Setting Up My Creativity Kit

I am in need of a creativity kit for work. I'm doing lots more sitting these days, so I need something that I can contain and use to put together some projects as I am sitting and watching. This type of kit helps to separate my role from that of primary therapist to that of observer in the view of my clients. So, I am getting together my creativity kit.

At this time, I am spending about 50% of my music therapy job time in observation, so I am doing lots of sitting and watching. I am uncomfortable with just sitting, so my creativity kit will give me something to do while I am sitting, watching, and taking notes on the sessions. The kit will also identify to my clients that I am busy and not just sitting there, staring at them. It will also keep me thinking that I am being productive. This kit will be really important to me in about several months when both of my interns are running sessions, and I have little to no active role in therapy.

Ideally, the kit will be something contained in a box so I can transport it and clean it up easily. I usually use scrapbooking containers for my project boxes - they are 13 inches by 13 inches by 4 inches and can hold lots of stuff. I use the same boxes for my session organization, so they all look the same and take up the same amount of space. I think I'd like this one to have a shoulder strap so I can transport it hands-free. That means making my box a bit more fancy than usual, but I can do that with a bit of super glue and some ribbon!!

Inside the kit, I will put some good scissors, a pencil, an eraser, a tape runner, laminating sheets, Velcro, cardstock, paper, a hole punch, some file folders, my little bitty Crayola markers, a small paper trimmer, and some index cards for use. I will also have a plastic envelope that will store my visual aids in progress. Add the laminator to the stack, and I'll be ready to go!

Now, I need some projects to do. I found my favorite music themed resource book the other day, so I'm going to leaf through that book and make some copies to put in my plastic envelope. I could use a new couple of sets of instrument cards (mine are really getting worn - I'll be running them through the laminator again), and some composer cards would be nice as well. That may be my first set of projects. I can make sets for my clinic and sets for my interns as well. 

Okay. Now I have the idea of the kit and some resources to gather, so it is time to start making my kit. First step is to get the box and then choose some ribbon for the handles that I envision. Second step is to put Velcro in the box lid to hold the plastic envelope into the box. After that, it will be time to load up the box and start making things. I should have to everything that I need here at home, but I may have to go out to the Dollar Tree to finish up the project (I'm not sure if I have any super glue here at home...).

I'm off to make this. I'll post pictures later today when I am all finished with things.

Time for my work creativity kit!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Anticipation Builds...

Ask any school teacher about the week before break and you will get the same response each time - ugh. We are entering that week at my place of work. I am dreading it, but am also looking forward to it. My plan is as follows - clients choose what they are going to do in (some) sessions. Last week, we played Name That Tune. Now, I always fix the games where I get points when my students display unsportsman-like behavior or inappropriate interactions with each other or where I stump everyone in the room with my music selections. I also always cheat at the end with the reckoning of points. Always. I lost. We set it up so that they get to choose what happens in the next session (with guidance from me) if they win. If I win, it's business as usual. Three of my groups will be choosing what they are going to do during their therapy hours. I anticipate lots of karaoke and movie watching during those three hours. I am getting ready for a short week as well as experiencing the week...
Read more

There's Always Something...

I am starting to fill up the gaps in my music therapy schedule with individual music therapy treatment times. This is a great feeling. I'll start individual treatment on July 11th when we come back for our second session of our Extended School Year. I'll get things going for three weeks, reevaluate, and then start up again when the regular school session starts. I am excited about getting back into this type of therapy. I've missed it, but there's something else going on. I'm a bit scared. You would think that my 23+ years of being a therapist would make things lots easier for me to jump back into this type of therapy interaction, but I am a bit scared still. I think most of these feelings have to do with forced light duty and almost a year of being out of my comfortable routine. I know that some of these feelings are rooted in fears of being hurt again. I don't want to be hurt again. I know that many of these feelings are somewhat irrational, but they sti...
Read more

Going on a Squeegee Hunt

One of the songs that I sang over and over and over again as a song leader in Girl Scouts was "Going on a Squeegee Hunt ." Now, you may be wondering what a "squeegee" is - good question! It is an imaginary creature that was probably invented by some obscure girl scout in Southern California many, MANY years ago! Anyway, similar to the traditional children's song of " Going on a Lion/Bear/Tiger Hunt ," the song takes you through a sequential process over, under, around, and through various obstacles towards a goal. Today, as I am sitting here writing, I am thinking about the poor squeegee being hunted. It is just in its cave, trying to do its squeegee things without interruption, when suddenly, BOOM! Some Girl Scout arrives to poke it! The poor squeegee does what it can - it jumps up and chases the Girl Scout all the way home!! This has not been a good work week. It is amazing how people will make mountains out of molehills. Here is the deal. I se...
Read more