and they will be on their way to reading success. Bonnie LandauReading, Visual Processing
The official new "Birthing Playlist" includes fitting songs like "Under Pressure" and "Don't Panic."
Meet eight real people who lost weight and blogged about it. Plus, get diet and fitness tips and see photos of their amazing transformations at WomansDay.com.
7 accommodations for students with #dyslexia
Learn the difference between sourdough starter and discard is and when you should use each one.
After visiting Inkstains with Roni and learning that she literally fell upon this neat inkjet transfer by error, well I had to look into this. Roni was using an ALL PURPOSE cleaner with Orange oil in it and well since here in Canada some of our products vary I thought immediately of Orange Glo. So I head out to buy Orange Glo while doing groceries, brought it home, tried it and no it didn’t work. Well I should have read Roni’s instructions a bit better because she said it was an ALL PURPOSE Cleaner, what I got was Orange Glo for furniture, it is a little heavier and more oily than I wanted thus it produced no results. Good thing I have wood furniture so I can still use it but I was still not going to be beaten by this result. I was racking my brain thinking of what product could I get that had orange in it, well nothing other than Orange Glo but then I got to thinking and looking in my cleaning supplies and of course I had Pine Sol but with Lemon. I use it quite a bit now and love the lemon scent it has and just makes cleaning feel fresh but not overly sterile smelling. So I opted to try it and I can’t wait to show you how very easy and readily available it is. Here is what you need: Pine Sol, I suggest Lemon Scent but if you have any other kind then try it first before running out to get the Lemon, the other Pine Sols MAY work but I am not going to tell you it does because I don’t have any other in the house. A paint brush the size for an image, even a cotton swap would be fine, images either colour or B&W INKJET, receiving paper, cut size of ATC’s, use book pages, whatever you like even the center of a paper doily would be nice for a card and a small container to put some Pine Sol in. Bone folder for burnishing is optional as well as the cotton swabs, scissors for trimming images. Dip your brush into your Pine Sol. Place your image face down on the receiving paper and brush the back of the image with the Pine Sol. You will start to see the image appear, keep brushing on Pine Sol til you have covered all of your image. Now either take a cotton swap or your finger, doesn’t matter and start to burnish the image, keep moving around the whole image. Hold part of the image and lift to see how it is looking, if you are happy remove the image and look at your receiving paper. If you want to burnish it a bit more lay the paper back down and burnish a bit more even brush on a bit more Pine Sol. Also something I noted, the inkjet ink does not bleed like other techniques, it stays put while you are burnishing, unlike Gel Medium which I do like to use just made this observation. Now lift the image. You are done. I now use my heat gun and dry the paper. Nice thing about Pine Sol is it doesn’t leave an oily stain on your paper which is what I was worried about. Here are some other examples of the transfers here. A tag, a Moo and an ATC. Here is the finished ATC with the girl with the butterfly wings. I added a bit more to it since this pic but not much and of course dried now after hitting it with the heat gun. Wasn’t that fun and so easy and something you may already have in the house. I also tried Isopropryl Alcohol and it works but I found it wasn’t quite co operative with the colours, it sort of changed them and the image was not as clear most ghostly. Thanks to Roni for her discovery for the Orange Cleaner and here is my discovery using Pine Sol. Hope you enjoyed this, I would love to hear your feedback and would love to see your results. Happy Creating ♥
We love inspiring people to Give & Live Happy… that’s why we created the Chirp! It’s what we call the inspiring graphics that we send in a daily email and post on our Instagram. We’ve had so many people ask us to turn them into phone wallpapers so we took our a few of our most loved Chirps and made inspirational phone wallpapers for you!
A fun summer reading program to download and print. Encourage your kids to read books from new genres this summer with this printable map and bookmarks.
I struggle with prayer. How do I pray? Do I pray enough? Do I pray too little? Do you struggle with prayer too?
Everything you need to know as a mom headed into your first IEP meeting. Real life wisdom from real life moms who have been there.
