Pop Pop
November 20, 2007 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
I wasn’t surprised when Charlie took a liking to bubble wrap a few years ago. He had long showed more interest in the ribbons and wrapping paper than in the actual presents themselves, no matter how elaborate a Playmobil set was concealed inside. Popping the plastic bubbles seemed to provide a sensory experience in several ways: Charlie could fell the thin plastic flattening beneath his fingers, and he could hear the effects: Pop, pop! A 13-year-old student, Hannah Haas, of Charlotte, NC, has designed “sensory wallpaper” to “engage and stimulate” children with autism for a Bubble Wrap Competition. Being surrounded by bubble wrap might be too much of a good thing—-but who doesn’t have their secret pleasures, like the guilty-pleasure songs the b5media Music Channel is posting on? And I have been known to save a piece of eye-catching ribbon myself.
Photo courtesy of Khristianie via Flickr.
We took a long while to adjust to bubble wrap. We used different sizes to practice bursting the bubbles [fine motor skill and strength] But it was baby steps. I can never look at bubble wrap in quite the same way now!
Cheers
I’m a much bigger addict to bubble wrap than my son. And Bubble Wrap Season is coming soon!!!
When I was a kid we used to fight over the bubble wrap with each other AND our parents. I try to be a good mom and share the bubble wrap with my kids but it’s hard sometimes.
I enjoyed the guilty pleasure songs link!
When I’m alone in the car I like to sing along with “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling” very loudly. I can get away with it with the twins in the car, but as they become more verbal, they may put a stop to it.
Now I’ve got the Carpenters and Air Supply playing in my head……… and “Rocky Mountain High.”
I’ve got a whole bunch of “giant bubble” bubble wrap in boxes in my bedroom right now (the residuals from packages recently delivered). If you and Charlie come out to the Bay Area again and there is occasion for us to meet, Charlie is certainly most welcome to pop all the bubbles he likes.
I’ll remember the invitation!
Alex starts his day with us by appearing with his page-a-day trivia calendar and quizzing us with the day’s question. A few days ago the question was (something like) “what were the inventors trying to create when they accidentally invented bubble wrap?”
I’ll give you a while to think and be back with the answer later today (No Googling people!)
“A plastic wallpaper with a paper backing. The two, Alfred Feilding and Marc Chavannes, quickly saw the potential of the bubbly laminated material they ended up with and established the Sealed Air Corporation to sell their new Bubble Wrap.”
You never know where an invention might lead!