april is national occupational therapy ot month...april is national occupational therapy ot month...
TRANSCRIPT
April is National Occupational Therapy OT Month
myRepublica-Nagarik Network
April 2020 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 Nat’l One Cent
Day
2 Nat’l PB & J Day
3 Nat’l Find a Rainbow Day
4 Nat’l Walk Around Things
Day
5 Nat’l Read a Road Map Day
6 Nat’l Caramel Popcorn Day
7 Nat’l World Health Day
8 Nat’l ZOO ❤ r’s Day 🦓🐫🐘🐓🦔🦝 🦌🐖🐆🐊🐋🦏 🦍🦛
9 Name Yourself SELF Day
10 Nat’l Siblings Day
11 Nat’l 8-Track Tape Day
12 Easter and Nat’l Big Wind Day
13 Nat’l Scrabble Day
16 High 5 Day
Is it a bird, or a plane?
18 Velociraptor Appreciation Day
& Nat’l Record Store Day
clker.com
19 Nat’l Hanging Out Day
20 Nat’l Look-a-Like Day
21 Nat’l Kindergarten Day
22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30
Welcome to April is National Occupational Therapy OT Month and fun International Days from Ms Welburn, Ms Erin and Ms Paula. Each week ideas will be shared in hopes to provide all of you with OT support and continued development.
April 1 - National One Cent Day. Gather CLEAN pennies (preferably ones that have been in your home for a very long time), a non-slip surface (ie rug, towel), and a timer (if you have one). Flip as many as you can, one by one, to heads (say hello to Abe Lincoln!), then to their tails using only your 3-skilled (thumb, index, middle) fingers to do the work. Tuck a piece of tissue, another penny, an eraser, a cotton ball, or anything small into the palm of your hand, at the base of the ring and pinky fingers, if you are struggling to use those 3-skilled fingers to do the work. Hold on tightly to that little item so that you can try to use the correct muscles. You can time yourself doing each hand and keep track of your growth and progress. ALTERNATIVE IDEAS: a. With spelling words laid out in front, random color circles, random shapes, or mixed up letters of the alphabet, the adult or sibling calls out the word, color, shape, or letter and the student places penny accordingly. b. Flipping penny in hand from head to tail as many times as you can without dropping it. c. Pick up your pennies in one hand and try to release them one by one using ONLY that hand’s fingertips as you try to ‘squirrel’ them from your palm to your fingertips to put into a slotted container. You may have to sit on the other hand that you are not using because it WILL want to help. WASH YOUR HANDS well with super suds after please. April 2 - National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. https://youtu.be/5rVMrVitw7Y Compliments of Learning Without Tears and K.Burke. No offense or harm is meant to those allergic to peanut butter. Let’s practice working on things that GO TOGETHER! Like SOCKS!
Compliments of Alamy Stock Photo. Gather ALL your Socks!!! How fun. Dump them into a heaping pile.
‘Spread’ them like your jelly smooth, slow, and flat using both your right and left hands. ‘Put them together’ like bread, match very carefully especially the black and dark-colored ones. These can be tricky for all of us. Look for specific patterns to help you. When you are finished matching then use both hands to roll or fold. Now you can help with this part of the laundry when the clothes come out of the dryer or off the clothesline, ‘toasty’ warm. April 3 - Find a Rainbow Day. https://youtu.be/fahr069-fzE “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole Compliments of lgflower. Enjoy this beautiful slide show. Study the slides. Imagine how you might feel if you saw a rainbow like this outside today. Would you try to touch it? What might the air smell like? Have you ever seen a real rainbow? What was the weather like outside? Do you remember the brilliant colors you saw? It may be raining today. If the sun comes out you may have a chance. Now gather your crayons if you have them, markers if you must. Crayons are better for developing your muscles and broken, smaller, ½ inch sized ones even better! Can you draw a rainbow picture? You could pick one from the slideshow by relooking through the video or you could draw your own. Can you remember the color sequence of the rainbow pattern enough to color it? It is so interesting how the color of a rainbow pattern is always the same huh? Maybe you could research WHY that is. ALTERNATIVE IDEAS: If there is a bumpy type surface in your house then place your paper on top of that surface. Color on your paper with the bumpy texture far below. Can you feel the bumps? Coloring using only your crayons this way helps your muscles grow and get stronger. Now let’s all make a WISH and make a spectacular rainbow filled with light and color to brighten up our day! April 4 - National Walk Around Things Day. Give thanks to James for sharing his fun video! https://youtu.be/oYQlyUYNXGM So in honor of getting up to move and groove, what can you build and make to walk around just like we provide for you in the morning
at JW Decas? ”Hello Kids!” Can you use all of your own muscles to gather some pillows, stuffed animals, and folded blankets and build your own ‘Walk Around’ if you are inside? If you are outside maybe you could gather up some sticks, leaves, or small rocks and make your walk around that way or make numbers, letters, or spell words using your own body as the pencil walking out the lines and strokes. Make it fun. Keep busy and keep moving.
April 5 - National Read a Map Day. from Facebook images Arthur Welcome Center.
Sometimes reading a map is like a maze. Miss Erin LOVES mazes! Have you ever done one in OT with her or with Miss Paula? Mazes help with your eye hand coordination and eye tracking so that reading comes a bit more easier for you. Search on the internet
for some mazes like this. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F498351514991790384%2F&psig=AOvVaw2TSDjFw72ZO-wPV6qza6uL&ust=1585956945266000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCJikg5j0yugCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
Let’s think about where we go to school at DECAS and find your house and school.
With your adult, look at a Map on Google and put in your address and the address of Decas which is 760 Main Street. Wareham, MA. 02571. Can you get a sense of the direction?
en. Wikipedia.org How long is your bus ride?
from Kidsfront.com
Below is a youtube link you can click on that has a song so you can sing about all the 50 states.
wayfair.com
https://youtu.be/Jr4SmWDgMgk
from all kids network.com
Where is Massachusetts? Where is Cape Cod? Where is Wareham?
You may need to go online and find this map to take a closer look at this cool map using buzzardsbay.org a. Can you find your House? b. Can you find Decas Elementary School? c. Can you find a relative’s home or a friend’s house? d. Can you figure out what N, W, E, and S mean? Where is Massachusetts established relative to the entire United States Map?
N, S, E, or W? e. If you took a road trip, 10 years from now, where would you go? Why? Can you use a map to figure out HOW to get there?
April 6 - National Caramel Popcorn Day. Preschool Popcorn Activities for National Caramel Popcorn Day: All info found by googling free preschool popcorn activities https://www.preschool-plan-it.com/preschool-popcorn-theme.html With adult supervision:
1. 2. Popped Animals - Materials Needed: construction paper, glue popped and unpopped kernels, googly eyes. The children dip
popped and unpopped pieces into glue and place on their paper to create their own animal! 3. Different Seed Collages - Materials Needed: popcorn kernels, pumpkin seeds and other types of seeds; sturdy paper and
glue. Encourage the children to make their own design by gluing the different types of seeds on the paper. And YES, kernels are seeds and they DO grow into corn!
4. Fingerplays and Songs a. Popcorn Song for Kids | Numbers and Counting for Preschool | The Kiboomers https://youtu.be/p1wP68tP4ss
b.I'm a Little Kernel (sung to I'm A Little Teapot)
I'm a little kernel in a pot - Turn on the heat and watch me hop. - When I get all warmed up then I'll pop. - Yummy-yum I taste good when hot!
c.The Popcorn Song (Sung to Down by the Station)
In the popcorn popper - kernels go ker-plunk.- I can smell it cooking - Almost done! - See the popcorn popping - Fluffy and white. - Pop-Pop! Yum-Yum! - Tastes just right
PK-2 It’s time to Cook with adults! Cooking helps develop muscles, eye-hand coordination, visual attention, and math skills if you pay attention to measuring. Following directions in a recipe is very helpful for learning and the time together allows for some great conversation! a. Caramel Popcorn Recipe from The Taste and Tell Blog is just a start to learn more
b. Popcorn Balls - There are so many recipes for this! Use your favorite or look one up online. Be sure to let the children help in preparing these!
c. Cinnamon Apple Popcorn: Ingredients needed: 3 quarts popped corn; 1/4 cup butter, 1 cup dried apples, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3 tablespoons sugar. Pour melted butter over popcorn. Add sugar and cinnamon to popcorn and mix. Microwave on high for one to two minutes. Stir in apple chunks. Cooking Time - Provide some popped popcorn to cook or just let them cook with the items you have in this area and simply name everything with a popcorn name (popcorn milk, cereal, etc.!)
5. Paint with popped corn using butterscotch or chocolate pudding using those 3-skilled fingers to hold the popped corn! They can hold a piece and dip into a thin tray of yums.
6.Find the sheet on Supercoloring.com. and color your OWN flavors!
7. Make your own POPCORN SENSORY rub using glued on cotton balls . Or find your own activity on Popcorn Games | Just Poppin Popcorn Blog.com
8. Book Suggestions
*The Huckabuck Family: and How They Raised Popcorn in Nebraska and Quit and Came Back by Carl Sandburg *If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Joffe Numeroff *The Popcorn Book by Tomie Depaola *The Popcorn Dragon by Jane Thayer *The Popcorn Shop by Alice Low
April 7 - National World Health Day. From who.int Ms. Welburn shares with you that The World Health Organization was founded on April 7, 1948 is celebrated every April 7th year after year. The World Health Organization provides world-wide support for every country. They offer resources, conduct research on important health issues, provide public advice, answer questions for you, and support our well being. The main purpose of this day is to draw attention to the subject of global health for everyone and every year this day has a different theme. Today they have created a Nurse Appreciation Day! So how special would it be for all of us, parents, staff, and students alike to show our appreciation for Nurse Braley at J.W. Decas! With your adult’s support please send her a picture of a special drawing that you have colored or email her your kind words how she has helped make you feel better. Her email is: [email protected] . In your communities you could also color a picture and post it to your window thanking community service providers such as Wareham DPW town workers, doctors, nurses, police & law enforcement, fire fighters, EMT’s, and other caring health supporters in our Wareham community.
April 8 - National Zoo Lovers Day -
What is
your favorite animal? Why? Is it their eyes, their soft fur, their floppy ears, or their fast feet that you like? Even letters like zoo animals! Look for yourself. https://teachingmama.org/letter-z-printables/ has printables from A-Z for preschoolers
.
For our older friends, how about this from https://i.pinimg.com/originals/15/62/a2/1562a2c813816084dddb4ce2059cd4b6.jpg ?
Beautiful huh? How quickly can you say the sounds of the letters and write down words with that first sound in it? Why don’t you grab your coloring tools and draw YOUR favorite zoo animal. Then research about it? Where does it live? What does it eat? Does it live alone or with groups of friends? How does it keep warm or does temperature not bother it very much? What does it love the most? With support of your adult(s) at home maybe you can take a look at these FREE sites: a. Audubon.com is offering neat things: or National Geographic’s baby elephant orphanage video https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/magazine/00000144-0a2f-d3cb-a96c-7b2fa22c0000
b. How about taking a look at Tian tian and Mei Xiang at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo through their Giant Panda Cams. You can spend some time watching the panda frolic. The institute also offers free educational activities you can do at home.
https://nationalzoo.si.edu
April 9 - Name YOURSELF Day - “Who are YOU? Who Who, Who Who…”So maybe your grandparents or great-grandparents may have sung this song and danced to this song years ago, but really, WHO are YOU? We are all different which is amazing right? We are all unique which is special. Some, like me, may be considered a little W.E.I.R.D. - Well thank Golly! Someone once told me
that Weird stood for: Wonderful, Exciting (Happy), Independent (Strong), Real, Different (Interesting). It takes a while to understand things about yourself, but TODAY is the beginning of a new day about YOU. You were given a name. Names have meaning. Why don’t you begin by researching what your name means and see if you can connect with some of the qualities in you with your name. Then if you want you can draw a picture of yourself or make a collage of your most favorite things that you love. You could draw or cut out from magazines in the house using a pair of student scissors, your favorite foods, music, colors, nature pictures, animals, toys… ANYTHING that brings you joy and a smile. If you had pictures, maybe now would be a good time to make a collage with them. You are you and that is what is special. Show it. Put it on paper today.
April 10 - National Siblings Day - Do you have a brother, a sister, or more than one? Not all of us have siblings but if you DO, be
sure to show them how much to love them today on National Siblings Day.
Here are some 2 person games that
you may or may not know about or have around the house. These are also great for learning, physical development, and eye-hand coordination.
Here, Ms. Morales shares Miss Mary Mac https://youtu.be/f9NoUQcEfzE https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F370491506815574608%2F&psig=AOvVaw3vj-QLb9WgO-azwSirStLA&ust=1586020646955000
&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCJDF5cDhzOgCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAV. Or how about hangman, dots, or tic-tac-toe? https://youtu.be/MNC3ukSqGAU Here is how to make paper dice if you don’t have any at home. https://youtu.be/V7yaAMeAwys.
Do you have a deck of cards? Pic Amazon
Here are some card games. Holding those cards and learning to shuffle are great exercises for fine motor, visual-spatial, and bilateral (two-handed) skill development. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQHwHCHlokI is How to play rummy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzEVIbiOZXc is How to play Go Fish.
This site: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kidspot.com.au%2Fthings-to-do%2Fkids-games%2Findoor-play%2Fsnap-12-classic-card-games-to-teach-the-kids%2Fnews-story%2F1d153893aee53908749c1377c588928c&psig=AOvVaw2AW8zJAExtMLZfnEycZHKX&ust=1586023687344000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCLCws-3
szOgCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD has 12 card games for kids from Old Maid to Crazy 8’s. Have ‘fun’, but remember you don’t have to be number ‘one’.
April 11 - National 8-Track Tape Day - Oh boy. The 8-track tape ! http://www.facebook.com/thedailyguru and Wikipedia (above) - “It was originally called “The Stereo 8 Cartridge” and was created in 1964 by a consortium led by Bill Lear of LearJet Corporation along with Ampex, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Motorola, and RCA Victor Records (RCA - Radio Corporation of America). The 8-track tape is a magnetic-tape sound-recording technology that was popular in the United States from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, when the Compact Cassette, which predated 8-track, surpassed it in popularity for pre-recorded music.” Wikipedia. This held music for us to listen to! Not sure if you have seen them or have heard music from one of them or from a ‘record’ that will come on National Record Store Day. This is how music was stored for us back in the day when we were young like you. Here at J.W. Decas what do we do with 8’s and Tracks??? Anyone? Yes! Lazy 8’s. How many 8’s can you track while going up and then down, up and down, up and down? This is called a ‘homonym’ - a word that is spelled the same and sounds the same but has different meanings. Can you make your lazy 8’s to the tune of your favorite song playing next to you to cheer you on? Do you have anything in your home to make your own ‘tracks’, maybe or maybe not to record music, but to drive your favorite action figure, lovey, or car on?
Shutterstock (above) shared a basic one, but you can find more online to practice your eye tracking, your breathing (in and out), and your arm muscle movements. This one is from: https://www.google.com/search?q=Free+lazy+eight+breathing&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS812US812&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=ysun97q0Z7CxOM%253A%252CH3hcMKNeDrPvpM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQuLp1MGdmpCo36mUTjy0f3lJhFBw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj97bXCk8roAhVclnIEHQloDTsQ9QEwA3oECAoQFw#imgrc=ysun97q0Z7CxOM:
For more information on eye-tracking please refer to the J.W. Decas PK-4 Link Posted at the bottom called: Websites for Families at Home Learning - Supporting Literacy at Home Grades PreK-4 by Ms. Carrie Thurston a: Eye-Tracking Explanation and b. Lazy-8’s.
April 12 - A. Easter and B. National BIG Wind Day! Did you ever know that rabbits, to get away from their prey, tend to run in a zig-zag pattern trying to throw off whatever is chasing them in order to wear them out? Have you ever done that on the playground during a game of tag? Does it work? Now it's time for some bunny hopping.
a. Just like we had zig-zags taped on Mrs. Medeiros’s and Miss Fitzgerald’s rug in Kindergarten before the tiles, we want you to consider hopping, rolling, walking backwards, crawling, balancing, heel-toe walking on painters tape (hardwood) or light
masking tape (rug) to practice your movements. You could make your own patterns! https://www.prekinders.com
b. Get outside and do the same! Here are some “zig-zag hops” https://youtu.be/rmaY_9-1EW4 c. Can you draw zig-zags? How long can you make a zig-zag that is even…. Very tricky huh? ∧∧∧∧∧∧∧∧∧∧
d. Do you have Lego’s or connectors of any kind? How about building eggs? https://ittlebinsforlittlehands.com has great ideas. Can you make eggs from LEGOs? Challenge yourself. See what you can come up with.
e. Or how about making your own by cutting out a paper plate and dipping a couple of ‘Q-tips’? Get both hands working!
Let your child create the easter egg of their dreams! https://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2013/03/q-tip-painted-easter-eggs-fine-motor-art.html
f. For the younger friends, enjoy the Bunny Hokey Pokey to help turn everything around
https://youtu.be/X2HL2oR94https://www.youtubhttps://www.youtube.com/e.com/Sw B. National BIG WIND DAY
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcelebratepicturebooks.com%2F2016%2F04%2F12%2Fapril-12-national-big-wind-day%2F&psig=AOvVaw20sizYhnFElCXgm8HfMwmw&ust=1586025599477000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCLjThPbzzOgCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
Why does the wind blow? https://youtu.be/sT80fJLbeds or https://youtu.be/uvlLMJDV-cw You can make your own wind or have fun with it when you have a nice day. Did you know that blowing out and sucking in helps you to read and calm your nervous system down? It's true. The action brings more oxygen to your brain and helps ‘team’ your eyes for coordinated actions such as reading, scanning, and left to right tracking. Try slowly breathing in and out while reading next time or sucking water slowly through a straw. ‘See’ if it helps. Inside you could blow cotton balls onto spelling words, to colors (markers, crayons), card faces/numbers, shapes or just about anything. Or you could play indoor cotton ball air hockey. You could learn how to build a kite to fly outside or go on PBS and learn how to make giant bubbles!
Above: PBS photo WEEK #3
April 13 - National Scrabble Day. The game of ‘Scrabble’ is played by two to four players on a square game board imprinted with a 15×15 grid of cells (individually known as "squares"), each of which accommodates a single letter tile typically made of wood. The game is sold in 121 countries and is available in 29 languages. There are approximately 4,000 ‘Scrabble’ clubs around the world. For those of you who have walked out to the J.W. Decas Grade 2 area annex and saw my (Ms. Welburn’s) Scrabble wall area, how many words were YOU able to create using the velcro ‘scrabble’ letters when walking by? I saw a lot there. Some of you made New ones every day with the few letters I placed there. ‘Scrabble’ is fun. Just as you learned to add to word roots _at (bat, cat, rat, sat, hat, mat), ‘Scrabble’ is similar in the sense that you can add words to other words using existing letters. It is a phenomenal way to learn vocabulary and spelling. If you need a list of practice words please reach out to your classroom teacher. You don’t need a ‘Scrabble’ Board to play. You can print your own and cut them up. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/82261130673754189/ or
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F115123334194876669%2F&psig=AOvVaw151nK6A5dknBXrda6Zl6Wz&ust=1586540302336000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCNCBoOPx2-gCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
The game of ‘Scrabble’ (what we know as Scrabble) originated in 1938 by Mr. Alfred Butts although he called it Lexik o at first then Criss-Crosswords when he added the 15×15 gameboard and the crossword-style gameplay. In 1948 Mr. James Brunot, another man who worked alongside Mr. Butts, ended up taking over. Mr. Brunot changed the squares, the rules, and the name to Scrabble.
April 14 - National Reach as High as You Can Day. clipartstation.com
Did you know that stretching allows greater oxygen flow in your body and wakes up your brain to keep it alert? Stretching keeps your muscles flexible, strong, and healthy. We all need flexibility to maintain a range of motion in order to keep our joints good. Without it, our muscles shorten and become tight. Over time, this causes pain and damage. So KEEP reaching everyone!!! Up on your toes, reach with both hands, straighten out those fingers - try to touch your ceiling - now touch your toes - GO SLOW.
holidayimages.org
Animal cookie snack mix. Here is a recipe. https://images.app.goo.gl/vRt89Rc1jZHVAhrS6
Pinterest.com
Biglifejournal.com
Make a vision board. What do you want to accomplish? What are your goals?
notimeforflashcards.com If you have glue can shaving cream, you can make a sky. https://craftwhack.com/easy-art-projects-puffy-cloud-art/
April 15 - Rubber Eraser Day. Making mistakes is a part of learning! Do you know how many mistakes we ALL make? Lots! It’s ok. We cannot grow without making them. Good thing we have an eraser. Sometimes our teachers do not want us to use an eraser and that is OK too. They want us to just take a risk and go with it. This is a great way for us to learn to trust our ‘instincts’ and our ‘gut’. When there are times to use an eraser, it can be magical. IF, and only IF, you don’t press too hard when you use your pencil. No doubt you’ll need some ‘elbow grease’ to use one. So, gather up any erasers you may have and fiddle with them while you watch
this! https://youtu.be/lRrWZVtibXw https://www.dullmensclub.com/
Eraser Activities: a. As if you were using a Dry Eraser and a Dry Erase Marker, (adult or student can, with proper directionality - top, down approach) lightly print letters, numbers, and/or spelling words onto paper using a pencil and the student erases them using the right formation to learn and practice spelling, reading, and letter/number. b. Make your daily chore lists or schedules with pencil. Help your children to read the daily events, then they can erase them when the task is complete. For those who used to collect erasers back in the 80’s here is a little reading for you: https://www.eightieskids.com/10-pencil-erasers-that-will-take-you-back-to-your-school-days/
http://www.annakang.com/eraser-page For our younger ones and their parents, check this out.
April 16 - National High 5 Day.
PARENTS Sharing Article Below: https://themilitarywifeandmom.com/the-surprising-benefit-to-teaching-kids-high-five/
The Surprising Benefit of Teaching Kids High Five
I’m not a huge fan of high fives. Never have been. My husband spent the past two years trying to “convert” me to high five him over every little thing. I kept reminding him that I was his wife, not his bro. And that high fives just weren’t my thing. Why must we high five over everything?
I grilled a burger. High five. I took a shower. High five. Hockey is on TV. High five. Seriously. It was driving me nuts. And the more it irritated me, the more he seemed to find humor in asking me to high five over everything. He warned me up and down though: One day he would teach kids to high five, and then I would be forced to high five. Because who would deny little kids of a high five? There’s a bigger issue that changed my mind. If you stick around this military wife blog long enough, you probably heard about my son’s major biting issue, as well as his speech delay. For about a year, he incessantly bit other children, many times without provocation. He bit both out of excitement and frustration. The speech delay and the aggressive biting likely went hand in hand. Thankfully, several child development specialists screened my son to see he qualified for early intervention speech therapy (he did), and during all the screening appointments, we received support and professional advice regarding the biting and aggressive behavior. The speech therapist offered a brilliant idea. The speech therapist helped us develop a strategy to help our son stop aggressive behavior towards other kids. She shared that each time my son attempted to bite another child—out of aggression, excitement or whatever—that we should tell him this: “We don’t bite people. We high five instead. Show me a high five.” Brilliant. Just brilliant. It’s brilliant because we tried it, and it actually worked REALLY quickly. It’s so simple, yet so effective. Each time we were at the park or a play group and I could tell he was about to bite, I reminded him to high five, repeating the exact words the speech therapist recommended: “We don’t bite people. We high five instead. Show me a high five.” And then he does! The best part? Any parent or caregiver can use this with any child who struggling with biting, hitting, kicking or other type of aggressive behavior. And high five is a skill that almost all small children already know or can easily learn. When my son reaches his hand out to high five another child, the other child almost always high fives right back. It’s also brilliant as because it allows small children to connect with each other. I can only imagine that my little boy is sitting there thinking, “Wow. I wanted to play or interact with another kid and he wanted to play back with me too!” What an encouraging, self-confidence booster for a child struggling with social skills. In many ways, my son conveyed so much frustration in social situations. He bit other kids, and they were horrified. He always looked incredibly perplexed, sad and defeated–despite our consistent biting and behavior strategy–as to why no one would play with him. My husband was right. High fives are cool and they actually serve a great purpose, especially for small children. Because whether your child has aggressive tendencies or not, this skill can help kids interact well with one another safely in all sorts of different situations. As crazy as it sounds, I’m going to wholeheartedly admit that my husband was right. He would successfully “convert” me to high five. And it would happen in a way I least expected. Now that deserves a high five. Mrs. Tamm
Please wash your hands afterwards high five-ing
pinterest.com
How about using your hands to help you write sentences (See Below) or to help with your daily routines.
Teacherspayteachers
Icebreakerideas.com How about Learning more High 5 hand games to play with your family? https://icebreakerideas.com/hand-clapping-games/
Or how about a craft: Trace your High 5 hands on construction paper and write down chores you can do or things you LOVE about your family and pets or things that you are grateful for. You could make a flower or a tree.
April 17 - National Bat Appreciation Day.
The Government’s Office of Energy Efficient & Renewable Energy has shared that bats are remarkable creatures. They are mammals that fly, navigate with uncanny precision using sonar, and keep the bug population in check by eating their body weight in insects each night. Bats are some of the most helpful and fascinating animals found in the wild. Did you know that bats fly fast and soar high? Bat Conservation International says they can fly at 60 miles per hour at altitudes over 10,000 feet.
Bats love insects that tend to visit plants like four o’clocks (wikipedia), evening primrose
(wikipedia), and moonflowers (thespruce.com) because these flowers tend to open around supper time and their petals bring nighttime insects that bats like to eat for their supper. https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlife/wildlife-diversity/wildside/april-17-national-bat-appreciation-day
Doesn’t this bat look as though it has leather wings like Batman? Bats are flying mammals with fur. There are over 1000 different bat species. Bats are nocturnal (active at night). They also can ‘see’ in the dark using a special skill called echolocation. It is as if they can tell the distance of various objects by how quickly the sound waves bounce back to them. It is like making a noise and waiting for the sound to bound back off of objects so you know where you are in order to move safely forward. Most bats feed on insects.
A fox bat by wikipedia - Look HOW big they are! Why do you think bats hang upside down? They hang upside down because they can sleep without having to exert any muscle energy or power. This position allows them to lock their feet holding onto a branch or outcropping without having to think. They can curl
their toes and lock them in place. This is called ‘roosting’. Do you see the one on the RIGHT and LEFT wrapping like a mummy? This can be very calming for us too. When you feel stressed or overstimulated or just need to chill, put on your favorite music and wrap yourself like these bats do with their wings - snuggle in tight and calm yourself down. Close your eyes if you have to and remember to BREATHE deeply in and out several times. The sounds of waves, running water, and wind is known to be calming. Try exploring sleep sounds and nature sounds for preferences. Here is a CUTE baby fruit bat who was rescued. This little one really likes bananas. https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/0000015f-e470-d03c-a7df-eef9d2360000 Have you had a banana today?
Now it’s time to practice your SONAR skills. Try making an ECHO to sense where you are in the room with your eyes closed? Activity: Put on a blindfold (cloth or bandana) and with an adult closely supervising, can you spin in one spot 2 times, then walk around your house with the blindfold on trying to find your way safely? Pay attention to your sensations. What other sensory skills did you use to help you navigate your home? Did you try to LISTEN more to sounds and echoes from off the walls? Did you immediately raise your arms and try to use your fingertips to TOUCH your way around the house? Did you SHUFFLE your feet to FEEL with your toes? These types of sensory stimulating activities are excellent sources of brain growth for the whole family. Doing tasks like this build brain development and help to create faster learning connections. Be creative, safe, and have fun - together… but quietly in order for all to tap into their senses. Learn more here: https://youtu.be/9FVoTMOorXA and https://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/bat.html
April 18 - Velociraptor Appreciation Day. Velociraptors were considered bird-like dinosaurs. They were small and ran super fast. ‘Velocity’ stands for SPEED. They also had a special bone in their wrist that allowed them to fold in their arm against their body so that their arm could flap in a flapping motion. Now find YOUR WRISTs. How many movements do your wrists do? Several right? You have 8 small wrist bones that allow you to be able to do that. In school you use your wrists for all sorts of actions such as writing, holding a marker or crayon, cutting with scissors, turning pages of a book, carrying your lunch, playing games, using a computer, eating, and getting ready for recess. In fact, each of our hands has 27 bones! This is why we can do so much with them.
http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=152&id=2458
Activity: 1. Paper Plate Diplodocus
If you have crayons, markers, scissors, or some paint, you can make a dinosaur.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.activityvillage.co.uk%2Fpaper-plate-diplodocus&psig=AOvVaw3w00lcfQ_1zx6tp7lDn_lB&ust=1586476803183000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCKja7eSE2ugCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
2. Stretch like a Dinosaur!
3. YouTube Dinosaur Music and Movement: hthttps://youtu.be/9pkTz1X67wAtps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzesbQaqhCY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS1cPJhQPmM 4. Dinosaur Eggs Craft - Go outdoors with adult supervision and collect rocks. Pretend they are dinosaur fossils. They are eggs. You could color them or paint them. This one below happens to have Acrylic paints on it. https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/dinosaur-eggs-craft
Why not paint a few and make a nest outside if you have a garden? Dig a small pit and fill with leaves and your eggs, cover with some leaves to keep your eggs safe. If you want your eggs indoors, fill a pie-tray with some leaves and your eggs. Look at some pictures of dinosaur nests and you will often see the eggs arranged in a circle. Or if you have toy plastic dinosaurs (with adult supervision), place them on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, with flour, or sand, or sugar, or anything you may have at home and let your child play with their dinosaurs in the sensory material/ingredients you have in your cabinet. When done, throw aluminum foil in the trash, and the mess is gone!
Finally today is also National Record Store Day for those who want to learn what a record is or for those who miss their records and nostalgic days. These are the days to cherish good memories. Similar to the 8-track (April 11th Day) tape, a record was an older version
of stored music to play. It was played on a record player that spun the record while a sharp needle lay on the record, hitting grooves, and
magically playing sound. Record and player (clker)
April 19 - National Hanging Out Day. We are all being safe for important, critical reasons and all of us here at J.W. Decas care about you. We in Occupational Therapy are trying to send you learning ideas to keep you going while you “hang out” or actually “hang in”.... Have you ever HUNG OUT clothes outside to dry? You can’t really do this without rope, a good sturdy tied-down spot, and clothespins, OH and the sun. You need the sun.
https://www.cleancult.com/blog/8-reasons-why-you-should-air-dry-your-clothes/
A package of clothespins is $1.00 at the DollarTree. If you can enjoy the benefits of nature on a good day, here are some reasons why people like to “hang out” their clothes to dry. It's environmentally friendly and preserves energy. The sun and the wind work together to dry out your clothes. Line drying prevents your clothes from wrinkling, withering or shrinking, expanding the life of your outfits; it is gentle on your clothes. The UV rays from the sun disinfects and brightens damp laundry. When hung dry on a clothesline, it even helps to remove stains. If you have the space for a clothesline, this encourages you to go outside. Being outside on a bright, cool breezy day improves your well being and your brain. Research suggests trying to get at least 20 minutes of sunlight exposure daily to feel happy, well rested, and energized. This has to do with the release of serotonin and the light going into the eyes. Serotonin is critical for our moods, sense of calm, and feelings of peace. Without light, we can feel depressed and down. So if you cannot get outside, please find a way to sit by your windows to get as much light as you can.
Hanging out means sharing the load and the chores - we are all in this together! How about learning how to fold t-shirts https://youtu.be/KdojWs2nldY or towels https://youtu.be/mLM4KgeDBTE? Folding is an outstanding way to improve reading and writing because it exercises all the right muscles and coordinated skills.
Clothespins work all the fine motor skills that benefit your child’s muscles. These fine motor muscles are necessary for writing, coloring, cutting, feeding, and more. Children can use clothespins to pick up their crunchy snack, to sort small items, to pick off dead leaves from the inside plants, or to simply pick up items that have fallen onto the floor. Pinterest has several clothespin ideas.
theottoolbox.com
*** As always, have fun with April is National Occupational Therapy Month. From Ms Welburn, Ms Paula, and Ms Erin Be well