Color Happy at Camp Abilities CT!

I have done a lot of super fun things with my students but this past August at Camp Abilities 2014 was hands down one of the best things I have done at camp. It started with the custom Carolina blue sunglasses that read Camp Abilities CT on the side. Next was the 75lbs of colored corn starch that I ordered. Then it was matter of planning with my team--what would be our route? All of this was in preparation for the first ever Color Happy Camp Abilities CT run!!

Holy cow, this was a BLAST!!! We lined up our guide runners for our cane users. We manned our color bomb stations. My student interns proudly took the last color bomb station. All of camp put on their white shirts and our run was on!

The colors were bright and fun to see for our low vision students. Our Braille readers got to touch, throw and bomb each other and got into the fun, too. Everyone at Camp Abilities CT was getting color happy :)

My interns and me. What a great time!

 All of our kids wore protective sunglasses. We did want to make sure that protective measures were taken. We did monitor to ensure eye safety. Our students that wear glasses wore these over their glasses. And you have to admit, the glasses are just plain out cool! How fun were these for our students to take back after camp to wear with their friends?!

 Here's Gissell (from last post) and me (with baby Abigail) at the run. 

I am SO proud of this girl!

Our fearless Camp Abilities CT  leadership team--what would I ever do without these guys?

 Why a Color Happy Run at a camp for children with vision impairments? Because it's a RAD thing to do! This was a great opportunity for our kids to get involved with something popular that their friends and family are doing. Running is a terrific lifelong activity for our kids to be involved with. 

 We also gave each person their own color bomb packet for our big party at the end of the race. We had a gauntlet that everyone ran through as we finished the race. 

This was just a total blast! I can't wait to do it again!!

You can do this, too! We ordered the color cornstarch from Hippie Powder and the glasses were custom made from 4Imprints. We planned a clear trail and assigned guide runners and supervisors throughout the course. All of our color bomb stations colored our kids as they ran past. Then we just had fun and bombed each other at the end. Let me know if you do one. I would love to see pics!

Camp Abilities CT Ice Bucket Challenge

Do you remember what week it is? It's my favorite week of the year: Camp Abilities CT!! Woot! Woot! Among the many awesome things we did was taking on the ALS ice bucket challenge. I'll have more on what we did at Camp Abilities CT next week. But for now, here's us taking on the ice bucket challenge! 

My handsome husband, Todd, and me after taking the ice! Watch the video closely as you will see that our track specialist, Joey, dumps another bucket over me (making that TWO ice cold buckets!).

Beep Kickball Tutorial

Hi friends,
Here is the last of the recreation game tutorials that we have made this year. Last but not least is beep kickball. I've blogged before about beep kickball. We started playing it awhile back at camp as our opposite rotation to beep baseball. However, beep kickball quickly gained popularity and we play it all the time now without needing an opposite rotation. We have so much fun with it! It's a great game that can be easily and quickly taught. See my other posts on the official rules and game play. Here is our latest and greatest tutorial starring another of my fave PE teachers, Craig Boucher. 

Modified Team Handball Tutorial

I am SO excited to share this tutorial!! This is the modified team handball tutorial and this game is SO MUCH FUN! We have successfully played modified team handball several times with students as young as 2nd grade and with a range of vision impairments. We have had some dynamite totally blind youth and adults play this game with so much success. 

Our trial game of modified team handball 2012 at Girls Weekend

A few of the key points to remember: 

• Use the numbered pinnies!! You need the numbers to help with the passing sequence and for the man-to-man defense. 
• Practice the passing drills before playing a live game.
• Use good communication between players ("Passing", "Got it!")
• Have guides on the field (in the game) and as referees.

We play modified team handball with a beep kickball. We love this ball! It's light weight, good sound and has so many uses for different sports (including beep kickball---keep an eye out for that tutorial next!) Here's where you can buy your beep kickball: http://www.beepkickball.com. Judy, over at the National Beep Kickball Association, is a stellar lady who gives great customer service. 

We have played this game enough times to work out the bugs and modifications. Lots of our students have given great feedback to make this game fun and run smoothly.

This is the brainchild of Lauren Andersen and me with the vision modifications. Lauren does a great job of teaching on the tutorial. 

I would love to hear feedback about playing. Feel free to email me questions or feedback after you play. Our tutorial shows three players per team but we usually play with about 5 (max) per team. 

Beep Kickball fun

I thought it would be fun to show some of us teachers (including me!!) having fun with beep kickball. We decided to pull some pranks on each other while playing. You can also see how beep kickball is played. Notice the teacher positions the athlete that is at bat. This is definitely not an instruction video but I thought it would be fun to share!

Beep Kickball!!

I know what you are thinking...you visited my blog this past week and were bummed because I hadn't posted anything new. I know, I know, but I had good reason. This past week I purchased two new beep kickballs and took them to camp to try them out and now I am blogging all about it. I got word of beep kickball and was definitely intrigued about it. After all, who doesn't love kickball? We gave it a test run this past weekend program and it was a huge hit! Our students loved it! They had a great success rate. Here's all the info on beep kickball. 

First, here's the site where you can purchase the beep kickballs and get more information: http://www.beepkickball.com/

Second, here's the beep kickball:

And this is how you play:
 Beep Kickball Guide
 Compiled by John Peralta, Adapted PE Teacher, modified by Judy Byrd
 Rules:
        Six (6) innings of play, unless more are needed to break a tie.
        Three (3) outs per inning. An out is made if the ball if fielded before the runner gets to his or her padded cylinder (Beeping Bag/base).
        A kicker is allowed three kicks. Fouls count as kicks.  The third kick must be a clean miss. The umpire hands the kicker the beeping ball and the kicker may place kick or drop kick the ball starting with his foot on home plate.
        First and third bases, four foot padded cylinders with speakers, are placed 75 feet down their respective lines and ten (10) feet off the foul line.
        A kicked ball must travel at 30 feet to be considered fair. A kicked ball that does not reach the 30 foot line is considered foul. A ball that travels one hundred feet in the air is considered a home run.

 Fielding:
        VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW FIELDERS NUMBERS. Vests with numbers may be helpful.
        Six players on defense with numbers starting with  the first baseman as one; two, right fielder; three, middle; four, left fielder; five, third baseman; and six, back fielder.
·        There are two sighted spotters positioned in the outfield, one on either side of the field (one field spotter is also allowed, positioned in center outfield). These people are very important to a team’s success. They need to make quick and accurate calls (fielder’s numbers) to where the ball is heading. Ex (ball is hit towards left field the spotters most yell 4 so that all fielders move towards the ball).Spotters may only call out one number if they call out more than one number the runner is awarded the run. 
 Modification for elementary aged kids:

 Foul arc is 25 feet, bases are 60 feet and home run is 75 feet.


The beep kickballs cost about $100. All the proceeds go directly back to the organization. They are very nice there and work hard to provide opportunities for our kids to play. We loved it and will definitely be playing it at Camp Abilities CT this year!!

Our adventures of beep kickball:

My fave APE teachers who teach at our programs wearing our beep blacked out goggles with our base.

We had a teachers vs. students game. Here's one of our PE teachers up to bat. 

Students listen for the base and then run towards it. 

We use an APH Sound Source for a better sound with our bases. 

Camp Abilities CT Wants You!!

And now....a word from our favorite camp, CAMP ABILITIES CT...

(applause now)

Hi blog friends, this is just a friendly ad to recruit college students to come and be

 part of Camp Abilities CT 2012! It is my favorite week of the year (seriously, it totally is!!)

I am now actively recruiting for physical education, adapted physical education, special education, recreation therapy majors and all other related majors to come be part of 

our camp team. 

Please visit the Camp Abilities CT website for the application and more information 

about Camp Abilities CT.

I hope to see some of you soon!!

www.campabilitiesct.org

"It's not about what we SEE...It's about what we DO!"

Cane holder

Before I can share why I wanted to blog this piece, I have to give major props to the source of this week's inspiration. This DIY vision project is courtesy of Channel 3 Kids Camp in Andover CT. Our agency has been partnering with them for two years for our super awesome Camp Abilities (and other programs). Their entire staff has been so thoughtful and creative to come up with ideas for our kiddos. 

That being said, let me unveil my latest DIY vision project:

How cool is this idea? Mark, from C3KC, constructed this for us. With so many canes, it is easy to lose someone's! That is why we have the Cane Drop Box. As soon as students arrive, we tag their cane with their names. At each rotation we have a box (in the same spot) that students drop their canes in.

I don't have the dimensions to construct this but I think you can get the jist from the pictures. I am so happy to work with people who are thoughtful (in all the right ways) about helping our kids get out and have fun at camp. 

I love it!

This week I am sharing from students. I love asking them to contribute to my blog. They have such great insight and remain my favorite teachers for children with vision impairments. This week we are delighted to read from my student Cody. As most of you know, he is amazing and is a senior in high school. He's going to be a TVI and volunteers at a number of camps including Camp Abilities CT and Alaska (feel free to donate to his Alaska fundraising effort right here on The Bee...). This is his perspective on going away to camp. I want all my parents to read this!!

Hey Everyone,
I’m going to tell you a little story.  When I was 9, my parents arranged for me to go to a summer camp for children with vision impairments.  As much as I hated the thought of being away from “Mommy and Daddy” for a whole week, I was having fun the minute I got there.  I went back to the same camp year after year and this will be my 9th year (this time as a counselor).  Camp I think is an experience that is helpful for every child.  It helps the child be more independent, more social and to become familiar with an unfamiliar environment.  It’s like a little real world mockup.  
There are many summer Camp Programs around the country (such as the one I went to when I was 9) that cater especially to children with vision impairments.  These programs focus on independent living skills, orientation and mobility skills and there are too many types to count.  There are sports camps, music camps, outdoor education camps, wrestling camps and there is even a space camp and all are designed for children with vision impairments.  
There are so many benefits to these types of programs that there is no way I can name all of them but one big one that stands out is that they allow legally blind children meet other kids who are just like them.  In my school I am the only person I know with a vision impairment but at camp everyone has a vision impairment.  IT’S AWESOME!  The leadership opportunities, the skills being taught and the family component, it’s all there.  To parents who have visually impaired children I would say “There is no better experience than CAMP”!  

 

My editor note: This is Cody and Justin (APE teacher, has posts right here on The Bee) at Camp Abilities CT 2010. We are actually having one of my favorite moments of camp when this picture was taken. Cody was the Senior CIT. He has progressed in his leadership and was the Student Supervisor (responsible for all the CITs at Camp CT 2011). FUN TIMES!!

Some great examples are:

Camp Abilities A sports camp with locations around the world.
Camp Inter-Actions A music and arts camp in Georges Mills New Hampshire
Adirondack Experience VI Teens An outdoor education camp in upstate NY
SCI-VIS A Space Camp in Huntsville Alabama

All of these camps are designed for children with vision impairments.

For more information---

Camp Inter-Actions, http://inter-actions.org/

Camp Abilities Brockport (New York State & info on other Camp Abilities programs): http://www.campabilitiesbrockport.org/

Camp Abilities CT (for CT students only): http://www.campabilitiesct.org/

Adironadak Experience: http://adkexperience.com/about-us-mainmenu.html

Camp Abilities CT is currently recruiting for 2012! See our site for the application!!http://www.campabilitiesct.org/

Volunteer Recruit for Camp Abilities CT 2011

Volunteer Opportunities
for Camp Abilities Connecticut
August 16-20, 2011
(August 15th Staff Training Day)

Camp Abilities Connecticut
is looking for energetic new volunteers!

Requirements for volunteering:
Be able to pass a background check
Responsible and motivated
Have a background in special education,
camp counselor or physical education
Commitment for the entire week of camp & training day

Camp Abilities Connecticut is a one-week developmental sport camp
for children with vision impairments.
Activities include: wrestling, ropes course, aquatics,
soccer, track & field.
Camp Abilities also offers sports designed for children with
vision impairments such as goalball and beep baseball.

For more information:
Robbin Keating, Camp Abilities Director
Educational Projects Coordinator for the Board of Education & Services for the Blind
860-602-4222
robbin.keating@ct.gov

Check us out:

www.campabilitiesct.org

Pura Vida! Camp Abilities Costa Rica

Hola!

Did everyone wonder where I went for the past couple of weeks? No worries, I am back and better than ever! I had the opportunity to go to Camp Abilities Costa Rica. Thank you everyone who supported that effort. It was one of the best things I have ever done both professionally and personally.

I honestly sit here and don't know where to exactly start. I love working with children with vision impairments anywhere but part of my heart now belongs to Costa Rica and to the students that I met there. I was reminded that culture is no barrier when it comes to loving teaching.

If you think I am going to sit here and tell you some sad story about a child who had nothing, you are reading the wrong blog! What I will blog about are the amazing student athletes I had the honor of teaching, the colleagues I learned from and the university physical education teachers I could serve with. Pura Vida!

Here's something that did blow me away: teaching soccer to children with vision impairments. I have never thought of teaching this sport before as I (mistakenly) believed it was a visual sport. In fact, as my Costa Rican university students were teaching me about it, I sat back skeptical. I am so happy to admit that I was wrong!! So, if you a soccer loving family that doesn't know how to integrate soccer into your child with a vision impairment's life, we need to talk!!

They did soccer for two days with small group rotations. Several of the students did have one-on-one teachers but they were all taught each skill of traditional soccer. They were taught to dribble, pass, hit with their heads and knees and shoot to score a goal. They even had a soccer game! I learned so much from this soccer experience that I am teaching soccer at my Camp Abilities in Connecticut this summer!!

*Another thing that made their soccer instruction more effective than mine in the states was the soccer ball they used. I have ordered traditional jingle bell soccer balls which are very hard to hear. They used a soccer ball that was made from a lightweight aluminum-type material with beans inside. The material was then covered by a traditional soccer ball covering. It made so much noise! I am getting the resource so I can order them. I will definitely share once I get it!!

The students who attended this program were so beautiful inside and out. I made several of them and the university physical education teachers pinky promise to keep in touch with me. There is something about a program like Camp Abilities that just binds people (even when you can barely speak the language--despite studying for months! My Spanish was....mostly understandable). I am so thankful to have spent the time I did in Costa Rica.

Now I will be honest about one thing that did make me feel a bit sad. There were a few things that made me sit back and think of how grateful we are in the States (not every State but at least mine) when it came to resources. One of the students who was almost 5'10 in height was using a ski pole for a cane. Several of the students didn't have roller ball tips at the ends of their canes (which makes sweeping a broken surface like just about every street in Costa Rica almost impossible). I learned that most of them had JAWS but never heard of a Braille note or other notetaker device. I learned that most of them are using a slate and stylus to take all of their notes. They have to purchase all of their equipment from the States. That made me sad especially when my students here in CT have so much.

So here's what I decided (no dwelling on the sad, let's make a solution!): I am collecting resources and in good condition technology and materials for my dear friends in Costa Rica. If you want to be part of this, email me (robbin.keating@gmail.com).

This blog post doesn't do my love for Costa Rica any justice. I can't really articulate how much I loved being part of Camp Abilities Costa Rica.

My student Cody is doing something awesome! See how you can be part of it!

I have a student that I have worked with for a year named Cody Laplante. He is a junior in high school and is visually impaired. Last year he worked at the Connecticut chapter of Camp Abilities as the senior counselor-in-training and did an AMAZING job! He has been observing the field of vision impairment education for awhile now and has decided that this is the career he would like to pursue.

Cody is one talented young man. I work with him as an intern at several of my programs and in a group called Student Advisory Council (a group for teens who have vision impairments). I am constantly impressed at his maturity, kindness and natural ability to be a teacher. At Camp Abilities Connecticut, he was a CIT for a group of students who had multiple impairments. Every time I observed Cody he was acting and teaching as I would. He is a natural teacher and his personal empathy for others who have vision impairments is inspiring to me as one of his teachers. I wish I could clone Cody and put him all over the state! He is always one of the first students I turn to to help me help another student with a vision impairment feel welcomed or supported.

Cody is one rock star student and he has taken it upon himself to fundraise money to go to the Alaska Camp Abilities. He has done all the work for this himself; relying only on myself, Justin and his parents for guidance.

Cody created his own webpage for fundraising. Here's the link: http://tryingtogettocampabilities.weebly.com/index.html

Please donate! Camp Abilities Alaska is co-directed by Justin Haegele (who you have read articles from right here on The Bee). They do great things at the Alaska chapter. Again, please donate! Every little bit helps :)

Camp Abilities Costa Rica

Hola! I am excited about my adventure: Camp Abilities Costa Rica!

I am excited to share with you my good news! I will be part of a team that is going to Costa Rica for a program called Camp Abilities. Camp Abilities gives children and youth who are blind and visually impaired the opportunity to discover their abilities as they get to play and be active. I love this program! Camp Abilities programs started in Brockport, New York and is now all over the country. I am also proud to say that I started Camp Abilities chapter in Connecticut last year.

Camp Abilities Costa Rica will be in March from the 16-20, 2011. I will be facilitating the vision impairment training for 30 volunteers on March 16. This is the first year for Camp Abilities Costa Rica. They have 23 students of all ages, vision impairments and abilities participating. Camp Abilities Costa Rica will be at Universidad de Costa Rica Cede del Atlantico.

I am proud to be part of the Camp Abilities Costa Rica training team. I will provide the vision impairment training for 30 volunteers on March 16. I have jumped into learning Spanish and preparing for my training. Camp Abilities Costa Rica has limited resources for programming needs for their program. I am asking for donations for resources, equipment and travel needs for Camp Abilities Costa Rica. I would like to purchase specialized sports equipment such as beep baseballs to donate for future Camp Abilities. I am also fundraising for travel needs and additional resources to support a successful camp. It is my goal to raise $600 for Camp Abilities Costa Rica. For more information about Camp Abilities programs, you can visit the main program, http://www.campabilities.org/. You can also visit the Camp Abilities Connecticut site, http://www.campabilitiesct.org/. I am the program director for Camp Abilities Connecticut.

I would appreciate a donation of any amount. I have opened a Paypal fundraising account for this program. I hope to reach my goal so I can help support a successful start to Camp Abilities Costa Rica. All of the equipment and supplies I purchase will be donated to their program for current and future use. Thank you for supporting my efforts to go to Costa Rica. I love teaching children who are blind and visually impaired. I am excited to go to a new area and train other professionals and meet new students.

Here's how you can help: Click on the DONATE button on the sidebar of the blog. It will take you to the Paypal site and you can make your donation.

Please let me know that you donated. I want to personally thank everyone who supports me. I will also post pictures of Camp Abilities Costa Rica on my blog. Feel free to contact me for additional information about Camp Abilities Costa Rica, vision impairment education or how you can be part of Camp Abilities Connecticut.

Thank you for your support! Remember, “it’s not about what we SEE, it’s about what we DO” (Camp Abilities Connecticut motto).

Robbin Keating
robbin.keating@gmail.com

This is me doing archery under simulation at Camp Abilities Connecticut.

I actuallyhit the target!

Beepball tutorial from APE teacher & Camp Abilities students

I am happy to post the link to the first of hopefully more APE tutorials. This one is the beep baseball tutorial. It is lead by Justin Haegele, APE teacher. Beepball is a fun activity that our students play. It's also rad to get the whole family, classroom or even the neighborhood in on a game. We did it for family fun night at Camp Abilities and had a blast.

Basic equipment for playing beep baseball:
--blindfolds
--large cones/standard beepball bases
--APH soundsource or other auditory sound source
--a batting tee
--beepball baseball
--bat

Check out the National Beep Baseball Association for more information, http://www.nbba.org/about_game.htm

Check out the beep baseball tutorial featuring Justin & the Camp Abilities counselor-in-trainings, http://www.youtube.com/editor


Grab a bat, a blindfold and some friends and have some fun!

The pictures show some of our Camp Abilities CT Counselors-in-Training, along with our camp photo.

Camp Abilities Connecticut is a sports camp program for children ages 10-14 who are blind or have low vision. This overnight camp experience introduces children to a variety of sports, including goalball, swimming, beep baseball, team building, and adventure-based activities. The purpose of the camp is to empower children to be physically active, improve athletes' overall health and wellness, encourage athletes to make food choices that support an active lifestyle, and develop athletes' confidence and self-esteem through sport and physical activity.

Do it at home: Check out the Camp Abilities CT website (www.campabilitiesct.org) for ideas for sports and for links to other Camp Abilities sites.

Camp Abilities

Hi everyone, I am excited to share a link to the Camp Abilities Connecticut site. Camp Abilities is a camp that provides traditional camp experiences for children with vision impairments. They have Camp Abilities across the country. This year, they have Camp Abilities in Alaska, Brockport New York, among other cities.
On the Camp Abilities Connecticut page, you can find the links to all of the other operating Camp Abilities across the United States. This is a great camp! I am so excited to launch this program in Connecticut.


At Camp Abilities Connecticut, the age range is entering 5th grade through entering 9th grade. We have 5 Counselor-in Trainings (CITs)who are legally blind. Our CITs will be mentoring our younger campers.


The link to Camp Abilities Connecticut is wwww.campabilitiesct.org. The site is a work in progress right now. It has lots of good information but no pictures just yet. We will have pictures up and running when we start camp on August 15, 2010.