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Great Activities & Apps for Family Road Trips, Camping, & Other Summer Fun

Are you and the family planning your annual camping vacation or road trip? Have you promised your spouse that you won’t just pop another movie disk into the van’s DVD player to keep the kids from whining while you’re driving? Or will the children miss the sites along the way because they’ll be hypnotized by the latest video games?

So, what can parents do to keep the peace AND keep their families safe on America’s roadways this summer? In addition, what if the solutions also provided some learning experiences for the kids? That would be a great vacation, right?

We’ve assembled some ideas that might just fill the bill for today’s families. We think you’ll find some to be traditional while others might be new and different. We hope you’ll find at least a few options to help make this year’s summer vacation one where everyone in the family will feel like he/she actually had a vacation---especially Mom and Dad!

A. Games with a Purpose

Magnetic Travel Chess---No other game promotes and teaches good critical thinking and problem solving skills like the game of chess. Here is a magnetic version under $10 that can keep both kids and adults busy thinking for hours.
http://www.chesshouse.com/10_Magnetic_Folding_Travel_Chess_Set_p/e117.htm

Travel Games---Avoid boredom & restlessness when you play these travel games on the road!
http://familyfun.go.com/vacations/on-the-road-games/travel-games/

B. FREE Printable Learning Activities

36 Fun, Free Printable Travel Games to Entertain the Kids on Your Next Road Trip
http://parentables.howstuffworks.com/family-travel/36-free-printable-travel-games.html

Memory Games---These printable games can test kids' memories.
http://familyfun.go.com/vacations/on-the-road-games/memory-games/

Mazes---Kids can go on an a-maze-ing journey with this collection of printable mazes.
http://familyfun.go.com/vacations/on-the-road-games/mazes/

Matching Games---These FREE printable activity sheets can really get kids thinking!
http://familyfun.go.com/vacations/on-the-road-games/matching-games/

Printable Travel Activities for Kids
http://motherhood.yourway.net/printable-travel-activities-for-kids/

C. Travel Learning Apps for Your Tech Devices

Best Travel Apps for Kids (by Heidi Leder---June 01, 2012, Techlicious)
http://www.techlicious.com/guide/best-travel-apps-for-kids/

Apps to Keep Children Happy (by Michelle Higgins, published December 21, 2011)
http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/travel/apps-to-keep-children-happy.html

10 Best Family Travel Apps (Available on the Apple iTunes store via itunes.apple.com-Edited by Shiran Lugashi)
http://www.workingmother.com/family-travel/10-best-family-travel-apps

Best Travel Apps for Kids (by Jen Leo---May 24, 2012, Conde Nast Traveler)
http://travelkit.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/24/11642813-best-travel-apps-for-kids?lite

Happy traveling---and learning---to all our families on the road this summer!

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Clip art courtesy of: https://www.google.com/search?q=free+clip+art+for+family+summer+vacation&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=SU3dT47WPJSe8gS53_TZCg&ved=0CIgBELAE&biw=1257&bih=626

This past week, our team of consultants at Brennan Innovators attended The St. Louis Autism Conference (June 5 & 6, organized and sponsored by Touchpoint Autism Services). As we talked with the parents and service providers who asked about our reading tools, we were reminded again and again that sensory resources are key in helping to first soothe and then teach important concepts to children and adults on the spectrum. In addition, the more senses that are incorporated into the teaching process, the greater the learning success and retention will be for the learner.

Last December, we published a blog article here entitled Help for Struggling Readers with Sensory Needs. Since then, there have been a large number of visitors to that particular post. This past week, many conference attendees requested sensory resources and tools to aid them in their methods of instruction and care. We referred them to our December post. However, we thought that in our blog this week, we would continue the discussion and provide additional sensory resources for the attendees and for our readers here.

The list to follow below here will provide just of few of the current online resources for sensory readers and learners. Please take advantage of them and feel free to let us know of others you have discovered. We’ll add them to our list!

Here are the sensory resources we have to offer this week:

FREE Sensory Resources (from Child 1st Publications)--Presents a powerful, multi-sensory approach to teaching reading - specifically for right brained learners including visual and kinesthetic learners and those with special needs.
http://www.child-1st.com/new_site/FreeStuff.html

Dyslexia and Multi-Sensory Reading Techniques--Students with dyslexia often learn best when taught using a multi-sensory approach.
http://www.brighthub.com/education/special/articles/84889.aspx

10 Apps for Learners Who Struggle with Reading and/or Writing--(from Paul Hamilton)
http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2012/02/21/10-apps-for-learners-who-struggle-with-reading-andor-writing/

Sensory Integration Resources--Numerous articles are listed here to help your child with sensory integration issues, including an interview with Carol Kranowitz, author of The Out of Sync Child.
http://www.comeunity.com/disability/sensory_integration/

More Sensory Information and Resources--General information and links of all types related to sensory integration are provided for parents (and teachers) on this website.
http://www.sensoryresources.com/

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Clip art courtesy of: http://www.123rf.com/clipart-vector/sensory_perception.html

With summer here, it’s a great time to sharpen those critical thinking and problem solving skills. This week, we are bringing you collections of apps that will help to do just that. These apps can be used at home now during the summer break or in the classroom once the fall semester begins.

These apps focus on increasing critical thinking and brain-building skills that can enhance classroom center time, individual instruction time or even serve to teach kids problem solving skills once they've finished their other work. In addition, when you improve brain "connectivity" and function, you improve all other cognitive skills---even one's reading ability and academic SUCCESS!

We hope you will find this list of apps to be most helpful for giving your brain a “tune-up” in the days ahead. At the same time, you will probably find them entertaining as well! Enjoy!

A collection of critical thinking apps---all in one place!
http://teacherswithapps.com/tag/critical-thinking-apps/

Think-O-Meter App---The Think-O-Meter app here will test your critical thinking skills.
http://critical-thinkers.com/2011/03/critical-thinking-theres-an-app-for-that/

A FREE critical thinking app: Idea Sketch app
http://d20ipadusergroup.wikispaces.com/Critical+Thinking+Apps

Discovery Learning: Games Designed to Let You Fail---A collection of apps (some FREE, some for low cost)
http://appsineducation.blogspot.com/2012/01/ipad-games-designed-to-make-you-fail.html

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Clip art courtesy of: http://www.123rf.com/photo_3437622_a-light-bulb-shines-in-the-head-of-a-thinking-woman-concept-of-a-bright-idea-invention-inspiration-m.html

Do you need some organization in your life? We all know that this can be a challenge whether ADHD is a part of our lives or not. With our kids’ and our own schedules to manage, due dates for bills to remember, deadlines for projects at work and other responsibilities, we need a GOOD plan, the best strategies, and appropriate tools to help us get everything accomplished---on time. However, when ADHD is added to the mix, well, there may very well be a need for special tools to help us AND our families stay focused, on track, and organized.

We have gathered here this week a collection of apps to help you and the family to GET organized and STAY organized. You might want to try these over the summer break so that when fall arrives, and with it the new school year, you and the whole family will be pros at the organizational game!

To-Do List Apps for Kids and Adults with ADHD---A collection of apps that will help you put order into your life with ADHD
http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/8698.html

Students with ADHD Get Help from iPad App---Created to help users with ADHD improve executive functions of memory, concentration, and organization
http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/03/02/adhd-students-get-help-from-ipad-app.aspx

ADHD Organizer App for iPhone---This app lets you set goals and record your success in achieving them. It also lets you discover any weaknesses that need attention and improvement.
http://www.disabled-world.com/assistivedevices/apps/adhd-organizer.php

ADHD and iPads: 5 Apps to Make Life Easier---from the Reader’s Digest Editors
http://www.rd.com/health/adhd-and-ipads-5-apps-to-make-life-easier/

The 5 Best iPhone/iPad Apps for ADHD---by Mark Kawate
http://www.appsforadhd.com/appsforadhd/5bestiosapps.html

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Clipart courtesy of: http://classroomclipart.com/clipart/page-18/Clipart/Family.htm

Just a few days ago, we received some great news, and we’d like to share it with our blog readers. ADDitude magazine, the premier AD/HD publication for parents, teachers, and other adults, published an excellent product review of our Reading Focus Cards (U.S. Patent 7,565,759) in its Summer 2012 issue. We’re both pleased and excited to receive such a glowing review of our tools for struggling readers and thought it was about time that we shared this review with our readers here.

For a limited time (at the discretion of New Hope Media, the magazine’s publisher), you can read the Reading Focus Cards’ product review by accessing the digital version of the Summer 2012 issue of ADDitude. Just click on the following link and view the text at the bottom of p.15:

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=mypagesuite&refresh=z18P7N0wJ1p2&PBID=88db2084-4c9e-4f20-ac1d-6d46b793934e&skip=

We are grateful to Mr. Wayne Kalyn and his staff at New Hope Media for this great review. We have been receiving so many orders for our Reading Focus Cards since the Summer 2012 issue of ADDitude hit the stands on May 8! Thank you, ADDitude!

Happy Reading with our Reading Focus Cards, everyone!

PRLog's press release about ADDitude Magazine's independent product review of the Reading Focus Card: http://prlog.org/11915185

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Photo courtesy of ADDitude Magazine, a publication of New Hope Media, from http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=mypagesuite&refresh=z18P7N0wJ1p2&PBID=88db2084-4c9e-4f20-ac1d-6d46b793934e&skip=

With summer nearly upon us, there are some students and their parents who may be searching for good apps to improve in the following reading skill areas:

• Focusing
• Word-attack skills
• Fluency
• Tracking
• Comprehension
• Retention

We thought this would be an ideal time to provide our readers with apps for these specific skill areas. That way, over the summer break, students (and others) might be able to “brush up on” areas of weakness so that they will be improved by the time the new fall term begins. Here, then, is our list of APPS for the above reading skills:

Reading Skills Apps

Reading Remedies This app is like having shelves of assessment books and binders of "go to activities" in your pocket or at your fingertips. This is a great site for reading teachers or parents of struggling readers.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reading-remedies/id423213168?mt=8

FREE Word Attack App for Android Improve your vocabulary while having fun with this improved variation of the word-search game genre. No rules. Words appear in any location in any order. Find the words based on the given hints. Installs on external SD card for Froyo.
http://www.freeware4android.net/google-android-2-2-1-device-1909/word-games-tag/word-attack-download-40234.html

Word-Attack Apps for iPhone, iPad Good apps for improving a reader’s word-attack skills (some FREE)
http://appfinder.lisisoft.com/ipad-iphone-apps/word-attack.html

Top 12 Reading Comprehension Apps (from Reading Rockets) Apps that provide practice with specific comprehension skills, including sequencing, differentiating between fact and opinion, developing word awareness (through ant¬onyms, synonyms, and homophones), as well as several mind mapping apps (some FREE).
http://www.readingrockets.org/pdfs/Top-12-Comprehension-Apps.pdf

There’s a Special App for That – Part 7: Apps That Support Literacy Instruction Part 7 of “There’s A Special App For That” series on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad apps for students with special needs. (Scroll past chart with 7 building blocks of literacy to access Part 7’s apps.)
http://www.inov8-ed.com/2011/03/theres-a-special-app-for-that-part-7-apps-that-support-literacy-instruction/

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Clip art courtesy of: http://www.clker.com/clipart-64843.html by: lizsantiago07

Learning does not come easily for every student. Parents and teachers often look for specific strategies and resources to assist struggling readers and learners, especially those with AD/HD, dyslexia, or other issues. Here are just a few that you might consider for the challenged student(s) in your life:

1. Request or allow for course and book content to be available via audiotape, CD, or DVD.

2. Use a portable, hand-held spell checker (such as the Franklin Spelling Ace) for unknown words.

3. Use graph paper or Reading Focus Cards for math to promote accurate placeholder work.

4. Use interactive computer reading programs that require only a limited number of tasks at a time.

5. Underline or highlight important key words in a set of directions BEFORE beginning an assignment.

6. Fold a worksheet so that only a small amount of text, information, or problems is visible at one time. Using individualized tools can help with this as well.

7. Allow for moving to optional work areas with less distraction.

8. Allow for the experience of a variety of sensory learning techniques such as those from the use of a computer, tape recorder, projector, and manipulatives. The more senses you appeal to in the learning process, the more success the student will experience.

9. Use word processors or computers to complete written work, especially when writing is a struggle.

10. Allow for kneeling or standing at a desk (if needed), as long as it does not cause problems or distractions for others.

11. Allow for access to a copy of prepared notes, especially after a teaching session or discussion.

12. Arrange for a second set of textbooks at home so that materials are always at hand when needed.

13. Use very low-volume music (instrumental) or environmental sounds (seashore or other nature sounds) while doing independent work.

14. Allow for student to work cooperatively at times with others as part of a "buddy" system of support.

15. Use colored paper for all printed materials including worksheets, outlines, notes, etc. Experiment with pastels as well as bright shades. One particular color may produce the best results for an individual.

16. Consider the use of colored overlays or the Reading Focus Cards for focus and reading challenges because the white background of a page of text can be visually “offensive” to some readers/learners.

17. Try visiting math.com or www.khanacademy.org as well as other similar free websites for help with specific math and science challenges.

18. Reading Focus Cards can be used with iPads and other e-tablets (Model #002-Longer). They are also very good for use with Kindles, Nooks, and other e-readers (Model #001-Shorter). Recommendation: A non-scratch film should be used to protect tech devices’ screens with this application.

19. List of Android APPS for Special Needs (some pricey/some FREE) http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/special+education

20. List of iPad APPS for Special Needs http://helpforstrugglingreaders.blogspot.com/2012/03/basket-of-special-needs-apps.html

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Clip art courtesy of: http://www.clipartguide.com/_search_terms/reading.html