Caramel Apple Fall Craft

Fall means fall theme crafts- like apples, acorns, leaves, etc.! Adding caramel to apples just makes them more fun! This activity works on fine and visual motor skills with a sensory component, as well as  sequencing the steps to a task and direction following. I did have a picture of the finished product to show the kids before we started- not all of them had eaten or seen a caramel apple before! 

For this activity, you will need the following:

• a template of an apple shape (I just made my own)
• red, green and/or yellow poster board
• glue
• shaving cream
• brown food coloring or paste
• sprinkles
• large craft sticks
• google eyes
• Paint brush- thick brush/end

Mix equal parts glue and shaving cream. Add brown food coloring paste to your desired "caramel" color. 

Have the student cut out apple shape from the poster board. We glued the eyes on, and the craft stick on the back of the apple shape before we did the shaving cream "caramel" part.

Spread the glue/shaving cream mixture on the bottom half of the apple. Some kids used a craft stick to put it on the apple and then used a thick brush paint brush to spread it around across the bottom half of the apple. Add sprinkles to the wet "caramel" mixture. 

A few kids wanted to add a nose and/or mouth to theirs as well.

I did a variation of this activity for my youngest students, as we have limited time to complete tasks and some of them are more about playing in the mixture than creating an end product (that's an activity for a different session!).  For their activity, they cut snips across a thin strip of brown construction paper and glued that to the bottom instead of painting the shaving cream mixture on. You could also work on finger strength by having them tear strips of brown construction paper and gluing it on the apple. 

Fun With a Balloon!

I've been working on eye hand coordination with some of my students this week, and some of them have difficulty with catching- the ball moves too fast for them, it's hard to track the ball, they have slower processing and reaction times for catching, poor coordination for timing, etc. Use of a balloon can be a fun intervention to work on skills that are needed for eventually catching a ball. Plus, they just love to play with them in general!

Playing with a balloon can improve/address the following:  

• visual tracking (following an object with your eyes)
• eye hand coordination
• body awareness
• motor planning
• bilateral coordination (using 2 hands together)

 For a student who needs to work on motor control, tie a string of yarn to the balloon and tape it to a door frame or the ceiling. 

• Have them hit the suspended balloon. It will come back for them to hit again
• Vary this activity by telling them which hand to hit the balloon with- Put a colored sticker on the back of each hand and call out the color to hit with, or work on the concepts of left and right.
• Make the string longer so that the balloon is at kicking height. Practice kicking skills, use the left and right foot, etc.

Catch a tossed/batted balloon 

• Encourage the student to catch the balloon with 2 hands
• Use a smaller balloon to refine catching skills

Have the student try to keep the balloon from hitting the floor

• Hit the balloon up in the air with one hand, with alternating hands, with both hands together, etc.  
• Have him/her bump the balloon back to you with his/her head, elbow, knee, etc.

Bat a balloon back and forth 

• Vary the activity by having him/her alternate hands when hitting it back and forth with you
• Call out which hand they should use to hit it back to you
• Have him/her hit the balloon with an empty paper towel/wrapping paper roll, badminton racket, dowel, etc.
• Have them try to bat the balloon with a different body part (elbow, knee, foot, etc.)