Tag Archives: science

Jan13

New Years Around the World

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New Years Around the World

IMG_9613Happy New Year! We all had a wonderful and restful winter break, coming back ready to greet the new year with some exciting and new group activities.  For our first week back, we thought it would be fun to look at New Years traditions around the world—-there sure are a lot of different ones 🙂 Hope you enjoy seeing all the fun we had learning about them!

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

IMG_9639IMG_9450At the stroke of midnight around the world, confetti is tossed into the air! Our first box was filled with paper confetti, a clock, crazy glasses,  and noise makers.  We also included a glitter tube—-we thought the glitter looked like falling confetti. The voice output device in the box contained a clip of the countdown and people singing Auld Lang Syne. A peace sign was included to remind us that world peace is one of the things people hope for in the new year.

Also in the box was a toy suitcase because in Mexico people take a piece of luggage and run around the block; round play fruit—people in the Philippines eat round fruit for luck, and a toy plate because people throw plates at doors in Denmark—-all fun new years traditions!

IMG_9677There were so many different items to discover! It was fun seeing which items turned out to be favorites as little hands dug in and pulled out contents—-leaving trails of confetti across the table….and laps….and floor. We like to leave memories of our visit 🙂

Our students loved trying on the glasses, grabbing handfuls of confetti, and OF COURSE the noise makers! This was a really fun box!

The social studies access point of associating a celebration with an event is addressed in this and all our other boxes.

The science access point of applying a push or pull to move an object is also addressed.

 

 

 

IMG_9498Here in the South, eating black eyed peas on New Years day is an annual tradition. Our students loved running their hands through the peas or seeing how many scoops it took to fill their hands.

In addition to practicing scooping skills, the math access point recognizing when an object is added is addressed.

The math access point of solving problems involving small quantities of objects or action using language, such as enough, too much, or more is also addressed.

Don’t you just love the intent look of concentration on this students face 🙂

 

 

 

 

IMG_9745Our soft, crumbly cloud dough reminded us of the Armenian bread that is baked for good luck. Now that sounds like a very yummy tradition!

Cookie cutters with the numbers 2014 were included for the students to stamp impressions into the cloud dough.

In addition to number recognition, the science access point recognizing a change in an object is addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_9711IMG_9747In Spain they eat 12 grapes to celebrate the new year—one for each stroke of the clock at midnight.

We filled our “grape” box with big, soft, purple pom poms and small, hard purple beads. This box was so vibrant and colorful, really quite pretty!

The science access point of recognizing 2 objects that are identical to each other can be addressed with this box—-that is if you can pull the students attention away from those fabulous purple beads 🙂

 

 

 

IMG_9491Our light up toys flashed bright colorful lights just like fireworks that light up the skies during new year celebrations. We included 2 different kinds of light toys. Some of them were activated when struck, others when a button was pushed.

Some of our students preferred one toy over the other, others like this student here demonstrated some nice bilateral coordination using both at the same time!

Applying a push to move an object and recognizing sources of light are science access points addressed in this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_9683Speaking of fireworks—what could be more fun than firecracker oobleck! We added pop rocks to our oobleck for super popping fun. Ok, this is totally cool and fascinating—-a must try!

Tracking the movement of objects that are pushed or pulled is a science access point addressed here.

The science access point recognizing and responding to different types of sensory stimuli is also addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_9779In Scotland they waft the scent of juniper around the house to rid it of any germs! Lucky for us we found some Juniper Breeze bath gel at Bath and Bodyworks! Made it pretty easy to decide the scent for this week 🙂

We included a couple of measuring cups with our water play to address the math access point recognizing differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_9514The Juniper Breeze scent had a nice soft aroma and our students all seemed to really like it. They all anticipated their turn to smell the lotion and the students are getting very good at indicating on which body part they want the lotion.

The science access points recognizing and responding to one type of sensory stimuli and recognizing one or more external body parts are addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_9793IMG_9726We finished the group with fireworks—-of the bubble wrap kind that is! This is a great time of year to find scraps of bubble wrap and our coworkers gave us plenty of donations. We just laid pieces on the floor and had our students run, stomp, or roll over it. It really does sound like firecrackers, especially when the wheelchairs rolled over it.

The kids totally had a blast and yes——- so did the adults 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

IMG_9545On Tuesday we made fireworks pictures! We started by discussing the different colors of paint we were going to use and asked the students to identify the colors using the communication symbols. The students have been doing so well when given a choice of 2, that we decided to make it a little harder by giving them 3 choices. This also helps prepare them for the alternate assessment which is in a 3 answer choice format.

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

 

 

 

 

IMG_9560We counted out pieces of black paper, noting that it was a rectangle and also counting how many sides it had. Recognizing objects with 2 dimensional shapes and identifying the sides of a rectangle are math access points.

Then we began stamping our fireworks. The stamper is a toilet paper roll with slits cut into it (we saw this idea on Pinterest). The paint colors popped on the black paper and our students really got into it!

Applying a push or pull to move an object is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

IMG_9813IMG_9824After reading Cara’s book, we worked on putting the months of the year in the correct order.  The chart that we used had a picture for each month in case the student needed a visual prompt to match the word to.

Each student was given 3 different months to choose from when it was their turn.  The months presented were read aloud to the student and they chose which month was the correct month.  If they were unable to find the correct month with just auditory feedback, they could use the picture signifying the month as a visual prompt.

 

 

 

IMG_9817We had such a high success rate with this activity!  The students in Mrs. Robin’s class know their months of the year well.  Rote learning had taught them the order of the months and since Mrs. Robin goes over the months of the year each day in her class, these students were able to put the months in order with minimal prompting.  So cool!

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_9846IMG_9833After putting the months of the year together, we got the number chart out and began the New Years countdown. We gave our students noise makers, crazy glasses, party hats and…..of course we pulled out the bubble wrap again!!!!

 

 

 

IMG_9890                                                                        10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

This week was so much fun, keep following us, there are so many more exciting things to learn and discover—-Group by Group!

Dec15

Christmas Traditions

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Christmas Traditions

IMG_9092It was a busy week with a special program affecting our group schedule a little but we still had fun exploring our Christmas Traditions theme!  Cara used pictures submitted by staff members for her book and our students really enjoyed looking at the pictures and labeling things they saw—-such as the Christmas tree and Santa Claus. Our sensory boxes were bright and colorful with lots of Christmas related items to explore. The fine motor group had two cute projects and the language group went on a Christmas parade!

 

 

 

Sensory Group

IMG_9058Colorful lights are a Christmas tradition that we find decorating trees and houses. We  put 2 sets of colorful battery operated lights and some shiny garland in this box. The garland reflected the lights and made the box even more eye catching—–and mesmerizing 🙂

This one was a favorite!

This addresses the science access point recognizing sources of light.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8848IMG_8877This box was filled with plastic pine branches and holly leaves. We also put in some red garland, shiny beads, and a little Christmas stocking. All sorts of fun textures and items to explore! Of course, we had to include a couple of Santas, a little elf, a wrapped present, a nutcracker, and some jingle bells—all traditional Christmas symbols.

We also included a voice output device with the song Jingle Bells—-it got played ALOT 🙂

Science access points addressed include recognizing common objects related to science by name, such as plant and recognizing a model of a real object.

This activity also addresses the social studies access point, associating a celebration with an event, such as a holiday.

 

 

 

IMG_9018Red and green are considered Christmas colors. We put shiny, hard beads and soft, round pom poms in this box.

Lots of opportunities to compare and contrast materials. It addresses the science access point identifying common objects by one observable property, such as color. It also addresses the science access point recognizing two objects that are identical to each other.

The math access point recognizing a 3 dimensional object (sphere) is also addressed.

 

 

 

 

IMG_8868Red and green are also the colors of our rice box—-red rice and green split peas! Wow, this was such a pretty  box—so eye catching! Hidden in the box were 3 letter C’s to find. We also taped some Christmas tree wrapping paper to the bottom of the box—-a fun picture to find as the rice was pushed aside.

In addition to tactile and visual discrimination skills, the science access point of applying a push to move an object is addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_9068A giant Christmas tree cookie cutter was used with our peppermint scented green playdough. Although is smelled pretty yummy, our students did a really good job of refraining from tasting it!

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

As more than 1 tree is formed, the science access point recognizing two objects that are identical to each other is also addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8825IMG_9065We swirled red food coloring into our “candy cane” oobleck. It turned out pretty cool—starting out with swirling color and ending up a delightful pink!

As usual, our students loved playing with it—oobleck is simply amazing stuff 🙂

The science access points recognizing a change in an object and recognizing that pushing and pulling an object makes it move are addressed here.

 

 

 

IMG_9039IMG_8895This week, we found our scent at Joann’s—-Gingerbread!

We used the water to rinse the oobleck off our hands AND address the science access point recognizing water as a liquid.

As well as the science access point observing and recognizing that people need water —to clean off oobeck, of course 🙂

The matching lotion smelled very yummy and after the students had smelled the lotion, we asked them which body part they wanted the lotion rubbed on. This scent was a real hit, ALL our students loved it!

This activity addresses the science access point recognizing external body parts and the language access point communicating a preference for a familiar action.

 

 

 

Fine Motor Group

IMG_8923On Tuesday we made some super cool reindeer using floor puzzle pieces. We have done this before and we liked them so much, we decided to do it again! Our super volunteer, Sarah, glued the pieces together for us.

We started by using our sponge brushes to paint the reindeer brown.

Recognizing a change in a object is addressed as the white puzzle pieces become brown.

 

 

 

 

IMG_8949 IMG_8951Next we asked our students to find their eyes, then put 2 round googlie eyes on their reindeer. Placing the googlie eyes helps to promote pincer grasp skills.

It also addresses the science access point recognizing external body parts.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8948IMG_8975Rudolph needs a bright shiny red nose, of course! We added a cute pompom noses after asking the students to find their own nose.

Again, this activity addresses pincer grasp skills and identifying external body parts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8990Our students were thrilled with their reindeer!

Time to run, run Rudolph—-

TaDA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday, our students turned into little elves!

IMG_9188We started by discussing the color of the paper we were going to use. Our students did a great job of finding the color green. We were so excited when we realized that everyone had answered correctly!

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

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_9226IMG_9211Then we used our paper cutters and electric scissors to turn our green rectangles into triangles!

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

The math access point recognizing 2 dimensional shapes is also addressed.

 

 

 

 

IMG_9279Time to add some decorations—working on pincer grasp and eye hand coordination skills!

Of course, we counted each decoration as it was added to the hat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We glued the hat onto our pre-made faces, made from paper plates (thanks again Sarah!).

IMG_9241IMG_9250IMG_9275Elves ready and reporting to work 🙂

IMG_9289IMG_9307                                           HO HO HO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Language Group

IMG_9099After reading Cara’s book, we made Christmas cards for the other elementary classes.  The students got to pick what they wanted on the front of the cards by activating the All-Turn-It spinner.  The pictures on the spinner were: Christmas tree, Santa Claus, bells, angel, reindeer, snowman, and an elf.

Our students did so well watching the spinner and they are also learning not to hit the switch but to push it to activate it.

The language access point, use technology resources to support learning is addressed here.

 

 

 

IMG_9139After finishing up the cards, we dressed our students up with different Christmas props.  We let them look in the mirror to see themselves which is always fun to do.  The different props we had coincided with the different pictures that were on the spinner.  We talked about putting things “on” and trying not to take them “off”.

Responding to specific information about familiar objects and routines is a language access point addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_9133We also made sure everyone had some jingle bells 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_9160IMG_9143Time for a Christmas parade!  We went over who was “first” and who was “last” then we turned on some Christmas music, rang bells, and paraded through the halls to deliver the cards.  SO FUN!

Surprisingly, the props stayed on our students the entire time!  The students in the other classrooms loved watching our language group parade around their room!

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

Responding to familiar persons is a language access point addressed.

 

 

 

IMG_9171It’s been a great celebration these past 2 weeks, but now we’re all ready for a break!  Since next week there are only 2 full days of school, we decided not to have groups.  We’ll see you in 2014 with some more fun Group by Group!

Dec8

Hanukkah

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Hanukkah

IMG_8350This month the Unique Curriculum unit looks at some different holidays celebrated in the winter. Hanukkah is one of the holidays that our students are learning about so we chose it for our theme this week and  Cara wrote another great book that all the groups enjoyed! The social studies access point addressed in this unit is recognizing that people from diverse backgrounds make contributions.

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

IMG_8256IMG_8506Our first box was filled with blue and silver basket filler, curling ribbon, garland, and chenille strands. In it we placed some dreidels, pictures of Hanukkah related items, and stars. We included some gold bead gelt and some play food donuts! Lots of wonderful textures and shapes to explore!

Some of our students had fun trying to make the dreidels spin, while others loved shaking the colorful textured strands.

 

 

 

IMG_8535They all had fun listening and dancing to the dreidel song that played when the voice output device we had included in the box was pressed!

This box addresses the language access point responding to new vocabulary that is introduced and taught directly.

It also addresses the social studies access point associating a celebration with an event, such as a holiday.

And finally, it also addresses the science access point recognizing and responding to common sounds.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8228We put 2 different size stars and a dreidel cookie cutter in our blue moon sand. This moon sand has a great texture, it’s easy to push the cookie cutters into but still firm enough to hold the shape.

This box addresses the science access point recognizing that pushing and pulling an object makes it move.

It also addresses the math access points of recognizing differences in size of objects and associating quantities with number names.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8261IMG_8496Since Hanukkah takes place in the winter, we had to include our blue cuddly pom pom yarn in our next box! So much fun to drape or shake…..

some of our students really had a blast with it 🙂

It  addresses the science access points identifying common objects by one observable property, in this case the color blue and tracking objects in motion!

 

 

 

 

IMG_8487IMG_8428Our waxy Wikki Stix feel just like candles, which are lit for 8 nights during Hanukkah. Our students had fun twisting and bending them into different shapes.

We also included a discovery bottle filled with cooking oil and gold glitter, like little flames dancing around.

This bottle turned out so fabulous with all the gold glitter swirling around—- seriously COOL!

The science access points addressed are applying a push to move an object and recognize the change in the motion of an object.

 

 

 

IMG_8243Potato latkes are often served during Hanukkah celebrations. We just love the interesting soft, crunchy texture that is kind of irresistible. We hid the letter H and the number 8 in the potato flakes for our students to find.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8398Donuts are another treat eaten during Hanukkah—- so we used shaving cream which is KIND  OF  like the cream inside of a real donut 🙂

The science access point recognizing that pushing and pulling an object makes it move is addressed as our students push and smush the cream around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8524We rinsed our hands in some vanilla sugar scented water and used different size spoons to practice scooping….of course, taking some time out to do a little splashing around also 🙂

Using the different size scoops in the water addresses the math access point recognizing differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8446Then we used the vanilla sugar scented lotion to leave the group smelling like yummy donuts! The science access point recognizing and responding to one type of sensory stimuli is addressed with the lotion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

IMG_8301IMG_8288On Tuesday we learned about dreidels and made one for our art project! We started by using our paper cutters and switch adapted electric scissors to cut out the 4 symbols used on a dreidel. We found the symbols online and enlarged them on our copier.

We counted the symbols as they were cut, addressing the math access point associating quantities with number names.

 

 

 

 

IMG_8314Then we glued 1 symbol on each side of our blue cube. Thanks again to our wonderful volunteer Sarah who covered and assembled these boxes. We also want to thank Noah who cut the dowels for us—-couldn’t have done it without them!

We discussed the shape of the boxes and the paper color.

Recognizing common 3 dimensional objects, such as cubes, is a math access point addressed here. A science access point addressed is recognizing objects by one observable property such as color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8337IMG_8355Ta Da—check out these GIANT dreidels—— AWESOME?!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Thursday, we continued with a dreidel theme, decorating a dreidel shape cut from cereal boxes (thanks to our volunteer Mackenzie!)

IMG_8650IMG_8651We started by discussing the paint colors we were going to use and used our communication symbols to see if our students could identify the color blue.

IMG_8652Identifying common objects by one observable property, such as color……

                                                                                           NAILED!!!!! 🙂

 

 

 

IMG_8707IMG_8686Next we used a textured roller to paint our dreidel. Using the roller is a fun way to work on bilateral coordination!

It also addresses the science access point of applying a push to move an object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8657Then we continued to decorate the dreidel using some sponge stamps dipped in blue paint.

Painting the dreidel addresses the science access point recognizing a change in an object.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8679We finished by adding some glitter—-for a little bit of sparkle 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8727IMG_8665TA DA!

Another fabulous dreidel….

AND some fabulous smiles!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

IMG_8614As with all the groups, we started off by reading Cara’s book.  Our students are getting so good at attending to the book and activating the voice output when it’s their turn! Responding to a technology resource is a language access point.

For our activity, we decided to play dreidel with our students.  Of course, they had to start with some chocolate gelt so we counted out 3 pieces for each student.  Then we asked students to put one piece of gelt into the pot to start the game.

 

 

 

 

IMG_8609IMG_8623Since it can be pretty hard to get the dreidel spinning, we adapted it for our students by printing out pictures of each side of the dreidel and taping 2 of each onto an All Turn It spinner.

The students took turns pressing the switch to activate the spinner.  It was exciting for them to see what they got!  The sides and meanings are: Shin-put one more token in the pot, Nun-do nothing, Gimmel-take all the tokens from the pot, and Hay-take half of the tokens in the pot.  This was a great game for following directions and turn taking!

 

 

 

 

IMG_8583It was so much fun and the gelt was very yummy!

It also addresses the language access point of attending to pictures or informational materials. It also addresses the science access points recognizing when objects have been added to or taken away from a situation.

The students had several chances to use their counting skills as well—-addressing the math access point associating quantities with number names.

 

 

 

 

IMG_8633After the game, we decided to put on some music—– since this class has so many talented dancers 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8532Join us again next week and we will continue learning about winter celebrations, Group by Group!

Nov24

Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving

IMG_7921It’s turkey time around here! Cara’s book explored directional concepts and our students had fun putting a stuffed turkey in the different positions from the book. We explored a variety of Thanksgiving related items in our sensory groups. We made cute little turkeys in the fine motor group and our language group went on a turkey hunt!

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

 

 

 

Sensory Group

IMG_7926IMG_8046This first box was filled with Thanksgiving related items nestled in the silk fall leaves, gourds and pine cones. There were some dimensional felt pilgrims and a discovery bottle with beads to remind us of the Wampanoag tribe of native americans who feasted at the first Thanksgiving.

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

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

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

 

 

 

 

IMG_7806Corn was one of the items on the first Thanksgiving menu! We put in some play food to find and hide again in the popcorn kernels. One of the cobs actually could be broken apart into 2 pieces and then put back together—-great for bilateral coordination!

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7945Our next box contained turkey feathers (a brown feather boa). This was fun to wrap around, wave in the air or just TOUCH—oh so soft!

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

IMG_7811Of course, some of our students got quite creative—deciding our little stuffed turkey needed some more feathers 🙂

Just too cute!!!

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

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7800IMG_8022There are lots of big football games coming up around Thanksgiving and we have lots of fans around here! We included a variety of colors in this pom pom shaker box so everyone could cheer for their favorite team!

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

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

 

 

 

 

IMG_7794We made some pumpkin pie scented playdough this week. Hmmm, it had such a wonderful aroma!

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8010 OR being stuffed with it 🙂

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

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

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

 

 

 

 

IMG_7925IMG_7981Pumpkin pie needs some whipped cream! Shaving cream made a perfect stand in and as usual, our students had a great time squishing, smooshing—technical terms 🙂 —it about.

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

 

 

 

IMG_7783Cinnamon pumpkin scented bath gel from Bath and Bodyworks made our rinsing water smell just delicious! Our students had fun playing with the different sized measuring cups.

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

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7820The cinnamon pumpkin scented lotion left our students smelling like yummy pumpkin pies!

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fine Motor Group

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

IMG_7840IMG_7852Then we decorated the feathers using a variety of colorful markers. These fat markers are nice because they can be gripped at the top which is easier for some of our students. For our students with physical disabilities we used Joy’s adapted switch toy—-always a huge hit!

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

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

 

 

 

IMG_7871Next we glued down a toilet paper roll…..

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

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7889                                                                  TA gobble, gobble DA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

IMG_8117We started by showing our students a bottle of brown paint and asking them to show us the color brown on the communication board. They did a great job!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

IMG_8138IMG_8130Then we proceeded to paint the ship. We mostly used a variety of fat handled brushes to get the job done. A brush taped to a paint stick made for an excellent adaptation.

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

 

 

 

IMG_8159When the ship was painted we added a sail and some pilgrims and native americans (thanks to Sarah, our volunteer, for making them for us)! We added both students and staff faces to the figures—our students were pretty tickled with them.

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

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

 

 

Language Group

IMG_8068IMG_8075After reading Cara’s book we had our own turkey hunt! Cara made clues and hid laminated pictures of turkeys around the room.

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

 

 

 

 

IMG_8094The last turkey was outside the door and BESIDE a tree located in the hallway.  Lo and behold, the turkey brought a snack with him so that he wouldn’t be eaten!

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

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_8101The students enjoyed the cheeseballs and didn’t seem to mind that they weren’t getting a turkey dinner.  We let the students request how many they wanted to eat by indicating on a number board if they wanted 1, 2, or 3. Our student with a visual impairment used a number stick to select his choice.

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

 

 

 

IMG_8111IMG_8115Yum! Even our turkey joined the feast 🙂

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

Nov17

Rainbow

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Rainbow

IMG_7681It was all about COLOR with our rainbow theme this week! Our sensory boxes were so vibrant—just beautiful. Due to a special school activity our fine motor group only had one art project but it turned out pretty fabulous. Our language group had a blast making rainbow toast! All the students enjoyed Cara’s book, in each classroom we discussed the colorful objects on each page and looked around the room to find people wearing the different colors.

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

IMG_7400IMG_7436Our primary color boxes were filled with a variety of textures and objects. Lots of things to look at and touch!

There were things to shake….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7519Pull apart…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7467IMG_7420Explore and discover!

All our boxes addressed the science access point identifying objects by one observable property—-color 🙂

IMG_7489Individual items addressed the science access points applying a push or pull to move an object, tracking objects in motion, and recognizing common objects in the natural world through observation.

IMG_7545Purple Bubber filled this box. We have extolled the virtues of this stuff before but we can’t sing its praises enough. It’s so soft and squishy but dry—you just have to keep touching it!

We included a letter R (for rainbow) cookie cutter. While making letters the science access point applying a push to move an object is addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7497It took a couple of hours to dye our pasta this nice vibrant orange but it was totally worth it. There was also a definite auditory component as the pasta trickled off fingers or was swirled around.

We included 3 orange items to find in the pasta. The items differed in size and shape from the pasta making it especially interesting to our students with visual impairments.

This box addresses both visual and tactile discrimination.

The science access point using senses to recognize objects is addressed here.

The math access point associating quantities with number names is also addressed.

 

 

 

IMG_7403We used dried split peas for our green box with a little scoop and also 3 green items to find—-including a Yoda figure which our students found pretty intriguing!

These peas feel so soft as fingers are run through them—very relaxing!

Responding to new vocabulary that is introduced is a language access point that can be addressed here. After all, it’s important that our students know their Star Wars characters 🙂

 

 

 

IMG_7594Finally, what do you get when you put all the colors together? A rainbow of course 🙂 We had to include our rainbow rice in this unit!

There were 3 letter R’s to find and a colorful rainbow picture taped to the bottom of the box.

Applying a push or pull to move an object is the science access point addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7516We finished with Rain kissed Leaves lotion from Bath and Bodyworks—without rain you wouldn’t have any rainbows 🙂

A nice soft aroma and a fitting scent to remember  all the colorful fun we had!

It also addressed the science access point recognizing and responding to one type of sensory stimuli.

 

 

 

 

 

Fine Motor Group

IMG_7708These book dividers were cast offs from the media center—-score! We hot glued them to some dollar store sponges to adapt them for our students. Sometimes it does pay to be a hoarder 🙂

We used them to make sponge painted rainbows seen on the Teaching 2 and 3 year olds blog.

 

 

IMG_7673First we counted out pieces of rectangular paper (counting all four sides) and then practiced writing our names.

Recognizing the sides of a rectangle and recognizing objects with 2 dimensional shapes are math access points.

We pressed our sponges onto the paint trays and then slid them across the paper.

Applying a push or pull to move an object is a science access point.

 

 

IMG_7691IMG_7701It was kind of magical how the rainbows appeared. Our students were pretty excited about their projects—

Ta DA!

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

 

 

 

 

Language Group

IMG_7603This week, we decided that it would be fun to make something edible—-food is always fun 🙂  Cara typed out directions for making rainbow bread, using a recipe found on food.com.

Recognizing the next step in a simple pattern or sequence of activities is a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7615We started out by pouring sweetened condensed milk into 6 clear plastic cups.  Then, we went around the table and the let students pick out which color they wanted to add to the milk using a color board made with Boardmaker symbols.  They used food coloring  to add the colors.  We discussed the fact that 2 colors were needed  to make purple or orange.

Effectively communicating information, wants, and needs using pictures, symbols, or gestures is a language access point addressed here.

 

 

 

IMG_7641Next, we mixed the colors into the sweetened condensed milk.  This was fun!  Each student got their own cup and watched how the colors changed.

The science access points applying a push or pull to move an object and recognizing a change in an object are addressed in this activity.

We counted out the bread and the plates.  The students then used the paintbrushes to “paint” the colors onto their bread.  The colors looked so vibrant on the bread!  Very cool.

 

 

 

IMG_7656IMG_7662After painting the bread, we toasted it and then got to enjoy the goodness!  YUM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_7482Such a fun, colorful week we had! Be sure to join us again next week where there will be more fun things to discover and learn about—-Group by Group!

Nov10

Jukebox

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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!

Nov4

Things that go Bump in the Night

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Things that go Bump in the Night

IMG_6512This week we explored things we imagine might be out there to scare us when its dark at night! It seemed an appropriate topic for this time of year 🙂 Our sensory items had a really high contrast of light and dark which was very visually appealing to our students. The fine motor group had a great time making some spooky art projects. The language group students used adjectives to compare items. We also made it fun by turning off the lights while reading our book in all our groups.

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

IMG_6369This first box was filled with black paper shred and assorted creepy crawlies! Some of the critters were black so they were hidden really well. Others were brightly colored and could be easily spotted. We also threw in some fun fur for an added textural component.

Our students explored the box in different ways, some sifted through the paper while others……..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6366had a different approach…….. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6452The most popular item in the box was the little vibrating spider toy. Pulling it’s string was perfect for addressing bilateral coordination!

Visual and tactile discrimination skills are also addressed here.

The science access point of recognizing common objects related to science by name was addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6166Battery operated orange lights (found at Walmart) made for perfect glowing eyes peeking out from garland. We kept these in the box to add to the effect—our students were fascinated!

Recognizing sources of light is the science access point addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6530We used our green Floam and some Mr. Potato Head features to make our own aliens. This purchased Floam has a wonderful easily moldable texture that made it perfect for making silly alien creatures while working on bilateral coordination and hand intrinsic functions!

The science access point recognizing external body parts is addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6188The letters B O O could be found in our black bean and orange rice box. This is one of our favorite rice boxes—-so colorful and eye catching! So much fun to sift and run fingers through.

For added interest, we taped a picture of a jack o lantern to the bottom of the box.

Visual and tactile discrimination is again addressed as well as literacy skills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6521Black shadows can certainly make you jump! We made ours by bringing back our pirate playdough from a few weeks ago along with bat and cat cookie cutters. The black glitter we added to the playdough gave it an added shimmer which we loved and it really contrasted with the bright orange cookie cutters. Again, a terrific substance to squish and pound.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6218Glowing purple ooze (oobleck with purple tinted tonic water) looked pretty fabulous under our black light!

We added some pop rocks candy (we were inspired by the folks on the Growing a Jeweled Rose blog who added it to finger paint) and our ooze became pretty spectacular—-think rice krispie cereal on steroids! Not sure who was more impressed, the students or the adults 🙂

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6358IMG_6240We used Bath and Bodyworks Twilight woods scent to finish. In our water play we had 2 different size measuring cups for scooping and pouring fun—-and addressing the math access point of recognizing differences in sizes of containers that hold liquids.

The lotion has a light soft scent—not scary at all 🙂 and our students really liked it.

The science access point recognizing and responding to different types of sensory stimuli is addressed with both these activities.

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR

IMG_6244On Tuesday we made some mummies! We started by talking about the color of out mummy (black) and the color of our paint (white). All of our students correctly picked the colors we asked them to identify. Oh yes we were proud!!

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

The language access point communicating information about objects using non-verbal expressions, gestures/signs, pictures, symbols, or words is also addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6276To begin our art activity we put our mummy IN a clear lidded  box. Then we scooped out marbles covered in white paint, counting as we dropped them 1 at a time into the box.

This is a fun way to work on eye hand coordination and scooping skills!

This also addresses the math access points of associating quantities with number names AND recognizing common three-dimensional objects, such as balls (spheres).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6294Then we closed the lid and…..shake shake shake!

Totally fun way to address the science access points of applying a push or pull to move an object and tracking objects in motion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6268We opened the lid and took our mummy OUT of the box and added 2 googlie eyes—giving us a chance to practice pincer grasp skills.

This activity addresses the math access point associating quantities 1 and 2 with number names.

It also addresses the science access point recognizing a change in the appearance of an object or material.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6320Hmm, lets check this out——-

—yep, he’s pretty cool!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6639For our art activity on Thursday we made great big eyeballs! We started by comparing the different size circles and asked our students to show us the big one.

Recognizing common objects with 2 dimensional shapes, such as a circle is a math access point.

Recognizing the larger of two objects is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6653IMG_6678We used assorted markers to color red veins on the big circle (dessert size paper plates). Of course we counted the plates and discussed their size and color as we passed them out.

Our students  then chose which color they wanted their eye to be using our communication symbols. Some of our students touch the symbols, while others used eye gaze.

Using body movement or nonverbal expression to communicate desires or preferences is the language access point addressed here.

 

 

 

 

IMG_6654Next we used a circle punch to cut out a small black circle.

The science access point applying a push or pull to move an object is addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6688We compared the different sized circles again and began assembling our eyeballs.

This activity works on eye hand coordination and graded motor control—you don’t want to crumple up your circles!

The math access point of recognizing the next step in a sequence of activities is also addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6669Somebody is watching you….

…..spooky!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

IMG_6577After we finished Cara’s book we stayed with the spooky theme using the iPad app Spooky Box (it was free)—just for fun! Our students enjoyed listening to the different sounds and we had fun watching their reactions 🙂  We do need to note that some of the sounds are a little intense, so be sure to prescreen them!

For our ACTUAL learning activity—– we focused on using adjectives to describe two different objects. The students used Boardmaker pictures and put the adjectives in the appropriate column to describe the objects.  They did need a little bit of help with this, but over all, they did well.

Communicating information about familiar objects using pictures or symbols is a language access point.

 

 

 

 

IMG_6580IMG_6583The first object we explored was some mystery green play dough that Joy had made using a recipe from the Growing a Jeweled Rose blog (this is a great site filled with all sorts of ideas and recipes, we love it!).

The other object was a yellow and blue ball with fringes all over it.

Identifying objects by one observable property and recognizing and responding to different types of sensory stimuli are science access points addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

IMG_6606Some of the adjectives used were: hard/soft, heavy/light, cold/warm.  Mrs. Robin got out a scale for us to use when working on heavy/light so the students could see which one was heavier.

So neat!

Recognizing objects as warm or cold and sorting objects by weight (heavy and light) are science access points.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6614IMG_6622We also used vinegar and sprayed each of the objects. We smelled the vinegar first.

Some of students found the aroma intriguing—-others let us know by their gestures, not so much 🙂

Communicating preferences for objects is a language access point.

 

 

 

 

IMG_6633The play dough reacted with the vinegar because of the baking soda in it and that made it bubble up, while the vinegar made the ball wet (and STINKY!).  We then asked the students to choose an adjective (bubbly/wet) to describe the objects after vinegar had been sprayed on them.

Recognizing a change in an object and assisting with investigations with a partner are science access points addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6716Hope your week was as great as ours—- filled with treats not tricks 🙂

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

Oct27

Seasons

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Seasons

IMG_5603This week our theme followed the Unique Curriculum unit some of our classes were learning about this month.  Lets dive right in and explore all our fun activities……

 

 

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

IMG_5775IMG_5873We started with winter—and a wish for snow! We don’t get a lot of that stuff down here in Florida but we can still dream…..

Assorted snowflakes (paper, ornaments, etc), white pompom yarn, white and silver beads along with twist ties and clear packing tape turned a clear umbrella into a winter wonderland—-pretty darn magical, if we do say so ourselves 🙂

This really was a great experience for our students, they really loved it!

Exploring, observing, and recognizing objects in the natural world is the science access point addressed in this activity.

 

 

.

IMG_5912No winter wonderland is complete without snow! We made ours using cornstarch and shaving cream. Adding the cornstarch gave the shaving cream some texture and allowed it to be shaped into small “snowballs” if desired.

This was totally fun messy play, with MESSY being the operative word—–our students dived in and this stuff got everywhere 🙂

Bilateral coordination is addressed when making snowballs.

Applying a push to move an object and recognizing and responding to different stimuli are the science access points addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5798Spring is such a colorful time of year with plants growing and flowers blooming. In this box, we sprinkled  some dried bean “seeds” into our colorful green rice—and taped a hidden surprise of pictures of colorful plants just waiting to bloom as the rice was swept away. The picture was actually a piece of wallpaper from one of those wallpaper sample books that someone always seems to be giving away

We also put in the letters W (winter), F (fall), and S (spring, summer)

This box helps address visual and tactile discrimination as well as fine motor skills for picking up the little “seeds”.

Recognizing that pushing or pulling an object to make it move is a science access point addressed here. In addition, the science access points of recognizing the leaf and flower of a plant and recognizing that plants grow can be addressed.

 

 

 

 

IMG_5943Our second box was filled with our caterpillar and butterfly pasta—-now this is one COLORFUL box! It’s also a wonderful box for sorting concepts of same/different and counting activities—-lots of math access points covered, including:

Solving  problems involving small quantities of objects using language such as “more”, recognizing objects that are identical to each other, recognizing when an object is added to (addition) or taken away (subtraction) from a situation, recognizing two objects that are the same size or color……

It’s amazing all the learning you can fit into one little box!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5571IMG_5901Fall has so many pretty colors with the changing leaves and colorful gourds and pumpkins that are seen everywhere.

Our students loved picking up and shaking the leaves as well as watching handfuls of them drift down. Others found a couple of scarecrow friends.

This was another great box for visual and tactile discrimination, so many things to explore!

IMG_5831The science access point of exploring, observing, and recognizing common objects in the natural world is addressed here.

Recognizing models of real objects is another science access point addressed.

 

 

 

IMG_5578Fall also means colorful warm sweaters and blankets—at least to look at in the stores, NO WAY is it cold enough to need  them here yet 🙂

This soft pompom yarn has such pretty fall colors and is just so touchable—-wouldn’t it make a fabulous blanket or poncho!?

Our students had a great time with this yarn, draping it around themselves or just shaking it. Pulling it apart is a great way to work on bilateral coordination!

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

The science access point of recognizing clothing worn by humans in different seasons can also be addressed.

 

 

 

 

IMG_5906In the same box, we also included a shaker bottle filled with acorns. Our students love shaker bottles—-it’s always fun to make noise!

The science access points recognizing and responding to common sounds, recognizing and responding to one type of sensory stimuli AND applying a push to move an object are all addressed here.

Discussing that acorns turn into oak trees also helps relate to the science access point recognizing that plants grow.

That’s a lot of science in one bottle!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5811IMG_5612Summer means going to the beach! We put in 3 seashells and 1 starfish for our students to find in our summer fun sand box. We used fine soft play sand that our students really loved touching.

Whether addressing the science access point of tracking objects in motion or the math access point of associating quantities with number names—–this is a great box!

Other access points addressed include for math: recognizing objects that are the same size or color and for science: recognizing common objects related to science by name.

 

 

 

 

IMG_5568IMG_5814Finishing up summer, our scent this week was Bath and Bodyworks aruba coconut. It was a wonderful summer aroma for our warm water play which included 2 colorful squirter fish. You would be hard pressed to find a more fun way to work on strengthening grip skills 🙂

Identifying objects by one observable property such as color and recognizing materials as warm or cold are science access points addressed here.

IMG_5962We finished with a little lotion, addressing the science access point of recognizing external body parts. This scent was a real favorite with the students and they left smelling like they had spent a day at the beach!

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

For our art activity this week we made seasonal trees using torn tissue paper (our usual stash from presents past). Our tree trunk came from a reproducible in the book Apples, Apples Everywhere by Peggy Hundley Spitz OTR which can be purchased from Flaghouse.

IMG_5720On Tuesday we made our spring and summer trees. We used pink and purple paper for spring and green paper for our summer trees. On Thursday we used brown and orange for the fall trees  and white paper with silver swirls for the winter trees.

We started by asking the students to match the communication symbols with the different paper colors. You may have observed that the literacy component for this student might have been improved if we had actually presented the words right side up 🙂

Recognizing two objects that are the same color is a science access point.

Responding accurately and consistently to referent objects or pictures used in routines is a language access point.

 

 

 

 

IMG_6056IMG_6110For each tree, we tore and crumpled up the paper. This is a great activity for addressing bilateral coordination and the students really had fun with it!

IMG_6059Recognizing that the appearance of an object or material has changed is a science access point.

IMG_5710The crumpled paper pieces were then dipped in glue………

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6063and placed on the tree. This activity addresses pincer grasp skills and eye hand coordination.

We also counted the pieces as they were applied—-of course!

Recognizing that the appearance of some plants in the environment changes throughout the year is a science access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6131IMG_6088TA DA!!!!

Our students were pretty pleased with the way their trees turned out—–can you tell 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

IMG_5975We started off the group by reading Cara’s book and asking the students to point to the picture of their favorite season.

Communicating preferences using non-verbal gestures is a language access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5996IMG_5990After the students had indicated their favorite season, we used some of the boxes and objects from the sensory group as  props.

For summer we used the sand, autumn we used the box of leaves, spring we used the green rice, and for winter we used the umbrella.  What a hit!

This activity addresses the language access point of exploring and interacting with the functions of selected objects.

 

 

 

 

IMG_5997Next we played a memory game. We made cards using Boardmaker symbols and laminated them.

The pictures on the cards were: summer, autumn, winter, spring, beach, rake, mittens, and bird.  They were presented with 4 pictures at a time which were turned over, face down.  Each student took a turn and flipped over 2 cards at a time.

Using referent objects or pictures from a familiar read-aloud story is a language access point.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5965PIXON picture symbols for “same” and “different” were presented to the students and they were asked if the cards they flipped over were the same or different.  Some of our students required some assistance figuring it out, but for the most part, they did pretty well.

Using pictures, symbols, gestures/signs, or words to communicate meaning is a language access point

This week turned out to be so much fun!  We hope you enjoy seeing what we did as much as we enjoyed experiencing it! Please join us again, Group by Group.

Oct20

Alice in Wonderland

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Alice in Wonderland

IMG_5199We had such a great time this week exploring the classic story of Alice in Wonderland. Cara’s book was wonderful and it was so exciting for our students to see themselves in her book! Hope you enjoy seeing how we made Alice’s adventures a multi-sensory learning experience!

 

 

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

IMG_5203Our first box was filled with paper shred since most books are made from paper—or at least they used to be 🙂

Nestled among the paper were some playing cards (hearts of course), some Mad Hatter party hats, rose petals, heart garland and ribbon, caterpillars, a variety of white rabbits…..

AND a cute fluffy “dormouse” that makes a crinkly sound when squeezed! We found it at the dollar store—-score!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5342We also included a play food cupcake with the label “eat me” and a plastic bottle with the word “drink me”.

It was so fun to see what the different students gravitated towards—-everyone had their favorites!

Exploring and interacting with a selected object is a language access point addressed in this box.

Visual discrimination in addition to reach and grasp skills are also addressed while exploring the fun contents of this fun box!

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5071A is for Alice and we hid 4 letter A’s in this box of tea leaves.  The tea leaves have an interesting texture, kind of crunchy and mild aroma—–a different sensory experience!

The students also had fun using the small scoop to cover them up again.

The math access point recognizing when items have been added to or removed from sets of objects to 4 is addressed here.

Picking up the letters is an opportunity to work on pincer grasp skills—–most beautifully illustrated by this picture—and eye hand coordination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5044Chenille stems make for great caterpillars! This box was filled with regular size and giant size ones for some size comparisons. Soft and colorful—-you just HAVE to reach out for one!

These are perfect for twisting together (and promoting bilateral coordination) to make some new creations—-sensory group meets fine motor group 🙂

This also addresses the science access point of recognizing a change in a object.

All the different colors and sizes help address the science access point of identifying common objects by one observable property, such as size or color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5310Pink and purple are the theme of this next box—-for the Cheshire Cat, of course!  All that was left was his grin!

We used a Mr. Potato head mouth for the grin and hid it in the hard beads and soft pompoms 🙂

This box addresses the science access point of identifying  common objects by one observable property such as size or color.

Recognizing common 3-dimensional objects, such as balls (spheres) and two objects that are the same size or color are math access points addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5347We used black cherry kool-aid to make the perfect red for our Queen of Hearts playdough. It turned out really well, a perfect squishy texture! Not only did it look pretty but it smelled wonderful also!

We used our heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out lots of pretty hearts.

Counting how many hearts were cut out addresses math skills and one to one correspondence.

It also addresses the math access point of recognizing 2 dimensional shapes that are the same shape and size (congruent).

The science access point of recognizing a change in an object is also addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5356These flowers didn’t sing but our students sure had fun making them dance in the air!

Tracking objects that fall to the ground and indicating that an object has fallen are the science access points addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5237Continuing with our floral theme, the students had fun with our sweet pea scented water. We put 2 different size measuring cups for scooping fun…….but sometimes it’s just more fun to play with the bubbles!

Recognizing water as a liquid is the science access point addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5263We finished with some Crabtree and Evelyn rose scented lotion. Wow this stuff really had a strong aroma. Some of our students really like it…………

IMG_5133Others not so much 🙂

Either way, it made for a memorable experience—–and an opportunity to address the science access point of recognizing and responding to one type of sensory stimuli.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

IMG_5146On Tuesday we made some Mad Hatter hats! These were assembled by gluing a paper bowl onto a paper plate.  We cut a  hole in the plate to help it fit onto our students heads.

We had one of our students decide what color to start with and began painting.  Jeannie’s favorite color is purple—-hmm, I think someone is looking for extra brownie points from his teacher 🙂

The different colors were then passed around so that everyone ended up with a very colorful hat.

Adjusting nonverbal expression, referent objects to communicate wants and needs to familiar persons is a language access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5153IMG_5172Everybody had a great time painting their hats.

The paintbrushes were taped to paint stirring sticks to adapt them for our students with physical disabilities.

The science access points sharing objects with a partner and recognizing a change in an object are addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

Ta DA!

IMG_5182                                                                   Love it!!!! This Mad Hatter is ready for the tea party!

 

 

 

 

IMG_5295On Thursday we made some card soldier puppets. We pulled some of the heart (of course!) cards from a deck. 4 holes were punched and a popsicle stick was glued to the back.

The rectangle shaped cards were counted as they were passed out and then we counted out 2 chenille stems for each student.

We also counted the number of hearts on each card.

Recognizing common objects with two dimensional shapes and associating quantities with number names are math access points.

Chenille stems were threaded through the holes to make the arms and legs. Pincer grasp, eye hand coordination, bilateral coordination—–a PERFECT fine motor activity!

 

 

 

 

IMG_5455IMG_5461These were a huge hit, our students loved their puppets!

IMG_5451Recognizing that the appearance of an object has changed and recognizing one or more external body parts are science access points addressed here.

IMG_5465                                                               Did we mention our students LOVED their puppets 🙂

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

IMG_5401We placed pictures from our book on the All Turn it Spinner. With each turn, our students got to try on a costume prop that matched the character.

Using nonverbal expression, gestures/signs, pictures, symbols, or words to responds to familiar read-aloud stories by identifying characters, objects, or events is a language access point addressed here.

Responding to a technology resource is another language access point addressed here.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5424IMG_5418Some of the props we used were the Queen of Hearts scepter, Dormouse ears, Cheshire Cat mask, Mad Hatter hat, IMG_5432                                                                                      a Singing Flower hood……………………..

 

 

 

IMG_5391AND some White Rabbit ears! This student really got into character, making sure we took a picture of  his rabbit impersonation 🙂

IMG_5405We held up a mirror for our students to be able to see themselves, and BOY what a hit that was!  The students who were verbal expressed WHAT they had on and WHO they were while the nonverbal students followed directions with prepositions such as “hold it UP”, “put it ON”.

Selecting a familiar object to explore and communicating about the selected object using nonverbal expression, gestures/signs, pictures, symbols, or words is the language access point addressed with this activity.

The students had a great time and the adults in the room definitely enjoyed themselves as well.

REALLY—–who doesn’t love to dress up!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5105That’s it for this week, we had so much fun going down the rabbit hole with Alice and making a wonderland of experiences for our students!

If you are looking for some more traditional October themes—be sure to check out what we did last year—–BUT don’t forget to join us again next week for more Group by Group fun!

Oct13

Look Up in the Sky

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Look Up in the Sky

IMG_4903This week our groups complimented the Unique Curriculum theme which explores things you see when you look up in the sky.

The students really loved all our activities and we got more than the usual super cute pictures—-our students really are quite adorable 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SENSORY GROUP

IMG_4655After reading Cara’s book, we turned off the lights and looked up into the starry sky!

We made it by using twist ties to attach battery operated lights, beads, and some glow in the dark planets to a black umbrella—— SUPER easy! The battery operated lights were from Target and are usually on the shelves around holiday time.

Our students were all quite enchanted!

Associating stars with the night sky is a science access point. This activity also helps address the science access point of recognizing sources of light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4786They also enjoy exploring this lighted moon. It had a rough surface as well as this fabulous glow–very mesmerizing.

Thanks Ms. Pam for letting us borrow it!

Associating the moon with night is a science access point.

Distinguishing light and dark is also a science access point that can be addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4825When the lights came back on we began exploring our sensory boxes.  This first one was filled with blue basket filler “sky” and lots of things found in the sky to discover.

We put in feathers, toy birds, bats, and butterflies for some of the animals you see in the sky.  We also put in some toy airplanes .

Of course, we also included some cookie cutter stars and a crescent moon.

Weather related items included soft white pom pom clouds, grey craft foam storm clouds….

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4685IMG_4489AND…….a fabulous stretchy rainbow slinky which ended up being the big hit of this box!

Exploring, observing, and recognizing common objects in the natural world is a science access point.

Recognizing models  of real objects is also a science access point.

And yet more science access points….tracking the movement of objects that are pushed or pulled AND recognizing that pushing and pulling an object makes it move!

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4502Speaking of rainbows, our students really loved both looking at and touching our rainbow mat (found yet again at Target!).

As well as encouraging our students to touch the mat, we also discussed all the different colors that could be found in the rainbow.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4467Our next box of Bubber reminded us of a beautiful blue sky! We love it’s soft tactile feel and it comes in so many cool colors, although we don’t have all of them—–YET 🙂

We included an airplane cookie cutter which helps build hand strength when pushed down into the Bubber. While fairly soft it does take some pressure to cut out a shape.

Recognizing that the appearance of an object or material has changed and applying a push to move an object are the science access points addressed in this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4735We went from the blue daytime sky to the black night time sky with our next box. Lots of yellow craft foam stars were hidden for our students to find in the black beans.

The stars not only look different but feel different from the beans, making this a good activity for both visual and tactile discrimination.

Associating stars with the night sky is again addressed with this box.

Recognizing objects (the stars) that are identical to each other is another science access point addressed here.

We must admit the science access point of tracking objects in motion, as watching a few beans tossed into the air, was also addressed in each of our classrooms.

We have VERY understanding teachers 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4688What’s a day without sunshine! This box was filled with sunglasses, yellow paper shred, a wooden sun, sun shaped manipulatives and yellow pom poms.

Whether shaking the paper shred, squeezing the pom poms or pushing and pulling apart the manipulatives ——-our students had a great time with this box!

IMG_4522The pom poms can be used to address the math access point of recognizing two objects that are identical to each other.

Applying a push to move an object and identifying objects by one observable property, such as color are the science access points addressed.

The science access point of recognizing that the sun is bright can also be addressed with this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4537IMG_4810These sunglasses were the favorite item in this box. As you can see, our students had a lot of fun getting their cool on 🙂

 

IMG_4695

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4756Next we made our own fluffy clouds with shaving cream.  Wonderful fun to dive into with both hands and squish around!

Using senses to recognize objects is the science access point addressed with this activity.

The language access point of communicating about a selected object using nonverbal expression is beautifully demonstrated in this picture—-pure joy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4844After rinsing our hands in “rain kissed leaves” (from Bath and Bodyworks) scented water, the students took turns smelling the lotion and showing us where they wanted it applied.

The science access points of recognizing and responding to one type of sensory stimuli and recognizing external body parts are addressed here.

This had a nice soft scent that our students really seemed to like and to help them remember all the fun things we learned about today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINE MOTOR GROUP

IMG_4639On Tuesday, for our art project we made a starry night time sky. We started by counting out 6 pieces of black rectangular paper. Some glue was poured onto the paper and then the students used paint brushes to spread the glue around.

The math access points of recognizing a two dimensional shape (rectangle) and recognizing differences in the length of the sides of rectangles are addressed.

Identifying objects by one observable property and applying a push to move an object are also the science access points addressed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4612We added some sparkly silver glitter——our students LOVED shaking the glitter out!

What fun 🙂

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4643IMG_4606Next we let our students choose how many stars to glue onto their picture. We used these plastic glow in the dark stars we found at the dollar store.

These little stars were perfect for promoting pincer grasp skills.

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

Counting up to 5 objects is also a math access point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at the milky way—-

TA DA!

IMG_4635                                   These turned out really quite cool and looked striking in Jeannie’s hallway.

 

 

 

On Thursday we turned from night to day and constructed our wonderful sun!

IMG_4995We started by asking our students to show us the color orange using our communication symbols.

Then we asked the students to glue an orange circle onto their white rectangular paper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4940Bulls eye—-nice eye hand coordination!

Again, the math access point of recognizing 2 dimensional shapes (rectangles and circles) is addressed.

Recognizing objects by one observable property (color) is the science access point addressed in this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4951The rays of the sun were made by stamping hand prints using yellow ink. Fortunately none of our students have tactile sensitivity so we did not have to adapt this for anyone.  All of them did a really great job of keeping their hands open so we could help them make their prints.

We counted the hand prints out loud as they were pressed onto the paper.

Recognizing the appearance of an object has changed is the science access point addressed here.

Yep, this looks pretty good 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

LANGUAGE GROUP

IMG_4853IMG_4869In this group, we talked about things that go UP in the air and things that go DOWN on the ground.

Using Boardmaker, we made  9 different pictures of objects: rainbow, sun, clouds, bird, airplane, moon and stars, person, car, and house.    We had real objects to go along with the pictures as well, which seemed to be a hit with the students!

Each student was given a picture and asked if it was UP in the sky……….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4875or…….. DOWN on the ground.

One of our students used the arrow as a road for a car—-too cute 🙂

Effectively communicating information using referent objects, pictures is the language access point addressed in this activity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4872After they told us or showed us if the object was something seen UP or DOWN, they glued the picture onto a piece of paper with grass and sky drawn on it.

Our students did so well with this activity……we were SO proud!

Communicating about selected objects using pictures is a language access point.

That is it for this week. We had so much fun and learned a lot about things that we can see when we look up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_4997Join us again next week, you KNOW it’s going to be fun—–Group by Group 🙂