Jesse Tree Ornaments

If you work for a private or parochial school you might be interested in having your students make ornaments for Advent that illustrate the Jesse Tree idea (maybe you can tell that it's new to me--I don't know how to describe it!)

A friend showed me all these ornaments today and explained how her Kindergarten Sunday School class had decorated the pre-cut felt crown designs.  Other grades had made the more complicated ornaments and volunteers assembled the completed ornaments into boxes, one for each child.  Looks to me like a volunteer artist designed the box label; I have a weakness for woodcut designs.

Looking up "Jesse Tree" I found all kinds of styles of ornaments on Pinterest.  Who knew?  Seems like the gist of the idea is to have a visual way to explain Creation--Rebellion--Redemption.  If this isn't quite what is on the curriculum platter at your school, but you're interested, you can always try it at home...
 

Thankful for Google This Thanksgiving

A friend just informed me of a new invention by a company, Lift Labs, recently acquired by Google; a spoon that self-corrects when folks with tremors use it to feed themselves:

http://news.yahoo.com/googles-latest-spoon-steadies-tremors-082051154.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory&soc_trk=fb

website with video of person using the spoon


If it really works, what a wonderful difference it will make in a person's life.

Happy Thanksgiving, Ya'll.  Go Gooble  Google

Time for Chocolate

Yippee!  A quarter million page views as of right now--time for chocolate.  Thanks, reader buddies!

Hmmm...shall it be s'mores from Shindigz?
Highlighted by the gorgeous engagement ring of my girl child, designed and created by Angie Wiggins.

Or,

Three fruit parfaits, also from Shindigz in Richmond, VA

Or.....

A chocolate-stuffed pie, adorned with whipped cream and chocolate drizzles, showcased by the boy child's macho arm.

Choices, choices.

Thx for reading!!!  Bunches!!!   I  'preciate it, tons!

Blue Waves of Painters Tape

It's going to take much more than painters tape to keep this kiddo cutting along the road.

Her difficulties with spatial relations, wrist extension and forearm supination make cutting short lines on thick paper quite a challenge.

This was a very good attempt, much better than her work last week.



At first the painters tape prevented her from veering off "the road."  Once she learned that her scissors could cut the tape, all bets were off.

Yes, that really is my attempt to draw Darth Vader, whom she loves.



Note on the bottom of the paper that I recorded how many times she successfully picked up her scissors in the correct orientation, with no verbal or physical prompts from me.
Easy data collection!

497 to go

If my math skills bear me up, there are only 497 pageviews left to go until this humble OT blog reaches the quarter-million mark.

Is it okay to have some chocolate when that happens???

Perfect Fidget Toy for OTs at Work

Finally made myself veer off course on the drive between schools and spent my rare lunch break looking for the perfect fidget toy for students and us OTs...

Kinetic Sand! (I ended up buying Sands Alive! at 5-Below because the quantity was greater than the other brands.)  It feels soooo soft and doesn't make a mess.  I originally learned about it last year when one of my 3rd graders quietly played with it in her general education class to keep herself calm during tests/quizzes.  Her smart mom had seen it at Brookstone and sent in a small portion in a little plastic container.

Back in the office this afternoon I sent a quick message to one of my OT buddies, who has small kiddos at home:

We OTs don't need much to brighten our days.

Thx, Fiona, for the inspiration for this post!  All about Fiona, my work buddy:

Gel Pens for Lefties

A case manager at a nearby private school for students with disabilities recommended this brand/style of pen for lefties:  energel-deluxe-gel-pen

Not sure if she preferred a specific tip thickness, but I'd probably go with the bold tip for younger students who are still writing on wide-line paper or even wider than that.

Will be on the lookout for this brand and style next time I'm cruising the stationery aisle, which happens to be my favorite section in most stores.