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I am thinking of putting together a small bag of stress relieving toys for children at school to use , when they are upset, or wound up.(five to seven year olds.) I would like to make some of these, or use items that can be inexpensively replaced.I thought of bubble wrap, stress balls made from baloons. Silly putty etc. Things that have a calming effect would be great.Exsisting items include a sand tray and water tray. Thankyou .
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Re: 'cool Zone' bag
Tue, October 6, 2009 - 1:12 PMSounds great. I would however re-thing the idea of using balloons. Small children have been known to choke on them if they break. We weren't allowed to use them when we had events at a children's bookstore I worked at for that reason. Maybe some other material for stress balls. -
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Re: 'cool Zone' bag
Tue, October 6, 2009 - 1:44 PMThey wouldn't be putting them in their mouths........... the baloons would not even look like baloons, familycrafts.about.com/cs/cra...all.htm -
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Re: 'cool Zone' bag
Thu, October 8, 2009 - 10:56 AMA balloon is a thin material and can break. Kids then pick up those small pieces, put it in their mouths and break. I've seen it happen and it's not a pretty site to see. I'm just saying.........
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Re: 'cool Zone' bag
Thu, October 8, 2009 - 11:05 AM"They wouldn't be putting them in their mouths"
LOL famous last words!
personally, I find that my niece and nephew get totally wound up playing with bubble wrap; in a school environment, this noise and mayhem may not be fully appreciated.
I do notice that they get very calm when examining beautiful or interesting things, like bugs, flowers, and intricate toys that do not have parts; oddly enough they get calm when brushing their own hair (so maybe a cheap comb or brush?) Plus, storytime is always calming - you could include books. -
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Re: 'cool Zone' bag
Thu, October 8, 2009 - 12:25 PMI am aware of balloons and the dangers of suffocation, this could happen with any of the recomended 'rubber stress balls ' you can buy from school supplies.The children would be closely supervised since they are in a calm place because they are experiencing anger, frustration or general upset.They will use these tools whilst they are talking to trained staff and as with any miss used toy (ie breaking on purpous, chewing , biting etc) would be removed. Bubble wrap is not as noisy as a child with behaviour issues, and they would be taken to a quiet area, which we have.
Hair brushing sounds good, and some children have been given paper to shred in the past. We have been shown story cards, which are small enough to 'fiddle with' as opposed to books which they have access to on a daily basis, although I may steal the smaller ones from the library! thanks:)
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Re: 'cool Zone' bag
Thu, October 15, 2009 - 2:49 PMOne thing that I've seen used in "therapy" situations for calming is tactile therapy. Get a few squares (say, 6"x6" or so) of different textured fabrics. Some good ones are satins, polar fleece, flanal, denim, and so on. Sew them together like a book. Different children prefer different textures, and the book allows them to find a texture that they like and is small enough to hold in their hands. For sanitary needs, it's best to find materials that can be machine washed.
As for stress balls, rather than the balloons, you could try making foam blocks or balls - like baby toys - that they can squish or toss safely. Balloons may pose a problem because of latex allergies (I know this from personal experience).
A more "re-useable" option for the bubble wrap would be a clicker like those used in dog training.
Dice and a dice cup can also be very calming - shaking and tossing create different sounds and the repetitive motion is, again, soothing.
Rain-maker style toys are also an option - I know there are directions on the web for making them.
I used to work with dual diagnosis (emotionally and cognititvely disabled) adolescent boys, and employed some of these tactics. I hope my input is helpful to you. -
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Re: 'cool Zone' bag
Thu, October 15, 2009 - 11:42 PMOh thankyou! there are great ideas there! All of which are perfect for a bag :) (I can make a rainmaker,) and the book can be made too thanks !! -
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Re: 'cool Zone' bag
Thu, October 15, 2009 - 11:57 PMYou are welcome. If I think of more, I'll post them.
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