Ten days ’til Christmas! Planning simple holiday themed activities helps to channel some of that palpable energy. The trick is to keep the projects simple. When kids’ sensory systems are overloaded with multi-colored lights, never-ending Christmas music and constantly changing routines, they don’t need any motor planning challenges. Activities that incorporate easy to do steps […]
Benefits: When the push pin is held correctly, the muscles required for grasping a pencil are strengthened. Both hands are used, thereby building the habit to use two hands while working. Visual attention is required to make sure the pin is exactly on the line. Dots should be close together, so simple spatial planning/reasoning is […]
Leaf Collecting is a time honored tradition of childhood. Shuffling though piles of leaves and searching for the most beautiful specimens can be a delight for children. Bending over to pick up each spied treasure and making a bouquet of the collection can easily fill an afternoon. Here are some benefits of leaf collecting: Visual focus: […]
As the school year ends, parents and teachers are always asking me how to help their children with handwriting. Especially as the “Summer Activities” get doled out. I can’t think of a bigger kill joy than asking a six year old to sit inside and copiously copy letters and complete hand writing drills. Moving the […]
The School Garden is thriving and the students want to broadcast their success! What better way than to make signs that add color and easy to read labels so all can see and enjoy the fruits of their labor. We decided to have the older grades embark on this project, giving them the opportunity to […]
While May and June are packed with fun, the “To Do List” runs on and on. Graduations, birthdays, Father’s Day and the “End of the Year Gift” for EVERYONE. When you have one child this list might be manageable but multiply the offsprings by 2 or 4 active children and the list looks more like […]
We’ve all had our share of rainy days this spring. So, what to do when the temperature plummets (yet again), the wind whips and rain drums against the windows? I squeezed into three layers of clothes, dreading my three hours in the raw, biting cold. Happily upon arrival, I discovered that Stephanie, our expert farmer, […]
We’ve been talking about soil and planting the seeds. Happily, with nutritious soil, care in watering and “some” sun, our little pea seedlings are poking out of the ground and beginning to stretch for the sky. Miraculous, considering temperatures still hover around freezing and clouds fill most of our days this spring! The 6th graders […]
A nice way to get students re-energized, have fun and build critical foundation skills all at the same time is by introducing a simple balloon. Before you roll your eyes and click to a new site, consider what can happen with this inexpensive object when structured the right way. Benefits: Visual attention and visual tracking […]
Back in prehistoric times (that is before electronic devices…) I spent large swaths of my summer vacation figuring out how to spend my time. When I had early morning trips to the park and the purchase power to buy “GIMP,” I’d spend the afternoon covering wire hangers decoratively with the plastic laces or making perfectly […]
One of my colleagues takes one look at GAK and wants to puke…definitely sensory issues going on. While I personally have some real tactile hypersensitivities, I am fascinated by the textural experience GAK provides. This big blue blob feels wet, cold and gooey. But it’s actually dry and not very messy. It has a […]