Let's Motor

Frankie had his first class at Let's Motor yesterday, he loved it! He had a one on one class with the owner which started with stretching and yoga. He and Lizzy make up yoga moves, so he loved this. He then got to do an obstacle course and some tumbling, jumping and climbing. In the beginning he painted a fish for the new mural and the session ended with a lollipop!
Let's Motor specializes in kids' with special needs, and the director has had other kids with albinism. It was very nice to have some work with Frankie who really gets him. We are excited for next week!

My Gym, your gym

Frankie had his second class at My Gym today. He has liked both classes and asks, "Mama, when can we go to your gym?" It is so cute, and a logical conclusion! : )
The first week one of the instructors remembered him from last year and put tape on the bottom stairs of the ladders, so he knew when he was at the bottom. That works well for him, because the blue stairs and blue rug and difficult for him. The other instructor did not know his vision limitations and was abrupt with him when he was not sure where to go, sat on the wrong line, etc. So I talked to her today and she seemed to be more helpful towards him. So it is a good winter activity and he can practice his climbing, jumping, gross motor skills.

"Jump, Jump went the Little Green Frog"

Frankie and I went back to "Books and Babies" storytime at the library today. We go their early so that we could get a good seat. Frankie got a mat to sit on, and we put it close up in the front near the storyboard, where the librarian sits. I wanted to ask her ahead of time what the story was about so I could bring a prop, but did not get a chance this week!
Frankie did much better than last time. Sitting close helped him to look in that direction and see a little more of it, I think. He even got up to jump a little to "Jump, Jump went the Little Green Frog". Overall it was a much better experience than last time and we made it to the end to get a sticker!!

Update on My Gym

Frankie had his second class at My Gym on Monday. I asked the teacher if he could put tape on the bottom stair so Frankie could see when he was at the last stair. So a strip of yellow tape was put on the top edge of the stair.
It seemed to make a difference for him. Last week he would not know when he was at the bottom stair and sometimes fall off. This week I told him the yellow tape would be the last stair and then he had to step down one more time. He seemed to do quite well!

Large groups vs. small groups

I took Frankie to "Books and Babies" at our library on Friday, for children under 2. They have music, dancing, stories, puppets, etc. When I brought Lizzy when she was younger, she loved it! Frankie wanted to leave out the door and then started crying. I did not want to disrupt everyone, so we had to leave early.
He does so well at his EI class, and I was wondering about the differences between the 2. The EI class is small, about 8 kids in a circle, with the moms behind them. Each child sits on his own mat in the circle, so he has his own space. The teacher is at the front and every child can see her well. The song titles are on sheets of laminated paper that the children can see clearly and hold.
The storytime at the library is great, but there are many more children. There were probably 30 children plus their moms at the library. Each child does get a mat, but there is not a circle, people sit where they want in a big group. The teacher sits in the front on a chair, far away from some of the kids who are not siting in the front row. She reads a story with a flannel board to illustrate.
It is a great program, but I did not realize until after how hard it would be for Frankie. The amount of people was too much for him, he does not do well in large groups. We were sitting towards the front, but still not close enough that he could see the teacher clearly, and he probably could not even tell that she had a book. He would have had to sit on her lap to see it! Same with the flannel figures. It was just not interesting to him, because he could not see what was going on. I was encouraging him to sit even closer, but he was overwhelmed by this point and just wanted to leave.
I want to try again and this time get there early so we can get a close seat. I think I will talk to the librarian about his low vision and that he may need to get very close. Stayed tuned for how it goes.

My Gym class

Frankie won 4 free classes at My Gym! We went to the first one on Monday. The people were very nice and great with the kids. Frankie loved climbing up and down the stairs that lead up to a playhouse and slide. He didn't make it to the slide, he just enjoyed going up and down the stairs. They were small with a railing, so he was gaining more confidence. He had trouble seeing the last stair and realizing he was at the bottom. I was telling his EI teacher and she asked if there was tape on the stairs, so he would know where the edge was. I said no, the stairs were blue and the rug on the floor was blue, as well. It was a challenge because he could not distinguish between the blues and the depth of the last stair.
It just got me thinking about how things are not always going to be adapted for someone with a visual impairment. But he is determined and kept at those stairs most of the hour long class!