Newmeadow

Room 5 in Clifton Park has added a few new items to help set the tone for a calm and successful day!

When our students arrive in the morning, they are greeted with a variety of quiet, engaging choices to help ease into their school day. When a calming picture is displayed on the wall, children may choose to play on the rug, complete a puzzle by our “fish tank,” build with blocks at the light table, or explore our busy boards in the calming area.

We’ve found that our students are most successful when they are given a soft, relaxing start to their day. These opportunities allow them to transition into the classroom at their own pace, regulate their bodies, and prepare for learning. We love watching them make choices, engage with peers, and begin their mornings feeling comfortable and ready for the day ahead! 💙

A fun activity to do and AMAZING for those fine motor skills!

What a GREAT day for Character Day at Newmeadow in Fort Edward! Can you name the characters!?

Rm 3 in Clifton Park went on a field trip! Putting around with the Dads! Happy Fathers Day!

Room 4 in Clifton Park learned about bumble Bee's this week!

Gross motor play is really starting to POP 🎆

Let summer fun begin with time out in the warm weather. Using bubbles to play can build strength and coordination. It will encourage crossing midline, visual tracking, motor planning, and improved body awareness.

Blow bubbles and encourage your child to:
Run to pop the bubbles
Jump to pop high bubbles
Squat to pop low bubbles
Stand on one foot to try popping with foot

To maintain good health and well-being during summer, keeping a bedtime is beneficial. Here are some reasons why:

Promotes consistent sleep patterns, aiding overall health.
Enhances mood and reduces irritability by ensuring adequate rest.
Improves cognitive function and concentration for summer activities.
Supports physical health by allowing the body to recover and rejuvenate.
Helps regulate metabolism, which can prevent summer weight gain.
Encourages better time management for summer plans and activities.

Staff from FE Newmeadow and their families participated in "Cayson's Crushers" Softball Tournament/Fundraiser this past weekend in support of one of our students at FE. This fundraiser helped the family with medical expenses from Cayson's stay at Boston Children's Hospital and raise awareness of Cerebral Palsy

We're counting down the days until summer break! The staff at Newmeadow in Fort Edward started the count down with "Twin Day"! Take a look!

It's a great time for summer fun! Try making ice cream at home! This hands-on activity provides lots of speech and language enrichment. You will need: gallon bags, ice, rock salt, half and half, or a dairy free alternative, vanilla and/or cocoa powder, and sugar. Place your half and half, sugar and vanilla and/or cocoa powder in a bag. In another bag, add ice and rock salt. Now the fun part...SHAKE! Put your mixture in a hollow ball, bin, or use your hands and shake for about 15 minutes, or until ice cream forms.

As we make this delicious treat, we can encourage our learners to use words and/or symbols to request materials that they need. We can encourage them to use phrases, like "I want ___". We can encourage them follow one-step directions, such as "put in" or "take out". We can encourage them to label household items (spoon, bowl) and to label actions (pour, shake). And most importantly, as communication partners, we can model language! This means we can narrate what we are doing ("I'm opening the bag"), feeling ("I'm so excited!"), and provide opportunities to ask/answer questions ("I wonder what will happen?").

Have fun and enjoy!