This is a very intriguing concept.  I have heard of starting it with very young babies, but has anyone tried this with an older baby? My daughter is now 15 months.

thanks for your response

Wow! sounds like you have a lot on your plate.

 The one thing that I have experience with is a child with down syndrome.  I just wanted to let you know that the fear of having a child with DS is much greater than the reality.  Most people whose child receive a DS diagnosis have a difficult time accepting it at first.  I think it is natural to worry about the unknown, especially with all of the outdated information out there about DS.  I wouldn't have guessed quite how wonderful life with someone with DS would be!

Kids with DS generally do everything typical children do, just at their own pace.   With proper teaching an early intervention the sky is the limit.  People with DS can hold down jobs, live independantly, drive vehicles,......I even know of a boy with DS who is getting straight A's in grade 8!  It's amazing what our kids can do when raised in a loving, and supportive environment.   

My daughter is now 15 months old & such an amazing little girl. She is a little behind on gross motor skills - is cruising but not walking,  but is right at age level for receptive speech and fine motor skills.  I am so proud!  She is the light of our lives.  Her older siblings adore her too.  I am truly blessed to have been choosen to be the mother of my amazing little girl!

It is unlikely your baby has Down Syndrome, but I just wanted to let you know that it is much more positive than most people realize.  Please email me if you have any questions or if I can be of any help. 

Hugs
Laura

Kay's occupational therapist has had her trying to use crayons and a magna doodle since she was 6 months old.  It not only helps with early writing skills, but helps her fine motor skills as well.
 
I probably took her 6 months to really get the hang of it.

I am wondering what plans everyone has for their child once they reach school age.  The amount of knowledge some kids will have may make their schooling needs different than other kids in the same grade.  Is anyone in this position already?

There is a website - shichidaparents.com.  It has a lot of info About this method.

I am pretty new to this so I can't think of any games to suggest but I thought you had some great ideas. Karma to you for your ideas and this great topic.

Thanks everyone!

Oh! thanks - and I thought I was becoming more computer literate!

I managed to post the picture, but it is quite small.  Can they be made larger or can everyone see it ok?

This is a photo of K's crawling track.  It has been stored in the garage for a while so I see one of the  contrasting pieces we had  glued on the side has come off, but it gives you an idea of what it looked like.  You could choose brighter colours - we went with these two because they contrasted and the naugahyde was discounted so it was quite inexpensive.  I love Nikita's ideas about the pictures on the sides.  I'm sure you can vary your design and the materials a little from the book and still get the same results.

Wow that's amazing! What a lot of work! Do you use the cards as a regular part of your reading program or more for added interest?

This is a two part question. 

First, I am wondering how often everyone shows their kids the word cards & pictures.  Perhaps this has already been addressed, but I can't seem to find any reccomendations by brillbaby or other parents.

Secondly, I am also wondering how other parents organize their teaching throughout the day, and does anyone also schedule other things for their baby such as physical programs?

I think the hardest thing for me is to try to fit all of this into my day.

thanks, I appreciate your responses

We bought the naugahyde from Wal Mart.  It was in their discount bin and was only $1.00 or $2.00 per meter.  Our foam came from there also and was not as thick so we doubled it before stapling it to the track.  We used a piece of long flat shelf that we had laying around for the bottom and only had to purchase the boards for the sides.  We bought a vinyl glue to glue the foam and naugahyde to the track, then stapled the edges underneath.  I'll see if I can figure out how to upload a photo later.

I have been away for a bit so I have been slow in responding.  It's nice to see other mom's in similar situations here.  I would love to keep in touch and see how your kids are doing!

Nikita - thanks for the brain gym info!  :

Khloe - nice to hear from you.  If you don't mind me asking, is it likely that your son will become mobile at some point? I can only imagine how difficult that will become as he gets bigger.  Kids with down syndrome have hypotonia( low muscle tone) - they generally do everything typical kids do physically just take a little longer getting there.  Typically they walk around 2 years or so.

We have been doing some reading and bits.  Now that K is crawling we are trying to encourage it We have nylon tunnels to crawl in & other things.  We are also doing the beginning stages of brachiating ( she will swing from our thumbs).  Everything we have done I've gotten from books or the internet.

My hardest problem is finding time to fit it all in though.  This summer has been even worse, so hopefully it will be a little easier when the older kids to back to school.