The ART of it all!

When we first started CAPES I was a little unsure of how to approach things because I wasn't familiar with the kids we'd be working with. So the first couple weeks I was just trying to get an idea of who BV was, what he liked, what he needed to work on most, and how to approach those areas. Once I felt like I had a good grasp on all this, I began to feel really comfortable with letting my creativity flow. I love trying to create fun and "artsy" activities for kids. I like going online and looking up activities, and I even bought a book to get some more ideas. After I find some a good base for these activities I had so much fun altering the activities to fit our kid's better. The resources and equipment we have available to us for CAPES has made it so much easier to let my creativity out.
The week before last I came up with an obstacle course/treasure hunt based off the equipment available to us. Before I started putting the course together I was a little worried about how it would turn out. But when I began I started thinking about our kids, B and L, and the things they like, and I just got so excited about everything. I found that once I started making the directions it was a lot easier than I expected. B and L seemed to really enjoy the course, so we decided to do it again this past week. This time I found some more things to add to the course to make it a little more difficult. I like being able to be creative when teaching things to kids. I have a great time, the kids have a great time, and they learn things without it feeling like a lesson. I'm really excited about the next time we meet together so that we can use Jerilyn's creative idea with the kids and the rock wall. The kids will be firefighters trying to save the animals from the "tree." We even got them little firefighter hats to help them imagine the situation. The last time BV tried the wall, he wasn't too fond of it. But he said he wants to try it again, so I'm hoping this will help.

I think I would definitely prefer a teacher who is "artsy." I have always learned better when it feels like the teacher is also having fun. Artsy lessons also seem to be more flexible when needed. I know that with our obstacle course, we ended up having to add another person and it was a lot easier to include them without having to completely change the plan. I think "sciency" type teachers are good as well, but sometimes I can lose focus pretty easily and find it easier to focus on more artsy lessons.