PVC Pipe Crayon Adaptation

Super easy and super effective!  Create an adapted crayon holder for kids with a weak grasp with a PVC pipe T and some foam.  Or use it for utensils too!  The 1 inch diameter PVC pipe works well for young kids, increase the diameter for older kids or adults.  Foam pipe or wire insulation works well for the insert.  If the child can't quite maintain the grasp as he or she is trying to use it, simply put a velcro strip through the PVC pipe to go around the back of the child's hand.  It works wonders.  Get those kids doing some art!

Rainy Day Obstacle Course

Weather getting cold where you are?  Try making an obstacle course out of things you have around the house.  Put masking tape on the floor with arrows so multiple kids can do the course without too much mayhem.  Take some ideas from the classroom above, build a tunnel with a sheet to crawl through, cut out cardboard hands and feet to get kids crawling...  give them a demonstration and talk them through it if they need help with motor planning, then fade your prompts as they are successful!  Great for kids with motor coordination troubles and sensory seekers!

Paint with vegis

Here's a fun way to paint.  Use vegetables.  Here, we used a pepper, a potato, and a carrot to create pictures.  The vegetables are cut in half so the paint has a place to stick. The kids loved being able to use the vegetables to make cool pictures.  You can use any vegi you like- try broccoli. Have a blast making neat pictures.

Paint with foam

Here's a twist on painting- use foam.  Just mix finger paint with bath foam and you get foamy paint.  What great sensory play!  Not only does it feel different, it has a different smell.  So, give your kids some paper and foamy paint and let them go at it.

Have your kids write letters and numbers in the paint using their index finger.  Remember, the more senses you put into learning, the easier it is to learn. So, use this as a non-conventional way to teach letters and numbers.

Corn projects

What to do with the leftover corn from your holiday decorating?  Try some art projects with the kids.  Here is one project you could do.  Have the kids pick the kernels off the cob, color the leaves and then glue the kernels to the picture. 

Another really cool idea is corn cob painting.  Put paint on a tray, take a corn cob (with, or without, kernels) and roll it in the paint.  Then roll the cob on paper to make neat designs.