Creating, Analyzing & Finding Appropriate Recreational Activities

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

mkaslovsky@townofchapelhill.org

View our programs at

www.chapelhillparks.orgActivity RegistrationAdapted Recreation