JustServe provides weighted comfort caterpillars for area students

Darece Grant, the area Just Serve specialist, recently learned about the benefits of weighted caterpillars for children in school and immediately thought that area schools could benefit from having some of the items.  She contacted some special ed teachers at Lovell Elementary and Rocky Mountain Elementary schools to assess the needs.

Weighted caterpillars are plush toys filled with dry beans that are designed to provide comfort and relieve stress by applying weight to parts of the body such as the shoulders, neck, waist, thighs and stomach, Grant said. They can be used as therapeutic tools to stimulate a child’s tactile needs and for pressure, which can help with a variety of issues including anxiety, attention deficit, behavioral disorders, hyperactivity, sensory information processing disorders and autism spectrum disorders.

The caterpillars can hang around a student’s neck, providing hands free comfort while the student continues to participate in school, Grant said. They are perfect for allowing all students to have a quiet sensory outlet while providing a calming feeling, she added.

Grant contacted the North Big Horn Senior Citizens Center about providing fabric scraps and ribbon. The gracious sewing ladies at the center cut the fabric and ribbon, sewed the tubes together and assembled items needed into Ziplock bags. Grant wanted to bring awareness and involve more community members, so she set up a booth at the Lovell Mustang Days Family Fun Night where people could help fill the fabric tubes with dry beans, tie on the ribbons and add eyes. She said 35 caterpillars were completed and donated to the schools to be used throughout their buildings.

“Many thanks to all who helped in any way,” Grant said. “The students and school staff will benefit greatly from this donation.

“For more ideas of ways to serve in your community, go to JustServe.org.”