Monday - The Arctic
We kicked off camp with an obstacle course in the gym to dress some of our camp staff in winter gear! After each round through the obstacle course, our campers picked out an item to add to the ensemble. For our fine motor activity, we divided into two teams and played "snowy backyard." Campers worked together to pick up and throw "snow" (cotton balls, large fluffy snowballs, etc.) over a "fence" to try to keep their "yard" clean. We ended the day with some weight bearing over wedges and mats while using casts to pass around blocks of ice with arctic animals frozen on top.
Tuesday – Carnival
No trip to a carnival is complete without prizes! Our campers worked their way through an obstacle course several times, each time taking a turn at a "prize punch" board and punching their hand through tissue paper to find surprise trinkets. We then headed to the table to make popcorn! The kids glued cotton balls to their popcorn buckets and helped to make "butter," followed by pinching plastic pipettes to dispense butter over the popcorn. We ended the day with a game of "Giant Kerplunk!" The kids took turns pulling sticks out of this contraption, trying not to let the balls drop below!
Wednesday – Sports
We started the hour with games of balloon volleyball. Some campers used their hands, others practiced holding something such as a fly swatter to bat at the balloon and keep it in the air over a net. Next, the kids paired up for games of table hockey. With pool noodles as bumpers on the edges of the table, the campers used their affected hand to move air hockey pushes and keep a foam puck moving back and forth without allowing it to slide off their end of the table. We finished the day with some soccer while weight bearing against a wall.
Thursday - Under the Sea
Summer camp wouldn't be complete without a sponge relay! Our campers split into teams and raced (scooter boarded) across the gym, each time using their hand to squeeze a sponge over a bucket to provide water to their team's ocean animal. Next, the kids enjoyed some sensory play with bins full of blue water beads (Orbeez), using their hands to fish out various ocean animals and plants. We ended the day making some Cheerio octopuses, working on pinching and grasping.
Friday – Nature
We started off with a game of nature-themed "hullaballoo." Made to mimic the popular children's game, this involved campers moving about the room in various ways (jumping, walking, walking backwards, etc.) while music played, then racing to find a spot that fit a certain description when the music stopped (i.e. "find a spot with a tree," "find a red spot," "find a square spot"). The kids then helped to plant their very own chia plant faces; scooping soil, poking holes, pinching seeds, and adding water with a pipette. Campers will help to water their plants over the next two weeks. We used special grass that grows very quickly, so we can't wait to see everyone's "grass hair" soon! We closed out the week doing some weight bearing while reading a nature-themed storybook.
CIMT Camp at the Boston Ability Center...where FUN and FUNCTION go hand-in-hand!
