April 2016 - A monthly update written by Mo from the Kea Room at Bear Park, about our gorgeous wee man....
During the month of April we had the pleasure of meeting with Jenni, Nate's mum and she gave us an overview of the aspirations that her family have for Nate and some of the challenges that he may face due to his syndrome. Nate has continued to flourish in the Kea room and his willingness to communicate with us and his peers is clear to see every day.
Looking back at some of Nate's previous learning stories I can see he has a love of music and an adventurous and determined nature when it comes to pushing himself physically.
Last year the teachers at Bear Park had a professional development evening full of fun activities as a way to enrich the provocations for physical exploration. Physical development and motor skills are movements that are an important aspect of human growth and development. We discovered that there are five main areas that connect and link all learning abilities and skills that can be learnt. These are balance, eye-hand & eye-foot coordination, locomotion, eye tracking and fitness. We will continue to foster Nate's interest to challenge himself physically and encourage his independence in these areas also.
One morning in April Nate joined me outside. He clambered up one of the lower wooden boxes and reached the wooden plank that was positioned at an elevated angle between the low box and higher box. Nate paused and gestured and made vocal sounds. "Okay, I'll help you" I said taking Nate's hand and helping him walk the steep plank up to the high box where the monkey bars are. Once there he stood for a while looking around and wondering what to try next. After a few moments he held out his hand towards me again and wanted me to help him back down again. Krish was ahead of him on the plank and was carefully making his way down on his bottom. I tapped the wooden box and said, "Nate look at Krish. Sit down." Nate then sat down and eased himself towards the edge of the box. I took Nate's hand to steady him and encouraged him to move onto the plank. However as soon as he had hold of my hand he stood up again! This wasn't quite what I was trying to achieve but nonetheless I helped him onto the lower box safely.
Once on the low box Nate made his way towards another plank that extended out towards a large tractor tire. It was horizontal and not far from the ground. Nate looked up at me and I said, "You can do it by yourself Nate. Look, hold out your arms for balance" I demonstrated this to him. This time I moved a few feet away from him too, so that he wouldn't be tempted to grab my hand as a safety net. Nate then bravely stepped onto the plank and steadily and carefully crossed it. "Well done Nate! That was great and you did it all by yourself!" I praised him. Having reached the end of the plank he held his hand out to me once more. I moved just out of his reach on the far end of the tractor tire and reassured him he could keep going. Nate steadily made his way around the tractor tire and jumped off. What an accomplishment! Great work Nate!
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