Connect the Blocks

Camp time!

2012-01-30T06:29:00.000-08:00

It has been a LONG time since I posted the last blog, which I know is a big "no-no" in blog world. But, life has been busy with the holiday season and now jumping into camp season. Yes, even though it's late January, summer camp registrations have opened across the region and we are racing to get our information out and up on the website.

SURVIVOR CAMP 2012 IS BACK!!

Our speech and language camp is run in two sessions: a 2-week session for "younger kids" (ages 2 1/2-4 yrs) and a 4-week session for "older kids" (ages 4-7 yrs). And I know that I listed 4 year olds in both camps. I think one of the biggest things we stress to parents is we are not concerned with the chronological age, but are looking to fit each kid into the most appropriate setting. Therefore, some 4 year olds may be best for the younger kid camp and others for the older kid camp. The ages are simply a guideline. We screen all the kids to make the decision about who best fits where.
Another question we get a lot is: "Why is your camp called Survivor Camp?" Some parents have taken some guesses regarding the name. Here are some of their guesses: "because you don't know if the therapists or kids will survive the 4 weeks" or "you're doing extreme physical activity and the kids need to survive it". This is a speech and language/social skills camp, not a boot camp! We have fun, I promise! Truthfully, the name came from the Building Blocks' prior owner who was a HUGE fan of the show Survivor. She named the camp after it and it stuck. Don't worry, for the past 6 years, we've all "survived" the camp experience.
Check out our website www.buildingblockstherapy.com for more information on what we do at camp and for registration forms!

And The Winner Is....

2011-12-02T08:10:00.000-08:00

Rachel Brumbaugh, Building Blocks SLP, for her creative suggestion of "Connect the Blocks" as a name for our blog! Thanks to ALL the therapists who came up with some great ideas for blog names. I chose Connect the Blocks because it conveys what I'm hoping this blog will convey - a way for parents and readers to connect with myself, the staff, and our office goings-on outside of therapy. Plus it's a cute play-on-words. :-)

We've just finished up our Holiday/Winter Newsletter and as usual there are so many good ideas to add to it, it's become more of a pamphlet than a 1-page gift buying guide. Luckily, I can now cut the letter to a more manageable size and add the rest here. The idea of our Holiday Newsletter is to provide parents with a simple resource to buy age appropriate games and toys that can also enhance speech and language skills (without the kids knowing it!). We are a very play-based office and most of our therapy is done through play (pretend play, dramatic play, board games, crafts, etc). This style makes each session unique and fun for the child (and maybe the therapist too!) while also targeting their goals. The fact that we are often using toys that can be purchased at ANY toy store makes it easy for parents to also carry over these goals while still having fun with their child (and not feeling like they need to be the SLP).

Please enjoy the expanded Holiday Newsletter on our website: www.buildingblockstherapy.com which also includes iPad apps, craft ideas and local activities to do around the holiday time. There are so many kid-friendly, free, holiday events to see and do, we hope you get a chance to get outside and enjoy some!

Other gift ideas or sites for unique gifts:
www.hearthsong.com -
**Space chips - build anything you can imagine with these bendable pieces. They also lie flat when you're finished playing for easy storage! Age 6+
** Balance Board - balance AND complete a maze at the same time; great for balance, coordination, and concentration Age 3+ (watch for small pieces though)
**Baby Builder and Mix n'Max Stack Me Up - early development toys for 6 mos +
** Make your own ice cream mug - makes a single serving of ice cream; great for simple, easy fun in the summer!
www.plantoys.com -
**Beehives - this game requires fine motor skills and concentration to remove the bees from their hives
** Daily Activity Play - using different boards and wooden people, kids create their own daily activities. Great for sequencing, story narration, creative thinking, and daily living skills.

If you picked up the newsletter at our office, here are links to the craft ideas and local activities:
Craft Ideas:
Paper bag Reindeer - http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/christmas/paperbag/
Crystal Snowflake - http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/winter/crystalsnowflake/

Local Activities:
Trains, trains, and more trains - who doesn't love a good train show this time of year?
**Fairfax Train Museum - FREE! - http://www.fairfax-station.org/
**Christmas Toy Train Show and Sale - Dec 10 - http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/misc-events/kena-shriners-temple-ballroom,1146753.html
Gingerbread House events
**Gingerbread House Workshop - Tudor Place, DC - Dec 20-29 - FREE! - http://www.tudorplace.org/
**Build an Edible Gingerbread House - National Building Museum - Dec 10 - $65/house - http://www.nbm.org/

iPad at the office

2011-11-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

We recently purchased an iPad for the office in order to explore its therapeutic use with some of our kids. The therapists have been having a great time researching and downloading speech and language apps that they see fit for different kids (I swear they're doing more than playing Angry Birds!). There are so many great apps out there ranging from assistive technology (e.g., Proloquo2go) to story creation (e.g., StoryBuilder) to motivating games (e.g., Moody Monsters). The iPad can be functional to any child as long as you find the right app to target their level and needs. While there are of course some technological snags (we haven't quite figured out how to print from it or create a generic email from which we can send), each week has us more and more comfortable with what we can do on it.
We put up a list of popular speech and language iPad apps on our website a while back, so please refer there when looking for apps appropriate for your child (the more they stay away from Angry Birds, the better!). www.buildingblockstherapy.com
Originally I was concerned about the iPad taking over the creativity and personal touches our therapists put into each individual session. But once I realized it doesn't have to be used with everyone, every session and received feedback from a therapist about how motivated her kids were to use the iPad and how much more she was able to achieve in each session, I was sold. Plus, it's a great way for parents to complete carry over activities with their kids. The kids don't see playing a game (focusing on sentence formation or speech sounds or vocabulary) on the iPad as homework; instead it's a reward!
I no longer fear the iPad taking over the sessions and eliminating our personal connections with our kids, but with the variety it offers us in terms of teaching tools or motivating rewards, I do see it having a permanent place at Building Blocks.
Here are a few links to other blogs or articles about the iPad as a therapeutic tool:
http://blog.asha.org/2011/10/28/thoughts-on-%E2%80%98apps-for-autism%E2%80%99/

http://www.asha.org/Publications/leader/2011/110920/Toddlers-and-Technology.htm

Both of these articles explain the benefits of using an iPad, BUT also discuss the importance of NOT letting it detract from the importance of personal interaction.

DC office "before" and "after" pictures

2011-11-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

New office space!

2011-10-18T03:14:00.001-07:00

My first Building Blocks Therapy blog post comes at a great time as we just moved office locations in our DC location. I've been wanting to start a blog for a while, but needed the extra motivation (and time!) to sit down and get it started. Nothing like a week of packing and a 9-hour moving day to get motivated! (A little insomnia doesn't hurt either; what else is there to do between 4-6 AM?)
After 7 years at our previous Macarthur Blvd location, Building Blocks Therapy has moved about 100 yards down the street to a larger space. Was it really worth our time, effort, and money to move 100 yards away? YES! Our new building is literally newer than our old one, has a parking lot, and is directly below a Starbucks. What more could our clients want? The management team at 5185 Macarthur Blvd has been great and worked closely with us to help design our space. Not only did we gain larger treatment rooms, a larger waiting room, and an office area for the staff, BUT our best acquisition is the large shared sensory space we gained. The expansion into a larger office has allowed for the Occupational Therapy practice, Myania Moses & Associates (www.myaniamoses.com) to join us in a full-time capacity. Myania's practice will have 2 large rooms to themselves and the shared sensory space. This shared space will allow Building Blocks to utilize more equipment such as swings, climbing structures, and therapy balls, that we were limited with in our prior location. Plus it offers a great space for our combined OT and Speech social skills groups.
Once we get settled we'll be having an Open House to welcome our friends, co-workers, and colleagues to the new space. But please feel free to stop by anytime to check it out if you're in the neighborhood!
Check out our before and after pictures. Too bad HGTV doesn't have a show for renovated therapy offices!