Make Your Own Books

Gretchen Hanser's article "Making Simple Books" in OT Practice has some fun activities. I love the "fluffers" used to make turning pages easier. She descirbes these on her web site: http://www.creativecommunicating.com/tips-pf.cfm
The article also describes how to make books out of food boxes and pages filled with plastic bags of materials such as dried peas to feel and view. As Hanser concludes: "students with disabilities need access to a wealth of books-no different than students without disabilities. Occupational therapy practitioners can make books thatr not only meet student's sensorimotor needs, but also their literacy needs."

Ghost Lacing Boards

I made these lacing boards a couple of years ago out of large plastic orange juice containers....  I taped chocolate kisses where the nose goes......The candy is optonal since some parents may prefer a small toy instead of a sweet. .....


Source: DIY Fine- Motor Activities for Toddlers by RecyclingOT

Finding Toys

One aspect of being the RecyclingOT is being good at finding free toys or materials to use for work. I took a walk this morning and came across boxes of free toys on the street. Obviously, someone was cleaning house. I was wearing a day pack since I had just dropped some books off at the library and was able to load up on plastic animals and a few other items including a Pony memory game. They all survived a run in the washer. I am planning to place the larger animals on the hippotherapy trail and use smaller animals for insertion activities.