Two more weeks of summer learning and fun are in the books! The themes “Outer Space” and “Under the Sea” offered new ways for campers to practice social communication, language, sensory and motor skills. 

Here’s what we’ve been up to:

 

Social Thinking®

A main focus here at ICT (and a big part of our camps) is using the Social Thinking® framework to teach social communication skills. Each week at camp we incorporate a different Social Thinking® theme. These past two weeks we focused on:

• “Thinking with Your Eyes” – Campers learned that “eyes are like arrows” and if we follow someone’s “arrows” we can make a “smart guess” about what that person is thinking. Our Little Engines practiced lining up and taking turns by watching who the teacher was looking at. Our Big Engines followed directions to build a “space ship” out of blocks by only following the eye gaze of the therapist. We tied in previous Social Thinking® themes by trying to interpret how others felt about the object they were thinking about or looking at.  

• “Whole Body Listening” & “Body in The Group” – Every day, campers participated in direct teaching lessons that helped them learn the importance of keeping their body in the group. They also learned the importance of listening with their whole body (eyes, ears, mouth, hands, feet, body, brain, heart) and practiced showing they were “ready to listen”. We will continue to reinforce these concepts throughout the summer.  

Circle Time

Circle time provides a structured environment for campers to identify how they are feeling, ask and answer questions, make predictions, wait their turn, and practice social communication skills. We encourage campers to use the Zones of Regulation® visual to think about how they and their peers are feeling. We love seeing our campers improve their ability to interpret and use non-verbal language!

 

Movement Activities

Daily yoga and other movement activities, like our “Feed the Fish” and “Alien” obstacle courses, help campers use their imagination, follow multi-step directions, and develop balance, coordination and motor skills.

 

 

Sensory Play

Campers explore different textures and cooperate with peers during sensory play. Favorite activities include playing with sand, shaving cream, water beads and Play Doh.

Crafts

Daily craft projects, like these paper fish, are an opportunity to practice following directions, sequencing, and using fine motor skills. 

Imaginary & Collaborative Play

Pretend play every day! Here campers worked together to build a team rocket ship. 

Science

Wednesday is science day. Each week campers participate in a special hands-on science activity that helps foster several important skills including sequencing making predictions, describing attributes, and following directions. 

Academic Tutoring

We offer one-on-one tutoring during camp as an additional service, which helps campers stay on-track so they’re ready for the new school year. 

 

Stay tuned for our next camp recap in two weeks!