An Inspiring Video, Morning at the Park and More - The Walnut Acre Daily Wednesday August 14, 2013

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Be strong and take heart,

    all you who hope in the Lord.

~ Psalm 31:24

WORKING AND PLAYING TOGETHER

A number of the kids I've had here this summer are going to start school next week, so we're trying to get a few fun activities in this week before they leave. Today we went to their favorite park - Ridgeview Park. We've been to several different parks this summer but this one is their favorite. And this trip to the park went much better than the last one we took when it seemed like everything went wrong. 

We took cheese and balogna sandwiches, oranges, blueberries and cheese puffs for lunch and had water to drink. We usually eat in the pavilion but Michael wanted to eat at this picnic table this time.

After lunch we took a walk along the river . . . 

. . . over the bridge . . . 

 . . . and into the woods. 

It was a really good morning and I'm going to miss the kids who are going to school next week. We're still going to have weekly outings with the kids who are here after school starts, although probably just one a week instead of two. I'm not planning to start our homeschool work until after Labor Day so we'll have a couple weeks to catch our breath and get some things done around here before we dive into the school year. 

ON MY MIND

This video was played during the service at church this evening and I was so moved by it.

 God has a plan for everyone and as long as you are here on this earth there is a reason. Never, ever, ever think that you are not good enough or that there is nothing of value that you can bring to the world.

READING AROUND THE WEB

Scheduling: Three Tips to Prioritizing Your Day at The Busy Mom

When You're Tired of Waiting at Lisa-Jo Baker

TODAY'S QUOTE

Everyone is the age of their heart. ~ Guatemalan Proverb

~ Linking Here ~
Wednesday - Encourage One Another, Walking Redeemed, Thursday - It's a Party, 

A Child Is More Than His Symptoms

Do not mistake a child for his symptom.

~ Erik Erikson ~

This quote that I found this morning describes our philosophy here at Walnut Acre. We currently have kids here with symptoms and diagnosis of so many different kinds.

~ ADHD

~Autism

~ Developmental Disabilaty

~ Bipolar Disorder

~Speech Delays

~ Nonverbal Learning Disability

~ Blindness in one eye

~ Asthma

~ Dyslexia

~ Possible seizures (still in the process of figuring this one out)

~ Allergies

~ Aspergers
~ Learning Disabilities

There's probably more to this list but that is what comes to mind at the moment. And while each diagnosis is important in helping me to understand the individual child, I try to be careful not to let it be the focus of what I see when I see that child. Because even though it is so easy to focus on the diagnosis, the diagnosis is not the child. It is a way (sometimes a very flawed way) of helping me to understand some of the child's behaviour, but it does not define who the child is at their very core.

My goal is to make this be a place where each child is free to be the person God made them to be without undue attention to a diagnosis. Because the diagnosis is a part of the person, but that is all, just a part. For each child it is sometimes a bigger part than others, but always, it just a part, not the whole of the child.

How does this translate into daily application?

 ~ By listening to the child's hopes and dreams as well as the fears and concerns and treating them with respect.

~ By taking into account the strengths as well as the limitations of each child and planning the days activities and routine accordingly.

~ By providing activities and resources that help each child build on their interests and strengths.

~ By teaching each child to value the uniqueness of each person in the group.

~ By sharing the positive moments of the day with the parent in the presence of the child.

This is just a short list of ways to show that the child is respected and valued with all the strengths and weaknesses that are unique to him/her. There are many ways to allow a child to be the person they were meant to be including but certainly not limited to a diagnosis.

Because at the end of the day this is still true and bears repeating -

Do not mistake a child for his symptom.

~ Erik Erikson ~