DIY: Recycled CD Movement/Sensory Diet Spinners

Sometimes, we all need breaks from our many to-do's, right?  Well, I think I have discovered a tool to help us take such breaks here in our home while keeping moving -- literally:  Recycled CD Movement / Sensory Diet spinners!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had to make recycled gifts for our family Free Christmas gift exchange this past year.  So, for the older cousins and Mike, the kids helped me make recycled CD spinners inspired by the Independence Day ones at Family Fun.

1. To do so, for some of their cousin's spinners, Luke and Nina helped me rip up old calendar pages and glue them onto recycled CD's.  This calendar tearing and gluing, in fancy SPD/OT (Sensory Processing Disorder/Occupational Therapy)-Speak, is a good bi-manual task and motor planning activity.  In layman's terms, it is just plain old fun for young ones!
2. Then, for other cousins and for Daddy, they simply helped me think of four choices to write on the CD's.  Things like, "study", "snack", "socialize" and "sleep" for their college-age cousin and "yoga", "touchdown", "hallway relays" and "jumping mattress" for Daddy's (ideas for free active time together).  These spinners could then be used for spinner wars -- seeing whose knocked the other one down or stopped spinning last while getting visual input -- as well as for making decisions about what to do during spare moments.
3. From there, the kids watched -- and reluctantly practiced patience-- as I glued a marble to the circle inside each CD (as a device to make the spinners turn) and a plastic lid to the opposite side (as a handle).  
4. And, finally, they got to test the spinners out before wrapping them in recycled paper.

Since giving Daddy his spinner, the kids have enjoyed simply spinning it and watching it go round and round -- great for visual input -- as well as using it to decide what Movement/Sensory Diet activities (our speak, not theirs) to do during idle moments.

Now, as I write this, I am envisioning making more spinners with other choices on them -- and maybe some pictures instead of writing on them --for the kids.  Chore spinners.  Calming activity spinners.  Alerting activity spinners.  Rooms-to-conquer during Tidy Time or Family Work Time spinners.  You name it!  Such possibilities...  A fun to-do to tackle which will, in turn, give us impetus to take a break from to-do's.

Which will we make first (and when)?  Life will unfold and let us know.  In the meantime, we are curious, what type of spinner might you tackle making first?  Do share your ideas and let us know if you end up making some.  They're great fun!

This post is being shared at 5 Minutes for Mom Tackle It Tuesday. Check the links there for inspiration on tasks -- big and small, housework related and not -- that might inspire you!