Activity Research 4- The Chain Gang

Activity: The name of the activity is The Chain Gang

Target participant group: This activity can be great for most groups with 10 of more participants.

Therapeutic potential of this activity: This activity can be cognitively beneficial because you have to get used to using your body in a new way. It also can be socially beneficial because you have to work with a team.

What other groups may benefit from this activity? A participant with an arm amputation can benefit from this activity because it puts everyone in the same situation as them and they can impress the others by showing how well they can do things with just one arm.

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? This activity involves cutting with scissors, most likely with your non dominate hand, so this activity would not be appropriate for children under 6 years old.

Activity description:

1.    Divide participants into groups of five.

2.    Direct groups to go to designated location in the room.

3.    The leader will then instruct everyone to raise one hand, and then sit on the hand that they raised.

4.    Instruct participants to create a paper chain with the supplies on the table (scissors, paper, glue).

5.    Explain that each participant can only use the hand that is free to construct the paper chain.

6.    Give groups a time limit, with the goal of creating the longest chain.

7.    End activity when time is up and see who has created the longest chain.

Resources needed: You will need 10-20 sheets of construction paper per group, one bottle of glue per group, and one pair of scissors per group.

Best leadership style for this activity: The best leadership style for this activity is simply giving the participants’ instructions and encouraging them throughout the activity.

Where did you find this activity? Learned and played it in a previous course.

Where can others find more information on this activity? 

Activity Research 3- Rope Knots Game

Activity: The name of the activity is Rope Knots Game

Target participant group: This activity is best for pre-teens to adults with moderate or no intellectual disability.

Therapeutic potential of this activity: This activity can improve an individual’s problem solving skills and encourages socializing.

What other groups may benefit from this activity? This activity could also benefit younger children but will likely require help from the facilitator.

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? This activity would not be appropriate for people who are in wheel chairs because it often involves weaving in and out of small spaces.

Activity description:

1. Purchase a rope that is at least 40 feet long.
2. Gather 8-20 participants.
3. Fold rope in half.
4. Secure center to a solid object or it can be held by a facilitator.
5. Spread ends of the rope into a V-shape.
6. Tie one knot (overhand or in a figure eight knot) two feet from the secure point and another knot approximately 10 feet from the first knot on each rope.
7. Split the participants into 2 equal groups.
8. Line up teams along the length of each half of the rope.
9. Instruct them to grab the rope in one hand.
10. Instruct them to figure out how to untie their teams’ rope without letting go.
11. The first team to untie their knot wins.

Resources needed: You will need one rope measuring at least forty feet long and a facility big enough for your group.

Best leadership style for this activity: The best leadership style for this activity is starting off with the facilitator directing and then eventually handing it over to the participants.

Where did you find this activity? I found out about and participated in the activity in my REC 200 class last year.

Where can others find more information on this activity? 

http://www.teambuildingportal.com/games/rope-knots-game

Week 5: Thursday October 18th- Arts and Crafts

This week in class the Arts and Crafts group presented. We did four activities; drawing with chalk while in a wheel chair, made gods eyes while blind folded, made sensory bags and did marble paintings. All the activities did a great job of showing how arts and crafts can be great for anyone. The gods eye is a great activity for someone with a visual impairment because it relies mostly on on tactile sensation. I really liked the adaption using the dowels instead of the Popsicle sticks so you could have a better feel of where you were and it was easier to push down. The sensory bag was a really fun and cheap idea that I will definitely use as a CTRS someday. During these activities I realized how much fun arts and crafts can be for any age group and how therapeutic they can be. Overall, this presentation really showed me that arts and crafts can be inexpensive and easy to adapt for different populations.

Activity Research 2: Story Cards

Activity: The name of the activity is “Story Cards”.

Target participant group: This activity can be used with any population that can communicate verbally, with sign language or in the written form.

Therapeutic potential of this activity: This activity can improve expressive language skills and exercises the short term memory. It is also a great social activity that can be full of laughter.

What other groups may benefit from this activity? This activity could also benefit children and adults with cognitive disabilities.

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? This activity might not be appropriate for people with dementia because it may become too frustrating trying to remember what the other group members have said.

Activity description:

1. You will need to purchase, print or draw pictures on 20 or more cards (about the size of an index card or bigger if you are working with people who have slight visual impairments)
2. Form a group of 3-5 participants and have them gather in a circle.
3. Give each participant at least 3 cards.
4. Have a volunteer or choose someone to start the story.
5. That participant will then choose one of their cards and use the picture on it to inspire them to give a few sentences to open the story.
6. That participant will then set there card on the floor or a table in the middle of the circle so everyone can see it.
7. The next participant will restate the first part of the story, and then use their chosen card to creatively add another few sentences to the story.
8. The process will repeat with each participant trying to retell the story from the beginning each time they add to the story until they run out of time or cards.

Resources needed: You will need 20 or more cards with fun pictures and a space large enough for your group to sit in a circle.

 Best leadership style for this activity: Democratic (participatory) leadership is best for this activity.

Where did you find this activity? I discovered this activity during my summer job at Central Wisconsin Center but it is very common and you can purchase games at most toy stores.

Where can others find more information on this activity? 

Activity Research 1: Special Candy Game

Activity: The name of the activity is “Special Candy Game”.

Target participant group: Youth at risk, adults and children both with and without developmental disabilities could all benefit from this activity.

Therapeutic potential of this activity: This game is aimed to increase participant’s self-esteem and help a group get to know one another.

What other groups may benefit from this activity? Anyone who is able to fully participate in the activity can reap a benefit.

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? This activity may not be appropriate for children under the age of five, who this could be a choking hazard for.

Activity description:

• 1.     You will need a minimum of 5 participants and ideally no more than 12.
• 2.     Participants will gather and sit in a circle
• 3.     Each participant will be given 10 small pieces of candy.
• 4.     Choose or have someone volunteer to go first.
• 5.     The participant will then state one thing interesting or fun thing about themselves.
• 6.     The rest of the group will listen and throw one of their pieces of candy to the participant if they do not have what was stated in common with them.
• 7.     Repeat steps 6 &7, rotating around the circle until everyone has about the same amount of candy.

Resources needed: You will need 10 pieces of small candy for each participant and a space big enough for your group to sit in a circle.

 Best leadership style for this activity: Democratic (participatory) leadership is best for this activity.

Where did you find this activity? I found this activity at Recreationtherapy.com and I also participated in it my freshmen year of college at Edgewood.

Where can others find more information on this activity? You can find out more about this activity at: http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/txself.htm

Week 4: Thursday October 11th Music

This week was my groups presentation and our Topic was music. After we chose the topic we were informed about a man named Joe who loved to introduce groups to an instrument known as the ukulele. We decided that would be a fun activity and scheduled to have him come in. His goal was teach us how to play in 60 minutes. He did a great job but I found it to be very difficult to play. I have never been talented musically so this did not come as a surprise to me. I had a hard time moving my fingers from string to string to change notes, especially when he told us not to look at our hands. Even though it was extremely difficult for me I found that it did lift my mood quite a bit. Just hearing the sounds that it made and seeing the joy on others faces really made it a wonderful time! I would like to spend more time learning how to play the ukulele (maybe even go play at the food court in the mall on Wednesdays) and eventually share it with the participants I work with.

After that part of our session was done we each briefly talked about a different population we may work with and how music can be beneficial to each. My population was youth at risk which I feel music can be so beneficial for. Cognitively it takes so much brain power to operate any instrument and if started at a young age I feel like this could positively impact the rest of their lives. There are so many different ways to participate in music that it doesn't discriminate against any population or fit any stereotype, so they would never need to feel out of place. Music can really benefit anyone whether you are playing an instrument, singing or just listening it can make your mood do a complete 180!

Week 3: Thrusday, October 4th- Adaptive Golfing

This week our class met at Forest Hills Golf Course where our class was led by the head of the Sister Kenny golf program. She began by giving us an overview on how the golf program came to be and what it looks like today. The program seems wonderful and has seems to be a real hit. She showed some of the adaptive equipment they use including longer club, clubs that are angled and and adapted golf cart that can be driven on the green and has a rotating seat. After that we got to do some experiential learning on the golf course. I had never golfed before so this was really exciting for me. She set up four stations, all representing a different disability. My first station represented a right arm amputee which was extremely difficult considering I am right handed and have never golfed before. I was able to eventually get a hit but it wasn't easy because I couldn't get the club lined up just right and the club was somewhat heavy for just using one arm. The next station was left arm amputee. This was much easier but I still struggled with controlling the weight of the club. The other stations were supposed to simulate what it is like for someone in a wheel chair to golf. It was not easy to line up the chair so that the club would reach the ball just right and it was hard to get a powerful swing with my legs in the way. Though, all of these things were difficult and somewhat frustrating I always think it is good to get a little taste of what the people I will work with will go through. After this activity I realized I enjoy golfing and would like to try to play a game sometime. Also, after hearing how much the clients at Sister Kenny enjoy it and seeing how easily it can be adapted think I would like to incorporate some sort of golf program in my future as a CTRS.

Week 2: Thursday, September 27th- Dining

This past week we had our second presentation, Dining with Disabilities.

The group started by offering us some food, juice with thicket and blended pizza. This was a fun idea and it definitely took us all out of our comfort zone! I tried a tiny bit of the juice with thicket and found the texture to be extremely unpleasing! I was unable to try the pizza because of a food allergy but I could tell from the reaction of my classmates that it was not even comparable to eating a slice of pizza. I think it is really important that we experience and try things that we will be serving to our participants. I do not generally consider myself a picky person when it comes to the texture of food but this activity made me realize how much it really can effect how much I enjoy something.

Next, the group had a power point. They focused on the struggles and adaptions that can help minimize these struggles for people with different disabilities. For almost every population that recommended a plate that suctions to the table to prevent unwanted movement and spilling. They also showed utensils with bigger handles to make gripping easier. One of the more unusual things I have seen was the "Neater Eater" which is basically a robotic arm with a spoon on the end that helps people to eat while maintaining as much independence as possible.

After the power point we rotated through four stations, each one giving us a disabling condition and a task to complete. My first was supposed to give us a glimpse of what it would be like to have Parkinson's Disease. We did this by wearing a bracelet on each wrist with a rope connecting them. We then had someone else in our group pull the rope, as if they were a puppeteer, while we tried to pick up and put food in our mouth. The next station we were told to pretend we were missing a thumb. We then had to attempt to get spaghetti on our fork. The third station we were visually impaired and had to try to eat with silverware. The fourth and final station we had to pretend our dominate hand was amputated and try to eat. All the stations were frustrating but extremely educational to help me even remotely understand some of the struggle people I will be working with go through.

The last activity we participated in was mini skits. Each skit demonstrated a situation you may encounter while dining with someone who has a disability. We had a lot of fun laughing because none of us were very good actors but we all knew the seriousness of each of the situations. Afterwards the group encouraged everyone to share stories of things that have encountered in dining situations. It was amazing how many people had witnessed or even been a victim to some of these situations.

This group taught me a lot, while making it very fun and interesting  I am excited to try some of the adaptions they mentioned someday!