WildFree Kids OT

10/05/2025

October is National Physical Therapy month! We 💜💜💜 our PT, Danielle Nelson!!

09/29/2025

Hey everyone! We are hiring an OT! Make your own hours, nature-based on our 100 acres or mobile in people's homes, community, daycares, etc. Please reach out to the email in the pic for more information!

09/25/2025

This is so good! When working to help children through these issues, it’s helpful to reflect on our own sensory needs, challenges and experiences.
Recall a time you had food poisoning, for example, and how long it took you to consume or even be able to be near that food or similar again! What about being sick and just seeing food (on tv or in person, for example) and the visceral reaction to it causing issues. Every difference deserves respect and dignity. We’re proud to be providers of this curriculum!

09/24/2025

WildFree Wednesday!
We are proud to be part of this community! This event was so much fun. We absolutely loved getting to play with the children and talk to their adults. Connections are essential for community. 

09/15/2025

Sharing this super duper early because we’re already seeing the “children shouldn’t have to carry a blue pumpkin around for people to be kind” and reminding everyone that the “blue” pumpkins and the Teal Pumpkin Project are not the same.
They’ve become conflated and mean different things. Children were never supposed to carry around the teal pumpkin, it was to alert trick or treaters that this location has allergy friendly items to avoid contamination, as food allergies can be deadly. Please check out the website for more info! We will be sharing resources here soon! Keep checking back for more info.
https://www.foodallergy.org/our-initiatives/awareness-campaigns/living-teal/teal-pumpkin-project

08/27/2025

WildFree Wednesday!!
Being trauma informed *AND* responsive is very important when working with diverse populations. Knowing the difference between the “just right challenge” and pushing someone too far is essential and could mean the difference of being therapeutic or re-traumatizing.
We’ve been using the TECA (Trauma Expression and Connection Assessment) for 3 years now, and it’s served us and our families well. We’re better able to understand trauma/stress responses and how to provide psycho educational information to caregivers and help children regulate.
(🤗 ps- we’ve been saying (and practising!!) some of this for ages! Before it was popular or mainstream)

08/18/2025

We 💜 birds
🕊️🦅🦆🦜🐥🦃🦉🐧🪿🐦‍⬛🦩🦚

Bird abilities I wish I had.

08/13/2025

Another great compliance post! (Is there such a thing?)
Digging deeper, this is why giving children only 2 choices (under the guise of giving them a choice) doesn’t work because there could be endless reasons or options! Interoceptive work is SO IMPORTANT and we absolutely 💜 Kelly Mahler’s work and resources!
Being trained and utilizing the curriculum are a great beginning. Guiding children and caregivers through this work is important and why we encourage caregiver involvement.

08/13/2025

Compliance
Using rewards to gain compliance, or “positive behavior” does not in fact change behavior. Maybe temporarily, but most definitely not in the long term. Why would you want temporary inconsistent success? Why compliance? It does not change behavior and causes more trauma, stress, and we teach children not to listen to their body signals.
Take a look at this article by an amazing OT Greg Santucci, for more information.
https://gregsantucci.com/manipulating-kids-via-mascots-compliance-based-behavior-management-under-the-guise-of-school-spirit/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMJF_lleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHqGznNOpqU-wC9gIJreo_dffj3VG8lrExd8D_gFu2xGUaB0ZKfFSmx7g7NSo_aem_JzCmQsLGWPgEMjPfHwxihg

Bulldog Bucks Cougar Cash Lion Loot Panther Points Tiger Tickets Spartan Stars Schools are addicted to using extrinsic rewards to get compliance. The philosophy is simple and steeped in behaviorism:...

08/10/2025

🥁drumroll please 🥁
Let me introduce to you our newest members, the Pickle Cat Clan! 😂 🐱🥒
Since finding the OG PickleCat at Turn a Leaf for $.25, Jillian was obsessed🤣 (we called it PickleCat because it didnt have a name, these all do!!!)
They are the cutest softest stretchiest most adorable perfect little beanbags ever.
The brain was surprise #1, and will go perfect with all of our psychoeducation, metacognition and interoception activities we do!
We shall see what adventures the others go on!!!
(Thanks to the parent who told us that Walmart had these in stock! We love when people look out for us)

08/07/2025

It was a productive WildFree Wednesday!
We are trauma informed, strengths based and family centered practice who believes in lifelong learning.
Jillian spent 2 days at a training in Anchorage to bring more trauma informed practices and care to the children and families of the MatSu Valley. We’re excited to offically implement the ARC framework organization wide!