Nickelodeon Days Recap

Are you ready to get slimed? Our participants for Nickelodeon Days certainly were! We made our own Nickelodeon slime, take home Dora brownies, and Dora microphones.

We took a field trip to Golfland where we put our mini golf skills to the test and we also enjoyed the arcade and water park.

We went on a hike around Campus to find things using Spanish words that Dora taught us, and we also made our own iCarly videos. We had a Power Rangers competition, played some Spongebob games, and we ran through a Double Dare obstacle course.

We also learned with iPads, had a visit from some creepy crawlers, and partied it up at the Via West Choice Awards. To see more pictures from this week, please visit our Facebook page.

Superheroes Week Recap

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Via West Superparticipants! Superheroes Week has concluded and we learned a lot about what it takes to be a real hero. We made signs illustrating superhero core values, learned the importance of healthy eating by making Incredible Hulk green smoothies, and we put our strength to the test in the Superhero Training Village.

We felt the exhilaration of flying during our field trip to the Sky High Sports Trampoline Park, and we made superhero capes to keep us aerodynamic.

 

We relaxed with a Saturday morning cartoon marathon in our jammies, and we also created superhero flip books, cakes, and decoupage comics frames.

 

We also learned with iPads, rode horses at the Via West corral, and spent some quality time in the Via West pool. To see more pictures from this session, please visit our Facebook page.

Disney for All Ages Recap

Bibbity Bobbity Boo! We had a magical time during Disney for All Ages at Via West Campus. We made magic carpet coasters, fruit flower bouquets, Pooh's honey drinks, Camp Rock guitars, Brave storybooks, and Snow White mini pies.

We took two fun-filled field trips to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and to the movies.

 We went on a scavenger hunt through the 100 Acre Woods, put our skills to the test with a rigorous training session with Mulan, learned the art of cartooning, and had a blast eating breakfast with all of our favorite Disney friends.

We also learned with iPads, had a ball at Cinderella's Ball, rocked out during Camp Rock Night, and spent some quality time in the Via West pool. To see more pictures from this session, please visit our Facebook page.

Wild Science Weekend Recap

Via West kicked off the new year last weekend with our Wild Science Weekend. We spent time in our laboratory concocting all sorts of wild and crazy experiments, including learning how to use salt to make ice cream in a plastic bag!

We took a field trip to the San Jose Tech Museum where we played and learned about lights, rockets, earthquakes, and more.

Once back on campus, we held our own science fair where did more experiments and made fun take home projects, like lava lamps and crystal pictures. The weekend would not have been complete without the dance and talent show. We also went on a scavenger hunt, learned some cool science iPad apps, and fired off some baking soda bottle rockets.

To see more pictures from this weekend, please visit our Facebook page.

Upcoming Holiday Events

Below are some great events for you to participate in this holiday season:

College of Adaptive Arts Winter Choir Concert

December 8th from 2:00pm-4:00pm at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 81 North Second Street, San Jose, CA 95113

Angels on Stage "Be Our Guest" Pancake Breakfast

December 9th from 8:00am-10:00am at Applebee's Restaurant, 555 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA 95129

Holiday Dinner and Dance
December 14th from 5:00pm-9:00pm at Grace Community Center, 484 San Fernando Street, San Jose, CA 95112

Special Needs Winter Ball
December 14th from 6:00pm-9:00pm at Church on the Hill, 500 Sands Drive, San Jose, CA 95125

College of Adaptive Arts Christmas in the Park Performance
December 17th from 8:00pm-9:00pm at Plaza de Cesar Chavez 101 West Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA 95112

All I Want for Christmas Recap

Snow in California? You bet! With some help from the Rotary Club of Cupertino, the Via West Campus was transformed this past weekend into a glistening winter wonderland. We kicked off the weekend with some caroling at our opening campfire.

On Saturday, we spent time making ornaments, dreidels, menorahs, and various other holiday crafts to take home. We read Christmas stories, played music, and learned some new iPad apps.

 

After some down time in the lodges, we came outside to see that winter had arrived! We went sledding, made snowmen, had an epic snowball battle, and then we warmed up inside with cookies and hot chocolate.Everyone learned the importance of giving back to the community by decorating and stuffing stockings to donate to Next Door's domestic violence shelter.

We finished up the weekend with a festive dinner, Yule Ball, and a meet and greet with Santa where everyone was able to receive their holiday presents!

To see more pictures from this weekend, please visist our Facebook page.

Toys for Children with Special Needs

The Friendship Circle Blog put together a list a while back of 10 online toy stores that sell toys that are specifically aimed at children with special needs. Check it out:

2011/01/31 By Tzvi

If your child has special needs it may not be so simple to purchase an appropriate toy. You generally can’t walk into a Walmart, Target, Toys ‘R’ Us or your local dollar store and pick out the item your child wants or needs. Thankfully we live in 2011 (what did people do 20 years ago? ) and we can hop online and start browsing the web for appropriate toys.

To get you started here are some stores that sell toys geared towards children with special needs.

1. Ability Station

http://abilitystation.com
Ability station provides special toys for  many different special needs and skillsets. All toys are therapist approved for a child’s growth, development and fun.

2. Amazon

http://amazon.comAmazon sells anything and everything you could possibly think of (ex: Sigmund Freud action figure or UFO Detector). Tucked away in a corner of Amazon are 464 special needs multi sensory toys.

3. Different Roads to Learning

http://difflearn.com
Founded in 1995 by the mother of a child diagnosed with Autism, Different Roads to Learning carries over 500 products carefully selected to support the Autism Community. You’ll find everything from basic flashcards, books and timers to advanced social skills tools to support you at every step.

4. eSpecial Needs

http://especialneeds.comFrom oversized building blocks and bungee jumpers to snapwall playsets and sand and water activity tables, eSpecial Needs offers a variety of appealing active play toys for children with special needs, including autism.

5. Fun and Function

http://funandfunction.comFun and Function designs sensory toys and therapy equipment for individuals with special needs to help children learn adaptive responses for what they may lack or crave.  Looking for a gift for a child with special needs? Fun and Function has some recommendations.

6. Gummy Lump

http://gummylump.comGummy Lump offers toys that make sweet memories:  play food, wooden toys, pretend play & educational toys for toddlers & preschoolers! Featuring Melissa & Doug and other award winning toys.

7. Lakeshore Learning

http://lakeshorelearning.comLakeshore is dedicated to creating innovative educational materials that spark young imaginations, instill a sense of wonder and foster a lifelong love of learning. Although not specifically targeted towards children with special needs, a number of their products can be very useful for children with special needs.

8. Playability Toys

http://www.playabilitytoys.comPlayAbility Toys designs and develops toys for children with special needs. Toys are geared towards children on the Autism Spectrum, individuals who are blind & visually Impaired, cognitive challenges, hearing impaired, physical challenges, speech delay and more.

9. Special Needs Toys

http://specialneedstoys.com
Special Needs Toys offers a wide range of special needs toys, from mobile Multi-Sensory, to Swings, Trampolines and otherSensory Integration kits, Switches, rewards and small Sensory toys.

10. Toys  ’R’ Us

http://toysrus.comToys ‘R’ Us has a complete  ”Differently-Abled” Kids section. Categories include: Auditory, Creativity, Fine Motor, Gross Motor, Language, Self-Esteem, Social Skills, Tactile, Thinking and Visual

Via West Thanksgiving Recap

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at Via West! We just spent a fantastic holiday weekend at Via West full of football, friends, and food! We went shopping at the Via West Market to select ingredients to make stuffing and pumpkin pie for our Thanksgiving feast.

We decorated masks to be sold at this year's Via Ball since the theme is Mardis Gras Masquerade.

 We made journals and photo albums, and we practiced our football skills. We then stuffed all of our Thanksgiving turkeys with our homemade stuffing.

We made vases to use as centerpieces for Thanksgiving, and we put our football skills to good the test with a campus wide scrimmage.

Everyone then dressed up to sit down to our wonderful homemade feast (thanks to Deli Dave and the kitchen staff!), and we shared what we are most thankful for this year. We finished the night off by dancing away all of our calories at the Turkey Trot!

To see more pictures from this weekend, please visit our Facebook page.

Harry Potter Halloween Recap

Expelliarmus! Our young witches and wizards spent a frightful and fun-filled weekend at the haunted Via West Castle. We competed in a live chess game, brewed potions, hatched dragon eggs, and made magic wands to cast our Halloween spells.

On Saturday, we took a field trip to Giordano Farms where we rode on the train, learned about animals in the petting zoo, and everyone picked the perfect pumpkin to take home.

Back on campus, we played a rousing game of Muggle Quidditch, searched for magical creatures with our Bowtruckle and Niffler treasure hunt, and we used iPads to learn all about Harry Potter and Halloween.

Things got a little bit spooky at the Shrieking Shack haunted house and then everyone boogied on down at the Goblin Gala. To round out the weekend, everyone was able to pose for a picture with Professor Dumbledore!

To see more pictures from the weekend, please visit our Facebook page.

Last Days of Summer Recap

We just kicked off the 2012-2013 weekend season with The Last Days of Summer! We had a blast celebrating the last of the warm weather. We learned how to make seed balls to plant in the ground and we made suncatchers and pinwheels as well. We rooted through the Via West garden and dug up some delicious vegetables that we then cooked for our summer bbq extravaganza!

We splashed around in the pool, learned on iPads, showcased our talent at the talent show, and had a fun-filled dance under the stars. 

We had an epic showdown of men versus women in the Via West baseball game. While the men made an amazing comeback, the defensive skills of the women allowed them to prevail!

To see more photos from this weekend, please visit our Facebook page. To register for a private pay weekend program, please click here.

Medieval Madness Recap

Hear ye, hear ye fair knights and ladies of Via West! Medieval Madness week is sadly over, but such fun was had by all! Participants ate giant turkey legs by the fire and jousted and decorated the maypole during an unforgettable Renaissance Fair.

Everyone learned how to embroider, make candles, and ride a horse just like in the olden days. After learning our own Shakespeare play for a performance, we took a field trip to picnic and watch others tackle the Bard's work at the Shakespeare Festival.

For more pictures, please visit our Facebook page.



Cruise Away Recap

Via West treated participants this session to a fantastic and fun-filled "cruise" complete with games, a casino night, luau, and, of course, a lot of time spent lounging in the pool. Participants took an exciting field trip to the Kaiser Famer's Market to buy lots of lush produce which was later used to make delicious smoothies.

  

On Friday, 17 more participants came on board for the weekend. They joined in on Polynesian Bingo, a camp out under the stars, a disco, and everyone's favorite: the talent show.

We took a second field trip to Golfland USA where everyone was able to try for a hole in one. The rest of the day was spent trying to earn as many tickets as possible in the arcade!

For more picures, please visit our Facebook Page!

CSI Week Recap

Via West kicked off the summer with CSI week from June 4-10th. After a rain filled check in day, the skies cleared and our participants had a blast soaking up some sun and lounging by the pool. Last week was not all rest and relaxation, however. Our participants were put to work learning all of the finer points of crime solving! We took fantastic field trips to the Monte Vista fire station and the West Valley Sheriff's Department, where local firefighters and police officers allowed participants to sit in and on the fire engines and police cars!



The energy soared throughout the week as each group rotated to different activities particular to the day. Two of the biggest highlights were the "Good Guys and Bad Guys" dance on the sports court and the Live Clue game where participants and staff traipsed through the 13 acre Via West Campus searching for clues and solving crimes.



On Friday, we were joined by 9 participants eager to join in on the weekend fun of CSI week. We learned how to make protein rich smoothies, how to outline bodies with chalk, and how to cast footprints like the professionals. Saturday night was the all important talent show where everyone was able to get up and show off their singing and dancing skills.

Sessions 1 and 2 are in the books and now it is time to Cruise Away with Sessions 3 and 4!

Via West Summer Officially Under Way

Nurse interns arrived at Via West Campus eager to begin training on May 29^th.  Nursing students will complete an eleven week community health nursing curriculum at Via West this summer. Adding an extra layer of care for participants with medical issues, the internship also increases the pool of nurses who are comfortable and competent meeting the special needs of children, teens, and adults with developmental and physical disabilities.

 Nurse Interns

75 other counselors, volunteers, unit directors, program staff, and health care staff arrived on May 31^st for general staff training. Led primarily by Director Leslie Davis and Associate Director and Health Care Manager Sandy Keefe, the training will lasted four days and encompassed everything from behavior management to special diets and independent living skills. There was a parent panel where the staff had the opportunity to meet with current Via West participants and their parents and learn firsthand the type of expectations our families have when they come to our programs.

All Staff

The first Via West session begins today, June 4^th, and the excitement of the staff is high. “Our staff is amazing – so flexible – so loving – but above all really smart,” says Via West Director Leslie Davis. “We are very lucky!”