[blindkid] Ordered our free cane! wheeee!!!

Carol Castellano blindchildren at verizon.net
Sun Mar 28 20:32:49 UTC 2010


Ah, I remember the Fifty Nifty United States.  Brings back happy 
memories of my kids' childhood.

Albert, have you joined the NFB blind teachers division?  Maybe you 
can get back into the classroom!

Carol

At 02:59 PM 3/28/2010, you wrote:
>I whole heartedly agree with you on how effective lessons and learning can
>be when music is introduced to children of all abilities. I taught my
>kindergarten children a song called fifty nifty united states. All of my
>kids were able to recite all 50 states alphabetically and eventually we
>moved to maps and boy did they love that. it really made a difference in
>there map skills even though it is really not a kindergarten focus, ii felt
>they were able to take it with them and onto the next level and it was a
>whole lot of fun practicing with them. every once in a while we would get a
>comment my nana lives in Florida, where is Florida and that is how the map
>was introduced in my classroom every year. It was their own inquiry and
>desire to know more that directed my teaching. I am going on, oh how I miss
>those days. Since loosing my eye sight, no one will consider me a viable
>candidate any longer. Someday though.
>
>Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
>CEO/Founder
>My Blind Spot, Inc.
>90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
>New York, New York  10004
>www.myblindspot.org
>PH: 917-553-0347
>Fax: 212-858-5759
>"The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
>doing it."
>
>
>Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>Behalf Of Susan Harper
>Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2010 2:11 PM
>To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
>Subject: Re: [blindkid] Ordered our free cane! wheeee!!!
>
>I just sing tap, tap, tap, tap, alternating between C and F, alternating my
>vocalization, then make up rhyming verses as appropriate to the situation.
>So it goes like this:
>F    C     F    C     G    G    G    B    C    B    C
>tap  tap  tap  tap  tap  tap  tap  tap  tap  tap  tap
>
>C is middle C and F is the F above middle C, and G & B are be low middle C.
>So you have a 7 note range all quarter notes.  Sorry, I haven't figured out
>how to put a staff and notes in an email.
>
>You can substitute the words, left right left right...  I can sing this in
>his ear to get him started and the he's off on his own.  It just gets a
>rhythm going, which is what you teach when someone is learning to use a
>cane.  I can use it to remind my son to use his can rather than carry it
>like a drawn sword!  It is unobtrusive in a crowd as well.
>
>I had to go sit down at my piano and figure out what I was singing.   I am a
>Special Education Teacher, and I have been home schooling for 20 years and
>have made up many songs or used tunes and put words to them.  Music is
>easier for kids who have speech and auditory processing problems to follow
>and learn from.  It may just be that sung words are said more slowly, but I
>think it is much more than that.  I think that the brain processes music
>differently and bypasses some part of the brain and routes to another.  I
>also think rhythm and rhyming tap into the brain in a different way.  I
>think I will have to ask our neurologist next month when I see him.  But
>anyway, kids seem to learn better and faster with song.  Makes sense,
>because kids learn the ABC song long before they actually associate the
>letters with the written letters.
>
>I have a vowel song:  "A E I O U, they're the ones for you.  They're the
>ones, so much fun, A E I O U!  And Sometimes Y."  No I am not going to go
>plunk out the tune, but you get the idea.
>Blessings,
>Sue H.
>
>On Sat, Mar 27, 2010 at 9:42 PM, Albert J Rizzi
><albert at myblindspot.org>wrote:
>
> > Can you please share the song or rhyme you did with your son as you taught
> > him how to move the cane to and fro? I as a kindergarten teacher put as
> > many
> > things I could to song or rhythmic wording so as to reinforce the lessons
> > at
> > hand. I would so like to learn how you did this to reinforce skills of
>cane
> > techniques
> >
> > Albert J. Rizzi, M.Ed.
> > CEO/Founder
> > My Blind Spot, Inc.
> > 90 Broad Street - 18th Fl.
> > New York, New York  10004
> > www.myblindspot.org
> > PH: 917-553-0347
> > Fax: 212-858-5759
> > "The person who says it cannot be done, shouldn't interrupt the one who is
> > doing it."
> >
> >
> > Visit us on Facebook LinkedIn
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> > Behalf Of Susan Harper
> > Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2010 6:33 PM
> > To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)
> > Subject: Re: [blindkid] Ordered our free cane! wheeee!!!
> >
> > Oh Good for you Marie!  We had to go ahead and just order/buy our own cane
> > before we found out about the free ones.  But it was a small investment in
> > our son's independence.  I hope you have as good a luck as we did.  Don't
> > worry that he doesn't hold it totally correct.  He just needs a good grasp
> > and to hold it in front of him.  Think of it as a pointer from his navel,
> > up
> > a little is okay.  He'll find what is right for him.  We started our son
> > with a "tap, tap" song that we made up, sweeping the ground from left to
> > right and back again.  There are some great books and articles out there,
> > but the most important thing is to get started and let your some explore
> > and
> > learn from his cane.  My son, now 3 1/2 still likes to reach down and feel
> > when the terrain changes and see what his cane has found and process it
> > with
> > his hands.  Many advocates like the pointer finger to point down to the
> > ground with the fisted grip.  I say let you son explore and find his
> > comfort
> > and then refine the techniques.
> >
> > Best of luck and Blessings,
> > Sue H.
> >
> > On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Marie <empwrn at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> >
> > > I am so excited to report that after thinking about it FOR A YEAR, I
> > > finally
> > > ordered my son a free long white cane from NFB. Why a year? Over the
>past
> > > year, my husband's feelings about the need for Braille and cane use have
> > > changed or he has verbalized them more clearly to me<--he's a man so you
> > > never really know which, LOL! I pushed early and hard for Braille and he
> > > did
> > > not jump on the bandwagon right away. In fact, the last year has had him
> > > pointing out to me other legally blind people who read really well and
> > fast
> > > holding books up to their noses. What a relief it was to hear him say
>one
> > > day how great that was but then he wondered how much easier it would be
> > for
> > > those folks to have learned Braille and perhaps they would have done
>even
> > > better!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > When I brought up cane use before, it was met with a lukewarm reception
> > and
> > > much discussion about how Jack gets around really really well and has
> > > learned to memorize the layout of wherever he is and how fantastic that
> > is.
> > > Over the past week, I brought up a cane again and now I am hearing my
>own
> > > thoughts echoed back to me. If we help Jack to navigate his environment
> > > more
> > > easily and independently, it will free him up to focus on other
> > > developmental tasks and not use so much brain power to focus on not
> > falling
> > > or bumping into stuff.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > We had planned to just buy a cane and start working with it. What a nice
> > > surprise to realize that we could get one for free (I think I knew this
> > > before and forgot).  The fact that it is free makes it an even easier
> > > decision to move forward although we have no support for our decision
> > from
> > > either Jack's school TVI or our vision rehab doc.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > So.tips, anyone? Jack has fine motor impairment so we'll have to see how
> > we
> > > can work out his grasp on the cane once we get it. Tips for introduction
> > of
> > > the cane would be welcomed.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Thanks so much!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Marie (mother of Jack, 4 yrs old with Apert Syndrome)
> > >  <http://www.allaccesspasstojack.blogspot.com>
> > > http://www.allaccesspasstojack.blogspot.com
> > > Learn more about Apert Syndrome
> > >  <http://www.thecraniofacialcenter.org/apert.html>
> > > http://www.thecraniofacialcenter.org/apert.html
> > > Get information and support at Teeter's page
> > >  <http://www.apert.org> http://www.apert.org
> > >
> > >
> > >
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Carol Castellano, President
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
973-377-0976
carol_castellano at verizon.net
www.nfb.org/nopbc 





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