Chalkboard Tape!

I recently had a few extra minutes to stroll the aisles of Staples and came across THIS!  For about $5.00,  I grabbed a roll of the chalkboard tape and dry erase tape to use in all sorts of places with my students.  I LOVE IT!  There is now a strip of chalkboard tape on the table in my OT room at school and my kiddos "sign in" when they arrive as yet another way to practice letters without them realizing that they're working on IEP goals.  Of course the only chalk they can use are from the little container on the table that holds several pieces of tiny pieces of chalk.  Remember my trick about using small crayons to help kiddos develop an efficient grasp for holding a pencil?  Well the same trick can be used with tiny pieces of chalk!  There aren't any chalkboards left in our school building so this is a great way to bring back some good 'ol chalk activities in an easy and inexpensive way.  I also added a piece of chalkboard tape to the desk easel that some of my students use to add the benefit of writing on a raised surface.  The tape can be cut to any length that works for you, goes on easily like a sticker, and peels off just as easily if you don't want it to be permanent.  The good news is that I've had it on the table for over a month now and unless one of my fidgety friends picks it off the table on purpose, it stays right where it's supposed to! 

The dry erase tape is just as much fun and easy to use as the chalkboard tape!  I have a 3 inch binder that I carry to class with me if I'm working in the classroom with a student, so I added a strip of dry erase tape on the binder for my kiddos to practice letters and numbers or to provide a model of a letter or word as an added visual.  All of my students love when there's something new to try and I'm loving this find too!  This tape can be used just about anywhere, so get creative!  It could go on the wall for vertical surface writing.  It could go on the floor for some weight bearing while writing.  It could even go on the underside of the desk/ table while the kiddos lay on the floor and do a little "DaVinci" writing! Get creative and have fun!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

Sensory Room!

It's hard to believe that we're half way through the school year! As the school days quickly pass by, teachers and therapists are continually thinking about lesson plans, class activities and room arrangements.  I'm a lucky girl to work with some really, really amazing educators who are creative, resourceful, and just plain good at what they do!  I've learned so much and wanted to share some of the great sensory areas that have been set up for our students with various levels of needs.  One classroom in particular is for medically fragile preschoolers, many of whom have significant developmental delays.  The sensory area in this room can provide sensory stimulation or calming depending on the needs of the child.    Here are some pics for you!

This is a glimpse of the sensory area in the classroom~~the blue fabric limits bright overhead lights, visual distractions, and creates a calming mood.  There are soft mats on the floor and beanbags for positioning.

There are loads of ways to provide sources of visual stimulation!  Here we  have some very inexpensive metallic design folders and curly ribbons in multiple colors.  Wrapping paper is another option and is available in so many designs! The "disco light" spins slowly and lights up when the red switch is lightly touched.  The kiddos love this!

And check out this REuse-REcycle idea! Colorful strands of beads link together old CD's that hang from the ceiling for visual stimulation of another sort.  It only costs a couple of dollars and is so simple! 

Bumpy balls used to be something you would only find in therapy catalogs but now you can find them just about anywhere!  Walmart, Target, Amazon, and even the dollar store usually carry these kid favorites very inexpensively.

I'm not sure where this came from but it offers visual calming as the kiddos can hold it and watch the blue oil slide slowly down the sides of the container.

Soft, cuddly toys are also a hit with kiddos~~they can be used for dramatic play or simply for a soft snuggle :)

For kiddos in wheelchairs, this offers frame is built from PVC pipes and there are toys clipped to stretchy bands.  This has consistently been a favorite with students who enjoy looking at the brightly colored toys and batting at them with their hands.  

The thing I love most about this classroom is that so many of the ideas are very inexpensive!  They are simple to put together and offer a variety of sensory experiences for our kiddos.  

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

Lots of Activity at the Activity Table

My new favorite toy for my 8 month old baby is his activity table! I wanted one to encourage standing and found it to help with so much more. Keep in mind that these little tables can be a bit costly when you purchase new...anywhere from $40-$75 dollars depending on the brand, so I headed to our local child consignment shop where I found a very gently used LeapFrog brand table for only $10! This girl LOVES a bargain so that price most definitely helped this table earn a "favorite" spot in my book.

First of all, Liam likes getting his chunky little legs up straight and tall to stand and play with the lights and buttons on the table! He's only 8 months old so he needs close physical supervision as he will tumble right over (or backwards) when he gets distracted or tired. He still leans into the table and it helps to have it pushed up against the couch so it doesn't get away from him. Within the next few weeks, his standing practice will lead to "cruising" practice as he learns to take some steps around the table while holding on.

It seems that most brands have removable legs on the activity tables so for little ones who aren't quite standing, you can use the table top on the floor. In this case, I actually boosted it up just a bit on a pillow so that he could reach the buttons better. I've found this to be a great way to practice dynamic sitting balance as he tries to reach across for all of the lights and sounds but still has to try to maintain his sitting. He's getting much better at this!

Instead of removing ALL of the table legs, I can also remove just 2 to make more of an inclined position. This is another option for sitting to encourage higher level reaching and eye-hand coordination. He can also be placed on his tummy which is ALWAYS an OT's favorite position for babies! In this picture, he is on his tummy over the pillow, mainly for comfort so he'll play here a little longer. He had started on his tummy without the pillow before I added some cushion. Ironically, once he was on the pillow, he was quickly enticed by the TAG on the pillow and of course had to check it out! Who needs all of those lights and sounds when you can chew on a tag, right?!

This was well worth my $10 investment! Liam is strengthening his motor skills and is quite entertained as well. Did I mention that words and songs can be played in English OR Spanish? Put it all together and it makes for a very happy baby (and mommy)!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

The Writing "Window"

When kiddos are learning letters and practicing how to write their name, it often helps to isolate the letters they are learning to recognize. A simple way to do this is to use the writing "window"~~ cut a small magnifier type window and laminate so the child can look through the window at the letter they are trying to copy. This is so simple yet so helpful for focusing attention and reinforcing recognition of each letter. Kiddos quickly learn to request the window when writing and always love this little tool!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Winter is certainly upon us and what kiddo doesn't love a good snowman?  Here's an idea for playing with the "snow" inside any day of the year!  Draw a snowman on large paper and laminate it or cover it with clear Contact paper.  Hang it up on an easel or tape it to the wall.  Now put on that favorite smock because the "snow" is actually shaving cream!  Fill a small container with shaving cream and let your kiddo "paint" the snowman.  This is a super fun sensory task but it's also fantastic for doing some work on a vertical surface, which helps to improve upper body strength and stability, important for pre-writing/writing skills.  Kiddos can erase and paint again by using a small wash cloth to wipe the surface clean.  Yet another great upper body task that incorporates using large muscles to help strengthen the shoulders for fine motor work.

Kiddos love this activity and it will only cost you a couple of dollars. Enjoy!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

Sensory Strategies to Start the School Year

The start of a new school year brings together all sorts of kiddos with all sorts of unique personalities.  Some kiddos are happy to sit still and listen to the teacher while others seem to have a very hard time sitting still, following directions, and staying focused.  These kiddos might be a bit impulsive and might be sensitive to touch or noises in the room.  Often, these are not kiddos who are trying to be a behavior problem (though it sure might seem like that!); they might have be displaying characteristics of sensory processing disorder (also known as SPD).  A few simple sensory strategies incorporated into the classroom can be ever so helpful for these kiddos and will make the classroom run much more smoothly.  In fact, many sensory strategies are helpful to ALL of the kiddos...you might even notice that you use some of them yourself!

• Get Movin'!  Before you expect kiddos to sit for group time or a class lesson, have everyone stand up for a short movement break guided by the teacher.  For example, "Stomp your feet; clap your hands; reach way up; touch your toes; turn around then touch your nose; reach once more; give a clap; sit down with hands in your lap."  This will take under a minute but provides an outlet to MOVE before being expected to sit still.

                                             

• Deeeep Breathing:  Deep breathing helps to calm the nervous system and is another great exercise for kiddos to learn (and adults!).  For kiddos, you can ask them to hold up their "candles" (5 fingers), take a big breath, and blow out all of the candles as they put each finger down.  If needed, find the candles on the other hand and repeat.

                                          

• Water Bottles:  Water bottles with a straw-like mouthpiece require sucking to get a drink and this is also a calming technique.  In addition, it keeps kids hydrated!  If you're worried about the water bottle "sweating" on the desk, the bottle can be placed in a sock that keeps water off the desk.

• Chewing Gum:  Now you think I'm crazy, right?!  Once you establish the RULES for having gum in the classroom (such as "It stays in your mouth; when it comes out of your mouth, it goes straight to the trash can....") you'll be AMAZED at how chewing gum helps kiddos to calm.  Chewing is an "organizer" for your nervous system and helps to calm.  The same can be achieved with a StarBurst or other chewy foods.  

                              

• Fidget Toys:  Giving kiddos something to hold in their hands when listening to the teacher helps to keep their fingers out of their mouths and noses and can be a big help in keeping attention.  Toys such as Koosh balls, stress balls, etc are easy to store in a basket and can be given out as needed in class.  

                                                        

• Weighted Lap Pad:  You might have heard of a "weighted snake"---a soft weighted "tube" that can be placed on the student's lap when sitting.  It offers proprioceptive input that helps the kiddo to sit still.  These can be bought in therapy catalogs or better yet, make your own out of a little bit of material filled with rice.  My daughter made these cute snakes you see below!

• Headphones:  Some kiddos simply cannot block out the classroom noise (and there might be a lot of it!), so you can offer noise cancelling headphones that can be used during work time or whenever the kiddo feels the need to diminish some of the distractions and noises.  

                                                                               

Hopefully with some sensory strategies, creativity, and maybe a little extra patience, you'll find that it's not so difficult to design a learning environment that works for all students!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

New Kiddo at Jen's OT For Kids!

Well, my last posting was on July 18th and just a few days after that, there was some really big news at our household.  I'm proud to announce that my son Liam Matthew was born July 26th!  Let me explain that to call this sweet baby a surprise would be a bit of an understatement....my other son is 15 and my daughter is 16 1/2!  There were no obvious signs of this pregnancy until my pants weren't fitting (thought I was gaining weight now that I'm in my 40's!) and I did not find out I was pregnant until I was 17 weeks along.  CRAZY!  Thankfully I live a healthy lifestyle, don't drink or smoke, I exercise daily and take a multi-vitamin, however I was 42 years old when I found out and a bit nervous.  My other children arrived at 35 and 36 weeks, so wouldn't ya know this little guy ALSO came at 36 weeks and was even born on his big brother's birthday! He is a sweet little soul and we are grateful for his good health.  This has been just a bit of an adjustment at this house but it's all good!  Liam is giving me all kinds of ideas for new postings as I start all over on the child development train~~oh, this poor child of a therapist who is always being observed on a developmental checklist by his dear ol' mom.  None the less, you're bound to see more pics of him as he gets to be the model of fine motor activities, but here is the first glimpse.  Pretty cute, huh? We sure think so!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L (aka, MOM!)

25 Ways to Practice Letters WITHOUT a pencil!

While I am enjoying summer break in a major way and not quite ready to think about school yet, I DO love when kiddos continue to learn, learn, learn whether they are in school or not!  Sitting down with a pencil and paper may not be the most appealing activity in the middle of July however there are plenty of other ways to practice letters and tons of fun doing it!  Here are 25 ideas to get you started ~~

1.  Sidewalk chalk
2.  Finger paints
3.  "Painting" with a paintbrush and bucket of water on the sidewalk
4.  Wikki Stix
5.  A salt tray
6.  "Do-a-Dot"

7.  Shaving cream!
8.  Dry erase board
9.  Scented crayons
10.  Glitter glue
11.  Sticker "dots"

12.  A rice tray (and you can color the rice with food coloring!)
13.  Window markers
14.  "Write" with a stick in the dirt
15.  Bathtub crayons
16.  AquaDoodle or Magna Doodle
17.  Popsicle sticks
18.  Tear pieces of paper and glue on letter models

19. Frootloops or Cheerios

20.  Make some homemade play-doh (loads of recipes online) and roll into letters

21.  Ziploc bag filled with hair gel and sealed with tape

22.  Paint on an easel

23.  A small chalkboard

24.  Yarn

25.  Letter lacing cards

Learning can be so much FUN!  With a little creativity, your kiddo will be all ready when school starts again in a few weeks!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

National Handwriting Day is January 23rd, 2013

 

To celebrate National Handwriting Day (January 23rd), Handwriting Without Tears is inviting children all over the country to handwrite letters of advice (in their best handwriting!) to the President as he heads into his second term in office. They can share their hopes for the future, words of wisdom, good wishes—the only requirement is that the letters be handwritten!

You can find more information and special free stationary to use for the Mail to the Chief campaign on the Handwriting Without Tears website at Mail to the Chief .    Children love to offer their words of advice to the president so be sure to hop on board and celebrate good handwriting!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

Monsters Inc. Sensory Friendly Films

It's that time again!  AMC will host another sensory friendly film on Saturday, January 5th at 10:00AM.  Monsters Inc. (in 2-D) will be at AMC Theatres all over the country.  You'll find all the info you need at Autism Society - Sensory Friendly Films

Have a fun time movie goers!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

Holiday Gift Guide for Kids

                                             

Well, we've reached the "less than 2 weeks 'til Christmas" mark!  Have you finished shopping for your favorite kiddos?  If you're like me and you've still got some gifts to buy, take a few minutes to look over the list of gift ideas I wrote last year this time.  It's a developmental list organized by age groups to help you find that "just right" gift. I thought it might be worth re-posting right about now. You'll find the link to my posting at Holiday Gift Guide!
Now get shopping!            
                           
Jen Dermody, OTR/L

Rudy the Writing Reindeer

It's been a bit of a rough year with one of my first grade friends who simply detests school work and anything associated with it.  His "team" of teachers and therapists have already met several times this year to try to come up with a plan that might encourage this little guy to want to participate at school.  So today he had a writing assignment that he had refused to do in class for his teacher and I was going to give it another try to see if maybe ...just maybe....he could be motivated to try.  SO let me introduce Rudy the Red Nosed Writing Reindeer!  You might have heard about Rudy in your favorite Christmas song, right?  Yeah, well he somehow made his way into my bag this morning so that he could see what my first grade friends were writing at school.  Can you even believe it?!  Let me tell you, my first grade kiddos LOVED Rudy and would have done just about anything to have him sit on the desk to see their "Fantastic First Grade Writing".  My less than motivated buddy couldn't wait for his turn to have Rudy watch him write. In fact, he didn't want to STOP writing because he did not want Rudy to go to another friend.  Oh yes, he most certainly did finish that writing assignment and asked if Rudy would be back tomorrow to see him write.  You can BET that Rudy will be back!  If a cute little stuffed animal can motivate my kiddos to write, then it looks like Ms. Jen has a new assistant!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

National School Backpack Awareness Day

The 3rd Wednesday of September every year is the day the American Occupational Therapy Association has named "National School Backpack Awareness Day".  What's it all about?  The purpose is to teach students, parents, teachers, school administrators, and the community about safety tips to prevent back pain and injury.  As the mom of 2 high school students, I've seen it first hand that even kids and teens are suffering back and neck pain simply from carrying their overloaded backpacks!   My 14 year old son is nearly 6 foot tall and 150 pounds yet he has complained of neck and shoulder issues since starting high school a month ago because of the crazy amount of gigantic books along with a laptop and case he has to carry throughout the day.  We took a look at tightening up the straps and making sure he is carrying the bag on BOTH shoulders instead of slinging it over just one shoulder.  He also learned that he is able to keep 1-2 of his super huge books at home as reference books instead of carrying all day.  Some things you can't control (the amount of homework!) but there are some things you can do to prevent back and neck pain for your kiddos AND yourself!

• A backpack should weigh no more than 10% of the child's body weight.  So this means that an 80 pound student should carry a bag that is 8 pounds or less.
• If the bag is too heavy and overloaded, consider carrying 1 or 2 items in your arms.
• Place the heaviest items in the back of the bag so it is up against the child's back.
• Take a look at how the child wears the backpack---it should be worn with straps snug so the bag is right up against the back.  The bottom of the bag should not be lower than 4 inches below the child's waistline.  
• Choose a bag with well-padded shoulder straps.
• If there is consistently a heavy load to carry, consider a backpack on wheels.  These bags actually weigh about 4-5 pounds more than a regular backpack so they are best if the school is one level without steps. 

For more info and ideas to promote backpack awareness at YOUR school, head over AOTA's website where you'll find links and handouts to share!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

FREE Pre-K Webinar

Handwriting Without Tears will be offering another free one hour webinar on August 21st at 8PM Eastern time.  Learn about the "Top 10 Ways to Prepare Your Children For Kindergarten"!

Go to Get Set For School Webinar Series at www.hwtears.com to register and learn how to help your kiddos get ready for a great school year!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L

Back to School Favs

Back to school sales are in full force in my neck of the woods!  I snapped some pictures of some of my favorite supplies for kiddos...and grown ups who love kiddos, to help you make that shopping trip fun and useful.

First of all, a decent pair or scissors to fit little hands.  My favorite every year are the Fiskars brand scissors and you can find them for $1-$2 during back to school sales.  They fit kiddos fingers and are intended for both righties and lefties.  Bottom line is that they actually CUT!  Please, please, do not buy your little ones the super cheap scissors that won't cut a darn thing.  Cutting is a pretty tricky skill for kiddos to learn and can be frustrating in the best of circumstances---cheap scissors that don't cut make the job oh so much more difficult.  You'll find both blunt and pointed designs.  I've never had an issue with any child using the pointed top scissors and I think it helps them when cutting small pieces.

Markers---kiddos LOVE markers!!  I really like the Crayola Pip-Squeaks for little hands.  Again, these are markers that fit their hands and are easy to manipulate.  They come in lots of colors and motivate kids to draw and create!  There are also "Pip-Squeaks Skinnies" that are obviously... SKINNY :-)   I've had students use both regular and skinny and both worked out just fine.

HIGHLIGHTERS!  Kiddos LOVE these too!  They are super cheap during back to school sales and are an excellent tool for practicing letter and number formation.  I'm not a fan of giving kids dotted lines to trace letters because it's just a lot to look at and there are dots everywhere that look choppy and disjointed.  You can print letters using a highlighter and the child can see exactly what the letter looks like without all of the dots.  It is easier for tracing and helps the student be more fluent.  On top of it, who isn't motivated by fun, bright colors?! For kids who have difficulty with line orientation (keeping letters on the line when writing), a simple highlighted line provides a visual boundary and you'll be amazed at how much more legible handwriting can be when letters actually sit on a line instead of running all over the page.

 
Mechanical pencils are great for helping students learn "appropriate pressure" for writing.  Kids who push so hard that it nearly puts holes in the paper can use a mechanical pencil to learn to use less pressure because the tip can break off quite easily.  I've found that it gives kiddos a good reference for how much is too much when pushing the pencil to the paper.  In addition, my students always consider it a treat to use a mechanical pencil because it's like a "grown up" pencil.

Elmers has some fun new glue sticks with GLITTER!  OK, they're a little more expensive than regular glue sticks, but oh my goodness, children LOVE GLITTER!  Other than the glitter, it makes things stick like regular glue but I'm a big believer in making the cutting, glueing, and writing as motivating as possible.  I can promise you my students will be excited to practice cutting and glueing in style!

These little dudes are called Stetro pencil grips.  I've had lots of parents and teachers put this their students' pencils when the child has a funky grasp.  The secret is that these won't do much of anything to help if you don't take the time to correct the grasp.  For example, have you had a student who wraps their thumb tightly around the pencil? It seems that the Stetro grip would fix that right up, however, the student simply wraps his thumb tightly around the Stetro grip around the pencil.  It would be MORE beneficial to re-train the grasp---use small pieces of crayon and pencil to get a tripod grasp; practice on a vertical surface, etc.
the soft grips below are popular too and the only thing these do is make the pencil softer.  There's nothing wrong with that!  Just don't expect that it is useful in correcting a poor grasp.  

So what the heck are these things you might ask?!   They are intended to be stretchy long erasers.  I saw them and thought "fidgets".  For $.79, you've got a socially appropriate, inexpensive classroom fidget for some of your kiddos who need a little something extra to hold on to to help them focus.  I found these at Target but I've seen them at Walmart, Walgreens, and the grocery store.

These are just a few of the things that popped out to me when I was shopping for my own kids last week.  Some of these items might  not be listed on the "required" list but can help make fine motor FUN!  Check out your local sales and get shopping!

Jen Dermody, OTR/L