California Creativity - Nothing Else Like It
I am currently in California, soaking up good vibes from Mom, Dad, Sister, and for the first time in many, MANY years, Brother as well. I spent Christmas Day traveling in planes and automobiles and spent Christmas afternoon playing trains with Nephew #2 - who is two, and who reminded me that I am feeling much older than usual these days. All of these things are good, but there is something much better than that happening right now.
This is my current view from the bed in my sister's old room. As you can see, my Mother is a crafter. She does a bit of every type of craft that you can think of and some of others that you have never heard of. This is her papercrafting room, and I am smack dab in the middle of it all right now.
I know that her crafting interest comes from my Grandmother who was an artist and created things all the time when my Mom was growing up. Mom has been creating art and making crafts for as long as Grandma could remember, and that talent was very much encouraged. Mom's love of all things artistic and crafty led her into her profession, Occupational Therapy.
Back in the days when my Mom went to OT school, OT was all about using crafting and art to assist clients in building strength. The focus was on using those artistic skills to help folks find a way to engage in the exercises and vocations that matched their levels of function. As a result, as an OT student, Mom got to take all sorts of art classes. She was required to learn how to knit and crochet. She took jewelry design and ceramics. She also had to take anatomy and kinesiology, but the art classes were part of her focus at school.
As my Mom transitioned from full-time work as an OT into full-time work as a stay at home Mom, the arts and crafts remained. I remember Mom embroidering things, and crocheting things, and sewing things in every place we have ever lived. She encouraged us in our artistic endeavors, whatever they were (except, interestingly, listening to music...). We found access to scissors and glue when we wanted it.
My Sister had a realization when she was in college that many of the memories that she has of crafting had an ulterior motive when my Mom suggested them. She realized that most of what we did as a matter of course actually had a therapeutic purpose behind it. Making paper snowflakes because they are pretty? No, that's not the reason - making paper snowflakes to strengthen our palmar grasp as well as to work on hand-eye coordination, to work on visual figure-ground discrimination, to work on modulation of strength, to work on...oh, and look how pretty they are!
Anyway, one of the reasons that I have such a creative surge when I am here is that I am surrounded by possibilities. Just by being awake in this room, several hours before the rest of the household starts to wake up, I have lots of food for thought. Do you want scalloped edges on your file folder activity? Which size? Mom has eight pairs of scalloped edge scissors to choose from. You get the idea!
Last night, in the midst of day two jet lag and exhaustion, my brain started going and going. I got my little book to write things down, and I went to the computer to organize things a bit. I'm still working through how I want to do centers, and I found some ideas and concepts. I spent some time looking at what my Mom has stashed away in this room and came up with some ideas for visual aids. Ideas for visuals usually lead to TME ideas. Everything goes into the book for now, and is going into the computer slowly but surely.
I am trying to keep up with the ideas, and that's why the little book is so important to me. My thoughts go in there, and I review them when I can. I have many such little books, and I use them all the time to spark interest and develop therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) and/or tools for my music therapy practice. When this surge of creativity finally reaches an end, I'll have ideas to actualize during the not-so-creative times.
Ooh, there goes another idea - mystery bag for tactile discrimination tasks - look at a picture, find it by feeling all instruments in the bag. Can you do it? Yes, you can!! TME idea AND center idea all in one! Whoo-hoo!! Gotta write this down in the book as soon as possible.
Happy Wednesday from me, here in California!
This is my current view from the bed in my sister's old room. As you can see, my Mother is a crafter. She does a bit of every type of craft that you can think of and some of others that you have never heard of. This is her papercrafting room, and I am smack dab in the middle of it all right now.
I know that her crafting interest comes from my Grandmother who was an artist and created things all the time when my Mom was growing up. Mom has been creating art and making crafts for as long as Grandma could remember, and that talent was very much encouraged. Mom's love of all things artistic and crafty led her into her profession, Occupational Therapy.
Back in the days when my Mom went to OT school, OT was all about using crafting and art to assist clients in building strength. The focus was on using those artistic skills to help folks find a way to engage in the exercises and vocations that matched their levels of function. As a result, as an OT student, Mom got to take all sorts of art classes. She was required to learn how to knit and crochet. She took jewelry design and ceramics. She also had to take anatomy and kinesiology, but the art classes were part of her focus at school.
As my Mom transitioned from full-time work as an OT into full-time work as a stay at home Mom, the arts and crafts remained. I remember Mom embroidering things, and crocheting things, and sewing things in every place we have ever lived. She encouraged us in our artistic endeavors, whatever they were (except, interestingly, listening to music...). We found access to scissors and glue when we wanted it.
My Sister had a realization when she was in college that many of the memories that she has of crafting had an ulterior motive when my Mom suggested them. She realized that most of what we did as a matter of course actually had a therapeutic purpose behind it. Making paper snowflakes because they are pretty? No, that's not the reason - making paper snowflakes to strengthen our palmar grasp as well as to work on hand-eye coordination, to work on visual figure-ground discrimination, to work on modulation of strength, to work on...oh, and look how pretty they are!
Anyway, one of the reasons that I have such a creative surge when I am here is that I am surrounded by possibilities. Just by being awake in this room, several hours before the rest of the household starts to wake up, I have lots of food for thought. Do you want scalloped edges on your file folder activity? Which size? Mom has eight pairs of scalloped edge scissors to choose from. You get the idea!
Last night, in the midst of day two jet lag and exhaustion, my brain started going and going. I got my little book to write things down, and I went to the computer to organize things a bit. I'm still working through how I want to do centers, and I found some ideas and concepts. I spent some time looking at what my Mom has stashed away in this room and came up with some ideas for visual aids. Ideas for visuals usually lead to TME ideas. Everything goes into the book for now, and is going into the computer slowly but surely.
I am trying to keep up with the ideas, and that's why the little book is so important to me. My thoughts go in there, and I review them when I can. I have many such little books, and I use them all the time to spark interest and develop therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) and/or tools for my music therapy practice. When this surge of creativity finally reaches an end, I'll have ideas to actualize during the not-so-creative times.
Ooh, there goes another idea - mystery bag for tactile discrimination tasks - look at a picture, find it by feeling all instruments in the bag. Can you do it? Yes, you can!! TME idea AND center idea all in one! Whoo-hoo!! Gotta write this down in the book as soon as possible.
Happy Wednesday from me, here in California!
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