Tag Archives: oobleck

Sep3

Making Our Year Magical

Posted on September 3, 2017 by jd785

Because our school is where magic happens every day, Disney was chosen as the school wide theme this year. Of course this is right up our alley and this week we went all out Disney with our activities! Our sensory groups explored boxes related to different characters. The fine motor groups made art projects with a Disney flair and the language group made a yummy treat you can buy when visiting Disney World.

SENSORY GROUP

This first box was filled with some Disney character figures, Mickey ears, a Minnie Mouse mirror box, and a magic wand. Lots of things to explore and discover in this box! Of course, the Mickey ears were particularly popular 🙂

The language access point communicate recognition of familiar persons or objects can be addressed with this activity.

The students had fun pressing Disney images into our Bippity Boppity Boo blue moon sand.

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

Our Prince Charming rice box contained some plastic knights in 2 different colors to match and sort. There was also a little horse and a picture of the prince to find at the bottom of the box.

Recognize 2 objects that are identical to each other is a math access point.

We put 2 stretchy toys to let the students practice being strong like Hercules! There was a soft starchy dog and a stretchy bug also vibrated when pulled apart——eliciting lots of giggles 🙂

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

Our Tinker Bell light box was a huge hit and very entrancing to the students. There were 3 strands of battery operated lights in the box so it REALLY eye catching!

Recognize a source of light is a science access point.

Pretty darn magical——–

if we do say so ourselves 🙂

The fairy dust discovery bottles were also very intriguing to the students. They loved watching the glitter swirling around. Both shaking and rolling the bottles produced similar results.

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

We put some fluorescent paint into our oobleck to make it MAGICAL this week. It really looked pretty awesome under the black light. We also added a little glitter for some extra sparkle!

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

Hands were rinsed in Ariel’s mermaid lagoon! Along with a little mermaid toy, we put in a measuring cup for scooping fun.

The math access point recognize differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids can be addressed with this activity.

Our scent for the water play and lotion this week was Bath and BodyWorks One Thousand Wishes. We are not sure exactly what a thousand wishes smells like but the name kind of fit with our theme so— we went with it 🙂

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday we made some Mickey Mouse ears using paper plates!

First we identified our paint color using communication symbols.

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

Then we counted our paper plates and identified the number 2.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Since we had two ears there was a lot of painting needed for this project, so we decided to use sponge brushes to get greater coverage.

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

We finished by stapling the “ears” onto black paper plates (bought at the dollar store) with the center section cut out.

M I C —– K E Y

M O U S E!!!!

On Wednesday we made some magic wands!

The students got to choose a craft foam star and then identified the color using communication symbols.

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

Then the students decorated their stars using an assortment of stickers and putting them DOWN onto their stars.Peeling the backing off those stickers is a great way to practice pincer grasp skills!

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

TA DA!!!

We going to make it a magical year!

LANGUAGE GROUP

This week, we made a cool treat that is actually sold in Disney World–a Pineapple Whip. Here is the recipe that we followed: Let_s Make a Disney World Pineapple Whip!

We started by pouring in a small can of pineapple juice followed by 3 tbsp of honey. We asked our students what we would use to measure out the honey: a tablespoon or a measuring cup.

Recognize differences in containers that hold liquids is a math access point.

We then added some frozen pineapple. Each student got to feel the bag. They conveyed whether it felt HOT or COLD. Recognize the temperature of items, such as food, as cool or warm is a science access point.

Then we added the pineapple and some Cool Whip topping.

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

Our students then had to turn on the food processor using a switch. Since it was a little runnier than it was supposed to be, we added some ice.

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

Once it was all blended and smooth, we counted out cups for each of our students——-7 cups for 7 students! Each student had to request a cup of Pineapple Whip and also a spoon if they wanted one.

YUMMMM!!!

The language access point adjust body movement or nonverbal expression with prompting as necessary to communicate wants and needs is addressed here.

This year truly is going to be magical!

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

May14

Sweet Treats

Posted on May 14, 2017 by jd785

Sweet Treats

Ms. Erika, one of our interns, loves candy and came up with this theme for us—–she did a pretty great job! Our sensory groups explored colorful, candy themed boxes. The fine motor groups made sweet art projects and the language group made a Sweet Treat of course!

SENSORY GROUP

Don’t you love how our dyed beans turned out—–so colorful and eye catching! They looked just like real jelly beans. We were a little concerned that our students would try to eat them but fortunately it did not turn out to be a problem 🙂 We put in 3 letter C’s for the students to find.

The math access point recognize two objects that are the same size or color can be addressed here.

Some candies are SOFT and others are HARD. In this box we put in a variety of items that were either hard or soft for our students to compare and contrast. There were lots of fun things for the students to explore and they really had a blast!

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

Watermelon Kool-aid made our play dough a PERFECT bubble gum pink—-it really looked like the real thing! The students used an oval shaped cookie cutter to cut out pieces of “gum”.

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

There were tons of colorful foam “circus” peanuts for the students to scoop and pour in this next eye catching box!

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

There were 2 different sized heart shaped cookie cutters in this box. The students used them to cut out Bubber “candy” hearts.

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

Cocoa powder was added to the oobleck this week to make “chocolate” syrup! It smelled REALL good and the students were quite fascinated with it.

The science access point track the movements of objects that are pushed or pulled can be addressed here.

Ms. Kim got us some packages of Mr. Bubble Magic Bath Crackles for our water play this week. These things were AWESOME—-like pop rocks on steroids. We could hear them crackling from across the room! Hard to photograph of course, but take our word for it—–this was cool 🙂

Recognize and respond to common sounds is a science access point.

Vanilla sugar scent from Bath and BodyWorks was the perfect scent for this week. Our students left the group smelling just like sweet treats themselves 🙂

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students made some “chocolate” donuts!

First they identified a circle using communication symbols.

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

Then they painted their “donuts” with glitter glue.

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

Time to add sprinkles!

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

Ta Da!!!!!!

These are SWEET!

On Wednesday the students made a bowl of candy using this: candy bowl template

First they identified the shape of our paper—–a rectangle!

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

Next they identified the shape of the candy—-a circle!

Again, the math access point Recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes, is addressed here.

Then they started stamping LOTS of colorful circles in their candy dishes. We used dollar store stamps with craft foam circles stuck to the bottom of the caps. They worked pretty well.

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

Ta DA!!!!

Time for some sweet treats!

LANGUAGE GROUP

This week, we made some treats with one of nature’s candies: blueberries! Here is the recipe that we used: Let_s Make Blueberry Delights

We started out by making vanilla pudding. Each of our students felt the bottle of milk and indicated on their communication board that it was COLD.

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

We PUT 2 cups of milk into a bowl and then added the white chocolate pudding mix. Before each item was poured into the bowl, the student helping had to indicate– either verbally, with sign, or with their communication board– that they wanted to help.

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

Each student got to help MIX the ingredients using a switch. Throughout, they had to indicate that the pudding had to be mixed MORE until it was all done.

Activate a device that uses electricity is a science access point.

Next, we added some blueberry pie filling to the pudding and STIRRED it around. Then we counted out fillo shells for each student and added 1 spoonful to each shell.

The science access point recognize changes in observable properties of materials can be addressed here. The math access point associate quantities with number names is also addressed.

Last, each student had to indicate whether or not they WANTed whipped cream or if they just wanted to get started eating their sweet treat 🙂

YUM!

We had a pretty SWEET time this week 🙂 Join us again for more fun and learning——Group by Group!

Apr30

Spring Fun

Posted on April 30, 2017 by jd785

Spring Fun

Spring brings lots of exciting events both in school and in the community. This made for a really fun theme this week! Our sensory groups explored boxes related to different events. The fine motor groups made decorations for the biggest spring event—–graduation! The language group led a fantastic spring parade and then had a party, with sweet treats 🙂

SENSORY GROUP

Spring break often means BEACH time around here! We put a little shovel and a measuring scoop in our play sand. The students had fun making sandcastles and finding shells in it.

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

The Rough Riders visit our school the day before the city’s Springtime parade. Not only do they wear cool costumes but they pass out beads and teddy bears to all the students—-how cool is that! There were some HARD beads and a SOFT teddy bear for the students to explore in this box.

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

The FSU marching chiefs visit is another spring highlight for our school. We filled this FSU box with shaker pompoms, beads, garland etc. all in the school’s colors. We also included a toy saxophone which was a big hit with the students!

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

The school talent show is always so much fun—-we have some pretty talented students and staff! To help get our students in the show biz spirit, we put in a variety of costume props but the feather boa and glasses were the hits here!

While trying on the props, the students can identify one or more external body parts—-a science access point.

Graduation is THE event in spring. This box contained rice in our school colors along with our school initials. There was also a picture of our soon to be graduates at the bottom of the box. Lots of opportunities for visual and tactile discrimination in this box!

The science access point apply a push to move an object can be addressed here.

Memorial Day brings about the end of school and the beginning of summer. We put blue and red glitter to make our patriotic oobleck. The swirling glitter looked pretty cool!

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

Our students love participating in all of the sports activities in Special Olympics and SportsAbility events. We put our paddle wheel toy in our water play as a nod to the ever popular paddle boat ride at SportsAbility. As usual, lots of splashy fun here!

The science access point recognize that when an activity is repeated, it has the same result, can be addressed here.

A lot of our spring events happen outside and outside events mean sunscreen! we went with coconut scented bath gel and body lotion this week. Coconut is a pretty strong scent, leaving the students smelling like a day at the beach!

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday the students made a garland to decorate the graduation festivities. We used craft foam stars purchased at the dollar store.

First the students used communication symbols to identify the color of the stars.

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

Then they squeezed glue onto the stars and added either a letter or number to their star—-either our school initials or 2-0-1-7!

Since they had to put these DOWN onto their stars, the math access point recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship is addressed.

Next the students added some sparkly blue glitter!

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

The students practiced their pincer grasp skills as they threaded some yarn through holes in the tops of the stars.

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

TA Da!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations class of 2017!

On Wednesday the students made decorations that highlighted each of our seniors. This time we used starts cut from yellow poster board.

First the students counted out 3 craft foam star stickers.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Peeling the backs off the stickers was a great opportunity to work on pincer grasp skills. They had to put their LITTLE stars onto their BIG star.

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

Then they added a picture of one of the graduates to their stars.

Recognize when 1 item has been added to sets of objects to 3, is a math access point.

To finish, the students pulled some shiny curling ribbon through a hole in the top of their stars.

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

TA DA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We love our seniors!!!!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We had such a great time celebrating spring this week during our language group! During the spring, we have a spring parade here in town, so we decided to mimic it with our OWN spring parade.

The language group dressed up in hats, tutus, and beads and we made our own parade floats using poster board that we attached to the front of the students in wheelchairs.

We had a special bubble blowing Grand Marshall, who was here for “Take your Child to work Day”, to lead the parade!

While we paraded through the elementary building, we handed out beads and bears to the parade goers.

Lots of fun and excitement!

Everybody LOVED their teddy bears!

They were a hit!

Once we made it through the parade route it was time for refreshments and socialization.

Each student had to use the symbol sentence strips provided in order to request what they wanted. There were different sentence strips for each of the items: ice cream, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, and punch. Our students had to indicate “I want ___” in order to receive the food/drink items.

Food is super motivating so everyone did a great job using their symbols!

The ice-cream was REALLY yummy 🙂

We had music on to dance to and what a dance it was!

Everybody showed off their best moves 🙂

There were lots of opportunities for communicating as students asked a partner to dance with them!

We LOVE to dance!!!

Of course, we can’t have a party here without the photo booth! Our students got to choose what they wanted to wear for the camera.

So many great pictures come from the photo booth!

Everyone had such a great time and we can’t wait to do it again 🙂

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

Apr9

Cinderella Monkey’s Birthday

Posted on April 9, 2017 by jd785

Cinderella Monkey’s Birthday

What do you get when suggested themes of monkeys, Cinderella, and birthdays are accidentally combined—–Cinderella Monkey’s Birthday—–of course 🙂 Once we finished laughing we figured birthday parties and animals make a perfect combination.

It was lots of fun to put together both the book and all our activities. The sensory groups explored party themed boxes, the fine motor groups made party related art projects, and the language group had a birthday party treat!

SENSORY GROUP

We filled this box with everything party including ribbons, bows, and a mylar balloon. There was some fun play food like cookies and soda. We even put in a replica of the party girl herself—-Cinderella Monkey 🙂

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

Since birthdays are all about how old you are, we put some numbers in our colorful rainbow rice. There was also a picture of a birthday cake to find underneath the box.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

This next party box was filled with lights and music. There were a variety of light toys and the Happy Birthday song recorded on a voice output device.

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

In our story, Lily Ladybug wants to give the birthday girl a hug. When the students gave our ladybug pillow a hug, it vibrated—–so much fun! This was definitely the favorite item this week 🙂

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

Colorful glitter helped make “funfetti” cloud dough. There were scoops and spoons for the students to use to make birthday cakes. Colorful dowels made for perfect candles.

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

We continued with the “funfetti” theme by adding confetti to our oobleck this week. Bright and shiny—-this stuff was irresistible!

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

There were a bunch of party animals in the water play this week 🙂 These fun bath toys were fun for the students to scoop out with our 2 different sized scoops.

Recognize differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids is a math access point.

Lemonade is the perfect party drink so we chose Bath and BodyWorks pink lemonade for our water and lotion this week. It was a nice sweet scent that the students really liked.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students wrapped presents—-sort of 🙂

First the students used communication symbols to identify a square. Our squares were cut from colorful wallpaper scraps.

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

Then the students cut 1 piece of paper into 2 pieces to make the ribbons for our present.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

The students glued their paper ribbons onto their presents—-one going “up and down” and the other going “across”.

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

A big bow for a finishing touch and….

……….Ta Da, Happy Birthday Cinderella Monkey!

On Wednesday the students made a birthday cake using this: cake template

First we identified the number 3 since that was how many candles we were going to put on the cake.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

What is a cake without frosting! The students decorated their cakes with homemade puffy paint (shaving cream and glue mixture).

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

A little glitter never hurts 🙂

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

Time to add the candles! We used these cool striped chenille stems that look a lot like real candles—-so cool!

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

Ta Da!

Time to eat cake!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We were back to cooking this week in the language group 🙂

This week we made Birthday Cake Milkshakes using this recipe: Let_s Make a Birthday Cake Milkshake

We started out by taking out the ice cream and letting everyone feel it. We talked about how it felt COLD. Some of our students didn’t really seem fazed by how cold it felt while others really didn’t like it.

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

Once we put the icecream in the blender, we POURed in the milk. Our students then helped us count out FOUR tablespoons of cake batter mix which we added.

The math access point recognize the quantity of a set of objects to 3 and add 1 more can be addressed here.

Our students took turns turning the blender ON using a wireless switch. Once it was nice and smooth, we added some colorful sprinkles. Again, our students helped us count out 4 tablespoons.

Once that was all mixed up, we counted out how many cups we needed and then poured the milkshake into each one. When it was time to put the whipped cream on, only a little bit was put in each cup and our students had to convey if they wanted MORE or if they were ALL DONE.

Indicate desire for more of an action or object or indicate desire for no more of an action or object are math access points.

YUM! It turned out great!

Birthdays are so much fun aren’t they 🙂 Join us again for for fun and learning—–Group by Group!

Mar5

Dr. Seuss

Posted on March 5, 2017 by jd785

Dr. Seuss

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! We celebrated his birthday this week for Read Across America! Our sensory groups explored colorful boxes inspired by Dr. Seuss books. The fine motor groups made Seuss inspired art projects and the language group made a yummy snack to finish off the week. It was tons of fun and everyone LOVED the book we made to go with this unit—–be sure to check it out!

SENSORY GROUP

This box was filled with lots of Seuss (or Seuss like) items including the ABC book and a fabulous hat! The base of the box was shredded paper—-because Dr. Seuss wrote books back when they were all paper!

The language access point attend to familiar literary forms (ex. picture books) can be addressed here.

The Grinch is one of our favorite characters! The students used green float to form their own Grinch figures using a plastic ornament and some hands from a play dough set. Ok so the Grinch didn’t have purple hands in the original story but we still think they worked pretty well 🙂

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

We used some sawdust as the base of our Zoo box. There were a variety of animals and a little zookeeper to help take care of them. In addition, we put a picture of a lion at the bottom of the box and asked the students to find the animal that was the same as the picture.

Match animals based on a given shared characteristic is a science access point that can be addressed here.

We thought our shaker pom poms kind of looked like the tops of Truffula trees! Colorful, eye catching and so much fun to shake! We haven’t brought these out for a while and the students were pretty excited to see them again!

The science access point distinguish between objects in motion and at rest can be addressed here.

The students also got a little goofy and had fun pretending to be Truffle trees by putting the pom poms on their heads.

Pretty fun stuff 🙂

The students found the letters A B and C in colorful pasta. We put in 2 of each letter so the students could match them. Of course, it was also fun to just put hands in too!

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

With a Dr. Seuss unit, you HAVE to have oobleck! Gooey, drippy, always fun!

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

There were 2 blue fish to find in our bubble filled water play. These fish were especially fun since they squirted water when squeezed—-there were lots of giggles with this 🙂

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

We used Bath and BodyWorks apple scented bath gel in our water play and again for our lotion this week. This was a perfect scent to help us remember all the fun we had this week and was a hit with the students.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday, the students made their own puff balls and became little Who’s to dance on them!

After discussing the circle shape of the puff ball and identifying it using communication symbols we mixed together shaving cream and glue.

The math access point recognize when an object or material is addressed here.

The students painted the mixture onto a purple circle. This thick gooey mixture dries like puffy paint—-so cool!

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

We added a little glitter and then each student put a cutout pictures of themselves to the puffball.

The math access point recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship, such as up and down, is addressed here.

Ta Da———- super cute!!!!!!

On Wednesday the students made a Horton inspired elephant!

First we discussed the shapes we were using and asked them to identify a circle using communication symbols.

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

The students cut their circles in half using a paper cutter addressing the science access point recognize that pushing or pulling an object makes it move.

Then we looked at how the 2 half circles could be put back together to make a circle.

The math access point recognize parts of common objects can be addressed here.

The elephant’s trunk started as a RECTANGLE which the students then folded an crumpled to give it some dimension!

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

Then the students began assembling their elephants—-a big circle face, 2 half circle ears, a rectangle trunk AND 2 big, round googlie eyes!

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

TA Da!

Some of Horton’s cute relatives!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We made an apple treat today in honor of the book 10 Apples up on Top. Here is the recipe that we used: lets-make-an-apple-delicious-dessert

We used Pixon communication boards throughout that had fringe vocabulary focusing on cooking.

We also used super large symbols such as the symbol “turn” when it was time to turn the page of our recipe book.

We started out by crushing up graham crackers using a rolling pin. We broke this part up between a couple of students, so after the first student crushed them a bit our students had to indicate that we needed to crush them up MORE.

Once the graham crackers were finished, we put them in a bowl and POURed melted butter on top. Our students helped STIR the ingredients together then we PRESSed them into a baking pan.

Next, we combined some whipped cream and cream cheese. Again, our students helped STIR the ingredients together. When finished, we SPREAD half of the mix over the graham crackers in the pan.

Then, we put some apple pie filling on top of the whipped cream mix! We ended up pureeing the apples since some of our students have special diets.

We finished it up by SPREADing the rest of the whipped cream mix on top of the apples and sprinkling some graham crackers on top.

Our delicious apple dessert was a hit——–YUM!!!!!

We all had a blast this week! Join us again next time for more fun——– 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!

Oct30

The Brothers Grimm

Posted on October 30, 2016 by jd785

The Brothers Grimm

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

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

SENSORY GROUP

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

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

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

Track a falling object is a science access point.

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

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

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

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

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

How could we resist 🙂

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

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

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

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

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

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

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

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

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students made some pretty cute Cinderella carriages.

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

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

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

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

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

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

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

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

Ta DA!

Let’s go to the ball!

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

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

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

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

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

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

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

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

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

Ta Da!

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

LANGUAGE GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

Next, we added some fresh parsley.

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

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

The students really liked using the food processor 🙂

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

YUM!

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

Oct2

Opposites

Posted on October 2, 2016 by jd785

Opposites

We had a lot of fun putting this unit together and the students really loved seeing their friends in the book. The sensory group explored boxes filled with opposites. The fine motor groups made art projects that explored texture differences and the language group performed experiments!

SENSORY GROUP

This first box was filled with ROUGH AND SMOOTH textures including plastic spaghetti strands, bath scrubbers, container lids, and beads.

Lots and lots to touch and explore.

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

BIG and LITTLE was the theme of this box. A box filled with balls—-what could be more fun than that 🙂

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

Our discovery bottles were filled with beads that floated UP and DOWN as the bottles were shaken or turned.

The math access point recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship, such as up and down, is addressed here.

LIGHT and DARK were explored with our light box. Our students really love lights, and the colorful ones we put in this shoebox were especially attractive.

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

Our students pushed HARD cookie cutters into the SOFT playdough. As a bonus, the cookie cutters were also opposites—-ANIMAL and PLANT!

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

Students practiced scooping IN and OUT in the purple bean box. White beans are really easy to dye using food coloring and they turn out really eye catching!

The math access point solve simple problems involving putting together and taking apart small quantities of objects can be addressed here.

Oobleck kind of IS an opposite—-it is both a LIQUID and a SOLID! We added some confetti to give it some extra visual appeal. Sparkly, floaty, messy, and fun—–he students had an absolute blast:)

The science access point track objects that fall to the ground can be addressed here.

Hands got WET as the oobleck was washed off hands. We added some SINK or FLOAT objects for fun experimentation.

Recognize one way people use water is a science access point that can be addressed here.

After hands were DRY, it was time for lotion. It wasn’t easy coming up with a scent for a theme about opposites! We decided to use Bath and BodyWorks pink lemonade scent since the name has pink but the lotion is yellow—-not exactly opposites but close enough for us 🙂

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our fine motor group used sand to make their SMOOTH paint feel ROUGH!

First we identified the color of our paint—-we used a bright, eye catching PINK!

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

Next the students used brushes to spread the paint around their paper. We used black paper so our pink paint would really pop!

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

Then the students shook some pink sand onto the paint to add texture. Our sand was really fine and came out of our spice container quite fast! Suffice to say, the table ended up with plenty of sand too 🙂

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

The science access point track objects falling to the ground can also be addressed 🙂

Ta DA!

It can’t really be seen in the photo but these did turn out pretty cool.

On Wednesday our fine motor group we made FLAT arrows BUMPY using tissue paper.

We started by discussing the color of the arrow and used communication symbols to identify it.

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

Then the students tore and crumpled tissue paper into little pieces. They dipped the paper balls into glue and pressed them down onto their arrows—-lots of pincer grasp practice here!

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

Next they squeezed glue onto the back of the arrow and patted it down onto a piece of orange paper.

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

TA DA—-

we are going in the right direction!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We did 2 different activities that looked at opposites. Our first activity was about things that SINK and things the FLOAT.

We got 6 different objects. Our first job was to make a prediction if we thought the objects would sink or float. We talked about how things that are HEAVY tend to sink while things that are LIGHT tend to float. Each student got a chance to hold an object and predict if it would float or sink.

Our predictions resulted in everyone believing that all of the objects would float!

Observe and recognize a predictable cause-effect relationship related to a science topic, is a science access point.

Now to put them to the test. Each student got to put an object into a tub of water. We looked to see if they sank UNDER the water or if they stayed ON top of the water.

We found that we were 50% correct in our predictions. 3 of the objects did float; however, the other 3 sank.

Our next activity focused on WET and DRY. For this we used “Squand” which is made by RoseArt. Our students got to POUR some of the Squand into a bin of water. They saw that the sand went from being DRY to getting WET in the water.

We found that when we pulled the sand out of the water, it was DRY once again!

Such a cool activity and very impressive to both the students and the adults—we were all completely fascinated! This stuff is the COOLEST!

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

Sep18

Video Games

Posted on September 18, 2016 by jd785

Video Games

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

SENSORY GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Did we mention our students REALLY liked the lights 🙂

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

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

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

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

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

This scent was a real hit!

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ta Wakka Wakka Da

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ta Da!

Some not so angry birds.

LANGUAGE GROUP

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

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

LEVEL 1 COMPLETE!

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

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

LEVEL 3 COMPLETE!

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