Re: Playground help needed Please!

September 24, 2004

Leah

I'm on my way to bed now and my brain isn't functioning as it should. But as

I lie there waiting to fall asleep, I'll give this some thought.

Just to clarify.........if I'm reading this correctly, you are saying that

it's the older kids who are crowding around Olivia? So Sherry is suggesting

one reason where all the kids mix and the other 2 would have the

kindergartens playing in a separate area?

Off the top of my head I think your best solution might be for Sherry to

identify 2 or 3 of the older kids who are more responsible and mature (and

possibly on the popular end so others will listen to them....sounds terribly

incorrect but I'm not thinking of the right way to say that).........anyway

I would have those 2 or 3 kids (probably girls LOL) be " responsible " for

Olivia at recess to ensure her safety and not allow other kids to crowd her.

What I am going to say sounds awful Leah and I certainly don't mean this as

slight to beautiful Olivia but in all honesty, the 'novelty' will wear off

and sometimes when it becomes " a job " it looses it's uniqueness. You know

what I mean? Olivia is wonderful but kids are kids and it will die down, in

the meantime you might suggest Sherry organize some " helpers " .

In the long run I know it sounds bad because she will be singled out as

having these older kids hanging around, but if the kindergarten recesses

have to be changed OR the principal making big regular announcements " please

leave Olivia alone " , the end result of her being given " different " treatment

is going to be the same. This might be what you need to work over the

novelty and then once it dies down, these older kids can go off and do there

own thing again.

Think about it, let me know if there is any info I am missing. I think that

is the least intrusive first step. Let me know

Debby

Playground help needed Please!

> Hi all,

>

> Olivia's doing really well in school but her aide took me aside

> today and said that they're having trouble at recess. The kids

> won't leave Olivia alone and are swarming her. Twice today they

> surounded her in a crush and she couldn't move or get out. They

> want high 5's and hugs and just to look at her I guess. Putting the

> bone disease aside, this is just not acceptable. Sherry (the aide)

> said the kids had started to leave her alone but now this week it

> was worse than it's ever been, she had to physically remove kids in

> order to get to Olivia.

>

> Sherry suggested maybe having one recess where Olivia could play

> with the older kids and for the other two they would have to leave

> her alone. She's asked me to brain storm over the weekend and I

> have no ideas! I'd hate to segragate the kindergarteners from the

> older grades but I'm at a loss, otherwise Sherry is out there trying

> not to yell at the other kids to get them away.

> If anyone has any suggestions I could really use them! Debby or

> Jodi Z. maybe?

>

> Leah, mom to 9 years and Olivia 4.75 years, 19lbs, 33 " ,

> RSS, OI

>

September 25, 2004

Leah,

I was a little unclear about who was crushing Olivia, but I hope I am correct to

assume it is

the older kids. Maybe if the older kids want to play with Olivia (assuming

Olivia would also

like to play with them), at recess time, the kids could do things such as read

to/with her,

play board games, or other structured supervised games. In general, since

recess is

usually unstructured, kids tend to be more wild then they would in

teacher-directed

activities. Mayber Olivia's teacher can have a " menu " of safe activities that

Olivia can

choose from at recess. Does Olivia always have recess with the older kids? At

my son's

elementary school, they have separate playgrounds for different grade levels and

I think

the recess times are also scattered, so ther's not too many kids out there at

once. If Olivia

will continue to have recess with older kids, maybe you or her teacher would

consider

sharing the same info about her condition with them as you did with her class.

Kim C.