My favorite department is the Wood Department. I have learned about working with wood and Mr. Ed taught me safety rules and how to use the tools. I like working with wood because I wear safety glasses and gloves to do some sanding. I make things like pizza cutters, spinning tops and ice cream scoops and it takes a long time. Making wood products makes me happy.
by Dallas
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My name is Jake and I’ve been attending Seeds for Autism. At Seeds there are many departments I get to work in, and one of those departments is weaving. In weaving we make a variety of hats and scarves. We also make soap holders and other items. I work with the weaving instructor Bailey on Thursdays and she is really nice.
In weaving we learn how to weave and knit. The tool we use is called a loom. We use different types of looms depending on what we’re working on at the time. Because there’s so much to do, Bailey usually lets us choose what to work on based off of our strengths. I like working on hats and soap holders. Working in this department is really cool because I get to see the product as I’m working so it makes me feel productive. Learning things step by step is how I learn and succeed the best. This department also helps me relax and I sometimes wish I could do it all day.
Bailey is a good instructor because she is very patient when I make mistakes. She lets us work independently and stands by in case we need help. She teaches me things by verbally explaining and demonstrating it at the same time. By following along with her it helps my brain reinforce information given to me and allows me to be independent the next time.
I think everyone should learn how to knit and weave because it’s relaxing for the brain. It’s important to learn how to slow down in life and working in the weaving department helps me do that. When you do so many activities in life like me the most important skill to have is knowing how to give yourself and your brain a rest and this is what the weaving department has taught me.
Daniel takes pride in his work in the Wood Department at SEEDs
There is something truly wonderful about a unique, hand-crafted object. The feeling you get when you create – investing your time, creativity, hard work and dedication to transform basic materials into a thing of beauty is a life-changing experience. Whether it is a lump of clay, a ball of yarn, or a piece of wood… with you, clay becomes ceramics, fiber and yarn becomes a scarf… and a hunk of wood becomes a pizza cutter.. as unique and individual as the artist who created it.
A one of a kind pizza cutter
Close up of Daniel’s craftsmanship
Who he was-Thomas Edison was an inventor. He was born on Feb. 11, 1847. To middle class parents in the town of Milan, Ohio. He had adhd which meant he had a hyper active behavior which made his teachers upset and impatient. Thomas Edison never stopped asking questions and had a self centered view on life. He was deemed “odd” by his peers. He started his job as a newspaper salesman. He peddled out by the railroad track.
Three things Thomas Edison was famous for-
1.The first electric vote recording machine
What are your thoughts about this person?
Edison was very smart and used his skills to create better items for the world. He had difficult beginnings and people didn’t always understand him but he persevered and never give up. I believe Thomas Edison is the most influential person that ever lived.
WWW.ThomasEdison.com
Daniel shares his experience in the wood department with an introduction to the process and his instructor, as well as the products he creates and the impact it has on his self esteem and job preparedness.
SEEDS provides education and vocational training for all functional levels of autism as well as providing resources for those on the autistic spectrum. We are proud to be one of the leading Phoenix resources for autism and our programs let those with autism spectrum disorders explore the possibilities and discover new skills in a structured environment.
What Seeds means to me
2/16: At the time of writing this I have been working at SEEDS FOR AUTISM for over a year. During this time I’ve come out of my shell a lot. In High School I was always the quiet person in class that wouldn’t talk anyone and no one would even try to talk to me. I did have a couple of friends from Middle and Elementary school that I would hang out with at lunch and on the bus, but we didn’t have any classes together. I secretly felt kind of lonely but was to afraid to actually talk to new people. After I graduated, my family took me to a job/program/school fair where SEEDS had a booth. It seemed interesting, so that summer I signed up for the summer program -and it was a lot of fun. I met some nice people who I became acquaintances with, but I still didn’t feel at home/comfortable yet. Then in December, I joined the official SEEDs program. I was still pretty nervous, until someone who also works at SEEDS said he remembered me from the summer program and welcomed me into the SEEDS family. I felt bad because I didn’t remember him. After a while though we became good friends and still are. I started talking about similar interests, things that are on my mind, how life is going, and now I have many new friends! Now I feel like I can make friends, share what I have to say, and I am slightly more confident. I am now truly part of the SEEDS family!
5/25: Today I am leaving SEEDS, I still feel the same as I did when I wrote the paragraph above. I am leaving because SEEDS has given me confidence to follow a new opportunity. I will miss all of my friends and all of my instructors very much, but it’s time to move forward with my life, and SEEDS FOR AUTISM has given me the knowledge to do so successfully. I have learned skills and made things here that I never thought I would ever be able to. I am very grateful for SEEDS FOR AUTISM and everyone here for helping me with so much. The only thing I can say now is, thank you!
~Breanna D.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
~Nelson Mandela
Hi! My name is Max and,I know what you’re thinking, he’s a tiny, young, abandoned little pet with no collar. Now, I’m waiting for the pet shop to open up their doors. A life on the run isn’t always what I wanted. I had it good until my stupid cage mate wanted to dare me to see how high I could jump on the trampoline and touch the top of the cage. Now, you’re probably wondering why did you take the dare in the first place? And you would be correct! But let’s start at the beginning. The day of my birth. My parents were the greatest. I was born in a rescue mission in Australia. Back then, you didn’t have rules, there was only a preserve, the den, my parents and me. Every couple of months a lucky little guy got to be picked out to become a candidate for adoption. You know who got picked out this time? It wasn’t me. It wasn’t my parents. It was always some other guinea pig that was fatter, cuter, fluffier and overall better looking. That was my life. I had everything I ever wanted; Food, shelter and loving parents that looked out for me. Then one day, I decided to ask mom and dad if I could take a walk outside my den. “ I don’t know sweetie” my mother said. “I promise, I’ll be careful”. “I would like to go and follow whatever that noise is that I hear every day” “you mean the human pets?” his mother replied? “Yes, so that’s what I hear” said the guinea pig uhmm… honey are you ok?” said his mother. “ Life is nice inside a rescue shelter but, if only I could see what’s beyond the grassy plain” he said. “But sweetie, you are-WE-are safe in our home. Besides there are hungry animals that would love nothing more than snacking on a plump, young, juicy guinea pig.” “Now, go to sleep.” Our inspection is tomorrow and you may be picked out by a nice family.” she replied. “Ok…. mother” Later that night, I was sleeping when I had a dream. I was following a trail of cookie crumbs to what knows where and it led to a giant cookie on top of a mountain. Beyond, I could hear a voice calling me. “Come, join us; we have more cookies” more cookies…cookies….coookkkkiiiiessss………………………………………………………………….”Cock a doodle doo! I awoke the next morning . “Mom! Dad!” I had this really weird dream last night”. I was following these cookie crumbs and this voice kept saying ‘“come,join us we have more cookies”’! Then a giant cookie on top of a mountain!” Outside a guard was eating a snack and leaving crumbs behind as he walked back to his shift.” It looked like-” I looked around for a good example to tell them. “It looked like that” He pointed to a trail of crumbs on the floor at the bottom of his cage. “I must follow the crumbs!!” he started to run but, as he did his mother and father caught him by the skin of his tail. “You’re not going anywhere young man!” said his mother. “ thats right” his father agreed. “Now, eat your breakfast!” she demanded. After breakfast, I played with Mr. Amigo, my squishy mariachi toy. “Not fair! Not fair!” I was sad that I couldn’t leave the shelter. I thought my parents wanted more for me but I couldn’t even convince them that wanted to explore the world. I squashed that squeaky toy as hard as I could. Pop! Out came a little snack. The rescuers liked to put little goodies and treats inside our toys as a reward for good behavior. But I hadn’t been good. What was this treat doing inside “Mr. Amigo” so I ate the treat. “Yummy”! I exclaimed. Hmmm… let’s try this again. I ate one more. Then, I popped out another and another… and another…. “Oooohhh, I don’t feel good.” things were going great ! I would cry wolf then rescuers would come get me and then I would be taken to the infirmary where I would be loaded with Gas-X and released to quarantine where I would stay for a couple days and eventually be released into the great beyond. It worked and that’s how I ended up here.
The end
SEEDs for Autism is a Phoenix based vocational training program dedicated to teaching autistic adults a variety of job skills related to the arts. Please use your Arizona Tax Credit to help SEEDs for Autism grow! https://www.seedsforautism.org/
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