Distraction therapy and play dough!

Hello Hello!!
So a lot has happened since I started my new job as a Paraprofessional. I am now working the afterschool program at that school as well. After talking to my supervisor, I gained the opportunity to conduct an "Arts and Craft" class with the students every Monday and the chance to work with the students, who chose to do art, once they are done with their homework near the end of the day. This week, the students worked on a project that displays a "Fall" theme. Many chose to create pumpkins out of orange construction paper, while only one drew a witch! When I asked her who she was drawing, she said it’s “a girl I know, I gave her a hat.” Oh, forgot to mention, these students range from kindergarten to eighths grade. The student I talked to is in the third grade. What interested me the most is how she chose a black piece of construction paper, however I left her to finish as another student showed me her work. Near the end of the day, I allowed the students to pick their median. They chose play dough, which is similar to clay. The attention to detail astonished me! One fourth grade girl created a “pepperoni and mushroom pizza.” Since it’s late in the afternoon by this time, many of the students were hungry and creating pretend food seemed to have distracted them until their parent’s showed up. Watching this make me look up “distraction and therapy.” By creating the pretend foods, the students were able to deal with the anxiety of waiting for their parents, being hungry and tired after a long school day. Where a younger student may cry or start misbehaving (which has happened from time to time), the play dough distracted them just long enough for the rest of the program to do smoothly….
         Yay! To play dough!
Until next time,
                        Miss Tanja