Hi, Teach123 Fans: Lava Paper!

Hi Teach 123 Fans who came from here:

http://teach123-school.blogspot.com/2012/12/handwriting-lava-paper.html

I was thrilled to see that Teach123 had posted our lava paper! (I created it originally but was just drawing it in on paper each time, Tonya of TherapyFunZone.com used Photoshop to make my dreams come true).

Anyway, Teach123 has an AMAZING blog with great ideas for teachers and I originally found her through Pinterest where she showed off a genius idea for reducing visual clutter as well as helping not overwhelm a child who sees a ton of work in front of them.

http://pinterest.com/pin/79868593363169839/

“Cut a file folder into strips. The shorter the attention span, the smaller you will cut the strips. I cut this one into 3 parts. Students open 1 flap at a time and always begin at the top and work their way down. Students complete the work that they can see when a flap is open. “

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We were trying to think of what to label that amazing idea while in an IEP meeting the other day. All thanks to Teach123. So….I digress.

Basically because of this pin, I found Teach123 and spent a lot of time checking out her ideas. I think teachers have GREAT ideas for OTs and vice versa! I saw a post where she had a picture of some handwriting paper she had used and decided to write her to see if she was up for trying some lava paper out.

Long story short (okay it’s a short story but long story sounds way better), she posted it on her very popular blog. And yes, yay, I’m excited about the traffic, but by far I’m most excited at the idea that teachers (and therefore their kids) will benefit.

I know I’m biased, but I do use the lava paper EVERY DAY and it is quite helpful for a ton of my OT kids. Sometimes they get a little too into the action and start sending off worm attack lines etc. For the first time or so they get the paper, there’s that novelty period and exploration period so let them have a little fun with it please. But after a few times, they need to follow the rules of the paper without adding extra lines etc.

Some of my kids love to make a little mistake so they CAN use their eraser superhero powers and save the letters. I’m okay with that if it doesn’t get excessive because ERASING is a great skill to learn too!

Check out how your kids are erasing. Bet some of them are inefficient. Show them the proper method to use that power (ie close to the tip, small movements, etc)

I digress again. The point is, thank you for coming over, thank you for following Teach123 because she has amazing ideas, and please check out www.therapyfunzone.com because she made the paper a reality and also has TONS of great ideas! I love her pencil obstacle courses!

You can also find me at pinterest at

www.pinterest.com/funkist/ot-ideas which have a lot of great ideas for things you could potentially do in the classroom as crafts. 🙂