Monday, August 8, 2016
Pack It Light, Wear It Right
by: Kate LeFebvre OTR/L
A Community in Motion
Take a
close look at the photo above. The
Minnie Mouse outfit, the competing plaids, the… oh wait, not the clothing. Look at the schoolbags. See my sister in the middle, with her
backpack slung oh-so-coolly over one shoulder? Our fashionista neighbor on the right, whose bag only features one
completely unpadded strap? I’m not
actually looking too bad – mullet bangs excluded – on the left, but in another
two or three years you would have found me with my straps loosened about as far
as they could go, bag slapping against my bottom with every step. Oh, and five pounds of added keychain weight.
Don’t
send your kids to school like it’s 1995.
Incorrectly worn backpacks can actually cause serious problems for
people of all ages. In fact, almost
28,000 Americans sought treatment for backpack-related injuries in
2010. Studies have found that well over half
of students surveyed experience some pain or discomfort from carrying a
backpack. Here’s how you can keep your
child safe:
- Keep
it light: a backpack should weigh no more than 10% of your child’s total
body weight.
- Choose
a bag with two well-padded straps – and insist that your child wear them
both.
- Place
the heaviest items closest to your child’s body.
- Avoid
lunchboxes that dangle from the bottom of the backpack, opting instead to
place it inside the main compartment of the bag – or have your child carry
it separately.
- Cinch
up the straps so the bottom of your child’s bag rests in the curve of his
or her lower back.
- Pick
a bag that’s sized for your child.
Preschoolers may look awfully cute in giant bags designed for elementary-aged
kids, but oversized backpacks aren't doing their little bodies any favors.
Check out AOTA.org for
more information on backpack safety.
And for those of you who've read this far looking for
fashion advice to prevent your kids from being the victims of such tragic first
day of school photos as mine? I’m afraid you've come to the wrong place; those Disney character shirts followed me to
middle school.
Sources:
http://aota.org/News/Media/Experts/Backpack-Awareness-Advisory.aspx
http://www.aota.org/DocumentVault/Backpack/44404.aspx
http://www.aota.org/DocumentVault/Backpack/44388.aspx
Sources:
http://aota.org/News/Media/Experts/Backpack-Awareness-Advisory.aspx
http://www.aota.org/DocumentVault/Backpack/44404.aspx
http://www.aota.org/DocumentVault/Backpack/44388.aspx
Labels: A Community in Motion, backpack, Backpack-related health problems, child development, Hartland, Lebanon, OT, pediatric, school, Upper Valley, Vermont
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Farm Camp Reflections to Keep us Warm
Our first week of Farm Camp in 2010 was from July 13th to July 15th. Our weekly theme was animals. Following is an excerpt from our weekly newsletter that week.
Enjoy the trip back to warmer days! ~ Posted by Stephanie Thompson, COTA/L, ACiM
From an Occupational Therapy perspective, our summer camp is full of opportunities for developing the skills needed for our "jobs of living". Not only is the fresh air wonderful to breathe, the sunshine (in limited quantities) fabulous to feel, and the slowing down of time a necessary need, the farm camp experience is filled with a variety of sensory opportunities that lead toward skill development. There is obvious visual input of new sights to be taken in and the auditory input of the birds, farm animals, and the music we will be making, the olfactory input from the smell of the skunk during yoga and the baby cows in their pens, the gustatory input of the healthy foods we will be eating for snack, in the vegetables and fruits we harvest and our weekly CSA share (especially the mustard greens), and the tactile input from the dirt, animals and plants we will be touching. In addition, the vestibular and proprioceptive senses help us to understand where our bodies are positioned in space, how they are moving, and at what rate. We will get this input by movement, heavy lifting, pushing, pulling when we do such things as play animal freeze tag, do yoga, pull weeds, make animals horns, and bake sweet bread. Efficient integration of all of these sensations is necessary for almost everything we do as it helps us understand our surroundings and ultimately leads to all sorts of functional interactions with the environment. - Allison E. Bembe OTR/L, Clinical Director - ACiM
To view more pictures of Farm Camp 2010 please go to our Facebook page by clicking on the Facebook link located on our home page.
Labels: ADHD, ADHD Support Group Upper Valley New Hampshire Vermont NH VT Occupational Therapy Pediatric, Coaching, Farm Camp, Motion, OT
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