Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month

March is Women’s history month and March 8 was International Women’s Day so this week we chose to learn a little bit about some women who have made history. The sensory group boxes, fine motor group art projects, and the language group’s healthy snack, are all related to women featured in our book!

We had fun and learned a lot!

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

Ellen Ochoa is the first female Hispanic astronaut! This space themed box was filled with some “outer space” black beans. We added a little astronaut and some stars to find.

 

 

 

 

Recognize a space related object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

Muriel Siebert was the first women to be on the New York Stock Exchange. There were all sorts of money related items in this box including some play money, a coin filled discovery bottle, and a wallet. They really had fun with this box!

 

 

The social studies access point identify coins as money that can be used to buy things can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

Oprah is a multimedia giant—-actor, producer, talk show host, and philanthropist! One of her best known roles was in the movie The Color Purple so we chose purple kinetic sand and a letter O stamp for her box.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

Misty Copeland is the first African American woman promoted to principal dancer at the American Ballet Theater. Her box is filled with swatches of tulle and satin, some ballet shoes, and a tiara.

 

 

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

We also put in a stretchy tutu that doubled as a very fun hat 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beyonce is one of the most well known singer/songwriters of today! We recorded one of her songs on a voice output device then put in some musical instruments so our students could play along.

 

 

Recognize objects that create sounds is a science access point.

We also included some cool sunglasses——-

 

 

 

 

——–which our students totally rocked of course!

 

 

 

 

We recently watched Chloe Kim become the youngest woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the half pipe snowboarding event! We thought she was amazing!! The students had fun making their own “snowboard” trails through our shaving cream “snow”.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

Natalie Coughlin is a swimmer who has won 12 Olympic medals and was the first ever woman to swim the 100 meter backstroke in less than a minute—-how cool is that! There were foam numbers 1 0 0 to scoop out of the water this week.

The math access point associate quantities with number names can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

Our fruity raspberry scent from Bath and Body Works reminded us of farm to table item that Alice Waters might serve at her restaurant. The aroma was sweet—-just like our students 🙂

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday as another nod to Alice Waters, we chose some healthy apples to PAINT with rather than eat this week!

First our students identified the shape of the paper we were using and then it’s color. They also identified the color of our paint.

 

 

 

 

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color is a science access point. Recognize an object with a two-dimensional shape is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

To make it easier for our students to hold the apple we inserted a fork into it then we asked the students to stamp UP and DOWN.

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

TA DA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are celebrating Women’s History Month!

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday we made some scales—-like those that represent the Supreme Court Judge Sandra Day O’Conner!

First the students identified the shape of the our kleenex boxes.

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

Then the students used colorful markers to decorate their boxes.

 

 

 

 

The science access points recognize a change in an object and recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move, both can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

Our scales (made from some cut up cereal boxes, paper plates, and yarn by our wonderful volunteers) were attached with brads by the adults then we got to try them out! The students were pretty fascinated with seeing how their scales worked!

The math access point describe objects in terms of measurable attributes (longer, shorted, heavier, lighter, etc.) is addressed here.

 

 

 

 

TA DA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are celebrating Women’s History Month!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

Michelle Obama launched a campaign to end childhood obesity while she was First Lady of the U.S. so we thought a healthy treat would be a great snack to make this week!

Here is what we used throughout the activity: Let_s Make A Healthy Parfait

We started out a little bit backwards today by counting out how many cups we needed for our snack.  We counted out 7 cups for 7 students.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before we put together the first step of the parfait, our students had to choose the healthier food item: yogurt or ice cream.  This can be a little bit challenging, especially since some students like to pick what they’d LIKE to eat rather than what’s BETTER for us to eat 🙂

 

 

Once they chose the correct ingredient, it was put into the cups.  Next, we moved on to choosing whether chocolate chips or strawberries was the healthier choice.  Once we decided the correct ingredient, that was put into the cups.

 

 

 

 

Next up was oreos or cheerios.  Again, the healthier choice was added to the cup.

Finally, our students had to indicate whether honey or chocolate sauce was healthier.  (You can really see which kiddos love the sweets more with these types of quizzes!).  Of course, the honey went on top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each student had to request that they WANTED their snack before they got it.

 

 

 

 

 

Healthy choices aren’t so bad after all——–YUM!

 

 

 

We had fun celebrating Women’s History Month and hope you did too! Our spring break is coming up so we will be back in two weeks for more fun and learning—–Group by Group!

 

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

 

 

 

We started the month learning about characters in Ancient Myths and Legends.

Lots of hearts were found in our box dedicated to Venus, the roman goddess of love.

The made butterfly wings in sparkly play dough.

Our Osiris box had crops to plant along with Egyptian figures and some pyramids.

 

 

 

 

They were really intrigued with the Artemis night sky umbrella!

Very eye catching!

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was “sunny” Apollo oobleck to explore and

a sea filled with creatures Norse goddess Nott would like.

 

 

 

 

Next we celebrated all things football with our Super Bowl unit.

 

 

 

The students explored football shaped beans while looking for the number 2—there are 2 teams in the Super Bowl.

The numbers 5 and 2 for the 52nd Super Bowl were scooped up in the water play.

 

 

 

 

Patriotic pasta was fun for scooping or sorting.

The students loved the different shapes.

 

 

 

Super Bowl party play food was buried in popcorn kernels.

The students really liked the ones that made noise when squeezed 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Cheerleader pompoms are always a hit.

We included a recording of half time show star Justin Timberlake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were beads in the colors of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The students always have fun with these.

 

 

 

 

Our next unit was also sports related—-the Winter Olympics!

 

 

 

 

 

This box was filled with a variety of items related to the Winter Olympics including the Olympic theme recorded on a voice output device.

The students had lots of fun with the noise makers!

 

 

 

 

The students mixed food coloring with shaving cream to make——

the  olympic flames!

 

 

 

 

 

Since we were learning about the Winter games, we had to have SNOW!

Insta Snow is always fun!

 

 

 

 

The students made the olympic rings out of chenille stems.

Bendable and soft, they always enjoy manipulating them.

 

 

 

Our ice skating box contained some discovery bottles and fabric.

The shiny fabric was particularly eye catching!

 

 

 

 

We scooped olympic rings made out of pool noodles and

made gold medals out of play dough!

 

 

 

 

We finished the month with a trip to Paris!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The students loved our Night Time in Paris umbrella.

There were photos of moonlit Paris landmarks to find.

 

 

 

 

More symbols of Paris and France were found in this box.

We included native animals, pictures of famous people, and a squeaky “french pastry” that was a hit!

 

 

 

We made the “Catacombs of Paris” out of kinetic sand and some halloween skeletons!

They had a lot of fun here.

 

 

 

 

Our rice was the colors of the French flag and there were letter P’s for Paris to find.

There was also a map of France at the bottom of the box.

 

 

 

The students practiced scooping skills with coffee—-a favorite beverage in Paris!

It had a great aroma too!

 

 

 

 

During our research we found out that Plaster of Paris actually comes from Paris!

Since we couldn’t use the real stuff we made our own by mixing shaving cream and cornstarch—it had a really different texture that the students found intriguing!

 

 

 

Messy hands were rinsed in a little duck pond.

These ducks light up when in the water—-too cool!

 

 

 

 

 

See you next time—–Group by Group!

Sleeping Beauty book

Sleeping Beauty book

To celebrate National Tell A Fairy Tale Day (Feb. 26), we decided to focus on the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty.  Our book takes a look at some of the main characters that are in Sleeping Beauty.  We have our students modeling costumes for each of these characters.

Our art teacher, Ms. Judy, and her students once again outdid themselves with the beautiful background.  Take a look and see the different characters that are part of this magical fairy tale.

 

 

 

 

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

Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty

February 26 was national Tell a Fairy Tale Day so we chose one of our favorites, Sleeping Beauty! It also helped that we had costumes to go with the story 🙂 The sensory groups explored boxes related to different characters in the story. The fine motor groups used cardboard to make their art projects and the language group made a fairy tale inspired tasty treat!

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

There were some magical things to find amongst the sprinkled silk leaves and flower petals in this box. We included some princess and fairy figures in addition to some woodland animals. One of the birds included made authentic chirping sounds.

 

 

The real hits of the box were the tiara, knights helmet, and lighted magic wand—-the students really had fun with these!

The science access points recognize a model of a real object and recognize sources of light can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pink rice seemed perfect for Sleeping Beauty’s box. There was a picture of the princess herself to find at the bottom of the box and letters S and B to scoop up.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

The students stamped the letter P for Prince or Princess in some blue Bubber. The smooth texture of Bubber is always intriguing to our students—-the adults kind of like it too 🙂

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

There were some different textures to explore with our grey Floam. We included some laminated castle props, some “thorny” plastic holly leaves, and a dragon.

This was a fun box!

 

 

The science access point apply a push to move an object is again addressed here.

 

 

 

 

With all the fairies in this story, we thought some magical fairy lights would be a perfect addition to our boxes this week. In addition to the colorful lights, we added some silver tinsel to give it extra sparkle. It was pretty cool looking, especially when we turned off the lights!

 

 

Recognize sources of light is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

Neon purple food coloring along with purple glitter made Maleficent’s oobleck really eye catching this week. Even some of our students who are usually averse to messy play couldn’t resist touching it this time!

 

 

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

More photos because this was really fun…..

…..and we believe that fun is an important access point too 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hands were rinsed in a pond filled with 2 floating lighted flowers, a big scoop, and a funnel.

 

 

 

 

 

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

“Be enchanted” from Bath and BodyWorks was the perfect scent to go with our theme this week! It was a nice soft scent that the students loved—-whether rubbed on hands, arms, or behind ears!

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday we made some fairy wands! We pre-glued cake pop sticks to cardboard stars.

We started by asking the students to identify a star shape.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They each put 1 glittery sticker on to their star.

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Then they used adaptive table-top scissors to snip a length of ribbon.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The students helped tie a knot in the ribbon—-a great way to practice bilateral coordination.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ta Da!

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                       Time to make a wish!

 

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, the students became fire breathing dragons! We loved these on Pinterest and thought our students would also!

First, using communication symbols,  they identified the color of their paper covering the cardboard roll.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We started by having the students tear red and yellow tissue paper into small strips. This is a great activity for bilateral coordination.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Then they painted some glue on to the inside of their toilet paper roll.

 

 

 

 

The science access point recognize a change in the appearance of an object is addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

Next, they attached their tissue paper strips to the glue.

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Two green pompoms were added to make the dragons nose.

Match one object to a designated space to show one-to-one correspondence is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ta———da!

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                         There be dragons here!

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

We had lots of fun making our wicked Maleficent smoothies this week during the language group!  Here is the recipe that we used: Let_s Make A Maleficent Smoothie

We started out by each of our students touching the bag of frozen blueberries.  They indicated that the blueberries felt COLD.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

We measured out a cup and had a student request to HELP put them in the blender.

Next, we put a cup of frozen mangoes in the blender.  Since we had felt the frozen blueberries, we asked the students what they thought the frozen mangoes would feel like, and again, they had to indicate COLD.

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

 

 

 

 

 

We added some vanilla Greek yogurt to the blender next.  Each time we talked about WHERE we were putting the ingredients.  The students would either verbalize BLENDER or they would indicate it on their communication board.

 

Finally, we added some milk to the blender.

 

 

 

 

After all of the ingredients were in the blender, we had our students predict what color they thought the smoothie would be once the ingredients were all blended up.  Then, each student got to help turn the blender on using a wireless switch.

 

 

Recognize that electrical systems must be turned on in order to work is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

It took a lot of mixing but once the ingredients were ready, we counted out how many cups we needed for our friends and poured some smoothie into 6 cups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But we weren’t done yet!  We wanted to add some green to the purple smoothie to represent Maleficent’s face.  We put some cool whip into a bowl and added some green food coloring.  Our students helped count out 5 drops.  Then we watched as the white cool whip turned green.

 

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

 

 

 

 

We added some of the cool whip to each of the cups and then each student had to request that they WANTED a smoothie to DRINK.

 

 

 

It was wickedly delicious 🙂

 

 

 

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

 

 

Paris book

Paris book

Our assistant principal, LaToya, took a trip to Paris recently, so we thought it’d be fun to do a unit on Paris!  Our book covers some facts about Paris and also talks about some of the sights that can be seen.  We even have some personal pictures from LaToya which she took while on her amazing trip!  One of our students is featured on the front enjoying his time at a cafe.  Oui oui!

 

 

 

 

Here is a link to the book: Let_s Learn About Paris

Paris

Paris

Ooh la la we are learning about Paris this week! Ms. Latoya, our AP recently visited the city and her fabulous photos inspired our theme this week. Our sensory groups explored boxes related to Parisian facts. The fine motor groups made art projects with a familiar Paris landmark and the language group made a tasty french treat!

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

We put some paper shred in the colors of the French flag then added a variety of things associated with a trip to Paris. We included animals you might see there, a toy airplane, a passport, some pictures of Napoleon and Emma Watson (she was born in Paris), and even a squeaky “french pastry”! Lots to find and discover in this box.

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

 

 

 

 

 

Our rice is also in the colors of the French flag—-red, white, and blue. There were letter P’s to find and also a map of France at the bottom of the box.

 

 

 

 

Recognize objects as the same is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

The Catacombs of Paris are ancient burial spaces that many tourists like to visit. We made our own spooky catacombs using kinetic sand and some plastic skeletons from the dollar store. As usual, the students were pretty fascinated by the way the sand reacted when pushed, pulled, or allowed to drip off fingers.

 

Track the movements of objects that are pushed or pulled is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

After touring around for a while, it would be fun to stop at a cafe for coffee—-a very popular drink in Paris. There was a picture of the Eiffel tower to find at the bottom of the box and a heart shaped measuring cup and small spoon for scooping fun. Unfortunately, we didn’t include any croissants 🙂

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Paris is known as the city of lights. We put lots of lights on our “Paris at night” umbrella and it turned out to be a big hit. The colorful lantern lights were particularly eye catching! We attached some laminated night time photos of famous Parisien landmarks and made sure to point them out to the students.

 

 

The social studies access point recognize a picture with a place can be addressed here.

This umbrella was a real hit with the students…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

So we had to include some more photos!

 

 

 

 

 

We discovered that plaster of paris actual does come from PARIS—how cool is that. We mixed shaving cream and cornstarch to get a similar texture to crumbly plaster. It had an interesting tactile feel and was VERY messy—–the students weren’t quite sure what to make of it 🙂

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Fortunately, hands were easily rinsed in water scented with Bath and BodyWorks french lavender bath gel. We put in a couple of colorful ducks to float around in our Seine River. These ducks were pretty cool because they lit up when they touched the water—-how cool is that!

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

The matching lavender lotion had a pretty light scent and made for a nice reminder of a visit to Paris.

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students made their art projects using this: Eiffel Tower

First, they identified the color of our paint using communication symbols.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then they painted a white piece of paper with red and blue paint.

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

They glued a silhouette of the Eiffel Tower (precut from black construction paper) DOWN on to their painting.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TA—- ooh la la—- DA!

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                        We love Paris!

 

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday the students made another Eiffel Tower inspired project but this time we shrunk the template 50% and cut it out of sparkly gold craft foam.

First the students identified the shape of their paper using communication symbols.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then they painted with a mixture of gold paint and a little bit of glue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Time to sing the glitter song and “shake, shake, shake that glitter”!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Next, they squeezed some glue onto the back of the Eiffel Tower and patted it DOWN on to their paper.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TA Da!

 

 

 

 

 

                                                           Paris—–the city of lights!

 

 

 

 

LANGAUGE GROUP

Paris has lots of wonderful cuisine so we decided to try some out this week.  We made some dessert crepes!  Here is the recipe: Let_s Make Strawberries And Cream Crepes

We started out by making some whipped cream.  Our students helped PUT the whipping cream into the bowl.  Then we added some sugar.

Our students indicated that we needed to use tablespoons rather than measuring cups.

 

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

 

 

 

 

Each of our students observed that the mixture in the bowl was a LIQUID.

We had to mix the ingredients up, so each of our students took turns activating the switch to turn the mixer on.  It took a while for the whipped cream to set, so some students had a couple of turns.

Once it was done, our students observed that the mixture was now a SOLID.

Recognize that the appearance of an object or material has changed is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

Time to make the crepes!  We put some dollops of the whipped cream into each crepe and added some strawberries to it.  For our students who are on a puree diet, we smashed up the strawberries and mixed them into the whipped cream.

We folded up the crepes for the other students.  They had to request that they WANTED some the crepes to eat. YUM!

 

 

Join us again next time for more fun and learning

                                                                          Group by Group!

2018 Winter Olympics book

2018 Winter Olympics book

We are so excited about the Winter Olympics!  We are talking all about it this week during our groups.  The book features some pictures of some of the events that you might see while watching the Olympics.  These pictures are special, however, because they feature our students participating in the events!

 

You really need to check it out to see the fun 🙂  Enjoy the Olympics and the book!

 

Here is a link to the book: Let_s Watch The Winter Olympics!

2018 Winter Olympics

2018 Winter Olympics

We stayed in a sports mode this week with our Winter Olympics theme. Our sensory groups explored boxes filled with wintery sports fun. The fine motor groups made olympic themed art projects and the language group hosted our own Winter Olympics!

It was a super fun week and we hope you enjoy seeing all that we did!

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

Paper shred at the bottom of this box was in the colors of the Korean Flag. We filled it with a variety of winter and olympic themed items including medals and a medal stand. The olympic fanfare was recorded on a voice output device and we even had a mask of the olympic mascot—-a white tiger!

 

 

The science access point recognize a model of a real object can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

This box contained chenille stems in the colors of the olympic flag. The students loved the soft texture of the rings and loved bending them into a variety of shapes—-including circles.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

We put some gold glitter in our yellow play dough this week. The students used a circle cookie cutter to make their own olympic gold medals!

 

 

 

 

Again, the math access point recognize an object with a two-dimensional shape is addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

Colorful costumes are a feature of the ice skating competitions. The students loved wrapping themselves in the sparkly sequin fabric. They also found the three glittery discovery bottles to be very eye catching!

 

 

 

Track objects moving up and down is a science access point.

 

Did we mention how much they loved the fabric 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The winter olympics is all about snow so of course we had to have some! Insta Snow is great and really feels pretty close to the real thing! There were 2 different sized scoops—-perfect for making snowmen or snowballs 🙂

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Red and yellow food coloring was added to shaving cream to make olympic torch flames. The students had fun mixing the colors  and seeing them change to orange as the colors combined!

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Bath and BodyWorks peppermint scented the water this week. That icy aroma seemed the perfect choice for a wintery unit. There were some pool noodle olympic rings to match, count, or stack!

 

 

 

Recognize two objects that are the same size or color is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

Matching peppermint lotion was very popular with the students—-whether applied to hands, arms or behind ears 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday, the students made an ice skating themed project using this: ice skaters

First, using communication symbols, they identified the shape of the paper.

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

Next, they used blue markers to make skate tracks on the “ice”.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They also got to make some skate tracks using our switch operated writing tool—-always fun 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Distinguish between objects in motion and at rest is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

Then the students glued their ice skater DOWN on the paper—-pat, pat, pat!

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ta DA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perfect scores!

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, the students made their own gold medals using paper plates.

First, they identified the shape of plate the using communication symbols.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then they painted their paper plates with gold paint.

 

 

 

 

 

Recognize that the appearance of an object has changed is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

Pincer grasps were practiced as the students pulled ribbon through a hole in the plate.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

TA DA!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our gold medalists!

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

We had lots of fun this week in the language group!  We had our own school Winter Olympics (although the weather made it feel more like it should’ve been the Summer Olympics). All of the elementary classes participated in the events.

We started with a parade led by our very own torch bearer and the host country carrying their flag!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other classrooms created their own flags and had a flag bearer parade with it through the hall to represent the class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were some very colorful flags!

 

 

 

 

 

Our first event was ice skating with ice skaters on switch toys! We had pairs skating, so 2 students got to activate the switches at the same time.

 

 

 

 

We used the ice skater templates from our fine motor group glued  on to pieces of cardboard then attached to the switch toys with velcro.

 

The skaters danced to music from Beauty and the Beast which was recorded on a voice output device.

The switch we used for the boy skater was wireless so we got some super cool twirls which the students (and adults) found quite exciting!

 

 

 

 

 

We had another student who was the score keeper.

He used an All-Turn-It spinner with numbers around it so whatever number it landed on was the score that was received.

There was some controversy with scoring—-not everyone agreed with the judge 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, we had the curling event.  We had 2 students from different classes compete with each other.

They had to push/sweep the ball through the cones to win the game.

 

 

 

They needed a little bit of guidance, but overall they did really well.

 

 

 

 

 

From that event, we went outside for the bobsledding.  The OT’s created some really cool bobsleds out of cardboard boxes that fit over wheelchairs.  We had 2 man bobsled teams: a student and a teacher.

 

 

 

 

Our races consisted of 2 teams at a time.  The teams had to wait to hear “GO” before running to the finish.

 

This event was lots of fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like the dragon boat races we had a few weeks ago, we found out just how competitive our teachers are 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

The final event was the luge.  Our students had to follow directions to keep their bodies on the sleds in order to “luge” down the hill.

 

 

 

 

Although it was a short ride, they had so much fun!

 

 

 

Everybody got to take a turn…..

 

 

…..or two or three 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, everyone came together for the medals.  Each student received a medal for participating.

 

 

 

 

We took team photos.

 

 

 

 

Everyone agreed…….

 

 

 

 

 

…………. it was a Winter Olympics hit!

 

 

 

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

 

The Super Bowl book

The Super Bowl book

We’re celebrating the Super Bowl, albeit a week late.  The book talks about what the Super Bowl is, when it first started, and some fun facts about the event.  It also talks about the 2 teams that were playing as well as who the entertainer was for halftime.  We have a couple of students featured on the front and back dressed as a football player and a cheerleader.

Take a look and find out about the Super Bowl!

 

 

 

Here is a link to the book: We Watched The Super Bowl

The Super Bowl

The Super Bowl

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!