During this past week, my daughter has been at church camp. My son is old enough to go, however, due to his autism, he would need a personal counselor to help him get through the day’s activities and I think the boy would only want to stay no more than 3 days. After that, he would be more than ready to go home and back to his routine. So for the week that Heather is off having fun at camp, Kylin is home, living the life of an only child. In the beginning, this sounds appealing to those who live with siblings, however it doesn’t take long for the boy to become bored. So Kevin and I try to add some fun activities to his week. That way both kids can say that they enjoyed their weeks (hopefully).
When Heather was a baby, Kevin used to take the occasional business trip. So I would buy a set of blank notecards and write a little note for him to read for every day that he was away from us. Sometimes, he would do the same and sometimes, he would include directions to follow to find a surprise that he had hidden in the house, such as candy or toys for the kids. When Heather started going to camp, I started writing notes for her. She then decided that perhaps it might be easier for the week to pass for Kylin, if she left for him a daily note that included directions to find a little gift (and a picture that she had drawn of a favorite cartoon or videogame character). So when she’s at camp, the first thing that he wants to do after breakfast is to open that day’s note and find the gift (this year, he also video recorded himself giving reviews of each item).
So, here’s day 1
Day 2: A Rubber Snake!
Day 3: A “Cars 2” Paddle ball
Day 4: Hotwheels Emergency vehicle!
Day 5: A new “Cars 2” with mini Reese’s Peanut Butter cups (his favorite!)
His sister came home today. She greeted him with open arms and he skipped/ran right to her. He may not say that he misses her, but his parents can tell, and it really shows in his excitement when she comes back. And he gained 5 new items to enjoy!
Elizabeth 🙂
Miss Lisa's Life At Home 