Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hi, I'm Maggie.
[00:00:01] Speaker B: And I'm Nicole. Welcome to the DAC Dyslexia and Coffee Podcast. We're so happy you could join us. We're both moms and dyslexia interventionists who want to talk about our students and children. What dyslexia is, how it affects our kids, strategies to help and topics related to other learning disabilities will all be covered in this podcast. Parents are not alone, and we want to give voice to the concerns and struggles we are all having. This is a safe place to learn more about how we help our children grow and succeed in school and in the world. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the conversation.
[00:00:33] Speaker A: Hi, everybody. Welcome to episode 94 of Dyslexia and Coffee Podcast.
We're going to start today's episode like we always do with the concept of the week. So the concept of the week is our opportunity as practitioners to kind of peel back that curtain a little bit and let everyone into an intervention session.
We like to teach about things that either we would teaching directly to our students or things that we would be teaching to their families and support systems.
So today's concept of the week is another reading strategy, and that is questioning.
So questioning is a comprehension strategy that involves asking questions like wh questions. Right. Like who, when, where, why kind of questions throughout reading.
This boosts self monitoring and encourages good reading habits.
The key here with these questioning techniques is that you read a little bit and then you kind of stop and ask a couple questions. You read a little bit more, just stop and ask a couple more questions. And the idea there really is that is how we monitor our own reading. It obviously works with fictional stories. We can talk about, who are these characters? Where are they going?
What do you think they're thinking? You can really vary the kinds of questions that you're asking.
But it also is extra important when we're reading works of nonfiction because when we're reading to learn, that's what our brain needs to be doing on its own.
It's what leads us to being able to jot down notes and be good note takers.
And it's what is going to help us retain the knowledge that we've just gained by reading. So it's a pretty important strategy.
And the key is that throughout. Right. Not waiting until all the way to the end of something before we're stopping and asking some questions.
Yes.
[00:02:58] Speaker B: So welcome to episode 94. We're going to talk about educational vacations for families.
Exciting.
[00:03:05] Speaker A: Where we going, Nicole?
[00:03:07] Speaker B: A lot of different places.
[00:03:12] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:03:14] Speaker B: So, I mean, I think one of the. A big one that a lot of people know is Washington, D.C. right. There's a lot of learning to be done there. Right. You can explore the museums, the National Zoo, all the landmarks, the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, and there's many things to read on each of those things.
[00:03:38] Speaker A: Yes, there really are.
You know, I think it's one of those places that I think, you know, at least American citizens. Right. At least visiting once is.
It's important. It's, you know, it's our nation's capital. A lot of historical events. Right. And just, just important things about our nation's history are stored there.
And it's a very cool place to walk around.
When I was in high school, the World War II monument was being dedicated and we got to march in that dedication parade and it was a really cool memory for me because they had better, like World War II veterans there. And we actually got to talk to them about their experiences and it was really powerful.
So I do think it's one of those vacation spots that at least for American citizens. Right. Like that's, I think, something important to experience.
[00:05:05] Speaker B: And pretty close to that is Williamsburg, Virginia, which is like they have the largest living history museum.
[00:05:12] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:05:13] Speaker B: So that's really important. And there's also an 18th century life firsthand kind of setup, so you can see what it was like.
[00:05:24] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:05:25] Speaker B: In the colonies.
[00:05:26] Speaker A: And they really take their authenticity very, very seriously.
[00:05:31] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:05:31] Speaker A: There.
I went there as a kid with my family and would highly recommend. It's very cool.
[00:05:41] Speaker B: Yeah.
Also, other east coast areas that have lots of history.
Jamestown, Yorktown, where, you know, the original colonies were set up, they have lots of history around there.
Kind of going a little bit off.
Any of the US national parks, like Yellowstone, there is a great way to learn about geothermal energy, super volcanoes, and the wildlife like elk and wolves, which not every location in the United States have those type of animals. So it's kind of a really fun way to learn about new animals and kind of how the. A lot about the Earth in that spot.
[00:06:31] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, and really any of those national parks, they're going to have such robust opportunities to learn about nature, history, wildlife. I mean, there's going to be so many robust opportunities. Like, there really is kind of something for everybody in those.
[00:06:54] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:06:55] Speaker A: National parks. I think sometimes people think like, oh, I don't really like to hike, so I'm not going to like something like that. But it's so much more than that, first of all.
And what is really cool about the national parks, one of my Family actually was telling me about this and all listeners, this is totally worth looking up.
If you have a permanent disability, it can be a physical disability, a learning disability, anything that is a like permanent handicapping condition, you are eligible. If you are an American citizen, you are eligible for a free lifetime pass to all US national parks.
[00:07:44] Speaker B: Really?
[00:07:44] Speaker A: Which means you are admitted for free.
And up to four adult members of your party are also admitted for free.
[00:07:55] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:07:56] Speaker A: If it is a park that you enter by the car load, your whole car is free.
[00:08:02] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:08:02] Speaker A: If it's a park that you enter by motorcycle.
[00:08:05] Speaker B: Motorcycle.
[00:08:06] Speaker A: Two motorcycles are free.
So I guess up to.
[00:08:10] Speaker B: I don't see that being a thing for me.
[00:08:12] Speaker A: But I also do not ride a
[00:08:15] Speaker B: motorcycle, nor does really.
[00:08:17] Speaker A: But it's really specific on that pass. So all listeners that have a child with a disability or you yourself have a disability, it is absolutely worth looking into.
[00:08:34] Speaker B: Yeah, I didn't know that at all.
[00:08:36] Speaker A: Yeah, it is for free and it is lifetime. The only thing you had to prove is that you do have a disability and that it is a permanent disability. So it doesn't if you have a broken leg.
That's not it.
That's not it.
That's not it. Yes, you are currently experiencing a disability, but you are not permanently disabled.
But that is, I mean, huge.
[00:09:04] Speaker B: That is huge.
[00:09:05] Speaker A: It's a huge opportunity, I think maybe
[00:09:09] Speaker B: also just for the United States too. Every region and then the United States is very different with different unique foods and backgrounds. So I mean, really anywhere that's new to you, you can learn quite a bit.
So it doesn't really matter if it has a specific big draw or not, because you're gonna learn about the culture in that area no matter where you
[00:09:38] Speaker A: go, you know, and if you, you know, if a big trip is not in the cards for your family right now. Right. Given whatever restraints. Right. Could be financial constraints. Could just be kids that just really can't handle an extended trip.
You know, don't sleep on your own backyard either. I mean, we took our kids to. We live in Wisconsin. Right. We took our kids to Madison last summer and did like a state capitol deep dive.
[00:10:15] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:16] Speaker A: And it was. We just went for the day because we could physically. We live close enough to Madison, we can just do that day trip it there.
But it is really cool way to expose kids to that kind of thing without, you know, we're not ready for Washington D.C. yet.
But we could go to Madison.
[00:10:39] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:41] Speaker A: You know, even our, our state parks in Wisconsin are very educational. Educational and I mean, beautiful. Yes. We really do live in a beautiful area of.
[00:10:56] Speaker B: Unless you don't like trees.
[00:10:57] Speaker A: Unless you don't like trees or anything interesting to look at, I guess. I don't know.
Cool rock formations. Very, very unique, interesting landscape. We live in the heart of glacial country. So we have kettles and moraines and drumlins and all that really cool stuff.
[00:11:18] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:11:18] Speaker A: And we will do day trips. We live near Cape of the Mountains, near enough that we can do a day trip there.
You know, our local zoos are excellent places to spend the day. The day.
[00:11:40] Speaker B: Or even an overnight trip.
[00:11:42] Speaker A: Yeah, even an overnight trip.
[00:11:44] Speaker B: Even camping.
[00:11:45] Speaker A: Although at one cabin, I'm going to
[00:11:49] Speaker B: be honest, I don't like.
But that's just me. I mean, I know that that's. I mean, a lot of people go camping and they meet new people.
You're in a different environment, you learn how to cook a different way.
[00:12:03] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:12:04] Speaker B: So there's lots of different things that are amazing about camping. And I actually do like camping.
[00:12:08] Speaker A: I like all the things about camping except for the actual sleeping, But I do. I do it.
We do it.
But I think, like, those local things
[00:12:29] Speaker B: are just as important.
[00:12:30] Speaker A: Are just as important as our extended trips can be.
[00:12:40] Speaker B: International experiences.
I mean, any of the capitals, I mean, will give you huge culture and history about that capital and that country.
I mean, being able to go on safaris or other things that you normally don't see in your own backyard or even just learning about the plants and animals in that area would be very different places. Like going to a rainforest or something where, you know, we don't really have those.
[00:13:20] Speaker A: Yes, that's not a thing here.
[00:13:23] Speaker B: So that would be very educational for us.
So, like, just kind of researching the different things that a different country can bring to you and kind of experience and make it into an experience for
[00:13:38] Speaker A: you and your family.
Yeah, absolutely. Someday. I feel like this is kind of an aspirational episode for me. Like, someday I'm like, oh, that would be a really cool thing to be able to plan.
[00:13:51] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:13:52] Speaker A: We have friends who are international travelers. They're traveling, like, six months out of the year. Like, they really are gone all the time.
But they.
Everywhere they go, they buy my kids, like a children's book about that place.
And often they really are just fiction stories, but they're great.
Right.
Or they'll bring them, like, a map from that city, which is also really cool. It's a way that, like, they have really never been to those places. My children have never been out of the country, but they have gotten to learn. So Much about other cultures just from
[00:14:43] Speaker B: what they bring back.
[00:14:44] Speaker A: What they bring back. That's cool.
You know, and they have that kind of itch to, like, go do that someday.
[00:14:51] Speaker B: Well, and if you don't have travelers, you can always go to the library.
[00:14:55] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:14:55] Speaker B: And they have different sections on different parts of, you know, different countries. And you can definitely immerse yourself in a country.
[00:15:03] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:15:05] Speaker B: As part of your, you know, reading experience for the day. So there's lots of different ways to experience it, for sure.
There's other type of learning vacations you can also do, like maybe staying on a working farm.
[00:15:22] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:15:24] Speaker B: Learn about food production and animal care. You know, I know that there's also some ranches that you can also stay at and they teach you how to ranch.
You know, maybe go through a wildlife survival course. I mean, that's something very different and not a typical thing you would do in a regular school day.
Also, in the summer, there's always a specialized camp of some sort.
[00:15:52] Speaker A: Oh, absolutely. I feel like sky's the limit on those specialized camps.
[00:15:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:57] Speaker A: There's so many of them, and they're offered through.
I also feel like the wide variety of price points.
There are some that are absolutely cost prohibitive, but then there are a lot that are actually really reasonable and can be, like, day camps, you know, or like, extended weekend camps that our daughter's
[00:16:29] Speaker B: gonna learn sailing for 3 days.
[00:16:30] Speaker A: I think that's so awesome.
[00:16:33] Speaker B: Has she ever been on a sailboat? No. So it should be fun. Great.
[00:16:36] Speaker A: And.
And she may never go on a sailboat after that again. But she got to experience and learn it. That's really cool. Exactly.
[00:16:47] Speaker B: So, I mean, just things like that, that can happen. I know that our local humane society has camps where you take care of the animals.
[00:16:58] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:16:59] Speaker B: And so you can learn different things that way.
I think there's STEM or STEAM events camps all over the country in all countries, I think. Because, you know, I think that's.
[00:17:14] Speaker A: That's all the rage. That's the thing right now. That's, like, all the rage right now. Are you guys doing any trips this summer?
[00:17:22] Speaker B: No.
[00:17:23] Speaker A: No. Us either.
[00:17:26] Speaker B: We will be going to the library.
[00:17:28] Speaker A: Library. We. We will be going to the zoo.
[00:17:34] Speaker B: And one, yes, it's cost. But the other thing is, to my children, at this point, I don't think would get the same amount out of it as if they were a little older or had a little bit more therapy.
And so it also factors in for us. Absolutely. Plus, being dysregulated for that many days doesn't make It a vacation for us.
[00:18:00] Speaker A: No, exactly. Exactly.
[00:18:03] Speaker B: So I hear any family who's out there going, I don't want to take my kid anywhere because they need their certain bed and their certain blankets and their certain pillows, and if they change it, it's not good.
[00:18:14] Speaker A: Well, exactly that. You know, I think, yeah, we're not going anywhere this summer either.
And summer is just not a good time for us to get away.
Honestly, my husband owns his own business and is like a handyman. Like, that's not a good time to leave.
That's when we make our income for the year.
So that's not happening. But I think it's. It's a fun topic to think about because even talking about international travel or even, you know, out of state travel, it's not something we're doing right now either.
But it's fun to think about and to plan possible future or, okay, how can I get some of these experiences for my kids that we're not going to have to travel towards? You know, if I want to learn about a different culture, you know, we've been going to like the Indian grocery store in Waukesha. Right. Like, we can access things that are other cultural experiences closer to where we live, and maybe someday we can build up enough interest that we would want to go somewhere for a longer point time.
But it's fun to think about. It is.
[00:19:42] Speaker B: And really, it's just an idea planning, you know, of what you could find and learn about while you're in traveling somewhere.
[00:19:53] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, I think. And again, I really, I do think don't sleep on your own backyard because really there's a ton of things to do in your own area. If you kind of look at your own area as if you don't live here.
[00:20:10] Speaker B: Right.
[00:20:11] Speaker A: You know, changes your perspective.
[00:20:15] Speaker B: A tourist or in their state or in their county, like a tourist board, and they can definitely show you things that not everybody knows about.
[00:20:26] Speaker A: Yeah. And the stakes are so much lower if you do have a kid or just you yourself, if your capacity for crowds and foolishness is, like, kind of low, but you're somewhere local, the stakes are a little lower, you know, like, okay, go for part of it, you know?
[00:20:49] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:20:50] Speaker A: That's why we pie our zoo pass, because you go twice and it's paid for.
[00:20:57] Speaker B: Right.
[00:20:57] Speaker A: And we don't have to spend the whole day there.
[00:21:01] Speaker B: Right.
[00:21:01] Speaker A: We can spend an hour and leave. Right.
And we're good with that.
Yeah, exactly. It's fun.
[00:21:13] Speaker B: So, Maggie, what's happening outside of dyslexia?
[00:21:15] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness. Okay. Outside of dyslexia, honestly, just trying to figure out what does summer look like. Right. What does summer look like outside from summer school, which my kids will do during the week.
I am trying to very much limit the things that we have signed up for, because last summer, I did not do a good job of kind of just limiting the activities in general. And I felt, like, awful all summer. Like, okay, that was just too much. It was way too much.
And this year, I really have not allowed a lot of extra things. Like, we are doing summer school, and my kids are both involved in Scouts. We don't do a ton of Scout things over the summer. There's a couple events here and there, but that's it as far as, like, organized activities. And I really find more and more like, that is what is good for our family. We just do not.
We don't thrive when it's organized activity after organized activity and just way too many busy nights in a row. That's just not a thing that we function well. Yes.
So we're not doing that this summer.
Yes. Yeah.
[00:22:51] Speaker B: I think we're kind of in the same spot.
[00:22:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
I am really looking forward to more local things.
I do feel like the age is that my kids are now, like, at 8 and 6.
It is so much easier on us to just get. Get in the car and go somewhere.
And we can spend more hours away from home without having to be like, oh, man, who needs a nap and who needs this?
You know? And we can.
We can push their kind of physical limits a little bit more, too. Like, we want to go on a longer hike. We can do that now. They can handle that. Um, and I think that's what I'm kind of looking forward to this summer, is trying to do a lot of just the outside as much as we can, and in nature, as much as we can is, like, the goal.
[00:23:55] Speaker B: It seems like a good goal.
[00:23:56] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:58] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, for us, I would say we're planning about the same.
I am looking forward to our first more night. Not gonna lie. That's my favorite part of the summer, is sitting in the backyard.
But we did the same.
We tried not to sign up for every single thing this summer, especially with how busy we're gonna be here.
[00:24:23] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah. Work is gonna be very busy this summer. Very busy.
[00:24:27] Speaker B: We have lots of fun things happening at work, but it's also very time consuming and gonna be a little wild.
[00:24:37] Speaker A: Not gonna wild.
Here we go. Buckle up, everybody.
Well, thank you, everybody.
Please follow us on social media and reach out if you have any questions or you would like us to discuss a topic. If you do like our show, be sure to follow and rate our show on your favorite podcast player. This is how we reach more families and we get to help more listeners. Thank you everybody.
[00:25:01] Speaker B: Thank you.
