Holiday Fun, Conversation Starters, and Specials

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Find Something to Talk About!
How often do you sit and talk to your family lately?  Everyone is always on their phones texting, messaging, or sending pictures.  Some children today are at a loss for conversational skills.  Let's start talking this holiday season.  Here are some great conversation starters, especially for your children and their older relatives!
1. Find out what everyone's favorite present was when they were your age.  Do they remember? Who gave it to them? Any fun stories about the toy?
2. Who has a favorite holiday food? Do they eat it only around this holiday season or is it a tradition for all holidays?  Maybe it is a food they eat all the time but it is just the best!
3.  When I was younger, my uncles made us watch the Yule Log on Christmas Eve! Anyone else?
4.  What are your favorite New Years resolutions?  Has anyone kept and accomplished one?

Minute to Win It Holiday Games
What better way to spend the time after you have eaten dinner and opened up all the presents?  Here are some fun holiday themed one minute games you can challenge your family to! Or make teams and see who scores more points. 
1. Candy Cane Stacker: You need candy canes and metal nuts (as in nuts and bolts).  You are going to use the candy cane as your stacking tool, slide the candy cane through the center of the nut and pick it up, placing it on it's side.  Now pick up another nut and place it on top of the first one.  Keep going- How many can you stack before the time runs out?
2. Marshmellow Stacker: That's it! How many marshmellows can you stack in one minute.  Can you stack a tower? pyramid? Who can be the most creative?
3. Marshmellow Wreath Throw:  You need a bag of large marshmellows and a wreath.  Stand about five or so feet away from the hanging wreath.  How many marshmellows can you throw through the center in a minute?  Can you throw it through the center and make it land in the basket on the floor under the wreath?

Compiled by: Lisa Walker OTR

Wishing You a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season!!

Take the Stress Out of Your Holidays: Tips for You and Your Children

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Take Stress Out of Your Holidays For You and Your Children!!
The holidays are exciting and fun and full of stress!  So much to do and not enough time to do it.  But here are some helpful tips to relieve those stressful days!
1. Make a List: Prioritize and check off.  Have your children practice their writing skills and write a to do list for you. 
2. Take turns opening presents to reduce the
commotion and over excitement. Too many new
toys at once can be over-whelming. Consider
helping your child to choose 2 new things to play
with today and put the others out of sight until
tomorrow or later, when another two may be
chosen.
3. For children who can not yet read or identify
names, mark gift tags with a color or shape. Keep
name/color tags on gifts after they are open to
avoid later confusion or fighting over whose gift is
whose.
4. Consider having all munches on a large table
rather then scattered around the room on coffee
tables and end tables.  Smaller tables are too easy
for the child to bump into or knock with a toy and
create a mess. They also tend to be lower, so it’s
easier for a child to nibble on goodies you may not
want them to have.
5. Children are used to getting jobs to do in school
and they need to feel they are part of the day. So
give them a special task to do when company is
coming.  Assign tasks such as; opening the door;
used gift wrap or trash collecting; hanging coats, etc.


Holiday Story Starters
Whether you are driving in a car, flying somewhere for the holidays, or waiting for your cookies to bake you may need something to do.  Here are some story starters to complete a sentence, write or tell a story or illustrate a picture. 
1. If I could make up one holiday it would be...
2. I woke up in a snow globe and ..... 
3. We baked the biggest batch of cookies that.....

compiled by Lisa Walker, OT

Another Cyber Special - And A Fun Fact or Two

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Cyber Monday!? Why Not Make it Cyber Week?

Follow us to the best holiday gifts around! You are one click away from awesome gifts for the whole family, your child's teachers, your co-workers and everyone else on your list.  Click on Harry the Kangaroo and he will take you there!

Cyber Week Specials & Holiday Gift Ideas

Sensory Stocking: An assortment of gizmo's and gadgets to keep fingers busy! Included is: a fiddlestick, smooth/bumpy pencil chew topper set, focus fidgety, texture tangle jr, Klixx, inside out ball, Small ergo ball, pasta ball... All this at a discounted price! Item #GSS-1

Fidget Set: 3 Fun Fidgets all together in a set. Includes: Cool, New U-fidget toy, Wood click blocks and a Fuzzy Tangle. A "Twist and Turn-ing" Good Time!

Fun Gifts under $10: Perfect gifts for Secret Santa, Grab Bags, Teachers, Assistants, Bus Drivers, BabySitters... all under $10. Think Fun this year - Not Ordinary or Expensive!

Free Shipping on orders over $45.00:  Place order by Friday 12/4/15 at midnight and receive free ground shipping.  Orders must be within contiguous U.S. No drop shipments. Enter coupon code: Free15

Holiday Bucks Back: Free Shipping & $15 Gift Card on orders over $100.00. Place order by Friday 12/4/15 at midnight and receive free ground shipping & a $15 gift card to be redeemed in Jan 2016* Orders must be within contiguous U.S. No drop shipments. Enter coupon code: bb15   (* min re-order of $35 required)

Cyber Monday Fun Facts

Did you Know?

1. The term Cyber Monday was invented in 2005 by Shop.org

2. Cyber Monday is the 12th busiest online shopping day of the year. The busiest day is actually mid- December

3.  Online sales seem to peak around 11:59am

Story Starters

While you're online shopping, give these fun story starters to your children to keep them busy!  Draw a picture, illustrate, write a story, or complete the sentences. 

1. I was walking through the Holiday light show when I saw....

2. We were exploring in the woods when we ran into....

3. The biggest box I ever saw was delivered to our door and ......\

4. My favorite holiday cookie is...

 

The tree was too small so we decorated...

We were shopping, when in walked a penguin and her son....

I want to give...

In the igloo is...