Bridgette Bielawski

Buried Treasure Categorization Game

Sources:
American Optometric Association. (n.d.). Low Vision. Retrieved from:
https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/low-vision
Busy Toddler. (2016). Button Excavating: A Digging Sensory Activity - Busy Toddler.
Retrieved from: http://busytoddler.com/2016/02/button-excavating-digging-
sensory-activity/
National Eye Institute. (2015). Facts About Glaucoma | National Eye Institute. Retrieved from:
https://nei.nih.gov/health/glaucoma/glaucoma_facts
Myself

Equipment needed:
- A 12 in. x 8 in. plastic bin (size can vary; however, the bin may require more or less corn
meal to fill as a result)
- Two (32 oz) bags of cornmeal
- A scoop colander
- Wrapped candy
-
Activity Description:
This activity will need to be prepared in advance by filling the plastic bin with both bags of
cornmeal, then burying and dispersing the candy inside of the bin. The recreational therapist will
introduce his/herself as a pirate and begin to explain the objective of the activity; participants
will be given the scoop colander and proceed to take turns using it to attempt to scoop the candy
out of the bin. The RT will inform participants that, upon scooping a piece of candy out of the
bin, that participant will then place the candy in the center of the table by category of its shape
and/or size, depending upon the piece they have scooped. If a participant does not scoop a piece
of candy out on their turn, the pirate (recreational therapist) will be able to take one piece of
candy away from any of the category piles at the table. Participants will continue to take turns
scooping and categorizing until there is either 1) no more candy left for the pirate to take from
the table, in which case the pirate is able to “reclaim his/her buried treasure” and win the game
by having taken all of the candy OR 2) until the participants have scooped all of the remaining
candy out of the bin (the RT will keep track of how much candy was placed in the bin/how much
is remaining after each piece is scooped). At the end of the game, the RT will ask the participants
to count all of the candy at the table to see how much they have (the intended population is
pediatrics; in the event that they are too young to count very high, the RT will count the candy)
and compare it to how much candy the RT has. The winner is the team with the most candy.

Primary interaction pattern:

Unilateral; a unilateral interaction pattern involves simultaneous competition between 3 or more
people—one of whom acts as an antagonist, working against the other participants to achieve the
same goal (in the case of this activity, obtain the most candy). I chose this pattern in order to
promote the improvement of social skills in participants as they work on the same team, as well
as to facilitate more individualized assistance for participants with the activity, if needed, as the
RT will be able to assume a more supervisory role in being the antagonist (this activity in
particular is a turn-taking activity, therefore, after the RT takes his/her turn, she will assume
more of a supervisory antagonist role).

Adaptation:
For participants with no light perception—or total visual impairment, as defined by the American
Optometric Association—the RT will use candy of varying sizes and/or shapes in order for these
participants to categorize the candy through tactile stimulation upon finding it. In looking for
such candy, one must ensure that tactile stimulation of the pieces will not cause misrecognition.
Candy chosen should be of at least 1 inch size differences (i.e. if choosing two circular-shaped
candies, choose jelly-beans and jaw-breakers, NOT jelly-beans and M&Ms as, tactilely, they are
too similar to distinguish between). It is also encouraged to prioritize variances in the shape of
the candy over variances in size; jelly-beans, starbursts, and candy-canes are preferred over jelly-
beans, jaw-breakers, and rounded-lollipops because the former group allows for faster tactile-
recognition. It is NOT recommended for participants with early-staged, low-visual impairments
that may be still able to see the candy if held close enough to their eyes, such as cortical
cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and/or diabetic retinopathy, because of the possibility
of cornmeal getting into the eyes.