Springtime activities

Hooray! Spring is here!

Now for another round of inspiration.

Fingerprint rain - Here is a little gem from All Kids Network. Your students could cut, color (with or without a stencil), or paint an umbrella. Pinch apart cotton balls for clouds. And, then make rain with fingerprints. Fun! They have an umbrella template available as well.

Tissue paper daffodil - There must be hundreds of ways to make flowers. I like a version of this daffodil, from Busy Bee Kids Crafts. Up the therapeutic value by replacing the center with small pieces of tissue, twisted on the end of an unsharpened pencil and dipped in glue. If you have time, let your student cut or tear the tissue into small squares first.
*note - after posting this, I tried it as a group activity and the step of twisting paper on the end of a pencil was very hard for the students. It required quite a bit of assistance to teach the novel task.

Paper birds - There are also many different birds that could be made. Here is another treat from All Kids. I have also seen this done with a paper plate instead of construction paper; and a yellow chick with feathers instead of a robin.

Little Lamb - I have already been making a lamb with paper reinforcer rings from the dollar store. I like this paper plate lamb from Holiday Kids Crafts. So many ways to grade this activity.

Spring Card - Spring is a good time to make cards just because. Here is an adorable bird card made from muffin liners via Inner Child Fun. Reminds me of this Ed Emberly craft book I need to start using more.





Al-righty. I guess there are more than enough ideas here to last me to Spring Break. One more week! Hope you all are well!

St. Patrick's Day Activity Ideas

Hooray! Another holiday is around the corner to inspire my therapy sessions. Here are a few ideas from the internet.

Leprechaun Scavenger Hunt - I love to have a scavenger hunt whenever time allows. There are so many ways to adjust this activity to meet your treatment goals. This site is great - The Crafting Chicks. They have a cute idea of making little leprechaun footprints to follow.

Coffee Filter Shamrock - Cut out a shamrock shape. Have the student use an eye dropper to mix blue and yellow colored water to make a beautiful green shamrock.


Thumbprint four leaf clover - Think Ed Emberley. Easy as it sounds.

Great tactile activity - Handprint Leprechaun

Shamrock template - Here is a pdf of a shamrock shape.

Bell Pepper Shamrocks - Slice a bell pepper and use it as stamp.




Paper Plate Leprechaun - This is great for practicing snipping around the edge of the plate.

Alright, there should be enough ideas here to get you started. Let me know if you have any favorite St. Patty's activities. Thanks for stopping by.

Healthy Teeth and Autism

I was flipping through the most recent OT Practice this evening (I know, it's a Friday night, kinda lame) and found a great resource to share with all of you.

Healthy Smiles for Autism is a free online resource to support families establish a oral hygiene routine.

Find it here.

It is a very thorough guide, 36 pages in all, most of which is printable pictures to support oral hygiene routines - as well as what to expect at the dentist's office.

Check it out when you have time or pass it on.

Gingerbread Man Activity

When my schedule permits, I get to do a fun group activity on Fridays with my upper elementary students.

This activity is very easy to grade.

We started off with a digital version of the story about The Gingerbread Man projected from a laptop onto a whiteboard. I used this link from Topmarks - http://www.topmarks.co.uk/stories/gingerbread.htm
The students gathered around as I read and the teacher flipped the "pages." Every time the story read the famous lines "Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man," we all stood up and ran in place as fast as we could.

Then we sat at their desks and colored, cut and decorated a paper gingerbread man. This would also be fun with real cookies. You can find Gingerbread Men and Women templates for free online. Here is a link for one.

Gingerbread theme activities are especially good if you have a diverse group of students who celebrate a variety of holidays.

Snowflake Craft Ideas

Ahhhh, snowflakes. There has to be 101 different ways to make a snowflake. I am currently making 4 different versions with my students. Here are some fabulous examples for inspiration.



Old-fashioned Snowflake
I have to start with the classic folded paper cut out snowflake. It doesn't get simpler than this. There are plenty of directions/examples available online. This link is from enchantedlearning.com They also suggest that you can make a card with youe snowflake as the design.

Cotton Swab Snowflake
Here is another craft from Disney's Family Fun. Here is the link for details. It uses cotton swabs, which can be purchased at the Dollar Store; what a cheap craft! I am sure there are many different ways to do a craft like this. I am thinking if you provided a template under the wax paper or plastic wrap, then your students could be more independent and successful with this task.






Snowflake Ornament
Something I have been doing with my students for years is a pipe cleaner snowflake ornament.

You need

•  2 pipe cleaners
• beads ( I use pony beads, only because that is what I have)
• String

Cut the pipe cleaners in half and twist them into a snowflake pattern. Add the beads and make a knot at the end of each leg of the snowflake. Tie the string on one leg and you've got yourself a snowflake ornament.  Alphamom does a lovely job explaining a similar version here, complete with step by step pictures. Martha Stewart also has a similar craft.

Tissue Paper Snowflake
Another craft that is also simple and easily adaptable to your student's skill level. Draw the outline of a snowflake on paper in a stick-like pattern. Have your student tear small pieces of tissue paper (or pre-cut small squares) and roll into small balls, hopefully with their fingertips. Glue onto the lines of the snowflake.

Here are some other ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Have fun!

Popsicle Stick Snowflake Ornament from Preschoolrock.com

Snowflake Coasters from Mad in Crafts.com If you can find these snowflake shapes at your local Dollar Store, then this would be a wonderful craft for students to make. Simply glue them on and have your student cut the felt. The students can give them as gifts.

Puzzle Piece Snowflake from Family Crafts at About.com. This is too cute. Love the glitter.

Toilet Paper Roll Snowflake also from Family Crafts at About.com. This would be a good two day craft, if you have the time. Great scissor practice with cutting the toilet paper rolls.

Handprint Snowflake from Activityvillage.co.uk. Too cute, good tactile craft. Sprinkle some glitter on it too!

Snowflake Activity Printouts from daniellesplace.com. Scroll down until you see Snowflake Activity Sheet Printouts. She offers some ideas to turn this into a writing task. Scroll further down the page for even more snowflake ideas.









                

Sensory Friendly Films!

What a brilliant idea. AMC theaters offers the opportunity to see movies  in a sensory friendly environment. The lights are up, the sound down and people can get out of their seats to move about whenever they want. Here is the link http://www.amctheatres.com/sff/

What a great resource for our clients and their families.  Brilliant!

How to create your very own social story.

One of the interesting bits of knowledge I learned at the AOTA autism conference was regarding Social Stories. 

First, I have to admit that I have written few social stories, mostly because this is handled by many other people within my district. 

However, I know that it is often a skill we bring to our diverse working environments. So, for some of you this may be oh-so-passe and I send my apologies. In that case, maybe you can teach me something. 

The fabulous Jane Case-Smith shared tips from Carol Gray, a leader in the world of social stories. 

What  makes a good social story?

• Once upon a time, there is a child who.....did what? without getting too wordy, provide simple facts about the who, what, where, etc. 
• Include illustration - add pictures of the child or clipart from the internet. 
• Provide perspective - how does the targeted behavior impact others?
• Specific Directives - what is the desired response?
• A happily ever after - end with a positive. 

Whenever possible, include the child when writing the story. Make it their own.

It was also noted that social stories are most successful when the goal is to extinguish/replace an undesired behavior and less successful when trying to introduce a new positive behavior. 

Please let me know if you have any resources used to write social stories or tips you have learned along the way. 

AOTA Autism West

I attended the Autism West Conference this past weekend and it was AMAZING! My brain is full and I am looking forward to sharing some of the highlights with you. Stay tuned.

Shoelace Experiment!

I was thinking about suggesting this shoelace adaptation for a student that I work with after seeing this post.    In contrast to those detailed directions, I am not planning on snipping the extra length from the laces. Having a traditional bow tie look will be important to many students. If need be I can sew the bow closed if the elastic banding won't stay put.

I have only just begun this experiment and so far I can slip these shoes on and off with ease. Pretty handy for a variety of people who have difficulties with complex tasks, like shoe-tying. 

Only problem is that now my white laces are making my "white" shoes even more dingy. Yikes. 

I found my elastic banding at Jo-Ann Fabrics AND they were on sale! It cost around $1.25 for both laces. I bought two elastic bands of 1 1/2 yards in length, which was a little bit too long.  

I hope this idea is helpful for some of your students/clients. 

Amazing OT App for the iPad. Dexteria!

Dexteria - Fine Motor Skill Development

Although I haven't used this app myself, watch the Demo and I am sure you will fall in love with it like I did. This is on the top of my wish list. It doesn't have the glitz and glamour of some other letter tracing apps, BUT it documents the student's success. Let's hear it for easy data collection. Amazing!

Also, love the rest of information offered on this educational website - Apps for Children with Special Needs. 

I am wondering if anyone has a preference about stylus' available for the iPad, as I feel that is a more functional way for student's to learn letter formation.

Crazy times

Ahhhh! IEP season. But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 


So a quick post.


Another amazing resource online. It's from Super Duper. You do have to sign up, but it's quick and worth it.  This page has over 200 print outs (often in English and Spanish versions) full of information ranging from testing tips for students with learning disabilities to teaching students to self-manage their behaviors. 


This page has a quick reference for Fine Motor Milestones.  So Handy. 


If you have 5 minutes, you should really check out this site. 

Sensory diets not breaks

Something I have struggled with this year is implementing sensory breaks.  When I am not having success with these breaks in the classroom I begin to wonder....is it me? Is it my fault that these sensory breaks are not helping? Or, is it stuff going on at home? Maybe it's behavioral? hmmmm.

So...what to do?

Well as per usual, I lean on the internet. I can't help it, it is so easy and quick. And, I found a resource that got the gears in my head turning. Sensorysmarts.com has a ton helpful information including this page, which did shine a little light on my struggle.

I am thinking that if I am going to work on sensory breaks in the school then I am going to be sure to explain to the guardians that sensory breaks do not start and end in the classroom.  In order for sensory breaks to be effective in the school then the breaks must be part of an overall sensory diet, which includes the home.

You may be thinking, "Of course you would do that!" And, I think, "Of course I should be doing that." I guess I have just become comfortable enough with all of the other duties of my job, that now I am looking at how I can be better. Although I have always known I need parent's cooperation it seems early on all I could manage was the absolute necessities of each day.  If a student doesn't come to school "sensorially" ready, then they are not coming with all the tools they need to be successful.

It is part of my job to explain the importance of the carry-over. I am sure it can be difficult to fully gain the guardian's commitment to and cooperation with the home carry-over, but it can't hurt to try.

Sensorysmarts is a great free resource that has a checklist to help determine the child's specific sensory needs. Then, towards the bottom of the page, it describes a Sample Sensory Diet which helps me figure out how I might explain how the sensory diet can be carried over at home. Definitely good food for thought.

Check out the other helpful pages on this website. Let me know if you have any other helpful tips on how to be successful with sensory diets.

Make-a-deal Monday

I am not sure if it has to do with me being a new therapist or if it is the nature of the job, but I find myself looking for new toys for treatment pretty often. I generally by things on sale as I love a good deal. I often will head to Target and look for sale signs or search for coupons on the internet, but the blog TotBargains does a lot of the searching for you. Although this website is not always necessarily posting about things that can be used for treatment, if you check back often I am sure you will find a gem to add to your collection. Currently I really like this find from Amazon.