girl erasing chalkboard

July 2009

 
 
Grab and Go Across the Midline:
Why is Crossing Midline Important for Handwriting?
By Marianne Gibbs, MOT, OTR
 
Crossing midline means that the two sides of the brain are working with each other and is first  expressed through gross motor movements. Hands and arms cross the body in gross motor functional movements such as erasing the chalkboard, wiping off a table, sweeping the floor, or reaching across the body for passing or retrieving objects.  Performance of these activities is one of the first steps toward the ability to cross midline accurately in fine motor tasks. Forming shapes and symbols where crossing midline is required (i.e. plus sign (+) and x) supports successful letter writing (i.e. N and t).
 
A super activity for practicing crossing of midline is Animal Grabber. Our long-handled Animal Grabbers can "eat" lots of frogs, lizards, butterflies, spiders, or marine creature manipulatives! When the child uses the tripod grasp to open the Animal Grabber's mouth, pick up a "delicacy," and place that treat it in a basket on the other side of his or her body, the child is practicing crossing of midline. Use visual or verbal number cueing to develop counting skills with this Animal Grabber activity. Boost the activity by having the child sit on an exercise ball to increase balance and trunk control while using the Animal Grabber. Children love to work with partners. One child holds the basket and calls out a number and the other child uses the Animal Grabber to cross midline and fill the basket with the correct number of manipulatives. There are so many ways to incorporate Animal Grabber to support crossing of midline in all areas of learning! Be creative!
 
Receive one Animal Grabber and one bag of "treats" (manipulatives, our choice) for every $40.00 in product purchased. See the coupon below for more details about this promotion.

 
Have a great week...Write Out of the Box!
 
Marianne 
animal grabber
frogs
lizards
butterflies
spiders
FREE
Animal Grabber
with
Purchase 
Recieve ONE FREE ANIMAL GRABBER and ONE BAG OF "TREATS" (manipulatives, our choice) for orders with subtotals of $40.00 or more.  No coupon code is needed.  Free gift will automatically be included with your order.  One gift per customer.  Does not apply to workshop registration.
 
Offer Expires: August 11, 2009

Write Out of the Box Workshops

Fine Motor Skills...Write Out of the Box!
Presented By: Marianne Gibbs, OTR
 
Houston Area Workshop
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
Hosted by: Child Enrichment Center
Kingsland Baptist Church
20555 Kingsland Blvd., Katy, TX
$30 per participant for 3-clock hours
 
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Schedule a Workshop in Your Area
 
Workshop Option #1:  Schedule an Onsite Workshop
Schedule your own 3-hour, onsite workshop for your educators and administrators.  50 person minimum.  Travel and accommodation expenses for presenter will apply.
 
Workshop Option #2:  Host an Area Workshop
Does your organization have access to a large workshop venue?  When you host a minimum of 50 or more paying attendees, the educators from your organization will receive their workshop training and clock hour credits for FREE (up to 50 educators from host organization, registration fee to be paid for each educator thereafter). Travel and accommodation expenses for presenter will apply.
  
For more information about scheduling an onsite or hosting an area workshop, call Marianne at 281-492-2936 or email mgibbs@writeoutofthebox.com . 
 
 

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Phone Us:  281-492-2936