Like everyone else we were very excited to watch the Super Bowl last Sunday—-and if we had planned a little better this unit would have been last week 🙂 However, it turned out to be a nice review for our students and we had a lot of fun! Our sensory boxes were related to the different teams. The fine motor groups made some group art projects and the language group made a Super Snack!
SENSORY GROUP
We based this box around some basic football facts. Since the color of the ball is BROWN we used some brown beans that kind of, sort of , maybe were football shaped 🙂 The beans were fun for the students to scoop up or push hands into while looking for number 2’s that were buried beneath.
Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.
This box was filled with beads in the colors of the Philadelphia Eagles. The beads were very eye catching and great for either sorting, wearing,………. or shaking.
The science access point track objects in motion can be addressed here.
Patriotic pasta was used for the New England Patriots box. There were some fun shapes such as bells and stars to find and scoop with the different sized measuring cups we included.
The box also sounded pretty cool when the dry pasta was shaken.
Match objects by one observable property, such as shape, is a science access point and can be addressed here.
Bank Stadium (where the game took place) has purple seats, we used PURPLE basket filler for the stadiums colors. We added a variety of football related items including minature balls, a plush eagle, football player figures, and some fun cheerleader shaker pompoms. We also recorded a song by half time show headliner  Justin Timberlake.
Recognize the change in motion of an object is a science access point.
Whether you watch the game at home or in the stadium, there are always some yummy snacks to be had! We used colorful popcorn as a base for our box, then put in a play food hamburger, hotdog, and soda bottle. To add to the fun some of the play food made noise when squeezed!
Recognize a model of a real object is a science access point.
The Patriots play in the Gillette Stadium so we didn’t have to think hard to come up with our messy play this week—–shaving cream of course 🙂
The students were encouraged to make oval “football” shapes or draw straight “yard lines”.
Recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move, is a science access point.
For our water play we used Old Spice Denali body wash—-we figured that was something those football players might use to wash up after the game. It was a pretty strong scent that really wafted around the room!
Since this was Super Bowl 57, we put foam numbers 5 and 7 in the water.
Recognize and respond to one type of sensory stimuli is a science access point.
We couldn’t find any Denali lotion but decided to use Bath and BodyWorks amber for men. It was another strong scent that was popular with the students. As usual, we asked them to indicate where they wanted the lotion.
Recognize one or more external body parts is a science access point.
FINE MOTOR GROUP
On Tuesday the students made a football poster using this: football player
First the students identified the paint color we planned to use.
Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.
The students took turns painting the “grass” on our poster board field.
Recognize a change in an object is a science access point.
Then they glued their players DOWN onto the field.
Recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship, such as up and down, is a science access point.
Ta DA! Are you ready for some football?!!
On Wednesday the students turned themselves into football players. We got this idea from the Cornerstone School—–great idea guys!
First the students  identified the color they were going to use on their jersey. We had one table color an Eagles jersey and the other table colored a Patriots jersey.
Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.
Then they used crayons and markers to color their jerseys. Since this was a big piece, we encouraged big strokes!
Recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move, is a science access point.
TA DA!
                                    Put me in coach!
LANGUAGE GROUP
Since the Super Bowl is the 2nd largest food consumption day in the U.S., we HAD to make a snack fit for the game. Here is the recipe that we used for this week: Let_s Make Buffalo Chicken Dip
We started out by putting the softened cream cheese into the bowl. Our students had to inform that they wanted to help by raising their hand and/or by indicating “help” on their communication board.
Next, we added some chicken to the bowl.
We put some ranch dressing in the bowl next. Our students helped by squeezing the bottle to pour the ranch into the measuring cup and then pouring the ranch into the bowl.
Recognize when an object is added to a situation is a math access point.
Finally, we added some buffalo sauce. We used just a little bit of mild sauce so you might find that your students can tolerate a little bit more. We just didn’t want it to be too spicy!
The math access point solve problems involving small quantities of objects using language, such as enough, too much, or more, is a science access point.
We stirred all of the ingredients up and popped it into the microwave for 2 minutes. We talked about the microwave making the ingredients WARM.
Recognize objects or materials as warm or cold is a science access point.
Once our recipe was finished, we passed out some dip with some chips. Our students had to request that they wanted “more” chips since we only gave them 3 to start with.
Indicate desire for more of an action or object is a math access point.
We’re ready to watch the game—–again!
Join us again next time for more fun and learning——Group by Group!