I started out by first collecting sticks in my backyard. If you have a lot of time, you could have the kids collect their own sticks, but my time is limited. I had 3 or 4 different types of wire edged ribbon for the kids to use, and I had them cut all the same lengths of the ribbon and we trimmed it at the end. I wanted them to be able to tie easily, so I didn’t want the ribbon to be too short to tie.

Then you just tie the ribbon in knots onto the stick. One group had some gold ribbon to go at the top as a star. You either have the kids fix the uneven ones if they can, or you go back and even things up so that there is equal amount of ribbon on both sides of the knot.

I then cut the ribbon in a tree shape. Some kids I had do this on their own, some kids I cut one side, and had them do the other side to match, and some kids I cut for them due to time constraints. Some turned out fluffy, and others were more Charlie brown tree like, but every single one was beautiful. I had some Styrofoam balls, and cut a flat side to them, then we just stuck our sticks in the Styrofoam to make them stand up.

I love this project so much, I am going to modify it to use at different times of the year. Expect to see this one again in different colors. Since the ribbon has wire edges, it makes it easy to practice the tying.

Materials:

• Sticks/twigs
• 3-4 different wired edged ribbon
• Styrofoam balls
• Scissors

It is definitely not worth arguing about either.  I tried that last week, and I only felt badly after I left that I had argued with her.  I didn’t actually succeed in getting her to do what I want her to do for therapy.  This week I just kept my mouth shut and listened to her old wives tales that have no basis in truth. 

On another note, it is crazy busy here.  I work at a school district, and right before the end of the school year is a seriously busy time of year.  Looking forward to summer break.

On another note, my daughter came in second in her Junior High spelling bee, and now has to go to the county spelling bee.  What is funny about that is that she has a history (meaning she has done it before) of throwing the spelling bee.  When she is up there, she just decides that she is done, so she misses a word on purpose.  This time, the only reason she even entered is because it was extra credit for english class.  Then, a good friend made her promise not to lose on purpose.  Well she didn’t lose on purpose, and now she has to take a day during her spring break to go to the county spelling bee.  She is not thrilled about that.  She is also not thrilled that she has to study spelling words during lunch with the english teacher.  Oh well.  I am proud of her for her success. 

You use graham crackers in place of the gingerbread, and use frosting to stick the pieces together in the shape of a house. 

Then you can decorate it with a multitude of candy decorations.  Spreading and knife skills are worked on when putting the frosting on the graham crackers. 

Fine motor skills are used to place the candy decorations on the house.  It can also be a good sensory experience. 

Visual perceptual skills and motor planning are used when figuring out how to get the building to stay up, and where to put the candy pieces.

Materials:

• paper plate
• graham crackers
• frosting
• candy for decorating
• butter knife

Skills:

• fine motor
• visual perceptual
• ADL knife use
• sensory, tactile
• motor planning

Making the eggs involves fine motor skills, and breaking the eggs on people’s heads involves gross motor skills.

To make the eggs, you use a knife to start a small hole in one end of the egg, and then you use your fingers to break open the hole a little bigger. The hole needs to be big enough to get the yolk out of the egg, and to get the confetti into the egg.

Use scissors to cut up some paper into confetti. At school, they added glitter, but I think it will be easier to vacuum up small pieces of paper. You could use bird seed if you want, and make sure that they are broken out side.

Put the confetti inside the eggs. Just pick up the confetti/paper/bird see with your fingers and put it inside of the eggs. Fill them half way.

Use a piece of tissue paper to cover the hole in the eggs, using white glue to hold it in place. Then you can paint the eggs to be fun colors.

Last and most fun, pick a victim and break the egg over their head. Make sure you give them some warning because if the egg is hard, it may not break easily. My kids just squeezed the egg until it broke.  This really works hand strength.  One egg is never enough, so make enough for everyone to have fun.

Materials:

• Raw eggs – emptied
• Paper confetti
• Tissue paper
• Glue
• Paint

Skills:

• Fine motor
• Finger strength
• Upper extremity range of motion
• Upper extremity strength

A tea party is fun for both young and old. It is even more fun when you use a nice china tea set and fancy linens. More motivation is real food and real drink. Preparation and clean-up is of course a big part of the activity.

You can work on cutting food, pouring, opening containers and packages, using an involved side to pour, setting the table, washing dishes.

Invite a friend or other client to stimulate the social interaction as well.

Materials:

• Tea set (cups, saucers, tea pot, plates, utensils depending on food used) 
• Linens (if you want) 
• Food – cookies, muffins, etc
• Drink – water, tea, juice, milk

• Range of motion (reaching for items and setting the table)
•  ADLs – home skills
•  Upper extremity strength – pouring the tea
•  Upper extremity coordination
•  Feeding skills – cutting with a knife and using utensils
•  Planning – if they plan the food etc.

The tea set in the above pictures was from Costco 10 plus years ago.  I searched tea sets on Amazon, and here is a stinkin cute one.