Physical
Items Required: balls of yarn/skeins of yarn in different colors, a cardboard rectangle about 1 1/2 by 4 inches with a small slit cut into one side.
Gather participants round the table and greet each one by name, eye contact, and a touch of the hand.
Produce a fairly large ball of yarn, with the end secured. Roll the ball to one of the participants and ask that they roll it back. Then roll it to another individual, then another. Encourage participants to roll the yarn to anyone at the table. Place a second ball on the table and roll both balls of yarn at the same time. You don’t want to overwhelm them but you might be able to add even a third ball of yarn. The more that you are rolling the more involvement you can have.
After doing this for several minutes, gather in the balls and provide each individual with a skein and a cardboard rectangle. Ensure that the loose end of yarn is secured in the slit on the cardboard. Encourage participants to roll the yarn from the skein onto the cardboard. Provide hands-on help when needed.
Cognitive
Items required: a box containing skeins and balls of yarn in a variety of colors.
Gather individuals around the table and greet each one by name, eye, and touch.
Bring up one skein or ball of yarn. Pass it around the table encouraging everyone to touch and feel its softness, to look at it and recognize its color. Once everyone has done that, hold it up again and ask the group to name the color.
If there is no answer, provide clues; “Is it blue or white?”, “It’s the color of snow”, “Your farm house was this color”, until finally, “Is this white?” be sure you get an answer before moving to the next color. Go through all your colors in this manner.
When all the colors have been named, place all the loose balls and skeins back on the table. Produce the empty box with the direction that all the yarn must go back in the box. Demonstrate the required task then give each participant balls or skeins and move the box near them to turn so they can toss their yarn into the box. Add to the activity by asking that the yarn is returned on specific color at a time.
