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The Inspired Treehouse

Growing healthy bodies and minds through play!

DIY INSTRUMENTS AND KIDS MUSIC ACTIVITIES

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This holiday season we decided to turn it over to a music expert, our friend Daria from World Music for Children, for some great kids music activities.  We’re excited to take a peek at Daria’s Jingle Bells e-book, which features 4 jingly DIY instruments that can be made from recycled materials.  The best news?  The Jingle Bells book is a FREE download for the month of December! We pretty much love everything about this little holiday book.  From fine motor skills to gross motor skills to auditory processing to accessibility for kids with special needs – Daria’s got you covered.  The pages are ... Read More about DIY INSTRUMENTS AND KIDS MUSIC ACTIVITIES

CRAYONLESS HOLIDAY COLORING ACTIVITY

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That’s right, I said no crayons!  This holiday coloring activity lets kids color in another way….fingerprints!  It’s a great way to incorporate individual finger strength in a way the kids will love! Worry less about the mess….try this activity right before bathtime! WHAT YOU’LL NEED: Holiday coloring book, washable ink pads WHAT TO DO: Pick up a holiday coloring book and different colors of washable ink pads. Allow your kids to pick out their favorite pictures and let them “color in”  their pictures using their thumbs one print at a time. Try using a different color ink on each finger! HOW ... Read More about CRAYONLESS HOLIDAY COLORING ACTIVITY

CHRISTMAS CRAFTS: STACKABLE HOLIDAY TREE

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The Stackable Holiday Tree: A Christmas Craft for Fine Motor Skills We consider it our personal challenge as therapists and moms to see how many different ways we can invent to creatively put toilet paper rolls to use.  Well, here’s one more for you!  This little tree is one of the easiest Christmas crafts in the world.  How tall will yours be? WHAT YOU’LL NEED: toilet paper rolls, green paint, paint brush, scissors, liquid glue, sequence WHAT TO DO: Have your child paint several toilet paper rolls green and allow to dry. Next, have them practice scissor skills by snipping 4-5 times on one ... Read More about CHRISTMAS CRAFTS: STACKABLE HOLIDAY TREE

WHAT DOES “SENSORY” REALLY MEAN?

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Getting messy is a wonderful play experience for young children and highly encouraged here at the Treehouse.  But sensory integration is a lot more complicated than just getting your hands dirty.  Here’s a quick glimpse into the world of sensory processing. The senses send information to a child’s nervous system where it is then processed in order to generate a response.  A sensory experience can “rewire” the brain, helping a child understand his environment more clearly and making him feel safe.  Or, it can be overwhelming, causing him to become defensive and withdrawn.  And, just to make ... Read More about WHAT DOES “SENSORY” REALLY MEAN?

CHRISTMAS CRAFT FROM JENNY CLARK!

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If you work with young kids or have one in your home, the book Learn to Move, Move to Learn by Jenny Clark (AAPC Publishing) is a must have!  Jenny is a fellow occupational therapist and the owner of Jenny’s Kids, a pediatric occupational therapy clinic in Kansas.  Her awesome book is full of creative sensory, movement, social, and cognitive activities organized into themed units to make them easy to put into action in your classroom or in your home!  You can check out her blog, Jenny’s Corner, for informative and reader-friendly posts about sensory processing.  I think this evergreen tree ... Read More about CHRISTMAS CRAFT FROM JENNY CLARK!

Holiday Gift Guide: Sensory Gifts for Kids

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These sensory gifts for kids are sure to give you some great ideas for the kids on your list! This post contains affiliate links.  Read more. As an occupational therapist and mom to two young kiddos, I love a toy that encourages a child to use their senses! Here at the Inspired Treehouse, we believe that play is the best way to promote development and wellness for kids. So I've put together a list of some fantastic toys to promote sensory skills that address each of the senses: sight,  touch, taste, hearing, smell, and don't forget about the vestibular system (or moving the body and ... Read More about Holiday Gift Guide: Sensory Gifts for Kids

Silly Santa Gross Motor Skills Challenge

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This post contains affiliate links.  Read more. I had been mulling over an idea for a fun Santa-themed obstacle course when I came across the book Shhh! by Julie Sykes.  This little gem that had been hidden away in the attic was the perfect guide for creating an obstacle course to challenge gross motor skills and give little ones a glimpse into a day in the life of Santa, so we created a gross motor skills Christmas game! What you'll need: -Shhh! by Julie Sykes -Jingle bells -Pillows/cushions -2 paper plates -5-6 boxes (gift boxes, shoe boxes or you could use cardboard building ... Read More about Silly Santa Gross Motor Skills Challenge

TAGGY TYPOGRAPHY: KIDS CHRISTMAS CRAFT

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My children love to craft at Christmas time.  One of our favorite kids Christmas crafts is making tags for our gifts.  This year, I have decided to forget about pretty, coordinating wrapping papers that always catch my eye and wrap our gifts in brown paper.  But they will still be spunky and coordinated!  Our tag project this year will have the kids decorating typography and incorporate fine motor skills in this Christmas Activity. WHAT YOU’LL NEED:  cardstock (heavy weight is best), a printer to print out the outline of the letter (or just freehand it!), craft items (glue, glitter, paint, ... Read More about TAGGY TYPOGRAPHY: KIDS CHRISTMAS CRAFT

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