We are a group of friends who have come together because we share the common bond of caring for someone who has Trisomy 21. We are here to share therapy tips, medical issues, laughs, accomplishments and yes, even frustrations. We embrace what Trisomy 21 has brought into our lives. We feel that it has taught us to appreciate the true meaning of life. We count our children as blessings! We will fiercely protect them and fight for their lives to be valued just as all other peoples' are. We share our pictures, our stories and our hearts here not only to provide friendship and support for each other, but also in the hopes that others will open their minds and their hearts to our unique children and, in turn, make a better world for everyone.

IDEAS FOR PRESENTATION TO MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

We are caught in a world that is trying to teach our children to simply "accept", or, even worse, "tolerate" those with differences.  To really see inclusion work within our schools, communities, churches and society in general, we must make a shift from "tolerance" and "acceptance" to understanding that each individual will bring something unique to the greater whole.  When others come to understand the interconnectedness of all people and how every human being is needed in that larger "whole".

This is meant to be a resource for all those who are doing presentations on trisomy 21 or disabilities in general.  It is a compilation of ideas from various community members for presentations to various age groups.  To see ideas for a given age group, simply click on the group listed below.

Do you have a great idea to be added to this page?  Send Monica an e-mail outlining the idea and how you would like it presented on the page and she will put it up! CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR PRESENTATION IDEAS

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Special Contributions Puzzle
Submitted by Monica (mom2mikey)

What is one thing that you can teach everyone in this class/group?  Create puzzle pieces that fit together and have each child draw a picture of something they could teach the others in the group.  This highlights the fact that every child brings something beneficial to the group.  When they are done, dependent on age, have them either put the puzzle pieces together or put them together yourself to show them how it all fits into the bigger "whole".  Could include pictures of each child in the center of the puzzle pieces and see if the final product can go up as  bulletin board display.

If kids are a little older, they could also do some writing on their puzzle pieces or you could change it up and have them draw someone's name and encourage them to write something unique/special about that person on the puzzle piece instead of doing their own.

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Katrina's Grade 9 Presentation
Submitted by Katrina (MommyKatrina)

 Katrina's Notes for Her Presentation

The above link is a link to Katrina's notes that she put together to make a presentation to a class of grade 9 students at her local Christian High School.  You will find her an outline of the steps she took when talking to them as well as a wealth of information on trisomy 21 that she shared with the students.  Please note that this is a PDF file and you will need Acrobat Reader to view this file.  If you have trouble viewing the file, e-mail Monica.

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