Quack Quack-Woof Woof Woof: Animals & Numbers Thumballs

When one Thumball is not enough try two! Form a small group with one person in the middle. Pass one Animals Thumball and one Numbers Thumball in a circle until the leader says "Stop" or when the music stops. The person with Animals Thumball shouts out the name of the animal under their right thumb. The person with numbers Thumball shouts out the number under their right thumb. The player in the middle then makes that animals sound that number of times.
"Cow!", "Six!", "moo,moo,moo,moo, moo,moo!"

This is a great activity to engage students, increase focused attention and integrate multi-step directions. The fun and laughter is guaranteed. Ready? " Turkey!, "Four!"
Did you gobble four times??? Now you choose someone to sit in the middle and on and on. Fun for all, double the Thumballs, double the fun!

NJEA and Thumball: Perfect Together

The NJEA convention in Atlantic City was a huge success. Educators from all over NJ gathered together to share and expand their fund of knowledge. Answers In Motion exhibited with 18 Thumball designs available for purchase and the attendees were exuberant about bringing Thumballs back to their schools.

Thumball earned excellent feedback from caring and dedicated teachers, counselors, SLPs, ESL experts, presenotrs and parents happy to find a simple yet effective learning tool. One teacher reported that Thumball "saved my morning meeting time" explaining that her opening lesson each day is now filled with language expansion and focused attention as students particiapte eagerly and appropriately with Thumball.

We want to share the good vibrations from this event with a gift. Twenty percent off your entire order at http://www.prestostore.com/catalog.php/catch32ball Enter NJEA in the discount code box in your shopping cart.

Thanks to Alibaba.com for Chance to Show Thumball at ASD

Answers In Motion exhibits Thumball to 30,000 retailers at ASD show in Las Vegas, nation's most comprehensive merchandise show Aug 8-11

Answers In Motion

www.asdsourcebook.com

Thumball is a game that creates conversation

Generosity, the True Santa

Happy Holidays To ALL! The magic is in the air and the stress is in the mall. The financial picture has eased it seems and consumerism rules but generosity is plentiful too. The holidays may get people crazy with finding the perfect gift and believing it is of critical importance but fear not. People always find a way to give to others of their time, money, gifts and love.

The magic is evident when you donate a warm coat, drop off a new toy, choose a family to give to instead of office gift exchanges, share your favorite family cookie recipe, say a prayer of thanks and bring out those ornaments that bring back some warm memories. Sometimes the holidays heal old family wounds and bring hearts once thought gone forever back into the fold.

We at Answers In Motion make a point of donating all year long to needy organizations that can utilize our star product Thumball in a meaningful way. We go further in December and give larger donations to special places where children, the aging and the ill reside. A feeling grows inside of us and a Santa like fullness is our experience. Christmas would be meaningless to us without generosity and it can fill you up better than cookies and milk but the holidays would not be the same without those either.

Thumball Now Available at target.com

Answers In Motion and Talicor/Aristoplay are pleased to announce Three Thumball Designs Now Available online at Target.com. Shapes, Animals and Ice Breaker Thumballs are the first offerings of major retailer Target. They have a great, easy to use website making it simple to purchase Thumballs.

Shapes and Animals are the ideal toddler gift, teacher gift or baby shower present. Ice Breaker is the most popular Thumball design and is perfect to bring to work, parties, family reunions, senior centers and trainings. Everyone will be talking and interacting in seconds.

Thumball has increased exposure, brand recognition and easier availability which means greater growth and new products to come. Our perfect aim has hit the bull's eye.

Start 'em Young; Restart 'em Old

Our earliest Thumball designs included the classroom "basics". My ABCs, numbers, shapes and animals have come to be called "Early Learners". From the youngest ages a child can push, watch, touch, roll or hold a ball. The next stage is interacting with the ball receptively.

Without requiring any verbal response just ask the player to show, find or touch specific letters, numbers, shapes or animals. Maybe just show them 2 or 3 panels and have them point to the one you name. Go ahead and give them the answer at first. You are laying great ground work for future language skills to build from.

Now expand the concept and try: "Find the letter that starts your name."
"Touch the number that comes after 2."
"Find the shapes that have corners."
"Point to the animals that have tails."
You will see the pride emerge as they find what they are looking for.

Perhaps we misnamed this collection of balls, they are for all learners esp. those with learning challenges regardless of age. The biggest surprise of all has been seeing how older adults love playing with these Thumballs.

Interaction with the Thumball and the information on them helps those with Alzheimer's stay stimulated and assists in stroke recovery or for those with a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). Roll one across the table and see what gets started at the senior center.

So revisit the Early Learners and play a word game, practice math drills, find the shapes in the room and describe your favorite animal in detail. Young and old can come together in play with some brain building thrown in for fun.

Alzheimer's is bringing me down

My mother has it and so do some of yours. Alzheimer's disease is a tireless thief. It steals memories, family connections and energy. Visits to my mom at her specialized living center can be so drab I leave with my head hanging low and end up with my face in a pint of Ben and Jerrys.

But to my own surprise it is my own invention that has brightened our days. Using Thumball even the ones originally intended for 'early learners" have given Mom and I a place to focus. Asking her to name the animal, shape or letter under her thumb can be fun. Just when I think she has lost all her skills she comes alive and says "Oh that's a cat, we had a cat named Snowball but he ran away." She needs prompts and cues but she is doing something and we are sharing a memory and learning together.

I tell her my own stories, show her how the shape of things is all around her and name words which begin with b or m or p. Mom likes it and so do I. I leave now with more hope and look at her with a comforting Thumball in her hand and think, today I can drive past the market because I don't really need the ice cream I just needed my mom.

At a Loss for Words? Thumball can provide some.

A friend of a friend is Uncle to a youngster diagnosed with Autism. "At times it can be difficult to know what to do. He doesn't communicate verbally and I am at a loss for words when I am with him." Uncle reports. He took a chance on Thumball™ and bought the Animals design and the Emotion Mania Thumball™. His nephew readily received them and began turning it all around and looking at each panel.

Now there was a place to start so Uncle said "Can you show me a dog, the mouse, an animal that flies or has a tail? To his sweet surprise his nephew could do all of those things, smiles began to show and the fun continued for hours.

The Emotion Mania Thumball™ gave Uncle the chance to be silly and act out facial expressions and body language which mesmerized his nephew and soon he was trying to make faces too (a challenging concept for some) and this lasted through the day.

A simple ball engineered to stimulate communication had done it's job. The creativity that flowed on came from Uncle and nephew and a meaningful way to play and interact. Ready to play? It's your turn!