Category Archives: Education

February After Party

February After Party

Welcome to the After Party! Each week after the weekly blog featuring activities in the elementary department is posted, our sensory cart is parked in the media center where it is available for check out by the rest of the school.

Here are some photos from February carts!

 

 

 

 

 

Our first theme complemented the Unique Curriculum unit for the month—-Peacekeepers.

The students made peace signs or other sculptures with chenille stems.

Some of them got quite creative.

 

 

 

 

 

We used gold kinetic sand and a circle shaped cookie cutter to represent the Nobel Peace Prize medal.

The students loved exploring the sand.

 

 

 

 

Nelson Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize. He was from South Africa, also know as the “rainbow nation”.

Two different sized scoops added to the fun.

 

 

 

 

They sorted red and white pompoms, the colors of the Polish flag, in our Lech Walesa box.

They did a great job.

 

 

 

 

 

Malala is the youngest Nobel Prize winner.

Her box contained green tea and the letter M.

 

 

 

The students were encouraged to drawn peace signs,

circles, and other patterns were drawn in shaving cream.

They had a lot of fun, as usual.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Letters forming the word PEACE were scooped out of the water.

Different sized scoops were also included.

 

 

 

Peach scent reminded us of Georgia, where Dr. Martin Luther King was born.

The students really liked the scent.

 

 

 

 

We learned about Oregon in our next unit.

Blue and yellow are the colors of the state flag. There was a map of the state and the letter O to find.

There were fungi to find in a box dedicated to mushroom festivals in Oregon.

Hikers roamed the Blue Mountains.

 

 

 

 

This box contained lots of symbols and things associated with the state.

The meadowlark that whistled when moved was a hit!

 

 

 

 

Shaving foam letter O’s were fun to make. Hands were rinsed in our Crater Lake.

The ducks in it lit up when touching water—very eye catching!

 

 

 

We celebrated National Random Acts of Kindness Day on February 17.

With this unit, we talked about the different things we could do to show kindness to our friends-

—–such as sharing slime “candy”.

This was the first time we have used slime and it was a hit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another way to show kindness is to give someone flowers. There were a variety to explore in this box.

The leis were especially popular.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The students stamped hugs and kisses in red moon sand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We put yellow food coloring in the shaving cream and asked the students to make “smiley faces”.

They had fun making all sorts of lines and shapes.

 

 

 

 

Our water play became a car wash.

Washing someone’s car would be a really nice random act of kindness!

 

 

 

 

This box represented “cooking someone dinner”.

There were pieces of play food to find in the dried pasta.

 

 

 

 

Buying someone a present is a really nice thing to do.

We included play money…

and a variety of things that would make a fun present.

 

 

 

 

See you next month!

Aladdin book

Aladdin book

We are all about Aladdin this week!  We have our students dressed up as several of the characters in Aladdin (Joy is amazing at getting costumes ready!).  Our talented art teacher and her students created the backdrop for this book and it is pretty incredible.

Take a look and see which characters are in Aladdin!

 

Here is a link to the book: Who Are The Characters In Aladdin?

Aladdin

Aladdin

This week we went with a fun theme—-Aladdin! The sensory group explored magical boxes. The fine motor groups made colorful art projects using recycled materials and the language group made some magic carpet treats!

 

 

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

Our magic carpet ride umbrella was colorful and eye catching! In addition to the Genie figure attached to the handle, there were Aladdin and Jasmine toy figures riding craft foam magic carpet to find.

 

 

 

To add to the experience, there was a voice output device with music from the movie.

Science access point: recognize a source of light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We put a laminated picture of the Cave of Wonder for Aladdin and Abu to find as they trekked through kinetic sand.

 

 

 

 

At the bottom of the box there was also a picture of Aladdin.

Science access point: apply a push to move an object

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cave of Wonder contained many treasures—-just like our discovery bottles.

 

 

 

 

Sequins, beads, glitter swirled around and were pretty mesmerizing!

Science access point: distinguish between objects in motion and at rest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were 6 colorful relatives of Abu to find in this box of turquoise beans. We put in 2 green, 2 purple, and 2 orange monkeys.

 

 

 

 

Fun to find AND hook together!

Math access point: recognize when an object is added to or taken away from a situation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Rajah box was VERY eye catching and the students loved it! There were 2 big and 1 little tiger that were pretty well camouflaged in the orange rice and black beans.

 

 

 

 

A picture of Princess Jasmine could be found at the bottom of this box.

Math access point: recognize similarities and differences in size of common objects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food coloring gave our oobleck a genie-like tint this week!

 

 

 

 

 

It was fun to watch as it swirled around the tray or dripped off fingers!

Science access point: track objects in motion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hands were rinsed in Bath and Body Works jasmine-ginger scented water.

 

 

 

 

 

There was a letter A to find and 2 different scoops to use.

Math access point: recognize differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, we used the matching lotion!

 

 

 

 

 

The scent was a little different and definitely intriguing to the students!

Science access point: recognize one or more external body parts.

 

 

 

 

 

Most of the students liked the scent——-others not so much 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We remembered that there were fireworks in the movie Aladdin and since we had a big supply of bubble wrap, we decided to end our group with our own fireworks!

 

 

 

 

Whether in wheelchairs or rolling chairs…..

……….. the students had a BLAST 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Wednesday the students made magic carpets!

First, they identified the shape of their cardboard (we used cut up cereal boxes).

Math access point: recognize objects with a two-dimensional shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then the student tore pieces of tissue paper. We gather our tissue from presents past, such as a recent baby shower 🙂

Science access point: recognize a change in an object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tissue paper was glued down.

Math access point: recognize when an object is added to or taken away from a situation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided our carpets needed a little sparkle, so it was time to “shake, shake, shake that glitter”!

 

 

 

 

 

Math access point: indicate desire for more of an action or object.

 

 

 

 

 

The students glued pictures of themselves on to the cardboard and…….

 

 

 

 

 

…….TA DA!!!!!!!!!!

 

Let’s go on a magic carpet ride!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday the students made magic lamps using this template: genie lamp

First, we identified the color of the genie.

Science access point: identify objects by one observable property, such as color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, the students painted their lamps using gold paint. Thanks to our wonderful volunteer Kaley who cut out the cardboard, glued the paper printout to it, and then stapled it to paper cups so the lamps would stand up!

 

 

Science access point: recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move.

 

 

 

 

Next, polyester fiberfil was pulled apart and glued to the top of the lamp.

 

 

 

 

Science access point: recognize a change in an object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ta-make a wish-Da!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time to let the genies out of their lamps!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

We’re back to making a tasty snack this week.  In honor of Aladdin, we made edible magic carpets!  Here is the recipe that we used: Let’s Make Edible Magic Carpets

We started by talking about what we were going to MAKE.  We discussed what “edible” means and our students had to convey that it is something that we can EAT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first thing we had to do was vote on a color for the magic carpets.  We decided to choose between yellow and blue: our school colors.  Each student voted and it was a tight race throughout. Since we had an even number of students and there was a tie, we had our Vision teacher make the tie-breaking choice.  Blue magic carpets.

 

 

Math access point: associate quantities with number names.

 

 

 

 

We PUT a container of Cool Whip into a BOWL and added some drops of BLUE food coloring.  Each student HELPed STIR the Cool Whip.  We made observations about how it looked DIFFERENT once the food coloring was all mixed in.

 

 

Science access point: recognize a change in an object.

 

 

 

 

Next, each student got one graham cracker to PUT on a PLATE.

They each got some of the blue Cool Whip and they had to SPREAD it to cover the graham cracker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we PUT multicolored sprinkles on a spoon and they SPRINKLED it all over the top.

 

 

 

 

 

They are almost too pretty to eat——ALMOST 🙂

 

 

What a magical week! Join us again for more fun and learning—-Group by Group!

And don’t forget to check your spam folder for your confirmation email if you want to follow us.

Random Acts of Kindness book

Random Acts of Kindness book

We are celebrating Random Acts of Kindness day which falls on February 17.  We really do love our book which shows many different random acts of kindness that we can do, not only on this day, but ANY day.  Each page shows different students participating in random, kind acts.  Take a look to see what kinds of things you can do!

 

 

 

 

Here is a link to the book: Let’s Show Random Acts of Kindness

Random Acts of Kindness

Random Acts of Kindness

February 17 was National Random Acts of Kindness Day! Our students learned different ways they can be kind and thoughtful to others.

Our sensory boxes matched some of the examples shown in our book. The find motor groups made art projects that the language groups shared with others.

 

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

There were great ideas for presents in this box. We put a variety of little things that a kid might want to buy for a friend, such as toys, balloons, or beads.

 

 

 

We also put in some play money—-this was a big hit 🙂

Science access point: recognize a model of a real object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cards are always a nice gesture and even better when signed with hugs and kisses.

 

 

 

 

 

Hugs and kisses—-X’s and O’s—-were stamped into red moon sand.

Science access point: apply a push to move an object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bright pink slime looked a little like gummy candy.

Little plastic “gummy bears” with the letters K for kind and C for candy added to the fun.

 

 

 

 

This was our first time using slime and the students were really intrigued!

 

Science access point: track objects in motion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This colorful box contained silk flower petals, leis, and 2 plush roses.

 

 

 

 

Definitely an eye catching box!

Math access point: recognize similarities and differences in size of objects.

 

 

 

 

With pasta and play food, there was a complete meal in this box 🙂 The pasta made lots of noise when the noodles were stirred!

 

 

 

 

We also included a small cup for empty/fill fun.

Science access point: recognize a model of a real object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow food coloring was added to shaving cream so students could make smiley faces.

 

 

 

 

It was really fun to see all the different designs!

Science access point: recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students used a colorful scrubber to wash a toy car in our water play. A heart shaped measuring cup was perfect for rinsing off the shaving cream.

 

 

 

 

 

Science access point: recognize one way people use water.

 

 

 

 

 

We thought a floral scent was the perfect complement to this unit so we used Bath and Body Works plumeria.

 

 

 

 

 

It was a light scent to rub on hands, arms, or behind ears.

Science access point: recognize one or more external body parts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Wednesday the students made flowers using paper plates.

First, they identified the color of the flower stem and leaves.

Science access point: identify objects by one observable property, such as color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then they chose a marker and began coloring their flowers.

 

 

 

 

 

Science access point: recognize a change in the appearance of an object.

 

 

 

 

 

After they finished coloring, they chose how many leaves they wanted and glued them on to the flower stem.

Math access point: associate quantities with number names.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TA DA!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made some beautiful flowers……….

……..to share with friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday we made some more flowers to share!

The students identified the color of the flowers.

 

 

 

 

Science access point: identify objects by one observable property, such as color.

 

 

 

 

 

Then they decorated their paper cup flower pots with stickers.

 

 

 

 

 

Each student had a variety to choose from.

Math access point: recognize when an object or person is added to a situation.

 

 

 

 

 

Next, they counted their flowers and inserted them in holes in the bottom of their cups. We used plastic straws for the stems.

 

 

 

 

 

Math access point: associate quantities with number names.

 

 

 

 

 

TA—flower power—-DA!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More flowers to share with friends.

These beautiful flowers……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…….will certainly make someone’s day!

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

We changed it up a little bit today in language group.  Instead of making an edible treat for ourselves, we decided to embrace the random acts of kindness and deliver the flowers we made in the fine motor group to staff around the school.

Each student got to choose WHO they wanted to give their flower to.  They used the yearbook from last year to indicate the staff member they wanted to give their flower to.

 

 

 

Once they had decided WHO, we set out to deliver our flowers.

 

 

 

 

Each student used a sentence strip that said “I want to give you this”.  Verbal students said each word while nonverbal students pointed to each word on the strip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Staff who received flowers were so excited and happy!  Our random act of kindness made everyone feel good 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Before leaving each staff member, the students used another sentence strip to convey “have a great day”.  We think from their reaction to the flowers that they did have a great day 🙂

 

 

 

Such a fun filled week that we hope inspires you to engage in some random acts of kindness. Don’t forget to check your spam folder for confirmation emails if you want to follow us.

We will be back next week with more fun and learning—–Group by Group!

Oregon book

Oregon book

We are learning about the state of Oregon this week since it became a state on Feb. 14, 1859.  We learned about some of the sites you can see, like Crater Lake and the Blue Mountains.  We also learned that they have a pretty interesting festival that celebrates fungus!  We’ve got 2 different students on the front and back covers of the book enjoying some of the beautiful scenery.  Take a look!

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the book: Let’s Learn About Oregon-

Oregon

Oregon

February 14, 1859 Oregon became a state! The sensory groups explored boxes related to different facts about the state. The fine motor groups crafted Pinterest inspired art projects and the language group made a yummy snack with the state nut.

 

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

Paper shred in the colors of the state flag made the base of this box. We included symbols and items associated with Oregon. A duck puppet represented the University of Oregon ducks. Wood processing, a major industry was represented by a piece of wood.

 

Our western meadowlark (the state bird) was motion sensitive and the students loved hearing it chirp!

 

Science access point: recognize a model of a real object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The letter O and some scoops were found in blue and yellow rice. There was also a map of Oregon at the bottom of the box.

 

 

 

 

The students also loved watching the grains of rice as they dropped from the spoons.

 

Science access point: track a falling object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Blue Mountains are a feature of Oregon. The students had fun molding their own blue mountains out of Floam. There were also a couple of laminated hikers to add to the scene.

 

 

 

 

The bright blue Floam was very eye catching!

Science access point: apply a push to move an object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found out that they have lots of mushroom festivals in Oregon—how cool is that! There were lots of mushrooms to find in this box of play dirt.

 

 

 

In addition to some laminated mushrooms, there were 3 pictures of mushrooms to find at the bottom of the box.

Science access point: recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oregon may have gotten its name from the wild sage that grows there. We added some herbs of the not so wild kind to our play dough this week and included a cute duck cookie cutter.

 

 

It was also fun to poke, squeeze, and roll.

Science access point: recognize that pushing and pulling makes an object move.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students made circles or letter O in shaving cream this week.

 

 

 

 

 

We have been doing a lot of shaving cream lately, but the students always like it and its pretty inexpensive.

Science access point: demonstrate pushing away and pulling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The oregon grape is the state flower, so we added some grape scented bubble bath to our water this week. There was 1 big duck and 3 little ducks swimming in our little pond along with different sized scoops.

 

 

 

To add to the fun, the ducks lit up when wet!

Math access point: recognize similarities and differences in size of common objects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pears are the state fruit of Oregon, so we chose Bath and Body Works pear lotion this week. It was a nice fruity scent which the students liked.

 

 

 

 

The students chose to have the lotion applied to their hands, arms, ears, or neck.

Science access point: recognize one or more external body parts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Wednesday the students made lighthouses out of paper cups!

First, they identified the color of the cup using communication symbols. Since the alternate assessment testing will be starting soon we had the students pick from an array of 3 answers which is similar to the testing format.

 

 

Science access point: identify objects by one observable property, such as color.

 

 

 

 

Then, they cut 1 piece of paper into  halves using a paper cutter.

 

 

 

 

 

Math access point: recognize parts of whole objects and parts of sets of objects.

 

 

 

 

The 2 strips of paper and a paper door were then glued to the cup.

 

 

 

 

 

Math access point: recognize when an object is added to a situation.

 

 

 

A small battery operated tea light was put on top.

Math access point: identify spatial relationships.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TA DA!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let there be light!

 

 

 

 

On Thursday the students made beaver masks using paper plates.

First, they identified the shape of the paper plate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Math access point: recognize an object with a two-dimensional shape.

 

 

 

 

 

Then they painted their plates with brown paint.

 

 

 

 

 

Science access point: recognize a change in the appearance of an object.

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-made ears and muzzles were added.

 

 

 

 

 

Math access point: recognize when an object is added to a situation.

 

 

 

 

 

TA DA!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We love the beaver state!

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

Since hazelnuts are one of the state foods of Oregon, we made a recipe using Nutella!  Here’s the recipe we used: Let’s Make A Banana Nutella Smoothie

We started out by PUTTING 2 frozen cut up bananas into the blender.  Before we PUT them in, though, each student got to touch the bag of frozen bananas.  They indicated whether it felt COLD or HOT.

 

Science access point: recognize an object as warm or cold.

 

 

 

 

Next, we PUT 2 cups of milk into the blender.  The students were shown a cup and a tablespoon.  They had to identify which one could hold MORE milk.

 

Math access point: recognize differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids.

 

 

 

 

 

We PUT 2 tablespoons of Nutella in the blender next.  Again, the students were shown a cup and a tablespoon and were told to identify which could hold LESS since we did not need as much of the Nutella as we did the milk.

Before we added the Nutella, the students got to taste a sample—-they liked it!

Math access point: recognize similarities and differences in size of common objects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, we PUT some cocoa mix into the blender.  We got to smell the cocoa mix and our students indicated whether they thought it smelled GOOD or BAD.

 

Science access point: recognize and respond to one type of sensory stimuli.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each student got to HELP TURN on the blender by activating the wireless switch.

Science access point: observe and recognize a predictable cause-effect relationship related to a science topic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the ingredients were smooth, each student had to request a cup by indicating that they WANTED some.

If they were not given a lot, they had to indicate that they wanted MORE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We learned so much about Oregon this week! Join us again next time for more fun and learning—–Group by Group!

Don’t forget to check your SPAM folder for your confirmation email if you want to follow us.

Peacekeepers book

Peacekeepers book

We are following the Unique theme for this week and talking about peacekeepers.  We looked up several peacekeepers who won the Nobel Peace Prize, like MLK, Betty Williams, and Nelson Mandela.  We have students on the front and back who helped us celebrate these amazing peacekeepers.  Take a look!

 

 

 

Here is a link to the book: There Are Many Peacekeepers

Peacekeepers

Peacekeepers

We learned about Nobel Prize winners this week. This complements our student’s Unique Curriculum unit this month. The sensory group explored boxes with a variety of themes. The fine motor group made peace symbols and the language group made Peace Pizza!

 

 

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

The Nobel Prize is made out of gold. A circle cookie cutter matched the shape of the medal and our gold kinetic sand moves like molten gold!

 

 

 

 

Our students love this stuff—-and so do we!

Math access point: recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes, such as a circle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students loved twisting chenille stems into rainbows, peace symbols, or their own original designs.

 

 

 

 

 

Soft, bendable, bright, colorful—-a definite hit!

Science access point: recognize that pushing or pulling an object makes it move.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rainbow rice represented the Rainbow Nation of Nelson Mandela. The colorful rice was very eye catching and there were different sized spoons and cups for scooping fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Math access point: recognize similarities and differences in size of objects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Malala, the youngest prize winner, is from the country of Pakistan. We learned that they drink green tea there, so we filled her box with some green tea leaves.

 

 

 

 

This was the first time we have used this tea and our students found the aroma and texture of the tea very interesting. There was a scoop, small pot, and a picture of Malala in the box.

Math access point: recognize when an object is added to or taken away from a situation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students sorted red and white pompoms—–the colors of the Polish flag. Lech Walesa, another Nobel Prize winner, came from Poland.

 

 

 

 

Math access point: identify items that belong together to form a set.

 

 

 

 

The students were encouraged to draw circles—like a peace sign or Nobel Prize medal—in shaving cream.

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, most of them simply enjoyed the experience!

Science access point: apply a push to move an object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then again, some of them were a little more tentative 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were foam letters forming the word P E A C E in this week’s water play.

 

 

 

 

 

There were also a selection of funnels and scoops for pouring

Math access point: recognize differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Martin Luther King came from our neighboring state of Georgia. We chose Georgia peach as our scent and the students really liked the sweet aroma.

 

 

 

 

Science access point: recognize one or more external body parts.

 

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Wednesday we made a Claddagh picture in honor of Irish Nobel Prize winner Betty Williams.

First, we discussed the shape of our paper and identified it using communication symbols.

Math access point: recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The students glued a heart in the MIDDLE of the paper.

Next, they glued a crown at the TOP of the heart.

 

 

 

 

Math access point: recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship.

 

 

 

 

 

Then, the students got to pick what paint they wanted to use.

Science access point: identify objects by one observable property, such as color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We squeezed a little paint into the students’ hands and asked them to rub them together to spread the paint around. Ms. Michelle and Ms. Joi came up with the idea of putting paint in old soap containers—-brilliant!

Science access point: recognize one or more external body parts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Their picture was taped to an old oatmeal container which we handed to them, asking them to “squeeze it tight”.

 

 

 

 

Science access point: apply a push to move an object.

 

 

 

 

TA DA!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Irish symbol of peace,

loyalty, and love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday, the students made a peace sign symbol using this template: peace sign

First, the students identified the color of their background paper. We chose this color because we had a lot of it and wanted to use it up 🙂

 

 

 

 

Science access point: identify objects by one observable property, such as color.

 

 

 

 

Then, the students chose a marker and began decorating their peace sign.

Science access point: recognize a change in the appearance of an object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They also used craft foam stamps and ink to decorate the peace sign. We attached the stamps to plastic thread spools to make them easier to grasp.

 

 

 

Math access point: recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship, such as up and down.

 

 

 

 

The peace signs were glued to the background paper and——–TA DA!!

 

 

 

 

 

We thank the PEACEKEEPERS!

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

We made a yummy peace pizza for this week’s language group.  Here is the recipe that we used: Let’s Make A Peace Pizza

We started by talking about the shape of the pizza pan.  We observed that the pan we were using was a circle and the pan in the picture on the book was a rectangle.  Those shapes are DIFFERENT.

Math access point: recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes, such as a circle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a student HELP open the Boboli pizza crust and PUT it on the pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, a couple of our students HELPed PUT pizza sauce on top.  We had to SPREAD it out so that it covered the top of the pizza crust.

 

 

 

 

 

Science access point: apply a push to move an object.

 

 

 

 

 

Our students got to HELP SPRINKLE some cheese, making sure that it also covered the top.

Math access point: solve problems involving small quantities of objects or actions using language, such as enough, too much, or more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, we had one of our students HELP PUT the pepperoni into the shape of a peace symbol.

He did a great job!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the pizza was ready, we talked about where we would PUT it so that it could heat up.  Students located OVEN on their boards. After the pizza was done cooking, we talked about how it was HOT.

After it cooled off a bit it was time to EAT!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We cut the pizza and everyone shared it, just like peacekeepers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yum!!!

 

 

 

Join us next time for more fun and learning—–Group by Group!

Also, don’t forget to check your SPAM folder for your confirmation email if you plan to follow us.

January After Party

January After Party

Welcome to the After Party! Each week after the weekly blog featuring activities in the elementary department is posted, our sensory cart is parked in the media center where it is available for check out by the rest of the school.

 

 

 

 

 

Our first theme of the year was 1950’s!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We learned that Disney Land opened in the 1955.

This box contained lots of fun Disney themed items.

 

 

 

 

Heartbreak Hotel was a hit for Elvis in the 50’s.

The students made different sized hearts in red moons sand—-then broke them 🙂

 

 

 

 

We used a space blanket to stand in for the foil in old fashioned tv dinners.

This was a big hit with the students!

 

 

 

The students swirled shaving cream snow around Mount Everest.

They really enjoyed this.

 

 

 

Our NASA themed box contained a fun rocket ship.

Our scent of the week was pineapple—-in recognition of Hawaii’s statehood in 1959.

 

 

 

 

 

Our 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea water play had sea creatures and a small submarine.

There were lots of things to discover.

The giant squid was a hit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our next unit was all about Chocolate!

We had chocolate play dough and the chocolate cloud dough was fun to scoop.

Coffee bean stood in for cocoa beans.

 

 

 

The students sorted different kinds of pompom “candy”.

Cocoa powder turned our oobleck into a chocolate river.

Rinsing it off hands eventually turned our water play into a chocolate fountain!

 

 

 

 

Our next theme was a really fun one—-Movies we Love!

The students found the letter M in a box of popcorn kernels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

They had fun looking for their favorite characters in this box.

There were also some light up toys that were very popular.

 

 

 

 

We used bright green kinetic sand for our Peter Pan box.

A crocodile cookie cutter and Captain Hook figure were included.

 

 

 

 

Insta-Snow filled our Frozen themed box.

The students loved its cool texture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Potato flakes stood in for sawdust in this circus box.

The Greatest Showman is a popular movie with some of our high school students.

 

 

 

Dory and Nemo could be found in water play this week.

The students were pretty intrigued with the wiggling fish!

 

 

 

Ruby slippers floated around a discovery bottle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The students found our scent pretty enchanting this week—-we used Bath and Body Works Be Enchanted lotion!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The month finished with a fun unit about the country of Australia.

 

 

 

 

 

Our Great Barrier Reef umbrella was a hit with the students.

 

 

 

 

There was even a great white shark!

There were different fish to find and….

lots of laughs and giggles 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Kinetic sand made for a great beach…….

complete with sea themed molds and stampers.

 

The students loved the different impressions they made in the sand.

 

 

 

 

This was a popular box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green and yellow paper shred, the colors of Australia, filled this box.

Symbols and items that might be used for a trip were also included.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were letter A’s to find in a box of yellow and green rice.

A map of the country was at the bottom of the box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We represented Ayers Rock or Uluru with red moon sand.

There were snakes and lizards to count here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shaving cream and cornstarch mixed together to make a meringue like substance that resembled a favorite Australian dessert….

…….pavlova.

 

 

 

 

 

Lake Hillier is a PINK lake that you can swim in!

There were pool noodle pieces, different size cups, and scoops.

 

 

 

A pink bowl gave our water a nice rosy hue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They were all pretty intrigued by the eucalyptus scented lotion!

 

 

 

 

 

 

In one of our high school classes, the students used voice output devices to answer questions about the book.