Outhouse to Penthouse ­ PVC Pipes to Computers Activities for Students With Limited Motor Abilities PVC Ball Ramps​
: Easy to make and inexpensive ball ramps can be made from a variety of sizes of pvc pipes. Small 2 inch pipes would handle a ball the size of a golf ball, the 4 to 6 inch pipes would handle a variety of balls used in a physical education class and the 8 inch pipe would handle a bowling ball. Pipes come in typically 8 or 10 foot lengths, if you’re handy cut the long pipe into two equal lengths and then cut the pipe in half lengthwise. To cut the pipe in half a simple hand saw will work. For the lengthwise cut I used a jigsaw, taped the pipe to a sawhorse and used a caulk line to get a straight line down the length. Flipped it over and repeated the cut on the other side. Some sanding takes off the sharp edges. If you don’t have the saws just find someone with a bandsaw and the cutting goes even faster. The six inch pipe I got from a local plumber, when I told him what it was for he was more than happy to donate. For the 6 inch and smaller pipes I used velcro on the pipe and on a pool noodle for stability and a cushion on the legs. I could cut the noodle down to fit onto a student’s lap when sitting in their wheelchair. For the 8 inch pipe I might build a brace for the arms of the chair to help keep the weight of the pipe and ball off the student’s lap. The pipes are really easy to use, sturdy and since you are cutting them in half if you can leave them at the schools you visit and not have to haul them around. Activities: I place targets on the floor (red Solo cups) and have the students hold a ball and work on releasing on their own if possible. Catch​
­ Works great with you or two students. Put one end of the pipe on the laps of the two student’s. Lift the end of the ramp with the ball and have it roll to other student. I typically did the lifting at all times for safety and control. Basketball ​
­ I use a top cut off of a 5 gallon pail as the basket and a small rubber basketball. Putting​
­ Use the small pipe and a golf ball, same as any target game but have the target be those inexpensive putting targets. Trip handle​
­ If a student isn’t able to hold a ball I made a trip lever that clips to the side of the pipe and they can just hit the board and lift the lever off the ball to start the roll. The Trebuchet The site listed for the trebuchet plans is the one I went to but there are a lot of different sites with information on them. Some have free plans, I choose this site for the fact that it looked like a much better system and gave me a very easy to follow set of instructions. It says that it is for a golf ball but I don’t want something to throw far for safety reasons and when looking at other plans that is what they want. I kept the weight the same as the plans describe for a golf ball it worked just fine with the Ragball. After cutting the pieces I dry assembled them first then took it apart and laid the parts out in order. The pvc glue gives you only a couple of seconds to make adjustments after you put the parts together so move quickly. Notes: It took a good afternoon to cut all the pieces and do the assembly. The brass rod on the tip of the throw arm is a piece found in the plumbing section at a hardware store. It’s an arm that is part of the flush arm inside the tank on a toilet tank. Drill the hole they say for size and force that piece in, I did not glue that cap in case the tip broke. It has stayed solid for all the uses I have had but just keep check of it. The pouch that holds the ball is much larger than the one described in the plans. Just cut to fit the softball sized ball and it will work. I had to add the small pieces of wood on the sides of the board that the ball rests on before launching. The large ball was rolling off before launching or falling out of the smaller pouch as it was coming forward. You can make small adjustments to the height of the throw by carefully bending the brass tip. Easy to do. Makey Makey Switch A special thanks to Maija who developed two of the games for our students and to Angie Potts, our STEM specialist, who came up with the Makey Makey switch idea. Angie is more than willing to be a contact person if you have questions about students being involved with making programs or answering questions on the Makey Makey switch. Her email is: ​
[email protected]​
and phone: 507­934­3260 ext 633. It is very easy to use. It takes a couple of minutes to get hooked up but not difficult. I started with play dough because it is cheap and easy to put out and mold into arrows. Nice bright colors for contrast if using more than one switch. Skin contact for the ground is very important. I put a piece of aluminum foil down the students sock and then hooked the wire to that. The plans below are for a laptop stand so I can put the computer in a better location for the student. Our tech people were more than happy to give me this laptop, it was out of date for most uses and just setting on a shelf. ¾ pvc pipe 10 foot length will be just short, if you can find them 2 eight foot lengths pvc pipe cement 6 T’s 6 90 degree connectors 4 caps foam to cushion laptop My contact information email: ​
[email protected] phone: 507­389­5570 Resources PVC Ideas and Plans http://www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu/files/mt/2/pvcbook.pdf Pinterst has great ideas for other projects out of pvc piping and where I got the idea for the ramps. Trebuchet Plans: http://www.howtobuildcatapults.com/golf_ball_trebuchet_plans.html It is designed as a golf ball launcher but I made the sling basket bigger and put two guide boards on the board that holds the ball steady until it is launched. Plans cost $11.95 plus shipping Makey Makey: http://makeymakey.com/ I have the classic. Just watch the video for other ideas and how it works. Online Switch Game Site: http://www.specialbites.com Free and easy to play. Played with the Makey Makey switch.