_ Nicholas read Mat, Jig and Mag, The Vet, 10 Cut-Ups, and Dot and Mit.
- We read Let's Go for a Drive together.
- I read Snow and A Fish Out of Water to Nicholas.
- We practiced some word families.

Nicholas was very tired today and had difficulty concentrating on tasks. He was initially resistant to working on his math homework but when I checked his book bag, he had one worksheet which had already been completed. When questioned if he had completed it in Aftercare today, Nicholas said he had done it a long time ago. When I further questioned him, Nicholas said he didn't think his teacher assigned any work today. I briefly questioned him on the value of pennies, nickels and dimes, but Nicholas was unable to identify them or state their value. I did not want to further frustrate him so I attempted to switch to spelling but some of the words Nicholas wrote down in his agenda were illegible. I emailed his teacher, Mrs. Miner and questioned if she had given out a (math) worksheet other than the one he had completed, and I also asked if she had distributed a new newsletter, as he had none in his book bag and those usually list new spelling words. As of the writing of this session summary, however, Mrs. Miner had not as yet responded.

- Nicholas practiced 6 of his spelling words (over, don't, with, that, five, and ride).
- Nicholas read Mat and Jig and Mag to Ms. Judie.
- I read Snow to Nicholas.
- We worked on the books we are making.

Despite having a cold, Nicholas was in good spirits and eager to engage in academic games. He is very creative and expresses himself inventively through play, and it has also been beneficial to facilitate his focusing skills, recall abilities, and attention to detail. Fantasy play allows children to explore new experiences and helps them learn to stay with a string of tasks long and to consider consequences before acting. Constant practice during play enables them to effectively transfer these skills to real life. I prompted Nicholas with the intro, "Once upon a time," and Nicholas took it from there, creating a fantastical scenario involving tracking and attacking dinosaurs and a climax in which he was the hero. The fantasy play began in the lunchroom and as it became increasingly more elaborate, it expanded to the playground area, where more props were found and inventively re-purposed. Nicholas enjoyed acting out scenes, even involving and directing another child who agreed to engage in the fantasy play with him, valiantly offering to protect her from the enemy (me, as I interacted Nicholas's character). He thwarted me with objects found in our surrounding area, turning them into weapons with which to defend his friend and allow her several different escape route options. Nicholas greatly enjoys fantasy play and it allows him to expend physical energy and master challenges in increments, gradually building his capacity to stay with the game, follow increasingly complicated rules, handle frustration and use information to solve problems. It should also be noted that Nicholas is very kind and caring; he will say and do things, and create new scenario endings that will make the other player(s) feel good at the conclusion of the play. Nicholas did not want to end the game as dismissal time approached but responded well to prompts instructing him to take a few minutes to finish the story and put away the props. Nicholas's grandfather arrived to pick him up as he was leaving for New York for his Spring break vacation later in the evening. Nicholas's next session, upon his return, will be on Wednesday, 3/27.

- Nicholas read Mat and Dot and Mit to me.
- I read The Lorax and I Will Teach My Dog 100 Words to Nicholas.
- Nicholas pretended to do a video of the two of us making books.

- Nicholas practiced spelling.
- I read A Fish Out of Water to Nicholas.
- We read I Really Like Slop and Watch Me Throw the Ball to Nicholas.
- Nicholas read Mat and Dot and Mat to me.

Nicholas has been working on identifying the value of coins, computing the value of combinations of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters, and relating the value of coins to the dollar. He did not have his homework packet with him, but it is believed that was because several assignments had been stapled together and that his teacher collected the packet in its entirety the previous day. We moved onto spelling and Nicholas was afforded techniques and strategies to help him remember how to spell this week's eight words. When Nicholas become frustrated, he will appear defeated and say "I just don’t get it," and ask to stop. During such times, it is best to allow him time to refocus and take a short break, or break the task into smaller chunks or units of information. Nicholas was able to spell about 5 words correctly, but this was after repeated practice and when reminded of strategies or mnemonic devices to facilitate his recall. He has difficulty when sounding out the words and often omits the vowel between consonants. However, the words are rather challenging, and contain a few that are hard to sound out, while others have almost the same spelling yet different meanings and sounds (e.g., where and were). Nicholas was afforded a break after several trials having him spell the words aloud and/or write them on a whiteboard.

Nicholas reviewed his math assignment, which was to identify the value of coins and compute the value of combinations of pennies, nickels, and dimes to the dollar. I used actual coins to facilitate his understanding. We completed the math homework, which he had started in Aftercare at his school, and moved onto some spelling words. We will resume coin identification skills and review of the spelling words during Wednesday's session.

- Nicholas practiced his spelling words.
- I read Snow and Flap Your Wings to Nicholas.
- We read Let's Go for a Drive together.

Nicholas was in a good mood and full of energy, despite it being late in the afternoon after a full week. At the beginning of the session, I had Nicholas create sounds and movement freely with the props and instruments that were on hand and available, and he clearly enjoyed responding to various musical styles. (Florida State Standard MU.1.F.1.1). When asked about his favorite song/artist, Nicholas responded with 'I'm Still Standing,' by Elton John. We listened to it, and Nicholas sang along with the lyrics in animated fashion and clapped along to the beat. Nicholas next engaged in dramatic play, using more props he found in the playground area. Having an active imagination, Nicholas created scenes he wanted played out which involved dragons and dinosaurs. He cleverly improvised a song about dinosaurs, adding actual scientific facts about what caused dinosaurs to become extinct after an asteroid hit the earth. Nicholas participated in clean-up when it was time to leave, and we played a quick game of Candy Land while waitng for his grandparents to arrive. Nicholas won, speedily, but showed a kind and compassionate side when he encouraged me to continue playing so that I could win alongside him. When Nicholas's grandparents came to pick him up, he left in the same good spirits and with the same amount of energy as when he arrived.