Indoor Boredom Busters!

The temperatures are getting colder and winter is quickly approaching.  As a fresh coat of snow covers the ground, families can get a little stir crazy.  Plan ahead with a list of our top 10 favorite indoor activities for your child!  (Or if you want to spend a day in your jammies on the couch watching movies sometimes, that’s ok too.)

To see more fun ideas like what we have below follow RIKC on Pinterest @rikcpins

1.      Sensory Bags:  Sensory bags provide great sensory input for children that may need visual or tactile sensory reinforcers.  Sensory bags are awesome “fidget toys” and can also improve concentration and focus.

These fun filled bags can be filled with anything you want!  You can make Goblin Guts, Spooky Spiders, or anything you can imagine.  Our favorite Halloween sensory bag is Goblin Guts.  To create Goblin Guts you will need:

·         A zip-lock Bag

·         Cooked Pasta (We prefer spaghetti noodles)

·         Green food coloring

·        Plastic Eye Balls, Spiders and Snakes (whatever you think will make good goblin guts)

·         Clear hair gel

·         Super Glue

Instructions: Mix the pasta with a couple drops of green food coloring in a bowl.  Allow several minutes to dry.  However, don't wait too long.  You don't want the noodles to dry out.  Once dry mix the green pasta with all other ingredients in a zip-lock bag.  Then just secure the seal with superglue.

See more at: http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2012/10/halloween-sensory-bag-fun.html#sthash.Z8E4np6N.dpuf

2.     Sand Trays: You don’t have to get very fancy with this one to enhance sensory learning skills.  Sand trays are perfect for practicing shapes, letters, numbers, or designs and are so easy to make! To get started on your own sand tray you will need:

·         Sand (can be found at craft stores or pet shops in the fish aisle)

·         Shallow flat container for sand (make sure the tray is big enough to draw in)

·         Cards with numbers, letters, shapes, designs or whatever you want to practice on them. (Parents you can even make your own sand tray for your child to mimic your drawing)

Instructions: Once you have your container just fill it with sand and start practicing!  We like for our trays to have a dark or colored bottom to them so that it is easier to see what we have written in the sand. 

See more at: http://tothelesson.blogspot.com/2012/07/reflections-sand-tray.html

3.       Calming Bottles: Sometimes emotions run high and we can all be a little cranky.  Calming bottles are great for helping children during these times.  Just shake up the jar and hand it to your child as they watch the glitter and water settle so will they.  Here’s what you will need:

·         A clear container. ( We tall water bottles)

·         Clear Elmer’s Glue. (Make sure the glue is clear traditional white glue will make the mixture milky).

·         HOT water (this helps the glue mix with the water)

·         Ultra fine glitter (can be found at any craft or hobby store)

·        Super glue for plastic (this will seal the jar once you are finished to prevent leaks or anyone unscrewing the lid)

Instructions:  Fill your container with HOT water.  Next you will begin to add the glue, we recommend about ¼ of the bottle of glue.  The more glue in the water the longer it will take the glitter to settle. Step three, add the glitter and mix (we used a plastic knife so that it could be thrown away after).  We like to have more glitter but you and your child might like less.  Just add the amount you think is best.  Now you can add the lid and seal it.  We use super glue for plastic bottles. 

** You can add more glue if you think your mixture needs it but remember the more glue you add the longer it will take for the glitter to settle.  By following our instructions it will take about five minutes for the glitter to settle completely. 

See more at: http://onestopcounselingshop.com/2013/01/24/pinterest-find-time-out-bottle/

4.     Water Marbles: Water marbles are a great sensory tool and are just as fun to play with. You can purchase the marbles for about $2 in a variety of colors. When we play with water marbles we like to hide objects in them such as letters or coins to double as a learning experience. Water  marbles should be used under adult supervision to prevent swallowing.

See more at: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/42010208999764179/

5.       Treasure Playdough:  Is there anything more exciting than digging for treasure? This will keep the little ones busy for hours while focusing on fine motor skills.  And making the playdough is half of the fun! For a treasure chest of your own, here’s what you will need:

·         1 cup flour

·         ½ cup of salt

·         1 Tbsp Cream of Tartar

·         1Tbsp oil

·         1 cup water

·         Golden yellow food coloring

·         Approximately ¼ cup of gold glitter

·         A variety of gems, gold coins, colored beads, play jewelry, etc.  (Be creative with your “treasure”)

·         A small shovel

·         A small treasure chest  *optional*

Instructions:  Start by making your golden playdough “sand”.  Mix together the flour, salt and cream of tartar.  Next add the oil and water then stir until smooth.  Cook the mixture over medium to low heat until the dough looks dry but is still sticky.  Let the dough cool for 1 min then knead in the golden yellow food coloring and gold glitter.  Flatten out the playdough and place all of the “treasure” on top.  Fold the playdough over the gems and make sure they are well hidden and evenly distributed in the dough to make the dig even more exciting.  Place the “sand” in the chest and let the treasure search begin!

** This can also be done with dinosaurs to make a small archaeological dig site!  

See more at: http://onetimethrough.com/pirate-treasure-playdough-fine-motor-fun/

6.       Pom-Pom Target Practice:  This one is pretty simple but will still keep the kiddos entertained for hours.  The difficulty level can be increased or decreased depending on the age of the child. 

Here’s what you will need:

Painters tape or masking tape

Large and small pom-poms (can be found at a craft or hobby store)

Instructions:  Tape a target on the floor.  For younger children you can only put only two rings on the target and use larger pom-poms.  For older children increase the difficulty by adding more rings to the target and use smaller pom-poms.  If you are a competitive family you can create your own scoring system to make play a little more interesting.

See more at: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/42010208999764191/

7.       Indoor Snowmen: Sometimes the desire to build a snowman is outweighed by the desire to not get frost bite.  The good news is that you can make a snowman without any snow at all and all from the kitchen counter!  To get started you will need:

·         2 boxes of cornstarch

·         A can of foaming shaving cream

·         A box or plastic container

·         A sheet, tarp, trash bag, newspaper or anything you can use to cover the table for any spills

·         Odds and ends you may have to help play in the “snow” Ex: buttons, yarn, beans, hard candy, dry pasta, ribbon, bottle caps etc.

Instructions:  Empty the boxes of cornstarch into the containers and add the shaving cream to the corn starch (we use the whole can).  Let your little one mix the snow together until it makes a crumbly powder that will stick together when formed into a ball.  If it isn’t sticking you may need more shaving cream.  You are now ready to make your snow art! Your snow should last a few weeks if you want to save it for another “snow day” just put a lid on your container for storage!

See more at: http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/2013/01/making-snowmen-inside.html

8.       Campground Living Room: Camping can be a lot  of fun but can also be hard to do for some families.  No worries!  Bring the campground to your living room.  Here we will show you how to set up your Campground Living Room.

·         Tent (If you already have the real thing great, if not a good old fashioned tent from bed sheets will be perfect). 

·         “Campfire”

·         Oven S’mores

·         Flashlights

·         Sleeping bags

·         Nature Crafts (perfect way to bring the outside inside for your special campout)

Setting up camp:  Decide where to set up the tent so that it is easily accessible for everyone and in a safe place.  Next it’s time to start the camp fire.  For logs we use old paper towel and toilet paper rolls or you can use brown construction paper formed into a tube shape.  For the center of your fire use red, yellow and orange construction paper cut into flame shapes. (For an extra touch we also like to put a battery operated candle in the center of the fire to give off a real glow while being safe!) Glue your logs and fire to a square piece of cardboard (pizza boxes work well). 

Don’t forget the s’mores!  Preheat your oven to 450 F and assemble the s’mores on a baking sheet (just bottom graham cracker and marshmallow for now) place the crackers about an inch apart from each other.  Let the s’mores bake for about 5 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and place the piece of chocolate on the marshmallow and top with graham cracker.  Let cool and enjoy!

Bring nature indoors!  You can create a nature loom or skip ahead to #10 on our list!  Nature looms are a classic camping activity.  Collect sticks for the frame of your loom, choose a size that best represents the size of loom you wish to make.  Lash the sticks together with yarn to create the base.  The base can be in any shape you would like! Pull the yarn tight in a criss cross motion to bind the sticks together at the base.  For the inside of the loom tie a piece of yarn at the corner of your base and begin wrapping it around the loom.  To decorate your loom use items from outside such as flowers, leaves, nuts, bark or pine cones. Just be creative! 

See more at:   http://www.craftiments.com/2013/06/NatureWeavingCraftandSolarOvenSmores.html

9.       “Stained Glass”: Creating your own “stained glass” masterpiece is great fun on rainy day, cold day or snowy day.  This can provide entertainment for hours or just as a quick activity depending on how big you want to make your piece.  Here’s what you will need:

Press and Seal Wrap

Masking Tape

Colored Tissue Paper

Instructions:  Cut the desired size of press and seal wrap for the “glass” and use the masking tape to tape to a wall or window (this just holds the wrap up so it’s easier to add the tissue paper). Next cut the tissue paper into different sizes and shapes.  Once you have cut your tissue paper press them onto the press and seal to create a colorful pattern! 

See more at: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/42010208999764206/

10.   Birdseed Wreath: We love every part about making a bird seed wreath, from the sensory feeling of the bird seed, to creating a food source for the birds we share a yard with.  Once the wreath is hung outside your children will be anxiously waiting to see the first bird stop by for lunch. To get started you will need:

4 cups of bird seed

¾ cup of all purpose flour

½ cup of water

3T corn syrup

1 package of plain gelatin

Cooking spray

Bundt pan or other mold with a hole in the center

Ribbon

Instructions: In a large bowl put ½ cup warm water and gelatin mix together and let the gelatin dissolve.  Whisk in the corn syrup and flour to create a paste.  Add in 4 cups of bird seed and stir well.  Spray the Bundt pan with cooking spray then scoop in the seed mixture as evenly as possible.  Compact the seed in the pan with a spoon or spatula. Leave the seed in the pan for 24 hours to harden and dry.  After 24 hours turn the wreath over onto a plate or paper towel and then allow continuing to dry for 24 – 48 hours.  Now you are ready to hang your wreath from a tree limb with your ribbon (Just make sure to tie the knot tight). 

See more at: http://www.themotherhuddle.com/tutorial-bird-seed-wreath/

Bionic Man - Not Just For The Movies

Recently Val Brown from Ekso Bionics visited the Rehabilitation Institute, bringing a wearable bionic suit with her.  A bionic suit? Yeah we get it, right now you are imagining an Astronaut or Iron Man, well not quiet.  The bionic suit is more of an exoskeleton that allows individuals with any amount of lower extremity weakness to stand up and walk with a natural weight bearing gait. (No Arc Reactor needed.) 

Ekso Bionics hit the ground running in 2005 with strong partnerships and research grants.  They were able to apply the current technology to redefine physical limitations and allow patients to achieve remarkable goals.  They didn't just stop at giving wheelchair users a chance to walk with ELEGS they went on to create EKSO, EXOHIKER, and EXOCLIMBER.  As of December 2012 Ekso Bionics helped users take 1 million steps they may not have been able to take other wise.  Starting this year EKSO is now being implemented in rehabilitative and medical facilities across the world.  

So by now I'm sure your next question is who is it for? Ekso is a gait training exoskeleton designed to be used under medical supervision for patients with various levels of paralysis due to stroke, spinal cord injury or disease, traumatic brain injury, and more.  The EKSO does far more than allowing patients to walk when used in rehabilitative settings.  The EKSO retrains the patient a proper gait, step pattern, and step dosage.  The bionic suit also helps the patient support and position the rest of their body.  During the session information is gathered based on steps and balance while in the suit that the patient and their therapist can review before their next session to continue improvement.  Ekso Bionics may be a new technology but it has already brought so much to the lives of patients that thought they would otherwise not be able to walk again. 

Again, thank you Val Brown for coming by with the EKSO last week it was a great experience for our patients and staff!  

All information and more pictures on Ekso Bionics can be found on their website! 

To see the EKSO suit in action at R!KC visit our Facebook page! 

Child Beats All Odds

Her face sports a great big grin. She looks around the room through her bright pink sunglasses that she wears no matter where she is. She holds a tiny yellow car and tells everyone she sees about it. She is a 3 ½-year-old girl named Sephora Kalantari, and, if you had seen her a year ago, she would not have been able to do any of these things.

Sephora was born with two heart defects— pulmonary atresia and a hypo plastic right heart. One doctor told Sephora’s mom Debbie Kalantari, 22, that this is a unique case for two reasons: most cases of a hypo plastic heart deal with the left, not the right side; and, the doctor said, this was the only known case in the world with the two heart defects together. Sephora needed heart surgery but she was not healthy enough for the surgery until she was 2.

In March 2012, Sephora had open-heart surgery. The following day, she suffered a heart attack and a stroke. She had to be on a breathing machine for about five days after the surgery to sustain life, according to Debbie. A CT scan showed brain damage affecting the left side of her body caused by the stroke. After 51 days in the hospital, Sephora returned home at last with her mom and younger brother Zayden.

Once they were home, Sephora cried incessantly. The only times she would smile or laugh were whenever her brother spoke, which is why Debbie credits Zayden as a big part of Sephora’s recovery. Another big part of Sephora’s recovery is the staff at the Rehabilitation Institute of Kansas City (RIKC). Sephora’s transition to RIKC was difficult. She did not like being held and struggled to complete tasks without crying. Now, Sephora lights up when Speech-Language Pathologist Robin Miller-Gioia picks her up and hugs her. She has become a hard worker, attempting any task asked of her.

When Sephora started at RIKC, there was concern she was blind in both eyes. After a short amount of time, Sephora started identifying objects, and they discovered that she has vision in one eye. She learned to sit up on her own, and began to speak and reach for objects. After a course of intensive therapy, the team felt Sephora was making such fantastic gains that she was ready to transition to development preschool with follow-ups at RIKC to be sure she continues making gains.

Less than a month ago, Sephora had her second open-heart surgery. This time, the surgery went well, and Debbie said she is doing great! Sephora returned to RIKC to continue her recovery process. Debbie is proud of the person Sephora has become with the help of her RIKC team.

“I am so thankful for the people [at RIKC] who do what they do,” Debbie said. “Not everyone can do this work. The [staff at RIKC] is so patient and loving, and have overflowing optimism.” 

Sephora and her brother Zayden play on the slide,
which is something she couldn't do a year ago.

Children strengthen spirits and bodies at RIKC!

At RIKC's summer therapy programs, which began in June, children ages 2 to 18 could be seen riding scooters, making sundaes and headed out to field trips.  Yes, it’s therapy with a twist of fun. 

The participants have various types of neurodevelopmental disabilities, including brain injury, tumors and stroke.  Activities during summer therapy programs work on developmental and cognitive skills with an emphasis on constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) and hand-arm bilateral intensive training (HABIT).

One day, the participants lay on their stomachs on scooter boards for an activity. As part of CIMT, their stronger arm was in a cast, requiring more use of their affected arm. Geni Wier, 10, maneuvered to the other side of the room primarily using her affected right arm. Once she and the other children got there, they had to dig through buckets of beans to find different objects. Once Geni found the toy car, she gave it to the volunteer and scooted back to the other side with a look of happiness and pride on her face.

Besides working on their own, the children at the program participate in group activities. Before they used the scooters, they had to clean up the room, picking up toys and pushing tables together, all while still wearing the cast as part of CIMT. Trisha Peters, Geni’s mom, commented that  group work is a great part of the program.

“This [program] is a chance for [Geni] to be around kids afflicted the same way as her,” Peters said. “The activities help the kids figure out how to work together.”

Drennan Gwinn, 8, has been coming to RIKC for five years, and this is his fourth time at the summer program. He had troubles scooting using his affected arm, but the volunteers were helpful and encouraging. With their help, Drennan made it to the other side with a look of relief.

“I like the occupational therapy focus and group setting,” said Stephanie Gwinn, Drennan’s mom. “Of course Drennan likes it, because he likes being around people.”

Janet Padley, pediatric and adolescent coordinator at RIKC, said that before the summer programs were created, people were leaving the state to go to CIMT programs. Now, people have RIKC’s programs for their children.

Declaration of Independence: Bethany Serna

Bethany Serna, 2 ½, picked up the sunglasses, and began putting them on and taking them off. She took the Bacon Fest pig keychain and started pulling the measuring tape out with ease. Seeing her today, you would never guess that more than a year ago this toddler could barely move her arms or hands.

On April 5, 2012, Bethany’s parents, Rodney and Veronica, rushed her to the hospital in the middle of the night—something was terribly wrong. She had signs of meningitis, but when the doctors did a spinal tap, they saw that it was something else. She had a dangerously high red blood cell count and protein in her blood. So, she was sent to another hospital where, that night, after suspecting she had a tumor, she was rushed into surgery that lasted seven hours! The actual problem was an aneurysm caused by arteriovenous malformation (AVM), the abnormal tangling of arteries and veins. To help prevent further damage, the doctors had to put a clip on her spinal cord.

Despite surgery, Bethany experienced changes that would have life changing effects for her and her family. Bethany now had tetraplegia, the paralysis of the arms, legs and trunk of the body, so she could barely move. To help her regain certain skills, Bethany began speech, physical and occupational therapies at the Rehabilitation Institute of Kansas City (RIKC).

“When she came in, she couldn’t even lift her head up,” her father Rodney said. “She was starting over from the newborn stage for the most part.”

After doing therapy for more than a year— three times each week for up to five hours each time— through hard work, and the help of her family and RIKC staff, Bethany can now move her arms all around and crawl.

“Just to see her roll over again is so rewarding,” Rodney said. “She’s still weak in the trunk but is getting there and working on strength. This and other little things people take for granted are rewarding to see her do.”

When her AVM first appeared she didn’t talk much or eat well on her own, which the speech therapist and Bethany’s mom Veronica think are behavioral, indirect effects of her AVM.

“She is still a picky eater, but she has come a long way,” Veronica said. “She talks like crazy. She’s a little parrot.”

In about a month, Bethany will undergo one more surgery to remove the clip that is attached to her spinal cord.

Next year, Bethany will start preschool. She still has therapy at RIKC three times a week, but she has made such progress that her appointments are hours shorter.

About a year ago, Bethany couldn’t move her fingers. Now, as she and her parents leave the office, she waves goodbye with her index finger with a big smile on her face.