Rainbow Sentences is perfect for early readers and writers. It helps children to look at how sentences are formed with features such as colour coded word or phrase matching, picture prompt, opportunity to record and listen to their sentence. Words can also be read out for the student to listen to before, during or after the child orders the words in the sentence.
The "who, what, where, and why parts of sentences are colour coded to help students recognise and understand how combinations of these parts create basic sentence structure". Students can be encouraged to recognize the various parts of sentence (i.e. nouns, verbs and prepositions) which can in turn help them to understancd how these parts may be combined to create basic sentences. Rainbow sentences can be adapted for a variety of different abilities depending on what you are striving to achieve with your therapy or educational goals.
There are three levels of complexity with Rainbow Sentences. Each level has 55 sentences. Level 1 describes the "who" and the "what". Level 2 builds on the "who" and "what" and where the are doing. Level 3 adds "why" to the sentence. The various prompts may be turned on or off (ie. audio instructions, word colour coding, line colouring coding, word grouping) to provide or remove additional help.
If the student completes a sentence correctly on their first attempt, they earn a piece of a puzzle. When the puzzle is complete there is a short animation that is played. Rainbow Sentences also has a "Stats" page which allows you to see how many attempts a student may have had to complete the sentences correctly. The app also allows for multiple players storing individual stats. This app was tested by Speech Pathologists before its release in 2012. It has since won these awards. Winner - 2012 Best Language Development App - Technology in Special Education Finalist - Best Education App of 2012 - Best Apps Ever Here is a video to show you Rainbow Sentences in action. If you are reading this article from your email, you may need to click on the title of this article to take you to a live webpage in order for you to view the video.
Kids love this app. They love the bright colours and that the colours can help them to order the words to create the sentence. Kids also love recording their own voices and hearing them played back.
I've used this app many times in therapy sessions. It helps kid to plan how to structure a sentence and add to it to give it more interest. I've also used this app in conjunction with a handwriting exercise where the student copies the sentences they have just created and read. Have you used Rainbow Sentences before? Would your child benefit from this app?
Note: I have not received any remuneration for this review. This post contains affiliate links. All opinions expressed are my own.
You may also like these... It doesn't pay to give your kids all the answers. Sometimes they need to figure things out on their own... to come up with their own ideas, to manipulate, to problem solve, to try and fail and to try again. Activities like these help your kids to develop skills for life, skills to help them "fly" and "flourish" in so many situations in life. When a child's tower of blocks fall over, helping your child to overcome the frustration can be more difficult that the motor skills needed to build the tower in the first place. When your child can't figure out how puzzle pieces connect together, helping them with strategies {such as finding the side pieces or looking at how pictures can join to make a whole} is more helpful than giving them the answer. When your child can't organise themselves to get ready for school, helping them to question what they need rather than telling them what is missing is more beneficial in the long term. Whilst sending your child off for "free play" to do, play, experiment on their own is important...you can also set up situations where they can apply these skills. Here is a simple activity to set up with your school age child. In our house we call them "challenges" {reminiscent of the Lego Challenges we did last year} but you could call it a science experiment if that has a better ring to it with your kids. The Challenge: Build something that can fly using any or all of these items. Miss 8 and I experimented with several strategies to help Lego person to fly {essentially building a parachute}. We looked at want could slow down the fall, what makes it fast, what makes it spin, how we could make it lighter, the affect of adding holes, ...etc. We talked about surface area, gravity and air resistance... Mr 4.5 wanted to help too and loved dropping the creations down the stairs. I won't tell you what worked for us as that is not the point! Try this activity with your kids and see what they come up with! I would love to see your creations! Send a photo to [email protected] How do you help your kids to fly? You may also like...
"A Rude Awakening: For a Boy with Autism" is a honest heartfelt account of a mother {Amelia Chin} as she seeks to do her best to provide, care and love her son Aaron. Amelia's journey provides us (the reader) with insight into Aaron's difficult and unique behaviour, communication and emotional issues, a diagnosis, therapy, the demands of family life and a faith that helps Amelia to find a source of hope and strength. It was an honour to read this book and to write about it here. Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects, among other things, the way an individual relates to his or her environment and their interaction with other people.The word 'spectrum' describes the range of difficulties that people with autism may experience and the degree to which they may be affected. Some people may be able to live relatively normal lives, while others may have an accompanying learning disability and require continued specialist support. The main areas of difficulty are in social communication, social interaction and restricted or repetitive behaviours and interests. An estimated one in 100 people has autism; that’s almost 230,000 Australians. Read more about Autism at Autism Spectrum Australia. The title of this book "A Rude Awakening" was chosen by Aaron as a teenager as he came to realise that "he was not the one normal in this strange and confusing world". The book begins with the Aaron's birth and the demands of a baby to a first time mum including post natal depression. As Aaron grew, he became increasingly inflexible and dependent on routines such as feeling Amelia's left wrist and wristwatch to go to sleep (even if that was several times a night). Aaron's communication was also limited to dragging Amelia's hand to use to obtain something rather than pointing or asking himself. Amelia tells of her visit to the paediatrician and Aaron's diagnosis of autism. She recounts her feelings and response to this diagnosis. What follows is the family's journey, seeking professional help including therapy and special education programs. This is a slow and stressful process for Amelia and her family as they try to cope with Aaron's temper tantrums and insatiable obsessions. Some of these difficulties included hair cuts, tears and getting wet, aversion to certain food and a fear of pets. This unique book includes additional notes, including Aaron's explanations now as a teenager of some of the behaviour he demonstrated as a younger child. There are also insights written by Aaron's father and sister. Amelia writes in the preface "I hope that sharing my story will inspire parents and carers of children with disabilities, especially autism, to persevere in their difficult journeys. For the public, it is my hope that the book will raise awareness of the special needs of children with autism and accord them the empathy, support, and care that they need instead of criticism and condemnation born out of ignorance". I highly recommend this "must-read" book for all - parents, teachers, therapists... it will open your eyes to living with a child with autism. It offers a rare insight into a mother's private thoughts and feelings as well as practical suggestions to living with a child with autism. For more information about this book you can refer to the website "A Rude Awakening for a Boy with Autism" or like the Facebook Page here . If you are in Australia, you can contact via email [email protected]. Note: I did not receive remuneration for this book review. This book was gifted to me and I personally know the author. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. You may also like...
Well I was surprised and chuffed to be nominated for a "Liebster Award" by House of Many Minions. The Liebster Award is all about sharing the blog-love with other establishing bloggers. It is a fun way for Your Kids OT followers to find out more about me (the voice behind the blog) and some of the other blogs out there that you may not have come across before. Each nominee has to follow 6 simple rules:
Here are questions House of Many Minions has asked of me... 1. What pushed you over the edge to take your blog from an idea to a reality? My lovely one day a week job came to an end. I wanted to be available for my kids and do the school run with my youngest about to start preschool and the thought of getting another job seemed impossible under the conditions I wanted. I had been reading other blogs for a while thinking "I can do that" and "I have something unique to offer". 2. Which bloggers inspire you? Why? Lots of bloggers inspire me, howeverTherapy Fun Zone and Mama OT were my initial inspirations as they encapsulate what I want to achieve with my blog. They are Occupational Therapy bloggers who have an ability to reach out to readers with practical useful information, with a therapy foundation in a fun way! 3. Vegemite, promite or marmite? Sorry, I know it is not very Aussie of me but yuck! Don't like any of them! 4. Tell us about one of your most cherished memories. The birth of my babies. I think the miracle of becoming a parent is hard to top. Seeing my firstborn in special care for several days was difficult for a first time mum. Being sent home from hospital was pretty devastating! Finally taking her home was a truly cherished moment. 5. Your favourite blogging tip Network! Get to know other bloggers. Read their work, comment, like, share and they will get to know you and reciprocate. I have loved the "blog hops" and "blogger link ups" that I have done so far and look forward to many more. 6. The best life lesson you learnt from high school? Gosh, this is a tough one. I think I was pretty awkward and had poor self esteem as a teenager. I made wonderful friends in high school who are friends for life and if I could tell my teenage self anything it would be "Don't worry about what other people think! Take time to find out who you are and love that person!" 7. Summer or winter? Definitely Summer! I live in Sydney and it doesn't even get that cold! 8. What do you love most about yourself? My faith (which is a bit weird because faith is not really about me but about who I believe). 9. If you could meet one person, famous or average Susie walking down the street, who would you meet? I would have loved to meet 3 of my grandparents who all died when my parents were young. I would love to have known them. 10. Spare time? Where can we find you if you get it? Cooking up something in my Thermomix ... still new enough to be a novelty but I really should be spending my spare time exercising! 11. Lastly, if you had 48 hours completely to yourself, how would you spend them? Curled up with a good book, copious amounts of tea and a box of chocolates. I might be able to get up for a massage and facial too. 11 Random facts about me! For those who have been following me, you might remember reading about me here where I wrote about my OT history. So for some random facts...
My nominees... I would love to introduce these blogs. Visit and say hi! 1. Love Decorate Letters 2. The nOATbook 3. Mum-bo-jumbo 4. Simply.Create.Inspire 5. Kid Bucket List 6.Mum's Word 7. The Mama Minute 8.Ariel's World 9. Terrible Palsy 10. Practical Research Parenting 11. My Brown Paper Packages. My questions for these bloggers... 1. What do you find the most satisfying about blogging? 2. Tea or Coffee? 3. What are you most proud of? 4. Where is your favourite holiday spot? 5. What is the most unique thing you have eaten? 6. What is the book you read over and over again? 7. How would you priortise the following - vacuuming, exercising, cleaning bathrooms? 8. What is the personality quality you respect the most in others? 9. How do you juggle the demands of blogging with other things in your life? 10. Apple or Android? 11. What is your funniest parenting moment? I can't wait to read my nominees answers and random facts. Thanks for reading mine! You may also like...
Now that the school year has started, have you figured out when your child should be wearing sports uniform, wearing school uniform, bring their library bag, when canteen is available, when it is news day, when homework is due? A visual schedule might be the answer to plan out your week.
Last year, Miss 8 had a fabulous teacher (I'm sure this year's teacher is fabulous too!) who gave everyone a visual schedule at the beginning of the year. These visual schedules are a great way to encourage kids to take responsibility for what is packed in the school bag and what to wear (ie. school vs sports uniform). Where the routine doesn't change, you can print visual schedule that can last a term or even a year. Using symbols or pictures in a visual schedule can be helpful for children with special needs as a visual guide to help plan and organise themselves and their belongings. Changing the pictures around as needed, you can also help children with special needs cope with change (eg. in the school holidays, change of day for swimming lessons, etc). You can help them to anticipate the change by looking at the weekly schedule and talking about it, pointing out the pictures and how things have changed.
"Changing the pictures around as needed, you can also help children with special needs cope with change."
For younger children, understanding one day from another and the sense of "time" can be confusing. Are you asked ...Where am I going today?, Do I have swimming today?, Will I see my friend Jake today?, Do I have to go to preschool tomorrow? Can I go to the park today?...
A visual timetable can be helpful for young kids too. The level of detail is up to you. You may want to highlight activities that occur outside the home. When Mr 4 was very young, I used a daily schedule so that he could see that there was a sequence to be followed before he was allowed "screen time" (eg. play with toys, lunch, books, sleep, screen time, play with toys). He was constantly asking for "screen time" and it was driving me batty! The visual schedule really helped him to see that he had to wait or if the screen time picture didn't appear then he wouldn't be having screen time that day. To get you started on a weekly schedule, I have made a FREE printable with pictures that you may want to use with your child/ren. Simply print the pages, cut out the pictures and place them on your timetable. You could laminate them for durability and use velcro or blutac to fix them onto the timetable. Download your FREE printable from the Your Kids OT Shop.
What about older children?!
Older children {and adults} may require a visual schedule to organise themselves for high school and university. Whilst some can manage a diary or a wall calendar, others may need further support. Have you used "Google Calendars" on your iphone, ipad or android device? My understanding is that there are slight differences between the android app and the iphone/ipad apps so please check it out for yourself. {I don't have an android device so can't verify this completely}. The "Google calendar" allows you to see things daily, weekly or monthly. "Tasks", "to-do lists" and "events" can be added on your device or desktop. You can enter re-occuring events {eg. piano lessons each Monday}. You can set up audio or email notifications of events, setting up the time you want to be reminded about these events {eg. history test reminder set a week in advance}. This can be really helpful for children and adults! Here is an informative video for Android users...
Here is an informative video for Apple uses {get a cup of tea, it is quite long!}...
Note: If you are viewing this article via your subscribed email, you may need to click on the title of this post to take you to the website before you can view these videos.
Would a visual timetable help your family get organised?
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A simple craft inspired by Valentine's Day. This is a "go to" wet weather craft for us as it is quick to set up and occupies the kids for a while. Of course you don't have to wait for a rainy day, the beauty of this craft is when the sun streams through the cellophane.
What do you need to do?
We love this craft for:-
* Pincer grasp - Your child can pick up the cellophane pieces between their index finger and thumbs. * Pointing/Finger isolation - Your child can point and press on individual cellophane pieces or even feel the stickiness of the contact paper. * Colour identification - Your child can identify the colours of the cellophane. You could provide matching coloured bowls to sort the cellophane paper. Your child can see the affect of layering the cellophane paper and how this changes into a new colour. Your child may also observe the sun shining through the cellophane. * Pattern making - Your child could use the cellophane to make patterns or pictures. Miss 8 made flowers and love hearts within her picture. * Bilateral coordination - Opportunities for your child to use both hands in a coordinated way with cutting the paper, holding the bowl with one and using the other stick the pieces of cellophane. * Doing activities on a vertical surface encourages shoulder stability, trunk control and wrist extension. These are important for table top activities including handwriting. * Structure - In some ways this is a "structured" activity as there is a beginning and end when the contact paper is covered. This will suit kids who need a "goal" when doing a craft activity. In other ways this is an "unstructured" activity as there is no right or wrong way to lay the cellophane onto the paper. It can be orderly or random. This craft is suitable for children from quite a young age. Supervision is required for those toddlers (and older kids) who are like to "mouthe" things. If your toddler has difficulty managing cellophane, you could try stickers, paper or even small pom poms.
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A story map is a visual aid to the settings or the sequence of major events and actions of story characters. Using a story map enables students to relate story events and to perceive structure in literary selections. Story maps can be used as frameworks for storytelling or retelling, and as outlines for story writing. I use story maps with the kids I see to help them with story writing. This may help children who are described as "has lots of great ideas, but doesn't seem to be able to get them down on paper" or "they look at the blank page for a long time before they seem to attempt writing". Often the children I see have motor coordination difficulties so we are working on "handwriting" in addition to the content of their "writing". Did you see the subtle way I used "handwriting" compared with "writing"?
We then move onto writing a 3 part story with an introduction, problem and resolution. Sometimes using "connective words" (sentence beginnings) help a student to plan how to progress a story. It may be take several sessions (or longer) to develop these initial story writing skills. Once a child becomes confident in using a 3 part story map, I will progress them onto using a 5 part story map (Introduction, Build up, problem, resolution and conclusion). I may re-introduce Humpty Dumpty, including drawing and/or connective words as necessary. I have included all the story maps found on this page with the Humpty Dumpty examples as a part of the Story Map Pack available at the Your Kids OT shop. There is also a guide for using the story maps. If your child is able to complete 5 part stories without difficulty, you may consider extending your child with details about the setting, multiple problems and resolutions, multiple characters, character feelings and descriptions. Do you have a reluctant writer that you are encouraging? Have you tried a story map? Have you given them some help with connective words? Enjoy this article? You may also like these...
Happy Birthday to me (well to Your Kids OT)!!! 2014 saw my idea for a blog come into fruition! I have been excited with all the articles I have been able to bring you over the year. Friends have asked with concern what will happen when I run out of article ideas, but that hasn't happened yet! I have lots planned for 2015. I have been surprised at how many "friends" I have made through blogging and hope to get know you, my readers in the year ahead. I would love hear from you through the comments or FB. Tell me what you think or if you try out any ideas I have suggested. Let me know if there are specific topics you would like covered. I have been overwhelmed with the number of new FB likers to YKOT in the last week. Thank you for your support. I hope new and old followers of YKOT find it interesting to look back at the posts that have been most read in 2014. Here are the most popular posts for 2014. 1. Dough Wars! Cloud Dough vs Kinetic Sand! This was by far the most popular post for 2014. Both cloud dough and kinetic sand are fantastic sensory mediums for your kids to explore, experiment and have fun! Having a comparison between the two mediums was very popular and reminds me that it may be time for more dough wars! 2. A sensory diet...nothing to do with food! We don't all have access to great "sensory rooms" and expensive therapy equipment. This was a simple guide to activities you can do with your child at home or at school to help address sensory processing and modulation issues. 3. Terrific Tummy Time Positions! This is one of the most memorable posts for me ...I really enjoyed the opportunity to "link up" with some fabulous therapy bloggers about "tummy time". There are a lot of opinions out there about what you should or shouldn't do with "tummy time". I think the concept is misunderstood too when I hear comments such as..."my child hated tummy time but we did do chest on chest time". I especially loved collecting photos from my readers of their little ones doing "tummy time". Can you recall all the gushing over the gorgeous babies? 4. Pencil Grasp Reference Sheet This was my first and most popular reference sheet that I created. It has proved very popular onPinterest (pinned almost 1000 times) and purchased in my store (no where near 1000 times). Thanks for making the purchase rather than just taking a screenshot! I appreciate your support with my resources. 5. Sensory Diet Activity Reference Sheet This was the second reference sheet that I produced and was also very popular on Pinterest and the store. 6. Should I get a pencil grip? There is still a lot of confusion about the use of pencil grips. They are often seen as a quick fix but my opinion is that it is definitely not the case of "one size fits all". Pencil grips should always be prescribed as a part of program to address pencil grasp. 7. App Review: Sensory Treat This app is so useful for parents assisting them to incorporate a sensory diet of activities into a child's (and family's) daily routine. 8. Using a weighted vest or blanket...introducing Sensory Calm Articles about sensory processing were very popular in 2014! This article reviewed a weighted vest and blanket and was sponsored by Sensory Calm. 9. Freebie Friday #5 Printable Games It surprised me to find this post making the top ten list. There were 9 great {FREE} printable games to be found in this article. I did a series of "Freebie Fridays" including pre-writing, cutting, drawing and visual-motor printables. Everyone does love a freebie! 10. Holding a pencil...does it really matter how? I love that my very first posted article made the top 10! The "bread-and-butter" of my OT referrals are handwriting referrals so it was only appropriate to start there. Often an inefficient pencil grasp is an indicator for other issues an OT may assess. What a fantastic year! Thanks for all the comments, likes and shares of my articles and resources. Are you an OT? parent? teacher? Which article did you find helpful or enjoyed in 2014? You may also like...
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AuthorHi, I'm Cindy and I am an Occupational Therapist. I enjoy working creatively with children to see them reach their potential. Read more about me here. SEARCH THIS SITE
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Disclaimer: The information on this site is general in nature and should be used for educational and entertainment purposes. The activities are safe for most children, however, you should consult an Occupational Therapist or health professional to address specific movement, sensory or other medical conditions. This blog does not replace formal therapeutic professional advice given by a health professional or medical practitioner. Reviews and endorsements of products will only be made based on my expertise and personal opinion; and deemed worthy of such endorsement. The opinions shared in sponsored content will always be my own and not that of the advertising company or brand. Content, advertising space or posts will be clearly identified if paid, affiliated or sponsored. Affiliate links may be found throughout this website in advertising. This means that if you follow through with a purchase from these links, Your Kids OT will receive a percentage of the sale. Your Kids OT undertakes to meet the requirements of the "Social Media Policy" as published by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Further information about this policy can be found here.
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