Art from Recycled Toys

Beautiful Art from Recycled Toys - Ryan McElhinney (GALLERY)

(TREND HUNTER) Making your house chic and elegant while saving the environment is always good in my book, so I was happy to stumble upon Ryan McElhinney's site. McElhinney makes artistic yet practical pieces of recycled… [More]

Vibrating Candy Cane

The previously described candy cane ring stack can have a sensory component added to it by placing a vibrating toy (such as the Squiggle Wiggle Pen) or part of an electric toothbrush inside the tube. You can also make the ring stack vibrate by attaching it to the massager pictured below. I describe how to do this in the video that follows.

Remove the pen points and insert inside the tube.

Barbara Smith, M.S. OTR/L, author of The Recycling Occupational Therapist

RecyclingOT.COM

Candy Cane for Motor Planning

I rescued this plastic candy cane from the trash barrel at work. It was filled with a food treat for horses. After cleaning and scaping off the label it is perfect for an eye-hand coordination activity. It is used like a ring stack, except children need to do a little bit more motor planning to fit the ring over the curve of the cane. I can either hold the bottom so that the rings don't fall off or attach some type of barrier at the bottom with tape. This candy is thick enough to hold a vibrating squiggle wiggle pen (throw away the pen points) so that the activity becomes even more fun. Children are rewarded with holding the cane at the end of the activity.

Squiggle Wiggle Writer by Hart Toys, Colors may vary

Barbara Smith, M.S., OTR/L, author of The Recycling Occupational Therapist

Horseot.com

Teach About Faces with Activity

I made this face by cutting the large face shape out of a green laundry bottle and the other facial featues out of other colorful bottles. This activity teaches very young children (2 to 3 year olds) about faces. The pieces attach by matching the shapes to the outlines.

Older children (3-4 year olds) can lace the yarn through large holes on top to make hair and the earrings are made out of shower curtain rings that snap through holes in the ears.

I plan on using this during hippotherapy sessions to encouage children to touch the named body parts as they stand up with their feet in stirrups to reach them.




Barbara Smith, M.S., OTR/L, author of The Recycling Occupational Therapist
HorseOT.com
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RecyclingOT video

I am finally going to start this blog and add to it as time permits. I am hoping that therapists, educators, arts and crafts people and anyone interested in recycling will add to it. But just to start here are the links for my Recycling OT book and video.

Of course, these bright, sturdy, colorful bottles are my favorite!!

Barbara smith M.S., OTR/L, author of the Recycling Occupational Therapist


The Recycling OT on YouTube
Horseot.com