Turkey Day

Gobble, gobble...it is soon going to be turkey day. Each week the kids get better at putting the letters together and reading words on their own. This is really fun. I was not sure I could really help beginning readers, but they are practicing every day and it really shows when they come to read to me each week. My friend Megan and I are having so much fun with them.

Reading

The kids are doing such a great job reading. Some of them like to brush me too. I really like that. They are learning about taking care of pets and how to be safe around pets also when we get together. I really look forward to reading with my friends at Alexander Doniphan School

New School Year

I am so excited we are starting a new school year of reading with the kids. This year I was asked to come three times a week and another school St. James Catholic School wants me to come and read with some kids. I started a few weeks ago. Megan comes to school on Thursday and I go Monday to St. James, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday to Doniphan. The kids are beginning readers and we are starting with the ABC books. It will be fun to watch and hear them learn how to put the letters together and learn to read.

Summer Camp 2009

One of my favorite things to do is play with the kids at summer camp. We go to Camp Carousel every year. The kids this year were playing a game. It was called dress up race. One of the teams needed an extra member and they invited me to be on their team. The idea of the game is that there is a pile of clothes at one end and the kids line up at the other end. They run down to the pile of clothes, put them on, take them off and then run back to the start. The first team to have all the members put on the clothes, take them off and run back win. Our team did not win, but we had so much fun. One lady took my picture just as I put the hat on my head. The kids weere laughing so hard they were rolling on the floor. I thought I looked pretty cool.

I had a great summer. We traveled a bit, went to the beach and had a blast.

End of Year Party

We completed our fourth year at Alexander Doniphan School. I just love going to school and reading with the kids. I hope they love me as much as I love them. They seem to really like it. Some of the kids even say they are better readers because I am such a good listener. They say I help them learn how to be more comfortable speaking out loud and they even raise their hand in class now and are not so afraid to speak out to answer a question.

Reading Progress

Reading Program Receives Blue Ribbon Award
The Greater Kansas City Association of School Librarians honored the “BowWOWing for Books” therapy dog reading program with their Blue Ribbon Award May 6. The R.E.A.D. (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) program is coordinated by library media specialist Joan Arth. The facilitators are Heddie Leger and Dana Marsh. Their canine partners are Hero, a Rottweiler and Megan, a Schnauzer. The students read 20 minutes once a week to their animal friend. The purpose is to allow students the experience of reading without the scrutiny of a teacher or parent. The animal-assisted therapy focuses on fluency, comprehension, confidence and a passion for reading.

School Days

Today was school day with the kids. There is nothing I love more than the kids. Mom had me wait by the door until they were ready to meet me. This was a new group. They called them special needs, and I thought they really were special. I brought along my table cloth and recipe for stone soup. The kids had fun taking turns setting the table (the felt table cloth goes over my back) and creating the soup, then stirring, sharing and eating it (all make believe of course) with the felt ingredients. Then they all cleaned up the table, put the ingredients away, and we play READing time. This is one of my favorites. The one they call teacher writes a word on the white board. I read the word and act it out, and all the kids have to do what I do. I think it is called Simon Says, or Follow The Leader, something like that. Anyway, I read a word that might say "sit", then I sit and they all sit with me. There are about six or seven words we all do together. The most fun word is under. I stand up and they all do the belly crawl underneath me. Then the next word is down, and well take a nap. It is so much fun. I did not want to leave. My mom had to drag me out of the room. I would have stayed with them all day. They all invited me back, and mom promised we would go back. So I will look forward to next time.

Guess what!!! My friend Halo shared that she had fun out in the field today. Pam hid shell casings and Halo had to find them. She did the happy dance again when she found them. She also found the lost guy hiding in a drainage pipe. Of course, she had to go through the brush the hard way, when she could have just followed the mowed path. She does love adventure. I on the other hand love the indoor things. I just don't like getting my feet wet and dirty. Hooray for Halo for a good day in the field.

Hooray for Hero

Hooray for Hero

----------------
Now playing: P9060116-1
via FoxyTunes

Here goes....I am going to try to share the information....I hope this works.

Finalists Announced for the International Delta Society Beyond Limits Awards Sponsored by Purina Voting is now open to the public to select the winner of the Pet Partners (therapy animal) Team of the Year. These dedicated volunteers with their dogs are helping improve people's health and well-being in their communities and serving as inspirational role models for people all across the globe. All of us should be inspired by the dedication and commitment each of these teams makes to change lives in their communities The bond that each handler-animal team has and brings forth in their volunteer efforts is a true testament to the power of the human-animal bond. Bellevue, Washington (PRWEB) January 30, 2009 -- Five very special handlers and their animal partners have been announced as finalists for Pet Partners® Team of the Year as part of Delta Society's Beyond Limits Awards® sponsored by Purina. Each of these human-animal teams are changing the lives of people in their local communities -- people who need a little joy, compassion, motivation and unconditional love that only an animal companion can provide. Each year Delta Society honors the very best in the field of Animal-Assisted Activities / Therapy (often referred to as therapy animal programs). Nominations for this award came from across the country with a judging committee having the difficult job of narrowing it down to five finalists. These teams volunteer in their local communities providing comfort to pediatric patients undergoing radiation treatments, inspiring children to learn to read while increasing their self-esteem, providing unique ways to help students with learning disabilities 'connect the dots' and motivating seniors to exercise and stay socially connected. They bring a bit of 'normalcy' to hospitalized patients enabling them to forget about their pain for a bit and provide much needed stress breaks for nurses, doctors and other healthcare providers. "All of us should be inspired by the dedication and commitment each of these teams makes to change lives in their communities," noted Lawrence Norvell, President and CEO of Delta Society. "The bond that each handler-animal team has and brings forth in their volunteer efforts is a true testament to the power of the human-animal bond." The finalists are Nena Moon and Ellie (Miniature Schnauzer) from Alabama, Heddi Leger and Hero (Rottweiler) from Missouri, Joseph Kurland and Jake (Bernese Mountain Dog / Golden Retriever mix) from Colorado, Laura Ibsen and Patches (Yorkshire Terrier) from Arizona, and Lisa Edwards and Boo (mix breed) from New York. Voting to select the final winner is open to the public. Cast your vote online at www.DeltaSociety.org through February 7th. The website features videos of each team at work so you can see, and hear from them directly of how they are truly making a difference in their communities -- and inspiring others across the globe. About Delta Society Delta Society was founded in 1977 by a Veterinarian and a Psychologist who observed in their own practices that pets had a positive effect on their human patients. They started the organization to fund some of the first credible research which proved that animals have a profound impact on people's health by lowering their blood pressure, reducing stress and anxiety levels, stimulating the release of endorphins which make people feel good, and so much more. Today, Delta Society is an international non-profit organization focused on building awareness and empowering people to interact with companion, therapy, and service animals as a way to improve their own health and well-being, as well as the health of others in their community. To learn more visit our website at www.deltasociety.org. About Nestlé Purina Pet Care Nestlé Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. A premiere global manufacturer of pet products, Nestlé Purina Pet Care is part of the Swiss-based Nestlé S.A., the world's largest pet food company. # # # Post Comment: Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/WmV0YS1FbXB0LVRoaXItTWFnbi1GYWx1LVNpbmctWmVybw== therapy animals pet therapy delta society human animal bond Bookmark - Del.icio.us | Furl It | Technorati | Ask | MyWeb | Propeller | Live Bookmarks | Newsvine | TailRank | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Stumbleupon | Google Bookmarks | Sphere | Blink It | Spurl

My friend have been telling me how much fun this is. I think it is very confusing, but decided to give it a try. So here goes.

I have some really, really exciting news. I am a finalist for an award. I am not sure what that means, but I think it means I can meet even more people and make more friends. Yippee !!
That is.....if I win the award. If you want to learn more about it you can go to www.deltasociety.org and click on the section that says Beyond Limits Pet Partner of the Year, Learn More Here. I will try to find more information for you and post soon.

I hear the voting ends on February 7th, so please check it out soon, and share with your friends.