Fine Motor turkey

This Fine Motor Turkey works all the small motor skills of the hands!

Before the kiddos do this project, start out by using a pen to poke holes along the top of a thick paper plate.  Pushing the feathers into the plate’s holes will work their Tripod Grasp.  Use feathers, pipe cleaners, felt feathers to explore different textures, work the patterns, or just pop them in any old order.
Big Sister helped me make this turkey as an example for a playgroup craft.  She counted out the googly eyes (picking them up with a Pincer Grasp) by twos.
Basic math skills and figuring out that 8 sets of 2’s are 16.
Cutting triangle beaks and folding them to isolate the index finger (Important in separating the two sides of the hand)…
Little squares of tissue paper…
Crumbling little bits of paper strengthens the intrinsic muscles of the hands.  
The Finished product!
I love that she used two different sized eyes. And pulled the feet off. “I like it better without feet, Mom”.  Her turkey has a lot of character!  Just like my little Big Sister!
~Colleen

DIY No Sew Tutu

Every little girl I know loves to play dress-up princess…I was taking a trip down memory lane and came across these pictures of my daughter at her second birthday party.  This was a princess tutu I put together…it is so simple…and I still have it in her dress-up bin for play.
I went on youtube to find out how to make a no sew tutu.  Then, I added a few embellishments…glued on rhinestones, little flowers, a big pink birthday bow, and whola!  I had a princess!


I found the shirt (with matching little shorts!) at Marshalls for $9 (they sell the same brand at Nordstrom’s for $50).  I ironed-on a princess crown that I found at Walmart.  I made a bow out of the same ribbon and glued it to an alligator hair clip.

Dollar store accessories!
Isn’t this how all Princess’ eat cake?!?!
If I can do it, anyone can!
~Leanne

Teaching Over, Under, Around, and Through

teach spatial concepts over under around and through with play

Let’s cover a few different directional concepts; This over, under, around, and through activity for preschool is a spatial relations concept. These positional concepts are an important part of preschool development.

Teaching Directional Concepts: Over, Under, Around, and Through

 


Learning Spatial Concepts during play

One rainy pre-Halloween day, I had an idea to bring a pumpkin into our play.  We were going to play a game teaching Spatial Concepts.

Teaching Spatial Concepts to Preschoolers and Toddlers through play. Over, under, around, and through and their need in functional tasks like shoe tying and handwriting.
 
What are spatial concepts??  
 
It’s those direction/spatial relationship/preposition words that tell you where something is related to something else… you know… beside, in front of, behind, over, under, around,  through, last, etc. 

 


These are great concepts to teach to preschoolers. 

Positional concepts are especially important in pre-handwriting.  Once they begin handwriting, kids are taught line awareness, placement of letters on the top/middle/bottom lines, how to move over a space between words, how the “y” has a tail that hangs below the bottom line…So many times, a messy hand-writer is showing problems with spatial organization and concepts.

Spatial concepts and directional terms are also important in teaching shoe tying…BIG need for understanding “AROUND the loop”, “push the lace THROUGH with your thumb”)…
 
They can begin learning these concepts by discovering where their bodies are in relationship to objects.  
 
We pulled the couch cushions off of the couches and set up tunnels, bridges (cushion over a blanket…use that imagination!), and obstacles.
 
My kids love the couch cushions…There are definitely days that we use the couch cushions more on the floor than we do actually on the couches.
 
I started singing to them, “Where is pumpkin? Where is pumpkin? Here I am, THROUGH the tunnel!” to the tune of Where is Thumbkin, and changing the last line depending on where the pumpkin was that time.
 

Teaching Over, Under, Around, and Through

Preschool children will love to learn and play with spatial concepts over, under, around, and through with this pretend play activity.
 
You totally don’t need to use a pumpkin for this…you could use a stuffed animal, action figure, apple…whatever would spark your child’s interest!
 
 
We changed it up after a bit.  And for something different, I would tell them to first go over the bridge, then go around the cushion wall, then go through the tunnel.  
 
They loved going over, under, around, and through obstacles to get to where the pumpkin was.  And then making up their own sequence to get to the pumpkin.  
 
 
 
Baby Girl just enjoyed going over cushions.
 

 

Pretend Play with Spatial Concepts

Big Sister and Little Guy decided to change the game into a pumpkin patch, complete with a cushion “tractor” to take them to the pumpkin patch and some stuffed animal “kids” to join them.  
 
 
The stuffed kids got to ride the tractor…
 
 
And go into the pumpkin patch.
 
 
And pay for their pumpkins with “coins”.
 
 
Real-world application of the spatial concepts we learned???
 
“Cuddles the Bear gets to go in the pumpkin patch in front of Puppy, because she is pink, and that’s good manners”.
 
Ok, then. 
 

More Preschool Spatial Learning Activities


Want to continue the spatial concept learning with your preschooler?  

  • Add music…Sing and act out “Over the river and through the woods”, “Going on a bear hunt”, and “The bear went over the mountain”.
  • Grab a basket or container of any kind. Toddlers love putting things “in”/taking them “out”.  Add more complexity for bigger kids by adding multi-step directions. “Take 5 steps forward, go under the chair, then crawl around the blanket”.
  • Make a backyard map to work on directional concepts.
  • Play “I Spy” by looking around the room and finding 3 things that are under something, or 3 things that are behind something.
  • Pencil control worksheets you can make at home
  • We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
 

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.

Slow Cooker Country Style Ribs

Slow cooker country style ribs dry rub recipe

This is another simple recipe  that is kid-friendly and husband-friendly. The slow cooker country style ribs dry rub is one that my kids love…It’s a family favorite recipe! Country style ribs in the crockpot are great for busy families like ours. Your family will love this slow cooker recipe!   I went on a search to find the best slow cooker ribs I could find and came across this recipe.  Looked simple enough.  I have made ribs before in the slow cooker that just fell off the bone in the crock-pot, I didn’t really want that. I was looking for something that held the meat together even after cooking all day.  I must say that this recipe did a pretty good job!  

Slow cooker country style ribs dry rub recipe
 
Crock pot country style ribs recipe
 

Juicy Crock Pot Ribs Recipe

This post contains affiliate links.
 
SLow cooker country style ribs dinner
 
RELATED READ: Fruit Pizza Recipe
 
Country style crock pot ribs recipe

 

Country-Style Crock Pot Ribs Recipe

I had to make a few substitutions in our crockpot ribs dry rub recipe, because I was missing a few ingredients. This is what I came up with…

 

 
Ingredients for country style ribs recipe
Ingredients:

4lb pork country style ribs
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder with parsley flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1tsp thyme, crushed
1 cup barbecue sauce
 
 
 
 

Ingredients for slow cooker country style ribs recipe

Mix up all the dry ingredients and rub on the ribs.

 

Homemade rub recipe for country style crock pot ribs
 
Spray the Crock-Pot with non-stick cooking spray…be very generous, you don’t want these to stick!
 
This is our favorite slow cooker for cooking recipes like crockpot mac and cheese and hidden veggie crock pot marinara, which are both recipes that kids love and are quick and easy in the slow cooker…bonus for busy moms!
These slow cooker country style ribs are soft and delicious, perfect to throw in the crock pot in the morning.
 
Stack the ribs vertically, cover and cook on low for 6-8 hrs.
Uncover, and pour your favorite sauce all over the ribs…there will be juices on the bottom of the slow cooker, its’ ok if the barbecue sauce gets mixed in. Cover again and cook on high for about 30 min.
 
 
Country Style Slow Cooker CrockPot ribs recipe
 
 My daughter told me I was the “best cooker in the whole world”…couldn’t ask for a nicer compliment!!!
 
People who love these Slow Cooker Country Style Ribs also love these ideas:
 
Coke bottle water xylophone Carrot Veggie Puff Recipe Creative Pencil Grasp Activities Help Kids Pay Attention with Movement
 
More ideas you will LOVE:
Moms Sneak Chocolate  How to make play dough with old broken crayons

Indoor Play Series

 This is the first post in a series of indoor play ideas.  Winter and cold, snowy, freezing rainy days are right around the corner (right outside???) and there are so many fun, education-through-play activities that can keep all ages from boredom and mass chaos (aka children) from tearing through the house…

for at least 10 minutes.

We had a few days of rain from post-Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Frankenstorm Sandy in this area. Between school cancellations and cold, misty rain, we played mostly indoors this last week.  I made up a ton of ideas for our school cancellation day, and we were able to get to several of them. 
So many of the play invitations that I set up for them spin off into hours of their own pretend imaginary play ideas.  And then they want to play the imagination scenario again in the afternoon.  And then keep the play invitation (i.e. sheets on the canopy bed) set-up for days. Weeks?

There may currently be sheets hanging on the feet end of Big Sister’s bed posts 🙂

I hung a bunch of blankets up in Big Sister/Little Guy’s shared room.  This is a shot of Big Sister’s canopy bed, with sheets strung up from the posts.  Hint: Use fitted sheets to get them to stay up.  For weeks?
They were in love with this idea! As soon as they saw it, Big Sister called it “the Bucky ship” (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates). They immediately climbed aboard and started playing Pirates, complete with sharks below them on the carpet.  They played for over and hour at this (and then most of the afternoon), pulling all kinds of toys and stuffed animals into their play story.

Imagination play boosts creativity, self-confidence (acting out characters of all kinds), social and emotional abilities, language skills, relationships. And it’s fun!

Baby Girl entertained herself (and me) with an awesome game of peekaboo in the sheets.
“Baby Shark” (Oh, the characters that she plays…and has no idea she is playing) had a blast with this box of teethers and rattle toys that I have packed up and ready to go into the attic.
(speaking of the attic…) I am FINALLY putting my tank tops and shorts up into the attic and pulling down the sweaters.  The kids have had their warm clothes out for a while. This busy Sugar Aunt has been rocking the layered look for the past couple of cool months 😉 
It’s the perfect time of year to get the indoor play ideas stocked up for the super cold weather months ahead!
~Colleen

Star Luminaries

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Party Details!
These cute jars were part of the centerpieces for Baby Girls’ 1st birthday party.  I tried to pull star details into as many parts of the party as I could.  My colors for the party were pink, navy, and silver.  I tried a blue sprayed jar and it didn’t turn out as nice as the silver.  These luminaries look a little like a tin jar when lit!

This could have turned out a little better (it could have been a little easier to pull off the star stickers…) had I used a different type of spray paint.  This paint was metallic silver spray paint and peeled really easily.  So pulling the stickers off once the paint had dried was tricky.
I started with clean, dry glass jars from of different sizes.  A couple were salsa jars, one was a cheese dip jar.  A few were baby food jars.  The big guy was a pickle jar.



Big Sister helped me stick star stickers all over the jars.

Spray the jars…

Peel off the stickers and arrange in a cluster. I scattered silver star confetti all around the jars.
(I tried a couple of jars covered in glitter to change it up a little. It looked pretty nice when they were all lit!)

~Colleen

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cool Whip Frosting

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Whipped Frosting

These cupcakes are delicious!  My husband declared that they were his second favorite thing I have ever made (right after my chocolate chip cookies)

Ingredients
    For the Cupcakes


  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree

  • 1/2 cup white sugar

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 cup all purpose flour

  • 1 tsp baking powder

  • 1 tsp baking soda

  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice


  • For the Frosting:


  • 1 Carton Cool Whip Vanilla Frosting, thawed

  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Instructions

  1. For the cupcakes, mix all ingredients together until completely combined. Fill cupcake tin with paper liners. Fill liners 2/3 full. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cool completely.

  2. In a large bowl, mix cinnamon and nutmeg into the thawed Cool Whip Frosting, folding with a spatula. Pipe onto cupcakes.

Hint: these little buggers will stick to the cupcake liners. I tried some without the liner and baked them for a few minutes less. 
Warning: you will want to lick the entire bowl of frosting…or maybe just double it so you can have some left over and keep in the fridge for emergencies 🙂 The frosting would be amazing on pumpkin pie or any other Thanksgiving desert. 

OH SO GOOD!  Keep them in the refrigerator.
Hope you enjoy!
~Leanne

Halloween Sensory Bin

halloween sensory bin

Looking for a Halloween sensory bin that inspires mess, sensory tactile play? This spooky sensory bin has purple water beads, plastic spiders, Halloween toys, and is a fun fine motor and sensory activity for developing skills this time of year. Add this idea to your Halloween occupational therapy ideas. Sensory bins are such a fun way to learn and play!

Halloween sensory bin

Halloween Sensory Bin

We made this Halloween sensory bin many years ago, and it was a huge hit. We used purple water beads, however if water beads aren’t appropriate for the clients on your therapy caseload, that’s ok.

Use the spooky (or not spooky) sensory bin activity to target specific skills:

  • Fine motor skills– pincer grasp, separation of the sides of the hand, thumb opposition
  • Tool use- tongs, tweezers, scoops
  • Eye-hand coordination
  • Tactile sensory exploration
  • Benefits of playing with a sensory bin: self-confidence, problem solving, creativity, etc.
  • Visual motor skills- great for pouring and scooping
  • Learning opportunities
  • Scissor skills by cutting paper in the sensory bin

There are many items that you can use as a sensory base in a Halloween sensory bin.

Halloween Sensory Bin Fillers

We have many sensory bin ideas here on The OT Toolbox, but to make this one pumpkin, ghosts, or spider themed, you can pull out any Halloween decoration or party supply. Some of the small items you can use to fill a Halloween sensory bin include:

  1. Black and Orange Colored Rice
  2. Plastic Spiders and Bugs
  3. Eyeball Bouncy Balls
  4. Plastic Bats
  5. Miniature Pumpkins
  6. Foam Ghost Shapes
  7. Halloween-themed Erasers
  8. Plastic Witch’s Cauldrons
  9. Plastic Vampire Teeth
  10. Glow-in-the-Dark Stars and Moons
  11. Miniature Tombstones
  12. Black and Orange Pom-Poms
  13. Plastic Skeleton Bones
  14. Plastic Candy Corn Shapes
  15. Orange and Black Feathers
  16. Miniature Witch Hats
  17. Plastic Skulls
  18. Plastic Snakes
  19. Black and Orange Beads
  20. Plastic Zombie Hands
  21. Miniature Jack-O-Lanterns

Many of these Halloween sensory bin ideas would be a great addition to a Halloween party.

How to use a Halloween sensory bin

Once you fill your bin with sensory play materials, there is more to it than just playing. The occupational therapy provider will probably think about all of the skills being targeted.

You can support learning and skills like executive functioning using a sensory bin, too.

  1. Incorporate Textures: Add materials with different textures to encourage tactile exploration. Consider including items like sand, kinetic sand, rice, dry beans, cotton balls, or foam pieces. Or, add wet and dry ingredients to mix things up. For kids with tactile defensiveness, this can be a real challenge.
  2. Math Skills: Incorporate items that promote Halloween math skills. Use small toys or objects that children can count, sort, or group. You can also add numbers or counting cards for math-related activities. In The OT Toolbox Members Club, we have counting cards with pumpkin numbers that are perfect for this.
  3. Expressing Sensory Words: Introduce themed books, flashcards, or word cards related to the sensory bin theme. Encourage children to describe what they see, hear, and feel in the bin, which enhances vocabulary and language development. This is important for self-regulation skills.
  4. Fine Motor Skills: Include tools like tweezers, tongs, or small scoops for activities that develop fine motor skills. Children can use these tools to pick up, transfer, or manipulate items within the sensory bin.
  5. Art and Creativity: Add materials that inspire creativity, such as colored paper, markers, or crayons. Children can use these supplies to draw, write, or create art based on the sensory bin’s theme.
  6. Science Exploration: Incorporate items related to the scientific aspects of the theme. For example, if it’s an ocean-themed bin, include shells, plastic marine animals, and magnifying glasses for observing and learning about sea life.
  7. Problem-Solving Activities: Include puzzles, mazes, or objects that require problem-solving skills. These can be used to create challenges or games within the sensory bin.
  8. Social Interaction: Encourage group play and social interaction by providing enough materials for multiple children. Promote sharing, cooperation, and communication during sensory play.
  9. Incorporate Music and Sounds: Play background music or use sound-making objects to stimulate the auditory sense. This can enhance the sensory experience and create a multisensory environment.
  10. Sensory Storytelling: Use the sensory bin as a storytelling tool. Create or find a story related to the theme and use items in the bin to act out the narrative. This combines sensory play with imaginative storytelling.
  11. Science Experiments: Incorporate simple science experiments or observations. For example, you can add items that float and sink, encouraging children to make predictions and observations.
  12. Color Recognition: Choose items in different colors to promote color recognition. Have children sort or group items by color.
  13. Seasonal Themes: Align your sensory bin with seasonal or holiday themes. This keeps the sensory experience fresh and engaging throughout the year.
  14. Emotion Exploration: Introduce items that represent emotions or facial expressions. Use this opportunity to discuss and explore feelings and emotions.
 
 
With Our Trick Or treating postponed until this weekend (due to Hurricane Sandy weather), we have been continuing with the Halloween activities for a few extra days.
 
This Halloween Sensory bin was very much needed this morning! 
 
Sometimes, you can tell that all-out chaos is about to let loose in the house, unless Mom comes in to rescue the littlest (babies who can not-quite run) from out of harms way…flying couch cushions anyone??
 
I brought out this sensory bin and the couches were saved from three bouncing (catapulting?) children.
 
 
 
It’s a great addition to a spider web obstacle course, too!
 


 
 

Halloween Sensory Bin

 
 
This skeleton guy had a lot of fun too 😉 For more fun with bones, check out this bone identification activity. It’s a great learning activity to use with a Halloween sensory bin.
 
 
 
All it took were googly eyes, plastic spiders, orange beads, rings, and other random Halloween stuff all mixed in with the (still squishy-hydrated-awesome) water beads! 
 
Pumpkin activity kit
Pumpkin Fine Motor Kit

Grab the Pumpkin Fine Motor Kit for more coloring, cutting, and eye-hand coordination activities with a Pumpkin theme! It includes:

  • 7 digital products that can be used any time of year- has a “pumpkins” theme
  • 5 pumpkin scissor skills cutting strips
  • Pumpkin scissor skills shapes- use in sensory bins, math, sorting, pattern activities
  • 2 pumpkin visual perception mazes with writing activity
  • Pumpkin “I Spy” sheet – color in the outline shapes to build pencil control and fine motor strength
  • Pumpkin Lacing cards – print, color, and hole punch to build bilateral coordination skills
  • 2 Pumpkin theme handwriting pages – single and double rule bold lined paper for handwriting practice

Work on underlying fine motor and visual motor integration skills so you can help students excel in handwriting, learning, and motor skill development.

You can grab this Pumpkin Fine Motor kit for just $6!

Colleen Beck, OTR/L has been an occupational therapist since 2000, working in school-based, hand therapy, outpatient peds, EI, and SNF. Colleen created The OT Toolbox to inspire therapists, teachers, and parents with easy and fun tools to help children thrive. Read her story about going from an OT making $3/hour (after paying for kids’ childcare) to a full-time OT resource creator for millions of readers. Want to collaborate? Send an email to contact@theottoolbox.com.