putting limits on hands

To prepare for a visit from an expert in prosthetics and living with only one hand, the collaborators led a series of experiments this morning for the kids in working with a hand impairment of one form or another. They taped down their thumbs or all their fingers or restricted the movement of their digits.They tried using scissors...putting toys together...hanging pieces of fabric with clothespins......and eating snack.Keiron McCammon, our expert for the day, arrived in the late morning while we were gathered for snack. When he held up his prosthetic hand and showed everyone how it could turn 360 degrees, there were wide, shocked eyes and an immediate flurry of questions from our flock of curious kids.The kids broke into bands and a few had to be dragged away from Keiron so that each band could have all the time they needed to ask questions and get the full story on Keiron's experiences living with one hand, the prosthetics he uses for different activities (bike riding, exercising, the everyday), and how he gets by tying his shoes or brushing his teeth.Meanwhile, the school filled up with the mouthwatering smells of Peter and Kristie's expert activity: making homemade raviolis for lunch.Josh helped some of the kids make their own pieces of rope to continue practicing with knots.Chane presented a fashion challenge and a few of the kids created clothing for a brief fashion show at the end of the day.And we finished the day with Art Lab, doing flash drawings of Audrey, Logan, and Norabelle.Then Gever and the kids rigged a piece of glass so that they could try drawing and tracing directly from life.