Linda's+Rockin'+Playhouse

=Hi! My name is Linda and I'm really looking forward to this class. I love to watch children play and listen to their conversations! If we paid more attention to what children were saying as they played, we might just hear robust vocabulary developing as children employ their imaginations. Children need to play far more often than they are afforded the opportunity! Who of us doesn't enjoy a little play-time? =



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=The Art Zone = [|National Gallery of Art]

The National Gallery of Art has an incredible tool for children to explore technology at the same time they are being creative. The following is a list of the links available for exploration: Collage Machine • Mobile • PixelFace • 3-D Twirler • Cubits• Diamonds • Dutch House • Photo Op • PaintBox Wallovers • RiverRun • SwatchBox • Flow • Jungle • Brushster• Still Life• Faces and Places & Sea-Saws

My favorite for younger children is BRUSHster. BRUSHster is a painting machine for all ages. This interactive has more than forty brushes and many customizable size, transparency, and stroke options. A rainbow palette, along with a toolbox of special effects that blur, ripple, smudge, blend, and fragment the designs make BRUSHster a full-feature and fun painting program. You can use it to drawpictures, but BRUSHster is programmed to create ABSTRACT art. If you are interested in exploring color, gesture, shape, or line - BRUSHster can do it all.



The website tools are designed for children of all ages. However, there may be some that are more appropriate for older children with independent navigation skills. I have used this website frequently for students with autism and have found no risks associated with the website. However, since the site is hosted on the internet, there are risks involved unless an appropriate filter is applied. This website is fantastic and deserves the highest rating of "5"!

=One of my favorite quotes........... = = = //﻿ "All grown-ups were once children...but only few of them remember it." // //Antoine de Saint-Exupery // //The Little Prince //

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I chose this video because sometimes we forget that children with special needs long to play but are often unable to do so. The parents in this video share in the pleasure of their children playing "just like all the other kids." The information presented in the video supports the ideas that play supports strong language development, social skills, executive function, and supports healthy bodies. Children with special needs benefit from these aspects of play, perhaps even more so than their non-disabled peers.

= Final Thoughts.....Where Do the Children Play? //media type="youtube" key="C2rDp6FnbP0?version=3" height="510" width="640"﻿﻿﻿// =