Larchwod Blog
Endings and New Beginnings
As my placement with Davis Occupational Therapy comes to an end, I would like to share more about my experience with this incredible company.
I was drawn to this placement, as it described an opportunity to develop a nature-based mindfulness program for adults with ADHD and the opportunity to explore nature locations within Toronto. After almost two years of my predominately virtual graduate studies, I was excited to take part in a placement that would allow me to spend time outdoors. I was also greatly intrigued by the concept of incorporating nature into occupational therapy. Nature has been so restorative in my own life and this placement has given me the opportunity to explore the literature that supports the therapeutic potential of nature-based therapy, something I have always believed in. Furthermore, this placement provided me with the opportunity to develop a program to share nature and mindfulness with adults experiencing ADHD symptoms, a population particularly impacted by the pandemic and the recent shift to a majorly virtual world.
Riverdale Park in Toronto is where we have been running the in-person version of the Nature-Based Mindfulness program. This large outdoor space has allowed for walks to be incorporated into our group discussions, as well as for mindfulness practices surrounded by greenery.
Program development has taught me about the importance of tailoring content and program structure to the target population. In particular I learned the value of seeking feedback during the process of program development from the target population. For instance, connecting with adults with ADHD in Toronto and gathering information on their needs, has led to the development of a virtual program in addition to the in-person program being offered. Connecting with these individuals revealed the many reasons why virtual and hybrid programs were preferred by many, such as maintaining safety during the current wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and allowing participants outside of the Greater Toronto Area to attend. I am very excited to now be running the nature-based mindfulness pilot program both virtually and in-person, enabling greater accessibility for our clients to join on this journey. The pilot is currently full, however, more sessions and the 8 week program will be offered in the near future.
In the final days of my placement I will be running the nature-based mindfulness program with my fieldwork partner and collecting feedback from our participants to inform future versions of the program, to make it the best it can be. To have developed the program and now be running it within the eight weeks of this placement is a feat that could only be accomplished with the support and guidance of Alanna and her amazing OT team member Paula, as well as my fieldwork partner Heather. Together they have made this experience so positive and have expanded my understanding of occupational therapy practice and harnessing the power of nature in enabling health and wellbeing.
Behaviour Strategies and a Final Note!
As I am nearing the end of my placement, I wanted to share some reflections about my experience developing Larchwood Nature OT as well as share some final insights into behaviour strategies I have been learning about that can be used at home.
Behaviour Strategies
I have been so excited with the warmer weather here and summer fast approaching! I also know that summertime can be a time where routines are disrupted, making it hard for kids. Throughout this placement, I have been looking at ways to support children while at camp and thought these tips would be helpful for parents to use at home as well!
1. Using a visual schedule. For some children, not having a set schedule can be difficult, resulting in behaviours at home. One way to help children with unexpected changes to routine is to create a visual schedule for them. What’s a visual schedule you may ask? This is a visual representation of everything that is going to happen that day. This helps kids visualize what their day will look like, and as you finish one activity it can be crossed off, so that they know what more to expect. Visual schedules are also helpful for when children are learning the sequence to something, for example how to get dressed. Here is an example that I made, to give you an idea of how they can be made.
2. Use a verbal or visual first/then. This is great for when you want your child to do something that they don’t want to, such as cleaning their room. Follow it up with something that they want to do, such as going swimming. Telling them, first clean your room, then you go swimming may help with having kids complete tasks that they need to do, but don’t want to.
3. Setting timers. If children are really enjoying the activity they are doing, it may be hard to pull them away. Give them a 10 minute warning, and then set a timer on your phone. Let them know that once the timer goes off, it will be time to leave.
I’ve also added some mindfulness strategies to use in nature as part of our parent resources.
Final Reflections
As I finish off this placement, I have taken time to reflect on the journey. This has been such a fun and exciting placement and has taught me about how the possibilities with occupational therapy are endless! I have learned so much about the benefits of nature and am excited to incorporate it into my future practice.
My favourite aspects of this placement were developing new activities to be used at camp. This included activities on: water play, zones of regulation, using tools, arts and crafts and learning about emotions. I’m excited to see these activities put to action this summer at Larchwood Farm.
As a final note, this placement has been a wonderful experience in learning how to advocate for new areas of occupational therapy. Working with Alanna, Rozelen and the rest of the team has been a pleasure to work with! Finally it has been an absolutely wonderful experience and I look forward to what’s to come at Larchwood Nature OT!
Nature Nurtures: COVID-19 and Children's Mental Health
The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on everyone, and our children are no exception. Children have lost many of their everyday activities (occupations) and have been isolated from their friends and school. Earlier this year, SickKids released a study that shows the large majority of children and youth experienced a decrease in their mental health during the first wave of the pandemic.
In their study, they surveyed more than 1,000 parents of children and youth between the ages of 2-18, and almost 350 youth between the ages of 10-18. The study found that more than two thirds of children and youth experienced deterioration in their mental health. This deterioration was mainly associated with the stress related to social isolation. Another notable finding was that across the six domains of mental health (depression, anxiety, irritability, attention span, hyperactivity and obsessions/compulsions), 70% of children aged 6-18 and 66% of children aged 2-5 reported deterioration in at least one of the domains.
Throughout this placement, I have been learning a lot about all the mental health benefits nature has to offer. Countless studies show that spending time outdoors boosts our mental health as it decreases feelings of stress, anxiety or depression.
Some of my favourite ideas that I have learned about that also support mental health are:
Take a family hike- The greatest mental health benefits come when you get away from busy streets and immerse yourself in nature.
Do your everyday activities outside- eating (and cooking) meals outside as a family, reading books, family game night, exercising and more! All of these everyday activities can be enjoyed outdoors.
Sleeping- Sleeping outdoors helps increases serotonin and reduces stress. The fresh air also helps you to sleep longer.
Bring nature inside-Setting up a green space in your house can help increase mental-wellbeing. Consider setting up the area where your child is doing virtual learning!
Let your kids enjoy independent free play- This is a great way for them to gain confidence and resilience!
Unplug from the devices, get outdoors, take deep breaths of fresh air, and relax- your kids will thank you for it!
If you are interested in reading the SickKids study click here
Risky play in the great outdoors
Growing up and spending summers at our trailer, I had a group of friends that I would spend all day with. We loved playing in back fields where there were no parents to tell us what to do. This was great, we could play how we wanted to! Some of the most memorable experiences were using old wood for bike ramps, getting to race down big hills and of course getting messy. One day I remember a pond had just been emptied and we decided to play in it. By the time we were done, we were covered head-to-toe in mud. Afterwards, we had fun hosing each other down to wash off. Overall we were outside all day until the sun went down, just having fun!
One of my favourite hiking spots, with lots of areas to discover! A great area for children to explore.
In today’s time this free, unrestricted or “risky” play is often missed in childhood. However, it so important as this type of play has huge benefits to children’s self-confidence, resilience, executive functioning and more! When I had the opportunity to volunteer with the Nature OT in the City groups back in the fall, I was taken back to childhood memories. The children in the group were provided with the time and space to try new opportunities without an adult saying “be careful” or “don’t do that”. This was an eye opening experience for me as I saw that the kids knew their own limits and really excelled in this environment. This was a good reminder for me that when working with kids, to give them this time of unstructured, child-led play.
In recent weeks, I have been reading more about risky play and ways to incorporate it into the camp curriculum. I really like how at Larchwood Farm they already encouraging risky play for children, such as climbing trees, using tools such as an apple peeler and teaching safe fire skills. To add to this, I’ve been looking at ways to incorporate other tools such as hammers and water play. I look forward to being able to apply these ideas and share them with parents in my future practice to help build kids confidence!
While reading about risky play, I enjoyed this 17-second tip from Mariana Brussoni, a professor at the University of British Columbia. The 17-second rule is where you step back and “see how your child is reacting to the situation, so that you can actually get a better sense of what they’re capable of when you’re not getting in the way.”. If you are interested in reading more click here for the CBC article on risky play for children.
Looking for ideas to encourage this type of play? Our social media post on outdoor activities, no equipment required is a great starting point!
Finding New Ways to Explore Nature
Occupational therapy is a client-centered profession that focuses on enabling clients to participate in their everyday meaningful activities. As part of their role, occupational therapist work as change agents to advocate for and with clients, to make positive changes to programs, services, and society. Over the past two weeks, I have been learning about the ways in which Larchwood Farm has been working as a change agent to include nature-based programming. This week, I will be presenting my initial ideas for programming and marketing with Larchwood Farm to my classmates. This is also an exciting opportunity where I can advocate for nature-based occupational therapy services and shed some insight on this unique opportunity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted us all. Kids have returned to virtual learning and have lost many of their meaningful activities. To continue to advocate for kids needs during this time, I have been working on social media tips for parents, on ways to get their kids outside and how to support their development. I have learned these past few weeks how many benefits kids can experience from simply playing in nature. This is especially true during the times of COVID-19 and my hope is that parents can learn from these social media tips.
Stay tuned for ideas on:
· Ways to get the whole family outside
· Going barefoot outside
· Outdoor sensory ideas
· And More!
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.