Zones Of Regulation - Continuation

The beginnings of a personalized Zones "Tool Box"

Several months ago I posted about a wonderful Social Skills curriculum that I had the opportunity to learn about through professional development, the Zones of Regulation by Leah M. Kuypers.  When I originally posted, I was just diving into the program with my students and was so excited about the language, ideas, and opportunities it provided to empower young people to self-regulate.  Time and a brutal winter has passed, and we have been trying to move our way through the curriculum.  It has been a slow process, with very inconsistent schedules and many opportunities for learning taken away due to weather cancellations.  I was starting to wonder if we needed to back up and spend more time working within identifying the zones when we had a wonderful breakthrough and I saw it click for my students, my staff, and even myself. 

Moving through the worksheets and the curriculum, we spent the suggested time and completed the suggested activities as we went along, but I wasn't seeing my students really make the connections.  I wondered, will it make sense to them, once we get into learning about the tools?  So we forged ahead and spent time learning about and practicing the tools, finding moments in our day where tools would be helpful and as staff, co-regulating and suggesting the use of one tool or another...STILL no connection.  This is when I began to wonder if I should back up.  Had all the inconsistencies of 2 hour delays and no school days throughout the winter hindered the impact this program could have?  Should I start over?  I decided to give it one more go on the tools, finding that the next activity was "Tools for Each of My Zones," which provides visual cues for the tools and asks the individual to place a tool in each of the Zones (Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red).  I figured, if my students REALLY hadn't made the connections, it would be very evident in completing this activity.  Well, something became very clear, and it was a very powerful experience.  It certainly had stuck and I saw them thoughtfully selecting the right tool for them for each of the Zones.  For many of them, especially my students on the autism spectrum, I have learned through my time working with them what they need for regulation and have tried to guide many of their sensory experiences toward that, so it was SO moving to see them identifying tools that fit within their sensory needs ALL ON THEIR OWN!  The time myself and my staff had spent modeling, stepping each of them through, and acting as co-regulators had an impact, and they were beginning to make those identifications themselves.  It was a very exciting day. 

So what is next?  I feel like we are just starting beginning on the long journey of self-regulation, and I am afraid to slow down, for fear that we may lose our momentum.  I have taken what each student has identified as their tools and put together the beginnings of what will be a visual tool box that each of them will assemble.  Strips of Red/Yellow/Blue/Green will be glued onto a black sheet of paper, and on each strip they will be able to glue the picture of their personally identified tools for each of the coordinating Zones.  These "tool boxes" will be laminated and will sit on their desk, attach to their schedule, and accompany them to work and other community environments.  As staff, I see us continuing to co-regulate, cuing them into the tool box before tasks, or as we see them move from one Zone to another.  In time, that support will fade...that is the goal!

I continue to have nothing but good things to say about this program.  In the midst of following the curriculum, I have also found opportunities to create expansion activities that deepen the understanding of my particular group of students and their needs.  It is the foundation of our social skills and regulation, but provides so many possibilities for branching off, and connecting with other social skill programs and needs.

Has anyone else seen these powerful results through the Zones of Regulation program?

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie Keimig

I teach teachers.

My years in this position has provided me with countless blessings, and at the top of that list, I would put the people that it has allowed me to meet, work with, and learn from.  Several years ago, in search of a new work site for several of my students, I approached a newly opened hotel that was affiliated with the community college that houses our Transition Program.  This hotel was built as a living, breathing, real life classroom for students pursuing careers in the world of hospitality careers...learning by doing, it was right up our alley.  I was put in contact with the gentleman who was in charge of housekeeping, and immediately we connected and began planning opportunities for both my students and his students, each of us so excited about the possibilities.  In the midst of our planning, he made a comment that changed me as a transition teacher, and as a person.  He told me that everyone was learning and growing from my students working in this hotel.  Not only were my students learning important work and social skills in a community environment, but his students, and members of the community were learning from my students as well.  They were learning understanding, tolerence, and acceptance.

I have taken that with me and applied it every day as I venture out into the community with my students.  As I sense someones frustration behind me in the grocery line, as my student struggles to count their money and make their purchase, I remind myself that I am teaching teachers.  As we board the bus and one of my students sits in the front seat bouncing and stemming throughout the ride, I remind myself that I am teaching teachers.  As I work through a melt down with an individual who is insisting on breaking because it is 2:45 on a clock that has not been changed for daylight saving time, I remind myself that I am teaching teachers.

My students, with all their quirks, routines, and struggles are better teachers than I could ever be to the world around them.  Just by being themselves and moving through their daily lives they teach each person they come in contact with acceptance.  That is pretty powerful stuff!  In those difficult moments, I must remind myself to resist the urge to step in and count the money for them, stop the stemming, and eliminate the melt down.  If I step in, no one learns.  My students do not learn to work through their struggles, and cannot be themselves in a community that is just as much theirs as it is yours and mine.  And those frustrated folks in the community do not learn either.  They do not learn to accept differences and be understanding.

I teach teachers; unique, determined, unaltered and kind-hearted teachers...and by teaching them, they teach you and me every day.

Come to the edge with me...

Sensory Integration: In the Community

This is a new venture for myself and my staff.  What do you do when the sheer vastness of environments in the adult community cause sensory issues?  How do you help your students self regulate when the tools that are typically used are left in the sensory room or classroom?  I don't really know the answer is...but I certainly know what it is NOT.  Do not, in any way, see this as an issue that should prevent the student from going out in the community.  What is the ultimate goal that we are all working towards?  It may be easier to see in a transition based classroom, where you deal with it every day...but we are all working toward independence, comfort and success in the adult community.  I can tell you, it will be very hard to get there, if the student never spends any time in the community!

This is an issue that we have faced more this year, in my classroom, than we have any other year.  Our number of students needing sensory integration has increased over the years, and so we are being forced to face these new challenges.  As I mentioned before, I do not have an answer, but we certainly have found things that work.  Our first priority is always for our students to be safe, but we also want them to fit and blend into whatever adult environment we are exploring without bringing too much attention to ourselves.  Considering this, are their natural sensory supports in this adult environment, that a student could access?  One thing we have found working very well is to have a student who consistently needs grounding and proprioceptive input to carry the milk or laundry detergent while we are at the grocery store.  This same student often travels in the community with a back pack, loaded down with "necessary" things (they are most necessary to keep this student regulated, and not necessary for much else).  Another suggestion for the grocery store is to have the student with sensory needs push the cart.  These are all very natural ways to meet student needs without drawing attention while out in the community.

Sometimes, however, a student has needs that cannot be met with a tweak here, or through things naturally found in the community, and sometimes the best solution isn't so subtle either.  My priority remains the students safety, and sometimes it is necessary to take steps that don't blend in.  It is in this case that I always ask myself, "what attracts more attention, a student having a meltdown because their unregulated, or a student who has their sensory needs met in a more obvious way?"  Some things that come to mind are headphones for noise, glasses for light, weighted vests, fidgets and other sensory "toys."  If it does the job, and there is nothing natural in the environment, it is what needs to be done.

The biggest thing I can recommend is don't be afraid to get out in the community and try things out.  The student will never be able to adjust and begin to self regulate in the community, if they aren't given the chance.  Head out with a couple tools and strategies, and if none of them work, its okay to turn around and head right back to that classroom...you are one step deeper into the community than you were before, and it WILL get easier!

Do you have any sensory tools that you have found work well out in the community?

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie

Sensory Integration: Part 1 - A Sensory Room

A glimpse into our Sensory Room.

Hello!  First off, I want to apologize for my long absence!  Immediately following our 2 week winter break, we had two additional days with no school due to extremely cold weather.  This made what is typically a very difficult return, even more difficult.  Since then, we have had several days with no school for professional development, and two late start days.  Add in IEP meetings, and a new semester and I have had a very difficult time getting through the days, getting everything done, and getting caught up!  But...things have finally slowed down, and I wanted to take some time do blog about something that I feel many Special Educators are learning more and more about with each year.  That is sensory integration.  I am a "young" educator, having only been teaching for going on 7 years.  In that short time frame, the amount of students I serve who have been identified on the Autism Spectrum, has more than doubled.  In the last few years, needing to find ways to provide supports and services for these young adults, I have thrown myself into the exploration of Sensory Integration.  I have gone to many professionals in my field, our Autism consultant, our OTA, and SLP.  I have "googled," "Pinterested," and thrown myself into literature about Autism and sensory integration...all in search of tools and solutions for these young adults who have this need.  So...I'm an expert now, right?!?  Not even close.  But, that is what is so great about creating a community of sharing in the world of Special Education services!  I have some ideas that might work for you, come on over...

When you work to prepare students for the transition to the adult world, you work within many environments: the classroom, the grocery store, the work site...AND what works for sensory integration in one place may not work in another...one enviroment may cause a student to require MORE sensory integration than another.  So, in the past year, I have learned to keep an open mind, and always be prepared with an escape plan! ;-)  In any case, I have come to find that there are some tools that are great for specific enviroments and the most logical place to start is in the classroom, and in our classroom, I will start by introducing you to our sensory room.

Our classroom is very special in that it was recently re-modeled and tailor-made for us!  When I say tailor-made, I mean that I, as the teacher, was given the opportunity to meet with the architects and essentially had the freedom to design my classroom.  I shot for the moon, and I just about got it, and now have the most beautiful and special classroom to meet the diverse needs of my students.  One of the things I made sure to advocate for in this space was a "Sensory Room."  These are growing in popularity across schools, providing a space for students to go during their day and meet their sensory needs.  So, upon the completion of the room, I had this beautiful room, a grant for sensory needs...and now the daunting task to fill it.  I dove into research.  I wanted a space that met the needs of every student in my classroom that might need sensory integration during the day, but didn't want to have to start over each year with a new batch of student.  What are the must haves?  What should I avoid?  What I learned first, was to take a deep breath and just chill (maybe I was the one who most needed time in this sensory room?!?), because as long as I followed several basic parameters, the possibilities were endless.

What is the purpose of a sensory room?  How does a student benefit from sensory integration?  We have our senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, balance (vestibular), and body awareness (proprioception).  For many of us, our bodies work through and process the many sensory encounters it has without conscious thought or effort and we go through our day feeling feeling fine.  Some individuals become sensitive to certain sensory encounters, and need to find a balance if they are exposed to too much.  Still others are "under" sensitive, and may require additional sensory encounters than what they are exposed to in a typical day.  So the purpose of a sensory room is to provide a variety of opportunities for engagement of all seven senses.  You want things in there that will "amp" up the students who may need that, and things that will "calm" others.  And because everyone's needs are different, each person should have an individualized sensory experience.  Whew!  Piece of cake, right?

The tactile board, made by my very talented and handy paraprofessional!

So to start, I listed the senses on a sheet of paper and began brainstorming engagement activities that could be paired with that particular sense.  For sight I included, a bubble tube, blinking lights, glittery objects, to name a few.  For sound I included personalized music players with cds with both upbeat and soothing music.  For touch I included a tactile board, rice searches, silly putty.  For taste I included gum, or suck on candies, for smell I included a "plug-in" air freshner, an activity with coffee beans, scented crayons/markers, for vestibulary we included a trampoline and for propriocetion we included a basketball hoop and paddle boards.  The brainstorming continued until we had a massive list of possibilities.  Then came the time for shopping...

"Fidget Toss" - one of the many sensory activities.

From there we created individualized bins with each sensory experience.  Each has a picture label to identify the bin and they line two bookshelves in our perfectly cozy room.  To individualize the sensory experience for each student, once all the sensory bins were completed, I brought each student into the room one on one.  I encouraged them to try every bin and I watched and took notes as they pulled out each box.  I noted what they selected first, their engagement, did the put it down and move on right away or did the engage for a while...how long?  Were some activities that they avoided altogether?  Did they try something and become agitated?  From all this data, I created slips for each students individualized sensory experiences.  When it is their time for sensory time (this is always thoughtfully scheduled into their day, if it is something they need) they go to the bag and find their card, and complete those activities.  Many students, who have been participating in Sensory time since the beginning of the school year, no longer require their lists, but go in and complete the activities, unprompted at their scheduled time.

Sensory Card

Sensory Bins.

The impact has been great! In thoughtfully planning out and scheduling their sensory time, many of our students have the opportunity to use their sensory time to help regulate their bodies and their needs before going out into the community, or after a long period of work.  This practice has drastically decreased the amount of behaviors and outbursts that they had prior to spending time in the sensory room.

But...what happens when a student has a sensory need and you are out in the community, with no access to a sensory room?  Be on the look out for my next post: Sensory Integration: Part 2 - Out in the Community!

Until then...are you looking for sensory tools or experiences for your students??

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie

A labor of love!  Putting together the sensory room.

Putting the "I" back in IEP

I have to start by giving a shout-out to my Special Education colleagues over at the middle school who started having "Student-led IEP's" and introduced them to district special education teachers through some voluntary professional development this past fall.  I have always felt it important to have transition-aged students involved in the IEP process as much as possible.  My students were always "a part" of their meetings and I would do my best to find ways to have them involved: leading introductions, sharing their Strengths/Interests/Preferences, but once I started down the road of Student-led IEP's, I noticed that my transition students were really in the driver's seat of not only their IEP meetings, but their entire IEP document as well.  The process in preparing for the IEP, working through creating their presentation for the meeting, and talking with them about what their future looks like in their minds really changed my mind set and the way I wrote their IEP.  Their voices rang through the legal document more than ever...and when is a better time for that, than when they are preparing to transition out of school and into the adult world?!?  But, I'm getting WAY ahead of myself...time to reign in the excitement and passion I have for this newly discovered process, so that I can do it justice, and share it with you all!

What is a Student-led IEP?
It is just what it says, it is an IEP meeting led completely by the student.  How this is done is completely dependent on your comfort level as well as the student's functioning level.  In my situation, my students and I sit down and put together a Keynote presentation.  Together we fill in a template presentation that I have created, and they help me put their personal spin on it by picking a color scheme, choosing the font here and the picture that goes there.  My students would not be able to complete this part without me working with them, helping them navigate the Keynote program...your student may be able to take the template and go.  Provide opportunities to take ownership of what this presentation looks like.  Having a template that they fill in ensures that they are including all the necessary IEP information.  From there, I have my students create a recording of the Keynote presentation.  This is one feature that I absolutely LOVE about Keynote, and why I use this rather than Powerpoint to create these presentations.  We go in a quiet room and practice reading through the presentation several times before we press record and go through it again.  Through the wonders of technology, the students voice is captured and aligned with the appropriate slide as you navigate through the presentation.  Now, on the day of the meeting, all you/the student has to do is push "play" and the presentation and information is shared.  For my students, who become shy and nervous and who already have limited verbal expression, this is the way to go.  You may be able to have your student navigate through their presentation on their own, life at their IEP meeting.  My last slide is always, "Comments/Questions/Concerns" which provides families and service providers at the meeting the opportunity to bring up any issues or pressing topics.  And that is it.  The student has shared all the valuable and important information of the IEP in language that all can understand.

What are the benefits of holding a Student-led IEP?
First and foremost, this process gives the student, the most important part of the equation the loudest voice.  So often, I think IEP's become procedural; we have a formula for how it should be completed to be compliant to state and district standards and we get so caught up in that piece that we forget the "individualized" nature of this document!  This helps put that I back in the IEP.  It also helps to build the students communication and self advocacy skills.  If a student is involved in the process of creating their IEP; evaluating their strengths and areas for growth in their goal areas, discussing their needed accommodations in their classes and community settings, and if this begins at an early age, by the time they are out in the adult world, they will be so accustomed to communicating about their needs, it will be much easier to do this in a post secondary schooling or work setting.  This will be a process they will be so comfortable and familiar with.  It is also a very powerful and eye opening experience to the families and service providers for our students, who may not always be able to see the past the struggles or needs for growth in these young people.  Seeing a student, in front of a group of adults, talking about themselves in their school day, and sharing their needs...this will have many involved very emotional and excited.

My personal experiences...
I have now hosted two Student-led IEP's both with very powerful impact and positive outcomes.  Students beam with pride as they watch other view a presentation they were instrumental in putting together.  Parents have a vision into their school day through pictures and video of students completing goal related tasks or moving through their school routines.  I had one parent tell me this was the easiest IEP meeting she had been to.  Her son is 20 years old (that makes a lot of IEPs).  She stated that in the past, the IEP is read to here and with the overwhelming amount of information and the legal language, she felt a lot of the important information was getting lost in translation.  This was broken down, to the point, and very clear.

This is a process and extra work on top of drafting the actual IEP document and all the other necessary pieces that go a long with it.  As I was working to put together my first two student led IEP's, I honestly thought, "This is way too much work and for what?  To be shared quickly and move right into picking through the IEP document."  What I didn't realize was that I was taking out the need to pick through the IEP because the student presentation was answering everyone's questions and concern.  The impact was amazing...and I'm not turning back.  Two more IEP's have been scheduled for the month of January and both will be student led!

What do you think about putting your student in the driver's seat of their IEP?  If you think this is something you would like to start in your classroom, please contact me and I can share more information with you about the process and provide some templates and guides for putting it together!

Come to the edge with me!
Mackenzie

The Zones of Regulation

Less than a month ago, I had the opportunity to attend a work shop for The Zones of Regulation, a curriculum created by Leah Kuypers to help teach students self regulation and emotional control...and it changed my life...both personally and professionally.  It is THAT good!  Since then I have been obsessed and consumed with this program, talking about it to anyone that will listen.  To be honest, I am surprised that it has taken me this long to sit down and share it with all of you, my avid transition followers!

So...what is it?
The Zones of Regulation is a social skills curriculum that uses a cognitive behavior approach to teach students to recognize when they are in different states called "zones."  Each of the four zones are represented by a different color.  Students also learn to identify tools that help them stay in an expected zone, or move to an expected zone.  Some of these tools include calming techniques, like breathing exercises, and sensory supports like physical activity.  This program is very similar to the 5 point scale, in that it asks students to recognize their own emotions, but it goes much deeper in identifying a broader spectrum of emotions as well as the learning of tools.  The key with this program is the idea that no zone is a "bad zone," but that each zone has times when it is "expected" or appropriate to be in that zone, feeling those feelings.

Why do I love it so much?
The Zones is a program that lends it self very well for social skill training with students on the autism spectrum specifically, but it is also great for students with a wide range of abilities and can be beneficial to incorporate in general education classrooms as well.  What a great way for our students to connect with peers socially in general education classrooms, by having a common social "language" and strategy.  This program is concrete, using logical colors and providing a connection to the community with signs.  The Zones also fits into your teaching structures and is not something extra to do or plan for.  It is a curriculum that is put together thoughtfully and requires very little additional work.  Most importantly, this is a program that provides students with coping and regulation strategies that they can take with them upon transitioning into the adult world.  It does not require elaborate point systems or reinforcement systems...it is about as real life as you can get.

How am I using it in my classroom?
I began introducing The Zones of Regulation to my students about 2 weeks ago.  In following the curriculum, I first started by having my students identify different emotions or feelings that can be found in each zone.  This took us about three days.  As we selected the emotions we talked about what does this emotion look like, how does our body feel when we are experiencing this emotion, what makes us feel this way, etc.  Through lesson reflection, I felt there was a lot of teacher talk time, and in future introductions, I would like to find a better, more visual way to introduce the emotions that are associated with each zone.  As we selected an emotion, we glued it to its appropriate zone on our Zones of regulation display.  After the emotions were introduced, we took about a week to let those ideas resonate.  In conversations with our students we began using the Zones language, identifying when students might be feeling a certain way, and talking through with them what Zone that emotion might be in.

From there we then began talking about times you might be in each zone.  For example, the Blue Zone is the Rest Area.  Emotions associated with this Zone are tired, sad, shy.  Each student thought of a time both during their time at school and at home when it would be expected for them to be in that Zone.  Students mentioned break times at school and just before bed at home.

That's about as far as I have gotten with incorporating it into my current classroom setting.  I have lots of hopes and ideas for more ways to embed it into my students every day lives, both our classroom and in their community settings.  I am anxious to see students come through my classroom who have had exposure to the Zones of Regulation at an earlier age, and see the differnence it makes in them using it in their every day lives.

I cannot say enough about this program...just as those I come in contact with.  People who are not even familiar with the field of education have gotten ear fulls of information about the Zones of Regulation, because I am just THAT excited about it.  I see its potential.  I see its logic.  It is like a light bulb for me, and I know it will click and help my students be successful in their adult worlds...and that is why I just LOVE it!

Are you familiar with this program?  Are you using it in your classroom?

Come to the edge with me,
Mackenzie

A Transition Thanksgiving

Sorry for my absence.  It was Thanksgiving in our transition classroom last week.  ALL WEEK!  For the past 6 years we have used Thanksgiving as a cooking opportunity in our classroom.  We grocery shop, we cook, we clean, and then we party!  All the things we do as adults as we prepare Thanksgiving for friends and family.  Needless to say, it is quite an undertaking...SHOUT OUT to my phenomonal staff who jump right on board and trudge through a very challenging week, all to provide an amazing learning opportunity for our students!  After 6 years, we have quite a system, and are very organized, so this year, I decided to throw in a couple additional learning opportunities :)  Here is a look at the week leading up to our Transition Thanksgiving.

Prior to this week, we spent time finding recipes for our cooking items and made/sent beautiful invitations to our guests.  We invite other classrooms of students and teachers, along with school administration.

Monday: GROCERY SHOPPING is our focus for this day.  In Morning Group, we complete a very challenging activity.  We take our HUGE list of Thanksgiving grocery items and categorize them by grocery departments.  Next, as Monday is our usual day to grocery shop, then we head into the store with monster lists, including items both for our Thanksgiving AND our usual lunch preparations.  Whew!

Tuesday: In morning group, we study our recipes for the week and answer comprehension questions about the recipes: how many people does this recipe serve? What temperature should we preheat the oven on that recipe? How many cans of Green beans for this?  Two groups of students work in kitchen today with two students to one staff for each group.  One group follows a recipe to prepare Green Bean Casserole and the other follows a recipe to make Crockpot Apple Sauce.  Our third group rides the city bus to HyVee, our local grocery store, where they complete an activity of price comparison to see what is cheaper, purchasing already made product (Stovetop stuffing) or making it from scratch.

Wednesday: Our focus in morning group is Thanksgiving Math.  We solve math problems focused around our Thanksgiving preparations.  This includes determining how long our 21 pound turkey needs to cook and doubling a recipe.  Two groups are in the kitchen again.  One prepares the stuffing, the other prepares the mashed potatoes.  Another groups heads to HyVee on the City Bus.

Thursday: First thing in the morning, Mr. Turkey goes in the roaster, and spends the day cooking.In morning group we learn about Social Skills for Thanksgiving.  As we are already learning about The Zones of Regulation, we try to incorporate these ideas into our lesson.  We talk about what are expected behaviors when you are the host of a party.  We plan what should be done when guests arrive, come up with conversation ideas for lunch, and plan what to do when a guest is ready to leave.  (This is the first year we have had an opportunity to tackle the social skill piece.  In future years, I would like to put even more of a focus on this piece, as it is so very important!).  Only one group is in the kitchen on this day and they work to prepare our mini pumpkin pies (made in muffin tins).  Another group spends the morning cleaning our classroom to prepare for our guests the next day, and our last group heads out to HyVee on the bus.  Later in the afternoon, we carve Mr. Turkey and put the pieces back into the roaster pan.  This goes into the refrigerator overnight and is reheated in the morning.

Friday: The day we have all been working for.  Morning group is spent reviewing social skills...expected and unexpected behaviors and putting together a schedule of our days.  From there the final preparations begin.  We have notecards with all the necessary tasks written out.  We start by assigning each student with a task from these cards.  As they complete that task, they take another card and begin another task.  This is a process that has made these last minute preparations so much easier, as I don't feel like I have to spend the morning figuring out ways to keep kids busy, and what needs to be done next.  It is all there on a "timeline" in front of me.  Next year, I would like to provide a written task list for each card glued to the back, to help our students (who can) complete each step with that much more independence.  We only reheat our food items the day of...nothing requires full cooking.  This helps to ensure that everything is done by the time our guests arrive.  And when the guests arrive, the fun begins and all the hard work throughout the week pays off.  I usually step back and watch the students, glowing with pride, share with their guests all the hard work they did all week...SO COOL!

When all the guests have left, and the dishes are clean, we give the kids some free time...games/computers/naps ;)  I sit down with my staff and we reflect on the day.  We make notes of what food had the most leftovers, what time did guests start arriving and what time did the last guest leave, what worked, what didn't work...all noted and put in our Thanksgiving binder for next year. 

The idea of hosting a Thanksgiving was one I was exposed to in one of my student teaching placements...the placement that changed my life and exposed me to the world of Transition.  It is A LOT of work, and sometimes I think my staff wants to kill me for making them do all this, but in the end, when we watch our students float with guests and share memories from previous Thanksgivings; when I see the pride in their eyes, its all worth it, and I begin counting the days to the next Transition Thanksgiving.

What do you think?!?  Do you want to host your very own Transition Thanksgiving?

Come to the edge with me...
Mackenzie