Ah, summertime.
So while I’ve been quiet, we’ve been gearing up for the kids’ summertime activities. Both R and the Monster are going to camp for at least part of the summer (the Monster does have school in July, while R’ll be there the whole time), and last night was the camp orientation. Continue reading
I’ve mentioned before how much I love the programs for children with special needs at the JCC.
No, not just because they decided, against all sane judgement, to let me take over their blog for a day, though let’s be honest – anyone crazy enough to do that is my kind of people.
No, it’s because they get him. Continue reading
There’s always the question of what to do with a special needs child over the summer. There’s school-provided ESY, or other enrichment programs, or perhaps doing some home schooling… or there’s regular camp.
As we did last summer, this summer we decided to send the Monster to Camp Milldale. Continue reading
So the Monster’s getting one more week of camp at the JCC, courtesy of their “Sunday Funday Everyday” program. Because I’m home from work for the week, the wife and I are taking turns with the run to drop him off and pick him up.
Much of the staff from the program was also present at Camp Milldale, so they’re already acquainted with what he can and cannot do, with his foibles and the like. This was a good push to get him to go there, and so it was very easy to part with the money for the additional week. Continue reading
So this is the last week of the Monster’s day camp. Next week is the gap week between camp and school, and then we’re back into the school year.
Originally, we were trying to figure out what we’d do next week, having both R and the Monster home, and were wracking our brains as to find something to keep them both occupied, bearing in mind that R needs to have a nap mid-day, and the Monster might not do well with further disruptions to his schedule… Continue reading
As I’ve mentioned a few times, we’re nearly done with the Monster’s first real summer at day-camp. (To give you an idea of how deep into the summer we are, Color War began at their camp today.)
I’ll admit that I’m not really sure what he’s getting out of the summer, but that’s not really the goal of the entire operation, is it. Continue reading
A month from Friday, the Monster returns to school.
The summer’s just been racing by. We’ve not had a lot of time to catch our breath, and admittedly a lot of his workbook’s been ignored while we’re doing other things, but there’s that looming date around the corner for things getting underway again on the educational stage. Continue reading
Sometimes, no news is good news.
As I’ve mentioned before, the Monster’s one-on-one aide, J, is generally very good about writing us notes about what happens at camp. Yesterday, for instance, we got a note about how he went on the zip-line for the first time, about how he’s having a good time in music, and how he loves swimming.
Today? Not a word. Continue reading
The second week of camp is in full swing, which is a very good thing for the Monster.
Camp means that we’re back on a semi-fixed schedule, which is good for helping him regulate himself – he knows what to expect day-in and day-out at the house, and he’s shown that he does much better when there’s structure in place to keep him moving. Continue reading
The struggle with food continues.
The Monster’s summer one-on-one has been very good about writing us decent notes every day, outlining what the Monster’s enjoying or not enjoying, where there are pain points and where he’s figured out things with the behavior… and one of the recurring pain points in the first week of camp has been food. Continue reading