Austin Stanfel

As a society, we continue to grow and show progress in advocating for those with disabilities. There are whole communities that believe the parks should provide inclusive playground equipment that involves all kids. When a community pushes for more inclusive play, teachers, childcare employees, and additional caregivers seek a solution for these other kids. Let's do our part in including everyone during playtime. Use this guide to teach your little ones the best way to play with all the kids inclusively.  Why Disability Awareness is Important  As children grow older, they will more than likely encounter other children with disabilities. Kids often equate the concept of "fairness" to "being available to everyone," which is not always realistic for children with disabilities.  Imagine a line of children walking single file in the school hallways to go to the library on the second floor. As the group takes their first step up the stairs, they see their teacher allo...

I t's that time of year again! Cool breezes, warm sunshine, and color are everywhere! It would be a shame to let it go to waste and not enjoy it with the family with such beautiful scenery. So for some fall fun, check out the ideas below!  Jumping Into Leaves You can't beat the classics. There's nothing like working together to build an enormous pile you can and take turns pumping into, rolling in, and jumping through the pile, leaves scattering everywhere like fall confetti! If there aren't enough leaves in your yard, you can go to the local Outdoor Playground parks or ask your neighbors for their leaves. Start Fall Scavenger Hunts Scavenger hunts are great for kids all year-round. You could get a menagerie of fake little pumpkins, cut them open, fill them with prizes or candy, and hide them with one gold pumpkin determining a grand prize winner.  Have a Baking Day It does not fall without tasty recipes. Now you can bake recipes together that make autumn flavors come...

Now, more than ever, inclusivity is vital for schools. Inclusivity in schools helps students to feel safe and makes them feel valued. It makes them active learners and part of their education journey.  Here are just some of the ways that schools can promote inclusivity. These are simple methods that will have a significant effect on your students. What is Inclusivity? "Inclusivity" is not precisely an easy term to understand, yet people throw it around quite a lot. For education, 'inclusivity' means making all pupils feel valued in the classroom. Inclusivity is getting over any barriers to students' education to make them part of the classroom. These barriers can include being from a low-income background, speaking English as a second language, being from a minority group, or any other hurdle. Inclusivity means allowing all children to be in a safe and valued learning environment, no matter what barriers they might face. Accessibility in the Classroom and Playgrou...

As any teacher knows, students must be actively involved in their learning to retain information. Otherwise, they may become sidetracked, causing disruption in the classroom and getting distracted from instruction time. In this era of Zoom Classes, the World Health Organization has recommended an out-of-the-box way of learning – Outdoor Classes.  We're spending more time indoors and in front of a screen than ever before as technology continues to infiltrate our daily lives. Outdoor classroom settings are the only method for schools to continue in-person learning throughout the pandemic.  Even though this is a pandemic measure, studies have indicated that spending time outside rather than in front of a screen significantly impacts academic success. In addition, children who spend a lot of time outside are less likely to suffer emotional health problems later in life. There are several reasons to take your kids outside. Here are five benefits of outdoor learning–  Outdoors ...