tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-616229329380183282024-03-19T16:33:54.492-04:00Sensible SensorySensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-57170554033228545772012-08-21T18:32:00.000-04:002012-08-21T18:35:57.723-04:00Our First Time BakingToday was a super rainy day so we decided to bake something all of us could eat. Kiddo eats a strict vegan diet, I eat vegan and gluten free, and daddy basically eats whatever you put in front of him. Baking is usually difficult in this house because really, who has the time to make something all of us can eat? We usually only make vegan treats since I really hate baking gluten free things.<br />
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I don't even know if you could call this "baking" but it was easy for Ky to mix everything and dump the batter into the pan.<br />
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<b>Pancake and Banana Bites</b></div>
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<b>All we used for this recipe was</b></div>
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- 2 cups gluten free Bisquik</div>
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- 1 cup hemp milk</div>
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- 1 cup lite syrup</div>
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- 1 banana</div>
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Preheat oven to 350F<br />
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I got everything ready before I announced to her that I needed help, since we have never baked together before and I had no idea how this would go over. I laid out all the ingredients, the bowl, the pan, and measured out what we needed beforehand. She poured it all into the big bowl while I mixed, then without even telling her, she had started to dump it into the muffin tin.<br />
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I wanted this to be fun for her so there were no strict directions - Just pour and try not to spill too much on the floor. She did a really great job! We spent about 20 minutes just mixing and pouring. After we had all of the muffing tins full, we cut up the banana into little pieces and pushed them into the batter.<br />
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We baked them for about 15-18 minutes. I took them out without telling her, but included her in the process after they were cooled down. She helped take them out and put them on the plate. She did much better than I thought she would, especially since directions are really hard for her. I see a lot of baking in our future!<br />
<br />Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-19745001019456425332012-08-02T18:21:00.000-04:002012-08-02T18:21:20.958-04:00Autism Service Therapy DogI've been holding off on posting about this on the blog. Not sure why - I think I just really hate asking for help. As a parent, you learn to put your pride aside and this is one of those times for me.<br />
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I've posted before that Kyra has autism. She also has seizures. We've made the tough decision to start fundraising to get a service/therapy dog for her. It was tough for us to decide what to do because financially, we are pretty strapped. I can't work because she cannot go to daycare/preschool. I know she technically <i>could, </i>but we've made so much progress and the amount that she regresses when placed in a high stress environment made us decide to keep her home. All of our income goes to household necessities and to anything Kyra needs (along with gas to get her to and from therapy 3-5x a week) and to the pets we already have. What held us back from immediately saying 'yes' was the start up cost for getting a dog (cage, food, shots, toys, spaying/neutering, gas to get to training, etc.). We decided to toss a little extra onto our goal to get us started. We've only posted the link on facebook and our friends have done the rest.<br />
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So far we've raised $1,172 out of $6,000.<br />
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If anyone reading this would like to donate, you can check out our ChipIn page, which also covers why we want the dog and what it will help Ky with. We are grateful for any amount - we've gotten this far on mostly $5-$20 donations!<br />
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<a href="http://kyra.chipin.com/kys-service-dog">http://kyra.chipin.com/kys-service-dog</a>
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We really appreciate all of the help we've gotten. I can't believe we've come such a long way since starting the page. We still have quite a ways to go, but we will get there! If anyone would like to pass the link along, please do. Thank you so much everyone!<br />
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As a thank you, here are some recent pictures of Kyra:<br />
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<br />Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-87584054722420018042012-07-26T23:29:00.001-04:002012-07-26T23:29:23.663-04:00Body Painting InsideSorry for not posting lately! We had a pretty hectic month with doctor appointments, hospital visits, new therapies, etc. but we are back! We've been doing a ton of crafts and projects around here so expect a lot of new posts.<br />
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Last week we did body painting. We've tried body painting outside (<a href="http://sensiblesensory.blogspot.com/2012/05/body-painting-outside.html" target="_blank">here</a>) but kiddo wasn't nuts about it. She was always the type to not want to touch anything sticky, wet, or mushy. She definitely wasn't into finger painting. Lately she has been exploring with using her hands to touch things of different textures and actually initiated body painting! We quickly caught on and put her in the tub to finish out the project. It was really fun!<br />
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Some tips:<br />
- Start small. Sit them in the tub and let them start off by painting the walls to figure out what they are comfortable with<br />
- Never just throw paint on the child if they aren't comfortable with that texture<br />
- Offer a paintbrush, sponge, bingo dots, or something that they can use instead of their fingers<br />
- If the child is uncomfortable, remove them right away. Never force them to do a project that they aren't comfortable with. Learning new textures is a long process and even involves a lot of trust<br />
- Make sure to have a mat down. It gets slippery!<br />
- Have fun!<br />
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<br />Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-66688348304682206482012-06-06T17:02:00.000-04:002012-06-06T17:02:14.709-04:00Weighted Stuffed Animal<div style="text-align: justify;">
Our therapist gave us the brilliant idea of making a weighted stuffed animal for kiddo to use when she was upset or needed some kind of heavy lifting. Up until now, we had just been using hand weights which can get pretty dangerous (especially when she decides to play catch with you). We needed something that was heavy but still safe to throw. We were going to take one of her favorite TV show characters, take out the stuffing, and replace it with something heavy inside. Unfortunately, all of the stuffed animals we had were small and probably wouldn't be heavy enough. We know she can lift 10 pounds no problem, so we wanted something that was at least 5 pounds because, lets face it, no two year old should be throwing around 10 pounds worth of weight.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Poor guy doesn't know what's in store for him</span></div>
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We had an empty Build-A-Bear laying around from a friend who was nice enough to bring back from a her daughter's birthday party that we weren't able to make it to.We planned to get it stuffed later on but never made it to the store. It was perfect since they are meant to be filled and tied - no sewing needed. We went to the store and bought enough beans to fill the entire bear, leaving just a little wiggle room so it didn't rip the seams. Our bear turned out to be exactly 5 pounds. If you want your bear to be lighter, try doing half beans & half beanbag filling. You could probably do half stuffing and half beans, but the weight might not distribute evenly. </div>
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This has worked out great so far for throwing. I can't say she has ever bonded with a stuffed animal and carried it around, but we are hoping we could get her to carry it in the stores.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">He makes a good snuggle buddy</span></div>
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Some great activities you can do with your bear:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Throwing the bear during a meltdown</li>
<li>Pushing the bear in a stroller</li>
<li>Pulling the bear in a wagon</li>
<li>Putting the bear in a backpack and wearing it (put a time limit on this and make sure it isn't too heavy)</li>
<li>Holding the bear throughout a store</li>
<li>Putting the bear on kiddo's lap while sitting at a table or in a stroller</li>
<li>Jumping while holding the bear</li>
</ul>
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<br />Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-45802486540154106792012-05-25T13:42:00.000-04:002012-05-25T13:45:51.199-04:00Fisher Price IXL for Autism<div style="text-align: justify;">
I want to talk a little bit about a product that I absolutely love. I'm not really one to full on fall in love with a product and recommend it. Nothing really seems to live up to my expectation or it always has one fatal flaw that will turn me off from talking about it. Even though this <i>does</i> have one issue with the design, I still feel it was such a huge positive in kiddo's development and perfect for special needs children that have trouble communicating.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-q0ENbjUY8yt2B0YPFailrC_1Bd-iDNvKFdmoE6muOtrsa-dFHUoTYAKHZIB4m4p47zsAgPBspD4ccB-Uik-3UB0UwawQxmxnY27Qub8Y6dAdyk7RtOfLrkG8EHmOWbBAIH17oz48aM/s1600/64.ti.iXLLearningSystem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-q0ENbjUY8yt2B0YPFailrC_1Bd-iDNvKFdmoE6muOtrsa-dFHUoTYAKHZIB4m4p47zsAgPBspD4ccB-Uik-3UB0UwawQxmxnY27Qub8Y6dAdyk7RtOfLrkG8EHmOWbBAIH17oz48aM/s400/64.ti.iXLLearningSystem.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Main Menu Screen</span></div>
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The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00388C3TW/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sensisenso-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00388C3TW">Fisher Price IXL</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=sensisenso-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00388C3TW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> is a small computer system designed for kids ages 3-6. It is built to be handled roughly by small children unlike the Ipad, which is super expensive and can easily be broken. Although it can't do as much as the Ipad, it is still a good transition computer and can help you figure out where your child is as far as development goes and if they would even be able to navigate an Ipad. Up until now, she had no idea what a computer was, what it did, that you can even interact with it, or that you can learn from it. She was able to not only learn from it, but use it as a comfort object or a transition tool when we had to go out in the community. This thing taught her the ABCs in less than a week! Imagine my amazement when my non verbal 2 year old wakes up one morning and starts telling me all the letters on her alphabet poster. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The IXL comes in pink, blue, or silver with the option of changing background colors on the screen</span></div>
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I personally would have never bought one of these for kiddo. She was a fresh 2 year old at the time when she received it, which seemed too young to me. With her level of communication, I would have never thought she would be able to do anything with it. I assumed she would look at it, try to play with it, get frustrated that she didn't understand it, and throw it to the ground. Her aunt and uncle got her one for Christmas after seeing how much their son loved it. I think this was one of the best gifts she could have gotten (<i>thank you x1000!</i>).</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Using it during a hospital trip as a distraction</span></div>
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The way the IXL works is that you start off with their "Fisher Price no-name character" themed games and story. You can buy additional characters that have their own games and story as well, but it does come pre-loaded with general content. The way the child navigates the system is by which character they want. Once they pick that, then they can choose a story (to be read to them, or a more interactive story), games, music, art studio, flash cards, piano player, virtual pet, spelling, writing practice, etc. There are so many features in this computer that it will keep your kid BUSY. It is easy to navigate with only a few buttons and the touch screen works well. There is a decent variety of characters so there should be <i>something</i> your kid likes. My daughter personally loves Kai Lan and the games that come along with her (making food, abc basketball). Handy Mandy also has a neat game where you can build cars and replace parts. You can't actually add any apps or games that aren't made for this computer. They do let you add music and pictures. Although I haven't tried, I've heard the picture feature doesn't work too well. The IXL also has a headphone jack, so this is perfect for kids who easily get overloaded and need to block out some unwanted noise.</div>
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Now...the complaint. It isn't a huge complaint, but it is hard to avoid and I guarantee every system will encounter this. The IXL comes with an SD card. This is what holds all of the memory for the computer. While this thing is built for being dropped, it still malfunctions sometimes when dropped. The SD card easily wiggles loose and it resets the system until you take the card out and put it back in. We've had it erase the games a few times but usually once you put the card back in, it will work. I recommend keeping extra batteries and a screwdriver on hand at all times.</div>
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So there you have it - Who knows, maybe in no time your kid will become a super genius. Probably not, but for those of us that can't afford an Ipad, this is probably the next best thing.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Quality bonding time with Daddy - note the android tablet that can't get any apps we need (no, I'm not bitter about him buying it, I swear...)</span></div>
<br />Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-32590702217929034792012-05-23T20:28:00.001-04:002012-06-06T17:11:05.835-04:00Seeking Sensory Input; At Home Edition<div style="text-align: justify;">
Kiddo craves movement. All the time. She is constantly running, spinning, jumping, crashing, swinging, flipping, etc. As I'm writing this, she is in the next room with daddy spinning in circles and crashing (unfortunately, she just crashed herself right into a wall).</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Jump Jump Jump- Trampoline is from Walmart - $36</span></div>
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All of this feels good to her, more than it would for us. She uses these activities for two main reasons - self regulating and seeking input. It is more common for her to use it to regulate her body and feel comfortable again, but sometimes she seeks the sensory input from spinning fast or the repetitive motion of swinging back and forth. Sometimes she just wants to be rough-housed and thrown around to get that "deep pressure" feeling. Over time, we are starting to learn what she needs and when she wants it. Its important for a child to learn which ones soothe them and feel good. A lot of exposure at different times when experiencing different emotions is a good thing. Over time, they'll most likely find a way to communicate which ones they need. We use the same blanket to swing, and she eventually learned to bring it to us when she needs to calm down.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Swing, count to 10, then "crash" on the couch/bed. </span></div>
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I hear a lot that you don't want to let an autistic kid spin too much or they will 'do it forever/more' or 'look funny when they go to school' or "get too excited". You want to let them do it and learn how to regulate their bodies. Over exposure can be bad, but you want to aim for 5-10 minutes, no more than 15 (this is advice straight from her therapist). Most kids will usually not go over 15 minutes but in some cases, they don't know when to stop. That is something to discuss with your child's OT and figure out a schedule. Every kid is different so you will want to talk to an OT about it if you have access to one. If not, there are some things you can still do. Just remember to listen and watch for cues from your child.</div>
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Some easy ways to do these at activities at home if you don't have access to private OT therapy:</div>
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- A <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000067Q0P/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sensisenso-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000067Q0P">Mini Trampoline</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=sensisenso-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000067Q0P" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
- Wrapping the child in a blanket, swinging to 10 and "crashing" on the couch/bed<br />
- A <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VUCA00/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sensisenso-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002VUCA00">Sit and Spin</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=sensisenso-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002VUCA00" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
- Spinning in a laundry basket<br />
- Spinning on a computer chair<br />
- Special needs treadmill (no power involved, but pricey)<br />
- Swimming or water play<br />
- Weighted Blanket (see below)<br />
- Weighted lap pad or vest<br />
- Smushing underneath a pillow<br />
- Rough Play / Wrestling<br />
- Throwing weights or a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007W2ET6/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sensisenso-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0007W2ET6">Medicine Ball</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=sensisenso-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0007W2ET6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (5pounds or under is good to start off with)<br />
- Wrapping up in a blanket and rolling<br />
- <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RGRN7K/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=sensisenso-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000RGRN7K">Pop Tube</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=sensisenso-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000RGRN7K" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (Helps with pushing and pulling sensation)<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Weighted blankets provide the perfect amount of all over pressure to the body</span></div>
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Weighted blankets are really great and I recommend them to everyone. Kiddo uses hers every day. Sometimes she will use it during the day to calm down, but mostly she asks for it at night. Weighted blankets are okay to use as much and as often and the child wants, unlike weighted vests which should be used for 20 minutes. They are safe to use all night long. A lot of times Kiddo will wake up if hers falls off. A good starting point is 10% of the child's weight + 1 pound.</div>
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Hopefully, after doing all of this HARD work throughout the day, your child will be tired and actually sleep. I wish this worked for mine but we did notice a decrease in night-wakings when we bought the trampoline. She no longer wakes up at 1am to jump on her bed for 3 hours. I'll take that as a positive!</div>
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Hey, at the very least, your kid will walk away with huge muscles...</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*As an added note - I am not an OT, just a parent who is trying to help my kiddo make it through the day. If you have serious concerns or questions, please contact your doctor or local therapy center*</span><br />
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<br />Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-32134707669686946052012-05-21T16:26:00.002-04:002012-05-21T16:28:56.726-04:00Body Painting OutsideIt has been so ridiculously hot here and I'm starting to run out of ideas for outside projects that can be done in the blazing heat. My kid loves to bounce around a lot and can't quite focus on one activity for awhile, so she gets bored easily if she isn't in the pool. She also doesn't like messy projects. I decided to try "body painting" even though I didn't expect her to use her body at all. She surprised me though and painted her hands and feet! It didn't last too long before she started crying for her hands to be rinsed, but its progress! She still had fun!<br />
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All we need for this project was a table cloth and some paint. We used a plastic one so we could rinse and reuse. We bought a large supply of paint at the dollar store just for projects like this. We have our "good" paint for actual projects, and our dollar store paint for bigger messy projects that we don't particularly care about the end result.<br />
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Enjoy and have fun!Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-78803187444072969872012-05-03T22:19:00.002-04:002012-05-03T22:19:15.116-04:00Chicka Chicka Boom Boom TreeWe love reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and had the perfect spot to put up a coconut tree. Kiddo helped stick on the letters after I assembled the tree :) We found the letters at Michaels for $4.99. They advertised that they were 'adhesive backs' but really, they were giant Post-its. I wouldn't recommend them, but they look pretty! We taped them down, but if I had more patience I would have let them fall and be dramatic like in the story.<br />
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<br />Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-1071541980379115892012-05-01T08:03:00.000-04:002012-05-01T08:03:35.096-04:00Glow in the Dark Water BeadsThis was super fun and really easy to do! My kiddo finds both water play and light play to be really calming, so this was perfect for her.<br />
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All you need to make them glow is a black-light marker. You can get these online at Amazon, prices vary from $7-$14 depending on how many you want. We also found them at Spencers. To make the water glow, I took a single highlighter, pulled the inside out (the squishy part that contains all of the color), and soaked it in the water. I used warm water and just kept squeezing it till all the color came out. Add in your water beads and you are done! We used a black-light to make it really glow!<br />
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*As a warning, most glow-in-the-dark products do leave slight stains on the floor. I'v had it come out of clothing and skin no problem but the floor is stubborn. Make sure you put a towel down!Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-69119320198819410452012-04-12T20:22:00.000-04:002012-04-12T20:22:48.179-04:00Oral Sensory Activity<br />
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Oral sensitivity is my daughter's biggest issue. We struggle every day to get her to eat and it usually ends up being the same foods every day. She likes to stick to dry, crunchy, or hard foods yet she sometimes accepts wet foods (yogurt, bananas). Its the in between foods that she won't touch at all. Our poor OT comes to the house every week, prepared to fight with Kyra to do <i>anything</i> with food. We went from having her gag and almost throw up at the sight of spaghetti noodles, to being able to pick one up and throw it in the trash. HUGE progress on Kyra's part. </div>
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One goal of desensitizing a child enough to try a new food is to get them to play with it. Eventually they will get used to the texture on their hands and maybe lick it or even try a piece of it. Food is scary to children, especially unknown foods. It's a good idea to designate a space and time for playing with your foods. Kyra has her own table set up in the playroom where she can eat or play - we encourage both! </div>
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Since pasta is the enemy, I decided to make it fun for her. </div>
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All you need to do is cook your pasta normally and drain it. Separate it into different bowls for the different colors, then add a few drops of food coloring and stir! You can let it soak up the color for a few minutes if you want, then dump it into a container. Make sure you offer a spoon or fork as well. Your kiddo might think "hey, I use a fork to eat other foods, maybe I can use it to eat this one!". </div>
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At first, Kyra was hesitant to touch anything at all. We started naming the colors, then eventually she wanted to point and touch each color. She picked up a few pieces (I almost fainted!) then opted to use the fork for the rest of the play. This was GREAT because it meant she was no longer terrified or gagging at the thought of pasta being near her. It wasn't a threat which meant she could put her guard down and have fun. If you are feeling brave, you can also add a 'safe' food into the bucket that your child enjoys to eat on a regular basis. Another good idea is to have the bucket out when your child is eating their regular meal to associate this pasta with safe foods they already enjoy.</div>
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This is a good activity to do a few times a week, eventually offering a bowl of plain noodles and some sauce that they could "color" their own noodles in. Encourage them to try the sauce, to lick it off their fingers, and eventually dip the noodle in and lick it off the noodle. Patience is key - you don't want to move too fast and upset them. It could take months or even a year before they are comfortable enough to try a new food. </div>Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-72349192959371793722012-04-11T18:58:00.000-04:002012-04-11T18:59:02.379-04:00SquishiesSo, I'm not really sure what you would call these, but we call them 'squishies' at our house.<br />
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Kyra absolutely loves them and they are a great calming method. They are even small enough that you can bring them with you when you have to go to the store or know that your child needs a fidget toy.<br />
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For a lot of kids with sensory problems, the act of pushing and pulling feels really good to them, which is why usually therapists will recommend brushing and joint compressions (will make a post on that soon) along with heavy work. These toys work in a similar way - they allow the child to pull them or wear them, providing some pressure to the body. Kyra also finds relief from wearing tight "sensory shirts" that work in a similar way. To her, they feel like a big bear hug, which is why wearing some of her 'squishies' on her arms and legs also feels good. A lot of people mistake "sensory activities" with "things that feel squishy/slimy/gooey/funny on your hands" which isn't always true. The biggest form of relief for my daughter is doing some kind of heavy work such as picking up a 5 pounds hand weight and throwing it. When we are out in the store and can't actually carry around a 5 pound weight with us all the time, we depend on fidget toys like 'squishies' to provide that 'heavy pulling' feeling.<br />
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You can find basic animal or ball squishies at any dollar store, Five Below, Michaels, Target, Walmart, etc. They pretty much sell them anywhere that has a $1-$5 section.<br />
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You can find the ring squishies at Fun and Function <a href="http://funandfunction.com/squigglets-p-1670.html">HERE</a>. They come in a set of 18 for $11.99. They have some more fidget toys on their site but it is a little expensive. You can also find the sensory shirts that I mentioned above here. It was the only place I could find one in a 2T, but if you have an older child you can also check out Under Armour.Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-49781329554221460532012-03-13T16:54:00.000-04:002012-03-13T16:54:10.325-04:00Treasure ChestThis was a little something special I made for my daughter shortly after we started introducing sensory play. I'll go through everything I used and then include a cheaper and easier way!<br />
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My daughter LOVES the ocean and anything that has to do with sea animals. This project seemed perfect for her especially because she loves small pebbles. I decided to make her a treasure chest using small aquarium rocks and small sea animals. This exact project isn't great for every age - please use supervision if your child loves to stick toys in their mouth.<br />
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I waited until Michael's had a 50% off one item coupon. They sell a few different size wooden unfinished chests, so pick out a size that works for you. I believe I paid $10 after the coupon. I also picked up a few pre-painted decorations for the outside. At the time, Michael's had these little erasers in the shape of sea animals. You can usually find these also at dollar stores or discount stores. They might still have them at Michaels. Another alternative is Squinkies - they are a small, squishy toy that is sold at any toy store. You can pretty much use any type of sea toy you want! You'll want to pick up some paint or stain too. My daughter is rough with her toys so we used a sealer for the paint so she didn't chip it.<br />
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The last thing we needed was aquarium rocks. We bought the little rocks since she prefers them over the bigger ones. I bought two 5lb bags of the small colored aquarium rocks. You could easily get away with one bag. You could even buy the bigger stones if you are worried about the choking hazard. Or you could take a trip to the park and have your child collect rocks to put inside. I added a few aquarium decorations that we already had to make it feel more real. Get creative and add whatever you want! You could do sand, but I'm not sure how well the chest would hold it. If you decide to try it, seal all the cracks with hot glue first so the sand doesn't pour out.<br />
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The end result of supplies will look something like this -<br />
Treasure Chest - $10-$20 (depending on size & coupon)<br />
Aquarium Rocks - $10-15<br />
Sea Animals - $5-10<br />
Decorations - $5-10<br />
Paint/Stain - $5-10 (We had ours at home already)<br />
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Our treasure chest came to about $40. This was a lot more than we would have spent normally on a project, so we tried to incorporate a lot of what we had at home. We had the paint and some of the decorations already. We waited until we had coupons to keep the cost low.<br />
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A cheaper way of doing this would be using a small storage container with a lid so you can easily store it away for next time. This would eliminate the cost of the treasure chest, paint, and the outside decorations. If you do it this way, you could use rocks or sand without making a huge mess. This would also make a great activity for a sensory bucket or a sensory table!<br />
<br />Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-44550725172262676152012-03-10T13:57:00.000-05:002012-03-10T13:57:14.571-05:00Water BeadsThis is our favorite activity to do! We have our sensory bucket out almost all day long with water beads sitting in them.<br />
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Never heard of water beads? They are basically little polymer balls that hold water and release them slowly over time. They are usually used in flower vases. Some beads bleed the color into the water and others do not. You can buy these already at a full size or you can buy the smaller, dried version that you have to soak in water for 4-6 hours.<br />
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You can play with these without any water in the bucket, but it is also fun to add a lot of water too! The water beads look like they 'dissolve' but if you stick your hand in, you can still feel them! It is super fun and also great for sensory play. We also like putting in larger glass stones (they can be found in the flower section of craft stores) and giving the child a cup to collect them in. Try to pick a different color than the beads so it is easier to see. Always supervise the child if you do this - they can be a choking hazard! This activity is great for fine motor skills and color sorting!<br />
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We buy our beads at Michaels but you can probably find these at any other craft store. They run around $4.99 for a large container of already full sized beads that do not leak color. Our last trip, we picked up red beads and they DID bleed the color into the water, but all of the other colors have been okay. We usually use two containers in her sensory bucket.<br />
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In order to keep these fresh, you have to put a little bit of water back into the container when you package them up. We had a problem in the beginning where after a few weeks, the water would start to smell. We threw out three containers of beads over the course of 4 months because there was no way to get the smell out. We did come up with a solution!! We found if we put a small drop of Tea Tree Oil into the container, it would kill the bacteria from leaving water in the container (and also whatever bacteria makes its way in from your toddler's hands) and it would give them a nice smell! Do not put more than a small drop into the water though. This stuff is powerful and too much is not a good thing.<br />
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Does anyone else use water beads? How do YOU play with them?</div>
<br />Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-86662912304383300822012-02-24T19:12:00.002-05:002012-02-24T19:13:58.811-05:00Shaving CreamShaving cream is an absolute favorite around here - for both of us! Not only does it clean her table, but it is so so easy to clean up! All you need is a towel and it literally dissolves once you start wiping it up. Today we added paint to our shaving cream and it was super fun!<br />
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We started off adding blue paint, then pink, and watched it turn purple! A fun learning experience :)Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-90567360444079001982012-02-24T17:14:00.000-05:002012-02-24T17:14:23.676-05:00Playing with Dyed Rice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was one of our first sensory bucket activities and it still is a favorite! I suggest picking up a decent sized bucket for smaller sensory play time. We got the one below at BigLots for $5 over the summer. They still had some last time we were there along with different sizes. They keep the mess off of the floor while still allowing smaller kids to play freely.<br />
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We started by buying a huge bag of white rice. I suggest discount stores for this. We found a large bag at BigLots for $6. You'll also need food coloring and small plastic zip baggies. Take a cup of rice, pour it into the bag, and add some food coloring. Zip up the bag and hand it to your toddler! My daughter loves squishing the food coloring and rice all around. After you are happy with the results, pour the rice onto a plate or pan to dry for about an hour or two depending on how much food coloring you used.<br />
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Experiment with different colors! Mix certain ones to create a different pattern. So many possibilities. We started with blues and greens then added in more colors.<br />
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<br />Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61622932938018328.post-6274797202403980512012-02-07T19:48:00.000-05:002012-04-11T18:28:32.197-04:00Welcome !<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hello everyone! Thank you for checking out our site. I'll start with a brief introduction so you know who we are and what this site is about.</span><br />
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My name is Jessica and I have a 2 year old daughter named Kyra. Here she is being all cute...<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sensible Sensory is a site all about fun sensory projects and crafts to do with your kiddos. Sensory play is great for any child - not just those suffering from sensory processing disorder. We created this site to give you some good ideas for cheap. If you look online at all the 'sensory' toys and any home therapy items, they are expensive. Most parents just can't afford that, especially if they are already paying for therapy and doctor visits. There are definitely things you can do at home for controlled sensory play. We started doing sensory play about a year ago, so we are still fairly new to this. Kyra is currently diagnosed with ASD so it was up to us to provide her with fun projects and play areas at home. We live in a small house so our space was limited. We worked hard and turned her room into a tiny sensory room that she could go to if she was having a meltdown. She also has a ton of designated sensory toys, projects, clothing, etc. that she can use as well. We felt so lost when we first started our journey into sensory play. We want to help out any parents that might be feeling the same way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We plan to not only document our activities, but also show you exactly where you can get these things for cheap (or how to make them yourself!). Not everything on this site is DIY, because lets face it - not everyone has the time or money to buy all of the supplies and make it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We love submissions too! Send us pictures of your kids playing, doing the activities we've posted, or submit your own! All submissions can be mailed to SensibleSensory@Live.com</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Remember, sensory play is good for every child! It is highly recommended for toddlers and they will find it to be extremely entertaining. Our main goal here is to have fun! </span><br />
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<br />Sensible Sensory for Toddlershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03826379153291243923noreply@blogger.com1