Book Bytes: Social Fortune or Social Fate?

I love to read! I’ll share my thoughts (book bytes instead of sound bites) on old favorites and new books for children and adults here.

I’ve used many of the books in the Social Thinking curriculum from Michelle Garcia-Winner.  The latest addition is a graphic novel for kids and teens.

“The core of the book consists of 10 social scenarios, each [one] scenario is played out through the lens of Social Fortune or Social Fate by demonstrating visually how a situation can change quickly based on how someone reacts within it.”

Click here for further information.

Thoughts for Thursday #21: Small Change, Heroic?

Quotes That Strike My Fancy!

I read this in Now Eat This! by Rocco Dispirito:

“I know it’s not easy to make changes, but even the smallest change is heroic…”

What do you think? Can small changesbe heroic?  And how small is small?  And how would you define “heroic” in the context of nutrition and fitness?

S.O.A.P. Stuff #11: Wikki Sticks and Pattern Tracers

Social, Organization, Attention, and Processing Stuff

Does your student or child have difficulty staying within boundaries when writing? Stopping on the baseline (bottom line)? Here are a couple of tips that some have found useful:

Use Wikki Stix to form a box that the child has to write within.  You can make the box progressively smaller to encourage age-appropriate letter size and spacing.

Wikki Stix can also be used on the baseline on handwriting paper.

Raised line paper too expensive?  Take a tool from the sewing box that is used for tracing patterns.  Run it across the back of the handwriting paper to create your own raised line paper!

When your child is old enough, they can use the Wikki Stix and pattern tracer on their own, as needed.

Thank you to Kim on the Handwriting Without Tears Level I listserv!

Autism: “Loving Lampposts,” Feeling Groovy

I can’t write a better review than this one, of the new documentary, Loving Lampposts, by Shannon Des Rochas Rosa.  Here is a short excerpt from her post on The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism:

“The director, Todd Drezner, showcases the varied faces of our community: the advocates, the adults, the loving parents, the beloved children — plus the professionals, the doctors, the researchers, and the gadflies.  Loving Lampposts takes the oft-repeated phrase “if you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person” and gives it life. You need to see this film. And if you want to help others better understand autism, you need to recommend Loving Lampposts to them.”

I rented it on iTunes and downloaded it to my iPad.   It’s not yet available on Netflix.  The DVD can be purchased on Amazon.

I think The 59th Street Bridge Song would go well with this movie.

Timely Tips #17: Awesome Anne Frank Website

Tips and tidbits I’ve gleaned over the years from kids, parents, teachers, professional development, and personal experience.

Search inside the Secret Annex, where Anne Frank lived with her family and four others.  Watch short videos about her experience.  Check out the interactive timeline that puts Anne’s story in the context of world events.  Check out the graphic novels (all available on Amazon and at other retailers), including this one about Anne Frank’s life. There are numerous resources for students and teachers, as well as a newsletter.

This is a fantastic resource that is a must-see!!

Thoughts for Thursday #20: A Mistake-Proof Life?

Quotes That Strike My Fancy!

Al Bolitar tells his son, Myron,  “A mistake-proof life is not worth living.”

~~in the newly released book, Live Wire, by Harlan Coben

What do you think? How would your life be different if you never made mistakes? If no one around you ever made a mistake?

(If you haven’t read Coben’s Myron Bolitar books, start with the first one. But be prepared for a sleepless night, since his books are hard to put down).

Thoughts for Thursday #19: Sun Sweet Weather!

Quotes That Strike My Fancy!

“Sun is shining.

Weather is sweet.

Make you wanna move

your dancing feet.”

~~Bob Marley

Thanks, Teri, for the quote.  I hope the sun shines brightly this weekend.  Enough of this rain already!!

Thoughts for Thursday #18: Change the World

Quotes That Strike My Fancy!

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ~~Margaret Mead

This makes me think of The Butterfly Effect, a metaphor for change in systems…a butterfly’s wings could create a change in the atmosphere that could alter the course of a tornado…a small change in the system causes a large change in events.

And just think about what’s happened with Facebook!!

iPad App: Say a Word, Get the Definition!!

Thank you, Kathy Penn, of Sound Literacy for the heads-up on the Merriam-Webster Dictionary iPad/iPhone app.

If you don’t know how to spell the word, or it’s too tedious for you to type it in, you can push record.  Using Voice Search by Dragon, the device records your voice and searches for the word.  When the word comes up, you can push a button and hear it spoken, as well as see the definition.

Be sure to speak clearly, though.  The first word I spoke, salad, came up as ballet!

 

P.S. You can also use Voice Search to look up information on the internet!

 

iPad Apps: Swapsies and Tally Tots

 

I’ve written before about my grandson’s fascination with my iPad.  Through Squidalicious, I found Moms With Apps.  On Fridays, their members offer apps for no charge or low cost.

The apps I’ve checked out most recently are Swapsies and Tally Tots from Spinlight.

My grandson had Swapsies figured out before I did. All it takes is a swipe to change the hat, shirt, or pants to create a doctor, or a builder, among other occupations.  The child can even create an astro-doc-fireman if he or she desires!  Currently, the character is a boy, but the developer is working on adding a girl to the game.

Here is the two-year-old’s review of Swapsies, which involved much enthusiasm and interaction with me:

What is it? Where’d it go? There it is! (the astronaut).  He’s like Bob the Builder! What’s that noise (he found the button that will make a sound to go with each occupation)? Do THAT one (pointed at the doctor on the menu)!

Tally Tots is the best counting app I’ve found so far.  It’s simple, colorful, and the sound is clear.  My grandson has been able to count past 20 for quite some time, and now he is learning one-to-one correspondences as he counts cupcakes, race cars, apples, and more.  There is ONE problem with this app: we both always want a cupcake after counting to 14!!

I look forward to more apps from Spinlight!