DIY Binoculars for “I Spy” Game

   

I Spy is a fun game that kids love, and it’s great for a variety of skills, such as scanning, figure ground discrimination, visual attention, visual memory, and more. These binoculars are easy to make!

All you need are two toilet paper rolls, some construction paper, string or ribbon, and glue or tape. 

Have the child decorate the toilet paper rolls with construction paper. They can secure the paper to the rolls using a glue stick or tape. Use some tape to connect the toilet paper rolls and tape each end of the string onto the outside of each roll (as seen in the photo) and that’s it! Your child can then use the binoculars to look for different items. Mix it up by telling them to look for items of different color or different shapes. Or you can have them look for a specific item that you name. Just be sure to make it fun and engaging, and your child will have a blast!

 

Therapy on a Shoestring Budget: Easy to Make Slant Board

Writing on a slant board is a good thing, because the angle puts the wrist in a nice extended position, and it puts the writing surface in the line of vision which is good for posture. Slant boards can also be useful for reading.

Yes, I'm a big fan of slant boards, but they can be expensive, especially if you purchase one from a therapy supply store.  If you are on a shoestring budget, here's how to make a slant board for around $8.00 to $10.00.

Supplies Needed: 
Large Foam Board (I used a trifold)
Exacto Knife
Duct Tape
2 Large Clip Binders            
Self-Adhesive Flat Bumper Pad

 

 Cut the foam board into a 30" x 15" long rectangle. Make two "partial" cuts...one at the 11" mark and the next at the 19" so that you can fold the board at each cut. (See photo below)

 Attach duct tape along the lines on the side where the board is still connected.

Add another piece of duct tape along one of the ends of the board so that 1/2 of the sticky surface of the tape is still exposed (See photo).

Fold the board into a triangle and connect the final side of the slant board using the exposed duct tape.

 

Attach bumper pads to the small side and one of the large sides of the board. Your slant board is ready! You can position it in two different directions for different angles!

Dear Readers, If you have found my blog to be helpful, please "like" my Facebook page and follow my blog...I'm trying to get my book published and this would be a great help! Thanks :) 

Therapy on a Shoestring Budget- Make a Homemade Marble Maze

This post is the first in a series of posts about "Therapy on a Shoestring Budget." I know first-hand how expensive therapy supplies can be,  so I've decided to share some fun, inexpensive, therapeutic ideas. I hope you find these posts helpful!

Hi Parents and Therapists!
Here is a fun handmade activity that is relatively easy to make. Supplies needed:

Colorful plastic straws
A sturdy piece of cardboard or foam board
Scotch tap
A brightly colored marble
A large Popsicle stick

Draw the outline of a maze on the foam board. Make it simple or complex, based on what you feel will be a "just right challenge" for the child.  Make sure that you leave enough space in the pathways for the marble to travel through. Lay the straws out on top of the maze lines and cut them to the appropriate length (see photo above).  Use Scotch tape to hold the straws in place (I tried a hot-glue gun, but the tape worked better). Use tape to secure the large Popsicle stick on the back side of the foam board to make the handle.  In one corner, write "start" and draw a star or smiley face. At the end of the maze write "end or finish" and draw something like a stop sign or finish line.

Now, it's time to play with the maze! This activity provides a fun way to work on grasping, visual tracking, eye hand coordination, and graded pronation and supination. If the child needs to work on upper extremity strengthening, just add a light weight to his wrist.  Have fun!

Dear Readers, If you have found my blog to be helpful, please "like" my Facebook page and follow my blog...I'm trying to get my book published and this would be a great help! Thanks :) 

Shrimp Cocktail Game is a Wonderful Addition to Your Therapy Toolbox!

Last week I sat down with two of my students who have visual perceptual processing problems and played a game of Shrimp Cocktail. We all had a blast! Little did the students know, they were working on a variety of skills, including the ability to respond quickly, visually scan, categorize, and discriminate! The adorable shrimp on the cards can share up to 4 traits: size, origin, color, and/or quantity. The first player to find a match and squeezes a squeaky starfish gets to keep the matching cards. At the end of the game, the player with the most cards wins! This game has so many therapeutic benefits and is a must have for every therapist’s toolbox! It's available on Amazon.

Practical Suggestions to Address Visual Challenges

•   Use a colored highlighter to highlight writing lines, or every other line to be read.
•   Use commercially available raised-lined paper that bumps when the pencil crosses over it. 
•    Teach letters by having the child write in sand, shaving cream, or on paper laid over sand paper or other bumpy surfaces.
•    Use graph paper for spacing issues. Instruct the child to place letters or numbers in each box and the child can leave empty boxes for spaces.
•    Use a ruler or folded piece of paper as a guide to expose the line being read or written on to help focus on one line at a time.
•    Place work on a slanted surface such as a 3-inch binder turned sideways, or purchase a slant board. These can be visually helpful.