Spring Break Week

It seemed a little quiet since our numbers were down with five of our friends taking time off this week.  The school was empty without students but that meant we were able to enjoy extra time outside and in the gym.  And even though we couldn't order lunch from the cafeteria, we managed!  Here's a peek at our Spring Break Week!

We didn't have access to the vans this week, but the playgrounds were free since the students were on vacation, so we hoped to spend extra time on the swings and slides.  That is something we have found you never get too old to enjoy!  But our plans were thwarted by the excessive amount of pollen that was covering everything!  Still, it didn't stop us from enjoying each other's company and the warm temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Girl talk!

Sam braved the monkey bars!

Shooting hoops...still a fave with our friends!


On Wednesday we marked National Walking Day by having free roam around the JRES campus.  It's a big property with a lot of trees and nicely landscaped areas.  Ordinarily, we can't wander about because of the traffic and students being everywhere.  It was nice to walk around and check out the new growth on trees and look for plants that are beginning to bloom.

Carol points out the small buds on the branches of a tree. 

We also enjoyed Tai Chi with Micheal on Wednesday.  We are improving in learning an 8 step routine. Using the balls really helps us get the feel of flowing movements.  Michael announced that he has ordered jackets for everyone...that was a big hit!  He will be doing a Tai Chi demonstration at Kidsburg (Veterans Park) on Sunday, April 23, and we are all invited to be his "stars."  Details at the end of the post!

Michael has ordered jackets for all of us!

Kevin, Devin, and Josie are getting the hang of "flow" by using the balls.

Alexis demonstrates the "sitting on a horse" stance we have been working on.  She has "sitting on a horse" experience! ;-) 


We were actually very busy on Wednesday.  After Tai Chi we did volunteer work for the math resource teacher at JRES.  She had left her fraction circle sets in our capable hands for sorting and organizing.  Apparently, her students left them mixed up after their lessons!  It took us a few hours over a couple of days, but we are expert sorters and got the job done.  We also learned a little bit about fractional parts in the process!

This picture was taken on Thursday.  We had a potential new associate, Laura, visiting, and Carol found her to be an expert sorter as well!  Each of these sets had 51 pieces and we had about 30 sets to organize...that comes to over 1,500 pieces in all!

Eaton picked up some work we had completed this week and brought us more...busy, busy!

Mr. Stutt said he was getting a lot of work done in his office while the students and teachers were on Spring Break!  But he must have gotten bored at times, because he popped in to visit us a lot!  It's always fun when he stops by.


Mr. Rob met us in the garden on Wednesday afternoon.  We helped spread compost, weed beds, and water plants. It's such a pretty environment and our work is making a difference!

Kacie took some kale home!

 Meghan, Kevin, and Nancy help spread compost.

Wish those tulips would last all season!

As mentioned above, we had a potential new associate visit for a couple of days this week.  Laura's family is moving to Williamsburg in May and she will join us at that time.  While she was here on Thursday, we celebrated National Caramel Popcorn Day.  We put her right to work helping out in the kitchen.  Our popcorn was pretty good, if a little sweet!  We hope you enjoyed the samples we sent home!

Mr. Soup always "follows his nose" when we are cooking in the kitchen!

We began taking Zumba lessons from Kacie this week.  The Zumbathon is coming up in a couple of weeks!  Kacie brought a series of DVDs that helped us get into the Zumba groove.  It's a high-energy groove, too!

Practicing the "belly dance" move!

By Friday we were ready to celebrate Sam's 30th birthday.  We enjoyed a scrumptious lunch of soft tacos before topping it off with a birthday pie buffet!  We also enjoyed a side dish of rice and beans that Josie's stepmom, Lisa, sent us...and it was delicious! Thank you, Lisa H!  With our bellies and hearts full, we thanked Sam for having a birthday, and Ms. Teri for providing the tacos and pie (and birthing Sam, of course)!

Looks like Soup followed his nose again!  (Actually, we invited him...as we always do whenever we celebrate.  He goes above and beyond to help us with anything we need, and we really appreciate him.)

We ended Friday by revisiting a craft we started last week.  We are finding it easy to make window clings using glue and food coloring.  We made some last week, but definitely needed a few more (since we have a lot of windows).  Becky's granddaughter Emory was hanging out with her this week so we invited her to come with Becky on Friday, since she loves crafts.  With her help, we were able to make lots more window clings that will help to brighten our space even more!

 Soup provided a table in the hallway storage area so our masterpieces could dry over the weekend.  He also made the sign for added protection!  Those lovely bouquets were another craft we worked on.  The flowers were made by tracing and cutting out patterns of our hands on construction paper.

Finally, here are a few pictures from our time in the gym on Friday.  We borrowed the gym teacher's field hockey equipment, and played for over half an hour.  Since we had six pucks to keep up with, it was a great workout...and so much fun!  Yes, we make our own rules!

We look forward to having everyone back next week.  It's going to be a busy one.  Here's what's coming up:

Tuesday:  No bowling and no pizza!  Remember, we are going to alternate bowling on Tuesdays with trips to Freedom Park to work in the Botanical Garden, and for the upcoming week, it's garden. Please send a bag lunch with a drink as we will picnic at Freedom Park. Lunch will be followed by a walk among the trees.  The weather looks good!

Wednesday:  Dress for Tai Chi!  We will also celebrate National Grilled Cheese Day by preparing a few variations of that favorite sandwich for lunch.  (Note:  For those preferring a school lunch, the JRES cafeteria will be open again next week.)  We will also welcome another potential new associate, Sean, for a visit!

Thursday:  Double birthdays!  We will celebrate Chloe and Becky's special day with a sweet treat! Lunch on your own.

Friday:  Field trip to Artfully Yours!  We will make mosaics of our initials using "found objects."  Please refer to the note we sent home this week about possible objects to bring that will personalize the project. For those who were out this week, here are a few ideas for objects the associates can bring in for this project:  

Buttons

Game Pieces (dice, dominoes, scrabble tiles etc)

Legos or similar brand

Old/broken jewelry pieces

Marbles or glass beads

shells

small rocks

mardi gras style beach necklaces

McDonalds (or other fast food) kids meal toys

superhero figurines

any small mementos

pirate coins
Save the dates!  We have a couple of events coming up on the same weekend, and recognizing how busy all families are, we still hope as many of our friends as possible will be able to join us for one or both as we show appreciation for those in the community who support us! 

Saturday, April 22 - ZUMBAthon FUNdraiser at Legacy Hall in Newtown, 1:00-2:30 (don't have to be there...or Zumba...for the entire time!).  Sponsored by Iron-Bound Gym with all proceeds benefiting The Arc of Greater Williamsburg!

Sunday, April 23 - Michael's Tai Chi demo at Veterans Park (Kidsburg).  We will arrive at 1:45 for a short demonstration of our Tai Chi routine that will begin at 2:00.  In anticipation of having our matching white jackets, Michael would like all participants to wear comfy black pants!
Thank you to all of our families, friends, and community supporters!  The Arc of Abilities is thriving and growing...we couldn't be more excited about all of the experiences and opportunities before us!

Here is one last picture that will surely bring a smile to your face.  When our volunteer Becky came in on Wednesday afternoon, she had a "hitchhiker" in her hair...a little inchworm!  Kacie came to the rescue and gave that tiny worm a second chance at freedom!  Can you spot him inching his way up the tree?!

Have a great weekend,

Lisa, Carol, and Nan