Oh my word, it has been WEEKS since I've posted on my blog! The end of the school year nearly took me down with so many new evaluations, re-evaluations, IEP's, and PAPERWORK and there simply weren't enough hours in the day to fit in a new post. When I finally had some time to post, I had computer issues and wasn't able to access my own blog :( Everything is back on course now!
Wouldn't you know, the 4th of July was just a few days ago and yet I'm sitting here with a pile of BACK TO SCHOOL newspaper ads! Goodness, I've still got piles of schoolwork to get organized from the year I just finished but I just cannot resist a good back to school shopping trip. I found a new product today and had to share. They're called "Shaggies" pencil grips. For about $2.40, there are 5 of them in a package in different colors.
Shaggies are made of that soft, rubbery, "Koosh" type product that can be squished and stretched. I thought this would make an excellent FIDGET for kids of all ages! You just slide these on a pen or pencil like any other pencil gripper. While they are intended to be a "gripper", you can also move it up further to act only as a fidget. I already know that if I give one to my students, ALL of the kids in the class will want one! I like them myself and my own kids broke them open right away. Sometimes the fidgets I give to students can be distracting in class because they might fall to the floor or other kiddos want to pull on them too. Shaggies are small enough to help a student keep it in his own space and are readily accessible on his own pencil.
I included a picture of the back of the package so you can see this is a latex free product for anyone who needs to keep an eye on that. So I've officially started my newest pile of school supplies for when we return to school in August. Until then, I'm going to savor every minute of summer!
Jen Dermody, OTR/L
