Therapy Thursday #11

I think the most success that I have with therapy is to work it into our daily routine and day and to be organised with activities.

Today we pulled out the Play-doh for therapy. There really is so much that you can do with Play-doh.

I like to have the kids work on cookie sheets. It keeps things contained and doesn't mark the table. We have some old cookies sheets that we use just for this purpose.

We made snakes. Some were fat and some were skinny. Some were short and some were long but they all used our finger muscles to form them.

Even squeezing the Play-doh can be good therapy. This particular container had a nice feel to it. I even squeezed it and rolled it.

We used scissors and cut the Play-doh. As I did some of these things, I realised just how it does exercise your hand and fingers.

That was therapy for today. Miss K enjoyed it and has fond memories of her therapy centre in the US so she asked for therapy again tomorrow. I guess I need to have some things organised.

I am at a point of evaluating if I will continue with Therapy Thursday. I will think about it for the next week or so. If you have thoughts, please let me know.

An InLinkz Link-up

Beth

Therapy Thursday #10

Welcome to another week of Therapy Thursday. This is a place where we share ideas, resources and activities that we have done relating to therapy for your homeschooler. It might be physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy or another therapy that you are using to help your child reach their potential.

We enjoyed our break and Miss K did some therapy aka football aka soccer. She went to three days of football skills. It is a local programme which has been very accommodating of her and has been so good for her. She was excited as she scored a goal the last day.

I do think I need to get her walking more. Maybe it is the fact that when I picked her up from ballet her first question is walk or drive. She wanted to know if she had to walk or if we had the car. She has also been seen to sit at the front window on a Tuesday morning when she knows we go to Bible study and moan if daddy took the car and that means we are walking. I have been going for a 30 minute walk every day maybe I need to have her do a regular walk each day.

I have been spending some time pondering Miss K and math really if you look through the blog you will see that is not a new challenge. So with that in mind this week we did some cognitive therapy things. She is working on a logic program (review coming later). I got out some of my Super Duper cards and we played some games.

I pulled out Auditory Memory for Short Stories and Auditory Memory for Details in Sentences card decks. We did a few but she likes to read and wants to read the card that the auditory practice was not there. I need to come up with some new ways to work on auditory skills.

I then got out the Conditional Following Directions deck and we had more fun with these.  There is a condition card like "is the sky blue" and if that is true you get a card that tells you something to do. Miss K had to cluck like a chicken. She liked those.

Then we had a session on working on push-ups. We need to work on upper body strength. I was reminded when we were at the playground and she could not do the monkey bars. So push-ups and walking on her hands was practiced to try to build up that strength.

I need another therapy planning session. Maybe I will find some time this weekend. It helps when I have options and things ready to go.

A few things to know before linking up:

• Please link up to a specific post on your blog, not the main page of your blog.
• The specific blog post linked needs to be related to therapy. Please note if the post is not therapy related it might be deleted. 
• By including your blog on this link you are giving permission to have your post linked to other social media and graphics used in featured posts. 

An InLinkz Link-up

The next link-up will be 30 April.

Beth

Therapy Thursday #8

Welcome to another week of Therapy Thursday. This is a place where we share ideas, resources and activities that we have done relating to therapy for your homeschooler. It might be physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy or another therapy that you are using to help your child reach their potential.

Do you ever have one of those weeks where you just don't feel like you are getting things done? Maybe your "to-do" list is getting longer or maybe you just feel like all you are doing is running around. Here it is Thursday and that is a bit how I am feeling. School has been done but therapy is just getting put to the side. So the question is how do you keep up with therapy when you don't feel like it.

Have Miss K walk. On Tuesday we walked to church for Bible study and then we walked a bit further for co-op. We didn't have the car so when it was time to go home; we walked. Walking is not her favourite thing to do. She has been known to sit at the window and watch dad drive away with the car and realise that means that we have to walk. Walking is good exercise and we need her walking more for our holiday trips this year.

Assign therapy activities to her brother. They have been doing morning stretches before school. He has also been coaching her on ballet. It is not that he is a dancer but rather that he sits and tells her what to do.

So that has been therapy this week. Hopefully you are having a great week.

A few things to know before linking up:

• Please link up to a specific post on your blog, not the main page of your blog.
• The specific blog post linked needs to be related to therapy. Please note if the post is not therapy related it might be deleted. 
• By including your blog on this link you are giving permission to have your post linked to other social media and graphics used in featured posts. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Beth

Therapy Thursday #6

Welcome to another week of Therapy Thursday. This is a place where we share ideas, resources and activities that we have done relating to therapy for your homeschooler. It might be physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy or another therapy that you are using to help your child reach their potential.

This week is half term break. We did a bit of therapy.

I would say that for the most part Miss K's speech is understandable. One of the challenges is the fact that you need to know the context of what she is thinking and talking about. She does struggle with a few words and sounds. Currently one of those is thirteen which often sounds like fourteen. I might have found a speech therapist here that could work with her and help a bit.

I did give her the Toobaloo to see if using that would help her. I bought this but have seen instructions to make your own from PVC. This helps the child to hear themselves clearly. I am not sure if that helped with thirteen but it was worth a try.

That is about all that we have done this week in specific therapy. Join the fun and share what you have done.

A few things to know before linking up:

• Please link up to a specific post on your blog, not the main page of your blog.
• The specific blog post linked needs to be related to therapy. Please note if the post is not therapy related it might be deleted. 
• By including your blog on this link you are giving permission to have your post linked to other social media and graphics used in featured posts. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Beth

Fine Motor Skills

As I planned our homeschool week, I made a list of some fine motor activities that could be included in the week. I spent a bit of time on Pinterest and just thought of what we could do using things that we have. I try to keep therapy type things together which does make it easier to pull things out.

I made a sensory bin this week. It has been one of those things that I wanted to do for some time and finally did it. I just filled with red rice and found some pink and red things to put in it.

Years ago before Pinterest and all the blogs I made a rice box for Miss K. I just filled a box with rice and hid a few things in it and gave her a spoon.

That was before I knew how to colour rice and have themes. I will say she had lots of fun with it years ago.

Both kids were getting into it this week. It is fun to see them play together, hiding things for each other.

That might be more of a sensory activity but it is still good.

I had some foam letters and with the help of someone here more artistic than I am, we drew a bowl on paper to make a bowl of alphabet soup. Squeezing glue is a great fine motor activity.

She had fun gluing the letters on the bowl.

Here are those little hands and fingers working on squeezing the glue out.

She enjoyed this activity.

Here is the finished project. She was excited to show daddy.

I have a few more activities but we have been busy and so she has not done all of them. It really does help to pull things together and have them ready to offer her.


Beth

Therapy Thursday #3

Welcome to another week of Therapy Thursday. This is a place where we share ideas, resources and activities that we have done relating to therapy for your homeschooler. It might be physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy or another therapy that you are using to help your child reach their potential.

There were some good ideas like week like the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding. As parents of special needs kids, sometimes it is encouraging to read books written specifically for this. Thank you, Wendy, for the book recommendation. I enjoyed reading the little ways we are able to include therapy in our day.

Link up your therapy related posts this week.

A few things to know before linking up:

• Please link up to a specific post on your blog, not the main page of your blog.
• The specific blog post linked needs to be related to therapy. Please note if the post is not therapy related it might be deleted. 
• By including your blog on this link you are giving permission to have your post linked to other social media and graphics used in featured posts. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Beth

Theraputty - Fine Motor Skills

Therapy is a great tool for giving hand and wrist muscles a good workout. We had it out the other day. It can be hard work to get it soft so you can pull it. That is all part of the workout. 

One of our favourite things to do is to hide little things in the theraputty. I have some little plastic things that I bought at a thrift store once -- whale, starfish, lobster, and other things.

I  hide them and then she has to work the putty to get find the things.

She will pull and twist until she finds them.

If you have not used theraputty it is a fun thing to have for various activities. I will give you a word of caution it does not dry like Play-doh so you do need to avoid getting it in clothing or carpet. It forever stays moist. I know one of our theraputties is at over five years old and it is still as good as when it was given to us.


Beth

Therapy Thursday #1 - 15 January

Welcome to Therapy Thursday. It is exciting to begin this new series. This is a place where we share ideas, resources and activities that we have done relating to therapy for your homeschooler. It might be physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy or another therapy that you are using to help your child reach their potential.

My goals with Miss K include gross motor therapy, fine motor therapy, and speech therapy. At this point one of the things that she needs to work on for gross motor is riding a bike but it is too cold to be out working on that.

This week I did something easy. I pulled out my Super Duper Arctic Photos Fun Deck. I bought these at one time when they were offered at 50%. We have TH, L, R, and F fun decks. These cards include words with initial, medial, and final sounds. There are two of each card so you can play various games with the cards or just practice the sounds.

I printed a bingo card and then filled in the words. I put one of each photo on a deck and we took turns turning the cards over and saying the word. Even though we said the word, Miss K would say it.  One word that she struggled with was earth.

The kids like to play until the whole card is filled. We use some tiny erasers as markers.

We did some speech therapy this week.

I am looking forward to seeing what others have done for therapy this week or just some ideas you might have.


A few things to know before linking up:

• Please link up to a specific post on your blog, not the main page of your blog.
• Your post can be recent or something from your archives but please only link up once. 
• The specific blog post linked needs to be related to therapy. Please note if the post is not therapy related it might be deleted. 
• By including your blog on this link you are giving permission to have your post linked to other social media and graphics used in featured posts. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Beth

Week in Review - 5 December 2014

I think this week was a week that didn't have much extras and so we were able to follow our routine and schedule. I started with week with what we were going to do written in my plan book. I think that did help so everyone knew what we were to do. It is often in my head but not necessarily written down.

I put a pouring activity out for Miss K. She needs to improve in this area. It takes some fine motor skill to pour as well as eye hand coordination in knowing when to stop. That is actually what she needs to learn.

This is a great set to use for pouring. The neck is narrow and so she can put her hand around it and pour.

I put a towel on a tray to soak up any water that might spill. She did a good job but had one or two that overflowed. She enjoyed the activity and this is one I need to keep doing with her. My goal is that she can fill the water glasses at dinner.

Unique position for reading. I love the way the sun comes in the front window. That sofa is often the favourite for curling

J got out the Citiblocks this week. These are wonderful for building all kinds of structures. The blocks are lightweight and all the same size.

Miss K is busy working on her math. A lady in Seattle gave me these number puzzles that she had used for her daughter. We are still working on math facts.

Dad stopped by for a minute or two and helped with some math.

We have a Christmas party this weekend so I was busy trying to sew some bags for gifts. I have begun work on Christmas cards. I am not sure how many we will send out. That might depend on how many I get made. We got a tree and I discovered that I really did not ship many ornaments. It also makes me wonder what happened to the rest of the ornaments.

That about wraps up our week. We are beginning to get ready for Christmas.

Beth

Patterning and Sequencing Manipulatives

I have recently been adding more patterning and sequencing activities into our math time. Both of these skills are foundational for math. Patterning helps you understand what comes next, to fill in the missing information and requires being able to make predictions.

I have sequencing bones. We have been using them recently. At first I thought Miss K would only be able to do it if it the question mark was at the end but she has been able to do some of them in the middle.

I don't remember where I found these. They are marked EdTech which I have found online here in the UK but I bought mine in the US.

One of the things we enjoy is the Discovery Toys Bugs. I am guessing that I found this at a thrift shop. There are bugs and then cards with different activities to do some of which are patterning.

She found the yellow beetle.

We also have a bead sequence activity. This requires both the sequencing and patterning as well using some fine motor skills to get the beads on the rods.

She was doing a good job. There is one part that is a bit difficult, one of the beads is a half bead and you are to put two of those together to make a round bead.

We have sequencing story cards and will use those some as well.

Patterns are all around and so teaching to observe and create patterns is a good skill.

Beth