New Summer Fun!

May has been an exciting month of trying new things.
First we started Hippotherapy or Horse back riding and then we also had our first Miracle League T-ball games!  We wanted to add some fun summer activities to the calendar and not just continue with indoor center based therapy.  We will still do some as well as some summer school but these will change up the routine a bit! Mark is doing well in these new activities.  At first a bit nervous in a new environment and not sure what was happening and if Mom and Dad were leaving.  But after two horse therapy sessions and two tball games, I think he is starting to get the hang of it!

Mark's horse is named Freckles and he rides on Monday afternoon's at Majestic Hills Ranch in Lakeville, just 25 minutes from our house.  His personal care assistant, that helps during the week, Molly goes with and assists the volunteers who work with the kids. There are 5 other kids with various special needs on horses, some older and some school age all with different abilities. Mark is one of the younger ones but several of the other families said their children started at age 3 or 4 and it has done wonders for them.  We are hoping for increased trunk strength, balance and coordination as it takes all of these to sit on a horse even with assistance. Some people have noticed and increase in communication too, so we can hope for that as well.

Its a big stretch to sit on the horse and the session consists of laps around the coral and Kris the director asking them to stop and start their horses with "woah, and walk on". They also do a red light green light game and turns around barrels! Mark is still adjusting to the work of sitting and being on a big animal which I am sure at his size is a bit intimidating, but he does better each week.  Its been great weather here we are having a warm spring and nice to be out on a ranch on a sunny day!

Miracle league is a nationwide program for kids with special needs to have the ability to play ball. Funds are raised in the communities to build a specialized field with a suitable surface for wheelchairs and walkers. Volunteers sign up to coach and be a buddy to the kids. Mark's team is coached by a high school girl, friends and mom, whos daughter is on one of the other teams. The buddies vary each week and the community little league teams often sign up to help out. The first game Mark was very unsure and did not want to be in his walker, so he was in his chair but did observe a lot of the activity and got up to bat once with assistance of the buddies.  It was a bit chaotic as all the kids were unsure what to do or the flow of the game. The game ended in a rain shower with an amazing double rainbow.

Week 2 was better is was a beautiful sunny Saturday and the kids were excited. There are 8 on his team, varying in ages from 3-9. The kids are so cute and so excited when there name is announced to go and bat. Some kids are able to hit the ball off the tee, others need some assistance, some have walkers or wheelchairs and some do not.  They all enjoy getting a home run at each bat and being cheered on by the fans, parents and friends.  It's very laid back and during the game, several players stop by the bleachers for reassurance that mom or dad are watching and to remind them they get a treat after the game!  They sing the national anthem at the start, take me out to the ball game between the 2 innings they play and they shake hands at the end. They are each then given a treat ticket to cash in a the concession stand for a snack, candy or ice cream- this is the highlight of the game! Mark did better the 2nd inning once he confirmed we were not leaving and had time to watch what was going on. He did get up to bat with help of his buddy and then went around the bases in his chair. He enjoyed an ice cream at the end. This is a wonderful program that I was a volunteer for in Florida as my old company participated in the league there and ran the concession stand.  Here in Minnesota there are 4 leagues in the twin cities and his league has 10 teams!  It's so wonderful to see all the kids having a great time. The field is with the other little league fields so it's in a great community inclusive environment and the opportunities for typical kids to volunteer are priceless too!  It's fun to see the kids hesitant at first to be paired up with a child with special needs, but once they get on the field and realize no matter their ability they love the game, they connect and have a great time together, both learning from each other.