World Down Syndrome Day

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just that little "extra."

Thank you to M. and family for this Down Syndrome
Awareness bracelet! You are a gift!

Winter Theme/Arctic Animals Activities

Keeping the winter theme going... the following are some wintery sensory based and fine/visual motor activities to do with your kids/students (even though we are all hoping to move on to spring activities very soon...)

Homemade Fake Snow
You need:  hair conditioner (white in color)
                  baking soda
Combine 3 cups baking soda with 1/2 cup conditioner.  Will be crumbly but sticks together.  If too sticky/wet, add a bit more soda.
I put the snow on a tray, along with some plastic trucks and diggers that I bought at the dollar store. The "snow" actually feels cold/chilled, and the kids loved it!

Sensory Bin- Cut Up Straws
I bought a few packages of drinking straws from the dollar store and cut them up into thirds.  I added some silver/white/blue pom poms and styrofoam balls of various sizes for some wintery/snowy sparkle and had the kids dig through the straws to find the "snow balls."

Variations:
Download a free Arctic Animal Sensory Bin Matching Game printable from Life Over C's- laminate the pieces and bury them in the bin of straws for your child/student to find and match to the recording sheet. (I also added velcro dots to the backs of the cards on on the sheet).
https://lifeovercs.com/?s=arctic+animals

Add some small arctic animals into the bin along with the cards. I bought some from Hobby Lobby for $4.99, and you can also get them on amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Safari-Ltd-Good-Luck-Minis/dp/B014PMQWPA/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=3R7PXNXRQ6RO3&keywords=safari+ltd.+arctic+mini+fun+pack&qid=1552405240&s=gateway&sprefix=safari+ltd+arctic+mini%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

You may also use the pom pons for working on isolating finger motion/pincer grasp and 1:1 correspondence:
-have the child/student place a specific number of pom pons into each cube spot in an ice cube tray.  You could also have them pick up the pom pons with tweezers or chop sticks for an added fine motor component.

Winter Clip Cards for matching and counting
Download these free cards from Life Over C's and laminate them. You can use regular clothespins, or get some smaller ones like did at any craft store for even more fine motor precision.
https://lifeovercs.com/?s=winter+clothespin

Penguin Fun

Well, it's been quite frigid where I am this winter, below zero almost the entire month of February, with -40 wind chills at times. No penguins here, but who doesn't love penguins?? Here are some of the penguin themed activities that we did in OT to go along with the freezing temps~

I bought a Toob of Penguins by Safari Ltd. to go along with our theme, which all of my students loved!  I got mine at Hobby Lobby for $9.99, but you can easily find them on Amazon, too:
https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Hobbies-Collecting/Diorama-Figurines/Penguins-Toob/p/24053
Or:
https://www.amazon.com/Safari-Flightless-Figurines-Including-Rockhopper/dp/B000RQ59VM/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=toob+of+penguins&qid=1551983045&s=gateway&sr=8-2

What can you do with the Penguin figures??
For added sensory (proprioceptive and tactile) input, push them into some blue putty "water"~
Pull a long strip of putty to make a "wave":

 

Press out a "pool" of water for them to swim in:

Freeze blocks and cubes of ice for a more intense sensory play experience- you could also fill a sensory table with water and add the ice, or bring in some snow from outside to add to the tray (be mindful of the amount of time of exposure to the cold if your students are really into it-

Penguins in the Dark
https://www.craftymorning.com/penguins-in-the-dark-kids-craft/
I found this activity on Pinterest, but I modified it a bit- instead of chalk markers, we used Tempera Paint Sticks for the white on the penguins and orange beak/feet.  I also had one student who just could not grasp the concept of not seeing the black on the penguin (too abstract for this concrete thinker), so he added a black outline and wings. Either way, they turned out super cute- good activity for direction following/sequencing steps and fine/visual motor skills.

Cotton Ball Penguin Activity for Preschoolers:
You can find the template by Glued to My Crafts needed for this Penguin project here:
https://www.gluedtomycraftsblog.com/2015/04/cotton-ball-penguin-kid-craft.html
I did modify this project a bit by using Tempera Paint Sticks to make the eyes and beak.

There are also a lot more fun penguin craft projects on the Glued to My Crafts Blog here:
https://www.gluedtomycraftsblog.com/?s=penguin