Welcome Spring!

The sun was out today! *pause for excitement*  Yes, the sun was out and it was warm enough to actually play outside. Tom had a great time opening and closing the sliding glass door on the deck at his grandparents house. He could play with doors and cabinets all day.

It seems like we have been celebrating Easter for weeks now. Today we went to Tom's grandparents house for an Easter meal, and we get to do it all again tomorrow with my family! Tommy seems really interested in Easter and it has been fun to watch him enjoy and understand a holiday.

At school they really work hard to make holidays and seasons come alive for the children. On Wednesday, Tom had a party at school with guests like the Pirate Parrot, University of Pittsburgh Cheerleaders and the Pitt Panther, as well as the Easter Bunny! They really know how to celebrate at his school. They had a big beep egg hunt and then they were able to trade their beep eggs for treats.

All month long they have been playing a shamrock game that allows them to work on the following skills:

• taking turns,
• paying attention,
• taking just one,
• passing materials,
• looking in the direction of friends,
• and matching (using colors, textures, or Braille - according to the child's ability.)

There are so many blindness skills packed into that one game. Learning how to turn to someone who is speaking is an important skill for blind people to have. There are so many skills that sighted children can learn by observation. 

Small social skills like turning to someone who is speaking is something that could be overlooked in a more mainstream educational setting. His school is staffed by people who have years of experience in the field of educating blind and visually impaired children. I love the way they make learning fun for him!

Crossing the street with Dad. He is listening for cars as they wait to cross.