Popercise

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Activity:  Popercise  

Target Participant Group:  Individuals with depression

Therapeutic potential of this activity:

• To boost participants' mood with exercise
• To provide opportunity for encouraging social interactions
• To provide an opportunity for increasing physical fitness

What other groups may benefit from this activity?

• Individuals with Autism 
• Individuals who are recovering from a stroke
• Anyone who would like to exercise and have fun at the same time!

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity?

• Individuals with severe hearing impairments

Activity description:

In Popercise, individuals exercise by dancing on top of bubble wrap!  Music can be selected based on the preferences of participants.  Popercise is highly adaptable in that participants can "work" whatever muscles they need to.  For example, participants' needs could range from wanting to boost their mood by being physically active, to a full cardiac workout, or to just working on regaining their hand muscles after a stroke (by squeezing the bubble wrap).  

   

Resources needed:

• Lots of bubble wrap!
• Open space
• Music

Best leadership style for this activity?

The best leadership style for this activity is one that is fun loving and enthusiastic, but that keeps safety in mind at the same time.  It is very important to make sure that no one trips or slips on the bubble wrap during this activity.

Where did I find this activity?

I found this activity at the Therapeutic Recreation Directory at http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/txex.htm.

Where can others find more information on this activity?

For more information about exercise, check out the article "Best Fitness Routines Fit Your Personality" at http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/12/27/best-fitness-routines-fit-personality-studies/. 

Sled Hockey

Activity: Sled (sledge) Hockey

Target Participant Group:  Individuals with physical disabilities affecting their lower limbs (e.g. amputations, spinal cord injuries, arthritis, etc.)

Therapeutic potential of this activity:

• To help participants practice balance
• To give participants the opportunity to be part of a team
• To help participants learn good sportsmanship

What other groups may benefit from this activity?

• Family members of those with a disability
• Any individuals wanting to gain more upper body strength 

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity?

• Individuals who do not have use of their arms
• Individuals with a severe visual impairment

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Activity description:

Sled hockey is an adapted version of hockey where athletes play sitting down and secured by Velcro onto a sled or sledge.  Sled hockey players maneuver themselves with the use of two, short, double ended hockey sticks (a blade on one end and picks on the other).  Sled hockey rules follow closely the rules of standard hockey.

      

Resources needed:

• Ice rink
• Sleds/sledges
• Hockey sticks
• Protective equipment (helmets, pads, etc.)

Best leadership style for this activity?

As a leader for Sled Hockey, the most important thing is to be safety conscious.  It is important to know the rules of the game and to teach your players how to follow those rules so that all participants can have fun without becoming injured.  Also, coaches should be informed about the physical conditions and needs of their players so that they will know what safety measures need to be taken in case of emergency.     

Where did I find this activity?

I found this activity at the Wheelchair Sports Federation website at http://www.wheelchairsportsfederation.org/adaptive-sports/sled-hockey.

Where can others find more information on this activity?

 For more information check out USA Hockey at http://www.usahockey.com/.

Kentucky Derby: Wheel for the Roses

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Activity:  Kentucky Derby:  Wheel for the Roses

Target Participant Group:  Residents in nursing homes

Therapeutic potential of this activity:  

• Provide opportunity for residents and staff to place themselves in someone else's shoes
• Provide opportunity for positive social interactions through cheering on one's team
• Provide opportunity for residents and staff to feel that they belong by being part of a team     

What other groups may benefit from this activity?

• Any other individuals using wheelchairs as a part of their daily life (i.e. those with spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy, etc.)    

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity?

• Individuals who do not yet have the ability to handle competitive social interactions

Activity description:
In Kentucky Derby:  Wheel for the Roses, residents will cheer on their nursing home staff in a wheel chair race!  The wheel chair will serve as the adapted "horse," and staff are the "jockeys"!  The number of competitors will vary depending on how many staff participate.  Once this is decided, residents may choose a jockey they would like to support.  Residents can then help the staff decide a name for their "racehorse" and create racing silks to be worn by the jockey the day of the race.  If desired, residents may dress up for the occasion.  The winning team receives the roses!              

Resources needed:

• Wheelchair for each staff member who is racing
• Materials for creating the racing silks (t-shirts, paints, stencils, construction paper, glue, etc.)
• Space for the actual race course (in-doors or out-doors)
• Finish line
• Roses
• Creativity

Best leadership style for this activity?
The best leadership style for this activity is one that allows residents and staff to harness their creativity and build their team membership skills.    
   

Where did I find this activity?
I found this activity at the Therapeutic Recreation Directory website at http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/txapril.htm.

Where can others find more information on this activity?
For more information on wheelchair racing, check out the following links

• Power Wheelchair Racing Association http://www.powerwheelchairracing.com/
• How to Adapt http://www.howtoadapt.com/RacingWheelchair/RacingWheelchair.shtml

Laughter Yoga

For last week's class, we had a guest presenter who instructed us in laughter yoga (a combination of laughter and physical activity).  One of the premises behind laughter yoga is that the combination of purposeful laughter and physical activity helps participants to circulate air in their lungs better and therefore feel better and become more healthy.  When the time came for trying out laughter yoga in group activities, however, I have to admit that I really struggled!  It was difficult to laugh just because I was supposed to!  This combined with many of the "silly" actions participants had to do as part of the yoga only contributed all the more to my rising self-consciousness.  I felt embarrassed and laughed often out of sheer nervousness!  In applying this to Therapeutic Recreation, I really appreciated the point that my instructor Heather made in that it is helpful for TR majors to experience what it is like to feel uncomfortable and resistant to a new activity because that is often how participants will feel in our programs!  More specifically, however, laughter yoga would be easy to use with many different populations and settings because it does not require a lot of props and is easily adaptable to varying levels of physical ability.                      

Music/Rhythm & Journaling

Last week our class participated in two more group presentations:  Music/Rhythm and Journaling!  During the Music/Rhythm presentation the class was split into "bands" for two performances.  The first presentation was each band performing/playing a song using Rock Band (an electronic game with one guitar player, drummer, and singer)!  The next performance was a Battle of the Bands where groups were assigned to a particular population (i.e. youth at risk, geriatrics, etc.)  These populations then wrote lyrics to sing to instrumental versions of popular songs.  During the Journaling presentation, our class made altered books!  There were different stations such as creative writing and cover making!          

What I learned about myself this week was that I take my art pretty seriously!  I have a hard time just throwing something together!  In order for me to be satisfied with something creative that I have made, I have to have time to "perfect" it.  I think this feeling is something good to keep in mind when scheduling programs as a future CTRS.  As I develop professionally, it is important to make sure that each activity is able to be satisfactorily completed in the amount of time given.  This will help prevent participant and facilitator frustration!  What I did to strive for excellence during this class was to get out of my comfort zone by singing in front of the class not once, but twice!  

Art & Drama!

   Last week our class got to experience two presentations in one night! The first group facilitated several art activities aimed at serving participants with visual impairments.  Thus, all of the activities involved lots of tactile and auditory stimulation.  We made "shakers" using noodles, peas, pennies, sunflower seeds, etc.; necklaces using circular shaped foods (i.e. fruit loops, cheerios, life savers); artwork using tissue paper; and sculptures and drawings using shaving cream!  During the activities we were even able to experience what it would be like to have a visual impairment through the use of blindfolds and foggy goggles.
   My group presented next, and we facilitated several drama activities targeting youth at risk.  Participants were able to express different emotions and identities by acting out different character roles based on the interpretation participants had of their provided costumes.  Participants also were able to write and act out a short skit using the props provided.  At the end of the night, everyone felt the activities were very therapeutic in that they were able to forget the stress of school and just enjoy laughing!
   What I learned from these activities that will help me in my professional development was that some of the most positive and therapeutic moments in an activity cannot be planned!  They are often spontaneous!  What I learned about myself this week was that all of this practice of facilitating small groups is paying off!  The small drama group I facilitated had some positive feedback on my leadership style that was very encouraging to me!   What I did to strive for excellence during this class was to not ask more from the participants than I was willing to do myself.  When it came time to act out some things during the drama group, I jumped right in with them!  It was a great experience!  

Shrink Art

Activity: Multicultural Shrink Art

Target Participant Group:  Community program participants

Therapeutic potential of this activity:

• To provide exposure to different multicultural symbols through art
• To provide an opportunity for creativity
• To provide an opportunity for social skills improvement
• To boost self-esteem
• To improve fine motor skills  

What other groups may benefit from this activity?

• Individuals with visual impairments
• Individuals in the hospital (i.e. pediatrics, physical rehabilitation, occupational therapy)
• Individuals in nursing homes
• Youth at risk
• Individuals with depression

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity?

• Individuals with no fine motor control

                                                        Activity description:

   

   Shrink art is the process of tracing and coloring art onto sheets of sanded plastic and then "shrinking" those cut out pieces of plastic by placing them in a toaster oven.  The options of what can be made are endless!  First of all, anything can be drawn on the plastic and thus "shrunk".  This can be a great opportunity to include multicultural images!  Second, these miniaturized pieces of art can be used to create other pieces of functional art (i.e. earrings, charm necklaces and bracelets, rings, pins, key chains, etc.)     

Resources needed:

• Shrink art plastic
• Permanent markers
• Colored pencils
• Toaster oven
• Traceable pictures for inspiration

Best leadership style for this activity?

The best leadership style for this activity is one that values safety (e.g. operating the toaster oven) and creativity!  It is important to provide participants with an environment that encourages their self-expression!     

Where did I find this activity?

Activity information found at http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/txcultur.htm and given by Elaine Belkind.  I have also personally done shrink art with patients while volunteering on the pediatric inpatient floor at Gundersen Lutheran.  It is a very fun and creative yet simple activity!  Photos found at https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6ZWOLe0zincBeSBcm8KI8FHrinAFJ2RahBv_OhUBZ9e-deG8hx4ARkzrO2SWmOQRjWjGcpaVc1RyKrXFB8QNIyfTscgk82v2bvShJzv261folNN4lKtrSh9dEr3dZa2gcwfVr-Wk_LU/s400/Shrink+Art+Green+Jade.jpg and http://www.beezkidz.com/images/Shrink%20Art/100_2928.jpg.

Where can others find more information on this activity?

For more detailed information and directions visit http://shrinkydinks.com/pages/instructions/KB_Assortment_instructions.pdf.