Dear Addie,
Fall is finally here! The leaves are beginning to change to warm colors, and the temperature is not 1000 degrees, so with the luxury of being homeschooled part-time by mommy, we headed outside to do our school lessons.
With an unusually cool, 70-degree breeze blowing through, we set up a drop cloth in the driveway and started the day with a finger-painting project. After discussing things we saw all around us: trees, leaves, birds, etc., we started painting a picture of what would resemble "fall." Now, having known you your entire life, I knew exactly what was about to go down. We set the paints out, and you requested a color one by one. I put a little bit in each hand; you touched it to your lips, cheek, and the paper. Every time, exactly the same. I'll admit when it comes to arts and crafts (except for glitter), I have never fussed over a mess with any of you, so none of this has ever surprised or bothered me. But the rigidity in which you do it, I have always taken note too.
*Painting through the years
*painting this week
You see, Addie, our faces are very sensitive to touch. Have you ever seen a baby soothe themselves by rubbing or holding a blanket to their face? Or when something is really super soft, it's common to rub it on your cheek instinctively. There is something just very calming about it all. I know that a spa facial is wildly relaxing and can have a lasting effect all day. I should probably schedule a facial, you know, for research purposes, but I digress. So, without a medical degree and only raising a child with sensory processing disorder (SPD) for almost 13 years, I feel pretty confident you do this for actual tactile purposes related to sensory processing and your sensory diet (with perhaps a touch of OCD at this point). We all know a good sensory diet helps with mood and focus, which brings me to what we did next.
After we completed our "fall" picture and cleaned up all the paint, we worked on rhyming words and spelling, which you did with extreme accuracy, focus, and clarity in speech, no doubt in my mind because of the sensory play beforehand.
Addie, this week was super beautiful, so we took school outside and had some good sensory fun, all while working hard on our reading and spelling. While I never imagined this is what school would look like for you right now, I am truly enjoying this time we get to learn together.
Keep it up, baby girl!
Love,
Mom
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