Summer Enrichment Program North of Milwaukee

[Guest guest]

Fellow Parents,

For years, as a mother of a child with special needs, I've been

searching for an enrichment program that makes sense for my daughter.

Organized activities like sports or classes never seemed to work for

her; they never really fit her, or her needs. I decided that I would

create something that would be a meaningful experience for my daughter:

a summer enrichment program that was child centered and operated on the

principle that every child has something to contribute, something to

help them find their greatness.

In my " pre-child " years I had a popular radio show for kids and created

many educational outreach programs for children, and knew that by

incorporating fun into activities, kids stayed engaged and learned

almost implicitly the information that you were conveying to them.

To help develop this program, I joined together with a Licensed

Occupational Therapist and a professor of Psychology and Human

Development at Concordia University, Bernadette, and a special

education teacher in the Grafton, Wisconsin School District who has

developed innovative learning centers for children, le Mossman.

Together, we combed the research on educating children in general, and

special needs children in particular, and developed the Innova-Play

methodology.

This methodology incorporates many techniques that have proven

successful with children with special needs, such as: Applied

Behavioral Analysis/Verbal Behavior, Relationship Development

Intervention, Floortime/Developmental/Individual Difference (P.L.A.Y.

Project), as well components of cutting edge educational philosophies

like Reggio Emilia, Waldorf, and Montessori and combined them into a new

approach to working with children.

Innova-Play is a unique methodology dedicated to the principle that

children learn best when they are not forced into an established

curriculum, but excel when they are in settings that are child-centered,

engaged in activities that pique their interest. This is especially

true for children with special needs or for those children who have

difficulty functioning within a traditional classroom: kids who have

very individualized abilities, interests and energy levels. For them,

most programs leave them feeling left out, frustrated or simply lost in

a process that is irrelevant to them.

Innova-Play is different. It starts with an assessment of your

child's play skills, evaluating how they relate to others and their

environment, and determines their energy level and flow. A plan is then

developed addressing their particular needs, and incorporating them into

a group play dynamic. Children work collaboratively and participate in

activities relevant to them, making them full partners in their

Innova-Play experience. Staff continuously observe and interact with

the children, putting them in amorphous groups that adapt to the

child's interests and activity level.

Since your child's play experience " fits " them, they stay engaged,

participating in the Innova-Play plan specifically designed to focus on

areas essential to children with special needs including social skills,

sensory processing, cognition, emotional development and gross motor

skills. By spending the summer having fun, your child acquires the

skills, confidence and internal motivation necessary to engage in life

long learning.

In addition, a multi-media record of your child's participation is

kept, and upon completion of the Innova-Play summer program, a

publication of personalized social stories, a DVD and a scrap book will

come home with your child to reinforce the Innova-Play strategy and

skill development, and allowing them to relive their Innova-Play

experience.

Classes for Innova-Play are now forming in downtown Cedarburg, Wisconsin

just a short drive north of Milwaukee, on Mondays and Wednesdays from

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. beginning June 11th and running throughout

the summer. Class size is limited, so please contact Innova-Play at

262-268-0609 or at innova.play@... <mailto:innova.play@...>

for further information and registration process.

Innova-Play believes that through play, hard work can be accomplished!

Sincerely,

Rhonda J. Greenhaw Wood

Executive Director

DwelLogic, Inc.

Innova-Play