Dear readers,
This October marked the 10th month of the STEAM Homeschool Group. From the first meet in January with 0 in attendance, oh, how our group has grown! I’m thrilled the share that this past group we had 60 participants!
Can you believe it? I sure can’t! How exciting it is to see all the new members we have gained and the families who have been able to connect from this fabulous group!
As you all know, this project is a passion of mine. I was a homeschooler, and I know how hard it is for families (especially with multiple children) to find inexpensive Homeschool Programs and resources. So naturally, I was beyond the moon excited to start this completely FREE program.
Not only does this group provide a safe space for families and children to meet other homeschoolers within their community, at no charge, but we’re also able to provide free resources like:
* Educational Textbooks
* Interactive Workbooks
* Leveled Reader Books
* Pre-planned literacy training worksheets
* Individually Created Honor Kits on various subjects (math, science, history, animals, plants, anatomy, weather, space, reading comprehension, poetry, biographies, language, etc)
And much more!
Every group meet I feel the same emotions.
Gratitude, joy, overwhelming happiness. And inspiration! Tons of inspiration!
To give you an idea of why I feel this way, I want to share some takeaways from what I saw during our group this past Monday.
Things I witnessed as I looked around the room:
* Creativity
* Inventiveness
* Curiosity
* Kindness
* Friendships forming
* Teamwork
* Problem-solving
* Learning inspired by natural play
* Engineering
* Building
* Kids thinking outside of the box to make something original, that brings them joy
I saw 100% unadulterated pure exploration, and what a sight it was! And guess what? The kids weren't the only ones playing and having a good time. Parents were too!
These parents are connecting with their kids, and other adults! Forming community and cultivating a network of friends. Using their imaginations to help build and create at our STEAM tables!
What an absolute treasure this group has been. And what a pleasure it has been to see it grow and flourish! The feedback and love in this program has been astounding. I’m so grateful for all of our amazing participants of this group who help make it what it is.
So, here are some fabulous pictures from our time together in October. Enjoy!
Some kiddos enjoying our Fall themed worksheets and activities!Here’s a group of boys working together at our “build” table!Our “create” table is always a hit! Check out some of this fabulous, original artwork.Mom is playing some games too at our “games and puzzles” table!Our “science” table is booming with curious hands and minds!Here are a few small hands forming some sight words!Teamwork at its best! Keep it up, ladies.Proud of what he built! And he should be, it’s pretty impressive.One of our young members made this and gifted it to me. She also gave me a flawless sales pitch for her ideas for a new company and the products she will make and sell. She’s going places! Another look at the “science” table!
The presenters’ common goal in joining together today was to provide mental health aid and support to the community, families, children, and educators. Despite the heavy rains, the group was able to band together and find creative ways to reach their audiences at home. Thanks to Mary’s quick thinking and resourcefulness, she was able to get ahold of her co-host of her Special Needs TV show, and Bridgetti, the show producer, was gracious enough to bring us on live to share our message with viewers.
The rainclouds were filled with silver linings today! Thank you to everyone who came out to support the effort, and if you weren’t able to make it out, you can see our our interviews on Facebook > Special Needs TV > Mental Health Awareness EXPO > posted 09/18/2021.
Calling all local Sumner County TN residents! Are you a parent or educator? Visit us on September 18th at the Gallatin Public Library.
We’ll be discussing special needs in education, neurodiverse learning differences and how to build healthy support systems within the family unit and tackling how to identify and assess problems and acknowledge and validate your child’s emotions.
If you’re elementary school teacher, PLEASE stop by and pick up your FREE LESSON PLANS, GRADES K-3RD GRADE (or simply download them HERE.)
Don’t live local? No problem! Download your free interactive lesson plans, worksheets, color pages, spot the difference sheets and other fun freebies and resources under the TEACHER CORNER tab of my website.
Faces shined Saturday morning as we gathered into the Hendersonville Public Library of Sumner county for a special event: The Awareness and Support Expo “for families and friends caring for individuals with special concerns.”
Children and parents cozied up in the warmth of this charming library as the piano played in the background. Around the library, were community members there on a mission to spread awareness, education, and resources with families with special needs- covering all areas of disability.
Also hosted in the Hendersonville Public Library on May 8th was the Friends of the Library book sale. Usually the Friends book sale is held semi-annually, however, due to covid precautions and safety guidelines for the state and protection of patrons, the library had held off on hosting over the past year. Both these events were arranged by the Director of the Library, Diane Johnson, and Library staff members.
sPECIAL GUESTS VISITING THE HENDERSONVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY TODAY:
Borderless Arts Tennessee is a non-profit organization run by the state of Tennessee, committed to presenting programs for individuals with disabilities. Through the aids it provides, it adds to the enjoyment and empowerment of the community. For more information, visit their website here or find them on social media here.
Autism Tn aDVOCATE AND cHILDREN’S bOOK aUTHOR, Mary Elizabeth Jackson
Mary Elizabeth Jackson is an Advocate for Autism Tennessee and a independently published Children’s Book author local to the Hendersonville area. She’s also the co-host of an Amazon LIVE show called Bridgetti.Live, hosted by Bridgetti Lim Bana, located in South Africa. During the course of the day, the participants were featured on the show via live stream- Books: Meet the Author.
Rainbow Mosho is a twelve-year-old artist and author with Autism, working her way towards empowering other children and families with special needs through her inspirational work. Her goal is to “give hope to all the kids in the world” with her book and words. Discover her indie books and custom pieces of artwork on her Facebook page.
Neurodivergent Children’s Author & Blogger, Chelsea DiCicco
Chelsea DiCicco is a neurodiverse local kidlit author living outside of Nashville, TN. Her book, ADHD and Me, was inspired by events in her own childhood and deals with the day-to-day challenges and triumphs as seen through the eyes of an eight-year-old little girl named Malory, who had ADHD.
To find out more about this author or her books, you can visit the ABOUT THE AUTHOR tab of this website or MY BOOKS.
Check out these Neurodivergent author’s and their books for kids!
