Thriving with Autism: July 2014

Keeping my scrapbook room clean and organized, is an on going project. It usually looks like a tornado hit it. But I am really trying to make an effort to get it in order, once and for all. Last week, my summer camp class made duct tape wallets. I still have some rolls left over, and decided to put them to use this week.

I needed a place to put some of my art supplies. I was keeping them in a bin, out of sight. But always having to dig through the bin, really slows down the creative process, so I decided that I want some of my frequently used supplies up on my desk, where I can see them.

I had a spare shoe box, and thought it would be perfect to use. So I started out with that. I cut off the lid, and went through the process of measuring, and applying the tape. Then I decided that I might want to keep the lid after all (oops), so I worked on covering it too. Even though I had cut the lid off, I think it still works just by setting it on top. So it worked out fine in the end.

I still needed more space for some of my markers, so I went through our recycling box, and came out with a store brand pop tart box. On a whim, I decided to let my kids try pop tarts for the first time. Big mistake. I see more pop tarts in my shopping future. By the way, that's my wedding dress in the background. Don't ask.

Next, I cut off all the tabs. That is one sharp x-acto knife. I bought it on clearance when Archiver's went out of business last year. I miss that store so much! When using an x-acto knife, it's wise to use a self healing mat. I'm a scrapbooker, so I have more than one.

Next step, measure out your strips of duct tape. I covered all sides of the box.

Ta da! It's not perfect, but it was just something I threw together quickly.

I went ahead and lined the rim of the box, just to give it a more polished look.

And here it is with some markers.

I need more boxes. Way more boxes.

A strange title to today's blog entry, but I can explain. One day, I went into Nik's room and found him watching the old Spiderman cartoons from my childhood days. Nik is a huge Netflix watcher, and it's always interesting to see what show he will find. So on this particular day, Nik explained that a particular character wanted to be Hitler, and that he found some old Nazi weapons.

I was a bit surprised at the story line. I mean, what does Hitler have to do with Spiderman? I don't know but this seemed like a good teaching moment. I asked Nik if he knew that Hitler was a real person, and there really used to be Nazis in Germany. He did not know, but that discovery set off a lengthy conversation on World War II, and the horrific things that happened in and around Nazi Germany.

It's such an awesome feeling to see Nik not only understanding, but actually taking part in this type of discussion. He really had an genuine interest in that dark part of history. You can pop open a book and read all about World War II, but kids like Nik, are visual learners. They need to see it to fully understand. Even that strange story line from Spiderman, was enough to get Nik interested. So that is how Spiderman opened the door to the Nazi Germany discussion.

Having a kid (or two) on the spectrum, has taught me to really think outside of the box when finding ways to teach. Literally every little thing can be turned into a lesson, ranging from an important life skill, to learning about history.

Even at an early age, my kids had a passion for museums, visual thinkers that they are. So this past weekend, we decided to learn about the first World War. Kansas City is home to the National World War I Museum.

It's hard to miss the museum, which is located at the Liberty Memorial. Build in 1926, and standing 217 feet tall, it towers over every building in the city.

Liberty Memorial

Museum entrance

The museum is located under the memorial. Being the family that likes to avoid crowds, we got there right when they opened, and made our way inside. Be sure to grab a Family Gallery Guide on your way it. It has a scavenger hunt page, along with a couple other games, and some useful information as you make your way through the gallery. Once you have your tickets and guide, you are allowed to cross the glass bridge. I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the bridge inside. It's a glass walkway, with 9,000 poppies underneath. The poppies represent the number of combatant deaths during WWI.

When you first enter the museum you are given the opportunity to see a short 12 minute video on the what started WWI. It was well done, and not too long that it would lose the interest of the kids. But if you have kids who won't be able to handle the movie, you can just walk right past it. After the movie ends, you can start to make your way through the gallery.

The gallery is set in a circle, and it is divided up by the beginning and end years. To the right is the early part of the war (1914-1917). To the left are the later years (1917-1919). The two sides are separated by Horizon Theater, where you can see another short clip on the war.

The early years part of the gallery has displays that shows the American effort both here, and abroad. And here is why I really recommend the Family Gallery Guide. It really encouraged us to look at the details of the various items on display.

There was not a shortage of cannons on display.

There is a room off the the side that has a long row of interactive tables. The kids really enjoyed spending time in there, just playing with the various table. There were also some booths where you could go inside and hear various speeches from that period. We didn't go in and listen. Maybe next time.

Interactive tables were a big hit. In the background are the booths to hear various speeches.

There was a wall that gave a chronology of the war. It even included some hand written journals.

Woodrow Wilson inauguration invitation.

And a cool collection of helmets.

The museum was lined with huge glass display cases, containing uniforms, swords, medals, etc.

There were also some trenches that allowed you to see what life on the front lines would have been like.

The trenches were surrounded by walls with little port holes where you could look inside.

Alex and the kids looking through one of the port holes.

You could hear gunshots and soldiers talking in the trenches.

Red Cross Nurse's uniforms

It's hard not to be in awe of the number of soldiers who fought in World War I.

The next part of the museum gallery covered 1917-1919. The two parts of the gallery are divided by a theater, with a a war scene below.The war scene uses mannequins dressed in soldier uniforms, walking across a battle field. The field is filled with various WWI artifacts.

Horizon Theater "No Man's Land" scene.

After we exited the theater, Nik spotted an "I want you for the US Army" sign. I don't know why, but he got a big kick out of it.

Mother Goose War Rhymes?

Drum and bugle.

How did they fit in that tent?

Quilt display

The kids really got into the whole soldier thing.

Nik pretending to be holding that gun behind him. Crazy kid.

Hospital cot.

Some of the medical tools used for surgery.

Trying to find our last scavenger hunt item.

Success!

After we completed the scavenger hunt, we let the kids pick out something from the gift shop, then made our way to the Liberty Memorial. As I mentioned earlier, it stands 217 feet tall. Nik is afraid of heights, but he reluctantly agreed to go up. There were signs warning that we would have to climb stairs, so we thought we might have to climb all the way up. But there was an elevator that took us up most of the way.