Blendies
A spinning top. Color the pieces, spin it, and watch the colors blend.
- Ages
- 5 to 12
- Prep
- 5 to 10 min
- You provide
- A smooth floor or large table
Sparks for CliniciansA playful pilot for clinicians
Sparks are playful engineering projects from FutureMakers. Each pack has the parts a child needs to build something that moves, like a spinning top or a puppet with a mouth that opens. Clinicians have used Sparks informally for several years, and we're hearing more interest. Now we want to learn how Sparks can help BCBAs and their teams support client goals, one on one and in small groups. Sign up by November 5.
The two Sparks in the pilot
Art Machines
A lever puppet. Draw a character, attach it, and pull to make it move.
- Ages
- 5 to 10
- Prep
- 5 to 10 min
- You provide
- Scissors, crayons or markers
Each Spark comes with a clinician Playbook written with Allison Stotmeister, MA, BCBA, LBA, of A&W Consulting: example goals by domain, a picture task analysis, a data sheet, and a communication board.
Both contain small parts. Check fit for clients with pica or mouthing.
How the pilot works
Apply
Tell us about your practice and your clients. It takes about 4 minutes.
We send packs
Free, one build per client, with the Playbooks.
Use them for 60 days
However fits your sessions.
Talk with us
A 20-minute call about what worked. We send a $25 Visa gift card as thanks.
We're looking for BCBAs, BCaBAs, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and clinical directors who work with children ages 5 and up, in clinics, homes, or schools.
Questions
What does it cost?
Nothing. Packs and shipping are free.
Isn't this a school product?
Sparks started in classrooms and libraries. The clinician Playbooks leave out the school content. You choose goals from the client's plan.
Can my RBTs run it?
Yes, with your training and supervision. The picture task analysis and video make that easier.
What if a client doesn't want to?
Then it isn't the right activity that day.
Who wrote the Playbook?
Allison Stotmeister, MA, BCBA, LBA, of A&W Consulting, with our design team. It's a first draft, and the pilot is how we find out what to change.
Do I have to follow the Playbook?
No. It's a first draft. Use what helps and tell us what didn't.
What happens after the pilot?
You keep everything we send, and you hear first about what we make next for clinicians.
Who's behind this?
FutureMakers, a small team in Baltimore that has made Sparks since 2011. More about us.
About FutureMakers
We're a small team of designers and educators in Baltimore. Since 2011, we've made Sparks, playful engineering projects that kids build, play with, and keep.
How we make Sparks
We design and test every Spark with kids from many settings, including children with identified disabilities. A good Spark is quick to start, gives the child real choices, and ends with something they made themselves.
Most Sparks are used in classrooms, libraries, and after-school programs across the US. Clinicians have been using them informally for years. This pilot is the first time we're designing with clinicians on purpose.
What we believe
- Every child should get to make something that's theirs.
- Play works best when everyone can join in.
- The people who use a tool should help shape it.
Our clinical partner
The clinician Playbooks are written with Allison Stotmeister, MA, BCBA, LBA, of A&W Consulting, LLC, a Maryland consulting practice that works with ABA clinics.
See Sparks in action
Find us online
Contact
FutureMakers, 1700 W. 41st Street, Unit 475, Baltimore, MD 21211
(202) 683-8609 · [email protected]
Sample Playbook: Blendies
Materials for embedding treatment-plan goals in a Blendies session.
Pilot draft. Written with Allison Stotmeister, MA, BCBA, LBA, A&W Consulting.
Also see: Art Machines Playbook
Ages5 to 12
Prep5 to 10 min
SpaceSmooth floor or large clear table
You provideNothing else
Formats1:1, group, NET
Who this Playbook is for
BCBAs, RBTs, and other clinicians using Blendies in NET, 1:1 sessions, small groups, or social skills groups.
Choosing materials, following a sequence, experimenting, and sharing the result create repeated opportunities to capture and contrive, without turning the session into a string of discrete demands. Select targets from each client's assessment results and current goals.
What's in this Playbook
How-to video
Full walkthrough for staff, using point-of-view video modeling. Staff watch it before the first session and can also watch it with clients.
In production. Link sent with your pack.
Visual task analysis
Follows the Blendie Build Guide, one step at a time.
Goal connections for individual clients
Find the client's current targets by domain, then choose the example that matches their level.
| Domain | Target skill | Building foundational skills | Expanding foundational skills |
|---|
Goal connections for social skills groups
Shared markers, paired builds, and turns spinning create peer opportunities with no extra materials.
| Area | Target skill | What it looks like with Blendies |
|---|
Data sheet
For individual or group targets. Circle the prompt level for each opportunity.
IIndependent
VVisual
GGestural
PPPartial physical
FPFull physical
NRNo response
| Client: ____________ | Date: ________ | Prompt level |
|---|---|---|
| Target skill | Opportunity | |
| Example. Client will independently mand for actions using single-word verbs or approximations (for example: push, open, spin, go) in 4 of 5 opportunities per session, across 3 consecutive sessions. | Help | I V G PP FP NR |
| Push | I V G PP FP NR | |
| Spin | I V G PP FP NR | |
| Color | I V G PP FP NR | |
| Open | I V G PP FP NR | |
| I V G PP FP NR | ||
| I V G PP FP NR | ||
| I V G PP FP NR |
Communication board vocabulary
Core and activity-specific vocabulary, for use alongside a client's existing communication system.
people
social and position words
actions
feelings and describing words
things
stop and no
Extension questions
Ask during or after the activity. Visual response options in design.
| Question | Skill area |
|---|---|
| What colors did you use? | Tact, intraverbal (WH) |
| What colors did you make when it spun? | Tact, intraverbal (WH) |
| How did the Blendie move? | Tact actions, intraverbal (WH) |
| Did you like it faster or slower? | Choice making, preference |
| What was one thing we needed to make the Blendie? | Intraverbal (WH), recall |
| How do you feel after making the Blendie? | Emotion labeling |
Extension activities
New arrangements, color combinations, and patterns for repeat sessions.
Coming.
Caregiver connection
One-page handout for caregiver training.
Coming.
Sample Playbook: Art Machines
Materials for embedding treatment-plan goals in an Art Machines session.
Pilot draft. Written with Allison Stotmeister, MA, BCBA, LBA, A&W Consulting.
Also see: Blendies Playbook
Ages5 to 10
Prep5 to 10 min
SessionAbout 45 min
You provideScissors, crayons or markers
Formats1:1, group, NET
Who this Playbook is for
BCBAs, RBTs, and other clinicians using Art Machines in NET, 1:1 sessions, small groups, or social skills groups.
A finished Art Machine becomes a character with a name, a voice, and a place where it lives, so a session can move from building into imaginative play and storytelling. That creates repeated opportunities to target requesting, following directions, answering questions, turn-taking, flexibility, and peer interaction inside one motivating activity. It suits clients working on one- and two-step directions, sequencing, and intraverbals, and clients who enjoy coloring and imaginative play. Select targets from each client’s assessment results and current goals, and adjust the level of support to match.
What’s in this Playbook
How-to video
Full walkthrough for staff, with video models of each step built in. Staff can also watch it with clients on a phone, tablet, or computer during sessions.
In production. Link sent with your pack. Meanwhile, the public build video is on YouTube.
Visual task analysis
Follows the Art Machines educator guide, one step at a time.
Goal connections for individual clients
Find the client’s current targets by domain, then choose the example that matches their level.
| Domain | Target skill | Building foundational skills | Expanding foundational skills |
|---|
Goal connections for social skills groups
Shared supplies, side-by-side builds, and character play create natural peer opportunities.
| Area | Target skill | What it looks like with Art Machines |
|---|
Data sheet
For individual or group targets. Circle the prompt level for each opportunity.
IIndependent
VVisual
GGestural
PPPartial physical
FPFull physical
NRNo response
| Client: ____________ | Date: ________ | Prompt level |
|---|---|---|
| Target skill | Opportunity | |
| Example. Client will independently imitate one-syllable echoics while creating and playing with Art Machines in at least 4 of 5 opportunities per session. | Ahh | I V G PP FP NR |
| Push | I V G PP FP NR | |
| Pull | I V G PP FP NR | |
| Tape | I V G PP FP NR | |
| Red | I V G PP FP NR | |
| I V G PP FP NR | ||
| I V G PP FP NR | ||
| I V G PP FP NR |
Communication board vocabulary
Core and activity-specific vocabulary, for use alongside a client’s existing communication system, as part of a total communication approach.
people
social and position words
actions
feelings and describing words
things
stop and no
Extension questions
Ask during or after the activity. Visual response options in design.
| Question | Skill area |
|---|---|
| What did you make with your Art Machine? (animal, person, object, etc.) | Intraverbal (WH), tact |
| What are some of the body parts on your Art Machine? (nose, eye, mouth, ear, arms, neck, etc.) | Intraverbal (WH), tact |
| What can your Art Machine do? (reach, eat, attack, move) | Intraverbal (WH) |
| Do you like when it moves faster or slower? | Choice making, preference |
| What else can we add to your Art Machine? | Intraverbal (WH) |
| How do you feel after making the Art Machine? | Emotion labeling |
Extension activities
Advanced builds for repeat sessions.
Coming.
Caregiver connection
For caregiver training. Show caregivers what their child practiced, why it matters, and how to create the same opportunities at home.
Summary to share
“Today we used Art Machines to work on some of your child’s goals in a natural way. While building, we practiced asking for materials and help, following directions, making choices, and working through small problems. Once the machine was finished, we turned it into a character and practiced answering questions, describing ideas, and going back and forth in conversation. These are the same skills we want your child to use in everyday activities at home, not just in therapy.”
Then walk through one example. If the client is working on one-syllable echoics, explain that before the session you planned five words to prompt: Ahh, push, pull, tape, and red. While building the Art Machine, you worked those trials in, using error correction and prompts as needed. Next, talk through a familiar home routine, such as getting ready for school in the morning, and plan how the family can use the same five targets there. If it fits, choose five new targets.
Art Machines creates the opportunity. The interactions are where the learning happens.
Caregiver training review checklist
| Step | What to say or do |
|---|---|
| Share | “Today we practiced ______ while completing Art Machines.” |
| Explain | “We are working on this because…” |
| Show | Model one way the caregiver can create an opportunity naturally. |
| Practice | Have the caregiver try the strategy during the activity. |
| Generalize | Identify one everyday activity where the family can practice the same skill this week. |
Join the clinician pilot
You get
- Free Sparks packs, one for each client you tell us about
- The clinician Playbooks, build guides, and how-to videos
We ask
- Use the Sparks with your clients over 60 days, on your own schedule
- A 20-minute conversation at the end. You'll receive a $25 Visa gift card as a thank-you.
Request received
Thank you. We've sent a confirmation to your email. We'll follow up once we've reviewed requests. If you're selected, your packs ship to the address you gave us.