Tag Archives: music

New York Vacation

New York Vacation

IMG_5021It was back to school but spring break vacations were still on our minds with our New York City theme.  It is a popular vacation spot and such an exciting place to visit——we had so much fun planning the different group activities! Our sensory group activities included a trip to Time Square, the fine motor group made art projects related to New York City symbols, and the language group explored tourist destinations on the Smart board.

All our activities focused on looking at the world in spatial terms and the social studies access point associate an object, picture, or symbol with a location.

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

IMG_5246
IMG_5266We started our tour with the most exciting place in NYC—-Time Square! We put 5 strands of battery operated lights on our umbrella and it really gave a fabulous “Time Square” effect. Needless to say this was a HUGE hit,  our students really loved all the lights and could hardly wait for their turn!

The lights were attached using good old twist ties and we used velcro to attach the battery packs as they were a little heavy.

The science access point recognize sources of light is addressed in this activity.

 

 

IMG_5027We also pulled out our battery operated spinning lights so that students could put on their own light show. The science access point apply a push to move an object while also working on fine motor skills is addressed.

 

 

 

IMG_5001IMG_5299NYC is filled with skyscrapers. Our students made their own cityscapes using Duplo blocks to make “building” impressions in moon sand. The blocks shape made them easy for our students to hold and manipulate—-they worked perfectly!

Again the science concepts of forces and changes in motion are addressed as students apply a push to move an object.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5330Bright yellow and black taxis are EVERYWHERE in the city and a great way to get from one destination to another! We put some soft yellow pom poms and hard black beads in this box to compare and contrast. The colors gave this box a pretty striking contrast and most of our students found it intriguing.

As the students sort the items they can address the science access point recognize 2 common objects that are identical to each other. They can also address the math access point recognize 2 objects that are the same color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5211IMG_5296Central Park is one fabulous place a taxi might take you! Besides lots of grass, the park is filled with trees and flowers so we put silk ones on a layer of basket filler. We also included a bunch of animals—–zoo animals, butterflies, dogs, ducks, squirrels, birds—–you can find all of them in Central Park!

With all that walking, you might want a snack and a NYC hotdog would certainly hit the spot 🙂 The play food hotdog usually elicited smiles when found in the box.

Recognize the leaf and flower of a plant are science access points that can be addressed in this box as students explore organization and development of living organisms. Recognize a model of a real object is another science access point addressed.

 

 

IMG_5321Another exciting thing to do on a NYC vacation would be to see a Broadway Show. For this box we brought back our Wizard of Oz discovery bottle with it’s green glitter and red Barbie shoes! Music from The Wiz—-found via a Youtube clean video search—- was recorded on our voice output device.

As the students turn and shake the bottle tracking objects in motion, a science access point, is addressed.

 

 

 

 

IMG_5615Our students—–and teachers 🙂  had a blast rocking out to “Ease on Down the Road” from The Wiz and showing their moves.

Attending to sounds from various sources is a music access point addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5280Our students searched for the letters N Y C in rice. As the rice was shifted aside, a picture of one of the biggest symbols of not just NYC but our country was revealed——the Statue of Liberty! This box didn’t have a lot of rice, so it made it especially easy for the hidden items to be revealed.

IMG_5063Recognize a symbol that represents America, such as the Statue of Liberty is an access point related to the understanding of structure and functions of government.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5228IMG_5259Finally, the scent of the week—–APPLE, of course 🙂  A fitting end to our tour of the Big Apple. A fabulous yellow ducky floated in our scented water and the students had a great time using the big apple sponge to give him a shower.

Explore, observe, and recognize objects in the natural world is a science access point addressed in this activity.

Our students enjoyed this week’s scent and as usual, we gave them an opportunity to communicate where they wanted the lotion.

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

IMG_5101IMG_5145On Tuesday our art project focused on the Statue of Liberty! We started by making the torch. The first step was using our paper cutters to cut green paper into a rectangle shape.

Once again, working on the math access point, recognize a 2 dimensional shape and the science access point recognize a change in an object.

Then we taped the rectangle to a toilet paper roll and ROLLED!!!! Our students did a great job and showed such concentration.

This was great for working on bilateral coordination.

 

 

 

 

IMG_5165Time for the really fun part—–stuffing tissue paper in the top to make our flame! Our students certainly did a great job demonstrating the science access point apply a push to move an object!

Prior to the group, we had cut the center out of a paper plate and stapled on some green paper that we had freehand cut for the statue’s crown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5137                                                                                             Ta DA—–welcome to New York City 🙂

 

 

IMG_5496IMG_5455For our art project on Thursday we used apple stamping to decorate a cityscape!

We started by gluing a precut cityscape—-here is the pattern Joy drew SKMBT_42314032815140—–onto a piece of white rectangular paper. In addition to the math access point recognize a 2 dimensional shape, the science access point recognize a change in an object is also addressed.

Then we discussed the different paint colors we were going to use and asked the students to choose which color they wanted.

Recognizing an object by one observable property, such as color is the science access point addressed. Using body movement or nonverbal expression to communicate preferences is a language access point addressed.

 

 

IMG_5468Little hands and big slippery apples are not a good combination so we stuck a fork into the apple which made it so much easier for our students to handle!

So did we count the numbers of apples stamped?

OF COURSE 🙂

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5507IMG_5521Ta Da! These cityscapes turned out pretty fabulous—-the Big Apple never looked so good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

IMG_5411After reading Cara’s book about the sights to see in New York, we decided to take a closer look with a virtual tour.  We had the students gather around the SMART board for this group.  We printed out some pictures of places from our book, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the Brooklyn Bridge.

These pictures were put on an All Turn It Spinner so that our students were able to pick a place to go.

Cara found a couple of websites with virtual tours of New York.  The one she had planned on showing, www.airpano.com, didn’t end up working on our SMART board; however, it has an amazing virtual tour.  Instead, we used http://newyork.arounder.com.  This was also a virtual tour, but wasn’t an eagle eye view like airpano.

 

IMG_5393Our students loved being able to experience seeing New York with a 360 degree tour.  We used different adjectives to talk about what we were looking at.  We commented on the TALL building, the LONG bridge, and the BRIGHT lights.

Developing an understanding of language concepts related to linear measurement is addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5403The final consensus was that we all wanted to travel to New York on our next CBI trip:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5057Hope you enjoyed our geography themed activities this week! Join us again for more fun and learning Group by Group!

The Places I Go Around School

The Places I Go Around School

IMG_0139It was literacy week at our school and the general theme was “all the places you go”. We decided to focus on the all the places you go around school. Cara’s book was a huge hit—-our students loved seeing themselves or their friends faces in the book. Our sensory boxes were a lot of fun to put together, the fine motor art projects turned out so well, and our language group scavenger hunt was a blast!

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

IMG_0322TIMG_0148he cafeteria is one of the favorite places around school—-that’s where  all the food is after all 🙂 We filled the cafeteria box with paper shred and then added lunch related items including straws, play food, an ID card, and little tray.

The students had a lot of fun picking out their favorite food items and of course this led to lots of language opportunities. The straws we included turned out to be quite popular also—-placed into the milk carton or just waved about, our students loved them!

The science access point recognizing a model of a real object is addressed here. As with all our activities and boxes this week, the social studies access point associating a place with an activity in the classroom or school is also addressed.

 

 

IMG_0384We are so lucky to have a large sensory room at our school and needless to say it is one of the most popular places at school. Our students LOVE the sensory room and one of the favorite pieces of the equipment is the colorful ball pit!

Our colorful pompoms are round spheres just like the balls. We included 2 different sized pompoms in this box to compare or match. The plan was to address the math access point recognizing similarities and differences in size of common objects and the science access point to identify objects by one observable property, such as color…..

BUT kids being kids, the science access point of tracking falling objects was usually the one that was addressed 🙂

 

 

 

 

IMG_0354Music is another area that our students love to visit. We recorded a music clip on our voice output device and gave the students a shaker bottle instrument to jam along with the beat. We made the shaker bottle using a plastic soda bottle, adding some colorful beads AND hot gluing the lid on—-to at least slow down busy little hands 🙂

The science access points to recognize and respond to different types of sensory stimuli and apply a push or pull to move an object are addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_0295IMG_0423One of the most exciting places to go at school is the bus ramp BECAUSE that means it is time to go out for community based instruction. Like kids everywhere, our students enjoy riding the bus to exciting places.

For this box we added 2 different colored school buses to drive along black bean roads. We asked our students to find the bus that was the same color as the buses they ride, addressing the science access point to identify objects by one observable property.

 

 

 

IMG_0171Our students love making clay projects in art. Instead of clay, we brought back our green play dough from a few weeks ago. It still had the wonderful peppermint scent we had added and our students really enjoyed the aroma. We included 2 letter A (A for Art) cookie cutters.

The science access points recognizing an object by one observable property, applying a push or pull to move an object,  and recognizing a change in an object are all addressed in this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_0408There are 3 playgrounds at our school—-how cool is that! Going to the playground is probably the number one favorite place of most of our students.  So many fun things to do from climbing, to swinging to digging in the sandbox!

For our mini sandbox we taped a picture of a play ground (cut from a catalog) to the bottom of the box for the students to find as the sand was pushed aside. We also included a small measuring cup and spoon to practice scooping skills, bilateral skills and eye hand coordination.

The math access point solving problems involving small quantities of objects or actions using language such as enough, too much, or more are explored in this activity. Another math access point, recognizing differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids (capacity) is also addressed.

 

 

 

IMG_0137Probably THE most favorite place at our school is the pool! Our PE teachers do such a great job and it is such a therapeutic place for our students.

We used Bath and Bodyworks Dancing Waters scent in our water—-it is kind of hard to find chlorine scented bath products 🙂 We also included 4 foam swim noodle pieces and a measuring spoon. The students practiced their scooping and eye hand coordination skills again as they tried to scoop water into the noodle holes.

Math access points addressed here include recognizing two dimensional shapes such as a circle and using one to one correspondence to identify sets of objects with the same amount to 2 can be addressed in this activity.

 

 

 

 

IMG_0437IMG_0192We finished with the Dancing Waters lotion to help us remember all the fun we had! Our students really liked the soft aroma of this scent and enjoyed indicating where they wanted the lotion on their bodies.

As usual this activity addresses the science access points of recognizing one or more external body parts and recognizing and responding to one type of sensory stimuli. It also addresses the language access point of adjusting body movements of nonverbal expressions to communicate desires or preferences.

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

IMG_0211The playground was the theme for our Tuesday art project. We started by counting out rectangle shaped paper and using a sponge brush to paint on some glue.

The math access point recognizing a 2 dimensional shape is addressed. The science access point recognizing a change in an object is also addressed.

IMG_0241Then we scooped crushed yellow cereal “sand” onto the glue. This activity promotes scooping skills and eye hand coordination.  We also counted how many scoops each student put on their paper.

The science access point recognize a change in an object is again addressed. The math access point solve problems involving small quantities of objects or actions using language, such as enough, too much, or more is also addressed.

 

 

 

IMG_0226IMG_0261We precut a bunch of playground pictures from some old catalogs and let our students choose which one they wanted to add to their pictures.

Our students with physical challenges used eye gaze to indicate their preferences.

This activity addresses the language access points of responding to informational materials and using body movement or nonverbal expression to communicate preferences.

 

 

IMG_0207IMG_0281We love the way these turned out—–and so did our students!

TA DA!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday we chose the cafeteria as the theme for our art project.

IMG_0488We counted out rectangle pieces of paper and discussed the paint colors, red and yellow, that we were going to use with our big apple and small corn cob. A fork was stuck into the apple to make it easier for our students to handle—-it worked really well!

We started by stamping 1 red apple print.

IMG_0572Next 1 yellow corn cob print.

The math access point recognizing differences in sizes of objects is addressed, in addition to the math access point recognizing 2 dimensional shapes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_0501Then we asked our students ” what color comes next?”.

After we stamped another apple print, we again asked “what comes next?”.

We thought the students would need a lot of assistance with this BUT they did really well—-our students ROCK!

The math access point recognizing the next step in a simple pattern or sequence of activities is addressed in this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_0534IMG_0565 TA Da!

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_0542                                                                                 So proud—-and rightly so!

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

IMG_0446Since we are talking about all the different places you go, we decided to have a scavenger hunt and find 3 different places around our school.

After reading Cara’s book, we looked at the directions for the scavenger hunt.  We went over what we had to find FIRST, NEXT, and LAST.  The directions had a picture of the places that we had to find.

The math access point to indicate the next step in a sequence of activities is addressed.

The social studies access point recognizing a picture of a location is also addressed.

 

 

IMG_0465FIRST we had to find the music room.  On the way, we would stop and ask the students to show us the way to go.  They would point in the direction we had to go.

NEXT we had to find the art room.  Since our students go to art and music once a week, they were easily able to locate these rooms.

LAST we had to find the playground.  Our students DEFINITELY know where the playground is!  Once we got to the playground, we looked at the directions again and went over what places we had just found.

All done and time to play!

 

 

 

IMG_0309Another great week! Join us again, there is more fun and learning to come—-Group by Group.

Jukebox book

Jukebox book

We decided to have the theme for this week be about the jukebox because the jukebox was invented in November 1889.  This topic was SO much fun!  We decided to have some of our students dress up and pose for different genres of music.  Our models were a huge hit! The genres we picked were: rock, classical, oldies, musicals, opera, rap, and country.  Joy did an AMAZING job taking these pictures.  You really have to see them!  After Cara read the first line on each page, we asked the students, “what should we do?”  The repetitive line answered the question, “let’s turn on the jukebox!”  On a Go Talk, Cara recorded a short clip of each genre and would play the clip of music that corresponded with the page being read.  Our students LOVED hearing the music and seeing their friends.  On the Powerpoint, Cara inserted music found in the Clipart audio files; however, these aren’t able to be activated if the book is uploaded in Slideshark.  Get ready to dance, and enjoy the book!

IMG_6751Here is a link to the book: Let’s Turn on the Jukebox!

Jukebox

Jukebox

IMG_6998This was such a great week, our students love music so this was the perfect theme for them! We had fun coming up with sensory boxes that matched the different musical genres for our sensory group. The fine motor group had fun making musical instruments and we had a dance party in the language group!

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

IMG_6835These wands that light up when tapped made perfect “drum sticks” (found at Target) for our rock and roll box.  Way fun, the sticks were perfect for drumming and the flashing lights reminded us of light shows at a rock concert! Needless to say, these were a huge hit with our students.

Recognizing that pushing and pulling an object makes it move is a science access point. In addition, recognizing the change in the motion of an object—-when the lights stop—is another science access point.

 

 

 

IMG_7035Our classical music box was black and white just like the keys of a piano. We added black beans to white rice to get the effect. A piece of sheet music was taped to the bottom of the box and we put a large letter M inside. Most of our students used their hands to explore the box—-they love the way the rice feels and looks as it shifts around. A few, however, used the large M kind of like a scraper to move large amounts of the rice and beans around.

The science access point of recognizing that pushing and pulling an object makes it move is addressed again with this activity.

As the sheet music and letter M are covered and uncovered the math access point of recognizing when an object is added to or taken away from a situation is addressed.

 

 

 

 

IMG_7103Our lava lamp discovery bottles were a HUGE hit with our students! One was filled with water, corn syrup, gold glitter, and some plastic jewels. The other was filled with water (tinted purple), green tinted corn syrup, cooking oil, glitter and some beads……

Totally groovy 🙂

IMG_6817The science access point tracking the movement of objects that are pushed or pulled is addressed with these bottles.

 

 

 

 

IMG_7061IMG_7074There are have been so many fabulous musicals and one of the most popular today is Wicked.

We whipped up some pretty wicked oobleck this week using green food coloring and black glitter. It was pretty thick  so it slowly dripped down from fingers and took a little more effort to push aside.

In addition to color identification, the science access point tracking the movement of objects that are pushed or pulled is addressed again.

 

 

 

 

IMG_7091Opera singers always get roses at the end of the performance so rose seemed the perfect scent to put into our rinsing water. We used rose scented bubble bath we found at Target.

We included 2 different sized scoops to address the math access point of recognizing differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids (capacity).

Solving problems involving small quantities of objects or actions using language, such as enough, too much, or more is another math access point addressed as students pour water from one container to another.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7083IMG_6860Rap singers like gold chains AND gold records! This box contained some hard gold beads and soft fluffy gold garland. Pretty, sparkly—very eye catching.

Fun to explore, fun to wear 🙂

Sorting objects by an observable property such as texture is a science access point addressed here.

 

 

 

 

IMG_7037A cookie cutter shaped like a boot, along with cherry scented playdough (we made it with kool-aid) —–perfect for a country music box!

Using  just one shape gave the students an opportunity to work on counting, associating quantities with number names addressing math access points.

Of course, playdough is always a great activity for promoting hand intrinsic functions—we OT’s like stuff like that 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6870We finished the group with some rose scented lotion from Crabtree and Evelyn. This is some pretty strong smelling stuff—you can smell it across the room so it’s VERY memorable!

Recognizing and responding to different types of sensory stimuli is a science access point addressed here.

Communicating a preference for a familiar action such as holding out a hand for lotion is a language access point addressed.

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

IMG_6906On Tuesday, after reading the book, Jeannie brought out a real guitar for the students to play. Everybody got a chance to strum the strings and our students loved the sounds they made!

Can you tell that the students totally had a blast 🙂

Sharing objects with a partner and recognizing common sounds are science access points explored here.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6910For our art project the students made their own guitars! We started by cutting out the words ROCK STAR from a piece of paper—-turning one piece of paper into 2 pieces of paper. These were taped onto our “guitars”

T0 prep the guitars, we flattened paper towel rolls and taped them to the back of these really colorful tissue boxes.

Recognizing a change in an object and applying a push or pull to move an object are the science access points addressed here.

The math access point is associating quantities 1 and 2 with number names.

 

 

 

 

IMG_6917IMG_6931The words were glued onto the box and then the students were given a choice of stickers to decorate their guitars.

These stickers were little so there were lots of opportunities to practice pincer grasp skills.

Using body movement or nonverbal expression to communicate desires or preferences is a language access point.

 

 

 

 

IMG_6962Then we asked the students to let us know how many strings (rubber bands) they wanted on their guitars. Putting the strings on the guitar required bilateral coordination and pincer grasp skills. Our students needed varying degrees of assistance for this step.

Again, the language access point using body movement or nonverbal expression to communicate desires or preferences is addressed.

Associating quantities with number names is the math access point addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

TA DA!!!

IMG_6969IMG_6964Our rock stars loved their guitars and had a great time making their own music 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7326On Thursday we continued with our musical instrument theme by making drums! First we tried out a real drum—–so much fun!

The science access points recognizing common objects in the environment and recognizing and responding to common sounds is addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7284We started our art project by passing out rectangular pieces of paper and helping our students to identify the colors red and purple using our communication symbols.

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

Recognizing common objects with a two dimensional shape is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7273IMG_7277Then we stamped stars and swirls with the paint. We made handles for the stamps by using double stick tape to affix plastic thread spools—-this worked out really well!

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7336Then we taped the paper around plastic coffee containers and added some glitter——we never pass up the opportunity to add glitter to a project 🙂

As we are shaking the glitter we are working on the math access point recognizing a movement that reflects a spatial relationship, such as up and down!

We discovered that we needed to let the paint dry BEFORE letting our students play with their drums lol. When they were finally dry, it was time to boogie….

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7345Dum diddy dum diddy dum….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

IMG_7150We started the group reading Cara’s book.  We have a few students in here who were able to name their friends who were in the book.  It was very exciting for them 🙂

After reading the book, we went around with the Go Talk and let the students decide the genre of music they wanted to listen to.  We put the pictures that were in the book on the Go Talk to keep it consistent for our students.

Communicating recognition of familiar persons in daily activities and communicating a preference for familiar persons, objects, or actions are language access points addressed.

 

 

 

IMG_7188We then had the students press a switch to activate the All Turn It spinner to see what kind of dance moves they would have to do.  The different dance moves were: clap your hands, stomp your feet, spin around, tap your knees, nod your head, wave your hands in the air.  We used iTunes for the clips of music, making sure that they were appropriate before we turned them on 🙂

The language access point responding to a technology resource is addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

IMG_7199IMG_7207This was definitely a fun group!  Although only one student would pick a genre at a time, everyone had to participate in the dance moves.  Some  of our students really got their groove on!

IMG_7229Communicating information about familiar actions using non-verbal expression, gestures/signs, pictures, symbols, or words is a language access point addressed.

IMG_7214Hope you enjoyed seeing all the fun we had this week. Join us again next week for more smiles, Group by Group!

Jobs At School

Jobs At School

We celebrated labor day this week by talking about what different jobs there are at our school. There were a lot of familiar faces in Cara’s book and the students in all our groups got so excited when they recognized someone.  One of our students was able to verbalize what the music and art teacher did right when seeing their picture!

SENSORY GROUP

IMG_2820One of the most important jobs at school is “teacher”—the person who helps us learn to read and count!  We have some pretty fabulous ones at our school 🙂 and for their box we used our blue moonsand—-one of our school colors is blue! Our students had the choice of pressing A B C or 1 2 3 cookie cutters into the sand.

Pushing the cookie cutters helps strengthen hand intrinsics as well as working on letter and number identification.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_2648Our students really love music and we had such fun with our “music teacher” box. We brought out our shakers—lentils in one bottle and acorns in another—-and recorded some lively music on the voice output device.

It was so cute to see little heads start bobbing as soon as the button was pressed—-even Ms. Joi started rocking out to the beat 🙂

This activity addresses the language access point of responding to rhythm in familiar songs.

By pressing the voice output device, students address the math access point of indicating a desire for more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_2652Who doesn’t love art—-especially when it involves finger painting! Our sensory group version was shaving cream with food coloring. Messy fun, always a favorite with us. It’s a great tactile experience but also an opportunity to practice prewriting designs and letters.

This activity also addresses the science access point of recognizing and responding to one type of sensory stimuli.

As the food coloring is mixed with the shaving cream, the science access point of recognizing a change in an object is addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_2760Water play is always fun, whether in the swimming pool during PE or our little splash pool!

As hands—both little and big—splash the water, the science access point of applying a push to move an object is addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_2659We used SOFT cotton balls and HARD tongue depressors for our “nurse” box. Some of our students enjoyed sorting the items by texture, practicing counting or even imitating some letters!

Of course, just exploring the items was a popular activity also 🙂

The science access point of recognizing common objects as identical to each other can be addressed here.

This also addresses the math access point of recognizing two objects that are the same size or color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_2822LUNCH—everyone’s favorite part of the day 🙂 Our lunchroom staff serve us lots of choices of yummy food!

We filled our box with some green paper shred “lettuce” and a variety of play food. Eating utensils, an identification card and a mini lunch tray.

Hmm………a burger or chicken, decisions decisions……

The math access point of recognizing common activities that occur every day can be addressed with this box.

In addition, the science access points of recognizing models of real objects and recognizing that people need food can be addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_2780One of the most exciting jobs at school has to be “school bus driver”. Our students love their big yellow buses and drivers! Our yellow rice was wonderfully bright and perfect for driving a little bus around in. A picture of the bus was also taped to the bottom of the box.

The science access points of applying a push or pull to move an object and recognizing models of real objects are both addressed in this box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_2850We finished with Bath and Bodyworks Country Apple scent—-apples for teacher, naturally 🙂

Our students are always given the opportunity to communicate their preferences for the week’s scent and this one was pretty much a favorite of everyone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fine Motor Group

IMG_2693IMG_2700On Tuesday we stamped with an assortment of fruit and vegetables—-on rectangle shaped paper.

just like those we get at lunch!

This was a great art activity, our students really had a great time and were fascinated by the impressions they made. And……nobody took samples 🙂

The math access point of recognizing 2 dimensional shapes is addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_2738                                                   TA DA—-didn’t these turn out so cute and colorful!

 

 

 

IMG_2908On Thursday we made paper plate tambourines.  We started by counting out our circle plates and then decorated them with markers.

The math access point of recognizing 2 dimensional shapes is addressed here.

You may notice our students don’t always have a perfect “tripod grasp” of their writing utensil but we feel that active involvement is more important than perfect grasps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_2943IMG_2919Then we attached 3 jingle bells which were pre-threaded with small chenille stems. Our students did need help pushing and pulling the chenille stems through the holes but what a great opportunity to work on pincer grasp skills —–Joy really likes that, one of those OT things 🙂

We counted the bells as they were strung, asking our students to find the number on the communication board—–they did an awesome job, we were so proud!!!!!

 

 

 

 

IMG_2939Time to rock out, our students LOVED shaking their tambourines……

TA sha la la DA 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Language Group

IMG_2856We used the same pictures of the people used in our book and  Boardmaker symbols for pictures of what each person could be associated with at school.  We taped the people on the left side and the picture symbols on the right side of a piece of board.

Using black yarn that was connected to each of the pictures of people, the students had to figure out what picture symbol went with which person.

This activity addresses the language access point of recognizing familiar persons and objects associated with routines.

 

 

 

 

IMG_2876For our students who needed more support to understand the concept, we used auditory scanning and had them answer yes or no or eye gaze to indicate their choice, for example “Does the music teacher use a bandaid? Does she use a paintbrush? Does she use musical instruments?”).

After finding the correct picture symbol, Cara modeled the PIXON symbols “she uses this” and had the students verbalize if they were able to or point in the correct order if they were unable to vocalize.

This addresses the language access point of communicating information about familiar persons, objects, or actions, using non-verbal expressions, gestures, signs, pictures, symbols, or words.

 

 

 

 

IMG_2867IMG_2858For some of our students with visual impairments and also for the students that do not have a great understanding of pictures yet, we used real objects, including: paintbrush for the art teacher, maraca for the music teacher, ball for PE teacher, stethoscope for nurse, play food for lunch lady, and a recording of bus sounds for bus driver.

This worked out SO great and made it more meaningful for ALL the students.

 

IMG_2634It was another great week and we had so much fun, join us next time…….Group by Group 🙂