My Obstacle Course: Engage, Encourage and Empower

A fun, structured, systematic way to work on your child's strengths and weaknesses at home!

Archives for January 2011

A Bit Of Mystery and Intrigue

So, I have this black pouch.  It is sitting on the table as part of a My Obstacle Course station.  Are you curious as to what is inside of it?  I’ll give you a hint.  It has a bunch of something inside, something I’m sure every house has.  Think you know?  I’ll let you know if you are right…later!

Mysterious black pouch

I am a huge fan of The Amazing Race and was thinking how part of the intrigue of the show was the clue being hidden inside of the envelope.  The teams don’t know what is going to happen until they open the clue and find out. They race up, open it and can barely read it aloud because they are so out of breath.  Mystery and intrigue seem to be a common characteristic among popular reality shows and it made me think about what people were willing to do in order to get to the next stage or get the next clue.  This was a huge inspiration to me when I created My Obstacle Course for my son.  He needed something a bit different that would motivate him and I wanted a way to build his skills.  He needed structure, I decided to make it fun by adding some mystery and intrigue!

How do I do this for My Obstacle Courses in my home?  It really is quite simple.  I went on a bit of a hunt around my house, mostly in drawers, cupboards and closets.  I was looking for things that could hold and hide station materials or items.

I found an old lunch box,

Lunchbox

an eyeglass case,

An eyeglass case is perfect for holding puffs or other small items.
An eyeglass case not only holds small items but also requires fine motor skills to open it.

and some make-up bags I had received as “free gifts” with a purchase.

Zip up pouch
Clear plastic zip up pouches

These were perfect for stations with smaller pieces or calendar cutouts.  They not only held the materials but also provided an opportunity to build fine motor skills by unzipping or unsnapping.  The fact that most of the bags were quite sparkly and colorful was an added bonus!

I have used plastic bags, leftover containers

Ziploc container hold items and requires fine motor skills to peel the lid off.

and even tennis ball cans which weren’t as mysterious because he could see through them but he still had to peel off the lid to know exactly what was going to be required of him.

Tennis ball can
Tennis ball can holding materials (counting cubes)

Larger tote bags were perfect for larger items like stuffed animals, small balls, cars and other items I used to work on building social, literacy and receptive language skills.

Tote bag for larger items

It was not only fun for Andrew to get to experience the mystery and intrigue of not always knowing what he was going to find (his face is always priceless as he scans the room to see what I’ve set out) but it was also fun for me to try and find ways to hide things so he wouldn’t know what they were.  It’s the same feeling that I get when we hide Easter Eggs or wrap gifts for him.  A bit of mystery and intrigue can make an otherwise mundane task seem more like an adventure.

Do you have any idea what I have in the mysterious black pouch?  Check it out!!

Mysterious black pouch holding dominos -this time!

I’ll do a post soon on how I use dominos in My Obstacle Course but for now, I encourage you to add some mystery and intrigue to the time you spend with your children and go on a little hunt of your own to find ways to hide materials.  You might be surprised at what you find right under your bathroom sink!!

Engage, Encourage and Empower

Inspiring Blog Award

 

Yesterday morning I received a surprise while checking out my friend Tracie’s blog at Cleverly Inspired.  She has always been creative and on the lookout for what she could transform next.  Even back in high school we would venture to a local stencil store, buy wooden things and then paint and stencil them- we were real trouble makers!!
Tracie can walk into a thrift store and take someone’s unwanted items and turn them into beautiful and useful things for her house.  I am inspired by her to look at things with a different eye and see what other uses they may have in store for me.
I am a complete novice at this blogging thing but she granted me this award after only one month of blogging (I even had to ask her how to respond to this award!!) and so I am entitled to pass on this award to other bloggers who inspire me!
Here is how this works:

Thank and link back to the person who gave it to you

Award 3 deserving Bloggers and share how they inspire you

Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award

Here are my top three:
1.  Nourish Life Coaching Alexis Robin is one of the most positive people I have the pleasure of knowing.  She is so down to earth and can relate to what others are going through but has a natural way of helping them move beyond the frustration to discover the joy and bliss of every day life.  She sees the power and greatness in people that they may not see in themselves.  I am honored and blessed to call her a friend!
2.  After Autism Diane Hunter’s calm, peaceful energy comes through her written and spoken words.  She inspires me to keep my energy calm for my son and to stay in my own business, even with tantrums around me.  She has been there, is there and will continue to persist in her effort to heal her own son.  It means the world to know that there is a mother out there who is able to stay positive, help others get through their own challenging situations while never forgetting the importance of caring for and loving oneself.  She inspires me to want to help other parents just as she has helped me.
3.  The Worst Mother She inspires me to embrace all of the different aspects of who I am.  She wears so many hats in her life and her blog conveys a fabulous personality with the important ability to laugh at oneself.  Lin, I wear all of my hats with pride and with a giggle in my heart because of you!!

Calendar Cutouts- Flip and Draw

This is a My Obstacle Course station idea that is easy to put together and makes sneaking in some fine motor/drawing skills more like a game than a “sit at the counter and practice something that’s really difficult for you” session.  That hasn’t worked for us and this is much more fun!

A My Obstacle Course Flip And Draw Station

I used some calendar cutouts that I had and wrote a basic drawing skill that I wanted Andrew to work on.  This particular station was done during a winter themed Obstacle Course which explains the snowflakes.  This could also be done using index cards, strips of construction paper, ideally something that you cannot see through.

My Obstacle Course station idea: Â Flip and Draw

Some basic ideas include but are not limited to:

  • Draw a straight line.
  • Draw a wiggly line.
  • Draw a circle.
  • Draw a square.
  • Draw a triangle.
  • Make a snowman.
  • Draw a happy face.

I flip the cutouts over…

Flip and Draw Cards turned over

and when he gets to the station, he will turn over the cutout, we will read the instruction and he will try to do it.

Modifications:

Some children may need to have a model provided for them.  If so, draw the shape (or whatever the cutout says) first so they have one.  While you are drawing (the visual model) add an auditory piece by talking through what you are doing, where you are starting, how you are making sure to keep your lines straight (if you are making a shape), etc.  It may seem silly at first but it could help your child if they are an auditory learner!  From there, they can then draw their own shape next to the model, trace over yours or use hand over hand to help them draw it.  Another option is to try “dotting” out the shape and have them connect the dots.

Why Turn The Cards Over?

By having the cards flipped over, he was not immediately overwhelmed by all that he was going to have to do (Imagine walking into a meeting late and seeing a whole list of things you were assigned to do asap.  I don’t know about you, but I’d be overwhelmed!).  He could process each request as he flipped it over which reduced the stress and frustration that usually occurs before he even begins a drawing or writing task.  This turns it into a bit of a game, gives them some sense of control since they get to choose the one they flip and is done at their pace making it easier to handle.

(Random Note – I’ve thought about doing this for myself when I get overwhelmed with “things to do” or household chores!  One thing at a time would allow my brain to focus on whatever the card says instead of trying to remember all that I’m going to have to do.  So, if you ever come to my house and see flipped over calendar cutouts, you’ll know I’m on a mission!!)

Flip and Draw card turned over
Flip and Draw using Doodle Pro
Flip and Draw using Aqua Doodle
Flip and Draw using white board and dry erase marker

This is something that could be used with any writing tool (marker, pencil, crayon, pen, etc) and writing surface (blank sheet of paper, dry erase board, Magna Doodle, Aqua Doodle, etc).

This activity not only helps build drawing skills, it also builds basic literacy skills because they are seeing (visual) and hearing (auditory) the words while they are making the shapes (kinesthetic).  It allows me to see what he knows how to do and where he needed more assistance.  The best part of all, is that we are having fun together while building his skills.

Engage, Encourage and Empower!