Oh Canada! With the Canada Day celebrations earlier this month, I felt tremendous gratitude for where I live. Based on recent global events, Canada is becoming more and more attractive as a safe haven. Our economic and political stability combined with a wealth of natural resources continues to attract newcomers and foreign investment. Real Estate has been […]
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Hello, Politics and monetary policy continue to dominate headlines. At the federal level, The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) recently released a letter to all federally regulated institutions asking them to engage in “Prudent underwriting of residential mortgage loans.” In practical terms their letter means there will be increased focus and scrutiny […]
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We are thrilled to have recently completed our second set of DreamWorks Madagascar characters for another Royal Caribbean Cruise Line cruise ship.
Alex, Gloria and the gang are happily cruising the high seas and are ready to engage and delight your children with their scale, colour and oh-so-smooth texture. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the photos.
Like all themed space projects, this one had its own challenges. In fact, there were two: First, these children’s movie characters would be sailing the high seas and they needed to be waterproof. This is because the water that inadvertently collects inside the forms cause the paint to peel and speeds up deterioration, meaning they need to be replaced earlier than desired. However, completely sealing the sculptures is time-consuming and therefore costly.
Instead of focusing our production efforts on costly waterproofing, the CoolStuff Studio design solution was to embrace the water during the design phase rather than the production phase. We designed the characters to accommodate water flow, ensuring that water had places where it could easily exit. This eliminated the problem of stagnant standing water. These characters will last a long time!
In addition, Royal Carribean Cruise ships needed an easy cleaning solution for their ship decks, where the DreamWorks characters would be mounted. We came up with an innovative idea for easy mounting hardware that allowed the sculptures to be removed so the decks could be sprayed down with little time or fuss.
It’s this kind of creative and practical thinking that got us the contract and puts us above our competition. What are your big design challenges? Leave us a note in the comments below and we’ll be happy to respond!
Visit our gallery to see the rest of our projects.
The post Our New DreamWorks Madagascar Characters for Royal Caribbean Cruise Are Ready To Set Sail appeared first on Coolstuff Studio.
I have recently been working with a number of younger children. As speech therapists we are regularly contacted by families seeking reassurance and assessment for their 2 year old who isn’t talking yet. One question that often comes up is “What toys or games will help my child?”.
There are so many toys available for babies and toddlers. How do you know what to choose? As a general rule, try not to have too many of the ‘beepy/ flashy’ toys – you know the ones I mean! The all singing all dancing, highly motivating ones. These toys are great at engaging babies and toddlers, but not everything in life is high impact like this. It doesn’t allow children to develop their play or sequencing skills. It doesn’t allow them to create stories or use their imagination. It’s fine to have a few, but there are many other toys out there.
My other word of advice is to ignore the ‘age range’ on toys. Now, I’m not suggesting you give a baby lego – lets be sensible here, but if your 3 year old still loves a toy labelled for 18 months that is fine. It’s more about how they are playing with a toy rather than who it was designed for.
Play food and a tea set. This could be a set bought from a shop or you could get some pots, pans and wooden spoons from the kitchen. You can target and help so many language skills with play food and some pots and pans! Here are just a few ideas
Vocabulary – can they name the items of food
Understanding of language – can your child follow an instructions e.g. where’s the spoon? Can I have some cake please?
Concepts – I can’t eat that raw we need to cook it. The foods too hot, lets blow on it too cool it down.
Sequencing – we pour the tea in the cup, stir it and then drink it.
Social interaction – Can mummy have a drink? Teddy’s hungry, shall we get him some food. Another key point in using these sorts of toys is to play with your child to show them what to do and extend their play. This is how they learn to take turns and share.
Farm or zoo animals. As above, a set of animals toys will target all the same skills. With younger children, you might start with the noises the animals make rather than their names (although I still haven’t found a good noise for a giraffe!). You can also work on some simple verbs. You can pretend that its night time and the animals are going to sleep. Lie them down and put them to bed, say night night etc. Then you can wake them up. You can also make the animals run or jump.
Dolly or teddy Showing your child some simple play sequences with a dolly or teddy is really useful. Having an understanding of order and sequence is vital in ordering words into sentences. Play can mirror your normal daily routines, for example bed time – wash dolly, brush teeth and then put them to bed. This is a great time to work on body vocabulary – “Can you wash dolly’s tummy?”, “Can you wash teddy’s toes?” You can also make up stories about what dolly or teddy are going to do. Are they going to go to the park or to the shops? What are they going to do when they get there? If your child finds this hard, give them two options to choose from. “Are they going to play on the swing or the slide first?”
Simple lift the flap books It’s never too early to encourage your child to enjoy books. I often hear parents say that their child isn’t interested in books. However often what they mean is that the child isn’t yet ready to sit and listen to a story. At first you may only get your child to join in for a few pages, but that is fine. You can add an extra page each time you try. Don’t worry about reading all the words on the page. You can keep it short and get to the bit where they can lift the flap. My favourite is still Dear Zoo!
You! I know this is cheating but you will always be the best teacher and most exciting play mate for you child. It is from you that they learn how to interact and communicate. Simple games like peek-a-boo or tickling games are teaching you child to anticipate, request, react, vocalise – and many more skills.
Make time each day to play with your child and interact using whatever interests them. I will always remember when my son was little he loved watching the bin men and the big truck each week on bin day. So every Thursday, normally still in our pyjamas, we were at the window or door watching the bin men! So many chances to say “look, here they come” and “Up, up, up….down, down, down”. We also had very lovely bin men who waved back at us!
The post The best toys for early language development appeared first on Speechbloguk.
Children are naturally nervous going to the dentist, whether for the first time or the tenth. Imagine how at ease they would feel if they could rocket into outer space or hide out in a jungle tree house while waiting for their appointment. Not only would this allow them to calm down, but they may even begin to look forward to their next visit!
A crucial component of business is to create return customers. Creating an environment that promotes the concept of neutral ground and is rich in regulars ensures repeat business.
CoolStuff Studios specializes in doing just that – designing custom areas to engage and calm visitors and customers. By creating a unique place to function as a third space, people will want to return time and again.
As with any business, customers are not required to frequent a certain place. This is why it is important to create something that draws attention. Whether your needs are for a doctor’s office, a church, or a barbershop, you want to be sure customers are attracted to your business. Neutral painted walls and basic chairs will not usually impress people. However, a village theme with bright colors and fun designs is sure to wow customers!
Word of mouth has long been an excellent form of advertising for any business. A great way to promote this is by creating regulars to your business. Regulars can attract new business and help those customers to feel comfortable. People are more inclined to do business at a place they are referred to by a close friend or family member, rather than going off of an ad they’ve seen.
A third space focuses on being an outlet other than home and work, the first and second space respectively. This should be a place that is welcoming, exciting, and creates a sense of community. Utilizing a design team like ours at CoolStuff Studios to create a themed space ensures your business will hit all of those key points effortlessly.
Whether you know exactly how you want your space to look or have no idea where to start, CoolStuff Studios is the company to work with. Our team of designers and artists will partner with you to create your dream space to draw in new customers and charm existing customers. We are dedicated to partnering with business owners to make the process easy and seamless while keeping your ideas at the forefront to ensure your needs and wants are met.
Contact us today!
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“What are the benefits of investing in the services of an accountant if you run a small business?” We get asked this question all the time and while there are countless ways an accountant can save your business money and … Continue reading
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This post first appeared on Beautiful Canadian Laser & Skin Care Clinic.
Are you thinking of having a Botox treatment? Continue reading to learn more about some of the common myths about Botox treatments and their truths. Below are 4 common Botox myths: Botox Treatments are Toxic, Unsafe and Dangerous FACT: With nearly 20 years of use for a range of different conditions, Botox has a long […]
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Many people search for the lowest mortgage rate. However, there are many other mortgage terms that need to be considered before committing to that low teaser rate. On average, home owners need to make adjustments to their mortgage every 3 years. Here are the other money saving aspects that need to be considered: Early Payout […]
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Vacation time is in full swing and we’ve put together some top tips to protect your home and keep it perfect for your return: 1. Put a hold delivery on your mail at Canada Post Hold Mail service is a secure, protected, convenient and trustworthy way to stop delivery on your mail at your residence […]
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This post first appeared on Beautiful Canadian Laser & Skin Care Clinic.
Have you been suffering from chronic migraines for years? Botox is famous for smoothing out wrinkles on the face but was approved by the FDA to treat chronic migraine headaches too. Below are some things that you need to know about Botox. Discovery of Botox The discovery of Botox for treatment of migraine was quite […]
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Many children who have speech and language difficulties benefit from using pictures, signs and other visuals to support their communication skills. Visual timetables are very frequently recommended. But who are these useful for and how do you use them?
Who benefits from a visual timetable
How do I make a visual timetable?
A paper visual timetable does take a bit of time to make. The best way to do it is to laminate a strip of card and attach velcro pieces to it. Then laminate your picture cards and attach the other half of the velcro to the other side. Then you can put up different sets of picture cards depending on what you are doing. There are some lovely examples of visual timetables in this post so you can see what it might look like when it’s finished.
If you are in a nursery or school, the classroom or nursery wall is often the best place for it to be. I have known some settings which have made really good portable ones as well though, using a clipboard or similar. The aim is that the child can see it or access it most of the time.
I also came across a great app for visual timetables on the go. It’s called ChoiceWorks and you can load up your own pictures or use their library of pictures and symbols.
How should a visual timetable be used?
Put the pictures on the timetable strip in the order that they will happen. Show the child the strip and tell them the first two items. EG “painting first then circle time”. Point to each picture as you say it. Then say”painting time” again and take the child to the painting activity.
When the first activity is finished, show the child the timetable again. This time say “painting finished” and get the child to take the painting picture off the strip (ideally, you’ll need a bag or box to put them into). Then show them the next picture along (which will now be the first one). Repeat for each activity.
One of the main mistakes I see people make is not taking the pictures off, or doing it themselves and not involving the child. If you are using the timetable to support a child with understanding or changes, it is really important that they take the pictures off themselves. This helps them to understand that the activity is finished and something else will happen now.
How many pictures should be on the timetable?
This is going to vary between different children. Some children can cope with 7-8 pictures in a row but for other children, they cope better with just 2-3 at a time. You will need to experiment a little. Start with just a few and build up.
What pictures should I use for my visual timetable?
If your child is already used to a particular set of symbols, use those to keep things as consistent as possible. For example, some settings will use Makaton symbols for everything. For other children, these kinds of symbols are too abstract. Alternatively you may not have easy access to them.
I found these lovely visual timetable pictures on Twinkl for free. This is the home set, but there are other sets too for different age groups. There are also more free pictures to download here. Otherwise, take photos in your own home, nursery or school and print them off. For example, use a photo of your bath for “bath time”.
What if the plan changes?
One of the difficult things about introducing a visual timetable is that it can sometimes be hard to know exactly what will happen. To begin with, do try to stick to the plan if you possibly can. Start off by using the timetable in very routine situations, such as bedtime, where the same things happen in the same order.
Once your child is used to a visual timetable and understands how it works however, try introducing an “Oops” card. When things change, you can put the “oops” card over the top of the other picture (or replace it) to show the child that things have changed and something different will happen.
It’s probably better not to wait until there is a crisis to introduce the “oops” card! Plan a change and introduce it then. If the child finds it very difficult, still do it, but keep the change short and then return to the original plan. Do this several times (on different times and days) and hopefully your child will begin to understand that changes sometimes happen and that’s ok!
Finally, be on the ball! Some children get wise to the visual timetable after a while and will try to change the pictures over to things they want to do!! This is a great sign that they understand the timetable, but try not to let them take charge of all the plans!
The post Visual timetables appeared first on Speechbloguk.
In shared spaces or community buildings what is commonly referred to as the third space—or place—are the social surroundings separate from the two typical social environments most people experience: one’s home (or the “first place”) and the workplace (also called the “second place”).
Third places are often considered anchors of community life. They serve as meeting spots that foster and facilitate creative and broad social interaction.
So what is an optimal example of this concept? No company has created a more successful third place than Seattle based coffee giant, Starbucks.
Think about it. Starbucks is synonymous with soft chairs fashioned of buttery leather, intoxicating aromas of shade-grown java, free wifi and acoustic music gently pumped through unseen speakers.
This is precisely why Starbucks is more than just a coffee retailer.
The company understands the importance of providing great customer service, and their main goal is to become the third place in our daily lives. Stop by a Starbucks at any given time and you’ll see customers chatting on their phones, surfing the Internet, meeting for a quick business strategy meeting, and lazily gazing out the window.
This isn’t an accident, as the company paid big bucks to fully understand what delivering the perfect cup of coffee—in the perfect environment—would take.
There are a few key attributes third spaces typically include.
These spaces should, ideally, be inexpensive or even free to use. Food and drink, while not necessarily essential, also help to create interest and draw in occupants. These areas should also be highly accessible, and even within walking distance to their target audience.
Finally, third spaces need to be comfortable and welcoming. Soft music, muted or calming colors, and cozy furniture are always a big help in this area. Furthermore, a third place should be an ideal spot where friends new and old can meet. Most third spaces also involve regulars, who are those who habitually congregate.
Community locations such as churches or dental offices can also create successful third spaces, providing they follow the attributes listed above and feature welcoming spaces where discussion and hanging out is comfortable and effortless.
Keep in mind there is also the concept of neutral ground that is tied to the idea of a third space. This essentially means that visitors of third places typically have no obligation to be there, and are free to come and go as they please.
With a space that revolves around communication—whether it is small talk, ministry or business planning—and a little creativity, virtually any business can create a successful third space.
If you’re interested in creating a warm and welcoming environment for your guests, we here at CoolStuff Studios have years of experience designing, creating, and implementing engaging environments. Contact us for a free visioneering consultation session.
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There are many reasons for hiring an accountant for your small business. They can be very helpful from forming a business plan to company formation and indispensable when it comes to filing your taxes and government audits. An accountant can … Continue reading
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On Tuesday, Elizabeth wrote about rhyme. If you missed it, you can read that post here. In it, she mentioned a lovely app from Therapy Box called Rhyming Bus. We have previously reviewed this app – you can read the review here.
Therapy Box have kindly offered us 5 copies of this app to giveaway! If you would like to be in with a chance of winning one, leave a comment on this post, comment on the post on our Facebook page or reply to the tweet about this post. We will draw 5 winners on Wednesday (20th July – the last day of term – at our school at least!) Good luck!
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