Monday, July 16, 2012

I am one Tough Mudder!!!

On Saturday, I tackled an event that boasts itself as probably "The toughest event on the planet"!!! Tough Mudder New England, hosted at Mount Snow in Vermont was the most mentally stimulating, physically exhausting and positive morale boosting experience I have ever encountered.  This event consists of 10 miles of mountainous terrain,military style obstacles designed by the British Special Forces and enough mud, electricity, fire and ice to make a sane person loose their wits. Tough Mudder has raised over 3 million dollars to date and all proceeds from the event are given to The Wounded Warrior Project.

Well with all that being said, I AM OFFICIALLY ONE TOUGH MUDDER!!! I crossed the finish line in almost exactly 6 hours, with a team of 12 friends, most importantly my husband and my sister that supported me and motivated me throughout the entire grueling experience.  Without their support and the support of complete strangers along the way cheering me on and offering assistance when needed, I would have thrown in the towel ten times.

I didn't successfully complete all of the obstacles but I crossed the finish line with my head held high and a feeling of accomplishment that I have not experienced before!!! So for any followers out there that are looking to challenge their physical being as well as their mental psyche, sign up for a Tough Mudder event, and experience a thrill like none other!!!



http://toughmudder.com/

Interview with the one and only Temple Grandin on 60 minutes last night

Hope you got a chance to catch this segment last night.  If not, here you go!!! Another chance to see Temple offer her insights into the world of Autism. An amazing woman!!!

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-20123944-10391709/temple-grandin-understanding-autism/?tag=contentMain;contentBody

60 minutes segment 7/15/12 Apps for Autism

This is a segment from 60 minutes last night.  If you didn't get a chance to watch it live, here you go!!! Also an exciting interview with Temple!!!

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57460553/apps-for-autism-communicating-on-the-ipad/?tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Moving Smart: RESPECT THE MESS!

Moving Smart: RESPECT THE MESS!: Much has been written about the benefits of Messy Play. It is great sensory stimulation for young minds discovering a hands-on world, and it...

Summer Sensory Fun

This is a post that I wrote last year, but I want to reiterate how important it is for children to get outside and play so I am reposting with the hopes that it will get some of the couch potatoes up and at em!!!!


Some of the fondest memories that I have of childhood include getting off the school bus, running into the house, throwing my backpack on the floor, giving mom and dad a quick hello and then running right back out the door to PLAY!!!  Play what, you may ask???  Well you name it, we played it... The kids in my neighborhood were NEVER at a loss for games to play... kickball, hide and seek, bike rides, rolling down the front yard hills, swimming in the pool, making mud pies, jumping in piles of leaves, wiffle ball, I could go on and on...

Recently on my way home from work I could not help but ask myself, "Where are all the children"?  It was 5:30 in the evening on a Friday, the sun was still high, the weather was perfect for a good ol game of kick the can, but my neighborhood was silent.  Where were the kids?  Well unfortunatlely I think it is fair to assume that they were inside playing Wii, XBox or Playstation, some may have even been working on their  homework. What has become of all those great, social, active, outdoor games that consumed my childhood? Why don't todays children know what freeze tag is? Why aren't the neighborhood kids playing outside?      
Well I don't have all the answers; however, I can offer some advise to all the children, parents, teachers, babysitters, grandparents, aunts and uncles that have watched the children in their lives fall into the video game slump...This summer is a great time to get outdoors, play some "old school games" and have some fun in the sun with the children in your life!!!!

As an occupational therapist I am constantly thinking about or creating "sensory rich" ideas for parents to use with their children.  Well summertime takes most of the thought out of creating these activities.  Just get outside and do what comes naturally.  Below list of sensory rich activities that take little creativity, little set up, almost no purchasing of materials and best of all, they bring back that age old saying "God made dirt and dirt don't hurt"   Just go outside and do what you did 30, 40 even 50 years ago with the children in your neighborhood.  What we didn't realize back then was that we were all being "little OT's" and filling our days with sensory rich games and activities that didn't seem anything like work but instead were all just part of being a kid.  
Here is a list of games and activities that I remember playing when I was a kid, little did I know that as an OT I would be recommending these activities to my clients as a way to enrich their therapy programs!!!! 
  1. Run through a sprinkler
  2. Play catch with water balloons
  3. Build a sandcastle
  4. Draw with sidewalk chalk
  5. Play Hopscotch
  6. Ride a bike
  7. Jump on an outdoor trampoline
  8. Play Tag (freeze tag, tv tag or just plain old tag)
  9. Family Kickball game
  10. Hide-n-seek
  11. Relay races
  12. Swim in a pool
  13. Play leap frog
  14. Make mud pies
  15. Open a lemon aide stand
  16. Kick the can
  17. Slip and Slide
  18. Play with water guns 
  19. Play in the mud (that's right, GET DIRTY!!!!)
  20. Rollerblading
  21. Tug-of-war
  22. Camp out in your own backyard
  23. Wash a car
  24. Wiffle Ball
  25. Go to the beach
  26. Swings, slides, monkey bars
  27. Rolling down a hill
  28. Blow bubbles
  29. Soccer
  30. Take a hike

Thursday, July 5, 2012

July App of the month- Bugs and Buttons

iPhone Screenshot 1

In a Nutshell- Much like an App that I reviewed back in 2011 (Dexteria) Bugs and Buttons is a fantastic App for all children, specifically those with fine motor delay, poor finger dexterity, isolation and coordination.  Bugs and Buttons is a beautifully designed App with eye catching detail, engaging music and fun, child friendly activities such as apple picking, catching bugs in nets, playing tic-tac-toe  with dragonflies and catching falling buttons.  The huge array of activities (17 in all)  allows for hours of fun and ensures that children will not get bored as they move from activity to activity.

Ages & Stages- While the graphics and music are eye appealing to users of all ages, in my opinion, Bugs and Buttons is most appropriate for toddlers and young children 2.5-5 years of age.

Cost- $2.99

Praise- 
1. Appealing graphics and music
2. Plenty of variation in the activities will keep children engaged for longer time spans
3. Simple instructions easy to understand

Needs Improvement- 
1. I do think that $2.99 is a bit costly for this App.

Survey Says- Check it out!!!