Picture day is coming to a Blue Bird near you! This is a great chance to get a photograph of your children and notice their development. However, for some children, picture day can be overwhelming. They may not like sitting still, wearing fancy clothes, or having their hair done differently. Other kids don’t like having strangers look at them or feeling like the center of attention. Still some children can be distracted by all of the sensory inputs – flashing lights, a stranger giving them directions for posing, and seeing a classroom set up differently may cause them anxiety.

At Blue Bird, we do everything we can to make this a fun event by having staff they know present to support their participation, by keeping the photo sessions short, and by hosting it in play spaces they know. Even still, a photo session can be quite a change from their daily routines. In order to prepare them to have the best photo possible, here are a few ideas:

1. Does your child like dramatic play? You can have them play dress up, practice wearing the clothes you want for their photograph or even give them a “make over” and practice doing their hair. When they are “ready for their close up” you can try using a camera at home or use your phone to take pictures you can look at together.
2. If your child enjoys arts and crafts, try making cameras out of Kleenex boxes or other small empty boxes. They can run around the house and “take photos” of the family, pets, the house, etc. to get comfortable with it. Then try turning the “camera” on them when they seem relaxed and encourage them to show off their best poses.
3. Set up a “photo shoot” at home. Use your box cameras or real ones, a stool or small chair, a favorite stuffed animal, and open some umbrellas (these look like what our photographers use for their flashes). Try having them pose with their toys, sitting down or standing up. This will help them feel more prepared when they see the photo set up at Blue Bird.
4. For children who are more scientifically minded, you can take apart an old camera to figure out how it works or look at YouTube videos of how a photo shoot works. This can help diminish some of the anxiety around what is happening and why.
5. Finally, looking at family photographs is a great family activity. Showing them pictures of yourselves as babies or their siblings and pets in younger years will normalize having a picture taken. Looking at older photographs of your child throughout their life is a great way to share memories, to talk about them through positive stories, and to reinforce how natural it can be for them to be photographed.

Autumn/Fall is such a wonderful time of the year. The weather is changing and it’s time to pull out the cozy sweater and warm socks. The trees are losing their leaves and the ground is covered in beautiful orange and red leaves. Two favorite fall activities that are loved by both the young and old are going to the apple orchard and the pumpkin patch. These activities were brief moments where individuals can learn about how the food was grown and harvested. This blog is about how our children at Blue Bird Day are expanding on their many developmental skills while they learn about harvesting and farming.

The word harvest means the process or period in which crops are gathered. In the U.S alone there are over 2 million farms. There are many different types of farming, from commercial (where the crops are grown and sold) to subsistence (grown for the farmer and their family). On these particular farms, food is grown. It varies from produce to poultry, each serving as a vital part of the meal placed on the table.

Autumn/Fall is the peak time for farmers to begin their harvesting. The time may vary from late July to October (September being the most common time period). During the process of harvesting, the farmer may use a tool, such as a scythe, to help remove the grain from the ground. Some larger farms may use animals or machinery to help gather in the crops. The farmers will sort through the goods to determine which is best to sell off or cook for their own family.  

At Blue Bird Day, each child is presented with the opportunity to learn about farming and harvest. They may have the chance to plant fruits and vegetables of their own in the nutrition group. There they will learn how the fruits and vegetables help our bodies to grow. They may read stories during developmental therapy which speaks to their ability to understand and retain the information and apply it to their lives. Or, the child could be presented with crop/farming like toys during social group which speaks to their ability to generalize the knowledge in a different setting but also expanding upon the ideas with friends and how to use their inclusion skill. Farming and harvesting is a skill that has been planted and is being cultivated daily. Blue Bird’s clients are like a beautiful crop and soon will be harvested to share with the rest of the world!  

Around the world can be interpreted differently by individuals. It could be traveling the world to experience different cultures, different countries and have enriched experiences.  It could also be a journey that is created to explore children's imaginations. 

Watching commercials, or reading magazines can open children up to a wide range of possibilities around the world, for example, a commercial for Walt Disney allows a child to dream of the endless possibilities of meeting Disney characters, attractions, and experiences. These can be dreams or real-life experiences.  

Around the world enables children to learn about other countries, cultures including languages, weather, and housing. It creates a universal view of how others live, an insight into their daily activities i.e. school programs, transport, clothing, food, and music. This can be implemented through the use of storybooks, music, country flags, and common phrases in different languages. 

At Blue Bird Day, we strive to encourage children to explore their creativeness throughout their day.  Providing an around the world curriculum enables the child to tap into their creative side and experience the world that is around us.  It can allow a child to practice those skills of traveling, for example, outlining the sequence of what to do at the airport, experiencing a pretend flight, arriving at the country and sightseeing or completing other activities. In using these pretend skills during play, individuals develop an awareness and a clearly defined expectation is sought so that when it comes to the real-life experience they are prepared.  

Taking individuals around the world allows them to experience different cultures, it allows them to develop a sense of who they are and where they belong. In the early year's children become aware of others around them. A child can learn from interactions with others and communities. It can develop their social relationships and emotional wellbeing. Creating an environment at Blue Bird for children to experience these cultures and differences enables them to increase their awareness of others, develop their emotional skills, and increase social relationships.  In doing so, this will enable them to reach their potential as an individual.   

The introduction of an around the world topic enables all individuals to learn and develop at their own pace. Some children will have the ability to be aware of others around them, initiate pretend play skills related to going around the world, others will work on engaging at the moment from afar, and be onlookers but still enjoy the experience. Every child will be an individual in their own learning around the world.   

Example One, Space Exploration

“To Infinity and Beyond!”  Many toddlers and preschoolers have a fascination with complex subjects such as space exploration, planets, or a healthy obsession with the beloved character Buzz Lightyear from the movie Toy Story.  But while this is a popular topic of interest for the constantly changing and developing mind of a two, three or four-year-old, the concept of space may be too abstract or daunting to grasp.  In addition, what a two-year-old can comprehend is very different than what a four-year-old comprehends (whether they are typically or non- typically developing).  So, how do you incorporate your child’s love of Buzz Lightyear or planets into manageable learning activities that will assist his/her development? This blog will give parents tips to help them explain space concepts to their child in a way they can understand and grasp more easily.

The first and most important rule is to keep concepts simple and concrete for your littlest learners; as well as creating “hands-on” activities that will support the space concept that you are trying to teach.  Two-year-olds are very sensory-based learners (relying on all five senses to understand the world around them).  Creating detailed sensory space bins based on one or two concepts is the most effective way of explaining a topic as evasive as space.  A great example of this is using model magic to illustrate the surface/color of the moon and using various textured rocks (i.e. smooth rocks, pumice stones, etc) to create “craters” on this area.  By using clear and accurate pictures, a child can make comparisons between their creation and what a “real” moon looks like.  This activity also fosters fine motor development, relational play skills, and cognitive thinking concepts by linking tactile sensory objects into components of the moon’s atmosphere and makeup.

If children are preschool age, have some ideation/pretend play skills, and have an interest in Buzz Lightyear, turn them into astronauts!  This can be a fun hands-on experience that can be as basic or elaborate as needed — depending on the amount of time/materials parents have and the child’s imagination abilities.  Paint a cardboard box grey and cut out holes for the window and use recyclable materials (dishwashing gloves, liter soda bottles for a helmet, etc) for a spacesuit.  Explain to the child why they need to use the helmet in space (“the air is different in space; the helmet helps you breathe and keeps you safe”).  Use a bunch of pillows or a trampoline to explain how the moon’s atmosphere is different; the absence of gravity makes you bounce.  Have them explore different textured “space food” and that real astronauts need to “change the food” to be able to eat it on a rocket ship due to the absence of gravity (or use “ no air” as an easier word choice).  Show your child pictures of the original food and have them guess which “space food texture” matches. 

Once a child is in kindergarten, they have a greater concept of time, social/environmental norms, and how our world can change.  A great option would be taking a child on a field trip to The Adler Planetarium with some friends.  Chicago is fortunate to have a great space museum close to home.  The planetarium would teach children concepts such as constellations and planetary atmospheres and it would be a great family bonding activity, as well!      

Pretend play is an important area within a child’s development. It encourages imagination, peer interactions, and flexibility. At Blue Bird Day, the curriculum incorporates a variety of topics to promote pretend play, one of which is learning about outer space. Each discipline collaborates to ensure fluidity of learning during each rotation during a child’s day. Throughout these different rotations at Blue Bird, we learn and talk about space, create space crafts, and engage in pretend play as astronauts in outer space. 

In occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) rotation, children are encouraged to be astronauts in outer space, and engage in a multitude of activities! OTs and PTs collaborate within the same multi-sensory environment to promote motor and sensory development. When exploring the idea of space, OTs may engage a child in tactile play — including slime or foam — and pretend it is from outer space or take a ride on a dynamic piece of equipment (I.e. a swing) as if the child is in a rocket ship flying to the moon! Multiple children may be engaging in tactile play or swinging, which encourages peer interactions and turn-taking during play. Each child may have a different idea of how to play with the tactile activity, which can help promote flexibility.  

Tactile play and swinging can help regulate a child to promote improved ability to participate with PTs for gross motor activities. PTs may engage a child to explore outer space through the use of an obstacle course. A child can pretend to be an astronaut jumping through outer space between planets or maintain single leg balance to launch a stomp rocket into outer space! Different pieces of equipment can be utilized by the PT to promote balance and jumping activities, which helps to promote flexibility, gross motor development, and imagination. Children must also wait and take-turns when engaging in an obstacle course in order to maintain safety. If a child has difficulty jumping or maintaining balance, the appropriate level of assistance is provided, and the PT works to decrease the amount of assistance as the child progresses with each skill.  

OT and PT rotation is one example of how pretend play and collaboration work together to ensure fluidity of learning and skill development. Space is only one example of a topic utilized to promote pretend play with children. Each child is encouraged to utilize their own imagination to expand upon pretend play of astronauts in space and incorporate the idea into each session (rotation or individual), further promoting skill development across a variety of disciplines!