My Favorite Summer Activity Plus Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

When asked to participate in this blog hop with a recommendation for a favorite summer time activity, I knew what my answer was right away.  Sidewalk chalk is my absolute favorite.  Depending upon how you use it, sidewalk chalk can encourage physical activity, fine motor, gross motor and visual perceptual skills.   Now of course there are the traditional games you can play using sidewalk chalk like hopscotch.  But, sidewalk chalk does not stop there.  Here are three fun games for the older crowd to play this summer.  Don't forget to enter the giveaway for an Amazon gift card to purchase your favorite summer "toy" at the end of the post!



Draw Something Sidewalk Chalk Style: Are you familiar with the app called Draw Something? It is a very fun social app where you play drawing and guessing games with your friends or anyone. We decided to play Draw Something outdoors using sidewalk chalk. Here is what you do if you are not familiar with the game that basically combines Pictionary with Hangman.

1. Think of a word - i.e. island (as pictured above). Anything simple to start out with works.

2. Draw boxes for how many letters the word is.

3. Write letters that are in the word below the boxes. Scramble the letters and include a few additional letters that are not in the word.

4. Now the fun begins. The person who drew out the boxes and letters starts drawing a picture of the word. Everyone playing guesses out loud.

5. If no one guesses it you can "bomb" letters. The person drawing can choose to start crossing out some of the extra letters that are written.

Have fun taking this iphone app off the phone and play it outdoors!

Math Scavenger Hunt: Here is a fun outdoor game to practice math skills. We have played this before using cards and vocabulary words but figured we would change it up and practice math. It works just like a treasure hunt.

1. Head outdoors with sidewalk chalk. Write the first problem i.e. 4+4=. Continue creating problems and write the answers with a new problem underneath. At the end of the hunt, write the final answer in the circle and the word PRIZE below.

2. Now time to go on the hunt. Start at the first problem 4+4=. Run to find the correct answer (8) inside the circle. When you get to the correct answer, solve the problem below the circle. Go and find the correct answer. Continue until the child find the answer with the word PRIZE below.

Get creative where you write the problems. Spread them out - try writing on trees and rocks. It will all erase with a good rain fall.

The activity encourages: math skills, physical activity and outdoor time.



Initials:  This sidewalk chalk activity promotes gross motor, fine motor and coordination skills.
Preparation: Draw a grid that is at least 4 squares by 4 squares.
How to Play:

Group Play #1- Give each child a piece of chalk. On “GO” start the timer for at
least 30 seconds. Each child runs to the grid. The child should write their
initials in a box. Your initials can only be written in the box if it is blank.  When
the time expires, count who had the most initials written in the boxes.

Group Play #2 - Each child finds a rock or flat object to throw.  Player one throws a rock into a box.  Write your initials in the box if no initials are written in the box.  Player two takes a turn.  Continue playing until all the boxes have initials written in them.  The winner is the one with the most initials.

Individual Play - Give child a piece of chalk. On “GO”, start the timer for at least
30 seconds. The child runs to the grid and writes his/her initials in a box. The
child runs back to starting line and touches it. Child runs back to grid and
writes initials again. Then back to starting line. Repeat task until time runs out.
Count how many boxes have initials in them. Go for the best score.
To play again, erase initials with a small sponge or draw a new grid.
Modifications:  Wheelchair users can drop a bean bag into a box instead of writing initials.
Vary what the child writes in the box. Try spelling, vocabulary or foreign words.

Need more activities? Check out Sidewalk Chalk Fun and Games or Scavenger Hunts.

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HERE’S HOW THE GIVEAWAY FOR THE $50 GIFT CARD WORKS:

Step One:  Use the Rafflecopter below to enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card to purchase a favorite summer toy!

Step Two: Visit each of the 10 blogs below and COMMENT on their post about their favorite summer toy or activity.  Have you tried it?  Will you buy it?  Would your kiddos love it?  How would you use it?

Step Three: Earn additional entries by “Liking” each blog’s Facebook page, straight from the Rafflecopter form!

***Remember: You will only be entering the Rafflecopter ONCE, ON THIS PAGE, not on every blog in the hop. The contest is open to anyone.  Winner will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter and will be notified by email once entries have been verified (comments on each blog, Facebook likes on each blog).

Check out the other posts for the Therapy Bloggers Summer Kickoff Giveaway:

The Inspired Treehouse  -  OT Cafe  -  Golden Reflections Blog  -  Pink Oatmeal  -  Therapy Fun Zone  -  Your Therapy Source  -  Mama OT  -  Starfish Therapies - PlayingWithWords365 - Playapy

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Snow, snow and more snow!

For many of us on the East coast, the snow has been hitting us hard this Winter. Why not take advantage and get outdoors for some great sensory motor experiences:

1. Make snow angels - a wonderful proprioceptive, body awareness and motor planning activity


2. Go sledding - it does not get any better than this in terms of a overall sensory motor activity. You get vestibular input, proprioceptive input, muscle strengthening and motor planning.


3. Create snow sculptures - combines the the heavy work of packing snow, working on the hands and knees and creativity. Get out your sand toys to add to the fun.


4. Make a snowman - here is some serious pushing work along with heavy lifting. Add in some activities of daily living by dressing the snowman with a hat, scarf and mittens.


5. Snow targets - spray the snow with colored water and aim snowballs at the targets


6. Climb snow hills - Children LOVE to climb big snow hills made by a snow plow. They love to work their way all the way to the top only to tumble back down to the bottom. Simple activity but a work out.


7. Letter Writing - practice writing letters in the snow with a gloved finger or large stick. Try stomping out letters in the snow with your feet. If you know a child who presses to hard when he/she writes, try writing letters on paper on top of the snow. You have to press very lightly or the paper will sink into the snow.


8. Build a snow hill - Children love to shovel and scoop snow. Work together to create a snow hill. Try creating different sizes: small, medium and large.


9. Scavenger Hunt - create a list of a few items that you could possibly find outdoors where you are i.e. leaf, small stick and rock. The children have to dig in the snow to find the items. Do not hide them yourself. Just let the kids explore the snow.


10. Snowball challenge - Who can make the biggest snowball that will hold together which you can still hold in your hands? Who can throw a snow ball the longest distance? Who can create the tiniest snowball with just their fingers? Who can walk the longest distance with a snowball balancing on their head? Who can make the most snowballs in 30 seconds?

Adaptations: If you can not get out into the snow, bring the snow inside. Get a large plastic bucket and fill it with snow. Use kitchen utensils to dig in the snow. Put some on a cookie sheet and drive cars through a "snow storm". Build mini snowmen in the bucket and use toothpicks for arms. Put mittens on and transfer the snow to another bucket. Take measurements of how long it takes for the snow to melt. The possibilities are many.

Check out the electronic book Sensory Motor Activities for Winter for only $4.99

When the kids come back indoors, try some quiet activities from Print and Create Fine Motor Projects for Winter or Winter Step By Step Shape Projects

Outdoor Field Trips with the Family for Fall

Fall happens to be one of my favorite seasons. In upstate New York it is the calm before the storm. It begins to get chilly but we also have some great outdoor activities to enjoy. Plus, we try to take advantage of any nice days before the bitter cold of the winter sets in. To those of you who follow this blog or us on Twitter, you probably have realized that in my opinion outdoor activities are a must for developing children. So here are some ideas for field trips to get outdoors this Fall.

Go apple picking. Here in upstate New York this is a tradition. To pick and eat an apple right from the tree is truly a treat. Children of all ages can usually reach the apples to pick them. If you do not have an apple orchard near you, still take advantage of the fresh fruit in the grocery store. Bring some home and have the children help you wash them, cut them up (if possible) and make applesauce. Your house will smell great after you come in from the outdoors!

Visit a corn maze. This is another great tradition in the upstate area. We have several corn mazes to choose from. You follow a path to navigate through the corn. The paths are very wide at some and it is flat terrain making some of them possibly wheelchair accessible. It is very bumpy though. Children of all ages like this activity. I have gone to corn mazes with babies through teenagers. Each child takes in the experience differently.

Visit a playground. A crisp Fall day is a great day to visit a playground. If you need to locate an accessible playground you can go to Accessible Playgrounds. If you can not find a completely accessible playground, perhaps visit one to explore other options. Maybe bring some activities that your child can use at the playground i.e. large ball, bubble machine, etc. Your child can then play with other children at the playground but perhaps not on the equipment.

Go letterboxing or geocaching. On the websites you will find listings of where boxes are hidden. For letterboxing, you follow written clues to a box. Inside the box you will find a log book and a stamp pad. You bring along a log book on your journal and stamp in the books to record that you found the box. This is great fun for all ages and abilities. Usually the clues listed on the website offer some description as to the terrain of where the clue is located. Some are located on bike paths for easy accessibility.

You need a GPS or smart phone(i.e. iphone or blackberry) to go geocaching. With geocaching, you follow directions on the navigational system to locate small boxes. Inside the small boxes are log books and sometimes trinkets. The kids can bring trinkets with them on the hunt. When they open the box, they put their trinkets inside the box and remove one to take home. Again, on the website, it gives descriptions of where the boxes are located and how easy or hard it is to find them.

For letterboxing or geocaching, all young children will need assistance. The boxes are hidden off of the path several feet. An adult usually has to locate the actual box. Based on our experience, letterboxing requires a bit more hiking whereas with geocaching the boxes are usually closer to where you park.

In our family, this is one of our favorite outdoor activities.

Go fishing. This is another one of our favorite family outings. It is so enjoyable to watch your child catch a fish for the first time or many times. The look of your child's face when they bring in a big fish is priceless. Viewing the Fall foliage is a great addition to fishing this time of year.

What is your favorite Fall field trip?