Tag Archives: Fine motor

Sep18

Video Games

Posted on September 18, 2016 by jd785

National Video Game Day is September 12! We thought this would be a really fun theme for our students and totally enjoyed planning all the activities. Our sensory groups explored boxes related to specific video games. The fine motor groups made characters from video games and the language group played games!

SENSORY GROUP

We put lots of different bits and pieces related to the Legend of Zelda game in this box. Since we didn’t have any play figures from the game, we just pulled together some toys that we thought resembled the characters! There were also some objects that were mentioned in the stories such as a compass, hearts, and a boomerang toy. It really came together pretty nicely 🙂

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

The students stamped lots of little squares—–like ones seen in the game Minecraft—- in our red moon sand.

The science access point recognize that the appearance of an object or material has changed can be addressed here.

The Mario Brothers wear different colored overalls so we had our students sort GREEN Luigi pompoms and RED Mario pompoms!

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

Sonic the Hedgehog and his friend Tails collect rings. The students made rings by joining the ends of large chenille stems to form the CIRCLE shape! So much fun to wave or wear!

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

Video games often have lots of flashing lights so we included a variety of light toys in this box. Some required button pressing while others simply had to be tapped.

Either way, the students had a blast with them, lights are always a favorite with our students! We also included a voice output device with recorded video game sounds so our students could get the whole “gamer” experience 🙂

The science access point recognize objects that create sounds and the science access point recognize that a common activity can be repeated are addressed with this activity.

Did we mention our students REALLY liked the lights 🙂

Craft foam figures from the game Pac Man chased each other around the oobleck this week! We made the oobleck a little thin so the craft foam really glided over the surface as the students pushed it around.

Recognize that pushing or pulling makes an object move (contact force) is a science access point.

Hands were rinsed in banana scented water (we got the bubble bath at Walmart). The students were able to scoop up a Donkey Kong barrel or just enjoy watching the water spill down out of the scoop!

Recognize different containers that hold liquids is a science access point.

A matching banana scented lotion from World Market left out students smelling quite delicious 🙂

This scent was a real hit!

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students made Pac Man out of a paper plate!

First we asked the students to identify our paint color—-YELLOW—-using communication symbols. Some of our students point to the symbols, others use eye gaze.

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

Then they painted their paper plates. A brush was taped onto a wooden paint stick to make the process easier for some of our students.

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

To finish, a little circle eye was added, then…..

Ta Wakka Wakka Da

On Wednesday the students made Angry Birds using red paper plates!

First they identified the color and shape of the paper plate using communication symbols.

The science access point identify objects by one observable property, is addressed here

Then we identified the TRIANGLE shape of the bird’s beak and how many sides it has using communication symbols.

The math access point recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes, such as circle or square is addressed here and the math access point associate quantities with number names is also addressed.

Paper cutters were used to cut the 3 sides the triangle. Of course, we counted the number of cuts out loud!

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

Then the students glued down the beak and 2 pre-made eyes, made with googlie eyes glued onto larger circles—-we do love those googlie eyes 🙂

The math access point match one object to a designated space to show one-to-one correspondence.

Ta Da!

Some not so angry birds.

LANGUAGE GROUP

We had such a great time in our language group this week! Our students played games that were inspired by real video games. They each had to get through 4 levels.

The first level was Mario Brick-Buster. Our students had to PUSH over a wall of “bricks” in order to complete this level. They had so much fun with this! Our ambulatory students pushed the bricks over while our students in wheelchairs got help from the adults and were pushed into the bricks.

LEVEL 1 COMPLETE!

Level 2 was Angry Birds Pig Knock Out. The object of this game was to THROW an Angry Bird bean bag and knock over the Pigs on the log. Some of our students threw the bean bag while others who have more difficulty grasping and throwing objects used their hand to knock the pigs over. Everyone participated and everyone passed the level. LEVEL 2 COMPLETE!

As in video games, the levels just keep getting more difficult. Level 3 was Sonic Ring Toss. Each of our students had to TOSS a ring and hook it. Although this was challenging, all of our students passed the level.

LEVEL 3 COMPLETE!

In our final level, Legend Of Zelda Map Making, our students got to use our Color Bug wireless controller to MAKE a map. They had to make sure to stay within the paper–a feat that was difficult for even the adults in the room! Our students had to direct it left/right, forward/backward. They had such a great time with this and made a great map.

LEVEL 4 COMPLETE!

Since each level was completed, our students got a fireworks show to celebrate!

Our students got pretty creative with it—SO FUN!

Hope you enjoyed our video game fun this week. Join us next week for more fun and learning—–Group By Group!

Sep11

People of the American Revolution

Posted on September 11, 2016 by jd785

People of the American Revolution

Our students are learning about the American Constitution and Bill of Rights as part of their Unique Curriculum unit this month. To compliment the unit, we decided to learn a little more about the people who helped form our country. Our sensory groups explored boxes related to different patriots. The fine motor group discussed shapes while making their art projects and the language group “invented” a dessert.

Due to the Labor Day weekend and another hurricane day, we had a shortened week and couldn’t do all our groups but we still had lots of fun!

SENSORY GROUP

Paul Revere, who road his horse through the streets sounding the alarm that the “British were coming”, was a silversmith. We filled his box with silver beads and 2 different sized horses. As usual, the students had a blast with the beads—-always a favorite!

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

Abigail Adams probably drank lots of tea—–that is before her friends dumped it in the Boston Harbor 🙂 There were upper and lower case letter A’s and a picture of Abigail herself to find while sifting through the tea leaves.

The students enjoyed both the feel and the aroma of this box.

Recognize two objects that are identical to each other is a math access point.

The Marquis de Lafayette was a frenchman who came to help with the American Revolution. The colors of the French flag are red, white, and blue like our rice! We put in the numbers 1776 and a picture of the Marquis to find at the bottom.

In addition to visual and tactile discrimination, the science access point: track the movement of objects that are pushed or pulled, can be addressed in this activity.

Thomas Jefferson not only wrote the Declaration of Independence but was also an architect.

Our students got to be little architects building their own buildings with blue Floam!

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

We learned that Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals! For his box we put in Wikki Stix strands that could be shaped into CIRCLES like glasses.

Yeah, we had a little fun with this 🙂

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

Shaving foam was used to add hair to George Washington’s head. Of course he also ended up with “hair” on his chin, cheeks, and nose!

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

Patrick Henry enjoyed hunting and fishing so we had the students go fishing in our little pond. There were 2 fish to catch with a large scoop.

Since the fish could be counted, the math access point associate quantities with number names can be addressed here.

We thought that Bath and BodyWorks country apple scent was perfect this week. After all whats more american than APPLE PIE! This yummy scent was a hit with our students and a great reminder of all the things we learned about the people of the American Revolution.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

This week our students made Ben Franklin kites.

We started by discussing the shape of our kite—–a DIAMOND. We also discussed the TRIANGLE shapes that could be seen as part of the kite—-we thought that was pretty cool!

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

Then they decorated their kites using colorful markers. This was also a great opportunity for our students to practice their communication skills asking for “more” markers or letting us know they were “all done”.

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

After they finished coloring their kites, the students used glue to attach a key made with this: key-template. We love the story of how Ben Franklin attached a key to his kite to study electricity, so of course we had to have keys for our kites! After they students put glue onto their keys they had to turn their key over and pat it DOWN onto their kite.

This activity addresses the math access point: recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship, such as up and down.

TA DA—-

—–lets go fly a kite!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We kind of stretched it a little bit this week to incorporate inventing, one of Ben Franklin’s specialties, into our group. We decided to invent a new recipe—–we’ll call it, Banana Split Pudding!

Here is a link to our recipe: lets-invent-a-banana-split-pudding

We used Pixon picture symbols throughout so that our students could request and inform.

The targeted symbol was presented to each child and they had to locate it on a Pixon board with 50 symbols on it.

We started by making some instant banana cream pudding. When getting the milk out, we passed it around and talked about how it was COLD. We poured 2 cups into a measuring cup and then poured in into a bowl.

Recognize the temperature of items, such as food, as cool or warm is a science access point.

Then we carefully added the pudding mix!

Our students got to use a wireless switch to activate the mixer.

This is always fun for them and everyone got a turn!

Recognize a predictable cause-effect relationship is a science access point.

We then counted out how many cups we needed for each student and found that we needed 6. Everyone helped count!

We put 3 spoonfuls of the banana cream pudding into each cup. Cara had already whipped up some chocolate pudding since we know that time is of the essence 🙂

We scooped in one big spoonful of the chocolate pudding into each cup.

We all know that banana splits have whipped cream and cherries so we topped off each cup with whipped cream and chopped up cherries.

Lastly, and most importantly, we ate our newly invented dessert! In the opinion of our students———YUM!

Thank you for joining us and we hope you enjoyed learning a little about some of the people of the American Revolution! We will see you next week for more fun and learning Group by Group!

May15

Planets

Posted on May 15, 2016 by jd785

Planets

We explored a galaxy closer to home this week—–our own! Each box in the sensory group was related to one of the planets. The fine motor groups made some out of this world art projects and the language group made a yummy “spacey” snack.

Sensory Group

Before we got to our groups we brought out our cool solar system umbrella. It was easily made with some battery operated lights, yellow craft foam, and some super cool hanging planets (thanks Ms. Kim). The students totally LOVED it!

Recognize a space related object is a science access point.

Jupiter is the largest of the planets and Mercury is the smallest. With this box our students sorted BIG shaker balls and SMALL pompoms.

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

They REALLY had fun with the big shaker balls 🙂

One of the most recognizable planets is Saturn with its famous rings. Our students used fluffy chenille stems to make circular shaped rings of their own.

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

Mars is known as the “red planet”. We made used black cherry Koolaid to make the play dough this week and we think the color turned out really well and smelled nice too! A cookie cutter letter M was included.

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

We learned that Venus is a very hot planet with lots of volcanic activity. We made an orange and yellow discovery jar that looks like the planet’s surface using a technique that we found at http://mom.com The jar was so much fun to make that we made 2 more with different colors 🙂

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

Since our planet Earth has a moon, we HAD to bring out our MOONSAND this week! The students used a round shape sorter to make circle shaped craters in the sand.

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

Our “deep space” black kinetic sand contained some fun things to find including a blue-green planet—— Saturn!

Recognize a space related object is a science access point.

The planet Neptune is a beautiful blue color like our water this week! Since it is the furthest planet from the sun we figured it would be an ideal place to view other galaxies (lighted swim rings)!

There was also a scoop for pouring—-lots of splashy fun 🙂

The science access point observe and recognize a predictable cause-effect relationship related to a science topic can be addressed here.

There are a lot of pretty noxious odors associated with some of the planets we explored! So rather than go realistic, we decided that midnight by Bath and BodyWorks was a pretty good choice—–after all, midnight is the perfect time for star gazing 🙂

Applied to hands, necks, or arms—–the science access point recognize one or more external body parts can be addressed here.

Fine Motor Group

On Tuesday our students made space shuttles using this template: space shuttle Recycled toilet paper rolls used to complete the project gave us a chance to discuss the Unique Curriculum theme for this month.

This group LOVED our solar system umbrella too!

We started our art project by asking the students to identify red and blue using communication symbols.

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

The student used red and blue markers to scribble on their rockets. We used Pipsqueak Markers by Crayola because their size is perfect for our students.

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

To finish off the project, the students added a circle “porthole” with their photo. Nice pincer grasp practice!

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

We attached the space shuttle to a toilet paper roll to help it stand up and 10, 9, 8, 7,6…..

Ta Da we have lift off!

On Wednesday our students made a solar system!

We started by discussing the shape of our planets and asked our students to identify it using communication symbols.

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

To make our planets we used styrofoam balls cut in half so that they were easier to glue down. The students then painted their planets and sprinkled on some confetti to add a little texture.

This gave us lots of opportunities to work on the math access point solve problems involving small quantities of objects or actions using language, such as enough, too much, or more.

Then the students glued their planets around the sun. Stars were added with some glue and glitter!

This activity addresses the math access point match one object to a designated space to show one-to-one correspondence.

TA DA——-welcome to our solar system!

Language Group

In our true language group style, we made a treat for the students this week——– a Saturn Slush! We got special help from one of our other SLPs this week, Judy, who came in and helped with the lesson.

To start off, we checked out the frozen strawberries and blueberries we were going to use for our recipe. We asked the students if the bags felt WARM or COLD!

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

We put some frozen strawberries in the blender. Then our students helped POUR some orange juice into the blender. We talked about how the colors of strawberries and the orange juice were different.

Recognize differences in objects is a science access point.

After that, we put in some confectioners sugar. Our students got to have some fun taking turns activating the blender.

The science access point recognize that electrical systems must be turned on in order to work, can be addressed with this activity.

Once the mixture was nice and smooth we POURED it into a bowl.

Then we put some frozen blueberries, more orange juice, and confectioners sugar into the blender and blended again until it was smooth.

We alternated the strawberry and blueberry mixtures into cups for our students (of course, counting the cups out first) so that they could see the different layers—–or at least that was the plan! Our pouring efforts ended up with everything kind of mixing together.

On the bright side the Saturn Slush tasted really YUMMY so no one really minded 🙂

We had so much fun learning about the planets this week! Be sure to join us again next time for more fun and learning——Group by Group!

May8

Rhode Island

Posted on May 8, 2016 by jd785

Rhode Island

We are giving a little shout out to our friends at the Cornerstone School in celebration of Rhode Island Independence Day! Our sensory groups explored some boxes related to different facts about the state of Rhode Island. The fine motor groups used unusual items for their Rhode Island art projects and the language group made an icy treat—-yum! Read along to see all the fun we had this week 🙂

SENSORY GROUP

Rhode Island was named for the red clay that lines its shore. We used red moonsand to represent that clay and cookie cutters with the state initials were included.

The students always have fun with moonsand, it has such a great texture!

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

This box was filled with coffee beans to represent the state beverage—–what an aroma! There were lots of little R’s to find and we included a fun little cup for scooping.

The science access point uses senses to recognize objects can be addressed here.

The first circus held in the United States took place in Rhode Island! Our circus box was filled with colorful objects associated with the circus. There was rainbow basket filler, styrofoam circus peanuts, a popcorn container, and puzzle piece clowns.

We also included a fun noise tiger noisemaker that was really popular with the students.

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

George Cohen was a composer who wrote Yankee Doodle Boy and You’re a Grand Old Flag was represented with our red, white, and blue rice. There was a big measuring cup and small spoon for scooping fun and comparisons. There was a flag picture to find at the bottom of the box.

Recognize similarities and differences in size of common objects is a math access point that can be addressed here.

Jewelry making is a key industry for Rhode Island so we had some discovery bottles filled with sparkly “gold” and “jewels”.

These were irresistible!

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

Gilbert Stuart was an artist from Rhode Island who painted the portrait of Washington that was used for the dollar bill! Our little artists mixed shaving cream with food coloring to come up with their own original works of art 🙂

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

The first water driven cotton mill was built in Rhode Island. Our students experimented with water power while watching our water wheel spin. They found it pretty fascinating!

Observe and recognize a predictable cause-effect relationship related to a science topic is a science access point that can be addressed with this activity.

Rhode Island is nicknamed the Ocean State so we used ocean scent from Bath and BodyWorks this week. It was a pretty strong scent that our students really noticed and liked having it rubbed on their skin.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students painted violets—-the Rhode Island state flower!

We started by discussing the color of violets and then identifying the color using communication symbols.

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

Next they used a paint brush to make green leaves and stems on their paper.

Recognize that pushing and pulling an object makes it move.

Then they used a soda bottle to stamp purple violets. We reminded 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—-beautiful violets!

On Wednesday we discussed the fact that shipbuilding is another key industry of Rhode Island and made sailboats!

First we asked students to identify the shape of the sail—-a triangle!

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

Then they used paper cutters to cut out their own sails. Of course we counted the sides as the sails were cut!

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

The students used a glue stick to adhere their sails to popsicle sticks and pushed them into a pool noodle slice.

Recognize the next step in a sequence of activities is a math access point.

Time to see if the ships are seaworthy!!!!!

Ta Da!!!!!!

LANGUAGE GROUP

It’s been getting pretty hot here lately, so since Del’s Frozen Lemonade is a fixture in Rhode Island, we decided to make our own using this recipe: Frozen Lemonade

We started by mixing the lemon juice concentrate, water, and sugar. Our students got to TASTE and SMELL the lemon juice.

Although some of our students actually didn’t mind the sour flavor, others had a different opinion 🙂

Uses senses to recognize objects is a science access point.

Our students activated the blender to mix the ingredients by pressing a switch hooked up to a power link. They are getting so much better about holding the switch down, although some of them continue to tap it, making the blender turn off and on really fast.

They had a BLAST with this step!

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

We gradually poured in the ice and blended until it was smooth. Once it was done, we counted out the cups for all of our friends and they all got to try a little bit.

As with the lemon juice, most of them really enjoyed it and others………. not so much:)

Definitely a drink to cool us off in this heat!

Hope you had as much fun as we did learning about Rhode Island. Join us again next time for more fun and learning——-Group by Group!

May1

We Love Star Wars

Posted on May 1, 2016 by jd785

We Love Star Wars

The Force was with us as we explored a galaxy far, far away——it was all about Star Wars with fantastic galactic fun for all our groups and some special guests who joined us on “bring your child to work” day! The sensory boxes had things to touch, smell, look at, and listen to! Pinterest helped us find ideas for our fine motor groups and language groups!

SENSORY GROUP

Our galaxy umbrella was a HUGE hit with the students. We used some scrap headliner fabric attached to poster board to make our Death Star and were totally pleased with the result! There were some little spaceships attached with fishing wire and with the Star Wars theme recorded on the voice output device this was one super cool umbrella—–the students LOVED it!

Recognize a source of light energy is a science access point.

We put a variety of Star Wars paraphernalia into this box. There were figures and key chains representing of some of the main characters from the movies (thank you Jeannie for the donation). We found a fun “light saber” at the Family Dollar Store and the students had a blast with it—–lights and sounds with the push of a button, how cool is that!

The science access point observe and recognize a predictable cause-effect relationship can be addressed here.

Luke Skywalker lived on the planet Tatooine which has a desert landscape. Our homemade “sand” had a little bit of cinnamon in it so it was not only not only fun to touch but it smelled really good too!

We put in a variety of wooden shapes so our students could build some local “structures”.

Recognize common three-dimensional objects such as cylinders or cubes is a math access point.

Of course, we had to include a box dedicated to the ultimate bad guy—–Darth Vader! We put in some accessories from a “Darth Tater” kit in a box with our grey Floam so the students could build their own Vader.

The science access point recognize that the human body is made up of various parts can be addressed with this activity.

Kraft mac and cheese came out with these cool Star Wars pasta shapes. It took a couple of hours to dye but SO worth it! There were black Darth Vaders, yellow CP3Os, blue R2D2s, green Yodas, and red star fighters for sorting fun. The students also loved picking up handfuls of the colorful pasta!

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

We made a green jello swamp for our little Yoda—-complete with snakes, spiders, and a cute giant lizard.

Some of the students were a little hesitant to touch the cold, sticky goo but others thought it was pretty fantastic stuff 🙂

Recognize the temperature of items as cool or warm is a science access point.

Those sticky hands were rinsed off in water scented with “Ewok” mahogany woods from Bath and BodyWorks. Ms. Kim donated these fun Star Wars themed diving sticks that were perfect for our water play activity. The students really loved watching the water stream out of the bottom of these sticks!

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

The matching lotion was a hit with almost all of our students.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our little Jedi turned to the dark side and made paper plate Death Stars. We adapted this idea from http://fun-a-day.com .To prep ours, we drew the lines with glue rather than white crayon.

We started by bringing out our galactic umbrella to give the students inspiration. It was a hit 🙂

After the umbrella was reluctantly put away, we discussed the shape of the paper plate and asked the students to identify the shape using communication symbols.

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

Then the students painted over their plates with watered down grey paint using a sponge brush.

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

Ta Da……..

………looks like Darth Vader is in the house 🙂

We went Wookie on Wednesday! The idea for this project came from http://funfamilycrafts.com

Instead of fun fur used in the original project, we used furry duct tape purchased at Walgreens. The duct tape was adhered to some 6 inch rulers to prep this for our students.

We started by asking the students to count how many eyes a Wookie has and to identify the number using communication symbols.

We did the same thing for the nose.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Next the students cut strips of paper to use for the strap that Chewbacca wears. The paper cutter worked perfectly for this task!

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

Then the students glued googlie eyes, pompom noses, and strap onto their Wookies. To work on one-to-one correspondence we placed target glue dots onto the fur.

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

Ta Da!!!!

The force is strong with these young padawans 🙂

LANGUAGE GROUP

We made another yummy snack this week—— Galactic Ice Cream Sundaes! Our students got to make choices of what they wanted using picture symbols, gestures, and verbalizations.

The first choice they got was to tell us how many scoops of ice cream they wanted in their bowl. We used big numbers showing “1” and “2” and our students would either point or place their hand on the amount they wanted.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Next, they got to chose which kind of syrup they wanted: chocolate, strawberry, or butterscotch. They were provided with symbols and again, would point or put their hand on the one they wanted.

Adjust body movement or nonverbal expression with prompting as necessary to communicate wants and needs is a language access point.

When asked if they wanted whipped cream, they would either use head shake/nod, verbalize no/yes, or point to a symbol no/yes. If they said yes, they had to show us how many squirts they wanted using the “1” and “2”.

They REALLY like this part 🙂

Finally, we poured some Star Wars cereal on top for a crunchy effect and let them choose which color pretzel/icing “light saber” they wanted: RED or GREEN.

We think we hit this one out of the galaxy!

YUM!!!!!

We hope your May the Fourth festivities are a blast! Be sure and join us again next time……Group by Group!

Apr24

Nursery Rhymes

Posted on April 24, 2016 by jd785

Nursery Rhymes

April is National Poetry Month so we decided to make nursery rhymes our theme this week! Our sensory groups had lots of messy fun exploring boxes related to different characters. Our fine motor groups made some fun animal character art projects and the language group made a yummy treat based on nursery rhyme character.

SENSORY GROUP

There were three number 3’s to find in our Old King Cole black bean “coal”. The students had fun discovering the hidden numbers as they ran their hands through the beans.

They also like picking up handfuls and watching them drop back into the box.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Little Bo Peep’s lost sheep could be found in this box as well as some geese—that perhaps belonged to Mother Goose!

Both sets of animals came in a variety of sizes, shapes, and textures for sorting fun.

Match animals that are the same is a science access point.

Our Jack Be Nimble box contained Wikki Stix which are waxed strings like candles.

We also put a light toy that looked a little like a candle when the button was pushed.

The students really had fun with this.

The science access point recognize a source of light energy and the science access point initiate a change in the motion of an object are addressed with this activity.

Spiders scared Little Miss Muffet away but ours were super cute and not scary at all! We had 2 cute little furry spiders, one that jiggled when it’s string was pulled, and a discovery bottle with spiders that scuttled up and down.

The science access point track objects in motion can be addressed here.

Lots of giggles were heard with this box 🙂

The Queen of Hearts and the baker both love to bake so this box was filled with red velvet cake mix. We put in 2 different size scoops and a heart shaped cookie cutter for our little bakers to play with.

This was pretty messy but LOTS of fun 🙂

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

Speaking of Little Miss Muffet, we learned that curds and whey are kind of like cottage cheese. We added cotton balls to our oobleck to get a lumpy kind of texture and were pretty pleased with the results. The oobleck started out white with each group but hands that had explored the red velvet cake mix tinged it pink!

The science access point demonstrate pushing away (repulsion) and pulling (attraction) is addressed here.

While rinsing their hands, the students had fun playing with Jack and Jill’s pail along with a couple of different size scoops.

The science access point recognize differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids (capacity) is addressed here.

As a nod to our Baker and the Queen of Hearts, both our water and lotion were raspberry scented (from Bath and BodyWorks). It was a really yummy smell that our students loved!

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students made handprint sheep!

First we discussed the shape of our paper and asked the students to identify it using communication symbols.

Recognize common objects with 2-dimensional shapes is a math access point.

Next we painted one of their hands with white paint. The students were pretty intrigued with this step 🙂

Then we helped them press their hands onto our grassy green paper.

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

After their hands were cleaned, the students put 3 cotton balls onto their sheep’s tummy.

Match objects to designated spaces to show one-to-one correspondence is math access point.

Ta Baaaaaaa Da!

Tell Little Bo Peep we found her sheep 🙂

On Wednesday it was all about mice with our Hickory Dickory Dock clock! Our fabulous volunteers did all the set up for this project—-thanks ladies! Here is the template for the mice:mouse template for clock

We started by asking the students to out “mouse heads” using adaptive scissors—-counting how many cuts it took, of course! We also discussed the fact that the shape was a TRIANGLE!

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

After they finished cutting out triangles, the students glued them onto an OVAL shaped body—complete with colorful tail. They added 2 big CIRCLE ears and 1 little circle nose were added.

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

Ta tick tock Da!!!

The students were SO proud!

To finish up, the students glued their mice onto the fabulous clock that our volunteers made. Then we counted them!

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

LANGUAGE GROUP

We channeled Humpty Dumpty for our language group and made some egg salad. We had already pre-boiled the eggs and cut them up.

Before we put them in the bowl, we let each of our students smell the eggs——and got some pretty funny faces from some of the students 🙂

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

Once the eggs were put INTO the bowl, our students counted out the spoonfuls of mayo (2) and the squirts of yellow mustard (3) that we put into the bowl as well.

Solve simple problems involving going or separating sets of objects to 5 is a math access point.

Our students helped POUR the cut up green onions and pickles into the bowl and helped SHAKE a little salt and pepper in as well.

We had to STIR the ingredients around until they were all mixed up.

We made 1 sandwich and cut it in HALF to make 2. Then we cut one of the halves in half and counted 3 pieces and then cut the other half and counted 4 pieces. Math with food is always a fun and YUMMY thing!

Partition a rectangle into equal parts with equal area is a math access point that can be addressed with this activity.

Since it was her last day, we also had a surprise for Joy’s practicum student——yummy cupcakes! We are sure going to miss you Ali!

Apr17

India

Posted on April 17, 2016 by jd785

India

Many states in the Republic of India are celebrating the New Year this week so we thought it would be fun to learn a little more about the country.

We are lucky enough to have students whose families are from India so that made it even more special for us as they contributed some of the photos we used in our book. The sensory groups explored boxes related to different facts about India. The fine motor groups made art projects with animals that are symbolic of the country and the language group made a yummy ethnic dish to eat!

SENSORY GROUP

Our rice was orange, green, and white this week because those are the colors of the Indian flag. There were lots of letter I’s to find both upper and lower case, as well as a picture of a Bengal Tiger, which is the national animal, at the bottom of the box.

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

We went with the flag colors, paper shred this time, as the base of this box. It was filled with animals that are symbols of the country such as tigers, peacocks, lions and elephants. We learned India is the only country in the world with both lions and tigers—-how cool is that! Cricket is a favorite sport so we included a picture of that also! There was a little teapot and cup in the box because tea is an important Indian export.

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

The Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and is located in Agra. Our students tried their hands at building a replica of the Taj Mahal using our white Floam. Not quite as lovely as the white marble used for the original but our students had fun anyway 🙂

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

Dahl or lentils are a staple food throughout India. Our box of dried lentils felt so cool to run hands through—-the students loved it! There were some King Cobras to find AND match in this box.

The math access point recognize two objects that are identical to each other is addressed with this activity.

There were some interesting discovery bottles for the students to explore. One bottle was filled with sequins—-like those seen on colorful saris. If looked at closely enough, a little elephant could be found floating around too! Our peacock discovery bottle was filled with blue and green sparkly glitter which made it pretty fascinating to watch swirl.

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

The other discovery bottles were had cotton balls with scents associated with India—-sandalwood and curry. These were some pretty interesting aromas and very intriguing to our students.

Recognize and respond to one type of sensory stimuli—-in this case smell—-is a science access point.

We put some green and orange glitter into our white oobleck—–once again representing the colors of the Indian flag. It was lots of fun to practice making the vertical and horizontal strokes needed to make a letter I!

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

Hands were rinsed in our Ganges River, complete with an Indian crocodile—-ours a very cute one 🙂 India is known for periods of rain called “monsoons” so we created a little one here using a hand operated water mister fan. When pointed above the students heads it created a mini rainfall—-resulting in lots of giggles.

Our water was scented with coconut bath gel as a nod to the fact that it is an important crop in India.

Recognize weather conditions including hot/cold and raining/not raining during the day is a science access point that can be addressed here.

We finished our group with mango scented lotion. Mangos are the national fruit of India. A perfect scent to remind us of all the things we learned about the wonderful country of India! The students really liked the aroma and as usual they practiced body part identification by indicating where they wanted it applied.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students painted a Bengal Tiger using marbles. The tigers were cut from orange poster board using this: tiger template

First the students identified the color orange using communication symbols.

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

The tiger was placed in a box, then the students scooped 3 marbles out of black paint and put them in the box.

Recognize when 1 or 2 items have been added to or removed from sets of objects to 3, is a math access point.

Next came the fun part which our students always LOVE—–time to shake, shake, shake!

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

The lid was opened and our tigers had their stripes! Googlie eyes and popsicle stick handles were then added.

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

Ta Da…………….. GRRRRRRR!

On Wednesday, our students made peacocks—–the national bird of India. We used this: peacock template

We started by discussing the shape of the coffee filter and asked the students to identify it using communication symbols

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

They used blue and green markers to scribble on the coffee filters and then…….sprayed their art work with water.

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

The filter was then folded in half and placed on a paper plate (we had cut in half ) to make it a little more stable. The peacocks body was placed on TOP of that then everything was stapled together.

Recognize a half of an object as part of the whole object is a math access point.

Ta DA! What beautiful peacocks!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We made some curry hummus in our language group! This was a neat recipe because there were so many things for our students to SMELL.

We started by putting a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas in our food processor. One student poured HALF of the can in and another student poured the REST of it in.

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

We then measured out some sesame oil and poured that in as well. Our students got to smell the sesame oil——some liked it and others were not so thrilled about it 🙂

We then squirted some lemon juice into the mixture. This time, our students got to TASTE the lemon juice. We talked about how it was SOUR.

They made some pretty funny faces when the lemon juice hit their taste buds!

After that, we shook some curry, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into the food processor. Each of our students had a turn smelling the different spices.

These spices have some strong smells!

With all the ingredients added, the students used a switch to activate the food processor——-they always love that part 🙂

Observe and recognize a predictable cause-effect relationship related to a science topic.

Once all of the ingredients were smooth, each of our students got to taste some of the hummus on a piece of pita bread.

YUM!

Hope you enjoyed our visit to India this week! Join us next time for more fun and learning———–Group by Group!

Apr10

How We Make Money

Posted on April 10, 2016 by jd785

How We Make Money

This week our theme compliments the April Unique Curriculum unit for our students. They are learning about money and what we do with it. Our focus is on how we earn it! The sensory groups explored boxes related to specific jobs. The fine motor groups painted job related art projects and the language group got real time job experience—–they made a dessert 🙂

SENSORY GROUP

Helping people get an education as the President of a University would be a pretty important job to have! If you were the president of FAMU you would cheer on the Rattlers. Our box featured the team colors of ORANGE and GREEN and the little egg shaker we included made rattling sounds when shaken.

The science access point recognize objects that create sounds can be addressed here.

Paleontologists study dinosaur bones—–how cool is that! There were four little bones to find buried in our sand and we included a small scoop so they could be buried again. Of course it was also really fun to watch the sand sift through fingers. This box was lots of fun 🙂

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

Veterinarians take care of our pets. There were lots of “medical” supplies in this box for fun pretend play. There were soft cotton balls and gauze as well as a fun stethoscope to try out. Our little vets took good care of their patient!

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

One really cool way to earn money would be as a Rock Star! In addition to finger drums and a tiny toy guitar, there were some star worthy sunglasses and feather boas in this box.

The science access points recognize objects that create sounds and the science access point recognize one or more external body parts can be addressed with this activity.

Everyone got in on the fun……..

…..looks like we have some future superstars in the making 🙂

We brought out our underwater umbrella for our budding Marine Biologists. To add to the experience there were orca and humpback whale sounds recorded on a voice output device. Everyone found it fascinating!

Match living things with their habitats is a science access point that can be addressed here.

Our little Chefs had fun icing the play food cupcake with whipped (shaving) cream. Great messy fun!

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

Our students got to play Lifeguard by scooping swim rings (made out of water noodle slices) and a little toy figure out of the water. This activity is great for counting and eye hand coordination practice!

Recognize 2 dimensional shapes in the environment is a math access point.

We chose Bath and BodyWorks vanilla sugar scent for our water play and lotion this week because the aroma reminded us of some of the yummy treats that Chefs might make! This is always a popular scent with our students 🙂

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday we talked about Beekeeping and our students made some bees using this: honey bee template We used yellow poster board for the base so it was a little sturdier and just regular white paper for the wings.

We started by discussing the shape of the bees body—-an oval—-and asked the students to identify the color yellow using communication symbols.

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

Next the students painted black stripes on their bee.

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

Then they used a glue stick to apply glue to the wing and put it on their bee. We encouraged them to put the wing DOWN onto the bee’s body.

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

With a little help they added a googlie eye by placing in ON a glue spot.

The math access point match one object to a designated space to show one-to-one correspondence is addressed here.

Ta Da!

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!

On Wednesday like Paleontologists, we discovered some dinosaur fossils! To prep this an adult traced this: dinosaur bones template Instead of making copies of our template, we took another piece of paper to trace over it with a pencil and made copies of that. By doing it that way the outline was very light. One of our fantastic volunteers then filled in each template with glue—-all 7 of them! She used a paint brush and it actually went really fast!

The students identified the shape of the paper using communication symbols—-they did a really great job and we were SO proud 🙂

Recognize 2-dimensional shapes in the environment is a math access point.

Then they dipped their sponge brushes into VERY watery brown paint. You need your paint to be pretty translucent for this project to turn out correctly. As the students brushed the paint over the paper, their fossils appeared—–this was super cool!!!

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

Ta Dino DA

Fabulous fossil finds!!!!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We tied in a couple of the jobs we talked about in our book because we made an edible treat (chef) with honey (beekeepers)!

We started by going around the room and letting our students look at and smell some real honey comb that Joy brought it. We talked about how it smelled SWEET. We also talked a lot about looking with our eyes and smelling with our noses, not with our hands!

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

Next, we counted out cups for all of our friends. Each of our students got to indicate how many spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt they wanted by pointing to the numbers 3, 4, or 5. When scooping out the yogurt, we counted out loud to make sure that we put in the correct amount.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Our students then got to indicate if they wanted strawberries on top by verbalizing yes/no or by nodding/shaking their heads.

Once the strawberries were in, our students helped SQUEEZE the honey onto their yogurt and strawberries. Finally, we topped the mix with some granola.

We think this job was a successful one for our students!

They thought it was a pretty a delicious one as well 🙂

We had an absolute blast this week! Join us again next time for more fun and learning—–Group by Group!

Apr10

How We Make Money

Posted on April 10, 2016 by jd785

How We Make Money

SENSORY GROUP

The science access point recognize objects that create sounds can be addressed here.

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

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

One really cool way to earn money would be as a Rock Star! In addition to finger drums and a tiny toy guitar, there were some star worthy sunglasses and feather boas in this box.

The science access points recognize objects that create sounds and the science access point recognize one or more external body parts can be addressed with this activity.

Everyone got in on the fun……..

…..looks like we have some future superstars in the making 🙂

Match living things with their habitats is a science access point that can be addressed here.

Our little Chefs had fun icing the play food cupcake with whipped (shaving) cream. Great messy fun!

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

Recognize 2 dimensional shapes in the environment is a math access point.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

We started by discussing the shape of the bees body—-an oval—-and asked the students to identify the color yellow using communication symbols.

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

Next the students painted black stripes on their bee.

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

Then they used a glue stick to apply glue to the wing and put it on their bee. We encouraged them to put the wing DOWN onto the bee’s body.

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

With a little help they added a googlie eye by placing in ON a glue spot.

The math access point match one object to a designated space to show one-to-one correspondence is addressed here.

Ta Da!

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!

The students identified the shape of the paper using communication symbols—-they did a really great job and we were SO proud 🙂

Recognize 2-dimensional shapes in the environment is a math access point.

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

Ta Dino DA

Fabulous fossil finds!!!!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We tied in a couple of the jobs we talked about in our book because we made an edible treat (chef) with honey (beekeepers)!

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

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Our students then got to indicate if they wanted strawberries on top by verbalizing yes/no or by nodding/shaking their heads.

Once the strawberries were in, our students helped SQUEEZE the honey onto their yogurt and strawberries. Finally, we topped the mix with some granola.

We think this job was a successful one for our students!

They thought it was a pretty a delicious one as well 🙂

We had an absolute blast this week! Join us again next time for more fun and learning—–Group by Group!

Apr3

At the Hoedown

Posted on April 3, 2016 by jd785

At the Hoedown

One of the most fun activities our PE department does is hold a annual “hoedown”. At the hoedown, each class performs an original square dance they practiced during PE. It is always so much fun that we decided it would be this week’s theme! The sensory group explored boxes with textures and symbols associated with hoedowns. The fine motor groups made colorful art projects and the language group invited their friends to a hoedown.

SENSORY GROUP

We put some sawdust at the bottom of this box to give it that “barn like” feel. The sawdust was not super fine so no dust was kicked up when little fingers ran through it. It really had an interesting texture that our students found enticing. There were some barn animals and square dancers to find as well as the word FRIENDS.

The science access point select an object or picture to represent observed events.

It wouldn’t be a hoedown without music! We recorded some appropriate music on a voice output device and our students rocked along with a bean bottle shaker. Needless to say, fun was had!

Recognize objects that create sounds is a science access point.

So did we mention how much fun the students had—–and how totally cute they looked 🙂

There were lots of colorful bandanas and a bandana garland in this box. The students had fun waving and shaking the items. There was also an opportunity to compare the SOFT cotton of the bandanas with the ROUGH feel of the burlap on the banner.

Recognize differences in objects or pictures is a science access point.

We included 2 cookie cutters—-a boot and hat—- with the blue moonsand in this box.

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

Each classroom decides the kinds of patterns they form in their square dance. The students practiced making some of those same kind of lines—– such as straight, curved, or zigzag—- in our Goo Bag (made with hair gel and confetti stars).

We found that double bagging the gel and taping all four sides down onto the tray helped make it a little more durable.

Initiate a change in the motion of an object are science access point.

There were both upper and lower case letter H’s to find in our rice, dyed blue and yellow which are our school colors.

There was a cute cowboy hat to find at the bottom of the box.

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

Country apple scent from Bath and BodyWorks seemed the perfect scent for our hoedown unit! We put some of the bath gel in our water play and it really was a nice aroma. There were 2 different size scoops to add to the fun.

Recognize different containers that hold liquids is a science access point.

The matching lotion was very popular with our students. As usual, after we asked them to smell the lotion, we asked them to show us where they wanted it applied.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students used markers and stickers to decorate a cowboy boot using this: boot template.

We started by asking the students to choose a marker and identify it’s color using communication symbols.

Identify objects by one observable property, such as size or color.

Our students did a great job coloring within the designated area!

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

Applying stickers was great for practicing pincer grasp skills. The students were able to brush up on their math skills by counting the stickers as they were placed on the boots!

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Ta yeehaw Da!

Ready for the hoedown!

On Wednesday the students made a poster and used this: hoedown girl and boy template to decorate it.

First we asked the students to use communication symbols to identify our paint color—–they did an awesome job!

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

Then they stamped “hay” on the poster using UP and DOWN movements. Our stamper was made using a piece of fringed craft foam folded in half and held together with rubber bands.

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

Next it was time to add dancers—–we have our fantastic volunteers to thank for getting them ready for us. We asked the students to find the one with their picture on it, apply glue, and attach it to the poster.

The math access point recognize when an object is added (addition) or is taken away from (subtraction) a situation.

Ta Da—-swing your partner round and round!

LANGUAGE GROUP

So since we were talking about hoedowns this week we HAD to have one! After we read the book, 2 of our little cowpokes moseyed on down to the other elementary classrooms to invite their friends to join the fun.