I love to include sensory toys in the easter basket, here is a big hit this year.
dizzy bunny
The magic we share and try to demonstrate at easter is the miracle of change. Snow melts, and small versions of intense weather shifts can be seen everywhere.. try imagining global warming, or natural disasters on a much smaller, preschooler's scale. The run-off from the road, falling in the mud. Green sprouts appearing, animals coming out from hibernation, forgotten about during the cold months. Renewal and fun. The rabbit is a symbol, but we don't do the easter bunny. Tomorrow we'll have our own version of an egg hunt.
I gave 'A' an assignment the other day, we played with a potato head and he had to show me the proper places to insert all the pieces. I learned, he knows basic anatomy. No pain, no tears. Later I showed him the doodle pad and he was interested in the stamps, and scribbled once, independently. We also learned that he likes yoga and martial arts far more than I had ever expected. During tantrums, if you bring your hands together, centering yourself, and as a bonus let out vibrations from deep inside.. he brightens up and giggles.
Practicing mindfulness at the start of spring has brought along so much focus and presence when we play outside. It is helping 'A' acknowledge and interact with others at the playground, when he normally would have avoided them and played where he could be left alone. 'D' is accepting of others whizzing past, and doesn't lose balance or focus on his own intentions. They are joining us very slowly :) I'm absolutely certain it could be rushed, there are many who frown upon my determination to take this very slow. I have faltered along the way, perceiving the expectations of those around me to have a higher valuation than my understanding of what seems to benefit these guys the most. Overall though, encouraging them to be mindful and ensuring they know they will get their quiet solo time daily, has helped us keep a pleasant equilibrium while helping them to develop their own abilities to regulate emotions.
Teaching 'A' about implementing manners in everyday communication is something I'm tackling ever so slowly. I have always been discouraged from this, even with 'D'. We've never had anything but positive responses from people when its used however. Manners, please and thank you, counteracts many socially inappropriate incidents, which is what I value most when we are in public. 'D' found success in JK without prior experience in a school setting, when he had a teacher that acknowledged and appreciated his etiquette skills. Manners quickly grew to encompass mindfulness of the needs of others, respect of boundaries, and acknowledgement that with age comes understanding, creating respect for elders. We invested an intense amount of energy into this, so that school would be survivable.. it did benefit everyone involved up until values were being taught by the school and not the home. Which brings us here today.
I have experimented with vastly different approaches, methodologies, subject areas, and group activities, hoping for some idea as to what they would be more successful at in a small group setting, with specialized social reinforcement, and what challenges I can truly overcome, disregarding what I have been lead to believe by the service community we are involved in. This aspect I found to be the most telling. To this day, I have not found another family in our set of circumstances, who have made the choices we have made; this creates a brand new journey for me, one which I am nervous about carving out.
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