creating, analyzing & finding appropriate recreational activities
TRANSCRIPT
Creating, Analyzing & Finding Appropriate
Recreational Activities
Learning Objectives
You’ll learn:• Benefits & goals of recreation/leisure• Brainstorming 101: important for finding
potential activities in the community
• Activity Analysis to help in planning
adaptations
• More about finding quality inclusive programs
Who Are You?
About Me
• Dad had a brother with multiple disabilities• Ben Becker’s Camp Nassau in the ‘60’s• Former Art Teacher• Licensed Recreation Therapist• Formerly, Inclusion Consultant/ DD Case
Manager in Wake County through Community Partnerships
• Currently Coordinator of Adapted Recreation & Inclusion program, Chapel Hill Parks & Recreation
Recreation & Leisure
How would you define recreation?
How do you define leisure?
Recreation is an activity that people engage in during their free time, that people enjoy and that people recognize as having socially redeeming values. The activity performed is less important than the reason for performing the activity, which is the outcome.
Parks & Recreation Professional’s Handbook by Amy Hurd & Denise Anderson.
Recreation - activity that one is doing in order to rejuvenate oneself physically and mentally.
LeisureFree timeA state of mindAn activity
…or inactivity
Leisure and recreation are
crucial for the well-being of a person!
Benefits of Recreation
Pleasure Providing
Interaction generating
Creating group cohesion
Thought stimulating
Providing relaxation (stress relief)
Protective Rehearsing
Protective Rehearsing
Pokemon Cards
Playing store, house, school
Playing doctor, fireman
Ultimate State of Leisure
FLOW
Flow Theory
The experiences of intrinsically motivated people, those who were engaged in an activity chosen for its own sake
(Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, 1975, 1997)
What Happens When Flow Occurs?
Our worries and concerns disappear
We lose track of time, pain, sadness...
A loss of self-consciousness
Receive direct & immediate feedback
Challenging activity, requiring skill
(but not too challenging)
Merging of Action & Awareness
Concentration on the task at hand
* Not all of these components need to be present together for Flow to be experienced.
Choosing Recreation
The Right Time for the Right
Goal:Is this a good time to teaching a leisure skill ?
Should this be simply leisure time?
Choose a Goal or Goals Deliberately
Pleasure Providing
Interaction generating
Educational
Providing relaxation (stress relief)
Protective Rehearsing
Work is Play & Play is Work
What do you like about it?...Because it has musicBecause the other kids are doing itBecause I feel like an expertBecause they serve pizzaBecause there are girls there
Dancing
Learning to Dance
Exercise
Joy!
Drama-
Pleasure Providing
Protective Rehearsing
Interaction Generating
Helping in the KitchenSetting the TableRefilling everyone’s drink
Tend a community gardenWorking on a Habitat HouseMeet Ups
Group HikingInterest GroupsStream Clean ups
Activities That Can be Interaction Generating…
Finding an Activity
to Fit an Interest
Comic booksLooking for a particular comic
bookSelling/trading a comic bookComi-con Convention
Softball GameKeep ScoreBatboyReferee/Umpire
Civil War ReenactmentHave a rolePhotographerProp person
Theater, DramaSetsLightingProps
A Group w/Defined Purpose or Interest
LegosStamps/CoinsPhotographyWar Battles
MoviesCooking
Fixing Bikes
Meet Ups
People getting together to learn something, do something, share something…Gathering of people with a particular interestModerator/Organizer/HostFocus on the activity Look at who else is participating
“Hey Marian Kaslovsky,
There are 1,704 Meet ups happening this week in your area, about everything from careers to hiking, parenting, tech, photography and urban gardening …”
Hobbies & Crafts 5
Hiking and Adventure 6
Community & Environment 1
Tons of Interest Categories
“Do Gooders"CyclingMeditation & ReikiPick up soccer gamesRaleigh/Durham Web Design GroupFree line dancing lessons
Slow Spokes-Road Cycling
(A 18+ mph; B 16-18 mph; C 13-15; D
10-12 mph; Beginner under 10 mph.)
We Play! Playgroup for Infants/Toddlers
Indie Film Meet Up Group
Chapel Hill/Carrboro Community
Games
“Cuisine Artisans”
Fall Fruits, Berries and Greens
Market Walk & Mushroom Talk
Chef's Wild: Cocktails, Wines & Sodas
Cheese and Italian Wine Pairing
http://www.meetup.com/cities/us/nc/chapel_hill/
Brainstorming
Start with a concrete problemGenerate ideas
Build on others ideasNO CRITICIZING IDEAS
Free up your brain Wacky and out there!
Bizarre ideas can be honed into innovative & workable solutions
Let’s Brainstorm!
1 sentence description of person: Age & gender
Current interests
Limitations
…then we’ll all brainstorm
Activity Analysis
A good analysis includes:
Equipment required
Simple description of
directions/rules
Administrative and leadership concerns
Purpose or goal
What is required to participate?
Physical/sensorimotor
Mental/cognitive
Social interaction
Affective/emotional
Activity Analysis: Ping Pong
Physical/SensorimotorGrasp and hold a paddleNeeds sufficient elbow, shoulder, and wrist movement to hit the ballMust have enough mobility to move quickly
Mental/CognitiveRemembering the rulesConsidering strategies
Ping Pong, continued
Social Interaction:Must be willing to play fairMust take opponent’s ability into consideration
Affective/Emotional:
Must feel comfortable with “losing”Must be willing to take turns
Adaptations
Paddle: Change the grasp, size of face,
length of handle
Table: Height, distance from opponent
Teach the skill first-
Then find an opponent!
Increase or decrease activity space
Reduce/increase amount of time to score or win
Allow peer assistance (play doubles!)
Adaptations
Modify Procedures or Rules
Increase or decrease the available
space
Reduce/increase amount of time to
score or win
Permit assistance
Substitute actions or rules
Adaptation to Help with Turn Taking
Candy Land
PUT LAST Purpose or goal:
Equipment required:
Simple directions:
Administrative and leadership
concerns
Finding the Right Activity
Are the players good losers?
Activity NOT appropriate for socializing!
Activity that requires talking
Parallel play or OTHER level of interaction
Number, age, size of participants
Time on task
Importance of speed to complete activity
Staff, facilities, equipment, supplies
Cost of activity (now & future)
Usefulness of products made during
activity
Group Games
Finding an Appropriate
Inclusive Program
Ask questions of staff member supervising the program.
Ratio of students/staff & # in each group
Experience with kids with disabilities? GET SPECIFICS
Children assigned to a consistent group?
Typical daily schedule? How much variation?
Structured hours of program?
Discipline policy?
How much of the day is outdoors? ...in air conditioning?
If unable/unwilling to do an activity…alternate activities?Individualized accommodations? (help changing to swim, headphones for loud times, help in bathroom)?Layout of the spaces used (ex: hills, black top, paved trails) Sensory Environment
Be Honest re Individual’s Abilities/Needs
Be direct about child’s specific needs
Best and worst behavior/health issues
Can you observe in advance?
Can your child visit first?
Inclusion Subcommittee of Durham’s Council for Children with Special Needs, March 2011
Any Questions?
Marian Kaslovsky919 968-2813
View our programs at
www.chapelhillparks.orgActivity RegistrationAdapted Recreation