Category Archives: Education

South Africa book

South Africa book

We are traveling to South Africa this week!  Cara got to visit South Africa this year to see her sister and so we thought our students would enjoy learning about this amazing country.  There’s lots to do and see in South Africa.  You can go on safari to see lots of amazing animals, you can go to Cape Town to visit penguins who live on the beach, and you can learn about the rich and diverse culture.

Take a look at the book to find out more about South Africa!

 

 

 

 

Here is a link to the book: Let_s Learn About South Africa

South Africa

South Africa

We are traveling again this week—-all the way to South Africa! Cara recently got to visit her sister who lives there and brought back amazing photos, some of which we used in the book this week. The sensory groups explored boxes related to facts about South Africa. The fine motor groups crafted symbols of the country and the language group made a South African inspired treat.

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

It takes a VERY long plane ride to get to South Africa! Our students got to get a little of the airplane experience with our vibrating tube and jet sounds recorded on a voice output device.

 

 

Recognize and respond to different types of sensory stimuli is a science access point.

 

 

This vibrating tube was really popular!

 

 

 

 

 

The students LOVED it!!!

 

 

 

 

 

South Africa is known as the “Rainbow Nation” due to the variety of cultures and languages spoken there. We included fluffy chenille stems and sparkly beads in the rainbow of colors found in the South African flag.

 

 

Match objects with similar observable properties, such as color, is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

Gold is one of the countries natural resources. We included S and A cookie cutters in this box of gold kinetic sand. While stamping the letters was fun, nothing beats watching the kinetic sand ooze and move through fingers. We still love this stuff 🙂

 

 

 

Recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

Going on a safari is one of the highlights of a South African vacation. We included a variety of animals you might see while on safari—-and some binoculars to see them better! There was also a play camera, some sunglasses, a cheetah headband, and a fun lion visor. Lots of fun with this box!

 

Recognize a model of a real object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

You can see penguins on the beach there—-how cool is that!!! We put a couple of cool penguins and a fun sifting spoon in this box. There was also a picture of a penguin to find at the bottom of the box.

 

 

 

Match living things with their habitats is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

We learned that kids in South Africa like to eat candy called Fizzers. We decided to make our own—— SORT OF! We added pop rocks to our oobleck to make it sound “fizzy”, kind of a stretch but the students thought it was fun 🙂

 

 

Use senses to recognize objects is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

There are lots of different animals to see along the coast including whales and sharks like the ones we put in our water play this week. Our little whale was extra special because it lit up when placed in the water—-very eye catching!

 

 

Match living things with their habitats is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

Citrus crops are grown in South Africa so we chose Bath and Body Works orange scent for this week. The students thought the scent was pretty yummy!

 

 

 

 

Recognize one or more external body parts is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday the students used this for their art project: springbok

First, they identified the color of our paper.

 

 

 

 

 

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

Then they used adaptive tabletop scissors to fringe the edge of their paper into “grass”.

 

 

 

 

Recognize a change in the appearance of an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

Some of the students used  switch operated scissors to make their “grass”.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                    It is kind of fun 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glue was applied and the “grass” was rolled on to a paper tube.  We found that using a piece of tape helped the paper stay in place.

 

 

 

 

Apply a push to move an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

A beautiful springbok antelope (colored by our great volunteers—-thanks Lauren and Madison) was added to the scene.

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the students needed a little help with this part.

 

 

 

 

 

TA DA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                               Let’s go on safari!!!!

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday the students made another symbol of South Africa—- the Protea flower. It is a pretty intriguing looking flower and we think our project turned out equally so!

First, they identified the shape of the paper plate we were using. Thanks Ms. Kim for the fabulous pink plates!

 

 

 

 

 

Recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

Then they used a variety of cutting tools to snip the edges of the paper plate into points.

 

 

 

 

Recognize a change in the appearance of an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

After they had finished cutting their flower petals, the students applied glue to the plate and added some yellow paper shred.

Recognize when an object is added to a situation is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

To finish the inside of the flower and get the rounded look it has, we used a styrofoam ball that had been cut in half and glued it to the center. To give it a little color and sparkle we painted it with some red glitter glue.

Recognize parts of whole objects is a math access point that can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

The Protea was hot glued to a paper towel  tube and….. TA DA!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                               Let’s visit South Africa!

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

In South Africa, people eat a lot of meat.  Since we don’t typically make anything that has meat in it since we try and find recipes that don’t involve cooking, we had to find some other popular foods.  Cara’s sister said that people in South Africa like to also eat lots of citrus.  After a lot of deliberation on what recipe to make to represent South Africa, we decided to make a smoothie.  Here is a link to the recipe: Let_s Make A South African Mango Tangerine Smoothie

The first ingredient of the recipe was frozen mangoes.  Each of our students felt the bag of the frozen mangoes.  They had to indicate on their board whether the mangoes felt HOT or COLD.

 

 

Recognize objects as warm or cold is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

Then they had to locate the common core vocabulary word PUT on their boards to indicate that we had to put the mangoes into the blender.  We had a volunteer to help us by indicating HELP.

Recognize when an object is added to a situation is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

Next, we added some sliced up tangerine.  Again, we talked about how the tangerine slices were COLD.  Again, we reinforced the word PUT and also located the picture of the blender to show where the slices needed to be put.

We had another student locate HELP in order to help put the frozen banana slices into the blender.

 

 

 

Then, we added some vanilla Greek yogurt.  We located the measuring cup to show that we needed to use it to measure out how much yogurt we needed and a student helped PUT it into the blender.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, we measured out some honey.  We talked about using measuring spoons because we needed a SMALL amount.  Each student got to taste some of the honey.

Students had to indicate whether it tasted SWEET or SOUR.

 

 

 

 

 

Once all the ingredients were in the blender, each student got to use a switch to turn on the blender.  Students had to indicate MORE on their communication boards to keep the blender going until the ingredients were all mixed up and smooth.

Operating the blender is always lots of fun 🙂

 

 

 

Finally, we got to sample our smoothie!

It looked and tasted pretty yummy!

 

 

 

 

 

The students used their communication boards and devices to let us know if they wanted MORE.

 

 

 

Another great week! Join us again next time for more fun and learning—–Group by Group!

 

Colorado book

Colorado book

Since one of our teachers, Ms. Jen, visited Colorado with her family, we decided to learn some things about the state!  And actually, 2 of the facts that we found out were questions on Jeopardy this week, so that gives you even MORE reason to read them 🙂  Colorado is a beautiful state with lots of great places to visit.  We found out some pretty neat things, like what the state fruit is (you’ll be surprised!) and what “Colorado” means.  Check it out!

 

 

 

 

Here is a link to the bookLet_s Learn About Colorado

A big THANK YOU to Ms. Jen for sharing some of her pictures with us 🙂

Colorado

Colorado

Ms. Jen got to go to Colorado over spring break and brought back some great photos that inspired this unit. Our sensory groups explored boxes related to facts about the state. The fine motor groups  used homemade puffy paint to complete their projects and the language group made a tasty Colorado treat!

 

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

There were lots of things associated with the beautiful state of Colorado. This box contained animals and plants that are native to the state. We also put in a miniature backpack and small compass—things you might need while hiking in the Rocky Mountains. The state fossil is a stegosaurus, so we put a puzzle piece one in the box too 🙂

Recognize a model of a real object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

We put in a pinwheel and some fans in this box because Colorado gets a lot of its energy from the wind. Fans are pretty popular with our students, they like the feel of the moving air.

 

 

 

Indicate awareness of air moving is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

The Broncos are an NFL team located in Denver. This bright colorful box had shaker pompoms, beads, and a small football in the team colors. We also put in a cute little pony puppet to represent the team mascot.

 

The science access point recognize an action as fast or slow can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a huge naturally formed outdoor concert site located in Colorado. Our students used scoops and their hands to make their own “red rocks” out of moon sand. We included a little musician holding play figure to add to the fun.

 

 

Recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

The aquamarine is the state gem and we thought our box of dyed blue beans looked like a box full of aquamarines! We put some letter C’s to find as hands explored the colorful beans.

 

 

 

Match objects by one observable property, such as size, shape, or color, is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

The Colorado River is nicknamed the Red because of its color and the red rocks it travels through. We made our own river by adding some red velvet cake mix to our oobleck this week. The color was pretty intriguing to the students, but it certainly made for some really MESSY play this week!

 

Apply a push to move an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

Since Colorado is nicknamed the “centennial state” we put the foam numbers 1 0 0 in the water this week. There was also a water wheel, which is always a fun addition. As hands were rinsed, we found we also kind of continued the RED river theme 🙂

 

 

Recognize one way people use water is a science access point that can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

Bath and Body Works peach scented lotion was chosen this week because we learned that peaches are grown in Colorado. And you thought all peaches came from Georgia 🙂

 

 

 

Recognize and respond to one type of sensory stimuli is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students got to go skiing in the Rocky Mountains—–well sort of 🙂 We added their photos to this template: Colorado skier

First, they identified a triangle by either vocalizing, pointing, or looking at communication symbols.

 

 

 

 

Recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

Then, they put some glue on to their triangles and put them DOWN on to a blue background.

 

 

 

 

Recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

They added some “snow” made from a mixture of shaving cream and glue (approximately 3 parts to 1)  using a sponge brush. Once dry this stuff ends up feeling just like puffy paint—–so cool!

 

 

Apply a push to move an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

After they had finished painting, the students added themselves to the picture!

 

 

 

 

 

Recognize when an object is added to a situation is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

TA DA!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                 Let’s go skiing in Colorado!

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday the students made a Rocky Mountain poster.

We started by identifying a triangle using communication symbols. We discussed that triangles have 3 sides.

 

 

 

 

 

Recognize the sides of a triangle is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

Next the students used paper cutters to cut out a triangle, counting each side as is was cut.

 

 

 

 

Recognize a change in the appearance of an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

All the triangles got glued DOWN on to a blue background.

 

 

 

 

 

Recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

Then each student got a chance to add snow to the mountains. We used  our home made puffy paint mixture again. They really had a lot of fun with this!

 

 

 

 

Recognize when an object is added to a situation is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ta DA!

                                                        Let’s visit The Rocky Mountains!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

We were all so surprised that the state fruit of Colorado was the peach!  What a great fruit to use in a recipe, though 🙂  Here is the recipe that we used this week: Let_s Make A Peaches And Cream Trifle

We started out by making some vanilla pudding.  Our students requested to help pour the mix into the bowl.  They had to locate the bowl on their communication boards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had one student help hold the measuring cup while milk was poured into it.  Then we had another friend request to help pour the milk into the bowl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone had a turn to press the switch to activate the mixer.  Our students indicated that we needed to mix “more” and when we were “all done” using their communication boards.

 

 

 

 

Solve problems involving small quantities of object or actions using language, such as enough, too much, or more, is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

We then added the layers of the trifle.  First, we PUT some angel food cake in our cups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we added some vanilla pudding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recognize when an object is added to a situation is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

We put peaches on top of that and topped it all off with some whipped cream.  With each layer, our students had to indicate any of these core vocabulary words to participate: HELP (if they wanted to help put the ingredients in the cup), PUT (to use as a command to put ingredients in the cup), WANT (to request ingredients), and/or MORE (to indicate that there are more ingredients/more steps).

Pictures of the ingredients were modeled and used by both the adults and the students.

 

 

 

 

When the recipe was finished, each student had to indicate that they “want eat” to get their trifle.

YUM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

March After Party

March 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 photos teachers have sent of their students exploring the different sensory boxes during the month of March 2018.

 

 

 

 

Our first unit was Sleeping Beauty.

The students had a blast with the fun props we included.

The lighted magic wand was especially popular!

Lots of smiles with this!

 

 

 

 

The sparkly purple oobleck with glitter represented Maleficent.

Very eye catching!

 

 

We had pink Princess Aurora rice to scoop and pour.

 

 

 

 

 

They used a cookie cutter to cut letter C’s in blue Prince Philip Bubber.

 

 

 

 

The fairy light box was also very eye catching.

The students loved it!

 

 

 

 

 

Next we learned about some famous women for Women’s History Month.

Each of the boxes were dedicated to a different woman. We had purple kinetic sand and a cookie cutter O for Oprah.

Tutu’s and other sparkly fabric represented famous ballerina Misty Copeland.

 

 

 

Muriel Siebert was the first women to hold a seat on the New York Stock Exchange so we put money related items in her box.

Ellen Ochoa was the first female hispanic astronaut.

There were stars and planets to find in this box of black outer space beans.

 

Beyonce’s box was really popular.

The students had a blast with the musical instruments.

 

 

 

We finished the month with a unit on Eric Carle!

This box contains a variety of items related to different Eric Carle books.

We even included some actual books!

 

 

Green pasta caterpillars and red pasta butterflies made this a very colorful Very Hungry Caterpillar box.

The students sorted by color and shape.

 

 

 

Our the Little Cloud box was somewhat messy!

We made some cloud dough and included some Mr. Potato Head pieces.

 

 

Our vibrating ladybug was not grouchy at all

and was a big hit!

 

 

 

Blue rice and green lentils filled the Rooster’s Off to see the World box.

In addition to scooping fun, there was a small rooster to find.

 

 

 

We put 10 rubber ducks to find in our water play.

10 Rubber Ducks is one of Eric Carle’s books.

 

 

 

There were some colorful laminated flowers to find in our Little Seed box.

They were hidden in actual bird seed!

 

 

 

 

Join us again next month for another After Party—–Group by Group style 🙂

Find a Rainbow book

Find a Rainbow book

April 3 is National Find a Rainbow Day so this week we’re all about rainbows.  It has been a very colorful week and I think we have all enjoyed how bright and cheery all of the sensory boxes, fine motor activities, and language group activities were.  The book carries on that cheeriness.  Each page focuses on a different color of the rainbow and has a student wearing that color.

The pages are very eye-catching!  Check out the book and see all of the colors of the rainbow 🙂

 

 

 

 

Here is a link to the book:  Look At The Colors Of The Rainbow

Find a Rainbow

Find a Rainbow

April 3 is National Find a Rainbow Day so this week our unit is filled with COLOR! Each of our sensory boxes were filled with rainbows. Our fine motor groups made colorful rainbow crafts and the language group made an edible rainbow! It was a fabulous week and we had a blast!

 

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

We were pretty pleased with the way our rainbow umbrella turned out! We recycled our little cloud costume from a couple of weeks ago, then added some colorful chenille stems and beads. It was very eye catching and the students loved it.

 

 

 

Recognize and respond to one type of sensory stimuli is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

The students were intrigued with the rainbow projected by this rainbow light (thanks Ms. Kim). The rainbow could also be seen when they placed their hands under the light. This was a hit! We also recorded a version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow on a voice output device to add to the experience.

 

Recognize sources of light is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

We put some small chenille stems into this box of rainbow pasta. Besides stringing the pasta on the chenille stems, the students also enjoyed the fun sounds the pasta made when swirled around.

 

 

 

Recognize when an object is added to or taken away from a situation is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

Letter R’s were found buried in our rainbow beans. We used neon food coloring which made these beans especially bright and colorful.

 

 

 

Match objects by an observable property such as size, shape, or color is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

Lots of rainbow colored items were found in this box. There was one big and two little slinkys, a couple of plush toys, and some accordion tubes which were a HUGE hit!

 

 

 

Recognize that pushing and pulling moves an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

The students also had  fun with the funnel and spoon we put into our rainbow rice. They were pretty fascinated watching the rice stream down out of the funnel! We did find that a smaller spoon worked best to prevent the funnel from getting clogged.

 

Track a falling object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

Shaving cream clouds surrounded a laminated rainbow in our messy play—-it made for a really eye catching tray!

 

 

 

 

Apply a push to move an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

We used Crayola bath color drops to make our water colorful this week. Each class had different colored water which added to the fun. Even more color could be found with multi-colored foam letters that spelled out the word RAINBOW.

 

 

The science access point recognize objects in the environment, can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

Bath and Body Works rain kissed leaves was the perfect scent for unit on rainbows. It had a nice soft scent that the students really liked whether applied to hands or behind ears!

 

 

 

Recognize one or more external body parts is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday we used crepe paper streamers to make rainbows.

Using communication symbols, each student chose a color.

 

 

 

 

 

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

Then they started tearing strips from the streamers—–they needed to tear enough pieces to share with their friends! This is a great activity for strengthening pre-scissor skills.

 

 

Recognize a change in the appearance of an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

Paint brushes were used to spread glue around  a cloud shape we just free form cut from poster board so each one ended up being a little different.

 

 

 

Apply a push to move an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

To make the clouds really fluffy some fiberfill stuffing was placed on top. The students were pretty intrigued with its texture!

 

 

 

 

Recognize when an object is added to a situation is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

The adults taped the paper streamers to the back of the clouds, but the students helped “pat” them DOWN.

Recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship, such as up and down is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

TA DA!

We found a rainbow!!!!!

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday the students made rainbows with coffee filters.

First, using communication symbols,  the students identified the shape of their coffee filter.

Recognize an object with a two-dimensional shape is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then they began coloring their coffee filters with water color markers. We encouraged them to use LOTS of different colors.

The science access point identify objects by one observable property, such as color, can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

Then they sprayed their coffee filters with water and “scrunched” them up to spread the color around.

They had fun with this part 🙂

 

 

 

Recognize a change in the appearance of an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

TA DA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found a rainbow!

 

 

 

Then we found MORE rainbows……..

how cool is that!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

We brought back a food activity that we’ve done before in the past: edible paint on bread! Perfect for a unit on rainbows! We didn’t have a recipe this week since this activity is really easy to put together.  Really all you need is milk, food coloring, food safe paintbrushes, white bread, and creativity.

We started out by having each student choose decide which color they wanted to mix. Each student was presented with 2 colors to choose from.  Then they communicated “stir” on their communication boards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We watched the color of the milk turn from white to something colorful!  We did this for 6 different colors.

 

 

 

 

 

Recognize a change in the appearance of an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

We counted out how many friends we had so that we could pass out paper plates and white bread.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once our “paint” was ready, each student had to request what color they wanted using their communication boards.  Teachers helped when students needed it by modeling “want __color__” for the students to imitate.

 

We had so many colorful creations!

 

 

 

 

 

Students had to indicate they were “all done” using their communication boards when they were finished painting.

Finally, students got to eat their rainbows! YUM!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Wow, this had to be our most colorful week ever!

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

 

We Love Eric Carle book

We Love Eric Carle book

March 20th is the Very Hungry Caterpillar day, so we decided to dedicate this week’s theme to the author, Eric Carle.  He has written so many wonderful books and our book takes a look at quite a few of them.   We have our students dressed up as different characters from the different books.  Some of the books that we take a look at are the Very Hungry Caterpillar (of course!), Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and The Tiny Seed.

There are even some books that we never heard of until we started researching Eric Carle!  Our incredible art teacher, Ms. Judy, had some of her students help create the background of our book and we think it’s pretty fantastic.  Take a look and see some of the different books by Eric Carle!

 

 

 

 

Here is a link to the book: Let_s Read Books By Eric Carle

We Love Eric Carle

We Love Eric Carle

March 20 is Very Hungry Caterpillar Day so this week we are celebrating Eric Carle! Our sensory groups explored boxes related to some of his books. The fine motor groups made some very hungry caterpillars, and the language group made a tasty treat inspired by one of Eric Carle’s characters.

 

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

This box was filled with a variety of items related to some of the characters found in the books such as a plush brown bear, caterpillar, a firefly, dragon, play food, and some board books.

 

 

 

There were lots of things to discover and explore.

The squeaky cupcake turned out to be especially popular!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recognize a model of a real object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

There was a picture of planet earth, a rooster, and two different sized scoops in our “Rooster sees the world” rice box. The rice was eye catching and made for lots of scooping fun!

 

 

 

 

The math access point solve problems involving small quantities of objects or actions using language, such as enough, too much, or more, can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

The students sorted green pasta caterpillars and red pasta butterflies in “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” box.

 

 

 

 

Match objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

We laminated some flowers from Eric Carle’s books and put them into our Tiny Seed box filled with birdseed. The flowers made the box very eye catching and the students loved the way the seeds felt on their hands! We also included a letter F to find.

 

Recognize and respond to different types of sensory stimuli.

 

 

 

 

Our “Grouchy Ladybug” pillow vibrated when squeezed and was a huge hit—–the students loved it!

 

 

 

 

Apply a push to move an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

For “The Little Cloud” box we made cloud dough, of course! Since the book’s illustration featured a face, we put in some Mr. Potato Head pieces for the students to play with.

 

 

 

The science access point recognize one or more external body parts can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

There were 10 Little Ducks in our water pond this week. Some of them squeaked which added to the fun!

 

 

 

 

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

Since a very hungry caterpillar might want to snack on some leaves, we chose Bath and Body Works rain kissed leaves as our scent this week. The students really liked its light aroma.

 

 

Recognize and respond to one type of sensory stimuli is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday we used an idea from Pinterest to make our hungry caterpillar.

First the students identified the color GREEN using communication symbols.

 

 

 

 

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

Then the students painted their paper plate crescent.

 

 

 

 

 

Recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move, is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

They added a cute caterpillar face (pre-made by our wonderful volunteers).

Recognize a change in an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TA DA!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                              Some very hungry caterpillars!

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday the students made caterpillars out of paper plates we got a Dollar Tree—can’t beat the price!

First, we discussed the shape of our plates and had the students identify a circle using communication symbols.

Recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes, such as a circle is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

The students used a circle punch to cut two red circles. They also identified the number 2 using communication symbols.

 

 

 

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

Then they glued the red circles on to some pre-cut yellow circles to make caterpillar eyes. We also asked the students to identify which circle was BIG and which was LITTLE.

 

 

 

Recognize differences in size of objects is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

After the students glued the eyes onto a red paper plate, they chose how many green plates they wanted to add to make their caterpillar bodies. They could add 1, 2, or 3!

Everything got stapled together!

 

Recognize when an object is added to a situation is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

TA DA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                            More very hungry caterpillars!!!

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

This week, our language group made a snack that could be taken from the Eric Carle book, Walter the Baker.  In the book, Walter creates pretzels.  For our group, since making pretzels takes a lot of time, we decided to make a dipping sauce for some frozen pretzels.  Here is the recipe that we used: Let_s Make Pretzels and Dipping Sauce

While reading the book, our students had to locate the symbol TURN on their communication boards each time it was time to turn the page for the recipe.

We started out by putting some cream cheese into a bowl.  Our students indicated on their communication boards where the picture of the bowl was.  They also had to locate the word PUT on their communication boards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, we added some butter.  Each student had to indicate the measuring spoon when compared to the measuring cup.  To help them out, we reminded them that the measuring spoon is smaller than the measuring cup.

Recognize differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

Our students helped activate the switch to turn on the mixer and we mixed up the ingredients until they were smooth.  They had to locate MORE to indicate that we needed to mix it up more.  They located DONE when we were finished mixing.

Solve problems involving small quantities of objects or actions using language, such as enough, too much, or more is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

Next, we added some powdered sugar.  Again, we had our students indicate what we would use to measure out a cup of powdered sugar: the measuring cup or measuring spoon.  We verbally prompted that we would need something BIG to use.

 

 

Again, the math access point recognize differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids, is addressed.

 

 

 

 

We added some vanilla extract to the mix.  Before we did, though, each student got to smell it.  We had some head turners who didn’t like the smell, but overall they liked it.

Recognize and respond to one type of sensory stimuli is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we mixed that all together we added the heavy cream and mixed again until smooth.

 

 

 

 

Recognize a change in an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

While we were mixing, we put some frozen pretzel bites into the microwave to warm them up.

After everything was finished, our students got to enjoy some pretzels with dipping sauce once they indicated WANT on their communication boards!  It wasn’t too sweet either.

 

                                                                            Very yummy 🙂

 

 

 

We really enjoyed this week and hope you did too. Join us next time for more fun and learning—-Group by Group!

 

Women’s History Month book

Women’s History Month book

March is Women’s History Month so we are celebrating women!  In the book, we have some famous women and a fact about each as to why they are famous.  We have an astronaut, a First Lady, and 2 different Olympics athletes to name a few.  We also have one of our own students dressed as Rosie the Riveter on the front cover.  On the back we feature the elementary teachers and instructional aids who help out at school each day and, in our opinion, should be recognized as important women in history as well as in the present!  Take a look and find out a little bit about some of America’s women in history.

 

 

 

Here is a link to the book: We Celebrate Women_s History Month