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This packet works on horizontal and vertical lines. It has a great explanation in the first few pages.

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Need white crayon
water colors
and white paper

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I am always looking for activities that incorporate reading and writing in a fun way. When I saw this activity, I knew there was potential for a variety of learning. The Secret Message activity will expose your child to science, reading, writing, spelling, and even math. At the bottom of this post, I explain how to use this activity to expose your child to different subject matters.

This activity is quick, simple, and uses materials you probably have in your home. Get ready to share a surprise with your little one.

Go to my son's Youtube Channel for more exciting experiments, Corban's Fun Learning Adventures. Here is his Salt Paint Art Project.

Let's Get Started!

Materials:

Method:

Use a white crayon to write a secret message on a white sheet of paper.

You may draw pictures, notes, letters, numbers, etc.

I wrote a message on the white paper.

Have your child use watercolor paints to brush over the paper.

The watercolor paints will reveal the secret message.

My son painted the paper with green water color and revealed the message "I love you."

Your child should delight in discovering the mystery message.

Other ways to use this activity

This is a fun way to have your child practice letters, shapes, and number formation.

Write a vocabulary word on the paper and practice using the word during the day.

Practice reading skills by writing a note to your child and have them read it.

Surprise a love one or a friend with a fun greeting message.

Discuss the science of this activity by explaining that colored water paint reveals the message because the white crayon is written on white paper.

Have fun with this activity!
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I am always looking for activities that incorporate reading and writing in a fun way. When I saw this activity, I knew there was potential for a variety of learning. The Secret Message activity will expose your child to science, reading, writing, spelling, and even math.

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If you have bubble wrap at home tape it to the floor with painters tape. Then give your child a car and listen to the pops as they go.

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I'm putting away our Christmas wrapping supplies and discovered a giant roll of bubble wrap that we didn't use. I thought instead of packing it away that I'd make something fun for us to do inside - it's way too cold to play outside today! So our Bubble Wrap Road was born.

You only need 3 things for this activity - a big roll of bubble wrap (or any pieces you have laying around from packages), painter's tape, and .

(Note: Take care and test before using tape on wood floors. Tape can damage wood floors, especially if left on for long periods of time.)

I laid out the bubble wrap on the floor and taped the sides down with the painter's tape. I made a sort of U shape for our space.

I put small dashes of tape in the center of the wrap to make lanes.

Then I got out our big bucket of toy trucks and invited the boys to play. They loved their new "bumpy road"! We found that tractors and trucks with nubby tires make the best noise on the bubble wrap.

Of course there was plenty of bubble popping with fingers and toes too.

This was such an easy and inexpensive activity to put together - we will definitely do it again. I think our next road will include some ramps and we might even go up the walls!

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I'm putting away our Christmas wrapping supplies and discovered a giant roll of bubble wrap that we didn't use. I thought instead of packing it away that I'd make something fun for us to do inside - it's way too cold to play outside today! So our Bubble Wrap Road was born.

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by -
This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy.

Once I became a mom, I found that there are a million ways to use baby wipes that have nothing to do with wiping bottoms. :)

We recently discovered that baby wipes can be great for art! We used them to make some SUPER easy tie dye art with baby wipes that can easily be done with kids of all ages. No need to worry about stains and permanently dyed fingers...everything is completely washable!

We especially love Huggies Wipes from Walmart for this project! Huggies Triple Clean layers are thick and hold up much better than other wipes we've tried.
Here's what you'll need:

Baby Wipes

Rubberbands

Washable Markers and/or Liquid Watercolors

Paper towels

1. Pinch the center of the baby wipe and hold in your hand.

2. Twist.

3. Carefully attach a few rubber bands and have your child use a marker to color the sections of the baby wipe. The more that the marker gets into the folds, the more vibrant the color will be. You can also use your liquid watercolors to gently drip color onto the sectioned wipe. Just make sure you do it over the sink. I found this made for a more richer color.

Continue using other colors of markers to complete the tie dye baby wipe. Not pictured: Remove the rubber bands, gently unfold the baby wipe and lay on top of two pieces of paper towel until it has completely dried.

Use the tie dye baby wipes for any number of projects, including a SUPER EASY tie dye bunting!

Last but not least, wipe up any stray marks with your remaining Huggies® Wipes. In what other art project can you use your canvas to clean up your mess?!?!

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Easy Tie Dye Art with Baby Wipes - I Can Teach My Child!

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by - This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy. Once I became a mom, I found that there are a million ways to use baby wipes that have nothing to do with wiping bottoms. :) We recently discovered that baby wipes can be great for art!

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It's funny how things happen. It started when we resurfaced our old dining table and I decided we needed place mats to protect the table a little, and that lead to me making some simple laminated place mats to help my big kids remember how to set the table.

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Race Car Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, paint, hole punch, scissors, 4 plastic bottle lids, 2 toothpicks, 1 straw

Begin by painting your toilet paper roll.

While you're waiting for your toilet paper roll to dry trim your straw to just a little shorter than your toothpicks.

Punch holes in your toilet paper roll and thread the straw through. Then insert the toothpick through the straw.

Punch some small holes in the plastic lids. You want to make sure that you get the hole directly in the center so that the wheels don't wobble.

Put the wheels onto the toothpicks. I ended up putting a little drop of glue on the outside of the wheel, right where the toothpick poked through, but it wasn't necessary. I just didn't want the baby to pull them off and try to eat them.

Cut a hole in the center of the toilet paper roll for a seat and find a little friend who wants to go for a ride.

Book Suggestion: R is for Race: A Stock Car Alphabet is a great book that is as rhyming verse for that little kids will love and longer paragraphs that are good for older kids. It's perfect for the little car enthusiast in your house.

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Race Car Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, paint, hole punch, scissors, 4 plastic bottle lids, 2 toothpicks, 1 straw Begin by painting your toilet paper roll. While you're waiting for your toilet paper roll to dry trim your straw to just a little shorter than your toothpicks.

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Balloons are a classic childhood staple, providing endless hours of frugal entertainment for children of all ages. They are also a great catalyst for science exploration.

My kids and I have been experimenting with building our own model rocket , and we had a blast launching water rockets at our local science museum recently. Rockets are fascinating, and offer a wonderful hands-on opportunity to learn about important science concepts, such as velocity, force, gravity, and more.

Rockets can be as simple, or as complicated, as you'd like. We tend to favor simplicity in my household, which is how we ended up with this easy and engaging science experiment for kids. Using only a few items we already had around the house, we created and explored with our very own homemade Balloon Rockets.
Materials:
After gathering the necessary materials, we began by tying one end of the yarn to the back of a chair.

Next, we threaded a drinking straw onto the other end of the yarn, and then tied it to the second chair.

After attaching two pieces of tape (about 2 inches in length each) to the center of the straw, it was time for the real fun to begin.

We inflated the balloon (leaving the end untied), held onto the opening so the air wouldn't escape, and carefully attached it to the straw using the tape.

Finally, we pulled the balloon to one end of the yarn (touching a chair), and let go of it. The balloon shot across the yarn, delighting us all!

These Balloon Rockets provide a meaningful example of action and reaction. It's a fairly simple concept - to make an object move one way, a force has to work in the opposite direction. In this case, the balloon is full of air. When you let go of the balloon, causing the air to rush out of the opening, it creates a pushing force in the opposite direction. This results in the balloon moving rapidly across the yarn.

Real rockets work in a similar way. A rocket engine is powered by exploding fuel inside of a chamber that is open at the bottom. The force of the explosion creates an opposite force that pushes the rocket up and into space.

Our homemade version may not have quite as exciting as a real-life rocket, but it sure provided a memorable and enjoyable learning experience for all of us.

Try these other rocket activities in your home or classroom:
Interested in more hands-on science fun? Try Marshmallow Shooters and Balloon Blow-Up.

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Balloon Rockets - Discover Explore Learn

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Balloons are a classic childhood staple, providing endless hours of frugal entertainment for children of all ages. They are also a great catalyst for science exploration. My kids and I have been experimenting with building our own model rocket, and we had a blast launching water rockets at our local science museum recently.

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You know what question Kate and I get a lot? "How do you girls do it it all??" Our schedules are full, just as many of yours are, and it comes with the constant struggle of balancing Mom-life with work-life. And like most other Mothers out there, when it comes down to it and one has to take priority, the Mom gig wins- no contest. If something has to fall through the cracks it's not Mom thing; it's usually the doing-laundry, cleaning-bathrooms, or showering-before-noon thing. So to answer the question, how do we do it all? Ha! We don't! Those of you joining us at TOFW get to hear all about how we don't do it all. In fact, most times sometimes we barely keep it together! The past few weeks have felt like that for me. I've been traveling a lot, and working on some huge projects (we finished our book!), so when I got home the other day after spending the weekend in PA (SO much fun- thank you East Coasters for a great time!) the last thing I wanted to do was pull out my big camera and cook. And then edit photos. And then write a big recipe post for today. What I did want to do? Play with my kids. Be goofy, be silly, be loud and crazy and do whatever they wanted to do. I asked them what they wanted to do, and lucky for me (and you) they picked something that I thought would actually be fun to share with you! So ironically, my intentions of turning off my blog brain back-fired, but it worked out in the end. I got to play with my kids, and you get a fun kitchen craft. Or something to entertain friends at the office when you're tired of working. Since I had no intentions of making a big ol' photography project out of this fun little activity, I just snapped some quick photos on my P hone and edited them right on my phone too, with the Thumba app. Come next Monday I'll have my brain fully functioning again and I'll bust out my big camera have an amazing recipe for you! Until then, let's just play 🙂 This is sort of awesome.

We call these "Soap Clouds." Where are all of our chemical engineers? I need to know why every awesome science project involving soap, hinges on the use of Ivory soap. Thoughts? Are there magical ingredients in there? I've always wondered that. I bet whoever came up with the original recipe never expected that so many science experiments would ensue with its use! I think the same thing about Elmer's glue. Anyway, grab a bar of Ivory soap- yes, only Ivory! It's cheap, but don't worry, you can even use it as soap when we're done here so we're not being wasteful. So you don't need to write us lengthy emails about being earth-hating-soap-haters.

Place a piece of waxed paper, parchment, plastic wrap, or paper towel in your microwave. Just don't use foil, or we'll have issues on our hands that are much bigger than your next burrito tasting slightly like a fresh mountain spring. This really doesn't make a mess, so don't be scared.

Start your microwave for a couple of minutes on high power. You don't need to let it run that whole length of time, but you can just stop it when you need to. Want to see what happens?? It's a little hard to see through my microwave door, but check it out (and ignore me when I say you need to turn your microwave turntable off, that's for if you're trying to video this experience:))

Ten bonus points for anyone who can reference my children's ramblings about "the great devourer."

I don't know how it does it- but it starts growing! Sometimes the "clouds" are seriously HUGE, and other times they are sort of wimpy. I've noticed generally, the fresher the soap (as in the more recent I have purchased it) the bigger the result. We've done this a million times and my kids still get a kick out of it.

It looks like it should be foamy and wet, but it's not. You can actually pick up the whole big chunk.

If you smash it, it will break into pieces and you'll end up with soap dust everywhere, so be careful with little hands who like to smash things 🙂

It's the weirdest looking thing. I love how it's different every time.

Now. You have a giant blob of dried soap fluff and your kids were entertained for a total of 3.5 minutes. That's a start! Sometimes I let my kids just take the whole darn thing in the bath tub and have at it. It's one way to make sure they actually get cleaned in there. Or sometimes I hold it up over them in the tub and let it "snow" by smashing it and letting it sprinkle down like little snow flakes. Or, you can let them make their own little soaps. First, put the fluff in a bowl and let them do what they've probably been trying to do already- smash it to smithereens. It just kind of falls apart, so it's actually kind of fun. And if it gets all over your counter, take my advice and sweep or vacuum it up first, then wipe it down. Otherwise you'll end up with a big soapy mess.

Then, either in a bowl with a spoon, or with an electric beater, or in a food processor, like I'm using, add warm water, just until it comes together. Just like pie crust, folks! This is why I love kitchen crafts. To test it, grab some with your hands and hold it in your fist. If it holds together in a ball, it's ready.

Take the mold-able mixture and let kids press it into cookie cutters. Make sure kids are old enough to know it's not food, or they are likely to attempt to eat it!

These photos below are from a batch I made a while back, (and photographed with my regular camera) and I let my kids add just a couple of drops of food coloring to make colored soaps. After the soaps are molded, but still wet, you can gently push them out of the molds. Let them sit in a cool, dry place for a few days and soon you will have little soaps to wash (or play!) with. I would only use a small amount of food coloring as to not stain anything!

Funny how my kids are always very interested in getting extra clean when it's with soap they've made themselves.

Now go have some fun with your own kiddos today! Or, just grab some soap and have fun in your office break room at lunch. C'mon- you know you want to.

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Reminder: Once again, only use IVORY soap. Lots of people asking this in the comments, or commenting they have a burned mess in their microwave because they didn't read it earlier in the post! Ivory!
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Kitchen Craft: Soap Clouds and homemade kiddie soaps - Our Best Bites

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You know what question Kate and I get a lot? "How do you girls do it it all??" Our schedules are full, just as many of yours are, and it comes with the constant struggle of balancing Mom-life with work-life.

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Here are directions for a fun hands on activity at home.

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Apoyos visuales de Explorer Day para activty

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Apoyos visuales de Explorer Day para activty

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Hi parents,
Here is the pictures of squirrels I used to talk about they do in the video. You can also upload it on your phone to show your child.

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We will be making binoculars and going on a squirrel hunt. See google document above for the pictures of squirrels.

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3/26 Activity of the day

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Hi parents,
This a great model of how we have been teaching turn taking in class and how you can model it home when playing with your child.

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0:00 / 10:13•Watch full video

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Breathe With Me - Guided Breathing Meditation for Kids

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Time to Come In, Bear: A Children's Story About Social Distancing

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Resources for working with young children at home

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Resources for working with young children at home

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By Obie lef

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This is access to songs from a local children’s musician in our area Obie lef. He has great learning and academic songs. You can access them through the link below.

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Kids can learn a lot from observing animals, from what they eat and how they raise their young-to more advanced concepts like habitats and adaptations. Unfortunately, getting access to live animals is a challenge. Enter webcams. We compiled a list of the best nature webcams that offer kids a window into the animal world... so check it out!

Zoo Atlanta Panda Cam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJGrLNCg0pM

These gentle giants eat almost exclusively bamboo ... and if this webcam is any indication, they do it all day long. Check out their powerful jaws!

California Academy of Sciences Penguin Cam

Let the waddling commence! Watch these little cuties from South Africa and Namibia swim and nest from one of three webcams.

Monterey Bay Aquarium Jelly Cam

These beauties are as mesmerizing as they are dangerous. These sea nettles, as they're known, have stinging cells on their tentacles in order to paralyze prey.

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Seattle Aquarium Sea Otter Cam

The Seattle Aquarium is home to four northern sea otters. The somersaults and log rolls are pretty amazing, but we won't stop watching until we see them hold hands.

Cornell Lab FeederWatch Cam

This FeederWatch cam is located at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York on the edge of the Sapsucker Woods. Their feeders attract chickadees, woodpeckers, and the Red-winged Blackbird.

RoyalCam Live Albatross Cam

Albatrosses are large oceanic birds with wingspans up to 10 feet. The last time we checked, this season's not-so-little chick was hanging out in the nest.

Raptor Resource Project Decorah Eagles

When this breeding pair's nest was destroyed (twice!), a team of researchers rebuilt it. The eagles have been coming back to brood ever since.

Bear Watching Transylvania Live Animal Cam

You won't see any vampires on this live animal cam located in Transylvania, Romania. However, you will see bears as well as red deer, roe deer, wild boar, fox, rabbit, wolf, and other wild animals.

GRACE Gorilla Forest Corridor Cam

Watch the Grauer's gorillas as they play, eat, and rest in their forest habitat in the Democratic Republic of Congo. You can even "meet" the gorillas and then try to identify who you're looking at!

Africam Nkhoro Bush Lodge

You'll need a lot of patience for this one, but you just may be rewarded with one of Africa's "big five" safari animals: lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo.

Aquarium of the Pacific Shark Lagoon Cam

Don't worry-it's not as scary as it sounds. Witness the many species of sharks inside the Aquarium of the Pacific's shark lagoon-sand tiger, zebra, and whitetip reef sharks, for instance.

Polar Bears International Cape West Camera

Polar bear maternity dens?! Yes, please! Check in on the mama bears and cubs at Cape Churchill in Canada's Wapusk National Park.

Boulder County Osprey Cam

You're just in time! Last year, the ospreys arrived on March 22nd, so we should be able to watch them nest any time now!

Bella Hummingbird Nest

This tiny nest in La Verne, California, has been home to female hummingbirds and their babes since 2005. For reference, it's about the size of a golf ball cut in half.

Honey Bee Hive

If you've ever wondered what goes on in a beehive, then check out this livestream. It uses an infrared camera to show the inner workings of a bee colony living inside a large hollow log.

Nonsuch Expeditions Live Endangered Bermuda Cahows

Prepare to squee! You're looking at a critically endangered (and adorably fluffy) Bermuda Cahow chick and its parents. It's a beautiful sign of hope for a species once thought to be extinct.

Trevor Zoo Red Pandas

There are less than 5,000 red pandas in the wild. During the day, you can find the Trevor Zoo red pandas sleeping in the trees.

Animal Adventure Park Giraffe Yard Cam

April the giraffe went viral when the birth of her calf was live-streamed in 2017. Now you can check in on her and her son Tajiri while she enjoys her retirement.

Mpala Live African Watering Hole

We're here for the hippos, but at this watering hole in central Kenya, you catch also catch elephants, giraffes, zebras, gazelles, crocodiles, and leopards taking a drink or going for a swim.

Lubee Bat Conservatory Mixed Species Flying Fox Cam

Check out these rescued fruit bats and please, help us figure out if that really is a teddy bear in the cage. Do bats need toys?

Orcalab Rubbing Beach

Believe us-you've never seen anything like this before. Watch as orcas in British Columbia's Johnstone Strait engage in a unique behavior called "beach rubbing."

Audubon Puffin Loafing Ledge

You're going to have to bookmark this one until the puffins return, but it should be soon. In the meantime, you can watch the livestream highlights of Atlantic puffins foraging, feeding, and raising their young in the rock crevices of Seal Island off the coast of Maine.

Brooks Falls Katmai National Park

One more to save for later. For now, check out the amazing highlights of brown bears as they feast on the salmon who have returned to spawn.
Have your own favorite nature webcams? Come share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. Plus, 25 Amazing Virtual Field Trips for Kids.

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25 Best Nature Webcams for Science Learning at a Distance

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For a daily dose of wildlife and the opportunity to observe animal behavior, turn to the best nature webcams on the Internet.

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Maya is Grumpy book read by teacher Jen 

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Maya is Grumpy book read by teacher Jen 

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Ahh, to be young and have boundless energy. Although many of us don't remember what that's like, we're all definitely feeling the effects of cooped-up, energetic kiddos stuck at home right now. While family walks are a great way to get some fresh air and vitamin D, sometimes kids just need to move. Whether it's raining outside or you need the kids to shake their sillies out indoors because you're trying to work from home, these various movement and exercise videos for kids are here to help.

Scroll through for some of our favorite kids' YouTube channels and videos that all encourage exercise and fun (and sometimes learning!) so your kids can burn off their endless amounts energy.

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Take a Brain Break With These 11 YouTube Channels With Movement-Encouraging Videos For Kids

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Ahh, to be young and have boundless energy. Although many of us don't remember what that's like, we're all definitely feeling the effects of cooped-up, energetic kiddos stuck at home right now. While family walks are a great way to get some fresh air and vitamin D, sometimes kids just need to move.

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Number vocabulary for the top of the home communication board

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Number vocabulary for the top of the home communication board

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Fine Motor Activity Playdough and Cheerios 3/25

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Fine Motor Activity Playdough and Cheerios 3/25

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Hi Parents,
Below is a recording of me completing a fine motor activity with playdough, dried spaghetti noodles, cheerios. This lesson can be supported with the communication home board and the number and shape vocabulary attached to the top. You can find this under speech communication boards. When counting the cheerios point to the number vocabulary as you count. As well as, when your child wants more cheerios point to the communication board and say you want more, while touching the words on the board.

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Use this vocabulary with home communication board below staple it to the top. When playing with toys, completing activities, puzzles, and visual recipes, comment on the activities with communication board. Through modeling. Watch video below as an example of how to model.

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Biting Hurts | Getting Better at Getting Along | Jack Hartmann

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Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, includes what used to be called Autistic Disorder, Asperger syndrome, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified, all of which affect a person's social and emotional skills and nonverbal communication. ASD has many similarities to ADHD, but there are also differences between the two.
Can a person be diagnosed with both ADHD and ASD?
More than half of all individuals who have been diagnosed with ASD also have signs of ADHD. In fact, ADHD is the most common coexisting condition in children with ASD. On the flip side, up to a quarter of children with ADHD have low-level signs of ASD, which might include having difficulty with social skills or being very sensitive to clothing textures, for example.
Why do ADHD and ASD coexist so often and what are the similarities between them?
Both ADHD and ASD are neurodevelopmental disorders (brain development has been affected in some way). That means both conditions/disorders affect the central nervous system, which is responsible for movement, language, memory, and social and focusing skills. A number of scientific studies have shown that the two conditions often coexist, but researchers have not yet figured out why they do.

With ADHD or ASD, brain development has been affected in some way. Most importantly, that includes the brain's executive functioning, which is responsible for decision making, impulse control, time management, focus, and organization skills. For many children, social skills are also affected. Both ADHD and ASD are more common in boys.

Although adults can have both ADHD and ASD, the combination is not as common as it is in children. While ASD is considered a lifelong disorder, long-term studies have shown that in one-third to two-thirds of children with ADHD, symptoms last into adulthood.
What are the differences between ADHD and ASD?
Many children are first diagnosed with ADHD around the time they start preschool or kindergarten because their behavior contrasts with that of their classmates. ADHD can cause children to be restless all the time, act impulsively, and have a hard time paying attention. But some children with ADHD have different signs-focusing all their attention on one toy, for instance, and not wanting to play with anything else.

For some children with ASD, the signs are noticeable before they reach their second birthday. For others, signs of ASD may not be clear until they are school-aged and their social behaviors are clearly different from their classmates'. Children with ASD often avoid eye contact and don't seem interested in playing or engaging with others. Their ability to speak may develop slowly or not at all. They may be preoccupied with sameness in textures of food or in making repetitive movements, especially with their hands and fingers.
ADHD- and ASD-specific behaviors
Often, children with ADHD have difficulty focusing on one activity or task. When they are engaged in their daily activities they may be easily distracted. It is challenging for children with ADHD to complete one task before jumping to another, and they are often physically unable to sit still. But some children with ADHD may be so interested in a topic or activity that they fixate on it, or hyperfocus. Although focusing on one thing can be positive, it may mean that children have difficulty moving their attention to other activities when they are asked to do so.

Children with ASD are most likely to be overfocused, unable to shift their attention to the next task. They are often inflexible when it comes to their routines, with low tolerance for change. That may mean taking the same route and eating the same things every day. Many are highly sensitive or insensitive to light, noise, touch, pain, smell, or taste or have a strong interest in them. They may have set food preferences based on color or texture and may make gestures such as repeated hand flapping. Their intense focus means people with ASD are often able to remember detailed facts for a long time and may be particularly good at math, science, art, and music.
Treatment overview
The best medical provider for someone who has been diagnosed with both ADHD and ASD is a doctor who has experience treating both conditions.

Treatment for ADHD usually includes medication. On the other hand, because the medication options for ASD are still limited, children with ASD may respond better to non-medication alternatives. Those might include behavior therapy to help manage symptoms and skills training to help cope with daily life. For a child with ASD, paying attention to diet is essential, because sensory-based food restriction can result in nutritional gaps. For someone with ADHD, stimulant medications can cause a loss of appetite.
Medication
While the symptoms of ADHD generally respond well to the most commonly prescribed medications, ASD symptoms are less likely to do so. Symptoms of ASD that often overlap with ADHD, such as hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and inattention, may respond to the medications used to treat ADHD, if not as well. Medications to treat ASD are now being developed, and irritability, aggression, and self-injury that are related to ASD usually respond to antipsychotic medications.

Medication is frequently part of the treatment plan for children with ADHD because it helps reduce some of the major symptoms, including hyperactivity and impulsivity. The most commonly prescribed medications are methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate, Quillivant), amphetamine (Adderall, Dexedrine, Vyvanse, Dyanavel), atomoxetine (Strattera), and guanfacine (Intuniv, Tenex). However, when they are used to treat patients with both ADHD and ASD, the stimulants-methylphenidate and amphetamine-seem less effective and cause more side effects, including social withdrawal, depression, and irritability, than when they are used to treat ADHD alone.
For more information

Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology (RUPP) Autism Network. (2005). Randomized, Controlled, Crossover Trial of Methylphenidate in Pervasive Developmental Disorders with Hyperactivity. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(11):1266-1274.

Handen, B.L. et al. (2015). Atomoxetine, Parent Training, and Their Combination in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(11), 905-915.

The MTA Cooperative Group. (Dec 1999). A 14-Month Randomized Clinical Trial of Treatment Strategies for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56(12):1073-1086.

Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology (RUPP) Autism Network. (2002). Randomized clinical trial of risperidone for irritability in autism. New England Journal of Medicine, 347(5):314-321.

Rommelse, Nanda et al. (May 2018). Differentiating between ADHD and ASD in childhood: some directions for practitioners. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, pp 1-3.

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ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder - CHADD

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Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, includes what used to be called Autistic Disorder, Asperger syndrome, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified, all of which affect a person's social and emotional skills and nonverbal communication. ASD has many similarities to ADHD, but there are also differences between the two.

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Strategies that help you and your child during challenging behavior

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Strategies that help you and your child during challenging behavior

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These are common strategies we use in the classroom that can be utilized at home too. They can help with transitions in your daily routine.

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This video shows you how to implement a visual schedule in your home.

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Here is a video teaching how to use the first then board that is a strategy commonly used in our classrooms.

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Hi Families,
This website provides books read and video recorded by actors and actresses. Click on the link, then pick a story you think your child might enjoy. Some of the stories have the words appear in the story as they are read teaching Concept about print. Others are animated.

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The SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Daytime Emmy-nominated, Storyline Online, features celebrated actors reading children's books to inspire a love of reading in millions of children worldwide.

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Monetary bay aquarium jelly fish virtual tour

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Monetary bay aquarium jelly fish virtual tour

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Este vocabulario es para acompañar la tabla de comunicación del hogar. Puede imprimirlo, cortar el papel blanco adicional a continuación y engraparlo en la parte superior de la pagina base de comunicación de su hogar. Una vez que está engrapado en la parte superior, se agrega más vocabulario para que su hijo lo solicite y comente. Al completar actividades y proporcionar opciones, señale los colores. ¿Quieres rojo o azul ____. Al dar la opción, también señale los colores para proporcionar un soporte visual para el niño y una oportunidad para aprender el vocabulario.

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fringe for communication board in spanish and english colors

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Tabla de Communicacion (Home communication board

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Tabla de Communicacion (Home communication board

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Tabla de Comunicación (Home Communication board)

Cuelgue esta tabla de comunicación en su casa en un lugar al que su hijo pueda acceder fácilmente. Cuando complete una de las actividades durante el día, llévela con usted. Al completar las actividades, modele lo que está diciendo mientras señala las imágenes. Si no tiene acceso a una impresora, puede abrirla en su teléfono o tableta. Usted y su hijo pueden señalar las imágenes que se muestran en la tabla de comunicación.

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Home Communication Board in spanish and english

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Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See  Read Aloud

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This is vocabulary to accompany the home communication board below. You can print it out, cut the extra white paper below off and staple to the top of your home communication core board. Once it is stapled to the top more vocabulary is added for your child to request and comment. When completing activities and providing choices, point to the colors. Do you want red or blue ____. When giving the choice also point to the colors to provide a visual support for child and an opportunity to learn the vocabulary.

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Home Communication board main board for activities

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Home Communication board main board for activities

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Hang this in your house in place that is easily accessible by your child. When completing one of the activities throughout the day, take it with you. When completing the activities model what you are saying while pointing to the pictures. If you do not have access to a printer you can pull it up on your phone or device and you and your child can point to the pictures that are displayed on the device.

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Draw a person with your child on your sidewalk, model a circle, wait, then see if they imitate. Complete  steps until finished. Another strategy would be to have your child trace the letters you write in the message. Then write a message for your community while they are engaging in essential tasks such as daily exercise they might see the message and it might bring joy to their day. This is a great way to spread cheer during this time.

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Use this visual schedule with your child while making cereal breakfast. When collecting the items to make cereal, point to the picture of each item and say what they are. This pairs the item with a visual helping them learn the vocabulary. Once everything is gathered begin completing the steps on the schedule. Point to the pictures and the words as you complete. Model how to complete each step then have your child complete the steps. Use prompting to help them when needed.

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Eric Carle reads The Very Hungry Caterpillar

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National Aquarium To Livestream Exhibits During Coronavirus Closure

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While it will be closed until March 27 due to the virus, the aquarium will be streaming several of its exhibits, including Blacktip Reef and Pacific Coral Reef, live on its website.

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Tool kit has many visual supports in one place. This is awesome 

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Tool kit has many visual supports in one place. This is awesome 

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Link to Parent tool kit for supporting children with autism and more resources

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Finger puppets

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Here is an example of how to complete the row row, your boat I love you ritual

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This week’s “I Love You Ritual” comes to us from Certified Instructor Megan Whittemore of Missouri, singing ”Row Row Your Boat” with her family. If you enjoyed this video, give us a ❤️ in the comments and go try it with your own family! #iHeartCD #iloveyourituals #connections

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This week’s “I Love You Ritual” comes to us from Certified Instructor Megan Whittemore of Missouri, singing ”Row Row Your Boat” with her family. If you enjoyed this video, give us a ❤️ in the comments and go try it with your own family! #iHeartCD #iloveyourituals #connections https://t.co/teBcq0dEXD

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This week’s “I Love You Ritual” comes to us from Certified Instructor Megan Whittemore of Missouri, singing ”Row Row Your Boat” with her family. If you enjoyed this video, give us a ❤️ in the comments and go try it with your own family! #iHeartCD #iloveyourituals #connections https://t.co/teBcq0dEXD

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This week’s “I Love You Ritual” comes to us from Certified Instructor Megan Whittemore of Missouri, singing ”Row Row Your Boat” with her family. If you enjoyed this video, give us a ❤️ in the comments and go try it with your own family! #iHeartCD #iloveyourituals #connections https://t.co/teBcq0dEXD

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This week’s “I Love You Ritual” comes to us from Certified Instructor Megan Whittemore of Missouri, singing ”Row Row Your Boat” with her family. If you enjoyed this video, give us a ❤️ in the comments and go try it with your own family! #iHeartCD #iloveyourituals #connections

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I love you ritual guide for connection. 

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I love you ritual guide for connection. 

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Here a video describing I love you rituals and connection

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Create meaningful connections with 75+ activities designed to strengthen adult-child relationships. Each I Love You Ritual is based on the latest in brain research. All activities help children increase their attention spans, reduce hyperactivity, build self esteem, and facilitate language development. The interactions teach children how to be kind and caring using gentle touches.

Use these with your demanding, aggressive children and watch cooperation replace opposition.

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Video: I Love You Rituals - Your Guide for Meaningful Connections | Conscious Discipline

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Create meaningful connections with 75+ activities designed to strengthen adult-child relationships. Each I Love You Ritual is based on the latest in brain research. All activities help children increase their attention spans, reduce hyperactivity, build self esteem, and facilitate language development. The interactions teach children how to be kind and caring using gentle touches.

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Practice coloring in the lines for each page. Give a choice of two community helpers for child to color in. Name each community helper and talk about what they do.

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Trace Shapes

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Letter Writing in Sprinkles Tray 🖌ages 3-5 🖌 Sprinkles make everything more fun, don't they? These Montessori-inspired sensory writing trays are such a great way to make learning letters, shapes and numbers fun! We decided to make one using sprinkles because who doesn't love sprinkles, right? Well, it was a huge hit with Oliver and he proceeded to practice writing the whole alphabet in one sitting! Check out our Sensory Writing Kit that comes with a tray like the one in this activity, a paint brush and rainbow rice! Get one here.

And don't forget to check out our NEW book - 100 Easy STEAM Activities is full of fun games and creative projects to learn early concepts in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math with materials you already have around the house!
SEE OUR NEW BOOK HERE
MATERIALS NEEDED FOR LETTER WRITING IN SPRINKLES TRAY (affiliate links):

Small tray (get one like ours here)
Paint brush Index cards Black letter stickers
SET UP YOUR LETTER WRITING IN SPRINKLES TRAY:

1. Start by pouring some sprinkles into a small tray.

2. Then give the child a paintbrush and ask them to draw letters. We found some black letter stickers and placed them on index cards to make our flash cards.

Video of Letter Writing in Sprinkles Activity:

Check out Oliver writing letters in sprinkles in the video below:

You can see Oliver still needs to work on proper grip and drawing letters in the correct direction. He was just starting to learn letters when we made this video and I had really been struggling to find a way to get him to practice writing letters. This activity was a godsend really as he happily sat down and went through the whole alphabet! He did steal a few sprinkles along the way, but that's to be expected, right?

This activity would work great for shapes, numbers, sight words and math facts. Everything is just more fun with sprinkles, right?

Get our Sensory Writing Tray with paintbrush and rainbow rice here.

Looking for more sensory tray ideas? Check out some of our other sensory trays using sand, glitter and salt.

So you might be asking youself exactly what is a writing tray? Well basically, it's any low rimmed tray filled with a movable medium. It's a great way to help kids learn letters and letter formation, numbers and shapes. You can also practice sight words and math facts for older kids.

Here is a list of our favorite materials to fill writing trays:

Here are some fun ideas for objects to use to draw the letters:

Paintbrush

Fingers

Feather

Candy Cane (for holiday time)

Unsharpened pencil eraser

Chopstick

Make-up Brush

This article from The OT Toolbox has tons of great info about writing trays.

For more fun ideas on learning letters, check out our other letter activities!

About Raising Dragons

Raising Dragons is a site dedicated to raising strong, smart, amazing kids! Our focus is on creating activities that can easily be pulled together with items you have around the house. We believe learning should be fun and accessible for everyone and can be done with everyday objects! We also know parents are busy and don't have lots of time to pull together activities so we keep things very SIMPLE! Check out some of our favorite activities like: Alphabet Lids, Calm Down Sensory Bottle and the Paper Towel Roll & Pom Pom Challenge.

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Letter Writing in Sprinkles Tray * ages 3-5 ⋆ Raising Dragons

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Letter Writing in Sprinkles Tray 🖌ages 3-5 🖌 Sprinkles make everything more fun, don't they? These Montessori-inspired sensory writing trays are such a great way to make learning letters, shapes and numbers fun! We decided to make one using sprinkles because who doesn't love sprinkles, right?