A New Way to Look at Time

WE WON! What a great ending to the baseball season...if you are a Red Sox fan. Do you feel like it was all a blur? Check back on the season as a whole through this animated time line that lets you see who is leading throughout the season.

It was designed to bring a historical season to life more than mere standings or graphs. With BaseballRace.com, you can experience an entire season "live." The data goes back to 1901, and includes every game of every season up through yesterday (10/29/2007).

Don't stop there. For a historical perspective, check out past seasons as well.

World Series Here We Come!

Just Happy...We're in!

"World Series week indicates that baseball is one of America's major disturbances." - Bugs Baer

Everyone in the Red Sox Nation is looking towards a week of late nights and emotional exhaustion. School function will definitely be affected. Remember October 2004?

What a great opportunity to bring the passion of baseball into the classroom. To read more about World Series history, check out this link.

Add a little geography by going to Google Earth to see the locations of past winners. Someone from the Google Earth community produced a collection of placemarks showing the winners of Major League Baseball's World Series from 1903 through 2005. By clicking on the team logo you can go directly to the stadium. This post from the Google Earth Blog will get you there.

Here's a math activity your students may enjoy. Click on World Series Winners under the worksheet collection. Most of all, enjoy the ride!

Transitions...Can You See It?

I look around at my environment to help me transition to the fall season. Frankly, it is not working. Just this week on a bike ride along the Charles River, I noticed a group of trees with spring blossoms. It is still mostly green around here in Massachusetts. Today was warm and humid requiring shorts and tank shirts. I like it but I am confused.

This reminds me of the importance of visual information. The visual information I am getting from my environment is not helping me make the transition from summer to autumn! Make sure the visuals we provide students are clear and meaningful. Karen Janowski's post on Less is More is worth reading and reflecting. The point that "Seeing is Understanding" is helpful not only to many of us, but essential to those individuals with autism. Let's look at situations and see if we can add visuals that will provide just the information our students need.

Sensory Summer - Looking Back

I started each day this summer with a barefoot run on the beach. What a sensory delight. The sand was freshly raked by tractors in the predawn hours each morning. I joined them as they were finishing their task, believing it was prepared just for me!

How do you start your day? What sensory activities do you have in place to make your day go smoothly? Now think of your children and students. What could they do to give their day a boost? Perhaps your child would benefit from a walk to school, a romp on the playground or a quiet moment listening to music. Sensory preferences vary just as our fingerprints do. There is no one sensory plan or sensory diet that works for everyone. We are all individuals with unique sensory preferences.

To read more about the variety of sensory preferences in everyday life, read Winnie Dunn's new book, Living Sensationally. It is hot off the press this month. I am waiting for mine to come in the mail. You can send for yours through Amazon. Click on the book image below.

End of Summer and Back to Blogging

It has taken me a while, but I finally have to say goodbye to summer. It makes me realize that transitions can be hard. I think of the students we work with and the challenges they face at the beginning of the school year. How has the transition been for you and your students?