This morning, just after I hung up from a phone call, my son called out, “Mom, there’s a little, sharp piece of glass on my floor.” Knowing his baby brother and sister were in the room with him, I rushed to see what they had all gotten into, thinking maybe they’d knocked over a lamp. Instead, I found a glass broken half-in, half-out of the closet, surrounded by spilled ball pit balls.
My face betrayed my frustration and surprise. (Glasses belong in the kitchen, not in the bedroom closet.) My son explained, “Mom, I didn’t think it would actually beak. I was just preten- smashing it.”
Ahhh. Breathe. Don’t yell. Try to keep the sharpness out of your tone and move everyone to safety so you can clean this mess. I coached myself. Meanwhile, the phone rang, the Behavior Modification Specialist who had just arrived came into the room and, in less than 30 minutes, what had been a decent morning began to dissolve into chaos. (Isn’t that what always happens when you take one phone all, then troubleshoot what happens while you’re on the phone, just to have the phone ring again?)
Luckily, the chaos was short-lived and the clean-up a bit easier with our Behavior Mod specialist present as back-up. So, the floor is again safe for walking and the children have been reminded about why we keep glasses in the kitchen even when Mommy is not home. (The glass, I understand, was brought to the kids’ room the night before while I was at work.) No harm done and one sensory DIY reminded of.
What’s that DIY?
A Geoboard
It’s pretty obvious from the glass incident that my children are needing some pounding input. So, I am thinking of adapting our Mini-Weather Geoboard from a few springs ago to a winter activity by adding a snowflake shape into the mix.
Want to do similarly? It’s not difficult: Just get an old block and some push pins. Start each pin and, then, if your child is up to it, let him or her hammer them in the rest of the way (wearing goggles and using common sense as sometimes pins split/shatter.) Or, do similarly on a piece of scrap wood with nails or screws. Then, grab some elastics and draw a snowflake shape on a card and you’re all set.
Depending on the size you make your geoboard, you can even make it into a Montessori-and-SPD-inspired activity bag, like this one we made before:
Mini Weather Geo-Board (Proprioception, Sensorial)
Aims: proprioception activity for fingers (stretching rubber bands isolates the index and middle fingers and provides traction to those fingers), which helps with control of movement, reinforcement of shapes, motor planning, etc.Activity Directions: Using the picture-word cards, try to create similar outlined shapes with the elastic on the mini geo-board.
Extensions/Variations:
(1) Make shapes freely.
(2) Use multiple elastics and layer the shapes.
(3) As a hammering or construction activity, make larger geo-boards together using scrap wood and nails or push pins.
(4) Practice numbers by challenging child to put elastic around a certain number of push pins.
(5) Use tweezers or other “pincer” grasp objects to move the elastic about.
Control of Error: unable to create shapes to own satisfaction
Bag Includes: 1 miniature block-and-push-pin geo-board, 1 elastic, 4 picture-word cards
Source Inspiration: Montessori Services
Seasonal Connection: seeing shapes in spring
WARNING: Although intended for children to use somewhat independently, this activity includes a plastic bag, which may pose a suffocation hazard if placed over head and small objects which may present a choking hazard. Adult supervision is required.
Have fun, and please share your own sensory DIY ideas — especially ones the kids can be involved with making. Such activities not only speak to my son’s needs, but build on his strengths while keeping him from breaking more glasses. Thanks!
