Luck of the Crafty Irish

As a child, I grew up being told that there was no day more important for us irish than St. Patrick's day.  There was always a special treat for me and my sisters and there is even a fun family story about our father decorating our house from top to bottom after my sister complained that we never did anything to celebrate Valentine's Day!  As a pediatric therapist, I like to have a few good crafts up my sleeves for the big day.  Here are a few that I will be doing with my kids at work over the next few days.

Shamrock Dot Craft-this is a very simple and quick project for children of all ages.  All you need is a cardboard shamrock that you can most likely find at any party or card store.  Take the shamrock and tape it onto a piece of white paper.  You can either use green washable paint or a green stamp pad to make the outline.  Depending on the kid you are working with (do they freak out when their hands get dirty???), you can use their finger or an eraser on a pencil as their "stamp". Once they are done stamping around the shamrock, and it dries a little, they can peel off the shamrock template and they will have a big white space in that shape.   I prefer to find a larger shamrock to work around so that kids can then write about what they feel lucky for.

Shamrock Marble Painting-I am a big fan of marble painting in any form.  Great for working on bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination and focus and attention.  It's also a great activity for kids who may be more sensitive to getting their hands messy.  You can either find pre-cut shamrocks or cut one out on white paper or cardstock, tape them to the bottom of a cardboard box or a large tupperware that you are okay with getting dirty.  Choose some different shades of green paint and squirt a little of each into the box, throw about 1/2 dozen marbles into the box and let them roll away to make a fun pattern all over the shamrock.  If you are working with a kid over a couple of days, you can have them make the shamrock one day and write a message on the back when they come back.

Marshmallow Shamrock Stamping-if you are looking for something super easy and really fun, this might be your project.  All you need are a bag of large marshmallows, some green paint, a q-tip and some white paper.  Show the kids how to make a shamrock by placing three circle near each other, take a q-tip and have them make a stem and voila...you've got yourself a St. Patrick's Day clover.
*a real challenge for older kids would be to have them use the smaller marshmallows to make their shamrocks.  Makes them use those little hand muscles to a different level.  Plus, you can have the kids make cards for their loved ones either telling them what they feel lucky for or have them copy some Irish Proverbs onto a card.

Rainbow Bracelets or Necklaces-St. Patrick's Day isn't just about shamrocks, it's about rainbows and pots of gold.  A very simple, colorful and tasty activity is to make rainbow bracelets using Fruit Loops and pipe cleaners.  This is a fun way to work on improving bilateral coordination, visual motor, grasping, fine motor and sequencing skills.  Depending on the age of the children you are working with, you can have the colors all sorted out or make them sift through a bowl of Lucky Charms as they string the cereal onto the pipe cleaner.  You can decide on a necklace or bracelet based on the child's age, skill level and attention span.

Fruit Loop Rainbow and Pot of Gold-for some of my younger kids who are quite ready for shamrock making and stringing beads, I am going to use the Fruit Loops to make a rainbow.  It's an easy activity but works on so many great fine motor, visual motor and eye-hand coordination goals.  I found this free template that I will be using with the kids.  Again, depending on the child's age and skill level, I will either have all the colors pre-sorted for them or have them sift through and find the color they need.

While many of the kids I work with aren't Irish, it doesn't mean we can't use the day to do a fun craft and think about why we think we are lucky.  Kids also like any reason or holiday to be able to make something and take it home to give to those they love.  Do you have a work or family favorite St. Patrick's Day craft?  I would love to see some of the amazing things you do with your kids!  I am always a click away and love hearing from you.  And for those of you who celebrate....May The Luck of the Irish be with you always!

Oh Go, OgoSports!

Happy New Year to you all.  I hope that the holiday season treated you all well and that the new year brings you much health and happiness.

Thanks to a dear friend (Thank you Alice Szigethy), I was recently introduced to a Brooklyn based toy company.  Two common interests that Alice and I have is our love of children and finding really cool toys/products for said children.  When she told me about OgoSport, I had to check them out.  She had seen them at one of the holiday markets in New York City and was already on the prowl to sell them at her store in Lake Hopatcong, Main Lake Market.  Without even seeing their products in person, I ordered half a dozen toys online and anxiously awaited their arrival.  I am fairly certain that I played with the OGOBILD Kit much longer than my almost 3 year old daughter!  This product is reasonably priced ($16-$34 for varying sets) and very well made which is another bonus.

Being a pediatric occupational therapist, I am constantly on the search for cool toys that will work on improving fine motor skills and build hand strength.  The tricky part is finding toys that will accomplish that without being present as "work", but will be fun for the children.   If I can find toys that will do that, I see progress so much faster with them.  These OGOBILD toys do just that.  One of the things I love about them is that they are easy enough for the younger children (toddler age) to push the pieces in and out but challenging enough that the older children can still have fun and enjoy them as well.  What I love most is that while they give you ideas on what to build, you can really encourage a child to use their imagination when using the OGOBILD toys.  There is a ton of therapeutic value behind these toys and I can't wait to start using them with my kids at work.

What will OGOBILD toys work on?

*Increase grasp strength and in-hand manipulation skills-encourages using a fine pincer grasp which helps in improving strength and being better able to use your hands.
*Improve eye-hand coordination-being able to put the pieces together
*Improve bilateral coordination -must use two hands to hold the pieces in order to put them together
*Improve visual motor/perceptual skills-being able to follow the step by step picture directions; finding the right pieces when all spread out
*Improve attention-by adding more pieces to a project, you can increase how long they attend to the task at hand
*Improves motor planning, sequencing and organizational skills-being able to follow the steps accurately and putting things into order will help with improving a child's ability to sequence and organize themselves for successful completion of the task at hand
*Facilitate imagination skills-once the project is complete, I would have a child tell a story about their finished product.  Does it have a name?  Where does it live?  Build more characters and create a story.
*Improve social skills/ability to work with a friend-have children who struggle with play/social skills, work with a partner to complete a project.  A grownup can supervise, but should really stand back as much as possible in order to let the children resolve conflicts.
*Improve confidence and self-esteem-when a child is able to complete a task, especially one that might be a bit more challenging, it builds confidence and encourages them to try new and even more difficult things.  I love seeing a child's face when they have accomplished something they thought impossible.  And what happens after that is always amazing!  They are more willing to try new things with less encouragement from a grownup.

Check these toys out....I know they won't disappoint!  I would be interested in hearing feedback from all of you what your children think of them.  Maybe even share some pictures!  As always, I am just a click away if you want to email me with any specific questions or thoughts.

I am really excited to take my blog to the next level this year.  I have a lot of things to share with you all and hope that my ideas help your child or the children you work with become more confident with themselves.