Ann: Hi everybody. Hello. Matthew Brooks: Hi everybody. Ann: It is a I was gonna say it's a bright and sunny day, but I'm in Pittsburgh. It's not Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: Partly cloudy. Matthew Brooks: Partly cloudy. Ann: It's it's barely cloudy. But it is supposed Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Waiting for Sally Wigan to tell us about the weather and the school delays. Ann: I hate that it's fall and it's not. Just a little brisk. I just want a little bit of brisk. Matthew Brooks: I love a little brisk. Ann: I can't I'm sorry, I am such I wouldn't put my ca stuff in the category of like a basic bitch, but git I do give me fall. I'm not I don't get like the pumpkin spice latte every year. I don't have but I I stick to my same coffee order. But man, dude I love fall. What? Matthew Brooks: And I have it. I have it. I have the saying for you 'cause you just said it and it just like like sh me, lightning just came and down and struck my brain. You're not a basic bitch, you're a fall witch. Yes. Got it. Ann: Fuck yeah. Write it down, put it on a sticker. Put it in the Matthew Brooks: Put it on a sticker. You're a fall witch. Ann: shop where you can purchase things to support our podcast because we need money to do the editing and for you to listen to our silly little voices. Matthew Brooks: Yes. Ann: Talk all day. By the way, I need to go in there and fix that. So I hope Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: you can purchase things right now. I think you can whatever. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. In order for this to sustain, it needs to be brought to you by viewers like you, right? Ann: Brought to you by viewers like you. my gosh, wouldn't it be fun to do like a PBS call Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: in day? we would lose our minds. Matthew Brooks: Can we just have PBS sponsor this? PBS, please. Can we? Ann: Somebody needs to sponsor PBS. We're all in trouble here. Like this is help Matthew Brooks: Yeah, we're we're all in trouble. Ann: the helpers. We're needed. Matthew Brooks: Yes. well, I'm gonna completely siderail what we were planning to talk about today 'cause I actually had this written down too. Right here on a little post it note, 'cause I have ADHD. Do you know what so do you know what the twenty sixth is gonna be? Ann: I don't even know what you're saying. Matthew Brooks: September twenty sixth. Do you know what that is? It's Ann: September. No? Is that when practical magic comes out? Matthew Brooks: I mean probably. Anne, it's gonna be the one year anniversary of the first episode. Ann: That is so fun. I'm sorry that I thought it was about a movie that it was really excited about since they were talking about We were on a I was in a different Matthew Brooks: I mean witches, so there's that. Ann: wait, one year of us. Matt, well but we've had so many years. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. 'Cause I was I was scheduling this one and it's session fifty and I like, Wait, there's fifty two weeks in a year I'm like, wait a minute. Wait a minute Ann: 'Cause that's how our brain works. It's not like marked down or anything, you're like, Matthew Brooks: Yeah. What year is it? But yes. Ann: Well that's exciting. Somebody asked me how old I was the other day. Could not answer. I froze and I was Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: like fourty one. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: That's how it came out of my mouth. And then my birthday is I'm a I'm a November fall person. And I was like, shit, forty two Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: pretty soon. And I was like, let's not talk about this, actually. Actually I love aging. We can we can have a whole episode on that, but I would never go back. to a younger version. Holy shit. That was exhausting. Matthew Brooks: No. I I don't think I would either. Ann: That was so much fun. I was so much fun. I'm tired. I'm I'm tired. Matthew Brooks: Physically, maybe, yeah, I might go back if I could have the have have the physicality of what I all the dumb stuff I was doing. Ann: I just wouldn't want to be that s I just wouldn't want to be that stupid again. Matthew Brooks: I mean there's that, yeah. Which is why I hurt all over. Yeah. Ann: But it was it was a necessary part of my process to become who I am. But man, there were some choices, huh? You make choices. Anyway. Matthew Brooks: Well, and this is this is gonna be on some of the stuff we're gonna talk about, but there's this one guy I follow on Instagram, love him, and he does like these millennial kind of like Ann: you sent him. Matthew Brooks: references. Yeah. But the one that's kinda trending right now is like new Jan kids are asking how we got home from the bars without Ann: Yeah. Matthew Brooks: Uber. And everyone Ann: If I know. Matthew Brooks: that I've seen is like the millennials like, I mean I wasn't driving, but Ann: Yeah. Matthew Brooks: somebody else. Why Ann: Well Matthew Brooks: are you asking? What are you, a cop? Like Ann: Yeah. Who are you? Let me see some idea. Yeah, Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: no, we don't promote anything any unsafe behavior on this show, but yeah, completely unhinged. No clue. What was I I mean Matthew Brooks: Yeah. I was w walking in cornfields. Ann: Mm-hmm. Matthew Brooks: Or getting in cars with strangers. Yeah. I mean the thing is like yeah, Southside. Ann: my gosh. Let's not go down this path of stories. The South Side The South Side in the early 2000s and late 90s was a place. Matthew Brooks: Was a place. Ann: Was a place to be my gosh. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Getting from Ann: Anyway. Matthew Brooks: getting from Jack's to Tiki Lounge was a hike comparable to Lord of the Rings. Ann: And and now we're all therapists. We're here. Matthew Brooks: And now we're all therapists. And there was parts where it's like the street light is out and there is a crowd of people. There's going to be a fight. We are crossing the street. Like Or just ran through it. Yeah. Ann: Just or just run through it. I had a different mentality. I was not. I should not. Yeah, and now we're all helping you to give your life. Matthew Brooks: Ha ha ha. Ann: Don't worry everyone. It's because we've lived it. okay. Holy shit, we're all over the place. So our one year anniversary is coming up. Very exciting. We should do something fun. Whenever we record that week. So remember that, because I'll forget. Do you I just have to say this so I don't forget. I also think at the conference we should do one of those because we're gonna be at the conference at Ada for us to do things together. Yay! And everybody should Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: come and see us and be on our show. we should do one of those paintings where we paint each other's faces when we don't look at each other. Matthew Brooks: I've yeah. I know what you're talking about. Ann: Like couples do it and you and you're like, I'm gonna paint or friend, whatever. And you like they always show couples doing it for like a date night or something, but we should Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: paint or draw each other Matt. That's gonna be so funny. but anyways, I don't know what we have time or resources, so I'm just throwing shit out there that you may or may not not get to experience at the conference. Matthew Brooks: I mean we gotta probably order some merch for the conference. We have to order all of the books for Ann: Matt, we have to order a lot of things. Matthew Brooks: the conference. Yeah, we gotta order a lot of stuff. Ann: Like so many things. Would I'll do Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: that today and tomorrow. I don't know. okay, so that's exciting. It's fall. I wish it was fallier. I wish it was the feels of hocus pocus. but it's not yet. It's hot. but what I wanted to chat about today Cause we'll chat about our anniversary soon. What I wanted to chat about today is Matthew Brooks: Yes. Ann: all of these trending what do you call them? Like sensory toys and but also the Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah, like the fidgets, sensory toys, art supplies. Ann: I wanna talk about all of the trending sensory stress relieving fidget stuff and how your or me, how we're incorporating it into because I think therapists always have had fidget desks like things to do in their office. But like Matthew Brooks: Yeah. We're like little raccoons. We got all our trinkets. Ann: my gosh. We could talk about raccoons for a whole episode. I have a client that I just talk about raccoons with, by the way. It's very therapeutic. Matthew Brooks: Nice. Ann: Anyways, I want to talk about how that impacts practice, especially with teens and kiddos. And then how because you have a kid My kids are like into all of it, but also my older like nieces and nephews. I just wanna and and if are you using it as like a supply for your art space? I have s my what used to be just a little bowl of fidgets or Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: squish like it used everybody just used to have like a stress ball or like putty. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yes. Ann: Now it has turned into in every almost every room in my office there's like a corner of fidgest. And there's the puzzles and the slimes and I've always had model magic, which is like an art therapist thing, but now it's like Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: You have all these other options and there's cloud dough and there's and how are you cleaning Matthew Brooks: Yep. Ann: it? And then there's the specs. Then there's like the high quality ones. I don't know. I Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: just find it very it's blown up and all the kids have it. All the cool kids have them. But also my gosh. Matthew Brooks: There is there is a market for it. Ann: We were on vacation and a store had I think I talked about this in another episode, but a store where we were on vacation in this tiny little town had Nido. Like not even behind the counter like it is in Pittsburgh. Like it was just out and it was swarmed every day. We and it was like Matthew Brooks: yeah. It's like beanie babies. Ann: Yeah. But they serve a therapeutic purpose and the needle ones are kind of better, in my opinion. So like are you using it in are you using it with clients? Are you using it with all ages? Do you do you build with it? Like I use the cloud dough with clients all the time. Matthew Brooks: Yeah, the the cloud doe I haven't got much of the cloud dough like into that part of it. One, 'cause I have a carpet in my office. But two Ann: Yeah. Matthew Brooks: The model magic is still like that baseline vibe for like hitting that sensory clay soft material. I have Nidos. But yeah, like I was it was a couple weeks ago, I was walking around in Target, like just shopping. Outside of like therapy stuff. And there were teenagers sprinting in Target to find the squishy butter sticks. Yeah. Like they're like, they're Ann: my gosh. Can I tell you? Matthew Brooks: over here. And they're like running around to get all these like squishy things. Ann: My niece has like all sizes of those butters. She also was collecting Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: the dumplings and then they got recalled and like they were exploding Matthew Brooks: Yes. Yeah. Ann: and burning kids. And you know what my reaction was? I was like, well duh. Like what what is inside these? It's we probably Matthew Brooks: Of course. Yeah. Ann: shouldn't I probably shouldn't be handing them to my children, but I am. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: so I like threw away our we only had a couple dumplings because we just as I threw them all away. I don't know. I panicked. I was like, Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: But she has all the sizes of butters. And when my Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: son was at my niece's house and discovered the butters, he literally was just sitting in the corner, like, like he is He is such a sensory kid. That's and that's why I it came up for me. I was like, these toys are serving a per have always served a purpose in my therapy room. But now that I'm a parent, They serve a purpose in my home as far as like occup like my kids will play with cloud dough at the table for a while. my Matthew Brooks: yeah. Yeah. Ann: son loves a fidget. My daughter is not as much of a fidget, but he like look at these. These are on my table just like as they're like pumpkin fidgets. Isn't it? Hobby Lobby. Or no no no. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Mm-hmm. That's adorable. Yeah. There we go. Ann: Not Hobby Lobby. Shush Anne. Hobby Express. There's a huge difference. Why the heck? Let's not Matthew Brooks: Hobby Express. The the only Hobby Express. Yeah. Ann: go down that road. Hobby Express is this little hobby shop. They have Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Well even like I have a 3D printer, like literally right here. Ann: Well yeah, you made stuff and sent it to us. Matthew Brooks: Yeah, I made stuff, sent it to you. I make stuff for the office, but now it's gotten to a point. And I think this is the other side of like that therapeutic like Totchkey like raccoon trinkets that we have. I'm now getting requests. There's like wish lists of things to buy, but there's also like, you have a three D printer, can you print a cute dog? Can you pi print like another fit? Can you print this or that? Like I have Ann: So Matthew Brooks: a list from clients that want me to print stuff off. Ann: As an art therapist and a creative, I do not trust people who don't have trinkets. Matthew Brooks: It's fair. It's like we don't trust Ann: What Matthew Brooks: people who think Bluey's not a good show. Ann: Yeah. What do you mean you don't have a little pumpkin thing on your table? What are you talking about? What do you mean your window seal is not covered in tiny stones Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And and here's the best part. The Yeah. Ann: that your children have found and then also something that your grandmother gave you thirty-three years ago? I don't know. Yeah. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Like the the rose tea wades. Do you remember those little statue things? Yeah. Yeah. You Ann: Little gorilla. What do you mean you don't have one of those? Get out of town. Matthew Brooks: don't have the whole circus collection with the elephant that's on the little stand, right? Ann: Once again, we bring you our neurodivergent episode. Who we are as people and therapists. And we're not on track anymore. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: We're not talking about what we said we were gonna talk about. Matthew Brooks: No. Ann: but anyways, bringing it back. Yes, you made all these things because when I was at your office when we were visiting Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: you in DC, you had all of those fidgets that you made on your table and like you had a decent amount and you know what? It it serves such a purpose therapeutically in session because we all know as art therapists you need to have your hands busy. it just helps you even if you're not making and processing art, even if you're just coming to session and you're a little bit resistant and you are using your hands, you are more likely to join. Your nervous system calms Matthew Brooks: Absolutely. Ann: down. You're feeling more in control in the space. And so we've always had this stuff out, but now there is an overwhelming amount of stuff that we can have Matthew Brooks: Yes. Ann: therapists to hand over as fidgets or mess or whatever sensory items. And you are even making them because now we have 3D printers. Like I'm sure these were made on 3D printers. Matthew Brooks: yeah. It's definitely a three D printer. Ann: Yeah. And so Matthew Brooks: For like literally probably five cents. Like that's how much when it breaks down to it. Ann: Well, I probably and I will support Hobby Express. Matthew Brooks: Yes. Ann: N Hobby Express not Hobby We should call them. We go there all the time. Matthew Brooks: Absolutely. This episode's brought to you by Hobby Express. Ann: They're one of the only places that also also allow us to bring the dog. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. They keep you're keeping them in business. Ann: Yeah, really. And I'm like just there with all the people that are also just playing with the trains there. I'm like, Hi, we belong here. Welcome. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Well and that's the thing is like I like personally love D D and everything. So like having I've had those little like D and D tabletop figures that I've brought in the office and those are huge hit like even the D and D dice where it's like the multiple different shapes of dice and everything. Ann: Well and we've Matthew Brooks: People love those. Ann: As therapists, we've always known the power of having something to on the table to use for your hands, having little figures to use as play therapy, engagement, whatever. Every everybody loves it. That's what I mean. Like I don't trust people that don't aren't drawn to trinkets. Like, what do you mean? Or things to move your hands with. and so we've always seen the value, but it's just blown up. And and now I'm like finding myself as a therapist having these conversations. I'm like, do I add another specs to cart? Because specs are better magnets. I don't know if anybody knows about we should Matthew Brooks: Absolutely. Yes. Ann: like make a list. Specs is a company that has these like magnet fidget fidget toys and all these different kinds. And there's like these little teeny tiny ones that just Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: give the crunch. Then they have the big ones. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: And I I can't find t to last when you have clients playing with them like like six clients a day. And those Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: ones can be washed off 'cause they're metal. I like can run a Clorox wipe over them or whatever. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. You can drop in soapy water. Ann: I don't know how that I don't know how long that will last, but that's what I've been doing. If anybody has any other suggestions, let me know. maybe Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: I'm ruining them. I don't know. But like they Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: hold up and when some of the ones that you get on Amazon don't, and I'm like, you can really get carried away. I mean we can get carried away on art supplies, but you can get carried away on this stuff because there's so much now. You type in like squishies, you're Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: overload. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. And it it's a s it's like such a market with like the the madness with like the squishy butters and the dumplings and these like mystery unboxings of like I got this like rainbow sparkly one, like it's a rare, like y there's a whole collection. Ann: And you kind of if you work with kids you have to know about this. The mystery unboxing yeah. But like the mystery unboxing Matthew Brooks: Yeah. y you don't have to know about it. They will tell you about it. Ann: shit get the fuck out. Like Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: great job marketing people, because now Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: I have about eight bright stars, Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: zero sc scourges of Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: these f warrior cat collections in my home. And guess Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: what? We have to keep that's what we're earning. So I'm gonna go keep buying surprise boxes. Can you stop Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: making bright stars? Cause we got we're covered. I think I can supply them to anybody that doesn't have them. Matthew Brooks: Well that that's where I just I just cheat and I'll like go on Reddit or something and look up like the codes. So like it would be like, if this is a Ann: yeah, you just can wait. Matthew Brooks: K zero zero one that's a bright star and if it's a K zero zero two that's like another what is it, scorch, right? And I just like, Ann: Mad Matthew Brooks: Okay, I'm gonna pick this one and this one. I don't wanna I don't want eight bright stars. Ann: You're giving the important information to parents everywhere. I had no idea. My daughter's gonna be like, Mom, why are you reading the box at Target? And I'm gonna be like, we can't actually get this one. Let's see how that goes over. I'm gonna have a meltdown in Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Quick quick Google search. are you putting this so well? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Ann: the middle of the aisle. What? I earned that box. Matthew Brooks: Yeah, and then you're going into the depths of like showing the phone and be like, No, see on Reddit this one says it's a bright star. Yeah. Ann: No, yeah. Yeah. And you're in the aisle in Target and there's like another parent with their kid melting down because they're not getting anything. And you're like, Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can actually figure it out. Like just so I'll give you this. We're in this together. Which yeah. Which ones are you guys collecting? Let me let you know. We have an in. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. You're having a PTA meeting in Target. Yeah. Yeah. Ann: I have an inn. I have a friend that told me. Yeah, it's crazy. But they do. I have clients that bring in Because so I work with Obviously a lot of neurodivergent kiddos and my Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: my little ADHDers and Spectrum er or Spectrum Kitty kiddos. we love to make things and line up. Like we we love a good Matthew Brooks: Mm. Yeah. Ann: model magic. Let's make the same elephant in every color while we talk. Like and honestly, same. Like I love Matthew Brooks: Yes, yes. Yeah. Ann: to mix all the model magic and make but now that there's all these Like they're coming to session with stuff. And Matthew Brooks: yeah. I have clients who bring in stuff like Ziploc bags of like action figures and like little things. Ann: of those and those little glass or Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: are they plastic? Like those little tiny just like almost. Matthew Brooks: yeah, like mini make or whatever it's called. Like it's like, here's a little chocolate sundae, you know. Ann: and yeah, and then there's the little three D printed ones. They're like everywhere and you can just like reach your hand and pick out different they're called like Something. Anyway, they're coming Matthew Brooks: Something. Ann: to session with this stuff. And of course, us creatives are like, great, like let's use it. But I'm sure this is happening across the board. And then it's like, what do you have in your office? And you're tempted to, like, that's so cool, I'm gonna buy it. I have more things, I have things I don't need. It's a Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: whole cycle. Matthew Brooks: Well and it's funny, I mean, today's parents are a little bit different but like working with parents who are like not under sp understanding of like being on the spectrum or like their kid like like having whatever diagnoses and they're like they have all these little collectible things and I don't get it. I'm like, you know, this isn't something new. Like how Ann: Yeah. Matthew Brooks: many millennials have parents who are like, you know, mental health is a sham, but look at all of my weights that we just talked about that I have on my shelf or my collection of tiny t yeah, tiny spoons. I'm like, Autism's been around for a while Like Yeah, neurodivergent's Ann: Yeah. Narrative version. Okay. Yeah Matthew Brooks: been around for a while. Ann: I yeah, and so I am I'm I am I just wanted to chat about that a little bit and I'm sure I mean other therapists can give feedback or weigh in or whatever, but like I just think that there's so we're overloaded with sensory fidgets and is it a problem for you ever? Like sometimes I'm having kiddos bring things in. So I had a neato cube, like a a big one, that I Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: way, way back I've had it before it was crazy. And I r have never had anybody like truly steal something. But my gosh was every single client like, can I just have this? Can I take this? Can I have it? And I was like, do I need to start locking up my fidgets? 'Cause I can't Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: get a hold of of another one of those. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. The market value has gone way up on that. Ann: Yeah. Around Christmas time. Like I bought that thing at the children's museum for like eight bucks or something. Like the big one. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah, now it's like sixty two. Yeah. Ann: Yeah. And you're like they're like on ebay. I'm like, What? Yeah, so I do. I think that it I just find it really interesting that when a trend takes off that it's something that we've been using, especially creative arts therapists have been using for years. And it's like now we have this resource which is like we Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: probably are all drawn to and want to jump on, but can have always used in sessions. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Well and two things. Like I love when it's like I have adult clients. Like I have adult clients who are in their sixties and they'll come in and like, look at all these like knick knacks and tchotchkis. That's so funny, like haha and then they don't want to touch it and then like halfway through the session they like pick up the little like magnetic balls and they're like just Ann: Yeah. Matthew Brooks: rolling around and everything and I'm just like, Yeah, welcome. Yeah. Ann: I love when it's like, And you're like, yeah. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Ann: so a couple things I wanna list before we shift gears, because I've mentioned Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: I d I have found a comparable magnet, the big magnets, to the spec ones, and where I found them was Playthings, etcetera, and Butler. Do you did you ever The Spaceships? I will Matthew Brooks: yeah. The spaceship. Yep. Ann: also forever promote them. If you are in the Pittsburgh area, it Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: is worth the trip to playthings ex and you have children, or you are just an adult like me who likes these things. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: if you make the trip to playthings etc. In Butler. It's a toy store that's shaped like a giant spaceship. Like you open a spaceship Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: door to go in. And they have in the back. They have amazing educational sensory. Like they have very, very cool toys. And they have all the it's just a love it. But in the back they have a like a bin of magnets. And you just fill up a bag. Those magnets, I'm sure there are other places, but I'm like, only there. those magnets hold up like the specs ones. The big ones. Like they're super strong. And Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: my clients love them. And I've filled up several ones. Matthew Brooks: I think we should tag Javi Express and playthings in the bio today for people to go to. I I I don't know if they have an Instagram, but you know Ann: Yeah. Hobby Express. I I would think play things et cetera. Hobby Express, I'm not sure. Maybe now that they've moved they've moved Matthew Brooks: I don't know. Ann: from their little store. They're well they're now in Cranberry. Like in a main area. They weren't for a long time, so Matthew Brooks: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Ann: And it's not to be confused with Hobby Lobby like I did earlier. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Hobby Express. Ann: So anyways, so but specs are good ones. We talked about the neato things, like those are all in the 3D printed, but model magic and cloud dough, which is kind of difficult to find too, and the cloud slime. How do you Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: feel about slime? Matthew Brooks: I don't mind slime. I don't have any in my ro like in my office now and it's mainly because the plight of the art therapist is I have carpet. Ann: Yeah. Matthew Brooks: And like the specs I have are blue and I have a blue carpet. And I can't tell you how many times a kid has made a ball with the specs and then lifted it up and dropped it and it just explodes everywhere. And then we're all just like Cool, let's look for these tiny little blue fragments that are on a tiny blue speckled carpet. Ann: Wait, wait, wait. The specks that actually 'cause there's the little ones that don't break apart if you drop but then the you mean the ball of like the heavier magnets. Matthew Brooks: No, these are the like the little tiny one. I just have like a little can and they're like pebbles. But the kids like spike it on like tables and it it it goes everywhere. Ann: I have not had that experience with the little ones. I've had it with the bigger ones. Anyway, so maybe we'll just like talk about all these different fidgets. but yeah, I just find it super interesting that now it's it's cool. Kind of like when the art therapy coloring books came out. Not exactly the same, but kind of like, this is so cool. And it's like, yeah. We've known for a long time that people are drawn to this kind of stuff. And but it is cool now that we have all of these options to buy from, but my wallet s suffer. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. I mean it if we look back on it, like the the neato and the dumplings and even like the squishy balls are all things that in the past, like art therapists were making. Like how many times have you taken like two latex balloons filled it up with like slime or shaving cream and then like wrapped both of them within each other? And like that was the kids' stress ball, right? And they loved that. Ann: I forgot about making those but I definitely have made one. What I just Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: remembered 'cause I've done it with my kids in the hospital, but I'm sure when you worked in the hospital system, Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: rubber gloves. Matthew Brooks: Yeah, yeah, we would use the gloves all the time. Ann: Yeah. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. But that's pretty much what we're d like buying now. We're just not getting the the latex and the goo. Ann: We just don't know what's inside. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. I mean I feel like the Nido and this is a kid or this is a millennial who as a kid had a stretch Armstrong with the same squishy material as the Nidos with the goo that was in it. Ann: Yeah, yeah. Stretch arms y'all. Matthew Brooks: like I yeah, Stretch Armstrong I had as a kid and it's the same stuff. Ann: Yeah. Do you remember so we did have wait, you're unlocking something. We did as kids have the like, remember those gooey things you would throw and stick on the wall and it would take forever to fall and it drove your Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: parents crazy because you were they were like Stop, it's marking off the wall. And this just happened. Wait accurate. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Which it was. Yes. Ann: There are so many things that as a parent now I'm like, I would have lost Yes, Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: I understand why they lost their shit. Like back then I was like, how dare they? Now I'm like, yeah. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Meanwhile it's like there's this like neon yellow trail that's down the wall. Ann: So my son has these little sticky guys. Have Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: you seen these? They're like this big. And they're guys they're like stretch arm, Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: but they're sticky, and you throw them on the wall and they on fall. Yeah. Matthew Brooks: They like tumble over yeah. Tumble down the wall. Yeah. Ann: They don't leave marks. like the things that we used to have. So some Matthew Brooks: that's good. Yeah. Ann: improvements have been made. I don't know what. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. I remember so many stains on the ceiling because we would throw that stuff like on the ceiling and it would just stay there forever. Ann: yeah. Hard. You'd throw it Yes, you threw it with all your might. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. And it would stay there forever. Until it it either molded to the ceiling or it just fell and then there was just a residue stain that was on the ceiling. Yeah. Yeah. Ann: My mom is like my mom is like four eight and she couldn't reach our ceiling on a ladder. Like and she gets so pissed when that shit Matthew Brooks: Ha ha. Ann: would be stuck to the ceiling. She'd be like, I And I'd be like, No, none of us can. Look at us. We're just a f family of Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: munchkins. Matthew Brooks: Yeah, she's got a broom and she's just trying to whack it down. Ann: Yeah, yeah. A hundred percent. my gosh. Yes. She'd use a broom for so many things. Anyways, these sticky things that my son has don't do that. And she was at the house the other day because of my surgery and she was helping out. And Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: he threw one on the ceiling and I heard it in the other room. I heard her go, No, you can't like it was like sh we were all we all were transported back. Except for my son. Like Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: What? Like and I like Yeah. Like instant. Instant. And she got sucked back in and I ran into the room Matthew Brooks: It's like your mom was in NAM. She was having PTSD. She's like, Not again Yeah. Yeah. Ann: and I was like, no no, I let him do that. And she looked at me. She was like, You let him do that? And Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: I was like, Yeah, they don't leave a mark. I found out the same way you're finding out. Like Yeah. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Huh Ann: But we're good and she was like, and it like was like a processing time, like, Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Which then also like that comes to a parenting like like we're shifting to parenting stuff now, but like your parents freaking out in that transportation and now it's like as a a a parent, a millennial parent, explaining to your parent who's traumatized and also traumatizing you. Right. W when you were a child and that freak out and now it's just like, no, no, no, it's okay. Like these ones don't leave stains is like so healing and justifiable. Not in the moment. Yeah. Ann: It's fine. We're okay. Yep. Not in the moment. In the moment I was like, do you know what's so funny though? My parents were it now that I'm thinking about it, it was it what I mean they did leave those sticky things left such a crazy like oil mark. Matthew Brooks: yeah. Ann: So I get that. But like we were allowed, we had a whole room where we were allowed. draw on the walls. Wonder now there's a mural in my kitchen that I'm currently Matthew Brooks: yeah. Yeah. Ann: not I'm working on. It's not finished. I'm like, I guess that transferred. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: But sh they weren't like sticklers on my mom I had a nineties dad. I don't know what he was doing, but my mom was not like a absolutely not house has to be clean person. Matthew Brooks: yeah. Yeah. And that was the difference between Ann: like we Matthew Brooks: like the wifey and I too because like our kiddos started drawing on the wall and there was like a reaction from her from her at first of like huh like the like I don't and I'm like, No no no, it's okay. Like drawing on the wall's fine. We can like yeah, it'll be fine. Ann: Yeah. We just paint on it. I I do now that I'm painting all these murals in my house, my kids really want to participate and I want them to participate, but also that's a hard one. Like this is your area. Anyway. Yeah, it it's so Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Well I think that's that might be the artist side of like, no, I want this to look good. Like, don't paint on this side. This is my canvas. Yeah. Yeah. Ann: Well and it's like this is my pro this is my area. but anyway, it is it is Yeah, another thing that we should include is did you just because we're talking about all of this, and way back in the day, when I worked at a RTF, school like the school the special education school within the RTF, I would make play-doh with the kids. Do you ever make play-doh? Like the homemade play-doh recipe? And doesn't it smell it's just so good. Ugh. Matthew Brooks: yeah. Yeah. Like the salto play do or whatever it is. Yeah, there's a very distinct smell. Yes. Yeah. Ann: It's so good. And the colors that you make are like that perfect pastelli. So Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: I guess coming back to all of these like sensory things that are out there now and that we've always used as therapists and now we have all of these things to get to use as therapists and it's like overwhelming. I We also have always been making this stuff and growing up my mom always made play-doh with us. Like made the homemade Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: play-doh. I've made it with my kids a couple times, but it's like so easy to buy this sh stu I hate normal play-doh. That might be crazy to say as a art therapist, but I dislike store-bought play-doh. Hate it. I prefer model magic and homemade play-doh. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. I hate and this is just a recent experience too. I hate the off brand play does. That stuff, like my kiddo had this off brand one that was like a dollar or something, and it it like Ann: It's so sticky. Matthew Brooks: stained the carpet, like our area rug, and it was like in it and everything. And I was like, I hate this stuff. Like the play doh will dry and get crusty. Like this stuff I he He was playing with some the other day, I'm like, Where did you get that? I threw all of it away and it was like smashed into something and it was still like Ann: It's a... Matthew Brooks: soft and he was playing with it. I was like, I hate this stuff. It keeps like multiplying. Ann: Do you go on angry par I do. I go on like all of a sudden, everything that we have, it drives me insane and I just throw it all away. Matthew Brooks: Ha ha. Ann: There was a microphone that, my gosh, have you had those those kid microphones that just play the same frickin' song? Like And I was just like, this thing's gotta go. Like I got it's gotta go in the trash. And so what happened the other day was just like that, my sister bought them like five below slime. Now, I Matthew Brooks: yeah. Ann: I will there's some good stuff at five below. I love a five below trip, but like some like model magic, which I will always have. But near and dear I will promote it forever. I don't care if you like us or not. Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. I mean you introduced me to the drug that is model magic when I was in intern. Ann: It doesn't get it is just for kids and all ages. It doesn't come off on your hands. It doesn't c stick to the table. It it can get in carpet, but it's just this great material that is somehow clean but works better for you to build things like it sticks to each Plato, you're like sitting there Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: like trying to get that arm on that f freaking figure and it just keeps falling off. I hate Plato. Matthew Brooks: yeah. Yeah. Ann: And so, model magic for life. But there are some slimes and cloud dough that have the same like and putties, the and it is the more expensive ones, that have the same like quality of like it's not as messy, it's a cleaner, you're able to like form it better. But when you get the like you said, like the cheap play-doh, when you get the cheap stuff, she got this slime. my gosh, it was sticking to my kids' hands. Like Matthew Brooks: To everything. Yeah. Yes. Ann: Sticking to their hands. Like my son was Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: like mine green. I'm like, get away. What? Matthew Brooks: Don't touch anything. You're going in the bath. Yeah. okay. We could I we could probably do like an entire like product review on stuff. yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Ann: Well, I threw all that slime away like day two. Like they played with it once and the next morning they woke up and they were like, Where's the slime? I was like, E weird. I have no idea what happened. And my daughter goes Matthew Brooks: It just disappeared. Yeah. Ann: Wait, this is a funny thing. I hope don't judge me for this. My daughter was like, the elves probably took it. Because at Christmas time I was done Matthew Brooks: yeah. Ann: with the baby potties. Like my neither one of them needed to use them anymore. They're both so tall and they were potty drained and so but they wouldn't get rid of their kid potty in the bathroom. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: that the elves they just disappeared one night 'cause I like, I c I'm done cleaning these. I'm done cleaning them out. And my they were so Matthew Brooks: That's amazing. Ann: sad about the but they somehow accepted that like, well, the elves came Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: and took them because they're bringing us new things for Christmas. And they like, Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: And I was like, okay, that worked, but now Matthew Brooks: It's an exchange program. Ann: every time some every time I have sensory overload and throw something away, my daughter's like, those damn elves. I'm Matthew Brooks: And you're just like, I'm not arguing with that. Ann: like, yeah, so elves might not equal good in our I don't know where they stand. They're like a maybe Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: they're more of a neutral, but Matthew Brooks: there was this slime stuff that came in like a little canister. Ann: Bad. Matthew Brooks: That like opened and immediately I smelled it and I was just like, This is it this is gonna be trash. Like this and like my kid stuck their hand in it and then it was just like just it was like everywhere and I was just like this sucks and Ann: Yes. Matthew Brooks: I I just let it dry out, like we just like I hid the lid and it just dried out but it still stay it was like liquidy and it was almost like soap. There was like foaminess to it when it when they were playing with it and I was like, Gross, this stuff sucks. Ann: You know those product those product reviews that you are all over Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: YouTube, like they just open it up and play with it and like kids are obsessed with those videos. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: There should be an art therapist product review on fidgets and and I already know the other art therapists that we need to have on who would be perfect for it. but like Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Should we start doing like unboxing and review videos for bitches? Yeah. Yeah. Ann: Purchased at Hobby Express. This is purchased at Playthings, etc. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: yeah, and the different putties too. But anyway Matthew Brooks: yeah, we haven't even talked about like what is it? Aaron's putty, like all of that stuff. The one that comes in the tin, what is it called? Like Ann: Yeah. Yeah, I have it o it's right over here. What is it cut? Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: I can't remove it. Matthew Brooks: It's like I I feel like it is like therapy putty or something, but it's Air Aaron, right? We're doing a lot of advertisement. Ann: Shocker it's shocker it's not where we left it. Matthew Brooks: Hey Yeah. Ann: Weird. It's not where it belongs. it I think it is called errands. It starts with an A. And it has like space. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: and then the ones that change color when you play with them, clients and kids love those. Like with the your Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: hand. Do you ever and you're playing with them and you're like, is this safe? Should this be happening? Matthew Brooks: Yeah. I mean, props to like that company in Errants, 'cause like it's thinking putty. I was like, therapy putty, thinking putty, yeah. Ann: It is Eren's think Aaron's thinking putty. That's what it is. I mean it's but they have a bunch of different kinds, but the Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: the Aaron's is good. Us therapists Matthew Brooks: It is good. Yeah, that stuff's good. Ann: have been again, I'm like, there's all of these trends and like we've been knowing the importance of this for years and we Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: can tell you good, bad, but now there's all these options and I just find myself buying everything. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. I mean it's good because it's like we're making that stuff forever and now it's just like, I can just buy the one thing instead of all of the supplies Ann: Yeah. But it's still probably cheaper to make a homemade play doh. We should put that recipe in. It's best. As long as you have cream of tartar, Matthew Brooks: yeah, Home Plato is like yeah, hands down. That's Ann: you probably have everything in your house. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. It's always the cream of tartar that's like, yeah, what do I what? Where do I gotta get that? Ann: Yeah, it's like the one and then with your homemade slime it's like, do you have contact solution? 'Cause I don't have glasses or contacts and so I'm like Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: don't have the activating agree ingredient. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Which now Elm like Elmer's has an activator that you can just get. Yeah. Yeah. Ann: yeah. Yeah. Which is so funny. Again, like we've been doing this for years, but it is entertaining. Matthew Brooks: I will say if you like the upgrade in the slime making process of just buying gallons of glue versus the bottles that you're just like squeezing all of like every single amount of the glue out. Like you you would just get like the school pack of the glue. That's like a dozen in a box and then you're just like unscrewing the top and just sitting there and everything. Once you upgrade to the like the gallon bottle, you're like, my gosh, this is night and day difference. Ann: Do you have do you have a glue shelf at your office? Or do you at your glue Matthew Brooks: I have a glue bin, but yes. Yeah. Ann: bang? I the one maybe this is a whole different episode, but like the one thing that I always am like during a session Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: that I'm always like, crap, I need to get more of this or better of this or like more variety is glue and tape. Matthew Brooks: Yes. Ann: I never have the right glue or tape like when someone's like mid process. I'm like I'm Matthew Brooks: I absolutely agree. Ann: like crap you need wood glue. Why don't I have Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Yeah. Ann: Two jars of buttons. Or like whatever. But Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: I'm like, it's the glue. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Or like, you need double sided tape and I just have single sided scotch tape or you know or you need s Ann: Well I now Matthew Brooks: single sided scotch tape and I only have double sided tape. Ann: Yeah. I now have so much double sided tape because I bought it in bulk by accident. Like I ordered on Amazon. Around Christmas Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: time last year, that's how much frickin' double sided tape I have. You know, you're just insane. And I was or you know how that goes. And I and I was just ordering things and I was like, I need double sided tape. And I was like, Yeah, yeah, I'll use it the office, I'll get this pack. And it wasn't expensive, so I didn't think I thought Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: I was getting like five no. Like a box. So Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: all I have is double sided tape, but I need not double sided tape. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. But as like that's another plight of the art therapist is like every art therapist when ordering stuff, at some point in their career will order bulk of something crazy, right? But we never return it. We Ann: in their career monthly. Matthew Brooks: yeah. We never return it. We're like, okay, well I just have a lot of this one thing. Ann: Well, this also happens to me at conference. So I know we're Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: we are promoting conference. You should come. It is going to be fun. Matthew Brooks: Mm. Ann: You're gonna see us there. We're gonna have a great time. We're gonna hang out. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: This is not meant to be negative, everybody. I'm gonna give a little disclaimer. But every conference I go to the conference, I find in the market Something or somebody tells me about something that they're like, you don't know about color sticks. I mean that that was a while ago, but like which I love color sticks, which are just like colored pencil in crayon form. But like you don't know about and I'm like, I do not. No. And so Matthew Brooks: Yeah. that stuff is like great. Ann: Yes, and then you're walking through the you know, the marketplace and you're like, what is what is this? What is or there's a supply and then your my cart is full or like books, like whatever. And and Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: me, I end up purchasing things while I'm there that I get the office and I'm like, okay, who's gonna use these? I'm just waiting Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: for someone to be as excited as I am. But then like your clients just are using like model magic and drawing paper for the next eight weeks. so I am then yeah I am then like Matthew Brooks: Yeah. And you're like pulling a muscle trying to like, Hey, look at all this cool stuff, right? Look. Ann: selling the wonder sticks. I'm like do you guys Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: know what these do? They're so cool and my the kids that I see are like okay do you still have the magnets? Matthew Brooks: Yeah. They're like Yeah. Ann: What about that squishy butter? Can I just hold that the whole time? And you're like, I guess. Fine. So that Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Fine. But then somebody notices it. Somebody goes to it and it's just like it's it's the same reaction Ann: Well yeah, eventually somebody Matthew Brooks: as like every every person who wears a dress that has pockets where it's like, Hey, I like the dress. You're like, thanks, it has pockets, right? And Ann: Well women didn't have those for a while, so it's gonna be exciting. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: but yeah, I I it is it is like that. It's like I'm so glad you found it, but that but I've been hoarding it since Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: since I don't know, Baltimore's conference ten years ago when I bought this. Like I'm so Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: excited for you to discover it. so yeah, that is fun. But okay, well, again, this has been a random episode of all of the things. Tell us what things are in your office and what Matthew Brooks: All of the things. Ann: your favorite little fidgets and go tos and things are. 'cause they're Matthew Brooks: Mm-hmm. Ann: super fun. And then we'll list them. what do I need to put today? Ugh. Play-doh recipe and play things except and hobby express and all the things Matthew Brooks: Yeah, play the recipe, play things, etcetera. Yeah. We'll have to see if there's an Instagram and tag in it. Ann: yes and we will be posting and announcing a giveaway for you guys to be on the podcast while for someone a special guest to be on the podcast while we're at conference. So keep a lookout for that. That's gonna be posted soon because I keep saying it and need to do it. so this is my accountability thing. and yeah, we'll see you in Charlotte in like a month. Matthew Brooks: Yeah. Ann: And go make some fidgets. Matthew Brooks: Yes. Love fidgets. Trinkets. Get your raccoon trinkets. Yeah. Okay. Bye. Ann: We'll play with something. Drinkets, fidgets, do your thing. Okay. Bye everybody.