Smile :)

Today Cassandra and I met and did an art project because it was gross out today. The last time we met I took pictures of us and printed them out. Today we made picture frames out of Popsicle sticks, it was at first a little difficult trying to glue the sticks together. But after we got the frames set we started to decorate. We put both of our names on one of them. We also made one for her mother for mothers day, it read happy mothers day. Cassandra is a really great speller, I had a bunch on alphabet stickers and laid them on the table she would then search for the letter she needed. I didn't need to help her at all she had everything she needed. She put as many stickers as she could fit on the sticks but after the project was done it looked awesome. We found some pipe cleaner and attached it to the back to make the pictures hang. After we were satisfied with our work we started to clean up. I asked her to throw out the garbage which was mostly paper, but our garbage can is broken up into compartments one recycling glass and go on. Cassandra made sure that she put the paper in the right compartment. As we headed to the car i could tell she was really excited to get home and show her mother and father what she had made. I am really glad that she enjoyed this project.

Quick walk

The other day Cass and I decided to take in the beautiful day because they are so rare in Cortland. But before we headed out on our adventure Cassandras mother asked if I wanted to meet up with them to get some ice cream. I thought why not its lovely out and who doesn't love ice cream. So I met them in Homer, and grabbed some ice cream. It was really fun to just sit around and talk with the mom and brother. Cassandra was enjoying her ice cream so much that she shoved the last big bite of the cone in her mouth which made everyone including her laugh. After getting cleaned up we headed out to Lime Hollow. It started off nice but we saw the storm rolling in. I let Cass pick the trails and ask her to try and remember which way we came from just in case she ever got lost maybe she could re trace her steps. As we were walking along we started to hear thunder, so we headed right to the visitors center, where we looked at birds from the window and read about robins, Cass read the title on the book perfectly so i asked if she wanted to read the book to me, we got through two or three pages before it was time to head home. Hopefully the next time we meet it will be nice out again, but if not i have a wonderful art project ready for us to do.

Spring time art

Yesterday Cassandra and I did an art project to help the weather realize that it is spring. We created a flower out of cut out hands. It went really well we glued each hand on to the cut out circle, once we hand glued all the hands down we found glitter paint which Cassandra really loved, we used mostly green and purple but still the over all project turned out really nice. After the paint we found foam stickers, i asked her what she would like the spell out. After a few choices we decided to write happy Easter. I had her spell it out for me while i looked for the pieces. I would find the sticker and she would peal the backing off and place it where she wanted. After that we took the foam flowers and placed them around the picture, i asked her if she wanted to add anything else and she wanted to add more glitter paint. So she painted all the stickers with orange glitter paint. After taking a good look at our masterpiece we thought that it looked amazing. So we cleaned and headed back to her house. She was really excited to show her parents what she had made. I can't wait to meet with her again, hopefully it will be nicer out so we can go hiking again.

Stretch it out

On Tuesday I went to pick up Cassandra but instead was treated to a wrestling match between her and her brother. Since nine that morning her and her brother had been working on a pretend wrestling match that they wanted to show their mother. The set up the basement to look like a wrestling arena with pillow scattered across the floor. They both had music picked out for their entrance Cassandra's was the single ladies. You can tell that they worked really hard on each aspect of the match. Cassandras father was there to help Cassandra remember which move came next. She really enjoyed "beating" up her brother, she had a huge smile on her face the entire time. Once they showed their mother the routine Cassandra and I headed to the school to play some basketball. But to our surprise the equipment room was closed so instead we decided to stretch because she had been wrestling all day. We did some walking around the ice area and some light jogging. It was nice to just have a relaxing day with her.

Butterflies and flowers

Today Cassandra and I did a fun little art project. We painted little wooden butterflies that are magnets. At first Cassandra was preoccupied reading a magazine article. So I decided to start my butterfly soon enough she was interested and started painting, she had one big butterfly and two smaller ones. As we went along painting them they started to look like tye dyeing it was pretty cool. After we were done with that project we put it to the side to dry. Next we created a poster that had her name on it. I found letter foam stickers which she really liked. We spelled her name out and added in lots of hearts and flowers. We also found cut outs of boys and girls and placed them on our poster. After that project was competed i surprised Cassandra with a glitter pen, she was able to add glitter to anything she wanted we put glitter on the butterflies and on the poster and a little bit on our selves. We were very satisfied with our work so it was time to clean up the mess we made. We washed all the paint brushes and put away all the stickers we didn't use. Once we got back to Cassandras house she was very excited to show her family what she had made. It was a lot of fun I plan on doing more arts and crafts with her. Hopefully when the weather gets nicer we can do some tye dying outside :) !!!!!

Put your hands up in the air

On Wednesday Cassandra attended dance at the YMCA. As usual it was a lot of fun. We did a few line dances and dances in a circle. One of Cassandra's favorite songs the chicken dance came on and she was ecstatic, she danced for the entire song non stop. My favorite song put your hands up in the air came on next so i tried to make up a dance with Cassandra that went with the song. We did simple steps to the right and left, circled our hands in the air above our head. Over all we just had a great time. There were less people there but still the usual group. We were able to interact with other students we danced with Kim and Lilly. Everyone had there own dancing style but still all were doing the moves. I asked the women who runs the dances class if i could get a list of all the songs she uses but instead she gave me the cd to copy so i am going to make a copy for Cassandra and I because we both really like the music. Hopefully next week it will be nice out and we can go hiking!!!

Relaxing at home

On Friday I babysat Cassandra and her brother. It was a lot of fun and a different experience, in the home she was really relaxed and comfortable sitting on the coach with her two stuffed animals. Her little brother was bouncing off the wall with excitement, we started off the night watching the Simpson's which is Cassandra's favorite show. Her brother was setting up his stuffed animals to shoot over with his Nerf gun, so everyone was content. For dinner we ate pizza and wings, and Gaven had a huge root beer, which he was really excited about. As the night went on we all just hung out around the living room and basement. Cassandra talks really low and really fast so sometimes I couldn't hear her but her brother knew exactly what she was talking about. I did notice the more I see her the more I can understand. What I found amazing was that at exactly 8 o clock Cassandra started to get ready for bed, she knew with out even looking at a clock that it was time for her to go to bed. After helping her get ready for bed she headed up stairs. A little bit later their mother came home and it was time for me to head out. It was a lot of fun to just hang out with her and her brother and see her in her comfortable element.

Dance like no one is watching

On Wednesday we went to dance at the YMCA, this time when we went there was a lot more people there. We made our way to our usual dancing area and got right into the the YMCA. We were able to interact with other students and parents this time. Usually there are only a few people that go and they kinda of stay to them selves. But this class everyone was open and having fun. They played this one song that Cassandra really liked it was called put your hands up in the air. She danced non stop for the entire song. Next we the clean song, that song is a lot of fun and Cassandra had a lot of fun doing that one. The song told us to clean the area in front of us above us and below us. During this song we were able to name body parts and also work on our flexibility. It was a great song and we had a lot of fun doing it. At the end of the dance class we said our good byes and told them we would see them next week. Unless it was really nice out then we are going hiking.

Spring fling

Last night I was able to go with Cassie to her Spring Fling. Cassandra looked so pretty in her spring dress, I went to her house and picked her up and she was all ready to go. Once we got inside we checked her coat and headed straight to the dance floor. The gym was decorated with streamers, balloons and lights, it was really nice. Cassie found a good dancing spot and then dance for a good hour straight. After a little convincing to take a break we headed to the snack table and drank some punch. After that we headed back to the dance floor for a few more songs, Cassie was looking tired and wanted to head home. We did get to interact with her teachers who took pictures and commented on her dress and how pretty she looked. It was a great experience, seeing Cassandra interact with her teacher and other students was really exciting and I hope she had a lot of fun because I know I did.

Change in the weather...change in plans

On Wednesday the weather was so nice I couldn't pass up a day outside. So instead of going to dance at the YMCA Cassandra and I went for a walk around Lime Hollow. It was a lot of fun, we stopped by the lake and looked for animals and tried to name them. After that we took the art trail again. That is one of my favorite trails because we can stop and look at other peoples art work. We then walked to the look out, Cassandra liked to run in short bursts but on our way up to the look out I asked her if she would run with me to the top of the hill. And this was a big hill, we started out strong but about half way up we stopped. After a quick breather and a little encouragement we made it to the top. We found a bench at the top and took a little rest, next to the bench there was a map so Cassandra and I tracked where we came from and how we were going to get back. After we were rested up we headed back to the car. On the way back we stopped at a giant sundial and went over the numbers on the clock. Once we got in the car i told her when it gets warmer we will be here a lot more, and hopefully we can take more trails. The next time I see Cassandra I will be going with her to her school dance. I am very excited and I can't wait.

Basketball games

On Saturday Cassandra and I played basketball in park center. This time we worked on catching and bounce passing back and forth to each other. We were able to bounce the ball back and forth at least 20 times with out having it stop or roll away. It was a lot of fun because it turned into a little competition. Cassandra would alternate hands and move toward the ball. I told her that it is sometimes easier to bend her knees to hit the lower bounces. After a few reinforcements of bend the knees she finally did. On our way home we talked about what color dress she was going to get for her spring dance and if she was excited for it. The next time I plan on meeting with Cassandra we are going to go to dance at the YMCA.

Shoot for the stars

Today Cassandra and I played basketball upstairs in park center. We started out just passing the ball back and forth to each other. I tried to get Cassandra to bounce with both hands, she was doing really well with that. After we mastered both hands i asked her to pick one hand to hit the ball with. Once she picked her favorite hand I gave her a high five with that hand just to reinforce which hand we were going to be using. Then we bounced the ball back and forth using the one hand. Our next step was to bounce the ball with the other hand. I realized that Cassandra would use which ever hand was closer to the ball, so if I wanted her to use her right hand i would bounce the ball to her right side, and same with the left. Once we were confident in our bouncing we started to try dribbling. I told her bounce the ball and take a step but that didn't seem to work so i switched the que's to walk and bounce. At first it took a little reminding but towards the end she was walking and dribbling the ball twice. It was really exciting to watch her progress so much in an hour. What I also noticed was that she was talking more, even though she mostly was repeating what I was saying it was still more talking then I have heard since we started. Since I am going on spring break next week I will not be meeting with her, but when i get back we will pick up right where we left off.

Art time

Today instead of going to dance Cassandra and I did art at the rec center. My roommate Emily came along with us because she has lots of art idea's and is very creative. When we got there Cassandra was really excited to see all the art supplies we had we found the biggest piece of paper and some paint and got to work. Once we sat down we got a little side tracked because Cassandra wanted to read the magazines on the table. I told her she could read one page then we would have to get started. After her reading was done Emily explained what we were going to do today. We were going to make self portraits, first we started out by cutting the shape of our face, then we painted on our eyes', ear's nose, and mouth. Then we added in some hair and colored in the background. We also found some stamps and ink pads, Cassandra really enjoyed the stamps. After the first project was done we moved on to another one. The second project was just to color on white paper, we found some markers and Cassandra made a rainbow. When we were all done we cleaned up our work space and put everything back where we found it and headed out. After saying goodbye and thank you to Emily we headed home. I really think Cassandra enjoyed the art we did today hopefully we can do it again another time. Tomorrow we are going to play basketball up at the school, which is one of Cassandra's favorite things to do.

dance with your shoes off :)

On March 2nd Cassandra and I met and we went again to the YMCA disabilities and dance. This time we did a lot of line dancing, these dances involved a lot of foot stomping and clapping. Cassandra really enjoyed the clapping and when we would all walk in one direction. It took a few prompts to get her to follow along but she got it and had a lot of fun. We also did the chicken dance and the maharajah. Cassandra really enjoyed these dances, she knew the chicken dance already and was really getting into it. I haven't seen her that excited and happy yet, it was really good to see her break out of her shell and be able to express herself. On the way home from the YMCA we listened to country and tapped along to the music. Over all it was another fun hour full of dancing and laughing, Next Wednesday the 9th I am taking Cassandra to meet with my roommate who is going to teach us how to make self portraits. I am really excited because i know Cassandra really enjoys art and maybe I can get to know another side of her.

Snow shoeing expedition

Today Cassandra and I went to Lime Hollow and went snow shoeing. At first it was a little difficult because this was my first time show shoeing, but the owner came out and helped us put the snow shoes on. Once we were all geared up we headed out to the field to practice walking around. After a few rounds in the field we decided to go out on the trails. We took the art trail which was a lot of fun, as we hiked we would stop and look at the art, there was a beautiful over look where we stopped and relaxed for a bit. After that we kept on going, we made a deal that once we reached the top of the hill we could turn around and start heading back. By the time we got to the top of the hill we were out of breath, but had enough energy to run back down. As we walked backed it was at a brisk pace, Cassandra was ready to head back to the lodge. Before we left we grabbed a brochure and on the way home Cassandra looked it over. We had a lot of fun today and I can't wait to see her tomorrow because we are going to the YMCA for the dance session again.

Get on those dancing shoes

Today Cassandra and I went to the YMCA to participate in there dance program. When we got there all Cassandra wanted to do was play on the jungle gym outside, but we negotiated and I said we could play on it after we were done dancing. When we got inside we were greeted by the other students Kimmy and Lilly there were really excited to see a new face. Cassandra was busy checking out the dance room and meeting the other dancers. Once the music started so did Cassandra, she was a dancing machine. She has great rhythm and can hold a beat for almost the entire song. She really enjoyed the country and fast beat songs, the slower song she would get bored with. While we were dancing another student came in, his name was DJ. While we were dancing he wanted to play catch so DJ, Cassandra and I would play catch in between our dance moves. Once the music was shut off and we said our good byes, Cassandra and I put on our jackets and headed to jungle gym. It was covered in snow but that didn't stop us, we climbed up to the top and crossed the bridge. Once we got our fill of the jungle gym we headed to the car and headed home. Cassandra was really excited about the dancing we just did and I think is looking forward to going back next week. I am going to meet with her on Friday and go snow shoeing at Lime Hollow, it should be a blast and I am looking forward to see her then.

GLOW IN THE DARK MINI GOLF!!!!

Today Cassandra and I went to to play mini golf at shipwreck golf. Cassandra had been there before but this was my first time. She was very excited to get going, the drive there we listened to country which she was very excited about. She hummed along with the tunes and she tapped her leg to the beat. When we first got inside she was a little comprehensive because of all the noise and the fact that it was glow in the dark. But after a few minutes she was comfortable to start playing. The first couple of holes was a little rough she would pick up the golf balls and then put them in the hole and try and move on to the next hole. But After a few talks we were able to leave the ball on the ground and use our putter. She was really good at hitting the ball short distances into the hole. She would ask for help if she felt she couldn't make it. I used the cues tap tap tap to try and get her to focus on what we were trying to do. Also we did a count down for every big tap we did. I would say ready Cassandra 3 2 1 BIG TAP, after a few times she would count down with me.She really enjoyed it, when we got back to her house she told her mother about what we did and expressed how much fun we had. Today was a great day i had a lot of with her. The next time I will see her will be on Wednesday for a dance class at the YMCA.

Run, Jump, Swing

Today was the first day Cassandra and I got to spend together doing physical activity. We planned on going to the indoor mini golf center. But because it was so nice out we decided to go on a walk/run around the neighborhood. As we were walking around we stumbled across a small park which Cassandra was really excited about. We went and swung on the swings for about 15 minutes and then headed back to her house. We had random bursts of energy in which we would run. We had a great pace and would run to a certain point and then walk. But once we got our energy back we would run again. I think Cassandra liked feeling the wind through her hair because on the swing and when we were running she would shake her head a lot and smile. On the way back we walked on the sidewalk which was still covered in snow and full of puddles. So we tried jumping over the puddles and tip toeing over the snow and ice. A few times we landed right in the puddles but it was okay because we were having fun. When we got back to her house he mother had a snack consisting of oreo's milk and cheese. Which made Cassandra really excited. Over all it was a great day and I am looking forward to seeing her on Sunday.

Meeting with the family

Today I got to meet with my students family. It was really nice to finally meet them, they are all very excited to get Project Dream started. The Mother gave me a lot of insight into the daughters life. Her daughter is very active and loves to try anything. She is also very interested and good at art, I saw some of her art work around the house and it was really good. The mother and brother of my student are very engaged and an active part of my students life. I found out my student likes snow shoeing, skiing, mini golf

, hiking and doing art. I am really excited to get started and find out more and more about my student and their family.

PROJECT DREAM KICK OFF PARTY

Project dream:

Mentoring, Physical and Recreational activity

This program gives students with disabilities from age 14 to 21 a chance to get more physically active with the help of a SUNY Cortland undergraduate. This allows the students to gain physical activity for 2 hours a week and it allows the teacher to work one on one with a student to gain insight into their life and habits.

On February the 11th the dream project hosted a kick off party in the SUNY Cortland facilities. It was a great event everyone was actively engaged in our program. Family's were enjoying them selves by playing can jam and also playing on the spooner boards. About 50 percent of the family's showed up, it was a great turn out. The students that were able to meet with their child were actively engaged in all the activities and were working on trying to figure out what the student was capable of. The night went by fast because we were constantly running around playing games and finding equipment. Over all it was a great night and i can;t wait for the ending party where we can do this all over again.