Schedule
Monday to Thursday
The Early Birds: 8:45 to 9:15 a.m. (AST) / 9:15 to 9:45 p.m. (NST)
Leaping Lobster Club: 9:30 to 10 a.m. (AST) / 10 to 10:30 a.m. (NST)
Camp Barracuda: 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. (AST) / 10:45 to 11:15 a.m. (NST)
During these routine-based ½ hour, virtual sessions we will sing songs, engage with rhyme and fingerplay, and read short stories. Each week will feature a theme based on the current season. The content will include objects, concepts, and holidays/special events, based on the time of year and the typical activities that are around us. The year will be divided into 6 blocks (5-7 weeks in each block), with each block having a theme that will support the specific concepts we may be targeting (e.g., up/down, specific color, shape) for that period.
Participants will receive the content information (e.g., agendas, handouts, and a brief overview of that ‘block’) ahead of the start time. This will allow sufficient time for participants to prepare supporting materials that may enhance their experience and increase engagement.
Students will be introduced to a core group of songs, activities, and stories, allowing them to build understanding and familiarity to anticipate what is happening next, understand expectations, and build participation over time. The activities, songs, and stories may be beneficial to support developing visual behaviors, promote movement, support concept development, literacy, and communication skills.
The online session has been adapted to support students with a visual impairment, complex communication needs (CCN), and additional exceptionalities. Teaching and presentation strategies include reducing visual complexity, providing contrast, additional wait time, and embedding a variety of communication tools, to better reflect our learners and promote inclusion.
Participants will have multiple opportunities to engage with the facilitator and peers (e.g., say hello/goodbye, share their weather, show & share, and comment/respond). The sessions also work as a completely receptive activity and students/school teams are encouraged to participate to their comfort level.
These programs offer 3, 30-minute classes, 4 days per week (Monday-Thursday) for the school year. Participants are welcome to join as often as their schedules permit. Registration is open all year.
The Early Birds and Leaping Lobster Club
The Early Birds and Leaping Lobster Club will have similar content. They will include a core set of songs for hello/goodbye and the weather. They will also include action and counting songs, along with rhymes/poems, which will all relate to the theme of the week. There are many structured opportunities for students to engage (respond or comment) using their preferred communication method(s).
Camp Barracuda
*The Camp Barracuda group has been changed slightly this year to reflect feedback that participants valued increased engagement and conversation opportunities. For that reason, students will be encouraged to participate using their preferred communication style(s). For example, a student may be assigned to be the announcer that day and to tell the group the day/month/year. Other opportunities to share will be saying hello/goodbye, weather, telling the joke of the day, commenting on music, sharing likes/dislikes. The stories will be largely based on the theme and include more experience-type stories (e.g., to explore places in our community). There will also be more ‘repeat-after-me’ songs, to encourage increased participation.
Camp Barracuda will be a structured, yet student-interest based group. We will have a core outline with flexibility to target students’ specific interests to direct the ‘themes’ for each week. Initially we will focus on back to school, all about me and making friends, with the intention of then structuring future CB sessions based on student’s interests. The content (e.g., songs, jokes, stories) that week, will then be based on that interest to increase engagement and conversation.