Kay and I recently attended a new program at GiGi’s Playhouse called Art Explosion! Walking in, I had no idea what to expect—but I was fully prepared for Kay to be covered in paint by the end of it. I’ll admit, I sometimes struggle with letting Kay fully explore activities that get messy. But I know how important it is for her, both for sensory experiences and occupational therapy. I’m learning to embrace the mess because, at the end of the day, it can always be cleaned up—Kay included!
The first activity was making a snowman out of ripped white paper, gluing the pieces onto an outline, and adding accessories to complete the look. Right now, keeping Kay engaged in a seated task for more than two minutes is a challenge. She’d much rather be up and moving, finding something active to do instead of sitting still. But we made it through and created a cute little snowman together!
Next came a sensory-based activity—digging through shaving cream to find hidden objects at the bottom of the bucket. This one was by far Kay’s favorite! She especially loved when one of the amazing volunteers let Kay paint her arms with as much shaving cream as she wanted. There were so many laughs and smiles that morning!
We can’t wait for the next Art Explosion session!