Columbus Day- Shipping On Us Now & Later! 3 days Only!

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Free Shipping AND More Free Shipping!

Now that school has been in session a while now, you have a better idea of what you need and what you want. We know budgets are tight, so enjoy free shipping this long weekend and even until Wednesday! AND we'll also send you a free shipping voucher to use on a future order!*

Here at PFOT, we try to offer you a mix of classic "must have" items, as well as "cool" new products. Active participation is always easier when students are excited, motivated and engaged. Take a moment to check out your closet, then check us out and let us ship your new items for FREE!

(*Must select Free shipping at checkout AND use coupon code CCFREE at time of order. $50 minimun, new online orders only, free ground shipping within 48 states only.Excludes drop ship items. Voucher will be sent with order. $50 min re-order, voucher expires 11-15, other restrictions may apply. Offer expires Wed Oct 16 .)

Check out some of our Coolest Items!

Giddy up on this Kid-Powered Pony! See it in action! 

Spooner Boards - A scooter, rotator, skate board altogether!  See it in action!

Orbo- Push a colored ball out of one hole and get it to "snap" into another hole. A nice workout for fingers & mind.

Jeliku- This amazing little (3x4) toy unfold into countless shapes and designs. The perfect fidget toy, stress reliever, and unique puzzle toy all in one!

DBox: Puzzle and Building System- The “Think outside Dbox” puzzle and building system all in one. Connect, twist, build. Players from 6-99 will have fun building, creating and solving endless puzzles!

Do You Have a Sensory Closet?

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Do you have a sensory closet at your school?

A "Go To" place for sensory equipment?   More and more schools are buying sensory items in bulk quantities to have on hand to use as needed. So a therapist and teacher (and parent) may discuss a student (any student!), develop a sensory plan, sign out the items needed and implement the plan immediately!  There is no waiting for a purchase order to be generated and the items to be delivered. The plan can be initated today!

Where does the equipment go when a student moves out of district or changes schools?  With tight budgets and limited space, a central location for sensory equipment may be a great idea.  You can have students try sensory items and see which best fits them before purchasing items.  Cushions, fidgets, weighted items and therapy balls can all be stored and tried throughout the school year. 

What about small "consumable" items? Special pencils, pencil grips, scissors, triangle crayons, raised or bumpy paper, fidgets and squezze balls?  These items can make a big difference and can be needed by anyone in the building, even staff ! Order in bulk and keep them to hand out throughout the year as needed.  Also suggest putting them in your school store for some new best selling items!

Here are some of our favorite "Must Haves" for your sensory closet.

Tangles: So many to choose from! They can be big or small. A quiet fidget toy for all classrooms.

So many uses for a therapy ball- sit on it, roll over it, roll under, bounce, toss back and forth or against the wall. Try doing 20 or more throws for sensory heavy work!

Move n Sit Wedges: These seat cushions let you wiggle will you work!  Bumpy on one side & smooth on the other. Easily adjust air to increase or decrease movement.

Wiggle Whomper Kit for Sensory Regulation

Help EVERY CHILD succeed- those with & without specials needs!

This kit was developed on evidence based research to Improve Sensory Regulation in the General Education Classroom. 

The kit includes a instruction manual and all the materials you need to implement each suggested activity.  This kit will help provide strategies to help any student regulate environmental stimuli through the use of tactile, visual, auditory, gustatory, vestibular, and proprioceptive based tools and activities.  It is successfully classroom tested and implemented. 

The instructional manual contains directions to all activities; why it is beneficial, who may benefit from it, modifications/adaptations to the activity, FAQs and a reference to the research that idenitfied it as beneficial!

FREE SHIPPING & FIDGET GIVEAWAY !

Place an order today and receive a free tangle (type varies).  While supplies last.  No minimum purchase required. Enter coupon code TANGLE at checkout. Supplies limited, expires Monday Oct 14 at midnight!

 Free shipping on any order $50 or more! (Within the contiguous United States, Online orders only, No drop shipments, ground ship only, must select this option at time of ordering.)

Do You Have a Sensory Closet? - Preview

Facebook icon Twitter icon Forward icon

Do you have a sensory closet at your school?

A "Go To" place for sensory equipment?   More and more schools are buying sensory items in bulk quantities to have on hand to use as needed. So a therapist and teacher (and parent) may discuss a student (any student!), develop a sensory plan, sign out the items needed and implement the plan immediately!  There is no waiting for a purchase order to be generated and the items to be delivered. The plan can be initated today!

Where does the equipment go when a student moves out of district or changes schools?  With tight budgets and limited space, a central location for sensory equipment may be a great idea.  You can have students try sensory items and see which best fits them before purchasing items.  Cushions, fidgets, weighted items and therapy balls can all be stored and tried throughout the school year. 

What about small "consumable" items? Special pencils, pencil grips, scissors, triangle crayons, raised or bumpy paper, fidgets and squezze balls?  These items can make a big difference and can be needed by anyone in the building, even staff ! Order in bulk and keep them to hand out throughout the year as needed.  Also suggest putting them in your school store for some new best selling items!

Here are some of our favorite "Must Haves" for your sensory closet.

Tangles: So many to choose from! They can be big or small. A quiet fidget toy for all classrooms.

So many uses for a therapy ball- sit on it, roll over it, roll under, bounce, toss back and forth or against the wall. Try doing 20 or more throws for sensory heavy work!

Move n Sit Wedges: These seat cushions let you wiggle will you work!  Bumpy on one side & smooth on the other. Easily adjust air to increase or decrease movement.

Wiggle Whomper Kit for Sensory Regulation

Help EVERY CHILD succeed- those with & without specials needs!

This kit was developed on evidence based research to Improve Sensory Regulation in the General Education Classroom. 

The kit includes a instruction manual and all the materials you need to implement each suggested activity.  This kit will help provide strategies to help any student regulate environmental stimuli through the use of tactile, visual, auditory, gustatory, vestibular, and proprioceptive based tools and activities.  It is successfully classroom tested and implemented. 

The instructional manual contains directions to all activities; why it is beneficial, who may benefit from it, modifications/adaptations to the activity, FAQs and a reference to the research that idenitfied it as beneficial!

FREE SHIPPING & FIDGET GIVEAWAY !

Place an order today and receive a free tangle (type varies).  While supplies last.  No minimum purchase required. Enter coupon code TANGLE at checkout. Supplies limited, expires Monday Oct 14 at midnight!

 Free shipping on any order $50 or more! (Within the contiguous United States, Online orders only, No drop shipments, ground ship only, must select this option at time of ordering.)

Free Shipping Ends Soon - So Hurry!

Free shipping!

*Remember to select free shipping at checkout!

(New online orders over $50; ground shipping, contiguous US only, expires 10/11/13)

Apple Story Starters and more

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Some September Story Starters
Let's get writing! Here are some phrases to start a sentence, write a whole story or illustrate a picture.  Use these during treatment sessions, at home, in the car, or waiting at your doctor's office.  
1. We cut open the apple and inside was purple polka dots and....
2. The chef baked the largest apple pie using ....
3.  When we went apple picking there were not only apples on the trees but....
4. I was picking apples off the tree when I reached up and....
Fun Craft Activity- Apple Tree
Back to School this fall- perfect time to learn about apples.  Whether you go apple picking, read books about apples, or talk about it in school.  This fun fingerpaint activity will help work on finger isolation.  You will need red, green and brown fingerpaint and some paper.  With your index finger paint a trunk on the page using your brown paint.  Now take your thumb and press it in green paint, make some leaves and with your little finger dip it in red to make your apples. 
Apple No-Cook Recipe
Apples, apples, apples! How many different recipes are out there?Here is a simple one, you can make with your kids, in a group or classroom, or at home. 
You will need: 3 apples, 1/3 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup grape juice, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon of honey. 
Core the apples and cut.  Then place all ingredients in the food processor and pulse.  Refrigerate and enjoy! 
For a Fun twist- Cut the apples in half and remove the inside of the apples, now you have an apple bowl!
An Apple of a SALE
Enjoy Free shipping on orders placed online* and total over $50.00.  Remember to choose Free shipping at checkout. Orders over $100, enter code apple13 & receive a free gift in your order. 
(*All orders must be placed online before Sunday September 22, 2013 at midnight.  Must be applied at time of order, new orders only, contiguous US only, excludes drop ship items & other items as indicated on website)


Backpack Awareness



Some helpful tips for choosing your child's backpack







-Choose a backpack with heavily padded straps that also features shoulder and chest straps
-Pack the heaviest items in the back of the backpack and place lighter items towards the front
-Wear both shoulder straps unless the backpack is designed for use on one shoulder
- A child’s backpack should weigh no more than about 10% of his or her body weight






Helpful tips for adults




-Select purses with built-in compartments. This helps distribute the weight more evenly.
-Select a briefcase made of light materials such as microfiber and nylon.
-Opt for carrying two light suitcases, one in each hand, rather than one heavy suitcase in one hand or on your shoulder.






From AOTA, 2010



Twelve Days of Christmas- Continued

We have six more days in our song!

On the Seventh Day.....We have Seven Swans Swimming

It may be too cold to swim but your children can still pretend play with their small figures and toys. On a cookie sheet or tray, spray some shaving cream and ask them to spread it out on the tray, making a pool. Now have them pick some small figures and go swimming in the shaving cream! Create a whirlpool, drawing circles and other shapes in the shaving cream.

On the Eighth Day......We have Eight Maids Milking

Have your child help make a snack. Making pudding is an easy snack. Pour milk into the measuring cup and have your child pour it into the mixing bowl with the pudding powder. When the pudding is finished- have snack time or writ your name.

On the Ninth Day..... We have Nine Ladies Dancing

Dance, Dance Dance, Play freeze dance. Put on some music and dance around, when the music stops you have to freeze! Anyone that is still moving has to sit. Keep going until there is only one person standing. Then get up and dance again!

On the Tenth Day....We have Ten Lords Leaping

Hop, Jump, and Leap through an obstacle course. Hop on one foot for five feet, then jump in and out of hoops or over a jump rope. Now leap over pillows or blocks. Have a relay race through your obstacle course.

On the Eleventh Day... We have Eleven Pipers Piping

Make some music!! Gather as many household items as you can and see what makes music and what doesn't. You can shake a box of rice or macaroni, clap together two empty bottles, or tap a spoon against a plastic cup. March around and have a musical parade!

On the Twelfth Day...... We have Twelve Drummers Drumming

Keep those household musical instruments out! Now drum on whatever you find. Which is louder, drumming with a spoon and pot or wooden spoon and box? Try to copy rhythms, you bang one..two..three. Can your child copy the exact sound?

Twelve Days of Christmas

On the First day...... You have a partridge in a pear tree....

Leaf prints are a fun way to end the fall season. Collect some of those last leaves on the ground before the snow comes or in the warmer weather just grab some off the tree. Place them under a sheet of white computer paper, now with the side of a crayon rub over the leaves until you can see the leaves appear on the white paper. The more pressure applied on the crayon the darker the leaf will be.

On the Second day.... You have two turtle doves.....

Bird Seed project- Make reindeer food! Have your children scoop some bird seed and glitter into a zip loc bag. On Christmas Eve sprinkle your "reindeer food" outside so the reindeer can find your house!

On the Third day... You have three French Hens...

Animal Walks- How far across the room, can you walk like a hen? a bear? a crab? Have animal walk relay races as part of your group session or around your house.

On the Fourth day... You have four Calling Birds...

Play a game of telephone. Someone starts with a message and whispers it in the ear of the person next to them, and so on down the line. When the last person hears the message, they then have to say it out loud. How different is the message from the original?

On the Fifth day... You have five Golden Rings...

Hula Hoop activities- tie two hula hoops together with string and loop one around a basketball net, Now you have three "baskets" instead of one. Keep score as you shoot. Scoring in the hula hoops will be easier then the basket so make sure they aren't worth as many points!

On the Sixth day.. You have six Geese a laying...

Duck Duck Goose! An old time favorite. Have your children sit in a circle. One person is "It" and gets to walk around, tapping each child, saying "duck" "duck" or "Goose". When you say "Goose" that child gets up and runs around to try and catch the child up already before they get to their space in the circle.


Simple and fun messy play!




Cornstarch and Water:




On a tray or in a shallow bowl, pour approximately one cup of cornstarch, add water and mix. The consistency will be smooth and slippery. Move around the mixture, draw or roll a car through it. Can you move your fingers fast enough to make a full circle before it moves back together again. Place a few boxes of cornstarch and some water into a large under the bed box and have your children walk on it. Watch this great video, as Ellen Degeneres learned about cornstarch magic!! (Link to Ellen on youtube)




Gelatin Painting




This one is a little more involved and will need more time to set up but still messy and fun. In a large container unroll and rip 6 rolls of toilet paper ( let your children rip the toilet paper, great fine motor activity) Pour water until it is wet. Grate the soap on top and mix Now stir in 1 1/2 cups of Borax into mixture. The mixture will become fluffy.




Product Highlight: My Sandbox




This portable, high quality, hardwood box comes with sand, tools and lid to keep it all contained. The clear plexiglass bottom allows the colorful lid or other art to be placed on the bottom. A fun, tactile way to reinforce letters, shapes, numbers. Item # T1151

Summer is Near the End, School is Just Around the Bend



As the summer ends, some of us are excited and some not so much, but another school year is already here!




There are so many things to do to get ready for school and so many things your child can help with. Getting them involved with the packing and planning, gives them some control and hopefully alittle excited about starting a new school year.




As you are receive school supply lists from teachers, have you child make his own list. Break out those pencils and paper and ask them to copy the list (making their own shopping list) and add to it other items they think they'll need. School probably won't list items like: a new "cool" lunch bag and matching backpack, Sneakers with extra long laces for easier and faster tying. (Or this may be the "perfect" time to teach shoe-tying! ( Jude's Shoe box makes it quick and easier to learn! M7029 $12.95). Also discuss if duplicates are needed of any item. One for school, and one for home use.




While shopping continue to give them as many choices as possible. No, they can't pick the most expensive items. If appropriate, give them a budget either for all the items on the list, what they added to the list, or item by item as you shop. If it's within budget, do you really care which super hero is pictured? When shopping or once you purchase all their supplies, ask your child to go through and carefully check items off their list. Do they have everything? What is missing? Now ask them to organize all the supplies. What goes to school, what stays for use during homework? (Use caution when discussing the dreaded "H" word!)




Can they write their name and the subjects on the folders and notebooks? If needed they can copy words from a piece of paper you write on. (Great practice for copying from the board!) They can also draw a picture for each subject. Maybe flowers for science; a book for reading; part of the alphabet for spellling... Can they put pencils in the cases and organize their book-bag?




Are you buying new school clothes? Have your children help take off the tags and put them in the wash. Will it fill a laundry basket? Have them carry or push the basket through the house to the washing machine and dump it in. Time to dry, then fold, they can help with that too!.
All of these tasks are so much easier to do yourself but letting your child do it will promote confidence, independence and hopefully get them excited to start the new school year!

What Can We Do With Water?



Here are some fun and "cool" activities to try!




Fill a bucket of water and get some old paintbrushes. Give each child a paintbrush and ask them to paint the outdoor furniture, playgorund equipment or the side of your house. They will be working those little muscles from their fingers all the way up to their shoulders and cleaning at the same time!




Water relay races: You will need 2 buckets and some sponges. Set up one bucket filled with water and an empty one a few feet away. Dip your sponge and run to the empty bucket, squeeze the water out into the empty bucket. How many times do you have to run back and forth? Set up relays, Who can fill the bucket faster?




Water Cup Relay: You will need 2 plastic cups, with holes in the bottom and 2 buckets; 1 empty and 1 filled with water. Fill the cup and run for it. How much water is in the cup to dump into your empty bucket? How fast can you run?

Avoiding "Are We There Yet?"



Are you going on any long car trips, train rides, or an airplane ride? Here are some fun and easy to bring along games to keep your children busy.




Freestyler Sketcher: The next generation from the Etch a Sketch people! Use the joystick like control knob to draw curves, squiggles, circles and even letters. As always, just shake to erase and start your next masterpiece. U7623




Water Magic- Take Along: Paint anywhere, anytime! Simply wet one of the brushes and start your masterpiece. Wait a few minutes and it disappears...just like magic. Self-contained for easy, take-along-travel fun. 12" by 12" book converts easily to an easel shape for vertical presentation of drawing surface. Fun, non-threatening way to practice formation of shapes, letters and numbers. Item # W5165




Wikki Stix Activity: Set: Comes with 84 short colored wikki stixs and a firm, durable, reusable playboard to work your wikki's on. Board can also be used as a write - wipe surface. You can draw a design, then outline it in wikki's (sorry-pens not included). Playboard is also great for working in a vertical plane, and also when no surface is available (i.e. travel, bed). R3004

Sensory Activity

I like asking kids to make letters with hair curlers.. the straight rod ones thatare bendable and covered in soft foam.. they provide great sensory feedback From Caterina in Hong Kong
What is sensory processing?

The term refers to the process in which the nervous system receives a message from the senses and responds with an appropriate motor and behavioral response.

What is Sensory Processing Disorder?

A simple definition for a complex condition: where the nervous system does not organize and respond appropriately to the messages received from the bodies senses.

Back To School

'It's that time again! You prepared - got the kids new clothes, notebooks, backpacks, sneakers, but what about you? It's time to dust off your bag, make a schedule and start the new school year with excitement and enthusiasm! We know this can be tough. So how about some great new "stuff" to get your spark back?

We put together some of our most popular items, then slashed prices to offer you a special discounted price.There are 2 bundles available:

"The BASICs" contains the materials that we always need and want to have close by at all times. Just add paper, pencil, crayons and you're ready for anything!

"The Wish List" bundle. You have all the basics, but need a few new "cool" items.These items are just the thing and there's a very good chance that most children haven't played with them yet!
Each at a discounted price!.

"The Basics"
Here Is a list of items included: Right handed AND a left handed 3" training scissors (Our favorite scissors for teaching cutting with control and accuracy); Mini loop scissors; Small Glitter pompoms; Putty Kit; Wood Peg Set; Tweezers; Popbead sets large and small-sized; 12 Accordion Pipes; Zoo Stick; Mini cards; Kim's Kup; Wikki stix #BK-B1

"The Wish List"
Items included: Speedy Match; Orbo; Mini Morphs; Spot It; ZeeBeez; Mini sport disc set; K-Basketball; Numeric & Picture Pieces # BK-B2


FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS OVER $50!
Back to School Savings - Shop from home and enjoy free shipping for Internet orders over $50.00! Shipped within the contiguous US. Cannot be combined with any other specials or coupons. Not valid on purchase orders or drop shipped items. Expires midnight on SEPTEMBER 15th. Special automatically applied to eligible orders at checkout.