"Children that have special needs very often have to be taught to play. It's not something that necessarily comes naturally to them. They have to be taught imagination - pretend play."
— Janet Sellars, Executive Director of the Frankie Lemmon School and Developmental Center, featured on WTVD's Heart of Carolina Perspectives Show October 16 discussing the Frankie Lemmon Foundation's involvement with the PlayHouse Parade in Cameron Village and how it will benefit both Frankie Lemmon and the Sassafras All Children's Playground. View at: http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=8390779
The trickers.
Back row (left to right): "Scarecrow" Miss Forbis, "Cat" Miss White. Front row: "Angry Bird" Ben, "Doctor" Cristopher, "Nascar Driver" Julian, "Lady Bug" Kamryn, "Buzz Lightyear" Cory, "Woody" Simon, "Dark Spiderman" Marlon.
The treaters. The treats.
1. Pumpkins—all these pumpkins. 2. A funny laugh from "Halloween Jack". 3. A visit from Lenora Evans, Executive Director of the Frankie Lemmon Foundation.
Once a year, my Frankie Lemmon friends and their teachers and staff, and even their parents, get to go the North Carolina State Fair. And this year, for the third time in a row, I got to go with them. Together, we tried to answer the question: "Is it possible to have too much fun?" Find the answer in this little movie...
Some of us were told we never stopped talking since the day we were born. Others of us never had that luxury and had to be taught…some later in life than others. Some of my friends at Frankie Lemmon can't seemingly understand, or even pay attention to, a word that anybody says. But here, they are taught not only how to sign, but how to speak. It is a gift to my friends, in a school where can be found many givers.
The gift of speech
Indeed, bring in all the great teachers and have them come to your child! And with that, we can all make hay!
Miss Forbis: "Last week we went to a farm and saw some real farm animals. We saw chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats, a donkey and even a baby cow. This week we'll explore 'behind the scenes' a little."
"No, we're not going to talk about armadillos. They don't live on a farm. And we're not going to Amarillo. We wouldn't get back in time to meet the buses. We're going to talk about farm animals. For example, on the farm there's a red barn and in the barn there's a cow."
"That's right, Cristopher.
And there are sheep in the barn.
And sometimes the life of a chicken can be pretty scary!
"But, all in all, there's a lot going on at the farm. Watch this video and see!" (Mr. Pat: This movie features our friends along with Miss Forbis, Miss White, Miss Paula, Miss Taylor, a bunch of farm animals, and last, but not least, Jeanne and her wonderful girl Beagle named Gracie (from Carolina Canines).
Today, in a convoy of cars and church vans, we went on a field trip to a farm – not just any farm, mind you – "Uncle" Russell Vollmer's farm (www.vollmerfarm.com). It's just outside Bunn, NC in a beautiful country setting. Now this is a FARM! Not only does Uncle Russell have pick-your-own organic strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, but he has chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats, a donkey named Roscoe and a newborn calf named Peanuts.
But that's not all! He has something called the Back Forty Playground, where we found over two dozen outdoor fun and fitness attractions, including the Great Pumpkin Jump, the largest "Jumping Pillow" in North Carolina! We also took an amazing hayride, "milked" a cow and visited the Pumpkin Playground, where you can pick-your-own.
When I was a kid, school was NEVER like this; how sad! But anyhow, take a tour with us by video and see for yourself…
