Forum Messages

use different of lotions and do hand and arm massages... let them guess the smell.

tasting homemade jelly

music-gospel,easy listening and ect,

When I was doing a school practicum the facility I was at did a really cool sensory program.....a bucket full of uncooked macaroni with different objects inside......depending on the level of the group you can just have them find objects or they can feel for objects and try to identify them.

Hi

I use theme boxes. for example- at christmas, I will put things in a box to remind them of christmas.  I would put xmas music,  maybe a jingle bell necklace, xmas ornaments, wrapping paper & something that smells of cinnamon or peppermint. I also use the scented lip glosses . You can rub it on their arms or hands and it smells of different flavors. Avon has gingerbread, eggnog etc flavors and since it is mostly vaseline , it wont break them out.  To demonstrate hot & cold for summer and winter themes, I use balloon filled with warm or cold water and let them touch or hold them

In the winter, hot water bottles, battery operated cats and dogs that breath, scalp massages, differently weighted items in the laps, putting rubber gloves on the resident and dipping their hands in hot/cold water...

In summer, spray bottles of water with rosewater or orange peel scents, non-toxic face masks (easy to find on the web, but I use mayonase based) playing music on someone's lap (i.e., ukelele, bongos, xylophone, etc). For folks with low stimulation, try different types of material to feel/fold (felt, tule, faux fur, satin). I also like to fill tin foil pans with sand and have them run their feet through (if it's cold, you can bury a hot water bottle under the sand) or a kiddie pool of water to splash around.

You can never go wrong with hand/foot massages, soaks, polish, etc.