Here's to New Adventures!
My name is Katie, and I am a second-year occupational therapy student at the University of Toronto. I am very excited to be working with Alanna, Rozelen (OT student from Western) and the rest of the team, to continue developing Larchwood Farm as part of my Fieldwork 3 placement!
Growing up, I spent my summers in Huron County at our trailer. I would spend hours in the lake, playing Manhunt with friends, painting rocks, and sitting around a fire. My mom always had a hard time pulling my brother and I out of the water to eat and we would be outside playing with friends until dark. It was very rare for us to spend anytime inside and when I think back to those summers all I can think about is how much fun we had! When I saw the fieldwork offer for Larchwood Farm, I was taken back to those summer memories growing up and knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.
After learning about the benefits of nature for kids, I am excited to learn ways in which occupational therapists can incorporate nature into their work, while helping kids develop their skills. From previous work done by Regan, I learned about how Larchwood Farm is unique in that it is the first program in the area to create a camp curriculum based on occupational therapy frameworks. I find it very interesting that I can be a part of this development and I am eager to share this experience with my classmates and occupational therapists so that in the future, more people can experience the benefits of a nature based occupational therapy program!
Did you know?
Most people know the five senses: smell, taste, touch, sight and listening. But did you know there are two more senses? Vestibular and proprioception are often the two senses that are forgotten. The vestibular sense tells your body where it is in space to help with movement and balance. The proprioception sense tells you where your body parts are relative to each other. Simply being in nature helps develop all of your child’s senses. Think about all the endless opportunities such as smelling flowers, touching different textures and learning how to position your body to climb a tree. To learn more about how you can promote nature fun in your family and how it is used in Occupational Therapy, become an insider! Sign up below.