article three:

Name of article:

INFLUENCE OF THE LEADER ON THE ACTIVITY
LEVEL OF THERAPY GROUPS*


Name of journal:
Social Psychology

Name of author(s):

ROBERT  E. BECKER, MARTIN HARROW, BORIS  M . ASTRACHAN,
THOMAS DETRE, AND JAMES  C. MILLER


When and how did you locate this article?
Murphy Library Data Base, at my house, December 9 2012

Two paragraph synopsis of what you learned in this article:
The point of the article was to view the effects of a group led by a superior figure, such as a therapist. While reading the article, I quickly realized that the role of a therapist creates the feelings of insecurity, self conscience, and the feeling of being judged. I also would like to note that groups that are lead, have much less talking occurring, and there is much less spontaneous  conversations being created.

The articles makes the point that the "leader" should be playing the role of the "major behavioral leader;" basically stating that the leader should only intervene when the effectiveness of the group decreases. This actually makes a lot of sense for the leader to kind of sit back and observe. I also learned that as the session progresses, spontaneity activities and more talking occurs due to either the increase of comfort or the sense of urge to rush to get through all of the activities and to reach the objective.

How will you apply this knowledge to your professional development?
I now know that I will have to avoid intervening too much. I will have to learn to sit back and listen more than talk and intervene.

Would you recommend this article for other TR students?  Why or why not?
Yes, even though I wasn't happy that the role of the therapists seemed to be degraded, I think that it gave some really good advice to not talk to much, and to let the participants naturally become more involved.

Camping presentation

Unfortunatly, for the camping presentation, I had to leave early so that I could make it to my annual work meeting, but I was still able to enjoy the first half. While I was there, not much was discussed about adaptations that could be done, but I am assuming that had been discussed later on in the presentation after I had left. While I was there, although I did get to witness how difficult it would be to do a simple task such as fold a sleeping bag blind.

When I think of going camping, I think of taking some time to spend some time in the boat on the lake to catch some pan fish. The task of reeling in the big fish, although will be very difficult for many with limited fine and motor movements and found something called a power reel that will help them reel in the big one! I thought this was very cool, so I thought I would share it with you!
http://www.adaptiveoutdoorsman.com/pf-100.html

Article two: hand cycle

Name of article:

Inclusive Leisure Services: Results of a National Survey of Park and Recreation Departments


Name of journal:
Park and Recreation Administration

Name of author(s):

Mary Ann Devine and Linda Kotowski


When and how did you locate this article?
Murphy data base, at home, December 9 2012

Two paragraph synopsis of what you learned in this article:
The hand cycle is relatively new, and it is the combination of a traditional wheelchair and a hand operated bicycle crank. The hand cycle is used to increase distance by improving the mechanical efficiency in long term endurance. This article uses a person who happens to have had a spinal cord injury. The point of this article is to analyzed the workload, speed, cadence and heart rate parameters during a race.

As persons in wheelchairs are using the hand cycle more and more, their performance is reaching higher and higher capacities each year. Overall, this article proves that hand cycling is possible not only for able bodied people, but also for persons who have had spinal cord injuries. The article goes into great detail on the medical and nutritional preparedness that is required to insure a successful race.

How will you apply this knowledge to your professional development?
This article helped me understand that even though something may not be possible for a particular person at a given time, medical and nutritional preparedness will help them get them to their goal; similar to how I had to train to earn a position on the varsity softball team in high school.

Would you recommend this article for other TR students?  Why or why not?
I think that I would steer someone to another article with this topic with more relevant material to therapeutic recreation; there wasn't much informative details in this article.

Article review assignment: Therapeutic benefits on Hippotherapy

Name of article:

Why Children With Special Needs Feel Better with Hippotherapy Sessions: A Conceptual Review

Name of journal:

 ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

Name of author(s):
Anabel Corral Granados, MA, and Inmaculada Ferna´ndez Agı´s, PhD

When and how did you locate this article?
Murphy Library Data Bases, at home, on December 9th 2012 

Two paragraph synopsis of what you learned in this article:
Hippotherapy is "therapy with the help of a horse." The therapeutic value of ridding a horse has been well know since the day of ancient Greece, and Hipocrates described it as an universal exercise with a "healing rhythm." Modern hippotherapy is used to reach physical, psychologic, cognitive, social, behavioral, and educational goals of the rider. According to Bukovek, this form of therapy can be used for many disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, and traumatic brain injuries. On the other hand, it isn't appropriate for for some disabilities such as persons with fragile bones, hemorrhoids, past aggression towards animals, and uncontrolled epilepsy. 


Physically, hippotherapy is beneficial for muscle symmetry, balance, muscle strength and increasing their range of motion. Psychologically , horse therapy aids in the release in endorphins which are responsible for producing the feelings of emotional well being. A sense of control over ones body is achieved as well as a reduction in stress, and the decreased need for pain medications. Last but not lease, social benefits of hippotherpay are also achieved. Animals such as horses happen to function as a catalyst for social and verbal interaction in persons while viewing the horses social well being; viewing the horses well being helps them understand their own social well being. 

How will you apply this knowledge to your professional development?

It is a goal of mine to get a puppy and to train it to be a therapy dog so that I can include him/her in some of my activities in TR.

Would you recommend this article for other TR students?  Why or why not?
Yes, I think that the article did an excellent job briefly describing the various benefits of hippotherapy which may prove to be helpful as we continue in our TR journey. 

Activity 10: Water balloon sit

This is a great game for a group of kids who are looking to get wet on a hot summer day.

Materials:
Water balloons
water
two large buckets


Instructions:
Blow up all of the balloons, filling about a quarter of them and number them with a sharpie. Blind fold the participants, and have them call out a number. Grab the balloon of the number that they requested, and place it on the ground where they are going to sit, or on their chair. Have them sit on the balloon to reveal if the balloon was filled with water or not! There is really no point to the game other than to have a good time and cool off!

Adaptations:
If the person has poor gross motar skills, I recommend using a chair for them to sit in; it may be hard to sit down on the ground safely or get up blind folded.

• Also, if they don't wish to sit on the balloon, they can break the balloon with their hands or you can even break it over their head!!

Activity 9:

Wwheelchair Skydiving:

Population:
Persons who use a wheelchair

Equiptment:
You would use the same equiptment for someone in a wheelchair that you would use for someone who is not in a wheelchair.

Persons who use wheelchairs will need assistance getting into the plane if there is no ramp available. Putting the harness on will also prove to be challenging; I read that one person in particular had to lay down while they put the harness on. Since persons in a wheelchair have little mobility, so you will have to be careful to not bend them in a way that is going to cause an injury; try doing some streches or yoga with them before hand.


http://www.streetsie.com/wheelchair-skydiving-quadriplegics/

Activity 8: Adapted surfing

Adapted surfing:

In Costa Rica, there is a non profit organizatoin that takes children with children with disabilities such as quadriplegia, muscular dystorophy and spina bifida to teach them to surf, play with them on the beach, take them on nature rides, and care for them for an entire week. This organization does all of this while the parents are away on their own vacation so that they can relax and enjoy themselves.

Excellent training on disabilities on surfing would be required of the staff to ensure proper instruction; certifications in CPR and first aid are a must as well.

Good for:

Paraplegia

Quadriplegia

Amputee

Autism

Spina Bifida

Muscular Dystrophy

Cerebral Palsy

http://www.shakacostarica.com/adaptive-surfing/

Although I couldn't find any tips on how to facilitate adapted surfing (probably because there is specialized training and certification required), I did gather that there are lessons required that are adaptable and progress at a pace appropriate for each individual.

Activity 7: Three Children in a Boat

Three Children in a Boat:

Equiptment:

• Large floating devices
• Music player
• Large pool

How to play:
Scatter participants and floating devices throughout the pool. Have the participants swim throughout the pool while the music plays, as soon as the music stops, it's a race to get to a floating device; three persons per float. When they have completed the task correctly, the music starts up again and they go back to wandering throughout the pool.

Adaptions:

• You can change up the number of people per floatation device by adding more or takeing some out of the water
• Use life jackets
• Use bright floatations for persons with a visual impairment

http://www.twu.edu/downloads/inspire/Aquatics_Manual_1.pdf

Activity 6: Hula Hoop Rug

Hula Hoop Rug

With a hula hoop or embroidery hoop for a loom, you and your kids can weave unwanted T-shirts into a rug!

PrintEmail

Total Time 2 to 3 hoursAges school-age

by Nicole Blasenak Shapiro

What does it take to transform a pile of old T-shirts into spectacular works of woven art? Just a spare hula hoop or embroidery hoop and the techniques we'll show you here. The oversize looms and easy-to-use loops of T-shirt fabric make these projects particularly appealing to beginning weavers. Learn the basic hoop weaving technique by crafting a colorful accent rug to brighten up a room. And if you want to take the weaving a little further, check out our basket and chair pad weaves.

 

 

Before you begin, some terms you need to know: the warp is the material you string on the hoop, the weft is the material you weave with.

What you'll need

• Scissors
• About a dozen T-shirts
• 33-inch hula hoop

How to make it

1. For the warp, cut 1-inch-wide loops from the bodies of one or two tees (we found a boy's large worked best on our 33-inch hoop), removing the hem and stopping at the sleeves. Ideally these loops should all be the same color; we used two colors for clarity in our photographs. You'll need a total of 11 loops. For the weft, cut at least 50 loops from the remaining shirts. Save the unused sleeves for the basket project.
2. Stretch one warp loop over the hula hoop, as shown.
3. Add and secure a second loop, perpendicular to the first.
4. Repeat, filling in the spaces, until all 11 loops are in place.
5. Push together two warp loops at the top of the hula hoop, as shown. This creates an odd number of warp spokes in your wheel, which allows the overunder pattern of the weft to alternate with each new row.
6. Secure the first weft loop to the center of one of the warp spokes (we chose the doubled spoke from step 5) by wrapping it around the warp and then looping it back through itself.
7. Begin weaving the weft over and under the warp spokes, forming a tight spiral. For now, treat both parts of each warp spoke as a single unit, weaving over or under the two together. As you work, push the weft material toward the center of the hoop and keep it just snug. If you pull the weft tight, the rug will develop lumps or bends. When you reach the end of the piece of weft, add a new loop by threading it through the end of the first and back through itself.
8. When your rug is about 8 inches across, begin treating each warp spoke as two individual strips instead of a single unit, weaving over or under each strand instead of going over or under the doubled spoke. This increases the number of warp spokes, improving the structure of the project. When you get to the two warp spokes that you pushed together at the top of the loom, separate them. Treat one of the spokes as two individual strips, but continue to treat the other as a single spoke. This maintains the odd number of warp spokes.
9. When the rug is the size you want, but no closer than 8 inches from the edge of the hula hoop, snip open your weft loop.
10. Tie the ends around a warp spoke, and tuck the ends into the rug.
11. Cut the warp spokes off the hoop one at a time.
12. 

http://spoonful.com/crafts/hula-hoop-rug

 

 

This is another great project that is just great for everyone!

I think that this is really great for kids to do this in order to construct something to possibly give to their mom, grandma, or to just keep in their room. This project works on the fine motor skills, and can made more or less challenging.

 

Adaptations:

• Pre cut the shirts
• Prepare the hulla hoop for weaving
• help the person tie the knots
• use scissors made for two

Activity 5: Miniature Greenhouse

MAKE A MINIATURE GREENHOUSE

During the year most people drink some kind of soda. When you're done with the soda, don't throw those bottles away! Save a couple and make a miniature greenhouse. This is a handy trick, especially if you like to take cuttings or start seeds, or try to grow different kinds of plants. Fall and winter are a good times to start cuttings and seeds, because by spring, you will have plants that are nicely rooted and ready to transplant. Here's what you do. 1. Cut the bottoms off two bottles 2. Fill one with a moist mix of sand and potting soil, remove the colored-plastic bottom-rest from the other 3.Put in 6-10 cuttings depedending on how large they are, or plant your seeds 4. Fit the two bottoms together Depending upon what you are growing it can take about six to ten weeks for your cuttings to root. It may take less time to germinate seed, again it depends upon what you are growing. When they are ready, you can then transplant them to a pot filled with soil and let them grow on for another month or two. By then you will have a plant ready to go out in your garden.     Materials: Two 2 Liter bottles planting soil sand seeds water This is a great project for virtually anyone. Making a miniture greehouse is great for kids to learn how things grow, and this is great for the elderly to spark converstation on the history of gardening and their past experiences. Elderly persons LOVE to talk.   Adaptations: Pre cut the bottles to avoid injury place seeds in the hands of indiviuals who have difficulty with fine motor skills hold onto the bottom of the bottom while they fill it with soil to avoid it getting dumped. use scissors with extra finger holes to help them cut the bottle

Activity 4: Slime Making

There are a few ways to make slime, however I found this recipe works best ~

1 1/2 cups of CLEAR glue and 1 1/2 cups of liquid starch.
The liquid starch we used was the brand STA-FLO, you can find it at your local grocery store with the laundry detergent or you can purchase on amazon.

You mix it all together, separate the slime into a few small bowls and add food coloring to each bowl.

You only need a few drops of food coloring!!!
The mixture may need to be mixed with your hands for a bit to get the desired texture, depending on the brand of glue you use. We used Elmer's Clear Glue.

Making her slime

All ready to go!

"Eeeeeew."

"I squish it!"

"SQEEEEEEZE!"

http://tottreasuresnorthbay.blogspot.com/2012/06/slime.html

 

Adaptions:

Place slime in a bag or give them rubber gloves is indiviual has a sensory barrier

 

Population:

this is a great activity for anyone! Children will think this is the coolest thing in the world, and adults will enjoy playing with it just as much! Elderly could play with it and then have it for when their grandkids come to visit.  

 

 

 

Activity 3: Im Done Cup

Im Done Cup:

Many kids with mental disabilities like structure and visual aides.

materials:

• Large sturdy cup; you may not want to use a glass one depending on your participants
• popsicle sticks
• Sharpies; perferably different colors
• Various things to decorate the cup with: stickers, paint, gems, glitter, leaves, etc.

Instructions:

Give each individual a cup. Place the decorateing materials in the middle of the table for easy access. Decorate, and set a side to dry. Hand out popsicle sticks. On each popsicle stick, have them write down one daily task per stick. Once they are finished, and the cups are dry, your project is complete. Now, as each day progresses, they can visually see their progress throughout the day.

The project is great for persons who like visual aids and for those who like structure. The decorating process is therapeutic in a way that it helps improve their fine motor skills, its relaxing, and allows them to express their creativity and emotions.

Adaptations:

• Use plastic for an at risk group
• pre print strips of common everyday tasks for them to glue onto the popsicle sticks if their fine motar skills are too low for writing. Ex: brush teeth, eat breakfast, make bed, put dirty clothes in laundry basket, etc.
• have tools that makes holding onto a paint brush easier

Activity 2: Dragons Tail

Dragons Tail

Materials:

• Long swimming noodle
• Blind fold
• three one foot sticks

Players:
3+

How to Play:
One player is assigned a dragon. That player is then blind folded, and kneels down behind the three sticks that are placed about two feet in front. The dragon is to hold on the the noodle; this is the tail. The additional players are on the other side of the sticks, their goal is to try and retrieve the sticks without getting hit by the tail of the dragon. If the player gets hit or touched by the tail, then they are the dragon and the stick gets placed back into its original position.

This activity is great for kids and teenagers:

• Gross motor skills: requiers you to walk quitly in order to not be heard
• Teamwork: players motivate each other
• Stratagic planning: players can collaborate on various ways to trick the dragon to avoid getting hit
• Life skills: failure is part of life, some kids need help learning how to deal with failure and to keep trying.  

Adaptations:

• If you are playing this game with persons in wheelchairs, try placing the sticks on a table so that they can reach them. Place the dragon on the other side of the table.
• try different objects to accomadate to various disabilities. If the indiviuals are violent, try using a less threatening object that isn't to large so that it would get hit by the noodle. Ex: stress balls

Activity 1: Duck Tape Rose

Supplies and Tools

•Duck® brand Duct Tape
•Straw

Optional Supplies and Tools:
•Scissors

Skill Level

Beginner

Approximate Crafting Time

20 minutes

Step 1

Take your straw and cover it in tape (lengthwise works the best). This step is completed best if you roll the straw across the tape, sticky-side up.

Step 2

Cut several strips of duct tape - about 2 inches each.

Step 3

Sticky side up, fold one edge over itself, leaving some stickiness on the side and bottom.

Step 4

Take the parallel edge and fold it over, leaving only stickiness on the bottom of the strip.

Step 5

Roll this across tightly; this is your center.

Step 6

Insert the center piece from Step 5 into the top of your straw.

Step 7

Repeating Steps 2-4 with strips of duct tape, loosely bind the strips around the center (these are your petals). Make sure to adhere the petals to the both straw and the center piece from Step 4. Continue until you've reached the desired size.

Step 8

For the leaves under the rose, repeat Steps 2 - 4 with the same color that you used for the stem. Wrap these pieces around the stem at the base of the flower to cover up the tape edge.

http://www.duckbrand.com/Home/Duck%20Tape%20Club/ducktivities/flowers-and-roses/How%20to%20Make%20a%20Duck%20Tape%20Rose.aspx


This activity might be appropriate for individuals who need practice with fine motar skills, social skills, and persons with ADHD to work on fallowing instructions.

If someone struggles with fine motor skills too much for the project, I think that it would be a good idea to make the petals larger and to use something larger than a pen or straw for the stem.

Adaped Golf at Forrest Hills Golf Course

I am extremely grateful that I got to experience some of the different adaptations that can be made for individuals who have physical disavilities in golf. I think that golf in the first place is extremely difficult, mainly because I have played softball all of my life, but then to turn around and try to hit left handed was just hilarious. I also found it kind of scary to hit with just one hand because I am athletic; I wanted to smack the ball out into the sky which is scary because I was afraid that I was going to loose the club in the middle of my swing. I think that it would be extremely rewarding to be able to teach someone golf with various adaptions that are appropriate for each individual.

arts and crafts and sports presentation

I thought that the arts and crafts presentation was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the "to do and done list" that we created. I think that it was a lot of fun since the sky is the limit on how you decorate it, and it is still therapeutice and benificial to persons who like structure in their life. My group and I on the other hand did the sports presentation, and I think that as went well. I feel like the class really enjoyed playing volleyball with all of the different disabilities that we had assigned to them. I myself presented information on the Special Olympics, and I now would love to get more involved in the Special Olympics myself. Doing the research myself gave me an appreciation that I otherwise probably would have never developed.

Dining Presentation

I thought that the dining presentation was extremely interesting. I loved that I was able to experience thicket, but I hope that I never have to eat even one meal requiring it. In class, the group mixed thicket with kool-aid to make it the consistency of applesauce; I had a hard time consuming it although, since I thought that it had a gritty texture to it. The most interesting piece of idea that I took from this presentation is to explain the layout of someones food for someone that is blind; telling them that their steak is a 12 o' clock, and that their vegetables are are at 5 o'clock.

Music Group

I feel that the music group did an excellent job on their presentation. I thought that it was very interesting and inspiring how musical instruments can be adapted (for example, the women who could play the trumpet with out having to use her arms since there was little movement available for them). Music is a very useful tool that can be used during recreational therapy since some people have a hard time expressing themselves, and music can offer an alternative method to do so. I my future with TR, I would like to try to create a little band with homemade instruments.

Hooping

Making a hula hoop in class is one of the best activities I have done for school since... FOREVER!!! I thought that it was very interesting to see how easy one can be made, exciting to decorate it, and enlightening to hear all the therapeutic uses for the hula hoop. I think that it would be fun to recreate hula hoops in this fashion again in the future with children with behavior problems (to teach them what they can and cannot control) as well as women who are in need so some therapy while burning some extra calories ;). I found a website, http://www.betterthinking-betterlife.com/hulahoop.htm, in which I found a good list of what is inside of the hoop, and what is outside....
INSIDE

• Your body
• Your thoughts
• Your actions
• Your opinions
• Your values
• Your dreams
• Your wishes

OUTSIDE

• EVERYTHING ELSE!
• other people
• other people's thoughts
• other people's actions 
• the weather
• the current sad state of health insurance in the US  *grins*
• etc, etc, etc

relaxation

For the relaxation presentation, I can honestly say that I left class feeling the most rejuvenated I have in years! The portion that I will probably carry on with me into my personal life is yoga. I found that yoga is very tricky, yet relaxing at the same time; it's also very convenient that it is offered in various locations at different difficulties. I found that the relaxation techniques in which I was allowed to close my eyes and to turn off the lights is not a good idea for me; I actually fell asleep and woke myself up when I began to snore!!! :/ Looking deeper into TR, I think that these relaxation techniques may come in handy when dealing with patients and clients who deal with a great amount of stress; I'm assuming that they will all benefit from this since everyone deals with stress on an everyday basis.

dance presentation

On Thursday October 18th, the dance group did their presentation. The two activities that stood out to me the most. First was the cha cha slide. Watching the video of the residents at the nursing home dance to the cha cha slide was truly entertaining and adorable. I think that dancing is one of those activities that many would try to avoid with an older population, and I feel that it is brave of the coordinators to think outside the box enough to think of a dance that is up to beat in which they can dance to. The second activity that I enjoyed was dancing with an impairment while incorporating an impairment; a loss of an arm and a leg. I found that the loss of an arm made it more difficult to keep a good rhythm going with the beat of the music, and the loss of a leg was extremely difficult; my one leg got extremely tired and I was stuck in that  one spot on the dance floor. 

Stories/ Writing Presentation

The Stories and Writing presentation was extremely interesting. I enjoyed the activies that we participated in such as the random thought webs we made, and how we used that to create a story with a group. The stories that we made up with our groups I think would work very well with patients who need to work on socializing. The mad libs activity I though would rather prove itself to be useful in teamwork because you have to agree with your group on which word you are actually going to use; for example one kid really wants to use the number five because it is his favorite number, but another girl is really set on the number 7 cause that is how old she is. I really liked how this group made the extra step to show us some tools that could be used in help with writing and showed us  a website in which we could actually access ourselves to buy them.

Holidays Presentation Day

Overall, I enjoyed the Holiday Presentation. Not only did I get to have one of my favorite cookies in the whole wide world (Peanut Butter), but I also really enjoyed the attempt of dancing with the music video at the end of class. The presentation on Darius Weems really touched my heart. After class I went to check out some music by Darius Weems. His music alone is an extremely inspirational accomplishment that I feel can touch everyone's lives.

Games Presentation Day

Today, my group and I had to present our games. We met up half an hour before class started so that we could collaborate one last time before we had to present. The first group to participate in my game (Dragon's Tail) didn't seem to get into the game too much, but with each group that came to my station, the game became much more fun for my classmate and I; the last group had a great time and got much more creative with their strategies. I learned from leading my game that you must be able to switch things up on the spot, be enthusiastic the whole time and to try various ways of motivation to keep the flow going. Overall, I think that my station was successful in showing my classmates some examples of adaptions and in helping me think quickly and creatively in order to make things more interesting and adaptable.

Group meeting before presentation

Today I met with my group for the first time to discuss and make final plans for the first group presentation. As a group, we selected games. I feel that this topic seems simple at first, but what makes it kind of difficult is trying to figure out what exactly is expected. We decided to split up and each do a different game and to have the class rotate in stations. I'm hoping that our first presentation turns out to be fun, educational, and enlightening for the class. My station is called "Dragons Tail" and I hope that I will be able to get  the appropriate supplies so that I don't have to change my game.

Last Thursday, was the first day for RTH 252. The class seems like it is going to be a lot of fun. We used "huddling" to pick out our groups for our group assignments. The two topics that my groups and I received were sports and games. I am very excited to see what ideas we will come up with to fill a three hour class period.