Hello there, and thanks for stopping by. If you enjoy the no-holds-barred approach to family reality, then you might get a kick out of this. I am a wife, mother of 3 (under the age of 5), a HUGE FAN of food in general, and by profession I am a therapist that specializes in working with kiddos and teens. I love to find ways to help teens and kids express themselves and find their inner strength. This does NOT mean I am an expert in parenting. Just this past week my 2 year old found and ate my lip-gloss in the backseat thanks to my less than stellar car-cleaning skills. We are all human, we all can make mistakes, and we all need to have a good meal and laugh about it. I do thoroughly enjoy all of my roles, and hope that you can take something from this page. As a rule of thumb, I will not offer therapy dialogue through this blog. I will, however, be having a lot of discussions around tips/products/routines that people of all backgrounds can put to good use: teachers, physicians, counselors, mamas, daddies, etc.
So now, onto my first column: Sensory Sundays.
This came about on one of my recent therapy kicks I got in to. Sensory toys are amazing for many reasons, including brain potential, creativity, etc. But....let's be honest---THIS MAMA NEEDS TO GET LAUNDRY DONE without ankle huggers stalking my every move (including to the bathroom). Wherever you go, 'THEY'LL FIND YOU"! Ideally, handmade, cheap, and unique would also fit the bill. I attempted making my own once before. It ended up looking like a GI Joe defecated glittery hair gel all over me and my kitchen counter. I had an agenda, and something to prove this go round. For 3 hours all 3 of my kiddos were entertained. Mix it up, seal it, then let the kids explore and relax. My 3 basically used it like a small weighted blanket, in addition to "a power ranger invasion slime". I can only guess that is a good thing from a 4 year old. I think it means I "nailed it". For all three bags, I spent a total of 3.30 at the dollar store, and have leftover materials.
What you need:
heavy duty zip locks
duct tape
hair gel
food dye (optional)
baby oil (optional)
glitter (optional)
foam beads (optional)
I have used this in my kindergarten classroom - they're great for spelling or discovering words onto. You can place them over cereal boxes and other such items with larger print and have your kids trace and practice the letters - most of my kindergartners loved it! :-)
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