Friday, February 1, 2013

That's My Bird!

When I saw this come across Pinterest a few days ago, I couldn't help but think of Lily Bird:



I think most special needs parents can relate to this.  Our kiddos tend to look at the world just a little bit differently.

In fact, here's more proof of that thought.

While most children would look at this as a simple climbing structure, not so with the Bird.

I mean, anyone can just climb.



But it takes a true "outside the box" thinker to know that there is more than one way to play.





Truth be told, sometimes it can be frustrating to me that typical toys don't appeal to Lily.  But if I've learned anything from the Bird,  it's that there is more to a toy than its one intended purpose.  And many things I would not consider "toys" can actually be used for all kinds of fun.

The blog, Snagglebox, just posted a great article on the topic of play and it's worth a read.  It's a wonderful reminder that while Lily might need a little more guidance than neurotypical children, oftentimes, it's my definition of play that needs to be broadened.  And the post has lots of good tips to help me do just that.

Now get out there and play with your kiddos!

Have a great weekend.

Dog Update - For those of you wondering how the dog experiment is going... Lily is still not paying a lick of attention to Prada.  And on Tuesday, I'm being tested to find out if I'm allergic to dogs. It's always an (outside the box) adventure with the Rushes!


16 comments:

  1. It's rather appropriate that the climber should be turned into a "Bird's nest," now isn't it? ;-)

    And yes... that play thing comes back to bite us in the butt often. I keep thinking we've got it all nailed and then Little Miss shows me something entirely unexpected. But you know what? I kinda like it that way :-)

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    1. Really, with all the creative ways our kids come up with to use their "toys", we could say we get more "bang for our buck", right? Totally getting our money's worth....

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  2. Love the attached article re: play!!!

    And as far as the out of the box play goes, I have always been intimidated by heights and remember wanting to climb on those, but never could find the courage to. If I could have played like Lily, imagine the fun I could have had!!! She may have "play" figured out better than any of us could ever hope to!!!

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    1. Lily has come such a long way in her play skills that I honestly am so happy just to see her interacting with toys, I really don't care if it's "the right way" or not. :)

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  3. I'm with Darla on this one! I was always afraid of the height on those climbing structures. I LOVE what Lily has done by turning it right-side up! She has made a safe enclosure, her own little play house, a huge rocking chair, a fort....whatever she wants it to be! And it's just for her! She is one smart little cookie.

    Sorry to hear about the potential allergy! And you may think Lily is ignoring Prada but trust me. She is not. When our dog was around (she passed a couple years ago) it always seemed Toots was ignoring her, but she was always with him and he was next to her, even though he wouldn't look at or talk to her. He now talks about her once in a while. You know, it the same old thing - our kids know and feel much more than they show. xoxo

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    1. Playing is just another way Lily keeps me on my toes! And the jury is still out on Prada.... but it's not looking great. Now my Reagan is down with severe allergies. :(

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  4. Hi there! I'm Bec from Snagglebox and I found you after people were wandering over to my blog from your link. Thank you for sharing the article about play, I'm so glad you did because I got to find my way over here, your blog is great! So hello, it's nice to meet you :)

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    1. Hey Bec! You have an awesome blog full of good info - I was happy to pass it along to my readers. Thanks for the comment - and nice to meet you, too!

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  5. I LOVE that she turned it over!! You're so right, often it's our own ideas and thought processes that need to be broadened. Lily Bird is one smart cookie!!
    E.

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    1. I thought it was so funny when the article pointed out that we'll praise a kid for tapping a rubber hammer on the floor and yet if a child with autism does the exact same thing - tapping on the floor but uses a shoe instead, we call it "not playing". It's really the same thing! We just get so wrapped up in what is "appropriate play".

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  6. Yeah, I can totally relate to that! In our house, toys are also very often not used in the way they are intended to be! :-)

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    1. Just means almost anything can be a "toy", right? :)

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  7. Owen would do exactly like The Bird. Exactly. :-)

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    1. Wouldn't it be great if Owen and Lily could play together? Think of the fun they would come up with...

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