October After Party

October After Party

img_3517img_0727Welcome 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 October—–enjoy!

 

 

 

During the month of October the students learned about science fairs with their Unique Curriculum. To complement the unit, we did a theme on famous scientists.

img_0725img_3558The students learned about a famous mathematician named Keppler.

For his box, we put numbers is a box of cornmeal.

 

 

 

 

img_3541img_1574They really liked it’s interesting texture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_0717img_3539The students really loved the Jane Goodall box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_3543img_1576It was more fun than a barrel of monkeys 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_3564img_1565A scientist name Fahrenheit developed a scale for measuring temperature—-like the chilly “snow” in one of our boxes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_3526Another box, filled with water, was devoted to Charles Darwin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_3494img_3555The students learned about scientists like Neil DeGrasse and Stephen Hawking who study outer space.

img_1587This solar system umbrella was a real hit!

 

 

 

 

img_3523img_3504The students also had fun digging for fossils like the scientist Mary Anning.

img_1569Our moon sand is always a hit.

 

 

 

 

 

img_0734img_0737We finished with a little science experiment—-we put Pop Rocks into shaving cream.

 

 

 

 

img_3515                                                      It had a pretty cool effect!

 

 

 

 

Our next unit focused on Fall Fun!

img_3910img_4020We brought out our fall umbrella for this unit and as usual, it was quite a hit with the students.

img_3984They really enjoyed using a battery operated fan to blow the leaves around!

 

 

 

 

 

img_3567img_3574In addition to the umbrella, we also had a fall themed box—-filled with pinecones, scarecrows, pumpkins, and other symbols of fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_3962img_4007For the football fans, we included a box with shaker pompoms so the students could cheer for their favorite teams!

img_3952Go team!!!

 

 

 

 

 

img_4009img_4027The students had fun scooping and filling the eye catching orange rice!

img_3573                                                               Lots of scooping fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_4017img_3904The yellow moon sand was also a hit with the students.

img_3958There were a variety of cookie cutters to use, including those with our schools initials.

 

 

 

 

img_3937img_3917The students had varying reactions to the pumpkin puree.

img_3986                                                     It was a unique sensation!

 

 

 

 

img_3983img_3903They rinsed their hands in water, then scooped up different symbols of fall found floating there.

img_3582There were bats, the letter F, and craft foam leaves to scoop.

 

 

 

 

In celebration of National Talk Show Host day—-yes there really is one—-for our next unit we learned a little about popular talk show hosts.

img_5541img_5596Oprah was celebrated with a box featuring a variety of items that represented her life and likes.

 

 

 

img_5600There were lot of things to explore and discover.

 

 

 

img_4637img_5614Our Dr. Oz box came complete with a little patient to take care of.

img_4987                                                                  The Dr. is in!

 

 

 

 

 

img_5627img_5542The students had fun giving Conan O’Brien a new hairstyle.

img_4622                                                          A new look for Conan!

 

 

 

 

img_4616img_4968Harry Connick Jr. stared in the movie A Dolphin Tale. Our students had fun spotting dolphins in our underwater umbrella habitat.

img_5553                                                                   Very cool!

 

 

 

img_5586img_5579This was a hit with the students for sure! We think Harry would like it 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_4635img_5545Whoopie Goldberg starred as a nun in two Sister Act movies. This box was a nod to the costume she wore in the movie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_4627img_4973Neil De Grasse, who hosts Star Talk was represented with some cool galaxy play dough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our last theme for October was the Brothers Grimm. The book that went with this theme featured students dressed as fairy tale characters—-it is a true must see!

img_6110img_6163The Big Bad Wolf box featured a wolf mask and some oversized “granny” glasses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_6144img_6288They had a blast with this one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_6270img_6192There were rice and beans in the colors of the German flag and a picture of the Grimm Brothers at the bottom of the box.

img_6186We also filled a box with characters and props from their stories.

 

 

 

 

img_6131img_6317Confetti was sprinkled into the oobleck to make Gingerbread House icing.

img_6121Hands were rinsed in water that contained a little Frog Prince.

 

 

 

 

img_6247img_6311The pink princess sand was fun to scoop and watch drift back down into the box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_6328img_6336A final reminder of all the fairy tales we learned about each student had some Apple scented lotion applied to their hands. We think Snow White would approve!

Hope you enjoyed the After Party—–see you next month!

They Traveled to Space book

They Traveled to Space book

img_6820img_5777This week, we are finding out about some of the people (and animals!) who traveled to space.  Our theme ties into the Unique theme for this month.  The book talks about the first monkey and dog who traveled into space as well as the first person.  The book is in chronological order so you are able to see the progression of the “firsts” in space!  The front cover features one of our highschoolers as an astronaut while the back features one of our post secondary students star gazing.  Very neat!

 

 

 

 

img_6817Here is a link to the book: they-traveled-to-space

They Traveled to Space

They Traveled to Space

img_6601img_6435This week we learned about some pioneers of space travel. Ashley, one of our fantastic volunteers, came up with the idea! This compliments the students Unique Curriculum unit for this month. The sensory boxes were related to different astronauts and space travel. The fine motor groups made space related art projects and the language group made a space themed snack.

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

img_6745img_6383Laika was the first dog who went to space! Found in her box were dog and bone shaped cookie cutters to press into some moon sand. Of course, we HAD to use our moon sand somewhere in this unit 🙂

img_5741Apply a push to move an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_6719img_5816Other animals also went into space. Albert II was the first monkey in space. The students had fun finding colorful monkeys hidden in our black “outer space” beans. The monkeys were fun to connect together and also fun to look at under a black light!

img_6782Since the monkeys can be counted, the math access point associate quantities with number names can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

img_5927img_6702We learned that the first man and the first woman in space (Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova) were both from the USSR. Our students sorted pompoms and beads in the colors of the Soviet flag.  We even discovered that some of the pompoms also glowed in the dark—-how cool is that!

img_5830Match objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_6347img_6365Alan Shepard (the first american in space), Guy Bluford (the first african american in space),  and Mae Jamison (the first african american woman in space) all got close up views of the moon and stars! We gave our students a little of that experience with our “outer space” umbrella. There was a big moon, lots of stars, and a little space shuttle for them to look at.

img_6354Recognize a space related object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_5872img_6682Neil Armstrong was the first human to walk on the moon. In this box, we put in a little astronaut that our students could walk on a lunar landscape of grey Floam. They also enjoyed squishing and squeezing the Floam into various shapes!

img_5790The science access point recognize a change in an object can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

img_6670img_6442Astronauts eat freeze dried food when they are in space.  We thought our red Bubber made a pretty good (although not edible) stand in for some strawberry ice cream that the astronauts might enjoy! Included in this box were a variety of different sized spoons and measuring cups for the students to use for molding the Bubber.

img_5886Recognize differences in sizes of objects.

 

 

 

 

 

img_6472img_6453Astronauts cannot feel gravity in space so they experience weightlessness. Stars and glitter looked weightless as they floated around in our discovery bottle.

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_5906img_6376We encouraged our students to make circles—-like the earth and moon in our shaving foam messy play. There was also a foam shoe insert that could be used to make footprints on the moon!

Recognize a full moon as a circle, is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_6605img_6389After their hands were rinsed, the students used a sifter shovel to scoop glow in the dark stars out of water. These stars looked especially cool under the black light!

img_5712Recognize an object with a two-dimensional shape is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

img_5953img_5972Since night time is the best time for us to look into space, we thought that the Bath and Body Works midnight lotion worked as our scent this week.

It was a nice light scent that helped our students really liked.

img_5966Recognize one or more external body parts is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students took their cue from Neil Armstrong and left their footprints on the lunar surface—-well ok, a piece of grey paper 🙂

img_6012We started by discussing the shape of our grey paper and asked out students to identify the shape using communication symbols.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_6106Next the students painted the bottom of some rain boots with grey paint.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_6028img_6073Then the students put the boots on and stood on a piece of rectangular paper. For students who couldn’t put on the boots, they just pressed down on them. We did discover in this activity that our prints might have turned out better if the boots had been smaller—-we still had fun though!

img_6089Recognize a change in an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_6066img_6099TA DA! Footprints on the moon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, the students painted moon rocks.

img_6486img_6499First we counted out the rocks and let the students choose which ones they wanted. Then the students painted their rocks with glue.

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

 

 

 

 

img_6511Next the students sprinkled glow in the dark chalk crumbles (from Crayola) onto the glue.

They had a lot of fun with this part 🙂

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_6524img_6516-2TA Da—-glowing moon rocks!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

We made a “Midnight Blueberry Blast Smoothie” that was out of this world this week for our language group!

img_6833img_6832We started by getting out some milk and talking its temperature.  We found that it was COLD!  We put 1/2 a cup of milk into the blender.  Since it didn’t look like enough, we decided to double the amount of each of the ingredients so we put another 1/2 a cup in the blender.  We talked about how two 1/2 cups equals 1 cup!

The math access point recognize parts of whole objects is a math access point. The science access point distinguish between hot and cold objects is also addressed.

 

 

 

 

img_6841Next, we measured out a cup of vanilla yogurt.  Since we had to use 2 small containers of yogurt, our students had to convey that 1 was not enough and we needed MORE to make a cup.  We compared the yogurt and milk and found that they were the SAME color!

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

 

 

 

 

 

img_6848img_6854After that, each of the students got to feel the bag of frozen blueberries.  We talked again about how it felt COLD.  We added 2 cups of blueberries to the blender.

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

 

 

 

 

 

img_6864Finally, each of our students got to try a bit of honey.  For the most part, our students communicated that they LIKED the taste.

One of our students helped SQUEEZE out 2 teaspoons and we put those into the blender.

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

 

 

 

 

 

img_6877img_6870Each of our students got a chance to turn on the blender by pressing a switch.  They love being the ones to take control of the blender 🙂

The science access point recognize that electrical systems must be turned on (closed) in order to work, is addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

img_6890Once the ingredients were all blended up, we counted out cups for each of the students.  But wait!  There’s more!  What is a smoothie without some whipped cream on top??  Our students got to help PUT some whipped cream on top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_6893Time to enjoy this galactic drink——-YUM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_6612We learned a lot about the history of space travel this week, so much fun! Join us again next time for more fun and learning——-Group by Group!

The Brothers Grimm book

The Brothers Grimm book

img_5315We are so in love with our book for this week!  It’s all about stories that the Grimm brothers compiled in the 1800s.  The front cover features 2 of our students as the Grimm brothers themselves.  We have students dressed up as different characters from several stories such as Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Cinderella.  The background for this book was made by our art teacher, Judy, and some of her students.  SO CUTE!

 

 

 

img_5120Here is a link to the book:  grimm-brothers-fairy-tales

The Brothers Grimm

The Brothers Grimm

img_4697img_5258We had a lot of fun with this week’s theme. Our book is just fantastic and we have to thank Ms. Lois, Ms. Jen, and Ms. Kim who were a huge help with costumes for our students. Be sure to check it out!

Our sensory group explored boxes filled with color and texture. The fine motor groups made fairy tale themed art projects and the language group made a snack the Grimm brothers would love!

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

img_4719img_5106We filled this box with play figures and props representing different characters from Grimm Brothers stories. There were lots of things to explore and find but the magic wand with flashing lights was a real favorite!

img_5116The social studies access point recognize a person in a story, can be addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

img_5110img_5369Pink “princess” sand and letter P’s were sifted with a little sieve. The sand is such a pretty color and very enticing to the students. They really enjoyed watching it cascade down!

img_5048Track a falling object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_5242img_4722Yellow rice, red and black beans, represented the colors of the German flag—-the Grimm brothers came from that country! In addition to letter “G”‘s to find, there was a picture of the actual brothers to find at the bottom of the box.

img_4757The science access point track the movement of objects that are pushed or pulled, is addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

img_4674img_5266The students had lots of fun with our Big Bad Wolf box. The wolf mask (from Target) wasn’t TOO scary and the students had fun trying it on. We also included some grandma glasses, a little plush wolf, and some fun fake wolf fur to complete the look.

img_4714The science access point recognize one or more external body parts can be addressed with this activity.

img_4766img_5104Ok, so we had a few more photos that were too cute to leave out!

img_5344                                                                              How could we resist 🙂

 

 

 

 

img_5255img_4728In the story, Jack sold his cow for those magic beans he planted.

 

In our box of mixed beans, there were 3 little cows for our students to find and count.

img_4711Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

img_4703img_5332We put some colorful confetti in our oobleck this week to make it look like the icing that decorated the gingerbread house from Hansel and Gretel. As usual, it was gooey, messy fun!

img_5383Recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_5263img_4676There was a little pond for our frog “prince” to play in. We also included a measuring cup for scooping and pouring.

img_5070Recognize a model of a real object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_5125img_5128We scented our water with Snow White approved Bath and Body Works country apple scented lotion. The students really liked the yummy scent of the matching lotion.

img_5123Recognize and respond to one type of sensory stimuli is a science access point.

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students made some pretty cute Cinderella carriages.

img_4801img_4807First we discussed the shape our paper punch would cut out and asked our students to identify a circle using communication symbols. The students either used eye gaze or pointed to the circle.

img_4803Recognize an object with a two-dimensional shape is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

img_4924img_4822The students glued their pumpkins down onto construction paper. Then they glued their photos onto their pumpkins.

The science access point recognize a change in an object is addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

img_4916img_4884Next the students punched out 2 circles. Our paper punch is a difficult to press, so the students did need help with this step.

 

 

 

img_4841Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

 

 

 

img_4861img_4947The circle “wheels” were then glued to the bottom of the carriage.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_4878img_4838Ta DA!

img_4955                                                             Let’s go to the ball!

 

 

 

On Wednesday the students made a dwarf forest using tree stamps! The dwarves were made by gluing the photos of the students faces on this: dwarf-template

img_5140img_5137First we discussed the shape and color of our poster board.

The math access point recognize an object with a two-dimensional shape, and the science access point identify objects by one observable property, such as color are addressed here.

 

 

 

 

img_5145Next we asked the students to identify the number 5 on a number line.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_5157img_5159We glued thread spools onto our tree stamps to make them easier for our students to grasp as each stamped 5 trees onto the poster board. We emphasized stamping UP and DOWN!

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

 

 

 

 

img_5177img_5185Then the students picked out their dwarves and put them into the forest. It turned out pretty cute!

img_5192Recognize a change in an object is a science access point.

 

 

img_5196Ta Da!

So…..kind of like herding cats but we did get a group shot 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

Our language group had fun making “Jack’s Magic Bean Dip” in honor of Jack and the Beanstalk.  We used pixon symbols throughout the group to model how our students can use symbols during activities.

img_5475img_5475We started out by putting a can of cannellini beans that had been drained and rinsed into a food processor.  Next, we passed around the 2 cloves of garlic that had been chopped up.  Each of our students took turns smelling the garlic.

img_5471They had to indicate whether or not they liked it by pointing to the symbol for “I like this” or “I don’t like this”.  It turned out to be about half and half for our students.

 

 

 

 

img_5478img_5473After we put the garlic in the food processor we let each of our students taste a little bit of lemon juice, which was the next ingredient to put in.  We talked about how lemons are SOUR.  Again, they got to convey if they liked it or not and again it was split down the middle.

img_5486We put 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into the food processor.

 

 

 

 

img_5495img_5497Next, we added some fresh parsley.

img_5501We also used some dried oregano which our students got to smell and tell us if they liked or not.

 

 

 

 

img_5506img_5518Finally, our students got to use a switch to activate the food processor so the ingredients could be chopped.  Our students used symbols to tell us if we needed to chop up the ingredients MORE or if we were ALL DONE.

The students really liked using the food processor 🙂

 

 

 

 

img_5535img_5536Once we were finished, we counted out bowls and put some of the magic bean dip in each of them.  We sprinkled a bit of salt and pepper on the dip and added some cut up tortillas.

img_5530                                                                                YUM!

 

 

img_4684Hope you enjoyed our unit on the Grimm Brothers! Join us again next time for more fun and learning Group by Group!

Talk Show Host book

Talk Show Host book

img_4243This isn’t just a random theme this week!  We are celebrating TV Talk Show Host Day which is October 23.  Our book takes a look at some different talk show hosts and gives a couple of facts about them.  We now know some neat little things about Conan O’Brien, Ellen, and Oprah, along with several other TV talk show hosts.  The cover of the book features a student of ours on the Tonight Show and also features another student helping out behind the scenes.

 

 

 

 

 

img_3600Here is a link to the book:   fun-facts-about-talk-show-hosts

Talk Show Hosts

Talk Show Hosts

img_4247October 23 is National Talk Show Host day—-yes, there really is a day for everything!! While kind of an unusual theme, we had a lot of fun with it.

Our sensory group explored boxes related to some of our favorite talk show hosts. The fine motor groups made some fun art projects and the language group looked to Rachael Ray to make a tasty treat in less than 30 minutes 🙂

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

img_3622img_4304Oprah is a legendary talk show host. The base of her box was green paper shred—-we learned that green is her favorite color! We added things that we associate with Oprah like books (for her book club), a peace sign, the word FRIENDS (she has lots of them), and some little play people (one in a dress that is the color purple). We also included lots of hearts because of all the love Oprah spreads 🙂

img_4072Recognize a model of a real object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_4268img_4055Harry Connick is not only a talk show host but is also an actor and singer. He starred in the movie Dolphin Tale. Our students got to swim with the dolphins with our underwater umbrella. There were also some dolphin sounds we recorded on the voice output device.

They LOVED this umbrella!

 

 

 

img_3639img_4065The science access point match common living things with their habitats is addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_4087img_4151Whoopi Goldberg is another talk show host who is also an actor. She starred in the Sister Act movies. We took a cue from the colors of the nun’s habit that she wore in those movies and used white rice and black beans for her box. There were lots of letter W’s as well as a picture to find at the bottom of the box.

img_3607The science access point recognize common objects as the same can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

img_3609img_4078Our super cool galaxy play dough would be a sure hit with astrophysicist and host of Star Talk——Neil DeGrasse. We added regular gold glitter in addition to some chunky silver glitter to make the black play dough look out of this world! There were two different sized star shaped cookie cutters for our students to make size comparisons.

img_4384Recognize similarities and differences in size of common objects is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

img_3633img_3653Lots of people turn to the Dr. Oz show for health advice so his box was filled with “doctor” stuff. There were some gauze bandages, medicine cups, cotton balls, tongue depressors, and a stethoscope.

Of course, we included a little patient for our students to take care of.

img_4165Associate an object with a person is a social studies access point.

 

 

 

 

img_4109img_4129Conan O’Brien is well known to late night talk show fans. He is also famous for his red hair. We laminated a picture of a bald Conan and our students had a lot of fun re-styling his hair using orange shaving cream. Perhaps he should come to our school for a makeover 🙂

img_4453Track the movement of objects that are pushed or pulled is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_4163img_4340Ellen DeGeneres not only has a hit talk show but starred as the voice of Dory in two movies that are huge hits among our students! Ms. Kim found a fun Dory pool toy that, when it’s string was pulled, swam around our little ocean. We didn’t have a Nemo toy but we did include an orange toy fish that resembled him—– and squirted water when squeezed!

The science access point recognize the change in the motion of an object can be addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

img_3670img_4172Our scent this week is one we are pretty sure Rachel Ray would like—-cucumber melon from Bath and BodyWorks! Our students really liked this aroma.

img_4500Recognize one or more external body parts is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students made microphones!

img_3812First we discussed that styrofoam balls were spheres and identified their shape using communication symbols. We had pre-painted the balls with silver tempera paint.

This activity addresses the math access points: recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes, and recognize three-dimensional shapes.

 

 

 

 

 

img_3819img_3709Then the students used cutting tools such as paper cutters or switch operated scissors to trim some black construction paper. We noted that the shape of the paper was a rectangle.

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

 

 

 

 

img_3750img_3834Next the students used a glue stick to apply glue to the paper and then they rolled it around a toilet paper tube. The styrofoam ball was pushed onto the top for a finishing touch.

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

 

 

 

 

img_3835img_3765Ta Da—-

img_3806                                                           —-time for an interview!

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday the fine motor group made picture frames—to hold a picture of each student with Jimmy Fallon (cleverly made by Power Point whiz Cara).

img_4191We started by discussing the shape of the picture frame and asked the students to identify it using communication symbols.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_4201img_4208Then the students painted the frame with some watered down glue.

img_4213The science access point recognize pushing and pulling an object makes it move is addressed here.

 

 

 

 

img_4230Time to add gold or silver glitter—-a celebrity photo needs to be framed in shiny glitter 🙂

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_4237img_4226Ta Da!

img_4217                                                   We are just a little starstruck!

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

We channeled Rachael Ray today and made one of her recipes for the language group.  We made her recipe Whole Wheat Sweet Cinnamon Chips with Creamy Honey Dip (recipe found here: http://www.rachaelray.com/recipes/whole-wheat-sweet-cinnamon-chips-with-creamy-honey-dip).

img_4513img_4514Since the tortillas had already been pre-cut, we talked to our students about what shape they were.  They had to indicate the triangle out of a field of 2 shapes.

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

 

 

 

 

img_4521img_4534Our students got to HELP us spray the tortillas with cooking spray and then SPRINKLE cinnamon and sugar on top.  Of course, they got to smell the cinnamon first!

img_4525Recognize and respond to one type of sensory stimuli is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_4545img_4556While the tortillas were in the oven, our students helped PUT the yogurt and honey in a bowl.  We observed how the ingredients MIXED together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_4559img_4572While we were waiting for the tortilla chips to finish, we got out our Dolphin Tale umbrella for them to look at

img_4581—–what a fun way to pass the time!

 

 

 

 

img_4588img_4591Once the chips were done baking, we counted out bowls for each of our students and put together our snack.

Lots of opportunities to use communication devices with this yummy treat!

img_4593Thank you, Rachael Ray, for the wonderful recipe!

 

 

 

img_4136We had a great time with our talk show host theme. Join us again next week for more fun and learning——Group by Group!

 

Fall Fun book

Fall Fun book

img_2962img_3063-1The weather is getting cooler and the leaves are changing colors…this can only mean that fall is finally here!  For us here in Florida, it is a wonderful shift in seasons.  The unbearable heat is finally tapering off!  There are lots of different things that go on during the gall.  Our school has our annual Owl Run and Camp Read A Lot, there’s a ton of football to be watched, and people start decorating for fall holidays.  Our book features one of our students wearing a super cute turkey hat on the front and another student dressed up in a costume on the back.

 

 

img_3179Here is a link to the book: fall-is-finally-here

Fall Fun

Fall Fun

img_3049The weather is finally getting a little cooler and we are thinking about all the fun things that happen in the fall! The sensory group explored colorful, eye catching boxes. The fine motor group decorated some fall leaves and the language group made a tasty treat!

 

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

img_2842img_3336Fall festivals are so much fun with hay rides, pumpkins, decorations, and people in costumes! Our fall festival box had a base of raffia hay and silk leaves. There were lots of fall symbols including pine cones, jack o lanterns, turkeys, and squirrels to explore and discover in the box.

img_2814Recognize a model of a real object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_2892img_3275College football is a big part of fall around here. The students loved the shaker pompoms—-so much fun to cheer for your favorite team! They also had fun filling the game day cups with black and white “referee” paper shred or a little football.

img_2917Recognize the change in the motion of an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_2823img_2860We love our orange and black rice box—-it is SO eye catching! The students had fun scooping the rice and beans into the little pumpkin bowl or looking for a jack o lantern picture at the bottom of the box.

img_2936The math access point solve problems involving small quantities of objects or actions, using language, such as enough, too much, or more, can be addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

img_2956img_3210The Owl Run is a race our school hosts for all the middle schools in our district. It is a popular event that we all look forward to each year. To represent the race, the students stamped our schools’ initials into yellow moon sand—-yellow is one of our school colors! There was also a t-shirt cookie cutter because you always get a t-shirt after a race 🙂

img_2856Apply a push to move an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_2949img_3149We brought out one of our favorite umbrellas this week. Our fall umbrella is a pretty simple one—- just some fall garland and craft foam leaves attached to a yellow umbrella—but it is completely eye catching! A little hand held fan helped add to the experience by blowing the leaves around with a gentle breeze. Some of the students also loved the feeling of the air blowing on their faces.

img_3186The science access point recognize a seasonal change in the appearance of a common plant can be addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

img_3228img_2833This week our messy play was indeed messy—-we used pumpkin puree! The Dollar Tree stocks cans of pumpkin so this was pretty inexpensive.  In addition to an interesting texture, it also has a nice aroma which added to the experience. Most of the students were pretty intrigued by the pumpkin—–others not so much 🙂

Use senses to recognize objects is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

img_2837img_2830Some craft foam and plastic symbols of fall (such as leaves, the letter F, and bats) were  scooped out of the water. Bath and BodyWorks cinnamon pumpkin scented bath gel in the water made it smell really nice.

 

img_3295The social studies access point associate an object with an event can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

img_3363img_3352The matching lotion was rubbed on various body parts to give our students a yummy reminder of all the fun they had. They were able to communicate whether they “liked” the scent or not—-it was pretty much a universal LIKE!

img_2983Recognize one or more external body parts is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

Due to a district holiday, we only had one fine motor group this week—-but it was a fun one! We used this template:  leaf-template

img_2999img_3007First we discussed the color of our leaves and the students used communication symbols to identify the color BROWN.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_3020img_3021Then the students squeezed some gold paint onto their leaves and spread it around using paint brushes. They were pretty intrigued with the metallic paint!

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

 

 

 

 

img_3030img_3029Ta Da!

img_3035                                                                   Feeling fallish 🙂

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

We got back into cooking during our language group and made a fall treat: Pumpkin Fluff Dip!  Here is a link to the recipe:  lets-make-pumpkin-fluff-dip

img_3368img_3372We started out by making the pudding.  We used the Pixon core 50 communication board throughout the process to model how symbols are used for communication.  Our students helped PUT the pudding mix into the bowl.  They all took turns feeling how COLD the milk was and then PUT the milk in the bowl as well.

img_3384Recognize when an object is added to a situation is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

img_3390Each student had a TURN pressing the switch to activate the mixer.  So fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_3406Next, we took turns smelling the pumpkin puree.  This smell was not a favorite for some of our students but others thought it was pretty yummy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_3412We PUT the pumpkin puree into a different bowl and added half a container of whipped cream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_3415img_3423Then we added some cinnamon after taking turns smelling it.

img_3419We used communication symbols to let the students tell us if they “liked” the scent. For the most part, it was a pretty popular scent 🙂

 

 

 

 

img_3425We mixed the pumpkin and whipped cream and then added the vanilla pudding.  We counted out the bowls for our students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

img_3432img_3433For the ones who are on a puree diet, they ate the Pumpkin Fluff Dip by itself.  For our students who eat solid food, we added some crumbled up Nilla Wafers.

YUM!

 

 

 

 

 

img_3267It looks like we are ready for fall around here! Join us again next time for more fun—–Group by Group!

Scientist book

Scientist book

img_2656img_2471Our theme for this week is scientists, which goes along with the theme of Unique for the month.  Our book features lots of different scientists such as Mary Anning, Neil Degrasse, and Charles Darwin, to name a few.  Each of these scientists have contributed greatly to our society!  We have a scientist of our own featured on the front cover and our version of Jane Goodall featured on the back.  Check it out!

 

 

 

 

img_2389Here is a link to the book: scientists-are-amazing