Swim!

Swimming! A summertime activity like no other. Nothing brings smiles and joy to the faces of children like a day spent in the sun (sunscreen required of course) surrounded by water, friends, and splashy fun. Swimming is always a great thing to do. While public pools are all around, we were fortunate to head out to a slightly more private pool at one of my son’s aunt’s home. An apartment complex with an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, and a hot tub. This was to be the space where our son would enjoy the summer fun of playing in water … Continue reading

Swim, Laugh, and Thrive With Dolphins!

There is something powerful about humans interacting with dolphins. These tranquil, intelligent creatures have been shown to be gentle with children, almost sensing their vulnerability. The amazing impact that dolphins have on special needs children and adults has been documented and described frequently. Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) has become an accepted and recognized form of treatment for children with disabilities of all kinds. Parents have reported that after their children had the experience of swimming with dolphins their ability to communicate increased, and they “opened up.” Children with pervasive development disorder and particularly those on the autism spectrum have often … Continue reading

Technology Designed for Dolphin Helps Disabled Girl

A special gel that was designed to help a disabled dolphin has been repurposed in order to help a girl who has lost one of her legs. The dolphin is featured in a movie that will be released in theaters soon, and the girl is living in California with her adopted family. It always amazes me when people are able to adapt things so that they can help kids who have special needs. “Winter” is the name of a bottlenose dolphin that lives in the Clearwater Marine Aquarium that is located in Clearwater, Florida. When Winter was three months old, … Continue reading

Amazing Animal Videos

A while back I wrote about a baby water buffalo who had survived a lion and a crocodile attack –all of which was caught on tape. I was so impressed by that baby water buffalo and his brave herd. (The herd had come back to help save the baby and chased off the lions.) But recently two other amazing animal videos have come to my attention. Dolphins Try to Save Their Own On YouTube there are a ton of dolphin rescue videos. Mostly of people saving dolphins, though. There are a couple of dolphins saving whales, but the other day … Continue reading

Flexibility Does Not Equal Free For All

In conversation the other day, I mentioned to someone that one of the things I enjoy about homeschooling is the flexibility it provides us. We are free to take off when we want, I pointed out, allowing us to work around my husband’s schedule. Apparently, what makes perfect sense to me, raises concerns in others. This aspect of flexibility is of increasing concern for those who oppose homeschooling, or would like to see it more highly regulated. However, I believe that the ability to be flexible makes homeschooling better. After all, we’re talking about flexibility. . .not a free for … Continue reading

Mother Ocean Day 2007: Respecting Her Creatures

Today is Mother Ocean Day. Especially appropriate this year with Mother’s Day tomorrow. We’ve kind of got a theme going on this weekend! What Mother Ocean Day Is All About I don’t really know. I couldn’t find any information about why May 12th is designated as this day or who started it. I thought maybe the Surfrider Foundation had, but I found only limited references to it on their site. What I Think Mother Ocean Day Is All About I think “Mother Ocean” is like “Mother Earth.” She’s a world unto herself and provides a home for life of all … Continue reading