11 July 2016
Monday Dollarama trip!
Rachel and I met at 10am at the New Minas Dollarama. I was nervous about finding good items; I was worried that I would only see very literal, "on-point" items and would not be able to think outside the box.However,in the end we had no problems with looking at items from as Assistive Tech point of view, and we actually found more that 20 items!
Rachel sent me the images (we both took photos, but I can't seem to get mine off my phone due to a cable problem). We took notes as we went so that we would not forget what we'd discussed.
1: Mini salt and pepper shakers.
We thought these would be good for students w ho have difficulty with fine motor skills. These could be filled with various art supplies such as glitter, paint, or glue.
2: Cutlery set
We thought these would be good for students w ho have difficulty with fine motor skills. These could be filled with various art supplies such as glitter, paint, or glue.
2: Cutlery set
We thought this would be good for sorting activities, for students with cognitive difficulties and low executive function. We also thought these would be good for short term memory recall ( number of forks/knives/spoon, place them in the correct order, etc.)
3: Textured rubber bear.
This item could be useful as a "fidget" for students with ADHD or similar. The bear is fun to manipulate (squishy, interesting texture) and could help a student who has issues with focusing.
4: Rubber floor mats.
Students with autism sometimes need clearly delineated spaces, whether as "paths" for them to follow, or as reminders to stay within a certain area during activities. They could also create a "safe space" with clear boundaries.
5: Hand-weight.
Some students feel more calm when they have weighted items to manipulate (for example, some students benefit from weighted vests or blankets). We thought this hand-weight would be good both for its calming effects when students lift and hold it, as well as to practice gross- and fine-motor skills.
6: Rubber exercise band (elastic)
This item could be stretched around the legs of a desk, and students who have ADHD or similar could use it to push against, as an alternative to walking around the room.
7: Can holder
We thought this one would be a great grip-aid, for any student who has fine-motor difficulties or a hard time gripping and holding things. We were thinking of it primarily for holding cups, but it would work for any cylindrical item.
8: Pool noodle.
We saw this item as useful for guarding the sharp edges of desks, tables, doorways (slit it down one side and glue/tape it on). It would help any student with mobility issues, keeping the space safer for them.
This item could be useful as a "fidget" for students with ADHD or similar. The bear is fun to manipulate (squishy, interesting texture) and could help a student who has issues with focusing.
Students with autism sometimes need clearly delineated spaces, whether as "paths" for them to follow, or as reminders to stay within a certain area during activities. They could also create a "safe space" with clear boundaries.
Some students feel more calm when they have weighted items to manipulate (for example, some students benefit from weighted vests or blankets). We thought this hand-weight would be good both for its calming effects when students lift and hold it, as well as to practice gross- and fine-motor skills.
This item could be stretched around the legs of a desk, and students who have ADHD or similar could use it to push against, as an alternative to walking around the room.
We thought this one would be a great grip-aid, for any student who has fine-motor difficulties or a hard time gripping and holding things. We were thinking of it primarily for holding cups, but it would work for any cylindrical item.
We saw this item as useful for guarding the sharp edges of desks, tables, doorways (slit it down one side and glue/tape it on). It would help any student with mobility issues, keeping the space safer for them.
As with the salt-and-pepper shakers, this could be a good item to help with art projects (shaking glitter, glue, etc). The two handles make it easy to grasp and manipulate.
I plan to use this with my own kids when I wash their hair! We were inspired by the shark visor from class; we liked the goggles, though, because there is no loss of peripheral vision for the student. For students with sensory issues this would be very useful.
Cheap alternative to a fidget-cushion. Students who have a hard time sitting still in class can wiggle on this cushion and help themselves stay focused.
To prevent mess, while still looking cool, we liked this cup. It's not "babyish" but will help prevent spilling, and is easy to gasp for students who have motor difficulties.
The top of this jar is a magnifying glass! What a great tool for helping students read -- either to focus on the word in front of them, shut out ambient distractions in the room, or help with sounding-out words. It creates a circle of limited focus which is easier for many students..
We saw this as a great scrub brush -- or even paintbrush -- for students with motor difficulties.
A pointer! This would be great for students to tap what they want to indicate -- on a whiteboard screen or in the room. Again, students with motor difficulties would benefit from this.
For students who have behavioural or attention issues, this seat could be a real help. We could remind students to "sit on your rainbow seat" during circle-time to ensure that students remain in their spot (and away from potential conflicts with other students). Also, the texture is great and reminded us of the fidget-cushions.
This is a sturdy tool for picking up large and small items. The handle means that students who are in wheelchairs or have mobility issues could independently retrieve items that have fallen on the floor.
Students with executive function issues could easily organize their school supplies in these boxes. The different colours make it easy to identify items' locations and arrange them accordingly.
Pencil grips! Cut the foam tube to size and insert a pencil or pen. Different colours could be used to identify different types of writing implements. The foam makes a nice cushion, too!
High-contrast, high-interest letter practice for students with cognitive delays. There were single-colour ones as well, and ones in different sizes (we just liked these best).
Any students who has joint issues, such as early-onset arthritis, would benefit from this item. If a student is in pain he or she will have trouble concentrating and enjoying his or her school day; if the student stands on this mat it may provide some ease.
This is a low-stress writing tool. Students may be more willing to take risks and try new things if their work is not "permanent", the way it is on paper. We saw it as useful for students who have cognitive delays, anxiety, or a learning disability. Also, the board can be held up to give their answer in class-discussion situations (good for students with anxiety).
For students with fine-motor difficulties and speech issues, this item could be used to indicate any numerical quantity (time; cost; answers to math problems!)
Students with sensory issues, especially those whose anxiety is calmed by weighted items, could use this pillow. We thought it would be great to replace the original filling with a heavier kind (compression therapy).
Large-scale paintbrushes for students with motor difficulties.
26: Rubber ring on baby toy.
We would take the toy off this hard, textured rubber ring. Lots of students seek oral stimulation, often by chewing on the necks of their t-shirts. We would clip the ring to a lanyard, and then it looks like a funky "necklace" but is really a fidget for a student with oral-stimulation issues. It would be easily concealed under a shirt if necessary, but elementary-age kids might think it looks cool and would not hide it.
27: Hanging shoe organizer.
This is a great item for a student who has an executive dysfunction. The clear-pocketed ones are best, but an opaque one could be labelled to serve the same function. (with words or images). It would be great both for organization and as a communication aid.
28: Clothes pins.
If a student has low cognitive abilities and needs help with task sequencing,these clothespins would be very useful. They could help students move along the tasks of a visual schedule, marking off what had already been completed and/or what task was next in a sequence.
29: Rubber grip-pads
These pads could help anchor items on a desk, and also fit easily into a student's hand to grasp and manipulate small items.
30: Rubber gloves
Students who have sensory issues and may not like the feel of certain textures or temperatures could find this useful. They could wear these gloves when completing messy or weird-feeling textures.
26: Rubber ring on baby toy.
We would take the toy off this hard, textured rubber ring. Lots of students seek oral stimulation, often by chewing on the necks of their t-shirts. We would clip the ring to a lanyard, and then it looks like a funky "necklace" but is really a fidget for a student with oral-stimulation issues. It would be easily concealed under a shirt if necessary, but elementary-age kids might think it looks cool and would not hide it.
This is a great item for a student who has an executive dysfunction. The clear-pocketed ones are best, but an opaque one could be labelled to serve the same function. (with words or images). It would be great both for organization and as a communication aid.
If a student has low cognitive abilities and needs help with task sequencing,these clothespins would be very useful. They could help students move along the tasks of a visual schedule, marking off what had already been completed and/or what task was next in a sequence.
These pads could help anchor items on a desk, and also fit easily into a student's hand to grasp and manipulate small items.
Students who have sensory issues and may not like the feel of certain textures or temperatures could find this useful. They could wear these gloves when completing messy or weird-feeling textures.
We had a fantastic time! As you can see, we went a little bit overboard. I think that if we'd spent more time there, we could have easily found even more items to use in our classes. All of these, by the way, were under $5 (and usually under $3) -- great for our budgets.
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