• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Momma 'N Manila

Growing through parenting

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Nourish
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Cheers
    • Guest Recipes
  • Advocate
    • Autism
    • Best Buddies
    • Down Syndrome
    • Special Needs
  • Gather
    • Crafternoons
    • Entertaining at Home
    • Events
    • Mothers Who Brunch
    • DIY
  • Review
    • 4 KIDS
    • Dining
    • Travel
    • Home & Hearth
    • Health & Beauty
    • Giveaways
    • Fashion
  • Nurture
    • Education
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Yoga
  • MWB

Advocate Down Syndrome Education Parenting

Guest Post Megan Landmeier

There are a few blogs that I make sure to read each and every time a new post is sent to my inbox. I have subscribed to some, but  most of the time because I feel like I’m chasing time and doing five things at once, my only time to sit down and read them is right before bed on my smart phone. (C’mon Mommas, you know egg-sactly what I’m talking about.) 

I’ve been reading My Stubborn Little Miss since I stumbled upon it from another blog that I like to visit. Enjoying the Small Things, blogger, Kelle Hampton and Megan are friends on social media, and when I was catching up on some posts, I saw that Megan had a baby girl who looked about the same age as Gellibean.

When I read up on her blog, I realized that Megan is a  teacher like me. Whenever she writes about Ellie’s activities I am reminded once again how the simplest of activities can be learning for Gellie. (Ellie and Gellie…do you see a similarity here?) I love reading Megan’s posts because she keeps it real and shares what it’s like to raise a child, have a career, and still carve out time for herself and for her running.  

Thank you Megan for agreeing to guest post and share some rock solid tips and tricks of how to work speech therapy into Ellie’s day in a way that is painless, and fun. Because like you, I do believe that learning (and therapy for our lils’) should be fun.

Parenting is a balancing act.

I want to make sure my daughter reaches her fullest potential.  I want to provide her with every possible opportunity.

I do not want to suffocate Ellie with my overinvolvement.  I want to give her freedom to play and be a kid.

I want to make sure that Ellie isn’t treated as less because she has Down syndrome.  I want Ellie to believe in herself.

I want time to make dinner.  I want to use the bathroom by myself.  I want Ellie to go play alone for ten minutes so I can check Facebook.

I want time to work on my photography.

And I work full time, which I’ve done most of my daughter’s life, as a special education teacher and as a kindergarten teacher.  For that reason, I try to find activities that are fun and help Ellie develop skills.

1wmchalk

My favorite activities tend to be speech focused.  Like all children, kids with Down syndrome have their own relative strengths and weaknesses.  Not surprisingly, Ellie, who has a chatterbox for a mom, would much rather work on speech than fine motor skills.

My absolute favorite speech activity for babies and toddlers came from DownsEd.  Their flashcards were the first flashcards Ellie used.  Early on, I showed her the flashcards and told her what the pictures were to develop vocabulary.  Later, I asked her to pick one from a field of two.  (For example, pick the bear if I held a bear and a cat.)  Soon, she could sign the words, and eventually say them.

1wmweek4

Sometimes, high interest words aren’t available on flashcards.  In that case, I make my own.  You can see an example here.   You can use your own photos or images from magazines on clipart.  I’ve found my own photos hold Ellie’s interest more than stock images, and photographs generally hold her interest more than drawings.  I always show Ellie the word, even though we haven’t pushed sight word reading yet.  She recognizes Mommy, Daddy, and Ellie, and she also knows her uppercase and some lowercase letters.

We try to keep letter learning fun.  As a teacher, I know that letter recognition and sound identification are important kindergarten skills, and as a Down syndrome mom, I know Ellie will probably sight read before she can decode.  To work on sight reading, at this point I try to use natural methods – reading everything we can!

We have books available for Ellie in almost every room in the house, and we encourage her to explore them and “read” to herself.  We also write words whenever we draw or color, including with chalk outside in the summer.  Ellie’s speech and sound/letter awareness have always seemed to build on each other.  We also write our own books.  You can download a freebie here.

1wmweekend3

But what about the skills that my kid doesn’t really have and doesn’t seem interested in building?  We sneak them in!  For fine motor, we play with magnets (ABC magnets of course) and stickers.  We grab a bucket of water and a paintbrush and we “paint” on the sidewalk on warm spring days.  We dress baby dolls and brush their hair and put away silverware and pretend to paint our nails.

Daily activities for kids with Down syndrome don’t need to look dramatically different to promote learning.  The most important thing in working on developmental skills that other kids learn naturally is simply to think about what the goal is and work backward.  If I want Ellie to be able to zip her jacket, I start with zipping a bear’s jacket so it’s not on her.  I add a big pull tag to the zipper so she can do it herself.  And now, Ellie can (unfortunately?  fortunately?) zip and unzip.  

Fun makes all the difference. 

1wmZoo1 

Megan Landmeier is wife to Matt and mom to an almost four year old girl with Down syndrome, Ellie.  When Megan isn’t busy chasing Ellie around, she’s teaching Kindergarten, taking photographs, running, or blogging.  You can also find her on Instagram and Facebook.

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related


« Phi Sig, Uncle Joe, and Down Syndrome
Montessori at Home »

Hello and Welcome!


Hi! Here is where I share my thoughts on yoga, cooking, crafting, raising a special child, exploring, eating, playing, and living in Manila.
READ MORE

You can also say hi or email me at mish@mommanmanila.com

Twitter

Tweets by @mishaventajado

Pinterest

Recent Posts

  • Waterside BBQ Brunch Buffet at Solaire
  • LUMOS RAY Projector Review
  • A Grapeful Summer with Taste Australia
  • Suite Treat Mommy Weekend at Marco Polo Manila
  • Weekend Grills at the Bay City Café

Archives

Categories

Recent Comments

  • Ran on Waterside BBQ Brunch Buffet at Solaire
  • michelle on Waterside BBQ Brunch Buffet at Solaire
  • Ran on Waterside BBQ Brunch Buffet at Solaire
  • michelle on LUMOS RAY Projector Review
  • Angelie G. Y. Melsbo on LUMOS RAY Projector Review

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @mommanmanila

mommanmanila

Do you? Gelli doesn’t. 😜 Join me on Tuesday Do you?

Gelli doesn’t. 😜

Join me on Tuesday at 4pm for another episode of @kitchen143 where we dive into another conversation about preparing our kids and families for hybrid and face to face school.

@kitchen143 
@rappler 

We will also be partnering with quite a few brands that will make #BackToSchool just a little easier:
@uvcareph 
 @themayakitchen1 
 @brightbrands.ph 
@yumboxph 
@candishhhbakes 
@thesysufoodhub 
@claraoleph 
@treetopjuice.ph 
@smuckers.ph 
@jifphilippines 
@berrysdeliph
Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta by @gi.aventajado last Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta by @gi.aventajado  last night for dinner. I loved that every time I bit the rigatoni, it was cream filled!

Will be sharing this recipe on @kitchen143 soon! 

#recipe #diy #cookingathome #cooking #homecooking #delicious #yummy #yummyph #yum #letseat #teamgellibean #fresh #itswhatsfordinner #dinner #meatlessmonday
How did you get so big, @gelliaventajado? You hav How did you get so big, @gelliaventajado?

You have given me so many gifts through your extra chromosome. As your 11th birthday draws nearer, I’m thinking of ways we can celebrate with you. I’m counting my blessings because you chose me as your momma. 

#gellibean #theluckyfew #t21 #downsyndromeawareness #downsyndromelove #downsyndromeawarenessmonth #ndss #upsyndrome #aintnothingdownaboutit
I always love getting together with like minded pe I always love getting together with like minded people. @akiko.guevara is not only the Chairwoman of the Board of @specialolympicspilipinas, she is also a stakeholder. She is a #halfie like me and has strong roots both here in the Philippines and in the U.S. 

@ericsonperezj also grew up in the states, graduated with a teaching degree, (like me) and is the Headmaster of @thevanguardacademyph. He is a pillar in the community and a good friend. He has believed in @bestbuddies_ph from the beginning, and has always supported our initiatives.

L👀k out for something fun coming soon! I’m excited to come together for the sake of #inclusion. 

#inclusionmatters #bestbuddiesph #specialolympicspilipinas #thevanguardacademyph
We are still figuring out and solidifying our morn We are still figuring out and solidifying our morning routines as we send some of the kids off to school and log on with some of the kids to zoom.

Some days we are super early and some days we are chasing time. The beauty in this, is that while we are figuring things out, we are working with the kids to assess and adjust as we go along. It’s a great lesson on going with the flow.

How about you guys? 
How’s back to school for you?

Join us in the conversation with @carolatmanila @kayecatral @gellinamaala.md 

@uvcareph 
@themayakitchen1 
@brightbrands.ph 
@yumboxph 
@candishhhbakes 
@thesysufoodhub 
@claraoleph 
@treetopjuice.ph 
@smuckers.ph 
@jifphilippines 
@berrysdeliph
Happy to be preparing meals for my parents. Someti Happy to be preparing meals for my parents. Sometimes lunch is simple with meat and @realcaliforniamilkphl cheese, with crusty bread and a big bowl of soup. 

Simple. Easy to prepare. Comfort.
Lunch for the big girl and snack for the little gi Lunch for the big girl and snack for the little girl. @yumboxph Presto is a bigger container for bigger appetites. It’s sustainable. Easy to pack and easy to clean. #Yumbox Snack Box for the little girl is the perfect size for a 4 hr day at school. 

#WhatsInMyYumbox

@unileverfoodsolutions_ph Not Chicken Burger, breaded and fried like Katsu. White Rice. Pickled Radish. @tasteaustraliaph Premium Produce 🍊Shredded Lettuce and roasted sesame dressing because I ran out of cabbage. 

Little girl got the same but she loves #NaturesCandy and gets @california.raisins.asean and @welchs_ph to help boost immunity too.
Swipe left to see how far we have come in a year. Swipe left to see how far we have come in a year. #AlwaysLearning 

@kitchen143 
@rappler 
@seamoraone
Last week’s episode episode was so informative a Last week’s episode episode was so informative and full of different ways we can prepare our kiddos for hybrid and face to face school.

What else do you want to chat about as we settle into the new school year? Join us next Tuesday at 4pm for another conversation in @kitchen143.

Special thanks to our partners for this upcoming episode:

@uvcareph
@themayakitchen1
@brightbrands.ph
@yumboxph
@candishhhbakes
@thesysufoodhub
@claraoleph
@treetopjuice.ph
@smuckers.ph
@jifphilippines
Fifty is fast approaching. There are so many thing Fifty is fast approaching. There are so many things I want to do for myself. And by taking care of myself, I know I’m also showing my kids how to take care of themselves too. You can’t pour from an empty cup.

Self care. Self aware. Self love. Self improvement.

All while being thankful for His GRACE and doing the best I can with what I have at the moment. Part of that means monthly skincare with Doc @yaneelove over @aestheticscienceclinic. Cleaning,  Glycolic Acid, Diamond Peel keeps me looking fresh and feeling fine. 

Finding a dermatoligist whose energy matches yours and has a holistic approach to your skincare is even more important as we age. I have been going to Doc Yanee for years. We have studied reiki together, we are both yoga teachers, and she is my friend. Grateful that @gi.aventajado is mindful of her skin as early as now, and I love that we get to do these #momanddaughter outings together. 

#skin #skincareroutine #skincareph #skincaretips #skinhealth #metime #selfcare #roadto50 #bestfacialinmanila #aestheticscience #noninvasiveskincare #routine #monthly
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · Blog Design by Fancy Girl Design Studio

Copyright © 2022 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...