Sensory Activity: Calm Down Jar & I Spy Bottle

Howdy folks! It’s Monday again. Which means, I have another “Make-it-Monday” activity to share with you. With Landon being a sensational kid and all, what better thing than to make something to help him when he needs it most! Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder are known to have a emotional extremes. Having something tangible for Landon to hold/look at/admire when he is trying to regulate his emotions is a great tool we found that works. I hope you find it helpful, for any kiddo as well! And to boot, it was fun to make!

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Filling the bottle

 

Supplies Needed:

PLASTIC BOTTLE

PLASTIC BOTTLE

SMALL TRINKETS

SMALL TRINKETS

ELMER'S CLEAR GLUE & GLITTER

ELMER’S CLEAR GLUE & GLITTER

Directions:  Pretty darn simple. Fill the bottle 2/3 of the way with a lukewarm water. Then add the whole bottle of glue, followed by the glitter. If the glitter falls right to the bottom of the bottle, you may want to add more glue. Especially if you use a bottle bigger than a 20 oz. one. Once you have the glue/glitter/water combination down, add the small objects. We chose a Lego head, pony beads, letter beads (his initials)  2 small Lego pieces, lanyard pieces and a penny.  There you go- You have yourself your own I Spy/Calm Down Bottle!

~Namaste~

 

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Finished product!

A day in the life with Sensory Processing Disorder

Nov 19th 2007 Landon's Birthday

Nov 19th 2007 Landon’s Birthday

Let’s start with some fun info on Landon.  For starters, Landon was born full term on November 19th 2007. He was almost 9 pounds and 21 1/2 inches long. Not a small baby by any means. He was born healthy despite me having Maternal PKU and having a very high risk & difficult pregnancy. He just beat the odds from the beginning. I know he will continue to do so throughout his life.

Landon’s favorite things:

Landon loves many things. He develops obsessions to things very easily, just like his momma, who has her own obsession with Coke and her 15 year old pillow! The pillow is just so damn comfy and Coke – well it is the best thing in the world (next to Landon of course-Lol). At this time, Landon loves Curious George, trains, bedtime stories, his blanket, chocolate milk and swimming. Sounds like your typical 2 1/2 year old boy. I am sure in a few months- he will add onto these and the list will be in the double digits!

Landon’s typical weekly schedule:

Landon is a very busy little boy. We have been working with Early intervention through the city of Warwick since November 2009. We attend many programs at the center as well as home based therapies every other week. We are currently enrolled on the wait-list for the Brown Center for an evaluation appointment for his Sensory Processing Disorder and his intellectual gifted abilities.

Mondays- Landon has Talking Explorers class from 11-12:30pm.  It’s a child only class and has worked wonders for Landon’s separation issues. Every other Wed- Landon has his Occupational Therapy and a Parent Educator come to the house. Every other Thurs- Landon has in-home speech therapy. Starting soon- Landon will be in a communication/behavior class on Tuesdays while Mommy is in a behavior seminar for 11 weeks. This new behavior seminar is based on “time-ins” and communication rather than “time-outs”. I am eager to learn more. As you can see, Landon & I have a fun, packed schedule during the week.

Landon’s personality, behaviors & physical attributes

Landon is a very happy boy. He is very outspoken (with the words he does know) and also with his babbling! He will try and talk to anyone regardless if he has met them in the past. You can say he is a people person. Landon also signs many things on a daily basis.    Landon is very tall for his age. He is in the 95% percentile for height and 75% for weight. He is 41 inches tall and weighs just about 35 pounds. He has long, curly auburn hair and fair skin. He is just the cutest thing ever!

Landon is going through some challenges with children his own age. He sometimes finds himself hitting or pushing to communicate because most children his age are past his verbal abilities. But, for the most part he apologizes right away and we are working to help him communicate better – even through learning more sign language. Landon has a schedule everyday and we try not to deviate from it as this is when certain “uh-ohs” may occur. He is a great sleeper,  but poor eater. These issues I will address as the blog continues.

Landon John Friedman

Landon John Friedman

 

For now, I think most of you have a pretty good sense as to who Landon is. I look forward to showcasing our activities, challenges, rewards and everyday life of being a mother to A Sensational Kid! If you ever have any questions about SPD, Landon in general or just a nice “shout-out”, please post it here or feel free to email me.

Be real,

Joy