Ordinary Magic was well attended, with approximately 70 participants, including Early Childhood Educators, SLPs, OTs, OTAs, SLPAs, Youth Workers, Psychologists, Social Workers, Teachers, PTs and PTAs, Parents As Teachers Program and Immigration Services.  Participants attended from Medicine Hat, Lethbridge and surrounding areas.

Fif Fernandes discussed the power of story, laughter, breathing and magic.  She shared tools to create harmony and community with infants, children, and adults from all ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds.  Evelyn Wootherspoon presented information about how young children engage in relationships from birth and use these relationships to regulate their emotions, behaviour and attention.  She discussed brain development, stress responses and important social skills children need to learn.  Strategies to use in everyday settings were discussed to help participants support children of all ages to develop healthy relationships and promote resilience.  The information provided by both presenters was very relevant and easily implemented.  Feedback from all participants was very positive and we look forward to next year!!

Vern Hyde also joined us to share some of his magic and wisdom.  Thank-you Vern!!  Good Luck on your bike ride across Canada!  Check out:  www.chainreactionride.com

Thank-you to ACSLPA and all our sponsors for their generous sponsorship!

General Manager:             Pat Carroll, Hollie Carroll

#105, 1865 Dunmore Road S.E. 403-526-7213

Email: gamesgaloremh@telus.net

www.gamesgalore.ca

Open Monday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:30 pm.

Has some unique games that will not be found elsewhere:

1)            “The Berenstain Bears – Learn To Share Game” – $31.99  ages 4 +

This is a social/pragmatic themed game which comes with The Berenstain Bear Figurines as well as a board game. Shows younger children (and older ones) how to share, interact with others, problem solve, role play as well as color and shape recognition.

2)            “Brain Box – My First ABC” – $21.99   ages 4 +

This is a memory game which helps with associations, naming,

color/counting/Alphabet/shapes recognition, Articulation sounds and could also do prepositions and Wh? as well.

3)            Marvel Heroes Zingo Bingo Game – $24.99  ages 4 -8

Every child loves Zingo Bingo and this is just an added twist by adding in the Marvel

Super Heroes. Excellent way to get a child talking about his/her favorite Super Hero,

telling what they do, who the bad guys are ect. Could also do some naming, matching,

WH?, turn taking.

4)            Dominoes Cards – $10.99  ages 3+

These come in 4 different themes: Ocean, Dinosaurs, Farm and Safari.

Great for matching, sequencing, associations, categories, describing, making different

sounds, and naming items.

5)            Professor Noggin’s Card Games: These are for older children – 7 years +

Each card game is a specific theme: space, farm, pets, ancients,  ect. There are hard

questions and easier questions which are very specific and more “Factual based” than

just a “win the game”.

Store Name:             Education Emporium:

President and CEO:            E.A. (Beth) Berard

323 North Railway St. S.E.            403-580-2292

Email: eaberard@telusplanet.net

www.educationemporium.ca

Open Monday – Friday 9:30 am-5:00 , Saturday 10:30 am – 4:00

Lots of wonderful toys, educational props, puzzles, hands on games and items for younger children and upwards. Has some “Melissa and Doug” games, items as well.

1)            “Get Up And Go Games” – $30.99            ages 4 +

Three different types of games. These are good gross motor games that gets a child

Moving.  Includes “Puppy Pursuit, Funny Frog, Block Balancing Game, Sandwich

Stacking”.  You probably would need some space to play two of these games (puppy and

Frog) but the others can be used anywhere. The “Sandwich Stacking Game” can be used

for following directions, naming, sorting, sequencing, memory, auditory skills as well as

just have fun.

2)            “Bingo” (replica of “Zingo Bingo”):            $9.99            4 years +

Kids love this game! Naming, associations, WH?, functions, turn taking, matching.

3)            “Lacing & Tracing” –  Pets & Sealife            $9.99

4)            “Cranium Matching Madness” -  $16.75            ages 5+

Match shapes, patterns, numbers and colors.

Store Name:            Engaging Minds For Learning

Owners/operators:            Jen & Lyn Sabourin

Ross Glen Business Park (kitty corner to Petland)

#10, 3307 Dunmore Road, S.E.

403-488-9070

www.engagingminds.ca

Open: Monday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

This store has almost everything you need for any age group.  They have a great selection of Social and Pragmatic material as well as Occupational Therapy associated materials.

1)            “Kimochis (pronounced “Kee mooch ee”) Emotion Characters”:            $32.99               ages 3+

Each character comes with 3 “feelings manipulatives”.  Cloud deals with Anger, Bug

deals with afraid of change/learn to be brave, Huggs is different than others/personal

space issues, Cat is bossy, Bella rose is shy/sensitive and Dove deals with others being

different.

Kimochis is Japanese for “feelings” and this is exactly how these characters work with

children.

You can use the different characters for a range of emotions/feelings. You also can buy

the individual “feelings” manipulatives for $2.99 each or a set of 6 for $15.99

2)            “Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game” -            $25.99                        ages  3+

Wonderful, different game that enhances fine motor skills as well as matching, turn

taking, naming, sharing. Can enhance questions of where, what, when, why.

3)            “Avalanche Fruit Stand Game” -            $24.99                        ages 3+

A really neat way to learn your Fruit names! And have fun at the same time!

This game can incorporate naming, color recognition, matching, fine motor and turn

taking. Also can encourage questions related to various fruit.

4)            “Turtle Shells – First Memory Game” -             $19.99                        ages 3+

These cute little turtles can be used in various ways: as the game intends, a compliment

to Dr. Seuss’s book “Yertle the Turtle” (pragmatics/social awareness), stacking, color

recognition, sequencing, following directions, memory, first/next/last ect.

Store Name:             Bumbleboo: * Baby*Mommy*kids

Owner/Operators:            Lyndsay & Cam McCarty

107, 266 4^th. Street S.W.

403-488-5997

bumblebooinc@shaw.ca

Open: Monday – Friday 10:00-5:30, Saturday 10:00- 4:00

This is a really unique store for infants, toddlers and preschoolers as well as for parents, grandparents and any member of the family. They have a good selection of toddler and preschooler books, hand puppets and different “pretend play” items.

1)            “Ring Flash Cards”  focusing on basic concepts like colors, shapes & counting

$12.00                        ages 3 +

2)            “Mr. Men Emotion/Feelings Book Set” -            $30.00 set of 10 books            ages toddler +

3)            “Magnetic Design Sets” -            $15.00                        ages 3 +

Funny Faces & Car Crazy

4)            “Vinyl Stickers Play Scenes” – $13.00                        ages 3 +

Around Town, Construction Sites, Pirates & At The Zoo

5)            “5 in 1 Boy/Girl Body Puzzle” -            $25.00                        ages 4 +

This is almost like a 3D puzzle where you can take apart the body from the skin down to

the skeleton, or build it up from the skeleton and upwards. Very interesting and

scientific yet great puzzle about what is in our bodies.

6)            “Caterpillar to Butterfly Puzzle” -            $25.00                        ages 3+

Similar to the body puzzle but goes through the growth cycle of caterpillars to

butterflies. Also has a “Tadpole to Frog” puzzle.

7)            “Scrambled Feelings Eggspressions”  –             $25.00                        ages 2 +

Comes with a booklet about feelings, working together and problem solving.

8)            “Munching Frogs Dart Game” –             $22.00                        ages 3 +

Pop up ta

Over the past two years, many local Early Childhood Educators have actively participated and received certification in the Learning Language & Loving It Program™.

Programs include:

• Apple Blossom Dayhomes
• Crayon Academy
• Herald Daycare
• Rainbow Daycare
• Montesorri Children’s House
• Dragons and Butterflies Preschools
• Medicine Hat Community Preschool
• Building Blocks Preschools

These dedicated individuals completed 6 evening classes and 4 on-site videotaping sessions.

Congratulations to all the participants!!

Watch for information this fall on our next session!!

I reviewed the program, looking for adaptations that would allow us to use the program with a different population, in a different setting and with approximately 40 people (26 teachers and Educational Assistants for the PDPs and 14 other teachers).

Following discussions with Fern Sussman, Program Director for More Than Words® and Talkability™, it was decided to present three full-day sessions including material from sessions 1 through 5 as well as session 8.  We agreed to complete two video sessions in each of the 5 PDPs, with two video review sessions in each of the five PDPs, with two video review sessions in each program and one final consultation session in each classroom at the end of the program.  Speech-language pathologists from Alberta Health Services were available in the PDPs and during the sessions to provide additional support to the participants.

The SSCAN session from Learning Language and Loving It™ was also included to help participants apply the strategies in their classroom setting.  Most participants had at least an introduction to the basic Hanen strategies or more formal training prior to taking the adapted More Than Words® program.

The full-day presentations in November 2010, January 2011 and March 2011 worked well.  We had enough time to videotape the PDP classrooms, although a lot of material was covered each day.

Everyone soon became accustomed to me videotaping and coaching in their rooms and enjoyed watching the results of their hard work.  Participants reported that the information was relevant for their classrooms, enjoyed the review and practice of key Hanen strategies and liked being able to use the informal assessments for children with ASD and developmental delays.  Even though the thought of videotaped coaching sessions is always stressful, participants indicated that this was an excellent learning tool to look more closely at the children, identify strategies they were using, and where other strategies could have been used.

In the future, we hope to provide More Than Words® to parents in the PDP programs.  We also have plans to utilize the teachers and educational assistants training and experience to provide support to families in the classroom and reinforce the strategies in the program.