What's on Your List?

Ah, yes.  The holiday season is upon us now, with just a FEW WEEKS to get all of that shopping done.  Thanksgiving is late this year. which leaves even less time to focus on the candy canes and latkes.  So, I figured to get a head start on the hustle and bustle of the mistletoes and menorahs.  Disclaimer: I live in a world of boys. If I didn't quite hit on "girly" things, well I am just thankful that I am not immersed in the world of Elsa and Anna this year.  Here are my top  Chrismakkah gifts (in no particular order).

Spot It!
I love this game for so many reasons!  First, Spot It! is super portable. I always throw it in the soccer bags or pocket books because it can help pass the time during appointments, practices, and restaurant waits.  And now that they have expanded their already extensive line to include Disney themes like Frozen, Planes, Doc McStuffins, Jake and Neverland Pirates and Pixar, there is truly something for everyone. It makes a great stocking stuffer or Hanukkah gift!  And the kids don't know that they are building amazing visual perceptual and language skills. BlueOrange flat out, just knows how to play!

Legos
Well, this is a given. Besides the home security factor of stepping on loose bricks causing immense pain to any intruder, the Lego family of products provides hours of entertainment.  From Duplos for the little hands to the Lego Architecture sets for the over-achiever enthusiast, Lego has something for EVERYONE!  Add in-hand manipulation skills, attention, and direction following to the play, and the result is a classic therapeutic and engaging activity.  And look on November 15th for the release of new Minecraft additions!

Books
Maybe it's because we are a house of readers, but books are definitely on the list this year.  Between the Minecraft Handbooks, the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Long Haul (scheduled to release on today, November 4th) the Fly Guy series for the younger reader, and the The Book with No Pictures, there are amazing choices available to foster the love of the written word.  And if you have older kids to buy for, then consider an eReader.  Not only is it electronic, and inevitably awesome, it still provides access to books.

Subscription Craft Kits
I've written before on how much our family loves the Kiwi Crate.  We strayed off for a month just to try something new, the Happy Trunk, but it just wasn't the same; the quality and engagement just wasn't there.  Luckily we are back and with a renewed love.  Kiwi recently introduced the Tinker Crate, which is a STEM based build and play activity kit.  Targeted for 9-14+, the kits are phenomenal.  This month, the kit was focused on building a motor.  How freakin' cool?!  If you are interested in the gift that keeps on giving, a monthly to yearly subscription to one the Kiwi Crate clubs is the way to go.

Under $15 Stocking Stuffers:
Basically, anything from ThinkFun!  Math Dice, Swish, Word Around.  You can't go wrong. These are quick and easy games that are engaging, practical, and fun.  Rory's Story Cubes are another fun stuffer for the kids and speech therapists in your life.  Let the picture dice guide your imagination to create the next Super Stuffed Animal adventure or the fairy tale of Princess Penelope Pickle Pants.

Hope you have received a little inspiration.  Please add to the list if you want to share some of your faves this year!

Playful Way to Teach Grid Reading or You Sunk My Battleship

So Mudge pulled out my travel Battleship to play this afternoon.  And he tried to explain to me that he "knows how to play it."  But in actuality, this nearly 6 y.o. did not.

Battleship is a classic game.  It started out as a pen and paper a long, long time ago. Then Milton Bradley created the one we know and love today that requires fine motor coordination, letter and number recognition, spatial awareness, and grid reading skills.  Grid reading can be broken down further into following a vertical and horizontal line to the place at which they intersect.  This is not necessarily easy to get.  This is a precursor skill to being able to manage charts and graphs, maps, multiplication tables, or super geeky: plotting points on a Cartesian plane.

Of course, we played. And, of course, he thought it was great to sink my battleship.  But it took time to get there. He needed the demonstration of how to read a grid.  Now that I think of it, Battleship appears to teach plotting a little backwards because you state A,1 for example which is actually the Y axis first. True plotting is x axis first.  If the first number in the ordered pair is positive, move to the right. If it's negative, move to the left. Hmmmmmm. Anyway...

I found a website called FunBrain.com which has little educational games from grade K through 8th, that has some plotting activities.  You can also sign up for Khan Academy.  If you haven't already, Khan Academy is a free website that parents, teachers and students, or anyone for that matter, can test their math IQ then challenge themselves by learning new concepts, or get support in something they are struggling.   This is a PHENOMENAL resource.  The founder of Khan Academy originally just made YouTube videos to help his struggling niece; now it is a educational platform supporting millions of users at home and at school.

So math can FUNdamental, not just mental.  Sometimes you have to look at things outside the quadrilateral parallelogram in order to find the joy….

Oh, and just for a modification, the plastic travel version that I have had no contrast between the raised letters and numbers and the background which made it difficult to read. So I just use a black  permanent marker to highlight the raised alphanumerics.  Result- higher contrast, happier eyes.

Before, no real contrast

After, with contrast

In my family of loomers, apparently I am the hooker....

I swear learning how to make friendship bracelets is a right of passage.  It used to be gimp or thread, now its the rubber band loom.

I giggle because I find it insanely therapeutic (oxymoron, yes).  I first figured it out at my nephew's party because they were having a hard time with the kit loom maker, that giant plastic maze.  But last week, I met an 8 year old girl who showed me how to do it with her two fingers in the shape of a V or peace sign.  When I was doing it that way, my fingers were getting tired quickly as well as I only have 2 hands to help my boys do it.  Then it dawned on me, chopsticks.

Starting of with the same figure 8 and adding the looms 1-2 at a time depending on if you want a fishtail or not, the chopstick provides an easy and stable workspace for loomers.  After teaching my own children (8 and 5), I thought it would be a great activity for some of my students.

So here I am with five 2nd graders with a variety of abilities, chopsticks and loom.  And you know what, it was wonderful.  This activity is engaging because their peers are making them.  It addresses fine motor strength and coordination, patterns, spatial awareness, bilateral hand coordination, and the list goes on and on.  The students were so proud of themselves for getting the few rows completed and are eager to continue.  They were helping each other and socializing.  It was probably one of the most satisfying group activities I had lead in a long time.

And now of course, I have created looming monsters.  The only thing they have difficulty with is placing on that annoying plastic hook.  Hence, why in family, I am the hooker.  Great.

You can find the loom kits at Michaels, but don't forget to check Five Below (their refill packs were 3 for $5), Job Lot and Target for the refills.  And the chopsticks- order out or check out specialty toy shops like BrainWaves in Narragansett, RI for the kits and cool dinosaur chopsticks like the ones pictured above.

Think Fun-Alysis: Brainteaser Kit, Perfect for the Classroom or the Pocketbook

I love when I have the opportunity to review Think Fun games.  I was recently sent The A-Ha Brainteaser Kit for gratis for my humble opinion.  (That does not impact my review, I generally love Think Fun).

Originally, A-Ha Brainteasers were developed as separate entities.  But in the infinite wisdom of the marketing team over at the Think Fun Think Tank, they shrunk 8 popular challenges down into a kit for the classroom.  Geared towards grades 2-8, each mini challenge comes with its own object card and 3 hint cards.  Theory is, create a math and logic station for students to build skills in object manipulation, visual spatial construction, persistence,  and problem solving.

Now, I can attest that I have only solved 3 of the 8 puzzles.  My 3rd grader on the other hand solved more.   He took to them very quickly.  He is a visual kid, so this is right up his alley.

I had taken the mini 3x4" zip-close bags that held each investigation in my pocket book when we went to the restaurant.  I know, by now, busy kids are quite kids.  So Boog dug through my purse, found Starburst and finished it in 10-15 minutes.  Then of course, he wanted more.  So out came Four-Ts. Then, Pack it in and The missing T as well.  This went on throughout the entire dinner.  It motivated him to finish his food and tackle another puzzle, like the 4 Piece Pyramid.

Double Square, well that is another story.  We still have yet to solve it.   Try as we might, our brains just don't have it yet.  Other than that and the Fifth Chair, he has happily persevered.  Even my Kindergartner took a stab at Straight Arrow, with the help of his Papa.

New for 2013, this BrainTeaser kit is $24.99.  But separately, each A-Ha Brainteaser in its larger counterpart is $4.99 each.  So by purchasing the games' mini-mes, you save $15.  I love the fact that they are small enough to travel or work at desktops.  Children could either work in teams or alone.  Each puzzle is differentiated by how many clues you need to complete them.  And if you need to modify it more, then you could create your own hints or copy the solution for them to match it up.

There are multitudes of clientele that this kit could work for.  Students with and without disabilities could work on these challenges.  But think outside of the box, and possibly add this to your therapeutic tool box for adults with traumatic brain injury.

It is so important to instill creative problem solving.  In a world of instant gratification, it's games like Brainteaser Kit that help teach perseverance to that A-Ha moment.

HyperSwipe Fun-alysis.

Yup, I thinking I might have to trademark that one.

I have had the wonderful opportunity to provide feedback on another Think Fun game: HyperSwipe. A a fast paced game with focus on visual skills.

The last couple of times I have discussed specific visual perceptual skills, but I should back track and explain what they are and why they are important.
Visual Perception- the ability to understand what you are seeing
Visual Closure- the ability to visualize a whole image when only partial is given
Visual Motor Integration- the ability for your body and eyes to work together
Visual Discrimination- the ability to note the similarities and differences between items
Figure Ground- the ability to distinguish an image from its background
Form Constancy- the ability to mentally turn images and figure out what they would look like
Visual Spatial Relations- the ability to perceive objects' position to one another and yourself
Visual Memory- the ability to recall what was seen

When you have difficulty with any of these skills, it could affect fluency in reading, writing, moving, and basically anything else that you do during the day.

Now that your up to speed, let's swipe.  

HyperSwipe, though rated for 6 and up, was also enjoyed by Mudge who is "3 and 3 quarters."  Once we got the gist of the instructions, it was actually pretty easy.  You install 2-AA batteries into the HyperSwiper and place the circle swipe cards in the slot.  Pass out a few square swipe cards to each player.  Then as the image cards pop out, you try to make a match.  But you need to be careful, because the pictures are very similar.  If you pick the wrong one, you lose a point.  And then you keep matching until the circle cards are all gone.  To make it easier to remember to get another square card to continue with the game, I say "Put the matches over there (match pile), and take another square."

It did take a few rounds to get the game going.  But I found it was easier to teach it to kids when we started off with at least 2 cards each, not one since you could all NOT have a match.  Then I increased the number of swipe cards each round.

This game is a fun way to address:

• visual closure since some of the images are blocked by the HyperSwiper's design.
• visual discrimination since you have to pay close attention to the details to make the match
• form constancy, the images on the square swipe card are different size and in different positions

The HyperSwiper did jam up a few times during each round, but was easily fixed.  And I am going to stick some non-skid on the feet of the HyperSwiper to keep it from sliding around.  But overall, everyone I have shared it with, kids and adults, has enjoyed trying to outswipe their opponent.  At about $25, it is in the higher end of cost compared to many of Think Fun's other games.  But it's fun.  It's quick. And it can support perceptual development.

Other ways to play:

• Keep one hand behind your back
• Have the kids keep score to address writing skills
• When scoring, sort first by shape (line up all the squares, then the circles).  Then use 1:1 correspondence: place one circle on each square card. then count your pairs.

Mudge's response after scoring!

Think Fun!? Absolutely with Cartoon It!

I was granted the opportunity to give my humble opinion on another Think Fun Jr. game: Cartoon It!  When it arrived in the mail it was like Hannumas (or Chrismakkah, the combo holiday in our home).  I opened it up and asked the boys if they wanted to play.  Like they would ever say no to a game night....

I read the instructions, nice and easy.  Memorize It.  Draw It.  Score It.  Rinse and Repeat.

Though at first Boog was a little intimidated and discouraged, thinking he couldn't draw the items, he quickly learned that with the visual cue of the Feature Board, he could do it.  He was so proud of himself.  And so was I.  I was also amazed at first how poor my visual memory was, but soon I redeemed myself and rightfully recalled and illustrated all six features.  Surprisingly enough, even Mudge, at 3 1/2, eagerly participated.  However, his artistic renditions of the characters looked more like amoeba.

I think we did at least four sessions of Cartoon It! that night.  And it was fun.  So much so, I had to bring it to work and share it with my students and colleagues.  This is why:

Great visual perceptual activity!
It addresses key components of:

• visual memory
• spatial relations
• visual discrimination
• visual attention
• copying
• visual motor integration

Of course, during the therapeutic play session, you get language development:

• body concepts
• attention
• vocabulary building
• positional words
• sequencing
• play and social pragmatics

Then I thought of variations and modifications to the game so that it could be tailored to some of the special needs population with which I work.

• Focusing on same/different results of the drawings
• Copying the 6 features and allowing the kids to cut and paste a matching cartoon
• Limiting choices by blocking the field- i.e. making it a field of less than 6 from each category depending on ability
• Use broken crayons or golf pencils to promote grasp formation
• Extend "Memorizing" time for those that need it
• It's even measurable! You can track progress easily by the checkmarks of accurately copied features.

I love, love, love this game.  And in the brief time I have had it, I have managed to hook a few kids and adults onto it as well.  Give it a try, it is well worth the investment for home and school.  You can find it for less than $20 on Think Fun's Site, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sears and others.

Cartoon It! is recommended for ages 6 and up.

Smithsonian Gummy Bug Lab, Nasty.

So Boog received the Smithsonian Gummy Bug Lab for his birthday.  We were excited to use it.  He loves science and bugs, so it was right up his alley.  Plus, you are actually supposed to eat the results.

The package came with three flavorings: lemon, berry, and cherry.
Gelatin base
Various "tools" like a pipette, measuring cup, mixing cup, and the bug mold.

So Boog and I collected our items, read the directions, and carefully executed each task with the precision of a CSI lab technician.  Except when the results were "ready" after the allotted 15 minutes (with an extra 15 for good measure since the initial 15 minutes did not produce a moldable bug), the product was less than appealing.  Or edible for that matter.

First, the texture was... ummm, how shall I describe it.... like the insides of a disposable diaper that had accidentally gone through the wash.  It was grainy, gelatiny, and unnatural.

The color was as vivid as a sepia photo.  Nowhere near the intensity that it demonstrates on the box cover.  And does it look at all like the fabricated results as shown on the box?

The taste.  Let's just say it tasted like an Aspartame cocktail, though it does not indicate there is any in the mixes provided.

Only a few times have I really disliked a toy.  This is one of those occasions, unfortunately.  I would highly NOT recommend this item unless you want to make someone disappointed.  And unless your child looks like the miniature version of Dr. Who on the package cover, I don't think it he'll appreciate outcome.

Luckily, we had fun in the process.  And I try to use my mantra: Its the process, not the product.  But still..... At least there is one upside: I now have a mold for making Jell-O Jigglers.