5 minute Mom

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Improving the Expressive Verbal Tools Cognitive Function

Are you wondering how to get started on improving the Cognitive Function known as Expressive Verbal Tools? Here are a few ideas to get things started. Remember that if you work to strengthen this cognitive function for 15-30 minutes a day for 5-7 days straight, you will see improvement and change. Be consistent and have fun!

PLAY GAMES

I play a game with my kids called "Tell me what to do".

I tell my child that I am going to do their chore today (or this math question for them,make their bed, etc.) The only catch is that they have to tell me EXACTLY what I am supposed to do.

And based on their instruction I will do it EXACTLY as they tell me to.

This game will give you a good idea of how well you have communicated and taught the task to your child, as well as showing you the word labels they have for this particular task.

Afterwards, you can discuss the importance of accuracy and precision when it comes to giving directions.

(click here to read an example of this game)

Another game we play is Teddy Bear Helper. I'm sure for older kids, you can play this as a 'Foreigner comes to your House' or an 'Alien Drops By.

You are a Teddy Bear that has come to life, you want to live like they do but they need to tell you how to live. They are NOT allowed to show you. They must tell you how to do a task.

Get ready to be messy and laugh with these suggestions:

-how do I brush my teeth (remember you don't even know what a toothbrush or toothpaste is) Make sure you follow their instructins EXACTLY. It may mean you get toothpaste all over your mouth and face, but the illustration will be unforgettable

-how do I drink a glass of water?

-how do I tie my shoes?

Click here to read about an example from our house

CAR RIDES

Make the most of your car rides by playing "How many ways..."

Ask:

How many ways can you tell me

...that you are hungry

...that you don't have the pants that I'd like to buy

...that tractors are not transports

...why pigs can't fly

Clown Around

Act out a story or an idea

Use puppets to express yourself

Make up a dance or rhyme to tell how you feel

Play a game about Emotions (click here for examples of discussing emotions)

Improving the Data Gathering Cognitive Function

Are you wondering how to get started on improving the Cognitive Function known as Data Gathering? Here are a few ideas to get things started. Remember that if you work to strengthen this cognitive function for 15-30 minutes a day for 5-7 days straight, you will see improvement and change. Be consistent and have fun!

Play Games

Games that require accuracy from you and your child will help strengthen this CF. When you spot inaccuracy, remember to use Process Questions to help them figure out the answer.

Here's a few games that are great to try with:

Qwirkle

Scrabble

Memory

Guess Who

Have fun with the games. Show your child what happens when you play inaccurately. Discuss the importance of precision.

Calendar Communicator

This one is really simple to use with your kids. I use this with them (usually) every morning.

We take a look at the calendar on the wall. Our calendar lists all upcoming activities, appointments, birthdays for family near and far away, and special occasions. I review with my kids the events that this current week hold. Sometimes I touch on one or two items that are coming up in the month.

This technique has gone a long way in preventing pout sessions when someone asks, "Why can't we have the Eirich family over tomorrow?" I usually send them to the calendar and remind them of WHY we can't. Sometimes it's because of previous commitment, sometimes we have a busy week and I am jealous to guard our days of rest.

Spend some time talking about how misunderstandings can happen when you don't clearly communicate. (The ever-faithful, "I told you on Monday that we were having friends for dinner on Saturday. Remember?) Not that that happens in your house ;)

EVENT PLANNING

Take time to plan an event together from start to finish. It can be something as simple as cleaning their room to planning a party. Click here for post on birthday party planning that I did with my daughter. I only asked questions and required here to gather the necessary information to plan the event.

BIBLICAL DISCUSSIONS

Pull a few stories from the good book to illustrate and discuss the consequences of error.

Some great stories for that are:

classic-Adam and Eve

David and Uriah

Eli, and his sons

STORIES

Who doesn't love a good discussion on books? I suppose there are a few out there who don't but I haven't met them. Pull examples from stories that take about mistakes characters make that change everything because they failed to do the job accurately.

DRIVE THRU TALKING

I play this game with my kids at home. I also do this with anyone in my family when I am asking them to do a task. Here's how you do it:

The basic premise of the game is to pretend like you are at a drive thru. When ordering, you usually talk into an intercom. The clerk, who is inside the building, will then repeat your order back to you over the intercom to clarify that they heard you correctly. This is a great communication technique to use in your home for all situations but can be practiced as a game to develop as a skill.

"Elaine, I need you to run around in a circle, stand on your head and sneeze 4 times for me."

"You need me to run around in a circle, somersault and sneeze 4 times?"

"No. I need you to run around in a circle, stand on your head and sneeze 4 times for me."

"Oh, I see. You need me to run around in a circle, stand on my head and sneeze 4 times for me."

There you have it. A few ideas to get you started. Please comment below on any ideas that you tried that have worked. Feel free to add games and stories to the list as well.

The Mental Act of Thinking

There are three phases involved in the Mental Act of Thinking

Input

The process responsible for feeding data into the cognitive system = gathering information

Elaboration

Processing the data fed into the cognitive system = thinking

Output

The process responsible for issuing and acting upon the conclusions reached by elaboration = expressing solution

*notes are taken from Wisdom's Mediated Learning course

December 12 2010

Today was filled with abundance

Gift-giving to our local librarians

Cookie nibbling

Tea taking with the elderly

Lunch on the run

Visit with friends that brought great movie watching

Attempts at living off the land inside the living room

Nativity admiring

Ornament giving

Italian Christmas bread eating

Games galore

Dinosaur invasion

Martial arts celebration

Playing with Lite Brights

Dressing up

Climbing the walls--literally

Pray and conversation accompanied by tea

Teasing the menfolk who ate all the cheese

Legos

Guitar-play

Reading of poems

Looking at lights

while we drove home

Studying Art at Christmas Time

How do you study art at Christmas time?

A few years ago, I started collecting Christmas tags. I also found myself enjoying the many artistic expressions found on various Christmas cards. I loved the different designs that depicted Advent and winter scenes. There were so many styles and I thought, "Hey, why not put this in a book that the kids and I can look at. A place to display and add to our collection as the years go by."

Here's a sample of a few pages:

Advent themed

Angel themed

The classic snowman--check out the tag at the top of the page. It's a Top Hat!

I love this Norman Rockwell painting. The stamp at the top is quite old, too!

I adore the sleigh rides with men in top hats

Candles

Church scenes

Holly berries

We're not into Santa Claus in our house. However, there is some tremendous depictions of Santa within Christmas card art

Beautiful bells ringing out the Good News.

How about you? What do you do for art during Christmas time?

Blessings of the 5 am wake up call

He’s awake.

And now so am I.

It’s barely 5 am but we both know that neither of us is going back to sleep.

“Ok, Little man. Let’s go to the kitchen.”

We toddle down the hall together and wince at the brightness of the kitchen lights.

“Let’s make our drink.”

I concoct our usual spinach-banana-berry smoothie and we sip it in silence. My mind is racing with the things I can get done at this early hour--extra load of laundry, longer Bible time, perhaps get to the cupboard that is disorganized and makes me grimace each time I look at it.

But then his curly head rests against my chest. His chest rises and falls softly and his arms wrap around me.

“Let’s just snuggle,” I say. He nods, still snuggled into me.

We read my Bible together and I read in Isaiah how it pleased God to bruise Jesus for my sake.

My little man is tucked into my arms and peeks his big eyes at me. Thoughts of laundry and other things fall to the wayside.

Wasn’t it just yesterday, he peeked his eyes at me for the first time?

Wasn’t it just yesterday when it was 2 am feedings?

When did he get big?

I think it was sometime during my frantic clean ups of the house and my mad dash to change diapers.

“How about we play?” I suggest, and a little grin tugs at his lips.

“What should we play?”

He holds up his feet and says, “Mark,” Which I have come to know is his short form for this little piggie went to MARKET. The piggie went to the market several times this morning.

We weigh the pros and cons of a diaper change, decide on snuggling instead.

We make up new poems and sit on the heating register together while the furnace air warms us.

The dinosaurs call to us and we re-stage a massive attack on the herbivores. There are no survivors.

We sit contentedly in yet another moment of impromptu snuggling. And my morning devotions come back to me.

God sent His only Son, Jesus, to pay for my sins. It pleased Him to bruise His Son so that I may know Him. Who can comprehend a love like that?

I cry.

I cry and taste the salt of my tears.

To sit in the quiet of the morning with my only son and know that I am loved in a way that goes beyond my understanding. To rest in such incredible knowledge and to be still.

And to know.

He is God.