Trevy’s Montessori Trays (with special needs flair)

 

Trevy’s Trays

 

I’ve been a little lazy on the Tray front for awhile. Trevy has been muddling through a cranky stretch…which with the help of Dr. Neuro we finally discovered was seizure related.  Being mommy to a child with catastrophic epilepsy, my first instinct is to think seizures.  Sometimes to a fault.  So I try really hard not to jump there too quickly.  I’d been working really hard to convince myself he was getting sick…he was tired…he was this…he was that.  For weeks.  In fact, I had myself SO convinced it wasn’t seizure suspicious that when Dr. Neuro shared her thoughts…I was surprised.  And then sad.  Sigh.  Meds are being adjusted and already we’re having happier days! 

 

 

So I’m hoping to hop back to it more consistently with the trays.

 

 

In the mean time, they wait patiently in the closet…like so…

 

 

 

See the cute little zebra puppet up there?

 

I’ve been using him to encourage Cranky Boy to play.  He’s very into puppets lately.  Even when he’s crank-a-licious!

 

I purchased my trays at Target and Mr. Zebra from Ikea. 

 

 

Apple Picking Tray

cause it’s…you know…Autumn-y

 

My idea was to roll the dice and pick that many apples off the tree.  Um…yeah…mommy was totally over thinking this one.  We modified by just picking the apples off and then sticking them back on.  I do try to count as we go.  I’m thinking we need to get one of those a pair of those big dice thingies that you can change the pictures on each side.  He needs something bigger and more simplistic. 

 

Apple game pictures are part of the Abeka Kindergarten materials and were things I already had from Toby’s K days

 

Left Hand – Right Hand Tray

 

We just read the little poem together and do little mommy-made-up actions movements with it.  It’s really important for me that Trevy learn his Right from Left because he has Right sided weakness.  It will be SO much easier to tell him “use your right hand” or “kick with the right leg” and have him understand it without needing physical help.

 

Abeka again

 

Peg Board Tray

 

This is a fave with both Trevy and his sister!  They’ve had tons of fun building towers over their heads with the pegs.

 

Speech Tray

 

Out Patient Speech Therapy flashcards to work with annunciation.  And little kazoos and a pinwheel to work those tongue muscles.

 

Miss. Speech copies flashcards that she’s working on during sessions for at-home practice.  The kazoos and pinwheels can usually be found at Oriental Trading Co.

 

Bean Bag Toss Tray

 

Working on over & under hand tossing.  Soft & hard tossing.  Fast & slow tossing.  Far & near tossing.

 

Clearly homemade.  But…I must confess…not by me.  I don’t have a crafty bone in my bod!

 

Physical Therapy Tray

 

More outpatient therapy homework.  Trevy had to lay down, raise his knees, and then lift his bum up & down.  I’m sure there is a yoga vocab for it but I just call it “lift your bum”!  He does this several times quickly and then several times with holding up for a count of 10.  We use a little matchbox car as a prop to drive under his “bridge”.  He also has to do a toe pointing exercise with the tension band. 

 

Tension band and practice sheets are provided by Trevy’s outpatient PT therapist.

 

Color Match Tray

 

I’m using little color cubes.  And to spice it up with a little Math concepts, I’ve made a counting sequence.  1 – green 2 – orange and so on.  To help Trevy, I have the colors in numerical order.  I also like how the crayons have the word on the front to promote early reading concepts.

 

Looove these Abeka crayon pictures

 

Puzzle Tray

 

This puzzle is a little ambitious for Trevy.  But he loooooves puzzles and has fun working with mommy.

 

Big and Little Tray

 

When he couldn’t answer any big vs. little at his Developmental appointment, I decided we needed to start working on this concept at home.  Hence the big-little tray. 

 

Turns out, he actually does know the difference!  He did this perfectly the first time we tried!

 

 

Bonus Pictures

cause he’s too cute not to snap snap snap all the live long day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…danielle

 

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