Category Archives: Curriculum

Rylee’s painting

Posted on by
Reply

Rylee loves to paint. She paints with beads, balls and paint brushes. She never hesitates to get her fingers into wet paint as well. Recently, I have noticed that she has started to explore the texture of the paper she has been using in her painting activity.

She looks for the corner of the paper she is using for her painting. Then, she feels it, crunches it and tears it apart to get a piece of paper to hold and crunch in her hand. I wondered it would be more interesting for Rylee to paint on a textured paper? I found some corrugated card board durable enough to paint and tear. We tested it out last week!

When I stuck it to the easel and presented her with her favourite painting brush, Rylee gave me a smile. She started by feeling the corrugated paper on the easel and listening to the sound that came from her fingers scratching.  She then felt the brush with wet paint, took it closer to her eyes for better look and continued her painting. She worked very hard with the colour green on that day.

rylee

Today, we revisited the painting and Rylee chose to add some red paint on to it. This brightened up her painting.

 

IMG_0042

We will revisit the painting again next week and add some more beautiful colours on it. Exciting work Rylee…….

 

Rylee’s masterpiece (23.08.2016)

Rylee revisited her painting again and again during the second term. She chose to add only one colour in each visit. Her chosen colours were red, purple and yellow. She explored many types tools when she was creating the painting. She was fully engaged in the whole painting process since we started from the green paint till we added our bright yellow on the final day.

screen-shot-2016-10-11-at-3-52-20-pm

When I handed Rylee’s finished piece of work to her mother and grandmother, Rylee’s face lit up and had a long conversation with us. Yes, Rylee, I know how hard she tried and how much fun we had in creating this master piece of yours. I am so proud of you!

3

Children experience an environment where: there are equitable opportunities for learning, irrespective of gender, ability, age, ethnicity,
or background (Strand 3, Goal 1 of Te Whāriki, he whaariki mātauranga mo nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum).

New Easel

Image

Reply

We have purchased a new painting and art easel, which has been specifically designed for all of the children to use. With its extendable legs, the easel can accommodate two children in their wheelchairs and two standing. We thank Starex for their patience as we worked through the design of this great resource. We are finding it isn’t just good for painting, but other creative activities as well.

Both of Eli's hands are busy in the paint and holding the beads and rings

Both of Eli’s hands are busy in the paint and holding the beads and rings

Jasmine at the paint easel. She chose purple paint today. The beads encouraged Jasmine to look at the paper and to get her hands into the paint.

Jasmine at the paint easel. She chose purple paint today. The beads encouraged Jasmine to look at the paper and to get her hands into the paint.

 

Ava painting her face and the paper today!

Ava painting her face and the paper today!

Hands in the paint!

Image

2

Eli, Jasmine and Rylee got their hands into the paint today. Having time to explore paint and fingerpaint is an important part of the programme at HECC. As the children explore sensory materials with their hands, fingers and on their skin, they are using their sense of touch. This lays the foundation for learning other skills, such as identifying objects by touch, and using fine-motor muscles. The addition of colourful beads added other dimensions – sight and sound –  to their play, as the children rattled and pulled the beads through the paint.  Eli was quick to get the paint up to his mouth, engaging his sense of taste and smell.

Stimulating the senses sends signals to the child’s brain, that help to strengthen nerve pathways, important for all types of learning – and it is FUN!

In this photo Rylee is painting with her fingers.

In this photo Eli is painting with his fingers.

In this photo Jasmine is holding a string of beads in both of her hands. The beads are covered in paint.

Here is an extract from the Texas School for the Blind about the tactile sensory system;

“The tactile system processes touch experiences felt through the skin as light touch, firm touch or pressure, static touch,        moving touch, temperature, pain, and comfort. There are two primary functions of the tactile system. One is protection and the other is discrimination.

The protective touch function is neurologically bound to the limbic system of the brain.  This system is described as the emotional control center with direct connections to the primal flight or fight responses. The protective function of the skin is reflexive and primarily unconscious with touch sensations automatically categorized into calming, soothing, familiar sensations, or into danger reactions.

The discrimination functions of the skin are conscious, cognitive tasks that are learned through experience.  These include touch localization, recognition, and stereognosis. Localization refers to knowing where on the body one is being touched. Tactile recognition is required to learn characteristics of objects such as size, shape, texture, and the weight of items.  Stereognosis is object recognition through touch.”   

We engage the children in a variety of tactile experiences so they have opportunities to participate and develop their sense of touch.

Click here for a link to the article quoted above by Lisa Ricketts, Texas School for the Blind.

 

Language and literacy learning: the 3 L’s!

Image

3

In this photo, Jasmine is listening to a story on the iPad and shows her enjoyment by clapping her hands.

In this photo jasmine is looking at the iPad as it reads a story to her.

In this photo Jasmine is turning a page in a book, looking at the book as she concentrates on her task.

Exploring different Apps on the iPad is one of Jasmine’s favourite activities at HECC.  She has also recently become very interested in looking at books as they are being read to her, especially by Mum! Today after the iPad story had finished, Jasmine reached out to the book, and used both hands to turn the page.

 

 

Ava in the spa pool!

Image

Reply

 

Ava is in the spa pool as the jets bubble the water around her.

Some of the children are regular users of the spa pool at HECC.  Ava relaxed in the water today, and as the jets came on the bubbles swirled around her.

Some general benefits of exercise in water (Karina Soffe PT Homai Campus School, BLENNZ):

  • Relief of pain and muscle spasm
  • Maintenance or improvement in range of movement of joints
  • Strengthening of muscles or increase in tolerance to exercise
  • Re-education of immobilised muscles
  • Improvement in circulation
  • Encouragement of functional activities
  • Maintenance and improvement of balance, co-ordination and posture
  • Fun and relaxation

Clonker Board Sessions

Image

Reply

We are experimenting with some new group activities on the resonance boards.  In the following photo, Eli and Abbey are experiencing the rhythm on their bodies with chopsticks as the ‘happy sticks’ song plays in the background.

This is a photo of Abbey and Eli on a resoance board during the Clonker Board session.

In this photo, Eli and Abbey are experiencing the rhythm on their bodies with chopsticks as the ‘happy sticks’ song plays in the background.

 

Thanks to Chrissy MacDonald for introducing us at HECC to Clonker Board activities.

A Clonker Board is a big resonance board made from a sheet of plywood raised off the ground with wooden batons round the edge to make a frame.  Some of the activities which we have adapted during these sessions came from a workshop held by Naomi Rosenberg.