Name of In Class Activity: Magic Pepper Trick!

Type of modality / Magic Trick
Type of play / Shared Cooperative
Interaction pattern / Intra-group
# of participants required / 3+
Equipment/supplies / Water, bowl, hand soap, pepper, small dish, liquid dish soap
Facilities required/environment / Quiet place with not too many distractions, if not using bottled water, a faucet or water fountain to fill bowl with water.
Precautions / No allergies to soap,used or pepper used.

Task Analysis

1. Gather a small bowl, pepper, water, a small dish, and liquid dish soap,for participant to dip finger into.

2. Fill the small bowl with water, and sprinkle pepper into it so that it is fully covering the top layer of water.

3. Fill the small dish with dish soap

4.Designate a participate to go along with the trick and secretly have him/her dip the tip of their finger in the dish soap.

5.Ask another participant (who has not dipped a finger in the dish soap) to try and separate the pepper by sticking their finger in the pepper filled water. (Nothing will happen!) You can also ask more than one person to attempt to separate the pepper.

6.After the failed attempts, have everyone watch the individual with the liquid soap on his/her finger stick the finger with the soap on it into the pepper filled water. (The pepper will separate and move to the sides of the bowl, forming a ring around the edge, leaving a circle of clear water!)

7.Remain quiet while everyone watches in amazement.

8. After the trick is finished, dump out the dishes that were used and clean up area.

9. Ask participants to wash their hands with the regular soap.

10. You can choose to reveal your trick, or not!

Activity Analysis

Category / Skills
Primary body position / Sitting or standing
Part of the body required / Arms and fingers
Movement / Carrying in the hands, jaw chuck grasp, picking up, putting down, reaching, radial-digital grasp to hold bowl, dish soap, pepper container, pincer grasp to open dish soap, turning/twisting wrists and hands to shake paper out, or to open dish soap container
Physical / dynamic sitting or standing, fine and gross muscle coordination, AROM UE
Cognitive / arousal/alertness, focused attention, short term memory, recognition of form, abstract thinking, strategy/plan on how you are going to conduct the trick.
Social / Handling criticism if it’s you who touches the water and fail to make it move, maintaining social space with other participants, regulation behavior, showing tolerance
Perception / Tactile function for touching the water, visual function to see the pepper movement
Communication/language / Reception of spoken language, ability to produce body language,
Self-care / Washing and drying ones self
Psychological/emotional (possible) / Joy of the magic trick working, frustration when it doesn’t work at first, or people are not impressed by your trick, or frustration if someone knows how you did the trick and ruins it for others watching.

SIMPLIFYING AND COMPLICATING THIS ACTIVITY:

Ways to SIMPLIFY demands / Ways to make more COMPLEX
Cognitively / You can explain that the participant who makes the pepper move will have soup on his/her finger. / You could not explain the magic trick after it is done. – and see if participants can figure out that trick.
Physically / Have everyone sit down and bring the dishes to the participants rather than them going to the dish. / Have everyone stand the entire time and have the participants hold the dishes themselves instead of on a table.
Socially / Ask for a volunteer so your not putting anyone on the spot, (this may be socially challenging for some people)or, as the group leader, perform the trick for your participants (you can put a little dish soap on the side of the bowl and quickly pass your finger across the bowl before performing the trick). / Have each participant share with the group what their reaction to the trick was.

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