Making Musical Instruments.......

There are many benefits that music therapy can offer individuals. Music therapy can relieve stress and anxiety, ease depression, enhance self-expression, help patients cope with a disease/illness, provide sensory stimulation along with much more. Making musical instruments is one way to provide music therapy to clients or patients. Some easy to make instruments include; a homemade tambourine, xylophone, drum, chimes, horn, guitar, and hand bell.

To construct a Xylophone follow the directions below;

XYLOPHONE

• tall glasses or jars
• water
• mixing spoon

Fill the glasses or jars with different amounts of water. The more water in the glass, the lower the pitch will be. Having less water in the glass or jar will raise the pitch.
To play, gently strike the glasses with a mixing spoon.

For more information on how to construct the other instruments go to  http://www.kinderart.com/teachers/9instruments.shtml

There is a wide variety of instrument that can easily be constructed. Many of the instruments use household items or items that are fairly cheap to buy. Even though making musical instruments is typically geared toward children many different population can benefit from this activity.

Snowkiting........

Snowkiting is an outdoor winter sport where people use kites to glide over snow or ice. Not many people are familiar with this snowkiting but it has been around since the 1980's. Since then people have continued to improve the equipment and techniques which has created a more desirable sport. Many daring people use snowkites to fly off mountains, do freestyle tricks, and even jump off high cliffs. Snowkiting is a dangerous sport and should be practiced with a lot of caution.Today the sport has become increasingly popular in many different countries.

RELAX!!!!

During class we discussed different relaxation techniques and ways to reduce stress. I was introduced to laughter yoga for the first time. This type of yoga incorporates laughter while doing various exercises. The idea behind laughter yoga is that anybody can laugh for no reason at all and gain the positive benefits associated with laughter. Laughter Yoga has been used to help people cope with different disabilities they may have and generate a more positive attitude.

Here is a short clip to give you a better idea what Laughter Yoga is all about........

Meditation was another topic we covered during class. We discussed possible ways to incorporate meditation with different populations. An important point was brought up that highlighted the idea that meditation may not be for everyone. Some people are unwilling to try meditation because they believe it is against their religion. Although there are spiritual meditation techniques there is a wide variety of options available that do not relate to religion. It is also important to consider that proper meditation takes a lot of time and practice.

Guided Imagery was the next topic of discussion. This is a technique that guides a persons imagination. This is sometimes called "visualization" or even "mental imagery". This can be done as a leader describes an event/scenario with great detail allowing the participants to imagine what is being described.

Guided Imagery can also be done by watching a video clip as well. Here is an example to see what it is all about.

Virtual School....

During class we were presented with the idea of a virtual school. A speaker came and discussed the process of enrollment to the benefits of a virtual school along with much more. He focused a lot on how different a virtual school can be from a traditional public school. The cost of a virtual school is lower, the students are still allowed to participate in sports within the surrounding schools, the academic material is set to meet each individuals educational level, and he argued that students from a virtual school often have more time for recreation because they are able to complete their lesson plans on their own schedule.

Even though a virtual school may not be for everyone it is very beneficial for individuals who have a difficult time attending a public school due to behavior, health, or emotional problems they may experience. The most unique aspect of the school is how they develop an individualized Education Plan (IEP). This plan is developed by the staff after the students go through a series of assessment test. By doing this the student is able to learn  at the the level they need. The assessments are important in providing an overview of a students weaknesses and strengths in order to give the student proper lesson plans.

Another great point that he mentioned was that no matter what age the student is they are put into a program based on their educational needs. For example, if someone tests a few grades below their reading level it isn't as big of a deal in the virtual school as it would be seen in a public school. The virtual school takes away the added pressure of the peer relationship.

Therapeutic recreation isn't something that is commonly incorporated within the school system. Even though there are several positive benefits many students and faculty are unaware how effective a TR program can be.

Therapeutic Puppetry.....

Tonight in class we learned all about therapeutic puppetry. We began class with an instructional video on proper puppetry skills with the Kids on the Block puppets. These puppets are designed to teach kids about disabilities, medical conditions and social issues. I learned that being a puppet master isn't as easy as someone would think. It actually takes a log of practice and skills to learn all of the techniques.

After the video we did a class discussion and learned how different types of puppets can be incorporated with many different populations. One great example is how puppets can be a very effective tool used by a child life specialist. A child life specialist can use puppets as a part of medical play and allow children to interact, ask questions, and "preform procedures" on the puppets. It was also interesting to consider that puppets can be used when working with individuals who have experienced sexual and physical abuse. The puppets may allow the individuals to open up and discuss things that they wouldn't feel comfortable talking about directly to someone else. Puppets can be a great tool to use when working with a variety of populations. Although many clients may benefit from the use of puppets, they aren't for everyone. Some clients may not like interacting with puppets and many therapeutic recreation specialist may not feel comfortable using them.

B.A.S.E. Jumping

B.A.S.E. jumping is an extreme sport that involves jumping from fixed objects with a parachute. It is often compared to skydiving but it is considered to be much more dangerous. The acronym B.A.S.E. stands for the four different object that people often jump from, Buildings, Antennas, Span (bridges) and Earth.

Before BASE jumping became popular the jumpers used skydiving equipment. This included the main and reserve parachutes along with all of the deployment equipment. Today jumpers use more specialized equipment.

Although BASE jumping is not illegal many people are often fined for the activity. Many of the objects people jump from include buildings and antenna towers which are privately owned. A majority of the owners are reluctant to allow base jumping from their property so this sport is often done illegally. Jumpers who are caught can be charged with trespassing, breaking and entering, reckless endangerment, along with vandalism. If anyone is daring enough to try this dangerous sport it would be wise to get the proper authorization first.

Sandboarding......

Sandboarding is very similar to snowboarding, just take out the snow and add sand. It involves riding across or down a sand dune while standing with both feet strapped to a board. Some riders chose not to use a board with bindings but this is considered to be more dangerous. Once the rider has reached the bottom the ride to the top isn't always an easy task. Unlike snowboarding it is difficult to construct a ski lift to carry the riders back up. The riders either walk back up the sand dune after each run or ride a dune buggy or 4 wheel drive vehicle back to the top.

Equipment

A sandboards shape resembles a snowboard except a sandboards base is much harder than a snowboard. The boards are often made from wood, plastic, or fiber glass. To make it easier to ride the sand the bottoms of the boards are often waxed.