Air travel is a form of travel in vehicles such as helicopters, hot air balloons, blimps, gliders, hang gliding, parachuting, airplanes, jets, or anything else that can sustain flight. For airplanes, it's all about defying gravity. This blog talks about gravity and it's affect on the vestibular system and gives activities to help a gravitationally insecure child. Gravity is the invisible force that keeps us (and everything else) from flying off the Earth. So when it comes to designing an airplane, it's all about defying this heavy force.  

Our bodies also can have a momentary state of weightlessness during movement that defies gravity. Any movement that brings our feet off the ground, our bodies are exploring space. Our relationship to gravity is our most important sense of security and is linked to our vestibular system. If your child has a fear of swinging, avoids escalators and elevators, and becomes fearful with any change in head position, such as when being tilted backward or upside-down during roughhousing, then he or she may be gravitationally insecure. 

At Home: 

 If your child has gravitational insecurity, take it slow. Try a swing that allows your child's feet to touch the ground, or hold him or her in your lap on a swing so they feel more secure during motion. Try distracting them with play and imagination during challenging activities. Sometimes adding weight, like a weighted backpack, helps a child feel more secure. Allow increased time for new 'scary' activities, and help your child gradually engage activities he/she sees as threatening. 

Exploring gravity with your child through crafts: 

Today, airplanes are an integrated part of our lives. We see them in the sky, we use them to travel, and play! Airplane crafts are super fun for kids to make, but they have the added bonus of playing with them afterward too!  

Experiments that explore gravity for young ones: 

• Defy Gravity – This super cool activity is easy to make with paperclips and magnets. (Buggy and Buddy) 
• Galaxy in a Bottle – The glitter doesn't fall down, but instead rises as it settles. Crazy! (One Little Project) 
• Gravity Splatter Art – What happens when you drop something with paint on it? 
• Exploring Gravity with a Tube – Why does the position of the tube change the speed of the car? (HOAWG) 
• Exploring Gravity with Balance – Learn how to make a craft stick stand upright on a chopstick. (Rookie Parenting) 
• Gravity with a Pendulum – Learn about the forces of motion and gravity by placing paint in swinging pendulum. (Handmade Kids Art) 
• Pool Noodle Gravity Play – Explore gravity and slope by making your own pool noodle marble run. (Little Bins) 

The vestibular system is thought to be the primary organizer of sensory information. With a system that acts as it should, the constant pull of gravity generates a constant sensory flow in which all other sensory inputs are superimposed upon. This system is in charge of reacting to every change in head position and is interdependent on other sensory systems to give us an idea of where our body is in relation to space. Support your little one as they continue to explore the world around them and how their body feels against gravity. 

Remember going to the local fair or a big amusement park as a child? The excitement of knowing that, for a minute, your body was about to defy the laws of gravity on those amazing machines! You were going to be flipped and spun and dropped. And the spinning tea cups! Oh those colorful tea cups, waiting for you to sit down and spin with laughter.  

Or maybe you dreaded these trips. The thought of your head spinning in circles and your feet going over your head was terrifying. You had no desire to feel the dizziness as you tried to walk back to your parents. 

The cause of those dizzy feelings, the ones you either crave or hate, are rooted in your body's ability to detect and process rotational movement. Like linear movement, the vestibular system, housed in the inner ear, is the power house of detecting rotational movement.  

Large movements, such as the rotation you experience in a tea cup ride, may be few and far between in your daily life. However, slight rotations, maybe half or quarter of a turn, require the same efficient sensory system processing. Just as vitally, the ability to complete those half and quarter turns without twisting your entire body, the disassociation of your movements, is important in daily activities.  

Lets practice putting your coat on: you put one arm in. Now you can't seem to locate the other arm without looking. So you twist your neck to look behind you, finding the other arm. Great – you just used your vestibular system. Your neck moved in a fraction of a rotation to get dressed – did it make you feel dizzy? 

Slight differences in the position of your head, even the fraction it took to locate the other side of your coat, are directly correlated to your body's functioning vestibular system. The daily functions that require head or trunk rotation are more common than you think: putting on your coat or backpack, looking in your blind spot while driving, brushing your hair, or cleaning yourself after toileting.  

Blue Bird Day occupational therapists understand the importance of efficient rotational movement processing and the impact the vestibular system has on your ability to participate in daily tasks. Using theoretical knowledge and various sensory based protocols, therapists focus on helping children to understand how they are moving in space and why. It is also important to note that the development of efficient linear movement processing will precede rotational movement. If you have specific questions regarding rotational movement and if/when your child is ready to practice at home – contact a BBD occupational therapist.  

 Signs of difficulty processing complex movement include, but are not limited to: 

• Feeling dizzy or sick 
• Rapid and uncontrolled eye movement across your line of vision (nystagmus) 
• Flushing of the skin 
• Uncontrollable laughter or giggling 
• A fight or flight response 
• Crying or screaming 
• Avoidance of all complex movement 

Air travel is a form of travel in vehicles such as helicopters, hot air balloons, blimps, gliders, hang gliders, parachutes, airplanes, jets, or anything else that can sustain flight. For airplanes, it's all about defying gravity. Gravity is the invisible force that keeps us (and everything else) from flying off the Earth. So when it comes to designing an airplane, it's all about defying this heavy force.

Our bodies can also have a momentary state of weightlessness during movement that defies gravity. Any movement that brings our feet off the ground, our bodies are exploring space. Our relationship to gravity is our most important sense of security and is linked to our vestibular system. If your child has a fear of swinging, avoids escalators and elevators and becomes fearful with any change in head position, such as when being tilted backwards or upside-down during roughhousing, then he or she may be gravitationally insecure. 

At Home: 

If your child has gravitational insecurity, take it slow. Try a swing that allows your child's feet to touch the ground, or hold him or her in your lap on a swing so they feel more secure during motion. Try distracting them with play and imagination during challenging activities. Sometimes adding weight, like a weighted backpack, helps a child feel more secure. Allow increased time for new 'scary' activities, and help your child gradually engage activities he/she sees as threatening. 

Exploring gravity with your child through crafts: 

Today, airplanes are an integral part of our lives. We see them in the sky and we use them both to travel and play. Airplane crafts are super fun for kids to make and they have the added bonus of being able to play with them afterwards, too! 

Experiments that explore gravity for young ones:

• Defy Gravity – This super cool activity is easy to make with paperclips and magnets. (Buggy and Buddy) 
• Galaxy in a Bottle – The glitter doesn't fall down, but instead rises as it settles. Crazy! (One Little Project) 
• Gravity Splatter Art – What happens when you drop something with paint on it? 
• Exploring Gravity with a Tube – Why does the position of the tube change the speed of the car? (HOAWG) 
• Exploring Gravity with Balance – Learn how to make a craft stick stand up right on a chopstick. (Rookie Parenting) 
• Gravity with a Pendulum – Learn about the forces of motion and gravity by placing paint in swinging pendulum.
• Pool Noodle Gravity Play – Explore gravity and slope by making your own pool noodle marble run. (Little Bins) 

The vestibular system is thought to be the primary organizer of sensory information. With a system that acts as it should, the constant pull of gravity generates a constant sensory flow in which all other sensory inputs are superimposed upon. This system is in charge of reacting to every change in head position, and is interdependent on other sensory systems to give us an idea of where our body is in relation to space. Support your little one as they continue to explore the world around them and how their body feels against gravity!