Review & Giveaway: Park and Learn: Just Flip the Switch!

I like that even though he's comfortable, he's still in a forward-facing position and he is looking directly at his work.    He's "on." And yup, that's a Whisperphone on his ear. 

 
WHAT: Park and Learn by Abilitations
DOES: provides a unique mode of support to children whose bodies need to move; acts as a tool for kids to "turn on their focus"
INVEST: $115.36  (all individuals receive "Educator Price" or "Catalog Price")
TOOLS: I Can Take Care of Myself, My Body Needs to Move, More Make-Believe Please, Social Scene Helper, Family Fix-its

When I used to work in an office, my department would have meetings in the conference room.   The room had a long table and plenty of swivel chairs.  I would go and put my notebook down, sit in the chair, and hopefully I'd be the first one in the room because the next thing I would do is immediately press the lever underneath the seat and then....

BOOOOSHHHHH!

I would sink to the lowest level possible.  My colleagues usually noticed and some even gave me a what-the-heck-face but no one said anything.  Still, I never saw any of my colleagues doing this.  In a room of 15 people, some of whom were shorter than me, I would be the only one to lower my chair.  Why?

Well, for one thing,  I know that if my feet do not touch the floor, I cannot think straight.  Inevitably, I will end up slouching and shifting.  I may also try to sit in a criss-cross-applesauce-style on my seat..  The image of me slouching or sitting in a yoga position at the conference table is not something I want my boss to be picturing come who-gets-a-promotion?-time.  Thus, even if I have to be the shortest person in the room and even if it makes that embarrassing BOOOSH sound, I would ALWAYS lower my seat, join the group, and pay attention.

Now ask me if I had a lever under my chair in elementary school......

There is a clear pocket on the bottom to place a name card (interchangeable). You can also see that it's actually harder to look sideways in this position hence, less distractions. Yes! (photo courtesy: Abilitations)

Ants in Your Pants and Wiggly Bottoms

I doubt that even the fanciest of fancy schools will seat their students in adjustable height cushiony chairs.   And yet, we expect them to sit there for the majority of their school day while we at work sit in a cushioned swivel chair with a special back pillow: "My company should support my need because I can perform better with a pain-free back." - we say to the office manager.   Sadly, kids back then and many even today, do not get enough of this kind of support even though it will help them "perform better" or even "make appropriate progress."  I'm not just talking about school too.  I am also talking about home - the place where I make most of my biggest mistakes.

"I have students that have a really hard time sitting in a regular chair," said Alison Berkley, one of Toys are Tools' favorite expert educators and co-owner of Emerge and See Education Center.  She sometimes uses a little air cushion on these kids' seats to help them get a little bit of the movement and subdue the need to fidget so they can work at the task at hand.

Alison sees the Park and Learn as a tool that provides the child with a confined space.  This space gives them a little bit of a squeeze, a little bit of input where the student is able to instead of focus on the need to move around, they focus on the reading or writing or whatever it is that they are doing. You might wonder however, if this is all really necessary.  Can't we just throw them a fidget and call it a day?

It's really roomy in there!!! Check out the dashboard/tool holder. My son never used his dashboard but he sure used the steering wheel and the emergency break (or clutch). (photo courtesy: Abilitations)

Who Doesn't Need Productivity and Creativity?

I think back to those really long meetings, retreats, or workshops I attended, where employees were asked to separate into groups and come up with something brilliant and wonder how Park and Learns and other comfy seating options could possibly inspire brilliant ideas.  I bet if you search around, you'll find that more of the inventive and creative companies are using non-traditional seating to encourage maximum thinking and potential.  I would bet that these employees don't need this type of seating, rather, companies may be spending the extra cash because they just think it is just plain better for everyone, especially the bottom line.  But we are not in this mode of thinking for kids yet, right?

For kids, sometimes, we don't want to offer "different" whether or not it is needed or just plain better.  We may even think that giving them a different chair is insulting and draws negative attention or makes them dependent.  But I think that is all in the mind of the person presenting the chair.  You'd be surprised to see how those thoughts leap off a grown-up and go straight to the kid. 

When my trusty playmaster Number 1 first saw the Park and Learn, he shouted with delight!  I was the coolest mom in the world.  Both of my children did.  Why? Uh, well it looks like a car and they can fit into it.  It comes with a steering wheel, dashboard, and there are even wheels sewn onto the sides.  I think kids see it and immediately feel the way they do when they see a huge empty cardboard box at home- one that is big enough for them to sit and lean back in.  The possibilities are endless. 

I am hoping that we will convey to kids this kind of open-ended image in hopes that they could make good use of a tools like Park and Learn.  This product is for them to use and love and not restrict them in anyway. In fact, for the kids who feel the urge to move, this product isn't really telling them "do not move."

"We are saying that 'You have a different learning style',"  Alison said.  "Some kids can sit in chairs for long periods of time and others can't.  That doesn't mean you're incapable of doing the math. It just means that you need a little bit more support."

The dashboard/pencil case and other stuff holder can be taken out and transferred back to the desk. (photo courtesy: Abilitations)

Input?  Input What? Into Your Computer? Yes but the Computer is Your Brain


That support is also known as input.  For those of you who are not familiar with sensory processing issues,* I think a great example of "input" could be something as simple as a girdle. (Yes, the thing that some women and even men wear.)  Even if it's there because it sucks in your tummy, you know that it's also making you sit up straight.    All of our bodies tire in different places in different ways and at different rates.  Many of our kids will lean on us, even as they get much older.   They need the support. They need that input.

So with the Park and Learn as Alison said, "You're proactively addressing the need for some kind of input whether that is movement or a light squeeze because in that Park and Learn, the walls of the car are kind of hugging them.  And just that little amount of input can help the brain shift their focus away from the need to get that input and focus it primarily on what they are trying to do, which is the work."


How Can I Make This Work?

Alison suggested that one would have to do some trial and error before you could see what worked and what didn't work for a child.   As an example, she described a student who may be strong in reading and writing but then you might see a spike in hyperactivity and distractibility when he is doing math.   To this child, she suggested, you might want to have the child do his math in the Park and Learn and see if that environment helps with gaining more focus to deal with the math problems better.

"But it's really about the individual kid and what works and doesn't work.  There might be some kids that just want to take a break in there," said Alison.  "And that's why it's a great product.  You don't have to use it in one uniform way for every kid."

Number 1 weighs 60 lbs. but this boy looks way bigger than that and he looks pretty comfortable. (photo courtesy: Abilitations)

Flip the Switch

Alison used the analogy of flipping a switch to really capture how a child could approach the idea of using the Park and Learn. "You're setting up the learning environment," Alison told me. "And I do all those tricks that teachers have where you put on your 'thinking helmet.'  You strap it on, you turn it on, and it goes BZSHH and now you're thinking."   She said that this approach is something that gives a student a really concrete way to say, "Now I have to be focused.  Now I have to be thinking."

Wow.  I felt great when I heard that because that is what I tell Number 1 when he puts on his Whisperphone at homework time.   When he takes it off, then he too, is "off" and he can take a break.  "And by giving him that control, you're giving him that tool to be independent," said Alison.  "So when he goes off to school on his own, he knows how to flip that switch on his own."   Practicing this on and off mode is really important for a kid, especially the "taking a break" part.    Alison stressed that this too is important for a child to learn.   It does make sense.

The Park and Learn is a great way to teach kids about turning their focus "on" and "off."   For us, we have different uses for it including pretend play, relaxation, and also for reading.  From personal experience, I know that frequent fidgeters could possibly fall asleep if they get too comfy when they read but if you are not comfortable enough, you will not absorb the information.  However, the Park and Learn seems to provide that wonderful in-between amount of support/comfort.  It's hard to describe except to say that I always had a feeling that my son needed this.  The feeling was so strong that I had him sit in a laundry basket (rectangular size) that I lined with a soft blanket.  It was a bit too small for him and so I kept searching stores for bigger laundry baskets!  Yes, I really did!  And then, one day, I found a website called My Special Needs Network, a site that I like to describe as a place where parents, teachers, and therapists come together in one virtual room.

And it folds up too!!!!!  Folded height is shorter than our seed butter jar.

Win Your Own!

The site had a giveaway for a Park and Learn and I won it!  And this happened before Toys are Tools ever came into existence.  And now you can have your chance!!!!   It's being sold at $115 so you will want to give this your best shot but check out this new giveaway entry I put in below, you will love and hate Toys are Tools for it.  Sorry, but my agenda to have everyone seek out special needs catalogs to enrich family and school life must move forward.   I especially want my readers with typically developing children to come take a look at what hasn't been shown to you. For example, typical children chew on erasers and disgust parents and teachers.  Did you know there was a low-cost and sanitary solution for that?  Oh yes.

You will also see some of your favorite toys and hopefully feel good that you've been making great purchases that expert buyers and creators at Abilitations/Integrations have pinpointed as great tools for skill-building. On the other hand you might get miffed that you've been missing out.  If so, then join me when I say that all children should have access to these great tools.  When it comes to learning and playing, children should stay out the boxes (unless it looks like a Park and Learn).

Giveaway Ends: 03/22/2012 12:01AM


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If you would like to purchase the Park and Learn, please use my link!  It looks like shipping is free the last time I checked!  Using my link supports Toys are Tools without any additional cost to you.
 

*Learn more about Sensory Processing Disorder at www.spdfoundation.net 
** To find a community connected via SPD, please visit www.sensoryplanet.com




Disclosure: I seriously did win the Park and Learn!  The laundry basket went back to its old job.   School Specialty (Abilitations) did send one to Alison Berkeley to take for a test drive and they are generously offering one Park and Learn to readers here.   This is really special.  Don't miss it!  Do the eye-shopping.  You won't regret it. Set yourself on a Time-Timer so that you won't go crazy with the eye-shopping.