Ice sculptor Ken Burkemper joined us to demonstrate is own artistic talents. He formed an object of art from a huge block of ice. Hey campers, remember ...do not try this at home!!!

After a wonderful lunch the campers decorated cupcakes courtesy of Cuppies and Joe, decorated tables set the stage for their "I've Got Talent" Art Show.

Thank you to Amy Birdwell, Ken  Burkemper and Cuppies and Joe for helping us celebrate the Culinary Arts. This camp was an incredible experience for all campers and the staff. The children were joyful, creative, and eager to learn. Thank you to all of our parents for allowing us the privilege to adventure with your children this week! We hope to see all of them back next year!

Watch for Camp Photos on our Facebook Page!

COSTUMES....ACTING....PHOTOGRAPHY...    all that is glamour and glitz. That was the Art theme today at Summer Camp.

ACT I: A tour of the costume exhibit "From Sketch to Screen" at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. The children saw famous costumes like Superman, Gladiator and John Wayne.

ACT II: We drove to Norman and toured a real-life theater costume closet and stood on the state of the Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center at the University of Oklahoma.

INTERMISSION: Lunch of the lawn of the North Oval at OU.

ACT III: "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words", Mr. Mat Miller, photographer for Stillwater Living, joined us in Norman to take portraits of us using costumes and props.

Thank you to Tom Orr and Robin Huston for helping to set up the wonderful OU experience and to Mat Miller, the portraits will be such a wonderful memory of the day!

The children learned about Web Design and Graphic Arts during a visit to WebDesign.com a company in Edmond. They enjoyed a tour of the facility and finding out more about the relationship between technology and the arts.

The campers spent the afternoon at Crossings Community Church. This church has graciously offered their facility for our camp experience. In the afternoon the children experienced the art of professional face painting by Mona Lisa Face Painting and learned to do a magic trick. 

You might ask your camper if they know any tricks…that is if you recognize them after their new face paint job!

Thank you to James Williams, Amy Potts and Mr. Steven along with WebDesign.com personnell and Crossings Community Church for their generosity in helping to create this amazing camp experience!

It was a wonderful day of listening and learning!

On Monday, June 21, the campers will begin the day learning about the seven Elements of Art. Then throughout the week they will get to experience first-hand what it is like to be an Artist.

Betty and Ben Ingham of "The Hairy Potters" will guide campers in throwing their own pots. They will also create their own design in a "Pablo Picasso Paper Art" project led by Donna Ware and Darcy Stowe.

We are especially excited for the children to meet Greg Burns, a renowned local artist. Greg will demonstrate his unique way of drawing and painting. They will get to view some of Greg's well known art pieces. You can learn more about Greg Burns here.

Hearts for Hearing Summer Camp is a unique program offering children with hearing loss the opportunity to expand their language and auditory skills in a Day Camp Adventure. You can read more about Summer Camp on this blog as the week progresses!

On Monday, June 21, the campers will begin the day learning about the seven Elements of Art. Then throughout the week they will get to experience first-hand what it is like to be an Artist.

Betty and Ben Ingham of "The Hairy Potters" will guid campers in throwing their own pots. They will also create their own design in a "Pablo Picasso Paper Art" project led by Donna Ware and Darcy Stowe.

We are expecially excited for the children to meet Greg Burns, a renowned local artist. Greg will demonstrate his unique way of drawing and painting. They will get to view some of Greg's well known art pieces. You can learn more about Greg Burns here.

Hearts for Hearing Summer Camp is a unique program offering children with hearing loss the opportunity to expand their language and auditory skills in a Day Camp Adventure. You can read more about Summer Camp on this blog as the week progresses!

Are you ready for rainbows?  Most of us are eager to say goodbye to the Winter blues and get started with Spring.....and it's finally here!  In the Hearts for Hearing preschool, we have been having lots of rainbow fun during the last few weeks. 

Did you know that rainbows always occur in the same order?  Here's a poem to help you & your preschooler remember:

Red

Orange

Yellow

Green

Blue

Don’t forget there’s Purple too!

Have rainbow fun with these 2 colorful snack ideas:

1.        Make rainbow fruit kabobs!  Brainstorm with you preschooler as you make your grocery list for fruits that represent the 6 colors of a rainbow.  At the store, let them help you find each fruit and determine how many of each you will need.  Then, arrange the fruit in the order of a rainbow….remember, red goes at the top!  For extra sweetness, you could sprinkle your kabobs with sugar or drizzle with chocolate.

2.       Explore mixing colors with Koolaid!  Mix three separate pitchers of Koolaid…one yellow, one red, and one blue.  Then, have fun with “I wonder” questions.  For example, “I wonder what blue and yellow will make together”.  Give some clues such as “It’s the same color as a leprechaun’s hat”.  Pour a little of each into a cup, stir, and it’s green!

Keep your eye to the sky and have fun exploring rainbows this month!

Mrs. Darcy

 “Like…love… enjoy… adore… admire… care for… fond of”

Talk about these different words and you could help your child use it in a phrase to a friend or family member in their card.  Your young one may be having a Valentine’s Party at school or Mother’s day out.  Help them count the cards they need for the friends in their class.  When they get home with cards from friends, help them match ones that look the same.  Categorize them by cards with animals, superheroes, transportation, etc. 

If they haven’t had a surplus of sugar by this point, make Valentine’s Cookies.  Spread frosting on the cooled cookie, use icing to make designs, and add sprinkles to top it off.  There is no wrong way to decorate cookies.  Just have a fun time talking with your child as you make yummy treats together!

Enjoy your child this Valentine’s Day and let them know how much you adore them.  

We hope to see you there!

It’s that time of year again to make our annual resolutions.  Maybe you’re going to get back in shape, stay more organized, or learn a new hobby .  Parents of preschoolers, here are two more must-have resolutions for 2010…

1.              Read more.

2.              Sing more.

Both reading and singing are critical in the ongoing listening and language development of your preschooler.  Reading provides a wealth of language learning opportunities, and we should be reading at least 10 books a day with our children.  Preschoolers are also beginning to develop several critical pre-reading skills including recognizing their printed name, recognizing print on the page of a book, and even naming some letters of the alphabet.  How can we boost our preschooler’s reading-readiness skills?   Read more to them now!  Start with “The Mitten” by Jan Brett for an animal-filled, snowy story.

Chances are you’ve been singing to your preschooler since infancy.  Did you know you were teaching him vocabulary, pitch, rhythm, intonation, and rhyming through songs?  As a preschooler, your child is probably initiating song-singing with you quite frequently.  Here’s a new trick for you, mom and dad…. sing a variation of a familiar song.  This will spark creativity for your preschooler while expanding his vocabulary.   Here’s one to get you started:

The Winter Hokey Pokey

You put your right mitten in,

You take your right mitten out.

You put your right mitten in,

And you shake it all about.

You do the winter pokey, [shiver]

And you turn yourself around.

That's what it's all about!

More verses:

You put your left mitten in....

You put your right boot....

You put your left boot....

You put your winter hat in....

You put your snowsuit (whole body) in..

Happy New Year.......or maybe we should say Happy Reading & Singing!

Ms. Darcy & Ms. Salle

Brrrr...It's cold outside!  Make sure you bundle up your bundle of joy before heading out in the freezing weather.  What kinds of fun have you come up with for you and your toddler to enjoy on these frosty days? Did you get to make a snowman?

Snow Ice Cream, Snow Angels, and Snowmen

Snow ice cream is a family favorite of mine!  To make snow ice cream, collect one gallon of (clean) snow, add 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of skim milk, and 2 tablespoons of vanilla.  Stir and enjoy!

Snow angels make you feel like a child again and your school-age child will love seeing your snow angel in the snow next to his.  Lay down in the snow, spread your arms and legs out, and slide your arms up and down.  Compare and contrast your snow angel with your child's snow angel. 

Then, there's the traditional snowman.  There are no rules for making a snowman with your school-age child.  Be sure to talk about all the winter clothing you're using to adorn the snowman, not to mention the layers upon layers of clothing you'll be wearing while you're outside. 

After an afternoon with your school-age child in a winter wonderland, warm up with homemade hot cocoa! 

Hot Cocoa Mix

1 box (8 quarts) nonfat dry milk

½ box powdered sugar

1 lb instant cocoa mix

6 oz dry dairy creamer

Sift above ingredients together and store in several plastic containers or tins. This mixture will keep for a long time. To serve, put 3 heaping tablespoons of mixture in a mug and add boiling water.  Enjoy!!!

Christmas is right around the corner, and your preschooler is probably more excited  about the holidays this year than ever before!  Your preschooler is also more inquisitive and more independent than in years past.  Take time to capture that independence, and let your preschooler do some gift-giving of his own.

1.     First, make a plan.  Brainstorm with your preschooler and make a list of “who” is in your family.  If you can, accompany each person’s name with a picture on your list.  Then, your preschooler can associate the printed name with the recognizable picture.  Spend time talking about what people in your family might like.  This guides your preschooler in beginning to take on the perspective of another person (which is probably a skill that he/she hasn’t quite grasped).

2.     Set aside ample time to go with your preschooler to the dollar store.  Explain the rules before you go inside: 1.  We are only buying one gift for each person.  2.  We can look with our eyes only.  3.  We are not buying anything for ourselves.  If you’re brave, let your preschooler walk freely through the store instead of riding in the cart.  Take time to roam through the aisles, and then begin shopping specifically for people on your list.

3.     When it’s time to check out, let your preschooler place items on the counter and interact with the cashier.  This is a great time to guide your preschooler in conversation with the store clerk. 

4.     Once you’re home with the goodies, let your preschooler creatively wrap each one.  Cut up your list to make tags for each gift. 

5.     Set aside special time during your Christmas celebration to let your preschooler pass out gifts to all the family.  Tell your family the story behind the gifts and that each one was specifically chosen by your preschooler.  Let your preschooler tell “why” he chose each gift.

Have a Wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ms. Darcy & Ms. Salle

Pati Burns is truly an extraordinary person.  She has contributed consistently over the last 20 years to the community of those touched by hearing loss both locally and nationally.  She has served as both as Secretary and President twice of HLAA.  Her energy abounds and she has made Hearts for Hearing a better place to work because of her ability to feel with our families in a way that only someone who has “walked in their shoes” can.  Pati does an amazing job of balancing all that she achieves at work with being a wife and mother to two teenage sons who have grown up as incredibly sensitive young men because of all that their mother has taught them.  She continues to volunteer as a Bionic Ear volunteer and shares her story with other potential cochlear implant candidates across the country.  Additionally, Pati helped set up an assistive listening device room where individuals with hearing loss can come to learn about equipment and to this day, she serves as a volunteer in the Faye Donaldson Hearing Helper Room.  Pati has written grants to obtain funding for CART for the monthly meetings of the HLAA meetings and never turns down a request from our team to participate as a volunteer for research studies as they are available.  

Pati daily changes negative perceptions of hearing loss.  When patients argue with us that she does not have a hearing loss because much of her day is spent on the phone and because she jumps in and out of conversations, it is clear that there is no better model for what an individual with profound hearing loss can accomplish.  Her work ethic and her willingness to do hard work to improve as a listener after receiving her first cochlear implant was very humbling for me, because I was asking her to do things that had become impossible for her through listening.  To think that she was going to be able to listen without relying heavily on speech reading was an outrageous concept to her, but she trusted me enough to believe and worked hard enough to achieve.  She is kind and compassionate but also challenges patients to avoid being a victim and as I said earlier, she has taught all of us more that we have ever given to her as professionals in this field of hearing health care. 

Chef Gayland Toriello representing the Museum Café took the evening’s top honors placing first in the competition. For his efforts, Chef Toriello received $1,000 from the Oklahoma Pork Council and an opportunity to represent Oklahoma at the National Taste of Elegance next spring.

“This is my first time to compete so I was very surprised that I won,” said Toriello who has worked at Museum Café for one and a half years and has been lead chef for six months.

Toriello’s named his winning creation “Pork 3 Ways.” The dish featured a pork belly salad with huckleberry sauce, a pork chop with apricot poppy-seed sauce and pork rillets. It was garnished with English pea gelee, parsnip and pickled beet relish and a thin sweet potato.

“When I was researching my dish, I learned about rillets and wanted to try this approach to cooking pork,” said Toriello.

To create the rillets, he slowly simmered shredded pork butt, pork ribs and pork shanks in their own juices, cooking them down to create a very tender, flavorful chopped pork element to his dish.

“I really enjoyed using pork and learning more about pork for this competition,” said Toriello. “I have realized there is so much variety in pork with the different cuts and ways it can be prepared. It’s very appealing to me.”

Chef Vince Howard of Bolero placed second with his “3 Pork Cassolet with White Beans” and received $500 from OPC. Marc Dunham of the Rancher’s Club placed third with is “Pork and Beans” and received $250 from OPC. Chef David Sullivan of the Oak Tree Country Club received the People’s Choice award and $250 for his “Ginger Braised Pork with Port Wine Reduction.” Chef Jakub Heartlieb of Elements Steakhouse and Grill in Tulsa won the wine pairing award for pairing his “Braised Pork Shoulder Tart and Pork ‘Crème Brulee’ with Roots and Mushrooms” with Deloach Pinot Noir.

The other much-appreciated chefs and their dishes at Taste of Elegance were, Jonas Favela of the Ranch Steakhouse with “Braised Pork Loin, Green Chili Ravioli and Glazed Belly;” Trey Ferguson of Coolgreens with “BLT and Fries;” Chris McCabe of RedPrime Steakhouse with “Maple Glazed Pork Belly ‘Bacon’ with Deep Fried Egg, Red Wine Béarnaise;” Miguel Olmedo of North Park Grille, Embassy Suites Norman with “Beer Marinated Pork Loin with Caramelized Onions and Cranberry Confit;” and Kevin Ward of The Coach House with “Aji Braised Pork Shoulder on Rice and Yuca Succotash with Chillie Pork Reduction.”

“The quality of the chef’s dishes was outstanding again this year,” said Joseph Royer, two-time state and national Taste of Elegance winner and judge and owner of Saturn Grill. “Oklahoma has always done well in the National Taste of Elegance and I hope all Oklahomans realize that we have chefs right here that are using the most innovative culinary techniques and creative approaches for pork entrees.”

While everyone enjoyed a lot of great food, giving back to the community was a big part of the evening. Hearts for Hearing was the event beneficiary of Taste of Elegance.  This world-renowned group of hearing healthcare professionals located right here in Oklahoma City have a mission to provide each child born deaf or hard of hearing in Oklahoma with free cutting edge hearing technology. Additionally, families can apply for financial assistance for the specialized auditory-verbal therapy and rehab support so their child can learn to listen and talk. For more information visit www.heartsforhearing.org

“This was an outstanding event,” said Kris Taylor, director of development for Hearts for Hearing. “The food was great and it was fun to talk to the chefs and everyone that attended.  We are so thankful for all the support this event provides for Oklahoma children with hearing loss and their families.”

Along with the Oklahoma Pork Council many other companies supported the event so Hearts for Hearing received every penny made from ticket sales. Express Event Center donated the facility. Cargill donated their Sterling Silver Premium Pork for the event. Premium Brands donated the wine for the pre-event reception. Ed Murray of News9 generously gave of his time to emcee the event.

“It was another great Taste of Elegance,” said Roy Lee Lindsey, OPC executive director. “Thanks to all the chefs who shared their dishes, sponsors that supported the event and everyone who attended. We hope to see everyone back next year.”

What key has legs and can’t open doors? Turkey

Why did Johnny get such low grades after Thanksgiving? Everything is marked down after the holidays!  

How can you send a turkey through the post office? Bird class mail

What happened when the turkey got into a fight? He got the stuffing knocked out of him.

Why was the turkey the drummer in the band? He had the drumsticks.

Knock Knock

Who’s There?

Waddle

Waddle who?

Waddle I do if you don’t open the door?

What sound does a space turkey make? Hubble, hubble, hubble

Why do turkeys always go “gobble, gobble?”

What key has legs and can’t open doors?

Why did Johnny get such low grades after Thanksgiving?

How can you send a turkey through the post office?

What happened when the turkey got into a fight?

Why was the turkey the drummer in the band?

Knock Knock

Who’s There?

Waddle

Waddle who?

What sound does a space turkey make?

Stay tuned…The answers will be posted tomorrow!!!

We are thankful for a wonderful classroom of preschoolers this fall!  We have been busy learning about cooking and the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving.  We painted on aprons and wore them as we pretended to be chefs and make our own pizzas.  We also pretended to bake lots of yummy holiday food with playdo.  We even constructed turkeys out of sweet treats.  In anticipation of lots of family time spent in the kitchen during Thanksgiving, here are some great ideas for making language experiences out of those moments with your preschooler:

• Involve your preschooler in making a menu and grocery list for your big Thanksgiving meal.  Remember to use words like menu, ingredients, recipe, fresh, canned, etc. as you're preparing this list.  Then, take your preschooler to the grocery store with you to find all the items.  You might have to plan a longer trip, but it will be a worthwhile, language-filled experience for your preschooler.
• Talk about "who" will come to your Thanksgiving meal.  Maybe you and your preschooler could create nameplates for each guest. You could provide the names, and they could attach a picture of that family member and embellish it with Thanksgiving stickers and ribbon.  Then, your preschooler could help set the table and help assign places for each family member to sit.
• Plan special time to let your preschooler be in the kitchen preparing one of the Thanksgiving dishes - maybe one that could be prepared beforehand.  Don't be afraid to let him measure, scoop, and pour the ingredients.  Remember to talk about the utensils, ingredients, and measurements that your are using.  Let your preschooler be actively involved in the process...even if it means more clean up later.  These learning experiences are priceless.  And, your preschooler could then tell all your guests about the wonderful dish he helped to make.

Have a lovely, language-filled Thanksgiving!

Ms. Darcy & Ms. Salle

Fall is a wonderful time to go on a Nature Walk with your toddler.  Listen to the sound of the wind rustling the leaves. You can go on a treasure hunt to find fall items such as leaves, nuts and twigs… use your treasures to make a picture for you both to enjoy!

Think of all the things you can do with leaves…they can become a great language learning experience for your toddler.  Leaves come in different shapes, sizes and colors…they crunch…you can rake them… or even listen for your name to run and JUMP in a big pile of leaves!!  You could even sing a song about leaves, “Pretty leaves are falling down, falling down, falling down.  Pretty leaves are falling down, down to the ground.” 

Check out fall books at your local library.  Here are some ideas: Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert, Fall by Chris Damerest, Clifford’s First Autumn by Norman Bridwell, and Fall Leaves Fall by Zoe Hall.

Don’t forget your camera so you can add pictures to your little one’s Experience Book!

Happy Treasure Hunting!

Ms. Krissa

Jennifer Eve, who assists the OAGC with their public relations, donated her time and media talent to thoughtfully guide HFH families through the interview process as they shared their personal journeys about their child with hearing loss and services received at HFH. Brad Riggan and Andrew Harris with Liquid Media, Inc., spent the entire day videotaping our children at preschool, attending therapy lessons, receiving hearing aid fittings, and even a cochlear implant activation.

We are sincerely grateful for the opportunity to have such an outstanding group of professionals working together to help us tell our story about the incredible outcomes for children with hearing loss at Hearts for Hearing. Please stay tuned – the final product should be unveiled in a few weeks.

Thank you again to the Association of General Contractors – this is only possible because of your support!

What a wonderful opportunity to involve your child in this activity as well as to advance literacy skills and to explore figurative language.  Visit a small greeting card store during non peak hours so that you can somewhat reduce extraneous noise in the environment.  Use of your child’s personal FM system will allow him to hear those subtle cues presented in abstract language.  After you get home, your child could design his own Halloween greeting cards.  Practice addressing the envelope together and discuss critical elements needed by the post office (i.e. name, address, city, state, zip code, return address, and stamp) before you put your treasures in the mail.  I bet you’ll be in stitches before it’s all over!!!  

To register, please go to www.regonline.com/781723

For registration questions, call Stacy Long 1-800-523-5798 ext 124

Hooray for Fall!   At preschool, we are welcoming this new season with several  weeks of Autumn themes.  Here are a few…Pumpkins, It's Fall and Goodnight Friends – with a Halloween pajama party!

Take time to enjoy the sights, smells, and sounds of fall with your preschooler.  Keep in mind that this time only comes once a year, so capture each experience to learn new vocabulary that you can.  At preschool, we will be exploring pumpkins.  We’ll slice them open and explore each little part – the stem, vine, seeds, etc.  Then, the children will help scoop out all of the seeds.  We will pat them dry and roast them in the oven for our snack!  Maybe you could extend this activity at home with your family.  As you’re carving jack-o-lanterns, don’t forget to save the yummy seeds!

At the end of October, we will celebrate Halloween in a unique way.  On October 28, we will all wear our pajamas to school and have a  pajama party with our friends.  Let your preschooler be involved in choosing and creating a Halloween costume this year!  You could look through his favorite books to select a creative costume.  Remember that the thrift store is a great resource for building a costume that won’t break the bank!

Have a Fabulous October!

Ms. Darcy

Think of all the language your child can be exposed to through this experience. You can talk about the Pumpkin Patch and read a book about fall before you go...I wonder how many pumpkins you'll see at the Pumpkin Patch? How BIG or small will they be? What else will you see at the Pumpkin Patch...I wonder if you will see some animals?  

When you get home you can carve pumpkins, OR to avoid the mess, draw faces on your pumpkin with a Sharpie. Will you make a silly pumpkin or a scary pumpkin?  What will you put on your pumpkin's face?  Decorating pumpkin cookies, drawing pumpkins, baking pumpkin seeds...there are so many things to do with pumpkins! 

Don't forget to take a camera so you can go back later and talk with your little one about the trip.  This may be a good time to start an experience book if you haven't already...

Make sure you bundle up.  It could be very chilly...just ask our Preschoolers.

For $50, the public can enjoy a hearty sample of each pork dish, two glasses of wine and vote for their favorite chef in the People's Choice Award.

Tickets can be purchased at Taste of Elegance Tickets at Eventbrite 

    Contact: Kris Taylor, 405-548-4300 

"The quality dishes each chef brings, can easily compete on the national stage and for only $50 a ticket you can enjoy that food and support a worthy, local cause," said Joseph Royer, chef and owner of Saturn Grill and two-time Oklahoma and National Taste of Elegance winner.

November 12, 2009 ~ 6:30 pm ~ Express Event Center

 8512 NW Expressway, OKC