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.

Hoopapalooza!

In last week's class we learned about hula hooping and were able to each make our own hula hoop using PVC pipe, a connector, and duct tape!  What I learned from this class that will help my professional development is all of the benefits that hula hooping offers (physical exercise, community building, self-expression, etc.)!  What I learned about myself was that sometimes I get very focused on the individual parts of a project (i.e. finding the perfect colors of tape) that I can miss enjoying the whole process.  What I did to strive for excellence during this class was to let go of being afraid if I looked silly hula hooping and just have fun!  Since this class, I have begun hula hooping on my own for exercise and have set a 20 minute non-stop record for myself! :)      

My class proudly displaying our newly made hula hoops!

Beta Fish Therapy

Activity:  Beta Fish Therapy

Target Participant Group: Individuals in the hospital

Therapeutic potential of this activity:

• Decrease symptoms of depression
• Provide opportunity to reminisce
• Decrease blood pressure

What other groups may benefit from this activity? 

• Individuals in nursing homes
• Individuals with mental illness

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity?

• Individuals with severe animal phobias

Activity description:

   In this activity, single Beta fish are brought to patients’ rooms as a form of animal therapy.  Depending on the level of patient interest and ability, the therapy can be as simple as just having the patient enjoy looking at the fish, or may be more involved in that the fish can be trained to eat out of people’s hands! Beta fish are also attracted to colors and therefore may be “played” with if the patient is given different colored objects.     

Resources needed:

• Medium sized glass bowl
• Beta fish
• Aquarium plant
• Aquarium rock
• Water treatment products (stresscoat water conditioner, aquarium salt, and aquarisol drops)
• Tank transportation (e.g. cart)
• Colorful objects

Best leadership style for this activity?

   Leaders should have good social interaction skills and the ability to engage patients in therapeutic conversation, but also be able to step back and let the interaction between the patient and the animal be therapeutic in and of itself.

Where did I find this activity?

   Activity information was found at http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/animalassisted.htm and provided by Methodist Healthcare’s Rebecca Neeley.  Photo found at http://www.bettafishguru.com/images/bettafish.jpg.

Where can others find more information on this activity?

   For more information on animal assisted therapy visit http://www.animaltherapy.net/Premise%20%26%20Promise.html.

Autobiographical Writing

Activity:  Autobiographical Writing

Target Participant Group:  Assisted living/nursing home residents

Therapeutic potential of this activity:

·         Provide opportunity for self-awareness

·         Provide opportunity for self-acceptance

·         Provide opportunity for healthy expression of emotions

·         Provide opportunity to build self-esteem

·         Provide opportunity to reminisce

·         Provide opportunity for participants to practice empathy

What other groups may benefit from this activity?

• Individuals who have experienced trauma (with knowledgeable facilitator only)
• Individuals who have difficulty expressing emotions
• Individuals who would like to expand their creative writing skills
• Individuals with dementia

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity?

• Individuals who are too young to read and write

Activity description:

   Autobiographical writing can be facilitated in a group setting or on an individual basis.  Often, it is helpful for facilitators to have pre-selected suggested writing topics in order to help participants have a place to start their writing (i.e. family, job, hobbies, etc.)  Other methods, however, might be to use photo albums of the participants in order to give them some more flexible writing topic ideas.  A useful format for autobiographical writing programs is to have weekly group sessions where participants can brainstorm as well as share the stories they wrote throughout that week based off of the ideas given in the group session.  If desired, facilitators can offer to word process participants’ stories for them to have an easily readable copy for their families. 

Resources needed:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Word processor
• Group meeting room
• Creativity

Best leadership style for this activity?

   The best leadership style for this activity is one that provides enough structure for participants to get started but enough freedom so that participants can truly be creative and express themselves how they best see fit.

Where did I find this activity?

   Activity information was found in an article by Nancy Richeson, Ph.D., CTRS, called Autobiographical Writing:  An Innovative Therapeutic Recreation Intervention at http://www.recreationtherapy.com/articles/autobiographical.htm.  Photo found at http://www.gcrweb.com/HeartDSS/photos/old-people-reading-copy.jpg.

Where can others find more information on this activity?

   For more information about autobiographical writing go to http://www.storyhelp.com/autotypes.html.  This is a great website by the Center for Autobiographic Studies with information on types of autobiographies as well as links to purchase other individuals' stories. 

Adapted Bungee Jumping!

Activity:  Adapted Bungee Jumping

Target Participant Group:  People using wheelchairs

Whistler Bungee Jumping Location

Therapeutic potential of this activity: 

• Provide a sense of normalcy
• Provide opportunity for life enjoyment
• Provide a sense of mastery upon completion 
• Provide opportunity to increase one’s social circle
• Serve as a healthy outlet for individuals who are addicted to unhealthy risk taking behaviors
• Provide trust building opportunity

What other groups may benefit from this activity?

• Individuals at risk (chronically engage in unhealthy risk taking behaviors)
• Wounded warriors
• Individuals with hearing impairments
• Individuals with visual impairments

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity?

• Individuals with heart conditions
• Individuals with no fine motor control (necessary for self-attachment of retrieval line if jumping solo)

Activity description:

     Depending on individual physical needs and/or preferences, bungee jumpers can jump several different ways by having the cord attached to their person at different locations.  Options include the chest/waist, ankle, tandem (pairs), or in a wheelchair!  Where the cord is attached will affect the jumping experience (i.e. being attached at the chest/waist will minimize the amount of going headfirst).  Wheelchairs are harnessed in such a way as to prevent any damage.  The type of cord used will be determined by where it will be attached, as well as the weight of the bungee jumper.  All participants (or their parent/ guardian) must sign a waiver before the activity.        

Man in a wheelchair bungee jumping!

Resources needed:

·         Bungee cords

·         Bungee harness

·         Transportation

·         Guts! J

Best leadership style for this activity?

   The best leadership style for bungee jumping is one that puts the safety of participants before everything else.  Leaders should also be experts at trust building in order for participants to have the most safe and enjoyable experience possible.   

Where did I find this activity?

   Activity information and photos were found at Whistler Bungee at http://www.whistlerbungee.com/ and Whistler for the Disabled at http://www.whistlerforthedisabled.com/summertouradventures.htm#offroad.

Where can others find more information on this activity?

   For more information people can check out In the Sky Sports at http://www.intheskysports.com/.  This website has information on bungee jumping locations and more, as well as other similar sports (i.e.sky diving, gliders, etc.)  

Adapted Scuba Diving

Activity:  Adapted Scuba Diving

Target participant group:  Individuals with physical disabilities

Therapeutic potential of this activity: 

• Build physical strength and endurance
• Increase social networks
• Provide opportunity for life enjoyment   

What other groups may benefit from this activity? 

• ·         Individuals with traumatic brain injury
• ·         Wounded warriors
• ·         Individuals with ADHD
• ·         Individuals with Down Syndrome
• ·         Individuals with Autism

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? 

• ·         Individuals who have a disability affecting their memory (may not be able to remember necessary safety precautions)
• ·         Individuals who have a disability related to pressure

Activity description:

Scuba diving may be taught and adapted to individuals with many different ability levels.  The following levels of certification reflect this great degree of adaptability:    

• ·         Level 1 Scuba Certification:  Diver has ability to perform safety/rescue procedures for himself/herself and others
• ·         Level 2 Scuba Certification:  Diver has ability to perform safety/rescue procedures for himself/herself only
• ·         Level 3 Scuba Certification:  Diver does not have the ability to perform any safety/rescue procedures

A diver's level of certification will thus determine how much assistance is needed for them to be involved in a dive and what type of dives they will be able to go on.

Resources needed:    

• ·         Scuba equipment (goggles, air tanks, weights, swimming suit or wet suit, etc.)
• ·         Pool (controlled environment for safe training) or open water
• ·         Certified instructors

Best leadership style for this activity: 

For this activity, the best leadership style would be one where the leader is very involved at first for participants' safety and then gradually steps back as much as possible as participants become more knowledgeable and competent in performing required diving tasks.  

Where did I find this activity?

Activity information and photo were found on the Diveheart Foundation’s website http://diveheart.org/ on November 14, 2011.   

Where can others find more information on this activity?

The following links direct to additional scuba diving websites:

http://www.divebuddys.com/

http://www.captainslate.com/

http://www.divetech.com/

http://www.hsascuba.com/

Tape Art!

Last week in class was an awesome experience because it was the first time I created tape art!  The class divided into groups and did 2D as well as 3D art.  For our 3D sculpture, my group made a flamingo!  In 2D art, we did a silhouette of one of our members doing a handstand against the wall!  What I learned that will help me with my professional development was yet another activity that is very creative and that can be used with a wide range of participants.  Another bonus was that this activity was not very messy and easy to correct if you made a mistake.  What I learned about myself that week was that I am not very assertive in leadership.  There were times that I wanted to try a different part of the tape art activity but did not say anything because another group member was doing it, and I did not want to get in their way.  However, I am sure that they would have been glad to let me try that part of the activity if I just would have asked!  I learned that next time I should just speak up!  What I did to strive for excellence in this class was to try something new that looked a little intimidating (i.e. having a huge blank wall to work on).  I worked on the activity a little bit at a time, and before I knew it something awesome was created!

Article Review: Leadership

Name of article: Important Co-leader Skills and Traits on Extended Outdoor Trips as Perceived by Leaders

Name of journal: Leisure Studies

Name of authors: Christel Rilling and Deb Jordan

When and how I located this article: I located this article on November 3, 2011, using EBSCOhost on Murphy Library’s website.  

Synopsis of what I learned in this article:

     This article summarized three different styles of leadership in outdoor trips.  These were People-Empowering Leaders (PE), Wilderness-Power Leaders (WP), and Universal Leaders (UN). 

     PE leaders strove for interpersonal skills.  WP leaders, on the other hand, were characterized by having technical skills.  UN leaders valued community and skills in leadership.  Besides identifying different leadership styles, this article also looked at what types of co-leaders leaders desired.  Similarity to the leader was the number one choice.  The next most popular co-leaders were PE leaders.    

         

How I will apply this knowledge to my professional development: 

This information is very relevant to my professional development because it will help me to know what areas I need to work on in order to be a desired co-leader.  I think that one can never stop improving too much on interpersonal skills.

Would I recommend this article for other TR students? Why or why not?

Yes, I would recommend this article for other TR students because it will help them begin thinking about what type of leader they want to become.

Reference:

Rilling, C., & Jordan, D. (2007, April). : Important Co-leader Skills and Traits on Extended Outdoor Trips as Perceived  by Leaders. Leisure Studies, 26(2), 193-212. Retrieved November 3, 2011.

Article Review: Adaptive Gardening Equipment

Name of article: Gardening: adaptive techniques for care home residents

Name of journal: Nursing & Residential Care

Name of author: JI Swann

When and how I located this article: I located this article on November 3, 2011, using EBSCOhost on Murphy Library’s website.  

Synopsis of what I learned in this article:

     This article gave several good tips on how to adapt gardening for individuals with physical limitations living in assisted living and nursing homes.  Most of the suggestions were very common sense and very practical financially, which was very helpful.

     The suggestions for adaptive gardening equipment that I found helpful were related to hand held tools.  This article recommended gardening tools that had longer handles and were lighter weight.  One could modify a gardening tool to make it more accessible by using a universal cuff, grip gloves, and handle padding.  There were also some non-traditional equipment suggestions that I never would have thought of!  One of these was using part of a gutter/drainage pipe to slide plants gently from participant’s hands to the soil!  What a great way to still involve participants who have a love for gardening but have joint pain!   

               

How I will apply this knowledge to my professional development: 

I will apply this knowledge to my professional development by using these suggestions as a springboard to realize that with just a little creativity, all programs are adaptable!  It is a reminder to me to never say never because inclusion is always a possiblity!

Would I recommend this article for other TR students? Why or why not?

I would recommend this article for other TR students because it is a great way to help one start thinking outside of the box to find creative solutions to the needs of participants!

Reference:

Swann, J. I. (2010, February). Gardening: adaptive techniques for care home residents [Electronic version]. Nursing & Residential Care, 12(2), 89-92.

 

Article Review: Benefits of Camps

Name of article: Outcomes associated with participation in a therapeutic recreation camping programme for children from 15 European countries: Data from the ‘Barretstown Studies’

Name of journal: Social Science & Medicine

Name of authors: Gemma Kiernan, Michael Gormley, Malcolm MacLachlan

When and how I located this article: I located this article on November 1, 2011, using EBSCOhost on Murphy Library’s website.   

Synopsis of what I learned in this article:

     This article investigated if therapeutic recreation camps provide benefits to children with chronic illnesses (e.g. cancer, hemophilia, renal disease, etc.) and their siblings.  The camp used as the research setting was The Barretstown Gang Camp in Ireland that served children from 15 different European countries. 

     The following factors were measured using three surveys to determine the effects the camping experience had on the children’s health:  physical symptoms, affect, self-esteem, quality of life, and social support.  Of these factors, attending a TR camp was beneficial for children with a chronic illness in regards to their physical symptom distress and their affect.  For the siblings of children with chronic illnesses, the benefits of attending a TR camp related to quality of life.                         

                    

How I will apply this knowledge to my professional development: 

I feel that I can use this knowledge to increase my evidence based advocacy for Therapeutic Recreation camps!  I see myself the most passionate about getting into a camp setting in my future TR career, so this information will help me explain why what I do is important for people with disabilities!

Would I recommend this article for other TR students? Why or why not?

I would recommend this article for TR students who are interested in working in a camp setting, like myself, because, in addition to reporting the results of their study, the authors of this article also gave some interesting speculation on why the results turned out the way they did.  I felt this brought up some good thought provoking points about camps.

Reference:

Kiernan, G., Gormley, M., & MacLachlan, M. (2004, September). Outcomes associated with participation in a therapeutic recreation camping programme for children from 15 European countries: Data from the  ‘Barretstown Studies’. Social Science & Medicine, 59(5), 903-913. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2003.12.010

  

Midway!

Last class period was the midway point where everyone switched professors for the rest of the semester!  Because no one group had any assigned activity presentations for that week, the class did a couple of impromptu activities.  These were a variation of the name game as well as an creating an activity from items in a box filled with random objects.  For the name game, my group decided that we would choose celebrities whose first name we shared and give clues about who that celebrity was to the class in order for them to guess our names.  Another group did a crossword puzzle, where the answers to the puzzle questions were their names, while others had the class spell out their group members' names with their bodies.  For the next activity that had to be created with random items from a box, my group, as well as many others, decided to come up with a relay race of sorts.  These relay races included anything from blowing up balloons, putting on hair nets and exam gloves, and balancing objects on one's head, etc.  What I learned from these activities that will help me in my professional development is how inexpensive and fun an activity can be if you just allow yourself to be creative!  Giving each activity a chance, even though it was not "polished" by a lot of prep-work was also what I did to "strive for excellence" during class, and it really paid off!  What I learned about myself this week is that I am good at working in teams, but that I need to work on my leadership skills a little bit more!  I feel that I automatically let others take the leadership  role because it looks intimidating to me, and it seems to come more naturally to them.  But, if I always do this, I will never have the chance to develop as a leader myself.  

Therapeutic Arts and Crafts

Last week it was my group's turn to present, and our focus was on TR and arts and crafts!  The activities we had the class participate in were the making of collage journal covers, fabric bracelets, edible "haunted" houses, chain art, and group murals.  The rational behind our presentation was to find activities that illustrated the benefits of TR (emotional, physical, social, and cognitive).  What I learned from helping facilitate this presentation that will help me in my professional development is to always be flexible and not to give up when unexpected bumps come up because programs going exactly as planned is the exception rather than the norm!  About myself, I learned again the joys and trials experienced in working as a group.  I tried to strive for excellence by just focusing on doing my part and not worrying about if I felt that I did more than others because the success of the presentation was the most important.  In doing this, I noticed all of the hard work that others had put into the presentation and seeing their commitment and hard work really helped me take my eyes off of myself!                        

Adapted Outdoor Activities

In last week's class, we learned from a North American Squirrel Association (NASA) guest speaker about how to adapt different outdoor programs for people with disabilities (fishing, hunting, camping, skiing, etc.).  We also had a group activity to experience what setting up a tent would be like with certain physical disabilities.  I learned several things that will help me professionally.  One thing was how to set up a tent!  I feel that this is something very helpful to know as a TR major, and since I do not personally go camping, this class was helpful in getting that knowledge!  Another thing I learned/was reminded of was how important it is to be using people first language (the guest speaker did not do such a good job of it).  Lastly, I feel that the more adapted equipment I am exposed to as a student, the more knowledgeable I will be of resources for future program participants.  I learned about myself that it is important for me to appreciate all skills that I can gain to be a better Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, no matter how small!  What I did to strive for excellence during this class was to not give up when using a wheelchair to cross the lawn to get to the "camping site" where we were to set up tents.  I really appreciate the opportunities this class gives students to place themselves in other's shoes.          

Adapted Golf

Paige Safranski, CTRS explaining adapted golf!

Last week our class took a field trip to Forest Hill's golf course.  There we were instructed about the adapted golf program at Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute by Paige Safranski, CTRS.  We also got to practice golfing with the limitations that many participants at her program experience.  For example, we swung a golf club using only one hand, using our non-dominant hand, and in a seated position. 

My one handed practice swing!

This class was very helpful to me as a future Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist because Paige did such a great job of explaining the adaptive equipment (i.e. golf clubs, golf balls, and golf cart), and her enthusiasm for helping others was very contagious while she was explaining how much her program made a difference in the lives of the program's participants.  I also, not surprisingly, learned that I am terrible at golf, but still followed through with my commitment to strive for excellence by participating with the rest of the class in the day's activities. :)     

Adapted Dining

     Last week's class was my favorite so far:  a group adapted dining experience!  It was very creatively done in that the members at each dining table took turns experiencing what it would be like to have different disabilities and responsibilities in that setting (i.e. visual impairment, cerebral palsy, behavior disorder, schizophrenia, using a wheelchair, and being a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist).  There were instructions for limitations and responsibilities that each individual must abide by during their time experiencing that particular disability.  For example, if one was trying to experience what it would be like to have a visual impairment, a blindfold was worn.  If one was trying to experience what it would be like to have cerebral palsy, both hands were taped so that fine motor ability was limited and only the use of the non-dominant hand was allowed.  Wheelchairs were available for people to experience what it would be like having to transfer to and from restaurant chairs and also how some tables are not wheelchair accessible.  Participants were also encouraged to try to understand what it would be like to have schizophrenia by wearing their iPods during the dinner and realizing how hard it was to focus.  I think the biggest things that I learned from this experience were from the time I spent with the blindfold on.  I started noticing little things that I had never noticed before!  First, I realized how disconnected I felt from the rest of the class because I was not able to join them in observing and discussing what was going on during the class experience.  I feel that as a professional, it will be important to remember to put extra effort into making sure participants with visual impairments feel included in all activities.  Second, I noticed that with a blind fold on, it was very hard to tell when people were talking to me because there was no eye contact to rely on!  I feel that even a simple hand on the shoulder could go a long way in effective communication with people with visual impairments.
     In thinking about how I strove for excellence during this class and about what I learned about myself, I came up with a list of things that I take for granted!  I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone to strive for excellence for this class by making myself try some of the pureed bananas that the group was serving as an example of the only food that some people can manage to eat.  I never would have thought of taking for granted the texture of my food until that night!  Something else that I learned about myself during this adapted dining experience is that I also take my health for granted too often!  I found myself thinking, "I just can't wait until I can take this blindfold off!" or "I can't wait until this classmate no longer 'has a behavioral disorder' because then they will stop making a mess and throwing food at me!"  I realized that many of the issues I experienced for only a short period of time are a fact of life for many others.  This really encouraged me to stop and count my blessings!  Another thing the presenters did a great job of was depicting the kind of treatment that people with disabilities sometimes get out in the community.  I realized that I have even taken the courtesy of the community for granted as a person without a disability!                      

Assignment Sing a Song

This week in class each student completed the assignment to learn a song and sing/teach it to the rest of us.  For professional development, I think the thing that I will take away from this assignment the most is remembering just how nervous everyone was!  It felt comforting though, knowing that we were all in it together!  I think this is an important environment to create in Therapeutic Recreation settings.  About myself, I learned that even though I have gained experience singing in front of people for four years now at my church, changing things like the setting or the people can still bring back nerves.  In striving for excellence, however, I will continue to remind myself what else I have learned over the years:  practice makes perfect.  No matter what happens, you can always take the situation and learn from it.                

Music Therapy

Last week in class we had a music therapy session in the form of a drum circle!  We had a guest speaker who brought in djembe drums for the class to use, and we learned how to keep in beat with the entire class by listening to the person next to us.  This is a very powerful metaphor for use as a TR professional.  Knowing to value the support of and the communication with others is an important skill for professional and client alike.  What was very interesting to me was the fact that our guest speaker said that most of the best drummers are people who are not musicians.  I was surprised at how quickly I got disappointed because I play the piano!  I was reminded that no matter what the odds are, I can still strive for excellence to be the best me possible!  That's what I did, and I really enjoyed the challenge of keeping the rhythm.                   

First week of school! =)

Last week was the first day of class for Innovative Activities in Therapeutic Recreation!  One of the activities we did to loosen everyone up was that everyone had to draw a piece of paper out of a hat and silently act out what the word said on the piece of paper.  There would be others acting out the same words (which ended up being either a "witch," "werewolf," "vampire," or "sea creature"), and you needed to find those acting out the same word as you.  I learned that despite several semesters of TR classes with the same students, I still am afraid of looking silly!  After looking around for a little bit, I reluctantly started "flying on a broomstick."  As I get closer to becoming a professional, I will need to keep this strong human tendency in mind and be very patient and encouraging to those in the programs that I lead!  I will keep striving for excellence by continuing to push myself, as I did that evening, to go beyond my comfort zone and experience new and fun things no matter how silly it feels!