It is interesting times in my part of the world and I am pretty sure yours too.  “Distant Learning” has hit us with social distancing due to the Coronavirus.  I am going to attempt to now use this blog as a way to reach out to my occupational therapy students and any one else that would like some ideas.  I am not going to try to have my wording always correct, the pictures perfect, even having pictures or links for some of these blogs (including today’s) or it necessarily as one might think is just “right” but to get some information and ideas out there for my students, any OT student, or parents of young students.

Last week, I started my St. Patrick’s Day activities in OT.  Here are some ideas or things I might have done this week or did last week.

A. Gross Motor- my OT kids always start out the session with something that is gross motor to work their arms and core muscles.

1.  I always start with kids laying on a scooter board pushing themselves using their arms.
2. You can do crawling obstacle courses to do this, over and under and through things.
3. Last week, my kids searched for “pieces of gold” which were golden puff balls.  They used tongs to grasp these and put them into a “pot”.  You can use your kitchen tongs if you have any.  You can use anything yellow, that can be grasped with tongs.
4. This week, we probably would have carried a piece of “gold” on a large kitchen spoon while walking over various obstacles.  I like balance beams, yoga blocks/ stools used like stepping stones, walking over bumpy lumpy surfaces (pillows), all while not allowing the gold to fall until you get to the pot.  Then repeat.
5. I might have also done movement with reading and spelling of the words for each color in the rainbow.  Jumping on a trampoline, walking a circle 8 pattern, or doing jumping jacks while spelling and reading color words are just some ideas.  For older students, they can develop a basic sentence, then spell each word in that sentence while they move.

B. Next, I would do something that was Fine Motor.  I would do it either at the table, on the floor, or where ever.

1. Stringing different types of green beads in a pattern.  Last week, it was a simple pattern of a green star, green floor, repeat
2. I might have hidden “pieces of gold” in theraputty.  You do not have theraputty so use a lot of homemade playdough.  I have the recipe on another blog.
3. Use small tongs to sort rainbow colored items
4. 

C. Then I would do a pencil &/ cutting fine motor task.

1. Color a St. Patrick’s Day Picture you find on line
2. Do a pencil maze for St. Patrick’s Day you can find on line
3. Write on the topic, “If I found a pot of gold I would………”
4. Cut out for green heart shapes on construction paper.  Then put them together to make a four leaf clover
5. Draw a rainbow with a pot of gold and a leprechaun.  My students used big curve to help trace a rainbow design.  Then they cut out a half circle on black paper, for the pot, and pieces of yellow paper for the gold.
6. On their crafts have them copy a word/ sentence and their full name.

D. Finally, my students are rewarded with free play time.  They never get the iPad as a reward time.  They get to just play.  I encourage you to then let your child go outside and play for a bit or got play with some toys inside.  Have them go outside and hunt for a four leaf clover!

This was fast, my fastest blog ever!  But St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow and parents are trying to figure out things at home today so here it is.  Excuse any spelling and gramatical errors please.

And if you do have one of my personal OT kids in your home, please give them a hug from me and tell them that I miss them!!  —-  Ms. Robin your school OT