Tag Archives: language skills

Feb5

Minnesota

Posted on February 5, 2017 by jd785

We have a paraprofessional and a student who hail from Minnesota so this week thought it would be fun to learn a little more about the state. This theme complements the Unique Curriculum unit our students are working on this month. The sensory groups explored boxes related to facts about Minnesota. The fine motor groups made art projects related to state symbols and the language group went shopping in our very own Owl Mart of America!

SENSORY GROUP

This box contained objects that represented fun facts we learned about Minnesota. Some of the things we included were a Tonka truck (first built in Minnesota), pink and white lady slipper petals (the state flower), a book (the first children’s library was built in Minnesota), Peanuts characters (Charles Schulz is from there), and loon (state bird) calls recorded on a voice output device. There was also a little purse and play money to represent the Mall of America.

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

We brought out our butterfly and caterpillar pasta to represent the state insect—-the Monarch butterfly! This pasta is so brightly colored and very eye catching. We also included 2 plates for sorting fun.

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

The Minnesota Vikings football team colors are purple and yellow. We put a variety of chenille stems in those colors in this box.

The stems can be twisted together, looped into chains—–or WORN 🙂 The two colors also allow for sequencing or sorting practice!

In addition to the science access point match objects by one observable property such as size, shape, and color, the math access point recognize the next step in a simple pattern or sequence of activities can be addressed.

Judy Garland who starred in the Wizard of Oz is a famous Minnesotan. We thought our rainbow rice was a perfect choice for her box. In addition to some letter M’s to find, there was also a map of the state to find at the bottom.

The social studies access point locate pictures or symbols on a drawing or map can be addressed here.

The musician Prince, came from Minnesota. One of his most famous songs is Purple Rain so we used purple Bubber for his box. We included cookie cutters with the state initials——-M N.

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

We had to include a nod to those Minnesota winters so we gave the students some shaving cream “snow” to play in.

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

Minnesota is called the “land of 10,000 lakes” so Bath and Body Works dancing waters scent seemed the perfect bath gel for this week. Our tiny little lake included 2 different sized fish that squirted water when squeezed—-how fun is that! There was also a sifter scoop included.

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

The matching lotion was a hit with the students as it was rubbed on hands, arms, and on the backs of necks.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday the students painted a walleye—the official state fish! We used this:walleye-template

First the students identified our paint color using communication symbols.

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

The students stamped the yellow paint on the fish (cut from green poster board) using a bubble wrapped foam scrub brush. We emphasized stamping UP and DOWN.

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

After they had finished painting, the students squeezed on a glue dot and then added a googlie eye to their fish.

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

A tongue depressor was taped to the back of the fish so the students could make their little fishes swim………

…………………….Ta Da!

On Wednesday we made Babe the Blue Ox using this: babe-the-blue-ox-template

First the students identified a circle using communication symbols.

The math access point recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes, such as a circle.

Then they painted their paper plates BLUE——–we used really pretty turquoise blue!

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

Two glue dots were squeezed onto the plate and one big googlie eye placed on each glue dot.

We got our googlie eyes at the Dollar Tree—-we do love a bargain!

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

The snout and horns were then glued DOWN onto the plate to finish Babe’s face.

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

Ta DA!

It’s Babe the Blue Ox!

LANGUAGE GROUP

Our language group was a little bit different this week. Since we were talking about the Mall of America, we decided to take a trip to our very own “Owl Mart of America” to do some shopping. The Owl Mart is a little shop that was put together so that our Post Secondary students could have some vocational training. Students are able to shop with “owl bucks” that they receive for good behavior.

Very cool and super reinforcing!

After reading the book, we gave all the students some owl bucks to spend—–very exciting!

Then we set out for the Owl Mart of America.

It’s kind of a long way from the classroom so everyone got their exercise for the day 🙂

There were lots of things to look at, like jewelry, Valentine’s day crafts, and stuffed animals.

Decisions, decisions!

Once our students chose what they wanted to buy, they had to go up to the cashier, a post secondary student, and had to convey “I want” using picture symbols as well as “I all done”.

Adults helped the students count out the number of owl bucks that they needed to pay for their item and passed them to the cashier.

Our shopping experience was a success and everybody was pretty thrilled with their purchases!

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

Jan29

Super Heroes

Posted on January 29, 2017 by jd785

Super Heroes

The theme for our district’s literacy week was Super Heroes! This unit was especially fun to put together and we think the students really enjoyed what we came up with for the different groups. Our sensory groups explored boxes inspired by different super heroes featured in our book. The fine motor groups made some super hero themed props and the language group made the Ninja Turtles favorite snack—-pizza! It really was a fun filled week 🙂

SENSORY GROUP

The students used a cookie cutter to stamp the letter S—-for Superman—– into blue moon sand (we chose blue to match Superman’s suit). The bright blue moon sand was quite appealing to look at and also felt pretty fabulous sifted through fingers!

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

There were some slightly tacky web-like Wikki Stix in our Spiderman box. The colorful waxed strings stick to each other and have an interesting tactile feel.

They loved grabbing them and crumpling them up into little “spider webs”.

There was also a little vibrating spider to add to the fun. We have brought her out before and she always elicits lots of giggles 🙂

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

Most of the super heroes we are familiar with were originally from comic books. We used some colorful magazine shred to match that comic book feel.

We were given some photo booth props and masks (thanks Ms. Elaine) that proved to be lots of fun for the students.

They kind of had fun with the masks 🙂

There were also some action figures and even 2 little super hero books to read—-it was literacy week after all!

Recognize a person in a story is a social studies access point that can be addressed here.

Our Batman box was filled with black kinetic sand—— and BATS, of course! There were both grey and black bats which made for sorting and counting opportunities.

The math access point solve simple problems involving joining or separating sets of objects to 3 can be addressed here.

In comic books, Wonder Woman has a golden lasso. So golden lassos are a little difficult to find but we have plenty of gold beads and our students seemed pretty pleased with the swap 🙂

Whether shaking them, wearing them, or just touching them——they had a blast!

The math access point recognize length of real objects, such as big, little, long, or short can be addressed here.

We made some bubbling, glowing Ninja Turtle ooze for our students to explore this week. Tonic water made our ooze (oobleck) glow under the black light and pop rocks provided the bubbling sounds—-way cool!

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

In our water play, some lighted pool toys stood in for Iron Man’s power cell. We found them in the dollar section at Target. Whether the lights were on or off, they were pretty irresistible to the students!

Recognize sources of light is a science access point.

Our scent of the week was Pink Power Ranger (aka Bath and Body Works merry cranberry). This scent had quite a strong sweet aroma and was a total hit with the students—-even some who are sometimes unimpressed with our olfactory selections 🙂

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday we made some Batman masks out of paper plates using this: batman-template

First, using communication symbols, we identified the color of the paint we were going to use.

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

Then the students brushed the paint over their masks.

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

TaDa——nanananana BATMAN!!!!!!!

On Wednesday the students made their own Super hero symbols!

First we discussed and identified the shape we were going to cut——a triangle.

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

The students used paper cutters and switch operated scissors to cut out their triangles.

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

Then the students glued a letter S (cut out on the Ellison machine) onto their triangle. We attached it to their shirts using double stick tape.

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

It’s a bird, it’s a plane—–

TA DA it’s a super hero!!!!!!

LANGUAGE GROUP

This week, we made a snack that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would have LOVED. We made mini english muffin personal pizzas.

Each of the students got to make their own pizza. We focused on the words MORE and ALL DONE today, using picture symbols and verbalizations.

When making each pizza, only a little bit of sauce would be put on to spread around. Our students then had to indicate if they wanted MORE or if they were ALL DONE with the sauce. We did the same thing with the cheese. We found that these students were more likely to indicate MORE rather than ALL DONE 🙂

Our students who have a regular diet got to make their pizza on half an English muffin. Since we have a couple of students who are on a puree diet, Ms. Robin, the classroom teacher, made some mashed potatoes that she shaped and patted out using a hamburger press so it resembeled an English muffin. So cool!

While we waited for the pizzas to heat up, some of us took a little time for some Ninja Turtle selfies 🙂

We then asked our students if they LIKE the pizza or if they DON’T, using symbols. Seems like we got the thumbs up!

Viola——Mini Ninja Turtle Pizzas to enjoy!

YUM!!!!!

Our Superhero unit totally was SUPER FUN!

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

Jan22

Winnie the Pooh

Posted on January 22, 2017 by jd785

Winnie the Pooh

January 18th is Winnie the Pooh Day! We had a blast creating the book this week and our students looked adorable in their costumes. Ms. Judy and her students came through again with an amazing backdrop. All in all, it was a super fun week! We celebrated with colorful character themed sensory boxes. Our fine motor groups made some super cute crafts and the language group made a snack with Pooh’s favorite food—–honey!

SENSORY GROUP

Pooh’s adventures take place in the hundred acre wood. We filled our box with silk leaves and a variety of characters from the books. We even included 2 tiny Winnie the Pooh books. Since we had different versions of the characters, similarities and differences could be discussed such as hard/soft and big/small. Just for fun, we also recorded the Winnie the Pooh song on a voice output device.

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

Our Winnie the Pooh box had red and yellow pom poms to sort. Of course, we chose those colors based on Pooh’s yellow fur and red shirt as seen in the Disney version of the story. We did a similar box last week but our students can always practice sorting and counting, so we decided to do one again.

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

We are pretty fond of owls around here, so we had to have a box dedicated to Owl! This box was totally touch worthy with a couple of “owl feather” boas and a large plush owl that looked a lot like the character.

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

Our eye catching orange and black box rice box was totally Tigger-rific 🙂 We put in some letter T’s for the students to find and a picture of Tigger at the bottom of the box.

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

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

Piglet is Pooh’s best friend so we made some pink play dough in his honor! We added a letter P—-for Piglet—- cookie cutter.

The students found the color very eye catching and of course had lots of fun manipulating it.

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

Honey is Winnie the Pooh’s absolute favorite treat so after adding yellow food coloring, we made our oobleck with a honey like consistency this week. We also added a couple of craft foam bees to fly around in the “honey”.

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

We couldn’t find any honey scented bath gel for our water play this week, so we used Bath and Body Works vanilla sugar scent—-we figured it was a pretty close match to honey. The students had lots of fun with the different sized scoops and we also added a letter P—for Pooh!

Recognize differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids (capacity) is a science access point that can be addressed in this activity.

The students really liked the honey scented lotion from Madina. They used verbalizations, gestures, or body movements to indicate what part of the body to place the lotion. The sweet scent was a wonderful reminder of all the fun we had visiting with Winnie the Pooh and his friends.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday we made Winnie the Pooh faces out of yellow paper plates—-we got 20 for $1 at the Dollar Tree. That was a score! We used this template for both our fine motor groups this week: winnie-the-pooh-and-piglet-template

First we told the students we were going to use a lot of CIRCLES to make our art project and asked the students to identify a circle using communication symbols.

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

Then they used a large hole punch (with some help) to make 2 ears which were then glued on to the large paper plate. Some tape was added to make sure they stayed on.

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

Next they glued on ANOTHER circle, pre-made with the eyes and nose! We made sure to point out the different sizes of the circles we used for this project.

The math access point recognize similarities and differences in size of common objects can be addressed with this activity.

They finished by using a black marker to make a mouth. One of our students used a switch operated vibrating massager with a marker attached but the others just did it free hand.

After we were done, we realized we probably should have used a thicker marker (like the one we used in our sample) to make it show up better but our students creations still look pretty cute 🙂

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

TA Pooh diddly Da!

We love that Winnie the Pooh!

On Wednesday the students made some Piglet puppets out of pink paper bags.

First our students identified the color PINK using communication symbols.

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

To make the stripes on Piglet’s shirt, we encouraged the students to draw horizontal lines ACROSS the paper bag using black markers.

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

Then the students glued 1 face and 2 pre-cut ears onto their paper bags.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Ta DA!!!!!!!!

Such cute little Piglet puppets!

LANGUAGE GROUP

During our language group, we made a sweet treat that we know Winnie the Pooh would like! We made mini banana-honey cheesecakes. Here is the recipe: lets-make-a-mini-honey-banana-cheesecake

We started out by letting each of our students FEEL the milk. We talked about how COLD it was. We had a student HELP POUR the milk into the bowl. Then we added the pudding mix to the bowl as well. Everyone got to look at it before we started mixing it up and we talked about how it would CHANGE from liquid to solid.

Once each of the students had a chance to turn the mixer on using a switch and the pudding was set, we added some whipped cream to it.

Since we have a couple of students who are on a puree diet, we decided to SQUISH up the chopped bananas so that we could add them to our mixture.

Our students helped STIR up all of the ingredients. We then counted out our pie crusts and spooned some of our pudding mixture into each one.

For our final step, each of our students got to help SQUEEZE some honey on top.

We decided it was a totally Pooh worthy dessert 🙂

This was a really fun unit, who doesn’t love Winnie the Pooh! Join us again next time for more fun and learning——Group by Group!

Jan15

Past and Present

Posted on January 15, 2017 by jd785

Past and Present

We are complimenting our student’s Unique Curriculum theme this week by looking at how activities familiar to our students were done differently in the past. The sensory groups explored boxes related to different activities. The fine motor groups made some fun art projects and the language group learned made a yummy snack from long ago.

SENSORY GROUP

How we get to places has REALLY changed over the years! From horses to spaceships, we put a variety of transportation vehicles for the students to find in this box. The spaceship was especially popular because of its spinning light.

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

Fashion is another thing that has changed over the years! We put lots of fabulous fashion accessories for our students to try on in this box. We had fun seeing what piece each student was attracted to. They had a blast—-total fashionistas 🙂

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

Our students totally know how to rock a hat.

Just too cute—–and such style:)

While we prepare food differently now, we still GROW it in the ground. There were some vegetable play foods growing in our little plot of coffee grounds dirt. We included some bean seeds for the students to plant and there was also a picture of a fruit bowl to be found at the bottom of the box.

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

Back in the day, the abacus was the height of technology for doing math problems—-thank goodness for calculators 🙂 The students counted and sorted “bead shaped” pompoms. The soft texture of the pompoms made them especially inviting to touch for our students.

In addition to being counted, this activity can address the science access point identify objects by one observable property, such as color.

Today kids often play games on electric devices rather than board games. We filled this box with a variety of game pieces such as cards, checkers, and board game pieces. Smaller game pieces such as dice and jacks were sealed in a plastic jar—–such fun to shake!

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

Like people of long ago, the students used a plastic feather to write with this week.

Of course, people of long ago didn’t write in shaving cream but that made it much more fun 🙂

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

We put an old fashioned water wheel in our water play this week. Lots of scooping and pouring fun for sure!

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

It was a little tricky picking a scent for this week but we decided on Bath and Body Works cotton scent because both in the PAST and in the PRESENT we use cotton. It was a light scent that the students really liked.

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

FINE MOTOR

On Tuesday we talked about how people used to cook all their food over an open fire and then made a picture of one!

We counted the logs on our sample and used communication symbols to identify the number 2.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

The students used a paper cutter or switch operated scissors to cut 2 logs out of brown paper. They all did a great job!

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

Then they added glue with a glue stick and put their logs onto a piece of paper.

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

Next they crumpled up pieces of yellow and red tissue paper to make some flames.

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

Ta Da—–let’s get cooking 🙂

On Wednesday our students made hourglass pictures using this hourglass-template.

First we discussed the color of the sand we were going to use and used communication symbols to identify the color PINK.

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

Then they painted some glue onto their hourglass. We added a little pink paint to the glue so the mixture would show up better against the white paper.

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

Pink sand was then added—–an old spice jar made a perfect shaker! The students really liked this part 🙂

We glued it down onto a nice bright green piece of paper.

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

Ta DA—–lets tell some time!

LANGUAGE GROUP

Today, since we LOVE to cook, we made a recipe that is from the 18th century! We made Whipped Syllabub. Here is a link to the recipe: lets-make-an-18th-century-whipped-syllabub

We started out by pouring some heavy whipping cream into a bowl. Our students helped POUR the cream in. We talked about how we needed MORE after putting 1 cup in since it called for 2 cups.

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

Next, our students got to use a switch to activate the mixer. Each of our students had a chance to turn ON the mixer. It took a while, but we saw the cream change from a LIQUID to a SOLID. Very neat!

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

Then, each of our students got to use a lemon squeezer to SQUEEZE out some lemon juice into a DIFFERENT bowl. We squeezed out juice from one lemon and one orange. It smelled so good!

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

Then, our students got to POUR some sugar and sparkling grape juice into the lemon/orange juice mixture. After that was stirred together we added it to the whipped cream and stirred it all together.

The math access point recognize when an object is added to a situation is addressed here.

We counted out how many cups we needed and voila! We got to enjoy our 18th century syllabub.

Thanks for joining us this week. See you next time for more fun and learning—–Group by Group!

Oct16

Fall Fun

Posted on October 16, 2016 by jd785

Fall Fun

The 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

Fall 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.

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

College 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.

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

We 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.

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

The 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 🙂

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

We 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.

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

This 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.

Some 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.

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

The 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!

Recognize 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

First 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.

Then 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.

Ta Da!

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

We 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.

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

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

Next, 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!

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

Then we added some cinnamon after taking turns smelling it.

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

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

For 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!

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

Dec13

We’re FROZEN!

Posted on December 13, 2015 by jd785

We’re FROZEN!

The movie Frozen is SO popular with our students that we decided it was the perfect unit to end our semester! We had so much fun putting this unit together, collaborating with both the PE and Art departments made it even more special!

The sensory groups explored boxes with lots of different textures. The fine motor groups used markers and glue to make fabulous art projects and the language group conducted some frosty experiments.

Of course, our book was extra special for this unit so be sure to check it out also!

SENSORY GROUP

Aqua, blue and purple basket filler was the base of this box—-so pretty! The students had lots of fun discovering all things we had hidden in it. Well, perhaps the 3 giant snowflakes weren’t that hard to discover 🙂

Also hidden in the colorful filler were snowmen, “snowball” beads, and some cute little Frozen play figures.

The math access points differences in size of objects and associate quantities with number names can be addressed here.
We had 2 fascinating discovery bottles. One turned into a glittery snow flurry when turned or shaken. The other bottle was filled with some glass beads which looked like little chunks of ice.

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

The students were pretty intrigued with our “reindeer fur” Sven box. This fake fur was long and a little coarse which we thought was a pretty good stand in for the real thing. A cute little plush reindeer was included for cuddling fun 🙂

Recognize common objects related to science by name, such as animal, is a science access point.

Do you want to build a snowman? Our students did! We put some potato head pieces and fake food carrot into our box of white Floam. It was fun to see the different creations the students made.

Recognize that the human—-and snowman :)—-body is made up of various parts is a science access point.

We brought back our snowflake umbrella yet again and as usual, it was a huge hit. It really is so pretty!

Because no one has heard the song “Let it Go” enough 🙂 we recorded a verse on our voice output device. Needless to say, none of the students passed on their turn to hit the button lol.

Recognize objects that create sounds is a science access point.

This box was filled with some Insta-snow, since we don’t have much access to the real stuff here in Florida! It had an interesting texture that wasn’t a hit with everyone, but most of the students had fun with it. They used their hands or the melon-baller to make snowballs.

The science access point identify different types of precipitation, including rain and snow can be addressed in this activity.

Hands were rinsed in water scented with Bath and Bodyworks juniper breeze scented water. There were a variety of foam snowflakes scattered in the water and a measuring cup was included so the students could scoop them out.

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

The matching lotion was used as a sweet remembrance of all the fun we had today. We chose this particular scent because we figured that junipers MIGHT grow in the cold climes of Arundelle!

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday we used markers to color a Frozen picture. We found this PERFECT free printable at http://yourtherapysource.com

We started by discussing the shape of our paper and asking the students to identify a “rectangle” using communication symbols.

Recognize a common object with a 2-dimensional shape is a math access point.

Then they used purple and blue markers to make fabulous scribbles and swirls on their paper.

The students did a really great job with this and had such great concentration!

Since they had to share the markers with their friends, the science access point share objects with a partner is addressed with this activity.

After they were finished coloring, they got to add some snowflakes to their pictures. We applied glue to work on 1:1 correspondence. Of course, it was a great opportunity to practice pincer grasp skills as well (and the OT really likes that!!!).

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

Ta Da…….

…..let it go, let it go, let it go………

On Wednesday we continued talking about shapes while making Olaf!

We started by discussing the shape of the boxes we were going to use (cereal boxes covered with white paper) and used communication symbols to identify their shape.

The math access point recognize a common three-dimensional shape was addressed here.

Then the students used adaptive scissors to cut out another shape——this time a TRIANGLE—–out of orange paper and used glue sticks to attach it to their box.

The science access point recognize a change in an object and the math access point recognize a common object with a two-dimensional shape are addressed in this activity.

Next they added 2 eyes and identified the number 2 using communication symbols.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

The students used a black marker to draw a mouth to the face, then added a small RECTANGLE tooth that they cut out using the adaptive scissors.

It was fun to see the different expressions they came up with for their snowman 🙂

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

A brown chenille stem was added to the top of the box and the cutest Olaf you have ever seen!

TA DA!!!!

LANGUAGE GROUP

Since we are experiencing 70+ degree weather in the middle of December, snow—-or even cold weather—-seems like a distant dream, we decided to make some snowy experiments! Here are the experiments we did: Let’s Make Snowy Experiments.

We started out making a snowstorm in a jar. First, we poured baby oil in a cleaned out peanut butter jar. Our students got to take turns smelling the baby oil first and they all seemed to like the clean smell of it!

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

Next, we put water and white paint into a bowl. Our students had to mix it all up until the water was nice and white. Then we poured it into the jar and added some glitter—-we never pass up the opportunity to add glitter to a project 🙂

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

Not much of a snowstorm UNTIL we put half of an Alka Seltzer into the jar. Once it started going, we had our version of a Florida snowstorm!

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

Pretty darn cool!!!!

After we were done oohing and ahhing, we started on our second experiment, homemade snow. This one was pretty easy. We used a WHOLE box of baking soda and about HALF a canister of shaving cream and stirred it all together. We divvied up our mixture into a couple of small bowls and our students got to feel our “snow”.

Very cool feeling—–literally 🙂

The science access point recognize parts of whole objects and parts of sets of objects can be addressed in this activity.

We used our homemade snow for our final experiment, EXPLODING snow.!!!!! We put the bowls with the homemade snow onto a tray, sprinkled some glitter, and then poured some vinegar into each bowl. Tada! Exploding snow!!!!!!

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

THE FUN CONTINUES….

Our PE department has a fabulous winter wonderland unit going on this month and this coordinated perfectly with our Frozen theme! The students were having so much fun, we had to include some photos.

They got to experience some blizzard conditions (the teachers used a hairdryer and some fake snow to create this).

There were LOTS of giggles 🙂

There was an Aurora Borealis area activated with switches!

And finally ICE SKATING in shaving cream—–how fun is that!

Well that wraps up our first semester. Apart from an After Party post, we will be gone for a few weeks, enjoying our winter break.

From all of us here, we wish you Happy Holidays and be sure to come join us in 2016 for more fun and learning——Group by Group!

Feb23

Famous African Americans at my School

Posted on February 23, 2014 by jd785

Famous African Americans at my School

We celebrated Black History month by spotlighting some very special members of our staff. Our students loved reading Cara’s book about some of the special people in their lives. In our sensory group each of the boxes were filled with items representing a staff member. Our fine motor and language groups honored staff members in their classes with special treats. Here is what we did:

SENSORY GROUP

Ms. Regina is one of our newest owls and when she is not helping keep our school clean, taking care of her children, OR studying she likes to go on nature walks.

We filled her box with leaves, flowers, vines, and spanish moss—–things you always see on a walk in Florida. We put in some wildlife you might see including ducks, butterflies, birds, frogs, lizards. Bird sounds were also recorded on a voice output device to add to that outdoors feeling. It was a very attractive box which definitely invited exploration!

The science access point distinguishing between a plant and an animal is addressed here, helping our students learn about the organization and development of living organisms.

Recognize and respond to common sounds is the science access point related to the understanding of forms of energy.

Coach Brown helps our owls gain new athletic skills. In this blue and yellow rice (our school colors) we put in 3 different sport ball erasers. Since the erasers were a little small we encased them in some photo pockets sealed with packing tape. That kept them visible and able to be handled but avoided any safety issues. It worked really well and our students enjoyed discovering them in the rice—-and of course, burying them back in it 🙂

2 of the balls were round and 1 was oval shaped. Recognizing a common object with a 2 dimensional shape is a math access point.

Ms. Frankie loves the Denver Broncos! Her box had 3 pompom shakers in the Bronco colors of blue, orange, and white. We also put in a “bronco” that neighed when it’s button was pushed.

Our students love the shakers. Not only do they love shaking and waving them around but they also love the rustling sound they make.

Identifying objects by one observable property, such as color is the science access point related to learning properties of matter. Applying a push to move an object is related to learning about forces and changes in motion.

Ms. Jackie loves the colors hot pink and black. We filled her box with colorful hard beads and soft pompoms in different sizes. A great way to explore the properties of matter and the access point match objects by one observable property such as size or color. Working on the concepts “same” and “different” addresses the math access point recognizing similarities and differences in sizes of common objects. This relates to the understanding of geometry and measurement.

Of course, it’s also a great way to work on the science access point identify of external body parts—–as in, let’s put the beads over our heads 🙂

Ms. Metra likes to ride motorcycles with her husband. We put in 2 different motorcycles (one a toy and the other a puzzle piece) on our black bean highway.

The toy was a lot of fun because it was one of the kind that could be pulled back and released to drive along the table. Our students also enjoyed both submerging the motorcycles and their hands/arms in the beans—-they really do have a wonderful tactile feel.

Forces and changes in motion are explored as the science access point apply a push to move an object is addressed.

Grandma Daisy loves to eat sherbet ice cream! We made sherbet play dough by mixing lime gelatin and cornstarch then putting it in the refrigerator. Find the recipe here: http://blogmemom.com. It really looked like the real thing especially when it was scooped. Since it had been refrigerated it was a little hard and some force needed to be applied!

We discussed whether the sherbet was “warm” or “cold” which is a science access point related to properties of matter.

Ms. Shakelia’s favorite color is blue! We mixed blue food coloring with our oobleck this week AND added some blue glitter—–we thought she would appreciate that 🙂 The glitter also adds a nice visual element as it get swirled around with the oobleck as it moves.

As the oobleck goes from a solid to a liquid and back again our students explore changes in matter: addressing the science access point recognize that the appearance of a material has changed.

Ms. Sonya loves when things AND her students are sparkly clean 🙂 so to clean up after our messy play we used Crystal Waters scent that we found at the local pharmacy. Ms. Sonya also loves to cook so we thought an apple shaped sponge would be a fun addition and give the students an opportunity to work on hand strengthening by squeezing water out of the sponge.

Recognizing the water as a liquid is a science access point related to learning properties of matter.

The matching lotion had a light pleasant aroma which our students liked. Recognize and respond to one type of sensory stimuli (in this case olfactory) is a science access point related to the understanding of the organization and development of living organisms.

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday we made a handprint peace dove. We started by showing the students the different colors of paper we had available and then asking them which color paper they would like to use for today’s project. They used communication symbols to make their choices.

The students either used eye gaze or pointed to the symbol to indicate their preference.

As we passed out the paper, we discussed its shape (rectangle) and how many sides it had. This addresses the math access point recognize common objects with 2 dimensional shapes.

Then we painted one of their hands with white paint. None of these students are particularly tactile defensive so this was not a problem. In the past we have had students with tactile issues and we adapted the activity by letting them paint a staff members hand instead.

Then we pressed our hands down onto the paper. Some of the students were able to do this part independently but most of them needed a little assistance.

The students were pretty excited to see their hand print appear on the paper! Recognizing a change in an object is a science access point related to the understanding of changes in matter.

Adults added a beak, legs and eye with a permanent marker and our dove was ready to carry its olive branch!

TA DA!

On Thursday we painted a picture frame for Ms. Celeste! She can use it to frame the beautiful picture she took for out book this week. We decided to paint it with her favorite colors of brown and rust!

We started by showing the students the brown paint bottle. We presented the communication symbols and asked them “which one says brown”. Almost all the students answered correctly!

Identifying objects by one observable property such as color—–yep, we’ve got that one!

Then we got out the paint brushes and started painting. They all manipulated their painting tools well! The students did a great job but the hole in the middle of the frame was a little confusing for them and so they needed a little redirection at times.

As the frame is painted, the students track the movement of the brush as it is pushed or pulled——this is a science access point related to the understanding of forces and changes in motion.

The we shook on some rust colored glitter for a little additional sparkle 🙂

As the glitter was applied, it changed the appearance of the frame. Recognizing a change in an object is a science access point related to the understanding of changes in matter.

It turned out really fabulous and Ms. Celeste loved her picture frame!

LANGUAGE GROUP

Since Grandma Daisy works in the room where we do our language group, we based our activity on her favorite food: SHERBET ICE CREAM! In her honor, we decided to make sherbet sundaes.

The focus for the group today was requesting and informing. The students were provided with visuals of the numbers 1-5. They had to tell us how many scoops they wanted in their bowl. As Cara scooped the sherbet out, we all counted.

Counting from 1 to 5 using objects of pictures is a math access point related to geometry and measurement.

Because we were making sundaes, of COURSE we needed some toppings. First we discussed the different toppings and discovered that one of them made NOISE!

Our students with visual impairments were very good at recognizing that the items were nearby—–a science access point related to the understanding of earth in space and time.

Cara made a board that showed the pictures of each topping that was provided: magic shell sauce, whipped cream, and sprinkles. The student whose turn it was would point to the picture of the topping they wanted, verbalizing what it was if they were able to. Cara then put just a little bit of the topping in the bowl.

The PIXON pictures “more” and “all done” were located on the page as well. Our students were able to convey if they wanted more of the topping or if they were all done with it. For the most part, they wanted MORE!

In addition to language/communication aspects of indicating “more” and “all done”, these concepts are also math access points related to representation of quantities.

Everyone seemed to really enjoy their sundae!

YUM!!!

Another great week—-thanks to all the staff members who allowed us to put their photograph in our book! And a great big thank you for all they do to make our school such a great place to be.

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

Feb2

Islam

Posted on February 2, 2014 by jd785

Islam

Our regular followers will notice that we do not have a separate book post this week. The reason for this is that we have been wanting to do a unit on Islam for a long time but had difficulty coming up with a meaningful approach for our students. At our last school book fair, we came across the book Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns a Muslim book of colors by Hena Khan. It is a beautiful book that was perfect for our unit. We contacted Ms. Khan and she graciously gave us permission to use the book in any way we chose—-how cool is that!

We hope you enjoy seeing some of the things we learned about the Muslim faith AND please consider adding Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns to your own library collection.

SENSORY GROUP

The first sentence of each of our color boxes is a paraphrase of Ms. Khan’s poetry, and the reason behind the contents choices.

Silver is a glowing fanoos (lantern). We made our lantern by putting some battery operated lights and silver garland in a clear shoebox.

Our students love looking at lights and so this box was both pretty and fascinating for our students—-and for some of the adults also 🙂

This addresses the science access point recognizing sources of light.

Red is the color of the rug that is kneeled upon to pray to Mecca each day. We filled our first box with an assortment of yarn, wool, and chenille strands—–the kinds of materials that might be used to make rugs. Pompoms were also included to compare/contrast component: the pompoms are soft like the yarn strands but round rather than long and thin.

Our students really loved all the differing textures in this box! They love pulling the yarn apart, shaking it around, and……seeing how far it would stretch!

The science access point identify objects by one observable property, such as color—-in this case red—-is addressed in this activity.

The math access point identify 3 dimensional objects (sphere) is also addressed.

Gold is the color of dome of the mosque. For this box we put in a mixture of hard gold beads and soft gold garland. Our students love shiny things that they can shake and move so this box was a definite favorite! It was also fun seeing which textures different students preferred, for most of them the beads were a clear favorite 🙂

Exploring the materials using vision and touch addressed the science access point explore, observe, and recognize common objects in the natural world. Applying a push or pull to move an object can be addressed 🙂

The math access point recognize length of real objects, such as long or short is also addressed.

White is the color of a round, flat kufi hat. The illustration in Ms. Khan’s book shows a group of men drinking tea so we used tea leaves as a base for this box. While we have used our tea leaves for other themes, it has been fairly infrequently so it is still a novel substance for our students. They were definitely intrigued by it’s texture and aroma. We also added 3 round, white foam core circles to represent the kufi hats.

We discussed where hats were worn and asked students to touch their heads addressing the science access point recognize external body parts.

The math access points identify 2 dimensional objects and solve problems involving joining or separating sets of objects to 3 are also addressed in this activity.

Purple is the color of Eid (an Islamic holiday) gifts. We put a variety of purple paper shred and ribbons in this box along with 3 small purple toys. Our students had a lot of fun discovering the hidden treasures and some of the toys had moving parts—–perfect for practicing fine motor skills!

Identifying objects by one observable property is the science access point again addressed in this activity.

Yellow is the color of the box filled with zakat for those in need. Our box was filled with yellow rice and 3 plastic coins for our students to find. There was also a picture of 2 children in traditional muslim attire hidden underneath the rice. The students really enjoyed discovering the items in this box—-especially the coins!

The social studies access points recognize differences in clothing from other cultures and recognize coins as money are addressed here.

Orange is the color of henna used to draw designs on hands. Orange oobleck became our henna this week. We made it a little thin ——-perfect for dripping designs on to hands!

The science access points track objects in motion and recognizing external body parts are addressed here.

Brown is the color of sweet dates eaten at Ramadan. While we wanted to reference the scent of dates in our lotion and water play it was a little challenging since dates are not an item found readily in our area or a scent found on bath product shelves. We went through our collection and the consensus was that our plumeria scent was the closest to the scent of dates! So while not perfect, the point is to give our students an olfactory component to help them remember the information they learned—-so it still works.

Our students used the date/plumeria scented water to rinse the “henna” off of their hands—-addressing the science access point recognize one way people use water.

We used our sense of smell to explore the lotion and the science access point recognize and respond to one type of sensory stimuli and well as the science access point recognize external body parts as it was applied to hands, necks, and arms.

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday we made our own orange henna hands! We started by tracing each students hands on white paper. Then our students were asked to identify the color orange using our communication symbols.

This addresses the science access point identify an object by one observable property, such as color.

Next we used a variety of orange markers to decorate the hands. The bright orange color really contrasted nicely with the white paper—–addressing the science access point recognize a change in an object.

Adults cut out the paper hands as our students cutting skills are still at the emergent level. The students then glued their henna hands down onto blue rectangular paper.

Spatial relations, hand strengthening, and eye hand coordination are addressed with this activity.

The math access points recognize 2 dimensional shapes and recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship, such as up and down are also addressed.

TADA—-look at our henna hands! They are fabulous!!!!

On Thursday for our art project we made fanoos! We started with folded rectangles of gilded wallpaper. This paper was perfect for our project and best of all—–free 🙂 Discussing the shape of the paper addresses the math access point recognize 2 dimensional shapes.

As the students chose which paper they wanted for their lantern they are communicating their preferences—–a language access point!

We used our adaptive tabletop scissors to cut slits in the paper—–counting as we snipped, of course!

As the slits are cut into the paper it is changed, addressing the science access point recognize a change in an object.

We really wanted to get the affect of a twinkling lantern so we put some battery operated lights in a clear plastic cup. Once our fanoos were put together (using double stick tape) we slipped them over the cup.

Pretty darn magical—–if we do say so ourselves 🙂

LANGUAGE GROUP

To reinforce all the new words we have been learning, we played Bingo! Everyone got a different Bingo sheet with pictures from Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns.

One of our students acted as the “caller” and was put in charge of pushing the All-Turn-It switch to determine which picture to find. We reviewed the Muslim vocabulary words that were associated with each picture, such as “zakat,” “Eid,” and “kufi.”

Responding to new vocabulary that is introduced and taught directly is a language access point.

Our students did a great job of finding the same picture on their board. They also did well with asking for help (either by vocalization or using their Pixon boards) if they could not find the picture.

Picking up the tokens and placing them on a picture reinforces lots of fine motor skills including pincer grasp and eye hand coordination. It also addresses the math access point match one object to a designated space to show one-to-one correspondence.

Seek assistance to clarify the meaning of pictures, symbols, or words in classroom activities is a language access point.

And of course, the best part of Bingo is when you can yell “BINGO!” You could tell our students have played this game before because no prompting was needed 🙂

This was so much fun and needless to say, we played quite a few more rounds before our time was up.

Using language and nonverbal expression for specific purposes is a language access point.

We had a great time this week despite the polar blast that left icy roads and classes cancelled. We really enjoyed Ms. Khan’s book and again thank her so much for allowing us to use it.

Please join us again next week at Group by Group——-the Winter Olympics are coming to our school!

Nov24

Thanksgiving

Posted on November 24, 2013 by jd785

Thanksgiving

It’s turkey time around here! Cara’s book explored directional concepts and our students had fun putting a stuffed turkey in the different positions from the book. We explored a variety of Thanksgiving related items in our sensory groups. We made cute little turkeys in the fine motor group and our language group went on a turkey hunt!

The social studies access points recognizing a past event and recognizing an activity associated with a national celebration are both addressed in all our groups this week.

Sensory Group

This first box was filled with Thanksgiving related items nestled in the silk fall leaves, gourds and pine cones. There were some dimensional felt pilgrims and a discovery bottle with beads to remind us of the Wampanoag tribe of native americans who feasted at the first Thanksgiving.

A toy car and toy airplane remind us that some people travel to their Thanksgiving feasts. A toy Tweety Bird and clown puzzle piece are like the big balloons and people on parade floats. A little football was included because that’s something people like to watch on tv after the big feast. It’s usually chilly this time of year so there was a tiny scarf and pieces of yarn!

Speaking of feasts—we had to include some play food and a grocery store “gift card”! And finally a cute plush turkey—-the symbol of Thanksgiving, along with the words HOME and FAMILY.

This box was filled with opportunities to address the language access point respond to new vocabulary that is introduced and taught directly. It also addresses the science access point recognizing a model of a real object.

Corn was one of the items on the first Thanksgiving menu! We put in some play food to find and hide again in the popcorn kernels. One of the cobs actually could be broken apart into 2 pieces and then put back together—-great for bilateral coordination!

Whether running fingers through it or exploring the play food, our students really enjoyed exploring the contents of this box.

The math access point recognizing parts of whole objects and parts of sets of objects is addressed here. Solving simple problems involving putting together and taking apart small quantities of objects is another math access point addressed.

Our next box contained turkey feathers (a brown feather boa). This was fun to wrap around, wave in the air or just TOUCH—oh so soft!

Using senses to recognize objects is a science access point addressed here.

Of course, some of our students got quite creative—deciding our little stuffed turkey needed some more feathers 🙂

Just too cute!!!

The science access point: explore, observe, and recognize common objects in the natural world is addressed with this activity.

There are lots of big football games coming up around Thanksgiving and we have lots of fans around here! We included a variety of colors in this pom pom shaker box so everyone could cheer for their favorite team!

Our students LOVE the pom pom shakers and had the best time with them as you can see!

The science access points recognizing that pushing and pulling an object makes it move and identifying objects by one observable property, such as color are addressed here.

We made some pumpkin pie scented playdough this week. Hmmm, it had such a wonderful aroma!

This turkey cookie cutter is very versatile—for either cutting out shapes in the playdough…….

OR being stuffed with it 🙂

This is a great activity for addressing hand intrinsic functions—strengthening, finger individuation, pincer grasp etc.

The math access point solving simple problems involving putting together and taking apart small quantities of objects is addressed in this activity.

The science access point recognizing that the appearance of an object or material has changed is also addressed.

Pumpkin pie needs some whipped cream! Shaving cream made a perfect stand in and as usual, our students had a great time squishing, smooshing—technical terms 🙂 —it about.

Recognizing that pushing or pulling an object makes it move is the science access point addressed in this activity.

Cinnamon pumpkin scented bath gel from Bath and Bodyworks made our rinsing water smell just delicious! Our students had fun playing with the different sized measuring cups.

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

The cinnamon pumpkin scented lotion left our students smelling like yummy pumpkin pies!

Recognizing one or more external body parts is the science access point addressed with this activity.

Recognizing and responding to one type of sensory stimuli is another science access point addressed.

Fine Motor Group

On Tuesday we made some cute little turkeys. We started by discussing how we cut a circle plate into 2 pieces to make semi-circles.

Then we decorated the feathers using a variety of colorful markers. These fat markers are nice because they can be gripped at the top which is easier for some of our students. For our students with physical disabilities we used Joy’s adapted switch toy—-always a huge hit!

The science access points recognizing that the appearance of an object has changed and sharing objects with a partner are addressed with this activity.

The switch toy addresses the science access points tracking objects in motion and applying a push or pull to move an object. It also addresses the math access point of indicating a desire for more of an action.

Next we glued down a toilet paper roll…..

and attached a pre-made turkey face with googlie eyes. We discussed the different parts of the turkeys face and pointed out those parts on ourselves—-recognizing external body parts is a science access point!

TA gobble, gobble DA!

Our Thursday art project was a pilgrim ship! This was constructed with cardboard, paper, and a wooden dowel—a true trash to treasure project!

We started by showing our students a bottle of brown paint and asking them to show us the color brown on the communication board. They did a great job!

Identifying an object by one observable property, such a color is a science access point.

Then we proceeded to paint the ship. We mostly used a variety of fat handled brushes to get the job done. A brush taped to a paint stick made for an excellent adaptation.

The science access points recognizing that pushing or pulling moves an object and recognizing a change in an object are addressed in this activity.

When the ship was painted we added a sail and some pilgrims and native americans (thanks to Sarah, our volunteer, for making them for us)! We added both students and staff faces to the figures—our students were pretty tickled with them.

For our Ta Da shot, our plan was to take a group shot of all our happy little pilgrims…..

Yes, lets try to get 5 little kids ALL looking at the camera and smiling at the same time—-yep, GOOD PLAN lol 🙂

Language Group

After reading Cara’s book we had our own turkey hunt! Cara made clues and hid laminated pictures of turkeys around the room.

Our students acted like pilgrims on the first Thanksgiving and searched for the turkeys using the clues they were given. Some examples of the clues were, “look UNDER the table; look ON the chair; look IN the box”. Our pilgrims did well with following the clues to find the turkeys. Way to go!

The last turkey was outside the door and BESIDE a tree located in the hallway. Lo and behold, the turkey brought a snack with him so that he wouldn’t be eaten!

This activity addressed the language access point respond purposefully to referent objects or pictures of objects or actions in a familiar read-aloud text.

The students enjoyed the cheeseballs and didn’t seem to mind that they weren’t getting a turkey dinner. We let the students request how many they wanted to eat by indicating on a number board if they wanted 1, 2, or 3. Our student with a visual impairment used a number stick to select his choice.

This addresses the language access point of effectively communicating wants, and needs using referent objects, gestures, signs, pictures, symbols, or words.

Yum! Even our turkey joined the feast 🙂

We won’t be having groups next week because of the holiday. We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Apr15

Gardening

Posted on April 15, 2013 by jd785

Gardening

Well things got a little crazy this week with two school wide events and LOTS of IEP meetings. As a result, we ended up having to cancel most of our Sensory and Language Groups this week. We used month’s Unique Curriculum theme for our Fine Motor Groups which by some miracle were not impacted by the above events 🙂

Here is what we did…..

We re-read our Spring book which we thought went along with our gardening theme and then proceeded to begin our art activity—making a flower garden!

First we folded 2 cupcake liners and then used our adaptive scissors to make snips—counting each snip.

Oh yeah—-have we got this cutting business down or what?!!! 🙂

Folding and cutting the cupcake liners changes the way they look, addressing the science access point of recognizing a change in an object.

We glued the cupcake liners together and THEN glued them on top of a popsicle stick.

Pat! Pat! Pat!

Holding down the popsicle stick while patting down the cupcake liners promotes bilateral coordination.

Gluing the cupcake liners together addresses the math access point of solving simple problems involving putting together small quantities of objects.

Placing the cupcake liners ON the popsicle stick addresses the math access point of recognizing a movement that reflects a spatial relationship.

Our flower was finished with a cute little yellow pompom glued right in the middle.

Pincer grasp skills and eye hand coordination is addressed during this activity.

The math access points of recognizing when an object is added to a situation and recognizing 3 dimensional shape (sphere) is addressed.

TA……

…….hey what happened to my flower?????

Once we gave the glue a chance to dry 🙂 , we planted our flowers and got our Ta Da’s.

This piece of pool noodle with a slit cut in it works perfectly as a planter.

We counted the flowers as we put them in 1,2,3,4,5!

And here is our little garden—doesn’t it look so cute!

On Thursday we continued our gardening theme by reading Cara’s book again then playing with these cute little bee puppets. Our students were pretty tickled with them 🙂

The 2 bees were different sizes giving us a chance to address the math access point of recognizing differences in sizes of objects.

What fun!!

We started our art project —-making a bee, of course! First we cut strips of black paper with our paper cutter, counting each cut and then counting the strips.

Look at this concentration, don’t you just love it!

We also discussed the color of the paper, addressing the science access point of identifying objects by one observable property.

Then we glued the black strips onto our yellow circle.

And added some heart shaped wings (made from waxed paper) 2 googlie eyes and a triangle tail.

In addition to the math access point of recognizing 2 dimensional shapes, spatial relations skills are addressed while putting together our cute little bumble bee!

Ta Da!!!

Our students looked so cute as they made their little bees fly around—and also demonstrated the science access points of applying a push or pull to move an object AND recognizing a model of a real object!

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 🙂

Come by next week when we will be back in business with all our groups—its going to be SUCH FUN………

Group by Group 🙂