The New TurnUnit 3D Balance Trainer (aka Dizzy Disc Senior!)

New design with a 300lb weight limit easily accommodates teens, Tweens and adults ! You know this toy is a "must have" for sensory seekers and others that just gotta spin regardless of age. 16" non-skid platform adjusts angle to challenge balance and change sensory input. Sit, lay or stand (with caution!). Also great for rehab and sports training. Strengthens core too!  Here's more info:

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Activities that address: Suck, Breathe, Swallow - Talk, Listen, Process

Suck, Breathe, Swallow.... Talk, Listen, Process too! Chances are you've seen "suck, breathe, swallow coordination" in action. Think of an infant drinking a bottle. Many times you'll notice that they stop drinking too take a deep breath. The same is seen when a child is very upset and trying to tell you something while crying. It frequently becomes frustrating for both the child and listener because they are having trouble coordinating it all at once. Remember your Mom telling you not to talk with food in your mouth? Yes, it's impolite, but it also takes requires less coordination and avoids choking or gagging on food while talking.  Let's strengthen oral-motor skills (No, not by talking more! Let's Play!) Beans 'n Straws: Use suction through a straw to lift a bean and transfer it to a container. (Make sure that beans will not fit up straw!) Increase the distance to the container to require greater breath control. Papers 'n Straws: Similar to bean's, but lightweight, so should be easier. Use different color papers or tissue paper to make a collage or picture as they go. Let's Race or try it in a Group! Any of these activities can be done in a group. Give each player a plate or paper towel and ask them to transfer beans or papers from their plate to a neighbor's. Or make teams and do a relay race. Life Savers on a Stick: This is an adaption of an old game where players transfer candy pieces from one to another via toothpick... This updated version uses wood skewers (with tips dulled by a nail file). Candy can be carried 10 steps then transferred to a partner or dropped into a container. Sticks must be kept straight out, not up, so gravity can not help. Add more rings for weight.  Remind players that they can only hold the stick in their lips. No teeth allowed! BUBBLES - ALWAYS A FAVORITE! If you need a reason to do bubbles- Breath Control is it! Table-top Bubbles: Begin by getting the table damp. Give each player a thin straw and small cup with bubble juice. (Home made with dish soap is just fine). Dip the end of the straw and blow onto the damp table. Can you do a bubble in a bubble? or a big bubble surrounded by 6 small bubbles? Remember to keep all surfaces and straws damp to keep the bubbles flowing. Bubble cups: a favorite by staff & child What's a bubble cup? Take a sturdy cup and make a hole slightly below the upper rim. (The lower on the cup wall the more "huffing & puffing" will be required). Next cut a square (double layered) from a handi-wipe it needs to be about 2" larger than the cup's rim. Secure it over the cup top with a rubber band. Place a straw in the hole you made. Now turn the cup upside down and dunk the handi-wipe top into a bowl of very soapy water.  (Avoid getting water into the straw or hole). Players blow through the straw creating long piles of bubbles on top. (Most children learn very quickly to coordinate suck vs blow with this motivating activity!) Touchable Bubbles (A therapist favorite!) YES!  TOUCH, CATCH, STACK... Finally a bubble that doesn't allows break when you touch it or when it lands on a surface. Players can REALLY VISUALLY TRACK the bubble then use coordination skills to catch it. Can you make a snowman or catch 5 on a paper? MORE INFO HERE... Pustefix Bubble Bear - The original premium bubbles with pop-up wand! This bear, with the chubby tummy, was the first bubble container with a pop-up wand. Gently squeeze his belly to make the wand appear. Unlike cheap knock-offs, this cutey has a semi-closed inner top that the wand emerges from reducing spills & mess. It also contains PREMIUM bubble juice that produces more consistent bubbles per blow. Nothing is more frustrating than huffing & puffing repeatedly only to get one lone bubble! We even offer bubble juice refills! More info HERE... This Week's Specials are:

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

NEW PRODUCT:

WAIT, WAIT .... STAY CALM:

A WAITING SENSORY SET

 available at PFOT.COM

https://shoponline.pfot.com/stay-calm-a-waiting-sensory-box-details.html

Sensory Breaks In School, Product Features, and Specials

Web Version  |  Update preferences  |  Unsubscribe Like Tweet Forward Pocket Full of Therapy Wiggle Whomper Kit: Improving Sensory Regulation in the General Education Classroom Kit includes: An instructional manual with activity suggestions and all materials needed to be implemented by a teacher within any classroom, to help any student regulate environmental stimuli through the use of tactile, visual, auditory, gustatory, vestibular, and proprioceptive based tools and activities. Each activity is based upon true research, which is cited on each activity page for quick reference. Successfully classroom tested - Can also be used by parents at home. Simple materials can be kept in purse or glove compartment for use on the go. What is Heavy Work? - Any type of activity that pushes or pulls against the body - Can help kids with sensory processing issues feel centered. - Heavy work engages a sense called proprioception, or body awareness. What Does Needing Heavy Work Look Like? - A child may be crashing into furniture or walls - Bumping into or hitting others - Jumping off steps or furniture -Difficuty focusing and attending within class Why Use A Fidget? Fidget toys can be used to provide sensory input in a less distracting way. They can help improve concentration and attention to tasks by allowing the brain to filter out the extra sensory information weekly Special Order a Sensory Item today and receive 10% off your item (Any item # that begins with T) on orders over $50.00 Enter coupon code "sensory10"  ​Place your order before Friday 2/23/18 for discount  Sensory Breaks In School How many of you have recommended sensory breaks in the classroom but there just "isn't any time to do them"? Or have been asked for more information on sensory breaks? Do you have children that need a break but don't know how to get the right input?  Here are some activities that you can recommend or use in the classroom/school setting. Heavy Work Activities For your children that need some heavy work to help calm or focus here are some easy activities you can incorporate into their daily routine.   Help move chairs or desks throughout the classroom when necessary  Carry books or a crate of books to and from the library  Bring notes or books to the office  Bring packages of paper to and from the copy room, maybe they can help deliver to classrooms if teachers have their own printer  ​Carry a crate with class lunchboxes to and from the cafeteria  Some More Activities  These may need some space in the back of the classroom or hallway and may be more appropriate for younger students  Marching, jumping, jumping jacks  Wheelbarrow walking or animal walks such as bear walk, crab walk, or frog jumps  Play hopscotch  Log rolling  Roll over child with a therapy ball or bolster  Yoga positions   Wall or chair push ups  Lycra Body Blanket: You just need to stretch, push and move around as you explore the space around you. The stretchy pushback quality of the fabric provides a whole-bodies-worth of proprioceptive feedback. Focus Lappy: While using the Focus Lappy students remain in their seat longer and bother their neighbors less. Additionally, users tend to be calmer and more focused with better attending and greater patientce. Sensory Fidgets for the Classroom There are so many fidgets out there from fidget spinners to sensory squeeze balls!  Some schools have banned fidget sippners.  Let's educate teachers and staff about fidgets and how helpful they are for some students!  Not all fidgets are spinners!!!  Here are some items you can use that don't cost a lot and can be hidden easily in the classroom.  Velcro- Place sticky back velcro on the underside of your child's desk  Pipe Cleaners- can use as either a fidget wrapped around finger or around the top of pencil  Twist Ties- fold and twist around the top of pencil Why a finger fidget kit? Use of finger fidgets can influence a clients level of energy and arousal. Many children have not found what works for them or what they have found is making their teachers crazy! Find some great fidgets that work for your children and leave them in a "sensory box" to share in the classroom.  One fidget may not work all the time for one student so having a box to pick from may help your students explore what works for them!  You're receiving this because you subscribed or placed an order with Pocket Full of Therapy. We will NEVER share or sell your info. Edit your subscription | Unsubscribe Contact Us: (800) PFOT-124 (732) 462-4474 *An OT is always available to answer questions or assist in selecting the right item!

New! Cupcake Sensory-Motor Checklist

Good observational skills are essential. Test yours with this entertaining Cupcake-based sensory-motor checklist Good observational skills are essential. You can learn so much about a child just by watching & using your clinical experience to interpret what you see (followed by real testing - of course!)  So we thought we'd have a little fun. Very loosely based upon the best-selling book - "All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten", we created:  "The Child Cupcake Sensory-Motor Checklist - An Observational Guide" Download a copy of The Cupcake Checklist: HERE Preferences  |  Unsubscribe

"SPINNERS - FIDGETS... Aren't they SYNONYMOUS. Like saying Kleenex for tissue?"

Last week a friend asked:

"How do you feel about fidgets now being banned in classrooms?"
- "They have been banning Spinners - which can be dangerous and distracting if the student doesn't really need a fidget"
"SPINNERS - FIDGETS... Aren't they SYNONYMOUS. Like saying Kleenex for tissue?"

We CAN NOT LET THIS HAPPEN - Fidgets are a "real" tool and can be a functional life saver when matched to needs and are the "JUST RIGHT" FIT. Please be pro-active and apart of the conversation when decisions and policies are being discussed about fidgets and spinners!
Thanks-
pocket full of therapy

5 Quick & Easy Sensory Breaks for Any Classroom

We have all heard that "Sensory Breaks" are needed to help to keep everyone alert, attentive and ready to learn. But the challenge is how to incorporate these into the day without losing a great deal of time to do the task and then to re-focus again. Here are 5 Sensory Diet Tasks that are quick and easy to implement without students leaving their desks. .





 1. Chair Push-Ups: Use deep muscle work of the arms to try and lift your "tush" off the chair by pushing down on the chair seat. Do 10 or more until muscle fatigue.

  

2. Desk Push-Ups: Place hands flat on the desk and try to lift feet off the ground. Do 10 or more until muscle  fatigue.








3. Hand/Arm Pushes: Place palms together and push "like your squishing a bug". Do 10 or more.

4. Desk Hokey Pokey: "Put your right arm up; left arm down and shake it all around"; "Put your left foot up and shake it all around"; etc








5. Puddle Jumping: Initially students may need a piece of paper on the floor as the puddle. Place both hands on the desk and both feet on the same side of the puddle. On the count of 3, jump to the other side of the puddle keeping both feet together and hands on the desk at all times. Repeat, getting faster and faster.



Other easy to implement sensory regulation activities for ANY classroom (not just special needs) can be found in "The Wiggle Whomper Kit". All activities include the research that prove they are successful with children. Activities and materials in one convenient kit.

Identify Your Sensory Speed With a Self-Odometer

For a lot of kids, verbally communicating how they're feeling, especially when they feel out of control is very difficult. It can be frustrating for both the child and adult and can escalate behaviors even more. So improve communication  with this activity on identifying sensory speed with a self-odometer! 

Visual aides are very helpful for assisting a child and adult when trying to communicate feelings and “energy levels”.  Based on “How Does Your Engine Run”, children compare themselves to cars. Keeping things very simplistic for the child, use 3 “engine speeds” which the child selects as most closely resembling their own current “speed: Too slow, Just Right, or Too Fast.  Make this special internal odometer with your child when he is calm and discuss what each of the speeds feels and means to him. Incorporate pictures like these faces into a drawing of a speed odometer to help illustrate the various speed levels to help reinforce the concepts.

Then work on constructing the odometer with the child so that the child feels a sense of ownership of it once its completed.  (Every child, no matter what the skill level can help construct the odometer in some way, even if its just picking out the colors they want to use).. Here is the directions and pictures to make one for your child...

Thanks: Amy Smith, OT at KidsPlaysmarter.com