My Chat With Cindy | Your Kids OT

Guess what?!? This is my 100th post! Yay! (Do you think it's a little OCD of me to have timed this post to coincide with my 200th Instagram post as well??). By the way do you follow me on Instagram? I'd love to have you :)

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Today's the day I share another interview with a fellow blogger - Cindy from Your Kids OT. Her fantastic blog has a bit of everything; sensory play ideas, recipes, printables, advice, a shop and much more. One of my favourite posts of Cindy's was about Re-purposing the Tupperware Shape O (how many of us grew up playing with these and have kids who still love them?).

I really love these interview posts. We love to share the love in the blogging world. Read my previous ones here;

Please enjoy my chat with Cindy :)

1. For our readers who may not be aware – what is an OT?


Occupational Therapy (OT) is a health profession concerned with promoting health and well being through occupation. The primary goal of OT is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. As a paediatric OT, I help babies and children to achieve developmental milestones through play or find ways to compensate for not being able to achieve some of these milestones.

2. You started your blog in Jan 2014 just like I did! Please share one of your favourite or most popular posts with us.


I have loved sharing my ideas and experiences through blogging! One of my most popular posts has been a comparison between kinetic sand and homemade cloud dough.  Kinetic sand is this incredible sensory experience that feels like sand but less grainy.  It is so fluid and yet can be moulded and shaped. Cloud dough is so simple to make with two ingredients and kids love feeling this in their fingers too – but it can get very messy!  You can read this post here.

Image used with permission from Cindy - Your Kids OT

Image used with permission from Cindy - Your Kids OT

Image used with permission from Cindy - Your Kids OT

3. Tell us about your family. And perhaps an activity your children are loving at the moment?


I am married and have two delightful (yet very energetic) children aged 8 and almost-5years.  My kids are often my hand models on the blog.  Mr almost-5years loves making paper planes. I think he is addicted and we have so many around the house. Miss 8 loves to get one of my recipes and cook by herself!  She made her first cake last week and was so proud of her efforts.  We love getting together around a board game or uno altogether too!

4. I absolutely love doing sensory play activities with my two year old daughter and class of five year old students. What are the benefits of sensory play?


Sensory play has the ability to excite and alert us or also helps to calm us down.  It can be exploratory (especially for babies and toddlers) and it can help children learn about their bodies and how they interact with their environment.  Sensory play can also be a great medium for learning concepts such as shapes, numbers, handwriting, drawing, left and right direction, etc.  I love using a multi-sensory approach to learning!

5. I like how you have recipes on your blog too! Care to share a favourite with us?


Kids in the kitchen is where you can find my recipes as I am encouraging kids to get into the kitchen and involved with cooking.  Most of the recipes on the blog are super easy and many of them can be done in one bowl.  My “go to” slice recipe is Anzac slice but if I didn’t have to worry about calories then it would be my super easy chocolate fudge.


6. There’s a few ‘sensory issues’ that my two year old seems to have... 


(eg doesn’t like certain clothes, insists that the tags be cut off, enjoys rice play and playdough but not ‘messy’ sensory play, likes bare feet and doesn’t like hats, prefers to be cool instead of warm, pushes other children…etc)

How do I know what’s normal and what to be concerned about?


Many of us have “sensory issues” and find ways to adjust or cope with it.  As adults we might chew our pencil, have a glass of wine or go for a jog.  I don’t like tags either!  For kids, some of these “sensory issues” can be outgrown as they adapt or learn to adjust to the sensations.  For other kids, they can’t find ways to adapt or coping mechanisms and these “sensory issues” impact their lives.  An occupational therapist can help when you find the sensory issues are impacting your child’s ability to carry out their everyday activities.

Some of the questions you could ask yourself are…
Does my child’s intolerance to tags and clothes mean that they won’t wear their uniform to school?
Does my child’s sensitivities to noise (eg. Hand dryers, lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners) mean they won’t leave their bedroom or scream every time they hear it?
Does my child’s sensitivity to touch mean they can’t stand in a line with other kids without getting upset if another child bumps into them?
Does my child’s intolerance to textures mean they struggle to eat meals?
Does my child’s intolerance to touch mean they won’t brush their hair, have hair cuts, shampoo their hair?

These are just some examples and usually if there are concerns in more than one area, then it is a good idea to contact an OT.

7. What is your best selling product in the Your Kids OT shop?


My best selling product is the Pencil Grasp Reference Sheet which appeals to the teachers and OTs who follow my site. They use it to figure out a child’s grip or to explain to parents what the different pencil grips might mean. I have lots of freebies (including games, school readiness checklist and a playdough recipe) which I’m always adding too!

8. On your ‘About’ page, I loved the example of a walk around the block to allow for incidental learning. What other incidental learning have your children been doing lately?


We do lots of incidental learning in the car.  There are road signs where we notice shapes (eg. Circle for speed limit signs, octagon for stop signs), letters and numbers to identify on number plates.  We also love playing “colour I spy” as Mr almost-5yrs can’t spell yet…”I spy with my little eye something that is green”.

9. What are you plans for the rest of 2015?


I’m working as an OT 2 days a week and this keeps me very busy.  I love blogging and want to continue to bring resources to the blog.  I’m working on turning some of my blog articles into handouts that I can give to families and teachers.  I want to keep making learning fun for the kids I see (at work and home) as well as sharing this with my readers!

10. And finally, do you have a favourite quote you’d care to share?


Image used with permission from Cindy - Your Kids OT

Thank you so much for sharing your words of widsom Cindy!
I hope you all enjoyed reading this interview :)

Apart from her blog, you can also find Cindy here...





And if you've been a loyal reader from the beginning - thanks for sticking around for 100 posts!

Lauren x

6 comments

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks so much Beth! So many more ideas for the rest of the year. I'm loving the momentum of posting more frequently :)

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  2. Congratulations on 100 posts. I have a few friends with children who have sensory issues and after taking a look at Your Kids OT, I will definitely be passing on the link as I know they would benefit greatly.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Kelly! Glad you found 'Your Kids OT' a useful site and I hope your friends do too :)

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  3. Congratulations on your 100th post. :) I love Cindy's blog. My daughter has Down Syndrome and we see an OT for help reaching milestones. They are fabulous :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Raylene! OTs are definitely a special part of the education community. Glad to hear you're a fan of Cindy's blog too :)

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