October is AAC Month: Fun Farm Field Trip

There were goats. Chickens, roosters, turkeys, geese, horses, sheep and huge, pink pigs. There was a playground, games and piles and piles of pumpkins. But first? Wonder Boy wanted to go on the hay ride.

Wonder Boy howled. His arms and legs tensed. He jabbed a finger in the direction of the green tractor, hitched to a wagon and parked before rows and rows of corn.

I kneeled beside Wonder Boy and tapped the device he wore draped across his shoulders. “Use your words.”

Wonder Boy sniffed. He pulled the device close to his body. “I want to ride the…” He hesitated. Thrust the machine toward me.

I pointed to the button for “groups.” He tapped it and followed up with “vehicles.” He saw the word he needed, pressed another button and the machine spoke. He looked at me. I waited.

“I want to ride the tractor,” he said.

“Thank you for telling me!” I said. “But it’s not our turn.”

Wonder Boy stood, stomped his feet, shook his head, howled.

“Five minutes,” I said. “Wait five minutes.”

We worked on vocabulary as Wonder Boy circled a chicken yard. “Chicken,” said his device. “Chicken,” he repeated. “Rooster,” intoned the machine. “Rooster,” said Wonder Boy. He pointed at the red topped creature.

So many different kinds of bird names to learn

Finally, finally, it was our turn. Wonder Boy raced across the muddy field, climbed the wagon steps, planted himself upon a bale of hay.

He giggled and a million tiny stars exploded joy, delight, hope into my chest.

It's so easy to love this boy.

We love playing in the Corn Crib!