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Rainy day or too hot for most activities?  What to do?   We got you! Mother Nature isn’t always as cooperative as we’d like. Sometimes the best lesson or treatment plan cannot be done that day. So, make a rainy/"too hot" alternative plan focusing on oral motor activities. Quiet, most are tabletop and practice needed skills. The synchronization of suck, breathe, swallow, talk is complicated. Each is a skill that individually needs to be mastered then coordinated together. Functional examples of this coordination can be seen when reading aloud or talking while eating without choking and drinking through a straw. Activity ideas:  Ball Paths: Create a path with play-do, dry pasta, hot glue, wikki stix, etc. Then blow your ball to the finish. Each student can create their own or add to a communal one that just keeps getting larger. Floating ball: Add a straw to the bottom of a funnel or cone shaped paper. Then blow. Try to keep your cotton ball or pompom up. Heavier balls require more blowing force. Blowing Croquet: Create arches along a path by bending a straw or pipe cleaner and imbedding the ends into putty, play-doh, or other tacky material. Animal Blow Cup: How long can you keep the balls hovering? Can you blow them out? Two Way Whistle: This unusual blow toy makes a sound on both blowing out and in! Suck, place & release: Use a straw to place paper pieces or bingo chips onto designated spots. Suck in to "grab" the piece, maintain or hold breath to move its location, then release to drop in place. Draw an outline of a house or flower, then use colored paper to fill in. Spinners: Cut slits in a circle, then bend up to catch the breeze. Insert a straight pin in center to attach to cardboard play surface or the top of a stick, tube or straw. Bubble Cups: A favorite! Punch a hole on side of cup for straw. Cover top with a piece of handi-wipe and secure with rubber band. Turn upside down & dip only handi-wipe into soapy water. Turn upright & blow a mountain of bubbles! (There should be no or very slight liquid in the cup) Wooden Blow Cup

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Breathing techniques to relax or invigorate

Breathing for relaxation or invigoration Dr. Andrew Weil was recently a guest on the Ellen show - perhaps because of the pandemic you saw it also? He discussed the 4-7-8 breathing exercise as "life changing" and demonstrated how easy it was to do anytime, anywhere. This exercise is for lowering anxiety and calming. He has also used it for remedying health issues such as high blood pressure, cardiac Afib, headaches, sleep disorders and more. We know that many children with special needs, and many without, struggle with anxieties. Maintaining calm, clear self regulation is a daily challenge for them. But can these techniques also assist with preventing future health ailments? 4-7-8 Calming Exercise: Begin by sitting up straight, hands on knees or laying on the floor supine (face up), hands beside legs or on abdomen to feel breathing movements. Eyes closed. This position allows chest and diaphragm to expand unrestricted. Inhale through nose for a count of 4. Hold for 7 count. Exhale through mouth for count of 8. Make blowing noise while exhaling. Repeat 5 times twice a day. Adjust counts as needed, but maintain the  4-7-8 ratio. Counts are fairly quickly- by the time you say 1 Mississippi 2 - all 4 inhale counts are done.   Skip the coffee:              Breathe & invigorate  Bellows Breathing: Breathe in and out rapidly through nose. Try to do 3 in/out cycles per second! That fast Is a challenge. Initially do only for 15 seconds. Remember to make noise when exhaling. Here's a link directly to Dr. Weil instructions and demonstrations: https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/stress-anxiety/breathing-three-exercises Yoga Spinner Game Yoga is now a group game designed around fun, flexibility and balance. Players give the spinner a whirl. If they can hold the corresponding pose for 10 sec, they keep the card. First player to collect a card in each of the 4 colors, wins. Some poses even require players to work together requiring teamwork and social interaction. The 54 yoga pose cards store neatly inside the spinner making it a very compact and perfect for travel and therapy bags. Here's more info Copyright © 2021 Pocket Full of Therapy, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Pocket Full of Therapy 337 State Route 36 Port Monmouth, NJ 07758-1367 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Labyrinth vs Mazes for sensory diets & more

Create a labyrinth for "quiet thinking" and sensory diets. What's the difference between a labyrinth vs a maze? Both labyrinths and mazes have been physically made and used for centuries. The difference is that mazes include dead ends and require switchbacks or back tracking. Labyrinths are one continuous path with no dead ends. You may see corn field mazes or scary mazes around Halloween. They are meant to confuse and challenge. The same is true with mazes on paper. They may be simple or complex, but are designed to include dead ends.  When you see hedges or shrubs designed with walking paths, these are usually labyrinths. They frequently are included in elaborate gardens, especially with older mansions. They are meant for personal reflection. You walk them slowly, while thinking. Hopefully, by the time you are done, you have resolved your issues and calmed your thoughts. Make a temporary path by laying ropes in a continuous circular pattern that you walk between. Why build a labyrinth in schools?  Why Not! They can be elaborate or simple. Temporary or permanent. The purpose is self calming and reflection. Sometimes a few minutes quietly walking the path is the sensory break needed. Not all sensory diets need physical exertion. Explain to students that talking is discouraged because it interrupts "quiet thinking". Save thoughts for after the walk -  then remember to make time to share and discuss quietly. This large one is made from stones. Try a simple one using bean bags or gym cones. Students can take turns walking the path, or slowly follow each other- but no rushing, crowding or touching, just thinking! repeat as needed. Use masking or painter's tape - Try to get volunteers to help create it. Maybe older grades can make it for use by younger students. Make a small one in the the corner of your room. Then ask students to use it as a transition between specials or back to class. Sidewalk chalk ! Washes away when sprayed with water from a hose or squirt bottle (great hand strengthening) or the next time it rains. This is a fun way to play with different designs, shapes and sizes. Larger labyrinths can  usually accommodate several users at once. Once you find a size and design that works for your setting, ask if the PTA or other volunteers can paint it on the playground for any student to use at recess or before school begins in the morning. Can't we all could use some "quiet thinking time? This week's special:    Shipping and more! Preferences  |  Unsubscribe

Parent Permission for Weighted/Compression use

Here is a Parent Permission Form that you may download and use prior to initiating the use of or trial of any weighted-compression item. Please edit, add letterhead & complete prior to sending home with a client. Share with others!

Find permission slip here!

Mountain Breathing:  A great strategy to encourage a breathing break when upset, stressed or escalating. Demonstrate then ask the child to do this by themselves. Spread out the fingers on 1 hand. Use the other index finger to trace the outside of the thumb as you:  "Let's Climb the mountain-Inhale slowly (1,2), slide up the mountain to the top  - STOP (hold breathe) to see the view 3,4;   then (exhale slowly) slide down  5, 6";  Repeat on all fingers.

by PFOT.com