"A few years ago I needed to figure out how to simplify and teach interoception to a big kid at school who was slipping perfectly between some cracks. She was struggling more than “small amount of support” but not quite enough for “big amount of support”, from a legal standpoint. The individuals working with her loved her so much and wanted to do their absolute best for her, and the end result was that they leaned on me for as much help as possible.
I really tried to do everything I could. I had only just recently learned about interoception myself, and the curriculum I had, while amazing and comprehensive, didn’t feel quite right for this student. I ended up trying to develop as much of my own work as I could for them. It was everything I had to give. It wasn’t perfect. The student aged up and moved on. I’m not sure how much she got from me specifically.
That would have been such a different story if I’d had this resource back while I was working with her! The folks at Ready Rocket Resources asked me if I’d like a book to give them my honest opinion about, and at first I told them no. I don’t really like writing reviews and I also don’t really use a curriculum. I follow child-led play-based therapy; there’s not really any curriculumming involved in that.
However, I *do* really love outer space. So I agreed to give it a try and I’m legitimately so glad that I did.
I feel like general education teachers, special education teachers, therapists, parents could all take something from The Galaxy Guide to Running My Rocket. It’s kid-friendly and kid-accessible from the start with no adaptation needed. You can literally just open it and read straight off the page if you wanted to. I don’t think that would be the maximum benefit possible for all kids but it would be a really solid way to use this resource. I was picturing it as if it was only for “teaching”, but it was actually originally created for families and meant to be exactly readable just like that.
I love this for lots of reasons and these aren’t in any particular hierarchy order:
-it provides a substitute for [other programs], which has (in my experience) lent itself to being very easily misunderstandable as “red = bad and green = good” because of the cultural context and other language around red and green. Galaxy Guide uses the colors in a familiar way to create planets but goes out of its way to use less shamey language about the planets and describe how everybody visits different planets all the time to avoid the element of, “you’re supposed to be green”.
-while I’m at it, everything about the language. I just love the really intentional language choices used throughout the Galaxy Guide. For example, they recognise more than just the “four zones” from [other programs]; they also talk about places like the “Deep Void”, where your rocket ship can end up and then you need an adult’s help to get back out, and give the adults a checklist of things they can do and language they can use to co-regulate with the kid.
-it’s super personalized. Sensory processing is intensely personal. Emotions are experienced intensely personally. Interoception is intensely personal. Nobody is inside somebody else’s body to tell them for sure how they feel in any of these dimensions. The Galaxy Guide recognizes that and has little reflections at the bottom of their activities for example, where you can give your own personal feelings about that activity. How did it affect your “rocket”? What setting would it work for you in?
-the activities themselves are sorted into categories I love. Activities to understand emotions, activities to reframe your brain, activities to move your whole body, and activities focused on your breath.
-the activities also included new ones I hadn’t seen or thought of before which was exciting to me. I really liked the idea of “an adult can give me a special job” as a support that would work in some settings for some children. Once my own children are slightly older, I’m sure they’ll find the idea of conceptualising your negative thoughts as if you are throwing them in the toilet and flushing it to be absolutely hilarious.
-it goes without saying, but I love the art and the galaxy theme!
If you’re looking for a resource for interoception, self-regulation, or sensory processing strategies, that’s kid-friendly and easily accessible and fun themed, I really feel like The Galaxy Guide to Running My Rocket is a fabulous resource to have."-The Occuplaytional Therapist
[image description: My hands holding the 2 books in the Galaxy Guide to Running My Rocket series, the first of which is "Part 1: The Story" and the second of which is "Part 2: The Strategies." Both books have rainbow-colored letters for the titles and show cartoonish art of children riding on a rocket through space. End description.]
Read the review here: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=761508719475479&set=a.423429526616735
🧠✨ Explore The Galaxy Guide to Running My Rocket - a trusted occupational therapy resource empowering children to understand and regulate their emotions through play.
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