Fall Fun with Playdough

Posted on November 18, 2018June 8, 2019 by myumbrelladay@aol.com

If you haven’t already guessed, engaging with playdough with the kiddos that I work with is one of my favorite activities. I make my own playdough much of the time or I use the playdough that they have at home.

Special Shapes for Fall

I just wanted to show you my latest cookie cutters and cards that I’ve made for Thanksgiving and the fall season.

I found these fun shapes at the dollar store!

Talk about finding something just when you need it!

Let me back up a bit . . .

By the way, I added a lot more cinnamon than this picture shows! Oops!

Last month when I was making playdough for Halloween fun, I went a little overboard with the cinnamon in my recipe. (Great for a sensory element and it just smells so good!) Anyway, my lovely orange playdough turned quite brown. Okay, so I put it aside and started again. I didn’t want to just throw away this wonderful smelling playdough, so I put it in a plastic bag knowing that I could use it for mixing with yellow and orange to make some cool autumn leaves.

So . . . when I found the football and acorn cookie cutters at the dollar store (Dollar General) I might have squealed a little. Acorns and footballs are brown! And the pack of 4 was only $1!

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Pool Noodle Repurposed

Posted on July 24, 2018May 25, 2019 by myumbrelladay@aol.com

It’s late July but, here in Florida, we still have several months of very warm weather! Here is a great way to repurpose those pool noodles that are hanging around your backyard. Sadly, these fun pool toys cannot be recycled very easily in most communities, but we can salvage the good parts for a new activity and use the broken pieces for the bottom of your plant containers instead of rocks or stones. I start by slicing the noodles with my electric knife. This is the best way to get (somewhat) even rings with virtually no mess to your work space. My slices are approximately 3/4 of an inch but can certainly be larger.

When I use these colorful rings with kids, we place them on a rope or string. We stack them and sort them. We use the rings to make patterns, too!

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DIY therapy tool: Tea Party Table Cloth

Posted on September 30, 2017November 19, 2018 by myumbrelladay@aol.com

Please don’t shut down when you see “DIY therapy tool”! For those of you who think you are not crafty, think again. This is a beginner craft and fun therapy tool that you can make yourself!

This cute tea set is a good example of an activity that can be used to meet many therapy goals. Of course it’s great for pretend play, but also for:

fine motor
social engagement
matching
labeling
imitation
sequencing
using both hands to pour tea or wash dishes
following directions, and many more.

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Play Dough Match

Posted on June 4, 2017February 1, 2018 by myumbrelladay@aol.com

Hello! Here is one of my favorite tasks for preschoolers. Play dough match! This is a great task to address fine motor, following directions, imitation, sensory integration, language and social engagement. If your child is already engaging with play dough then that’s great.

Read this if you are wondering why engaging with play dough and other sensory mediums are so important.

To make your own matching project you will need:

cookie cutters

copy paper, or other paper

pencil and sharpie

laminator and laminating sheets

play dough and accessories

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Interested in making a matching activity for your child?

Special Shapes for Fall

Please don’t shut down when you see “DIY therapy tool”! For those of you who think you are not crafty, think again. This is a beginner craft and fun therapy tool that you can make yourself!

Do you spend a lot of time telling your child what not to do?