Holiday Guide for Children

Our little angel thrives with routine and schedule.  I found this wonderful company called Bee Visual that developed The Choiceworks Visual Support System.
The main board is a 5-step schedule system, complete with magnetic icons to identify it as a morning, daytime, or nighttime schedule. At the bottom of the board are icons for preferred activities that the child may choose when his or her schedule has been completed. Icons are stored on the inside of the easel. When a board is snapped on to it, the icons won’t get easily lost.   There are also two other snap on boards, Waiting and What are You Feeling Boards.   Both of these boards are solution-oriented, and shows the child what he or she can do to cope with these difficult circumstances. There is also a timer, that can be used during the Waiting time.  We also use it during play time, so he learns to moniter his play and switch activities.
The Magnetic pictures are easy for him to understand and engaging to look at.  They cover just about everything, from going to school, brushing teeth, cleaning up, and much more.  The boards are durable and just the right size to take with you on trips.  My favorite is the When I am Upset board, which helps you teach your child appropriate ways to handle their feelings.  The boards also come with a parent guide and booklets you can read with your child.

I HIGHLY recommend the Choiceworks Visual Support System for parents of ASD children.  You can buy it at www.beevisual.com and Amazon.  Details are below:

The Schedule Board [Blue] makes daily routines a lot more fun and easier to do. Supported by 40 visual symbol magnets, your child can get through morning and bed time routines, get ready for school, go to appointments, and more. Your child chooses his/her reward for successfully completing the tasks.

The Waiting Board [Orange] teaches your child the skills for waiting, turn taking and not interrupting. Through pictures your child is shown what they can do while they are waiting. It even includes a convenient timer!

The Feelings Board [Green] supports your child’s ability to gain self-control by providing clear alternatives and expectations. Once they have gained self-control the choice wheels provide options for what to do next.

A parent manual is included which explains how to use the system and provides helpful hints and suggestions.

The Choiceworks™ System includes: 40 Visual Magnets, 1 Universal Storage Easel, 3 Choiceworks™ Companion Books, 1 Dry Erase Marker, 1 Digital Timer, 1 Parent Manual, 1 Wall Mount Hardware

Educational Insights is a great website to find educational toys and games for the Holidays.  You can find some unique and really fun games!  Their mission is to find the highest quality “hands on” learning products that engage minds, and inspire play in the classroom and beyond.  These are some of our favorites!  They are available at www.educationalinsights.com

Safari Undercover

In each brain-teasing logic game, you must arrange the four jungle pieces on the animal-filled game board so that only specific animals remain “out in the open.” Sound easy? You’ll need to stretch your spatial-reasoning and logical-thinking muscles for these wild puzzles. Each challenge has hundreds of possible puzzle-piece combinations, but only one solution. For one player

Royal Rescue

The knight and the princess are locked in separate towers. Can you help the princess build a rescue route, or the knight build a bridge, to get them back together? Children will enjoy days and “knights” of mind-bending fun as they create a path for the royals to reunite! With simple puzzles for beginning builders, to complex puzzles that challenge skilled architects, Royal Rescue is designed to develop spatial reasoning abilities and stretch a player’s logical thinking skills. Includes 11 durable wooden pieces, and a full-color, richly-illustrated booklet featuring 48 multi-level puzzle challenges. High-quality wooden pieces, and a timeless theme, give Royal Rescue the look and feel of a classic children’s game.
For one player.

Goofball Rally

It’s time for Goofball Rally, the fast-paced, color-matching marble race! Place your goofballs on the starting line and get ready to go. On your mark, get set…roll! Launch your goofballs one by one down the winding race tracks. When all of your goofballs have crossed the finish line, hit the red button. The first player to score 20 points is the Goofball Rally Champ! Includes goofball stadium game board, 10 race cards, and 20 goofball racers (in 10 bright colors). For 2 players.

Pixel

Don’t let the situation slide out of control in this fun strategy game of slide, point, align, and win! Move a slider and place your piece in the intersection. But there’s a catch! Only one slider may be moved on each turn. You don’t have to block your opponent—but be careful not to leave those sliders in point blank range. The first player with three in a row wins!  Pixel is the perfect strategy game for the whole family. Includes game board, 95 game pieces in four colors, and game instructions. For 2 to 4 players.

Have you heard of The Chocolate Cake Club?  No, it’s not a food club, it’s something a lot lighter on your hips.  It’s a fabulous online shop for unique and fun products to make parent’s life easier.  They sell everything from toys, kids clothing, organic living, organization tools for parents and much more.  Make sure you visit at www.chocolatecakeclub.com. Below are some of my favorite finds for the Holidays.

Transform any room into a starry night sky. The Twilight Turtle by Cloud b is the first and only plush constellation nightlight ever created which gently transforms nurseries and bedrooms into a starry night sky that comforts and calms children and adults alike. Press a button on the turtle’s shell and the Twilight Turtle will project a starry night sky onto the walls and ceiling of any room and keep them glowing for 45 minutes – just enough time to drift off to sleep. It then shuts off to preserve battery life. The turtle comes with three soothing color options green, blue, and amber, each illuminating different brightness levels to create magical, tranquil environments that are ideal for helping children of all ages fall asleep easier.

Twilight Turtle is more than just a soothing bedtime companion, he is also an interactive and educational toy. Within the star pattern are 8 actual constellations. Parents can sit with their children and identify these major constellations using the wonderfully illustrated Twilight Turtle Star Guide.

# The Twilight Turtle won several awards:
2005 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval
# Baby Talk Editor’s Choice

Give your kids’ toys a home. A portable, environmentally-friendly home. These kid-friendly portable cardboard houses by Dutch company Kidsonroof, are perfect for little kids to build, color, and customize a house for their dolls or guys. Constructed out of 100% recycled and biodegradable cardboard, you‘ll feel good about them playing with this toy!   Imagine what your child could make of this fixer-upper house with crayons, colored pencils, markers, stickers, or even fur or fabric. Watch your kids turn this house into a work of art.

Playful Chef Cooking Kits
Looking to have some fun with your kids and teach them the joy of cooking? The Playful Chef Kids Cooking Kits will help you tap into your kids’ eagerness to help in the kitchen. These kids cooking kits provide the nutritional know-how, kid-sized cooking tools, and fun recipes you’ll need to get your little one cooking! We can’t think of a better Chocolate Cake Moment than to have fun in the kitchen making Chocolate Mountain Lava Cakes (recipe included in kit.)  They have kits for both younger and older children.

# 5 delicious, easy-to-follow laminated recipe cards that follow a ten-system plan complete with helpful illustrations and color-coding
# An overview of how to teach your child in the kitchen
# Child sized cooking tools: whisk, spoon, spatula, pastry brush, mixing bowl, timer, baking pan, and safety scissors. Tools are all dishwasher safe.
# A cool, red tool belt apron for easy tool storage and handy access that is adjustable for all sizes
# A set of color-coded measuring spoons
# A set of color-coded measuring cups
# A kid-sized baking pan for baking special treats
# A kid-sized mixing bowl for mixing magic
# A vinyl kid-sized Playful Chef backpack that’s chock full of fun just waiting to happen! There’s space on the back of the backpack for your child to write in his or her name.

Carson-Dellosa sent over some wonderful games and we love playing games, and are thrilled to let you know about their company and the games.  As you know, I try to buy toys that are fun but also educational.  Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company takes pride in providing teachers, parents, and children around the world with the best possible educational materials.  You can buy the following games at www.carsondellosa.com. They have a ton of other great educational items too!

Pirates’ Gold Game
Price: 14.99
1 game board, 5 ships, 40 playing cards, 3 dice – Grades 2 – 6
Search out buried treasure in this swashbuckling, high seas adventure! Travel from island to island battling other players and collecting the most gold coins to win. Build strategic-thinking abilities while practicing skip counting, basic counting, and addition skills. 2 to 4 players.

All Around the Farm | Game
Price: 14.99
1 game board, 4 player pieces, 24 cards, 2 dice – Grades 1 – 6
Moo, cluck, and oink your way to victory with this noisy game for all ages! Be the first to fill your wheel barrow with food and return to your animal in the barn. Strengthen strategic-thinking, counting, addition, and subtraction skills. 2 to 4 players.

Where Do I Live? | Game
Price: 14.99
12 Home Cards, 12 Animal Cards – Grades PK – 2
Everyone has a home and it’s the players’ job to get them there in this colorful memory-matching game. Twelve homes complement 12 animals to strengthen visual distinction, classification, and recollection skills. No reading required. 2 to 4 players.

Chicken Count | Game
Price: 14.99
6 piece coop, 52 playing cards – Grades PK – 5
Flip cards to collect chickens, outfox the fox, and construct the coop in this easy-to-play collecting game! Player with the most chickens when the coop is built wins. Strengthen counting, adding, and sorting skills. No reading required. 2 to 6 players.

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