Rattles and Teacups

Yesterday, I had one person use a spoon from a toy tea set to scoop beads and put them in a teacup. So...we learned concepts of scooping, pouring/dumping...and why it's so important to keep the beads on the table. Miss Bethany has very limited supplies! Anyway, V did a great job filling the cup with the beads. His favorite thing to do is string the beads, so I just leave him to it. He would sit and string beads for hours if he could, and when he's finished, he can't wait to show me his "necklace." I took the bunny with the rattle in her head for B to try out. I specifically chose a baby toy since he puts things in his mouth, so he does chew on it, but he also enjoys throwing it back and forth. B follows directions very well, as long as they are repeated often. We won't be able to work on learning "yes" and "no" signs just yet. We need to get used to touching hands first. This weekend: prepare a new mix of beads for V, make an unbreakable chain of beads for B, and write down some "questions" for A's language arts lessons. We're still having trouble with nouns, verbs, general and specific. I learned that paaart of the reason is that his writing ability is not to standard. I'll need to consult with my (sighted) best friend for tips on how I can help him improve his writing. It's a matter of paying attention and taking the time to think, sound out words, spell and read them. Hearing, speech, reading, spelling and writing are all related. When one is affected, all the others are as well. That's okay--we just keep going, trying new things and sticking with whatever makes things click in A's mind.