Craft Time

Wild About WATERCOLOR WATERCOLOR

Written by Ashley Wedding // Photo by Jamie Alexander

In our house, we are pretty serious about crafting. To be honest, I’m not really all that crafty. I Google a lot of things and recently, I’ve been stumbled across a really great artist on TikTok that shows some really fun and easy art projects for kids, including watercolor. (If you are on TikTok or Instagram, follow her! @Andrea.Nelson.Art)

She introduced us to this fun project and it couldn’t be easier! I will admit that getting into watercolor can be a little more expensive than some of our other projects we show in the magazine, but it’s so worth it. The kids and I are doing it together and it’s just as fun for me as it is for them. (And trust me, I am not an artist!)

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

›› watercolor paper ›› water color paintbrushes ›› watercolor paint (All of these can be found at Walmart, but we got ours at Hobby Lobby.) ›› pencil ›› white glue ›› black acrylic paint

HERE’S WHAT YOU WILL DO:

›› Sketch out an animal, flower — or really anything you want — on the watercolor paper. ›› Mix black acrylic paint in a bottle of white glue. If it’s a new bottle, dump a little glue out first. The amount you add depends on the amount of glue in the bottle. Just kept adding until the glue turns completely black. ›› Outline your sketch with the glue and let dry. This will take a few hours. Final step — watercolor! Don’t stick to typical colors. Make this bright and happy! Experiment with splatters to add fun detail. ›› Before you give this a try, I highly encourage you to check out Andrea. Nelson.Art on TikTok or Instagram. She is incredible! Watching her is almost like an at-home art class for you and your kids. HF

If you make these adorable crafts, be sure to tag a photo of them on our social media accounts! We would love to see them!

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THE PEOPLE AND PLACES THAT MAKE HENDERSON GREAT

HOLDEN HOLDEN RIDEOUT RIDEOUT Speech Apraxia Awareness Month

May is known for many different things, including for being the month of Memorial Day, the month children start their summer break, and the month that many people start to open up their swimming pools. May means more to some than others, however, as May is also speech apraxia awareness month. Speech apraxia is a disorder that affects the brain pathways that are involved in forming speech, meaning that those who have it find much difficulty in speaking and learning to speak. One Henderson resident, Leslie Rideout, has honorably decided to share the story of her son, Holden, who has speech apraxia and is on the autism spectrum disorder.

A RARE DISORDER

Leslie states that Holden has held both diagnoses since he was three and a half. Leslie described what speech apraxia has been like for Holden and those afflicted with speech apraxia. “They know what they want to say, but they can’t get out what they want to say.” Leslie states that 1 in every 1,000 children who attend speech therapy are diagnosed with speech apraxia, meaning that it is a fairly rare disorder. Leslie is very passionate about spreading the word about speech apraxia. “Most people that we come in contact with have never even heard of it. Most people have heard of autism, but most people have not heard of speech apraxia. Even his therapists said they didn’t really know what it was until they started studying it after they got out of school.”

THERAPY LEADS TO PROGRESS

Holden attended speech therapy three times a week but has been moved to twice a week due to his progress. He also gets speech therapy and occupational therapy at school. “He’s made a lot of progress over the years. We started out at three and he couldn’t speak. He had no sounds and couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t make the sound ‘shhh’- something so easy he couldn’t do.” Leslie states that Holden’s progress has been immense. “He’s a happy kid now. He can vocalize and do so many things now with the therapy he’s been given over the years.” Holden is in a regular classroom and can do most of the things that the other kids do, but he needs extra

support. He has a special education teacher that comes in to help him several times a week to help out. Leslie says short therapy sessions that are frequent are the best practice for Holden and kids like him. He has 15-minute sessions four times a week at school and 30-minute sessions two times a week outside of school.

Leslie outlined the diagnostic process for speech apraxia. His speech therapist at the time, a therapist that has been practicing for 42 years, had her suspicions that Holden had speech apraxia before he was officially diagnosed. Once Leslie had this information, Holden underwent testing of both physical and psychological means. By the time he was three and half, he was diagnosed with both autism and severe speech apraxia.

FINDING SUPPORT AND RAISING AWARENESS

Once he was diagnosed, Leslie went on the hunt for information. She learned a lot from Holden’s therapist, but she also learned a lot of what she knows from the websites and social media groups related to speech apraxia. “I joined some of the Facebook mom groups for children with speech apraxia, so that was kind of interesting because you could talk to people who have children with the same diagnosis.” Leslie is still in those groups, and she finds it valuable to talk to other moms and to find out how often other kids with speech apraxia get therapy and how they are progressing.

I asked Leslie what she wants people to know about speech apraxia. She said she would want people to know just how rare it is, and that it is similar to autism in some ways. For people who think that their child might have speech apraxia, Leslie encourages them to go to a speech therapist, to keep hope and to trust their gut. “There are groups and help out there for these kids. There are therapists and people around that do know how to help your child. It would be nice if parents could explain to their kids that others may be different or talk differently just so they can be more aware.”

“Holden is a happy kid. He loves school. He has good friends, and he loves cars.” Thank you, Leslie, for sharing Holden’s story. To get involved in local events for autism, Leslie recommends joining the parent group for Experiencing Autism Together. There will be an annual walk taking place on May 21st. More information on how to get involved can be found on their Facebook page.

Anna Tapp Dixon

LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST

In a sun filled room just off the reception area of Redbanks Senior Apartments sits Anna Dixon. The bright-eyed Henderson woman with a wide grin wearing a black and white polka dot skirt and shiny jewelry radiates optimism without speaking a word. At 101 years old, the energetic lady has no interest in sitting around and letting others do for her what she prefers to do for herself.

EATING HEALTHY AND STAYING BUSY

Born Anna Tapp on February 23, 1921, Dixon grew up with her family on a small farm in Corydon, KY. “My father was a small farmer. We ate out of the ground. Always had gardens. We had cows, but we only used them for milk and butter.” Something she attributes as a factor in her health and longevity. She was raised poor “like everyone else at that time” but reflects fondly on her upbringing. “Everything we ate was out of our garden. My mother canned everything in these green cans.” She recalled. “So, I ate out of the ground, and I still do as much as possible. I rarely eat fast food. Fast food is full of sugar and salt. I stay away from a lot of salt.” However, the spunky Anna does confess that around the holidays she will over-indulge in sweets. “At the holidays, this place is dripping in sugar.” In addition to healthy eating habits, Mrs. Dixon also takes an exercise class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She doesn’t smoke or drink. “I stay busy.” She explains. “I like to sew. I like to play piano. I like cooking and cleaning. I like a pretty house. I still drive myself.”

SMALL TOWN GIRL AND BIG CITY ADVENTURES

Staying busy is the only way of life that Anna knows. During World War 2, “There weren’t’ any jobs around here so a couple of us girls got together, and we went to Chicago.” Having seen so much history, first-hand, Mrs. Dixon is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. Her optimistic outlook on life keeps her from elaborating on the hardships she faced looking for work as a black female during that era in America. With a smile never fading from her face, she remembers back on her days of youth in Chicago, highlighting only the fond memories. “I got all my education in Chicago. I worked during the day and went to school at night. I went two and a half years to junior college. I just did all kinds of odd jobs until I could get

myself situated.” She loved traveling and seeing new places during that time, but there is no place like home. Anna moved back to Corydon to tend to her family’s property in 1973. She also fell in love and married around that same time. At 52 years old, Anna married George Dixon. The pair were married until the time of his death in 2008. Becoming a widow didn’t slow Anna’s zest for life. “I just kept on doing what I’d always done.” She remained in Corydon tending to her home until 2017 when she moved to Henderson. “I like outside. I love flowers. I had flowers everywhere. Me and my little dog weeded the garden and stayed outside a whole lot.”

DOING FOR OTHERS

Volunteering is another important part of Anna’s joy. She did volunteer work for more than 22 years. “I took care of the elderly to keep them from going to the nursing home,” she erupts in laughter that becomes contagious to those within earshot. “I was the same age or older than some of the people I helped. When I tell people that they always get a kick out of it. The elderly taking care of the elderly.” Helping others helps you not think of yourself so much, which she claims is another reason she has lived to the ripe age of 101. “That’s my calling. I’m always doing something for somebody else if they ask me.” Mrs. Dixon is already thinking about her birthday celebration for her 102nd birthday. She still basks in the high she felt from her 100th and 101st birthday celebrations. Having more than a century of living under her belt, Mrs. Anna is now purposefully enjoying her breaks from the hustle and bustle. She enjoys the relationships she has cultivated at Redbanks Senior Apartments and moves at her own pace. After all those years of working and volunteering, she grins and gleefully exclaims, “I think I’ll go home, cross my legs and sit down for a bit.” HF

AMANDA WAGGENER is a blogger for the Huffington Post, author of No Grit No Pearl blog site and is a native of Henderson. She and her husband are the parents of two teenagers who they are raising with as much zeal as they can muster.

ABBY HAMPTON

SWIMMING THROUGH LIFE

Most kids are thrilled at the thought of summer because it means they get to go swimming. Whether it be in their own backyard or a community pool, they love splashing around, playing water games and jumping into the water. For Abby Hampton, the love and passion for swimming began at the age of three, and she doesn’t remember a time not being in the pool.

Life Outside of Swimming

Abby has been married to her husband, John Hampton, for almost 22 years. They have two children, Amelia Hampton, a freshman at the University of Kentucky, and Jack Hampton, an eighth grader at North Middle School. They also have a whoodle (soft-coated wheaten terrier/Poodle mix) puppy, Louie, who will be trained to be a therapy dog.

Abby is a Special Education Teacher at Henderson’s alternative school, Central Academy. She works with the Performance Based program students, E-learners, and provides service minutes for students with special needs that are on Dayside. Although her background is working with students with behavioral issues, she originally went to school to become a Marine Biologist. She quickly made the change to Physical Education. With no Physical Education positions available at the time she was job searching, she ended up subbing long-term for a behavior self-contained class at Central. “I was asked to stay on and got my Master’s in Learning Behavioral Disabilities from Murray State University and later my second Master’s in Moderate/Severe Disabilities from Western Kentucky University. This will be my 22nd year working for Henderson County Schools,” Abby said.

When Abby isn’t working or coaching, she enjoys reading mystery thrillers and historical fiction books or listening to them via the Libby App. Abby and her family also love visiting beaches, snorkeling and Disney World!

Written by Lyndi Mauk • Photo by Darrin Phegley

Growing Up Poolside

“I cannot remember a time that I have not enjoyed swimming. I know that at a very young age, I was already a seasoned pool nut,” expressed the passionate swim coach. When Abby was very young, her mom was a lifeguard. Abby explained how her mom would get

in the pool on her hourly breaks to play with her. “If there was water around, I was in it.”

It’s hard to think back and remember her first swim meet because it is all she has known, but her parents remembered. Abby’s first swim meet was at Plainview Country Club in Louisville at the age of three. Abby is sure her parents have a great embarrassing story and probably captured a great photo to go along with that first swim meet memory, too!

For Abby, swimming didn’t just take place during the summer months. Swimming was a year-round sport for her. She remembers spending her summers at Country Club swim meets but also traveling for USS meets throughout the year to some really fun places she may never have had the opportunity to visit if she wasn’t involved in swimming. “To this day, I run into people I swam against or with. It really is a community sport,” stated the avid swimmer.

From Swimming to Coaching

Abby remembers when the thought of teaching swim lessons long-term first sparked her interest - she was 13-yearsold. She had started giving swim lessons at TriState Athletic Club, and she really enjoyed helping others learn the skills they needed to be successful swimmers. She had no idea at the time how the roles of teaching swim lessons and coaching would become such a big part of her life in the years ahead.

Abby had the opportunity to swim in college. She enjoyed representing her school, College of Charleston, as a collegiate athlete. “I consider this to be a huge privilege. I really loved my college. It was the perfect fit for me and it remains the most beautiful campus I’ve ever visited. I also enjoyed traveling to other colleges and swimming at some really fantastic pools. We visited William and Mary, University of North Carolina, Duke, University of Richmond, Davidson, University of Tampa, East Carolina, and Emory. Time management was huge in balancing swimming and life in general from high school on,” explained the College of Charleston alumna.

Abby has been trained and learned from some of the best over the years. She loves being a swim coach, but it can definitely bring its own set of challenges at times, too. “I enjoy the actual coaching aspect and seeing the kids who put in the hard work get the results they want. The challenges for me are available pool times. The YMCA has been very helpful and flexible with us, and I am very thankful to the Aquatics Director, Katherine Hill. However, the main pool is not the correct size. High school teams swim in yards and our pool is meters, so it presents some challenges when having home meets,” Abby said.

Abby’s mother, Kay Underwood, was a swim coach, and she still continues to coach and swim herself at the YMCA. Swimming runs in Abby’s blood. It is a part of her and sharing her passion of swimming with others is what has led her to some awesome coaching opportunities. Before accepting the Henderson County High School Head Swim Coach position, Abby was the swim coach at Owensboro Catholic High School from 2017-2021.

Both of Abby’s children started swimming at the age of 3. They each swam for the YMCA and Marlins. Her daughter, Amelia, swam for Owensboro Catholic and her son, Jack, is now swimming for Henderson County High School.

Preparing for Competitive Swimming

“Swimming is a lifelong sport,” Abby stated. She encourages young swimmers to have fun with the sport now while they are still in the early stages of learning all the ropes and skills of becoming a competitive swimmer. “Swimmers often burn out, especially if you have swam since a very young age. It is great to be competitive and always try your best but be sure to be involved in other things as a young swimmer, too. It can easily take over your life if you let it with doubles (2 practices a day), dryland, lifting, diet, no

The Future of Swimming

Abby is looking forward to her second season as the high school swim coach. “We are hosting an invitational on November 19th at the new pool at the Deaconess Aquatic Center. We are hoping to have at least 20 different teams there from Kentucky and Indiana. I’ve heard that it’s a fast pool, so I expect lots of great races. Last year being the first year, we had a learning curve. This year we are more knowledgeable of the workings and ins and outs. So, I’m excited for a smoother go at things this year and the future. Thankfully, many parents have stepped up and taken on more involved roles, too. Lastly, I’m excited about growing the team!” stated the enthusiastic coach.

Swim season is from October to February, but students begin conditioning in September. Abby plans to have a parent meeting on Thursday, August 25 and the first day of conditioning will be Tuesday, September 6.

In regards to lessons, Abby has previously been able to provide both members and nonmembers lessons at the Henderson Country Club, YMCA and private pools in Henderson.

Student athletes (7th grade and up) who are interested in learning more about the high school swim team can reach Abby at abby.hampton@ henderson.kyschools.us, or if you have a child needing a swim lesson, you can reach Abby at learn2swimwithabby@ gmail.com. She is happy to answer questions about competitive swimming, or about swim lessons to ensure the safety of your child as they are introduced to the water. HF

LYNDI MAUK, editor of Henderson Family Magazine, was born and raised in the Bluegrass State. She is grateful to be going through life alongside her husband and best friend, Brandon, and being a mother to their two kids.