IT'S THE TOY FROM THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE
Written: Jul 08 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Special Education Kids will enjoy
Cons: None
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| bonniesayers's Full Review: The Rollercoaster |
For the past year this toy has been in my living room, it has been known as the beaded toy. On the purchase order it is listed as "Wonder Beads".
The first time I ever saw this roller coaster was at the Pediatrician's office. It is usually on a bolted white table and a few small chairs around for children to sit and explore.
My children looked and touched each time we had a check-up. This did not captivate their attention with all the other children and their hands and the noise level in the waiting room.
When my youngest son was 2.5 years of age, we attended an IFSP meeting. Individual Family Service Plan which is for special needs kids who are needing a program to get services for their disabilities.
This meeting was with our Service Coordinator for the State in her offices with a Representative of the Transition team for the School District to discuss the steps needed for preschool placement.
This meeting took place in a conference room. The Service Coordinator brought in the Roller Coaster in hopes of occupying my son's interest so we could conduct the meeting.
This observation aided in the assessment for the preschool placement as well. His needs and abilities were discussed while he rolled the pegs along the wires. The meeting was kept brief and to the point since my son caught on he had a audience.
It was mentioned during this meeting that the State could purchase one of these toys for our home as well. Once I got home, I looked through the catalog of Achievement Products. In the section for Sensory Integration Products, the toy was listed.
The process of getting a vendor to purchase this actually took many months. I was persistent and we finally received it in August of 1999. The initial meeting was in February.
During my perusing of Epinions, I found this listed and had no idea it was called the Roller Coaster. This has been in our living room since its arrival.
The Roller Coaster is marketed in the catalogs as a toy to stimulate your child's sensory, motor and language skills. It also builds color and shape recognition in a rolling bead maze. My son is intrigued with the sounds the beads make when they land and the clacking they make when two hit.
This is very durable and it has been thrown across the room many times. Both preschoolers have used it to sit and watch television. No wires are bent and it stays true to shape.
A child can pick this toy up with one hand and watch the beads fall into various positions. The terms I have learned since my child receives occupational therapy for sensory integration disorder are the sense of touch, now known as tactile. Vestibular is the movement and Proprioceptive is the body position. This toy uses all those senses and the force of gravity.
The Roller Coaster has been utilized when I had a phone call to take and my son would play with this while sitting along side of me. During in home assessments he has been observed using the Roller Coaster and his peg boards.
My other son who is five and special needs as well uses the Roller Coaster in other ways one might not think of. He has a love of animals and we have all types in many sizes. His lion dangles from the top green wire and his tail links him to the yellow wire. Flying acrobats with the animals in my living room. When watching the Land Before Time videos, dinosaurs appear on the Roller Coaster and the lions retrieve to their den.
The Roller Coaster has a yellow, orange, red, blue and green wires that mesh throughout the maze. There is an off white plastic ring at the bottom of each wire which is on the wood frame. There are three wood bars linking the frames. The beads are in various sizes and shapes which help in making this a transitional toy from toddlerhood to a preschooler.
We use a baby wipe to dust off the wooden parts and the wires. I hand my five year old a wipe or two and off to dust the Roller Coaster. Ours still has the label on the corner for Achievement Products listing their phone number, which is 1-800-373-4699.
Also it should be noted that this comes in other shapes, sizes and types. There is a Thomas The tank one available from Zany Brainy. There is also a Giant Caterpillar Wire Maze for around $29.00 from South Paw Enterprises.
It is amazing that while going into the Pediatrician's office, my preschoolers will still go to this toy and drop a bead or two through the maze.
This is one Roller Coaster I have yet to sit on but it has accommodated a 43 pound kid. It takes a beating but it has survived and keeps my children stimulated at various times of the day.
The age recommendations are from eighteen months and up. I feel this is a useful addition to any household, but especially to those that have children with sensory integration issues and need some tactile movement to aide in their development.
The opportunity to color sort, count the same pegs as well as the different pegs. The game of how fast the peg can get to the other side, listening to the peg drop. It is something that requires no preparation, no planning, no turn on or off switch. There is no assembly and no batteries needed.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
bonniesayers
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
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