Straws - OTPlan

Sticky Straw Scoop

Steps:

Prepare the ‘scoop’ by taking a straw and securing a small loop of masking tape (sticky side facing out) onto one end.
Place a pile of pom-poms on the table and the empty Container next to the Construction Paper target.
Show the child how to hold the straw using their thumb and index finger (a strong pincer grasp), just like holding a miniature pencil.
Challenge the child to carefully touch the sticky straw tip to a pom-pom, lifting it when it sticks firmly.
The child then transfers the sticky pom-pom over the container and uses their non-dominant hand or fingertips to peel it off the straw and drop it in.
Continue this process until all the pom-poms are successfully moved from the starting pile into the container.

Safety Tip:
Always provide close adult supervision during this activity. Ensure the child understands that the small pom-poms and tape are not to be put in the mouth.

Candy Cane

For this activity, we used colorful paper straws and cut each straw into 1-inch pieces.

Ask the child to string the cut straw pieces onto a pipe cleaner.

Bend the top of the pipe cleaner to shape it like a candy cane.

Fine Motor Marble Maze

In this activity, we create a marble maze to promote fine motor skills.

Start by gluing the straws on the cardboard. You will need to glue each straw on the opposite side as follows:

Glue the 1st straw aligned to the left edge of the cardboard
Glue next straw aligned to the right side of the cardboard
Keep gluing straws all the way to the bottom of the cardboard
Make sure to create a space for the marble to go through between the straws
The end result should look like this:

Let the glue dry.

We used a gallon size zip lock bag but you can use a smaller zip lock bag to create a smaller maze.

At the bottom edge of the zip lock bag, cut a small slit. Make sure you cut it on the side the marble will come out from.

Once the glue is dry and the straws are secured, insert the cardboard into the ziplock bag.

Close the ziplock bag almost all the way, leaving a small opening for the marble to fit in.

Put the marble through the opening and start moving it with your finger through the maze until it comes out at the bottom.

You can alternate the fingers you use to move the marble or you can use both hands to hold the cardboard and move it from side to side, letting the marble slide out.

PickUp Straws Game

Hold all the straws or pipe-cleaners together in your palm or have the child hold them this way and let go of all of them at once.

Once they are spread, ask the child to pick up one straw at a time, without moving the other straws.

Take turns picking up the straws.

If you or the child moves other straws when picking up a straw, the game is over. The winner is the one who has the most straws.

Another version of the game could be to ask the child to pick up a certain color of straws:

Start by holding all the straws together and let all of them go at once. Once they are spread, ask the child to first pick up all the blue straws, then all the green straws, and so on (for this version of the game, it’s OK if the other straws are moving).

For young children or those with poor grasp, use wider straws.