Saturday, October 8, 2011

First Year Recap- Tool kit

As part of one of my classes in my first semester (Fall '10)- we had a 'Tool Kit' assignment. We were each given a performance skill and had to come up with 5 activities to work on that skill that could fit into a medium sized container. My skill was balance.
I had a few ideas right off the bat but had to consult with on the of OT's that I had shadowed for some more ideas (gotta collaborate :) ) 
I can't find the picture of my tool kit but here are the items that I chose and why

1. Sidewalk Chalk/Red Duck Tape to make a Hopscotch board- play activities- going from a wide base of support (2 feet) to a narrow base of support (1 foot) challenges balance. Plus its fun, and children would enjoy this and may not view it as "work"

2. Stability Ball- I included this in my kit because while the client is sitting on the ball, they are required to maintain balance as their center of gravity and base of support are constantly changing and shifting

3. Pants (one for adults, one for a child)- Activity of Daily Living: dressing. Dressing the lower body requires balance whether you are doing it from a seated or a standing position. I also included an exercise band tied in a circle to simulate dressing if you were, for example, working in an outpatient clinic where the client would already be dressed.

4. Simon Says cards- play activity- The commands include “lean to the right side”, “lean to the left side”,and “lean forward and touch your toes”. Could also have them close their eyes to take the visual component out and really look at the vestibular system.  

5. Hanging Shelves (from my closet) and a couple common kitchen items: This would require the client to reach up and stand on their tip toes, or bend down toward the ground which requires the client to maintain balance in each of these positions.  I chose this because it is practical; most kitchens have high and low cabinets that the client would need to reach

2 comments:

Unknown said...

This sounds like a realy interesting activity they had y'all do. It really gets you thinking!

Meredith said...

These are great ideas! I am envious that y'all got to do an activity box for an assignment - we have done 2 actviity bag assignments in my program and both had to fit in a gallon zip lock! I've actually been meaning to post about them for awhile.

Really enjoyed reading this and will probably be stealing some ideas :) Thanks for sharing!

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