Tag Archives: sensory box

Jan29

Super Heroes

Posted on January 29, 2017 by jd785

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

SENSORY GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They kind of had fun with the masks 🙂

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recognize sources of light is a science access point.

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

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

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

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

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

Then the students brushed the paint over their masks.

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

TaDa——nanananana BATMAN!!!!!!!

On Wednesday the students made their own Super hero symbols!

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s a bird, it’s a plane—–

TA DA it’s a super hero!!!!!!

LANGUAGE GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

Viola——Mini Ninja Turtle Pizzas to enjoy!

YUM!!!!!

Our Superhero unit totally was SUPER FUN!

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

Jan22

Winnie the Pooh

Posted on January 22, 2017 by jd785

Winnie the Pooh

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

SENSORY GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TA Pooh diddly Da!

We love that Winnie the Pooh!

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

First our students identified the color PINK using communication symbols.

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

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

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

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

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Ta DA!!!!!!!!

Such cute little Piglet puppets!

LANGUAGE GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

We decided it was a totally Pooh worthy dessert 🙂

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

Jan15

Past and Present

Posted on January 15, 2017 by jd785

Past and Present

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

SENSORY GROUP

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

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

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

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

Our students totally know how to rock a hat.

Just too cute—–and such style:)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

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

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

FINE MOTOR

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

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

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ta Da—–let’s get cooking 🙂

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ta DA—–lets tell some time!

LANGUAGE GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jan8

New Years Around the World

Posted on January 8, 2017 by jd785

New Years Around the World

Happy New Year! We welcomed 2017 with a fun New Year’s theme. Our sensory groups explored boxes related to New Year’s celebrations. The fine motor group (we only had one because it was a short week) painted fireworks and the language group made some lucky New Year’s food!

SENSORY GROUP

Celebrating the New Year is all about the passing of time so we thought a “sands of time” box would be fun. Dry fluids are so mesmerizing as they are swirled around with fingers or drifting down from the sifter scoop.

Track a falling object is a science access point.

People often wear colorful beads while celebrating. As usual, this eye catching box of colorful beads was a hit with the students.

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

We recorded some firework sounds on a voice output device and added a couple of discovery bottles with beads and confetti——a total New Year’s Eve experience 🙂

The science access points track objects moving up and down; and apply a push to move an object are addressed here.

We put the numbers 2-0-1-7 for the students to find in a box of dried black eyed peas. Here in the south, black eyed peas are eaten for luck on New Year’s Day!

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

We included a light box this week to represent all the colorful lights and fireworks associated with New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Needless to say, the students really loved this box!

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

More color was found in our shaving cream messy play——it was sprinkled with confetti this week! The students had a blast creating their own swirling patterns.

Very eye catching!

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

Hands were rinsed in bubbly scented water from Philosophy. We had a couple of different sized scoops for the students to compare and contrast.

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

We found a Bath and Body Works lotion that was called Midnight so we HAD to use it for this theme 🙂 Whether rubbed on hands or necks, a great way to work on body part identification!

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

We finished by popping some firecrackers—–of the bubble wrap kind!

This is always a lot of fun and resulted in lots of smiles and giggles.

Vestibular, visual, and auditory input is provided in this activity which addresses the science access point recognize and respond to different sensory stimuli.

It also addresses the how to have FUN access point 🙂

FINE MOTOR GROUP

In keeping with our New Year’s theme, the fine motor group made fireworks pictures!

We started by discussing the color of our paper and then asked the students to identify the shape using communication symbols.

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

Then the students stamped a colorful mixture of neon paints onto their paper. We emphasized stamping UP and DOWN.

We made our stamper by fringing then rolling up a piece of craft foam. It’s held in place with a rubber band.

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

Glitter was added for added sparkle—-you know we never pass up the opportunity to add glitter to a project 🙂

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

Ta DA!

Colorful fireworks…….

The pictures looked pretty cool in regular lighting but the paint seemed to fade into the paper a little, so we brought out our blacklight.

WOW under blacklight——–let the oohs and ahhs begin!

LANGUAGE GROUP

This is going to be a new, fantastic year and we wanted to start it out by eating some foods that are considered lucky for the New Year.

We made 2 different things today for our lucky New Year’s snack. Here is a powerpoint with the recipes: lets-make-a-lucky-new-years-snack. Pixon communication symbols are used throughout the recipes so that our students could match the symbols on the book to their own symbols. The symbols used are some of the symbols that we use frequently.

First, we started by making some cornbread. Cornbread is supposed to symbolize gold because of its color. I’m sure none of us would mind finding some gold during this new year!

Our students helped count out the cupcake liners and we talked about the number 6.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Then we poured in the cornbread mix, an egg, and some milk.

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

Our students helped MIX up the ingredients. Then we put them in the oven to bake.

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

While the cornbread was baking, we started making our drink: Banana Grape Smoothies. In Spain, when the clock strikes midnight, people eat 12 grapes–one for each month of the new year. It’s been said that sweet grapes are a sign of good months to have while sour grapes are a sign of not so great months. We made sure all of our grapes were super sweet!

We first felt the grapes and bananas that had been in the freezer.

They were COLD!!

The science access point distinguish between hot and cold objects can be addressed here.

We put those in the blender then added some grape juice, vanilla Greek yogurt, and some cinnamon. Our students helped PUT each of these ingredients into the bowls. Very tricky at times (grape juice!) 🙂

The science access point recognize when an object has been added to a situation is again addressed here.

Then they got to activate the blender using a switch–always a fun time.

Recognize that electrical systems must be turned on (closed) in order to work is a science access point.

Finally, when our cornbread was ALL DONE, our students got to eat some cornbread with grape jelly and drink their grape smoothie.

Cheers to a brand new year!!

We are so happy to be back and looking forward to a year of fun and learning——Group by Group!

Nov13

Jobs at School

Posted on November 13, 2016 by jd785

Jobs at School

This week we looked at some of the jobs at our school. We have done this theme before, but looked at different jobs this time. The sensory group explored boxes related to the people in those jobs at our school. The fine motor groups made thank you cards for the people in our book and the language group had a special guest help them make a tasty treat.

SENSORY GROUP

Ms. Latoya, our assistant principal, graduated from FAMU. This box is dedicated to her alma mater. It is filled with the colors and symbols of the university. There were shaker pom poms, beads, and a football—-go Rattlers!

Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point that can be addressed in this activity.

Nurse Caitlin likes the beach and Nurse Linda likes the color pink—–so their box is a pink beach 🙂 Pink rice and some seashells to make up this fun filled box. We also added their initials and a big pink scoop!

Scooping up the rice and watching it fall back into the box addresses the science access point: track a falling object.

This box was filled with purple kinetic sand (Ms. Alexis’ favorite color) and the letter R for “registrar”. Ms. Trenisha loves elephants and we think she would really like the cute pink one we included here.

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

The fun box was filled with birdseed and there were 3 little birds to find hidden in it—- Ms. Courtney’s favorite animals are birds! We haven’t used this box of birdseed in a while and the students really enjoyed feeling it on their hands.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point that can be addressed with this activity.

Ms. Lorry is from Chicago, also known as the “windy city”. Our students had breezy fun with a little hand held fan. Ms. Lori is from New York, which is filled with bright lights—-sort of like our little light toys!

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

We put our fake spaghetti strands into oobleck this week to make our version of fettuccine alfredo—-Ms. April’s favorite dish! This was a lot of fun and our students were really intrigued with the differing textures.

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

Hands were rinsed in our little water garden, complete with watering can—-Ms. Leslie loves to garden. The fact that the little floating flowers in it were lighted, made it even more fun!

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

Ms. Jane has been involved with Girl Scouts for years. We found these Girl Scout cookie scented lip balms—-perfect to leave our students smelling like yummy cookies! The students got to choose between Samoa, Tagalong, and Thin Mint scents. Turned out that Samoa was the most popular! Of course, we used the balm on wrists NOT on lips 🙂

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

We wanted to thank all the staff who appeared in our book this week so the fine motor groups both contributed to the making of the thank you cards for them.

On Tuesday, the students identified the rectangular shape of the paper we were going to use.

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

Each student squeezed pink, purple, and turquoise paint onto their paper and folded it over.

Distinguish between objects that are wet and objects that are dry is a science access point that can be addressed in this activity.

Then they rolled over the paper with a rolling pin—-great for bilateral coordination!

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

Ta DA!!!

Some pretty magical results!!!

On Wednesday, the students again identified the rectangular shape of the paper used for making our cards.

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

The students used a paper cutter to cut each piece of the previously painted paper into 4 pieces! They also cut green pieces of paper in half to make the base of the card.

Recognize parts of whole objects and parts of sets of objects, is a math access point.

Then the students began assembling the cards by gluing a colorful front onto the green card bases.

Recognize a change in an object is a science access point. The math access point recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship, is also addressed.

TA DA—-a colorful thank you to our wonderful staff members!

Thank you for helping us grow and learn 🙂

LANGUAGE GROUP

This week’s language group was extra special today! One of our nurses here at school, Jill, came in to bake some of her Blonde Brownies for us!

Here is her recipe: jills-blonde-brownies

She started out by talking about what we always do first before cooking, which is to wash our hands! Next, she measured out a cup of Bisquick. Our students had to indicate that they wanted to HELP by raising their hand, by touching the symbol for HELP, or by verbalizing. Since we needed 2 cups, our students indicated that we needed MORE to put in the bowl.

Then, we added the brown sugar. Again, our students had to tell us if they wanted to HELP.

One off the most fun parts of putting all of the ingredients in the bowl was using the EZ Cracker Egg Cracker! Since the recipe called for 2 eggs, 2 different students got to use the Egg Cracker. Once the egg was placed, our students had to SQUEEZE the handle which broke the eggs without getting it all over the place! Super cool!

We added 1 cup of oatmeal and 1 cup of chocolate chips and then STIRRED it all together.

While it was baking, we had another surprise guest, Ms. Maureen, the music intern. She stood in for our music therapist (Brenda) since she was teaching another class at the time. Maureen played several songs for our students and gave them shakers so they could participate as well.

They had SO MUCH FUN!!! And not just the students but the adults as well!

When the music was done it turned out the brownies were too so we all enjoyed our special treat from Jill!

THANK YOU so much to Jill and Maureen!!! You made our day 🙂

Another great week! Join us again next time for more fun and learning Group by Group!

Nov6

They Traveled to Space

Posted on November 6, 2016 by jd785

They Traveled to Space

This week we learned about some pioneers of space travel. Ashley, one of our fantastic volunteers, came up with the idea! This compliments the students Unique Curriculum unit for this month. The sensory boxes were related to different astronauts and space travel. The fine motor groups made space related art projects and the language group made a space themed snack.

SENSORY GROUP

Laika was the first dog who went to space! Found in her box were dog and bone shaped cookie cutters to press into some moon sand. Of course, we HAD to use our moon sand somewhere in this unit 🙂

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

Other animals also went into space. Albert II was the first monkey in space. The students had fun finding colorful monkeys hidden in our black “outer space” beans. The monkeys were fun to connect together and also fun to look at under a black light!

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

We learned that the first man and the first woman in space (Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova) were both from the USSR. Our students sorted pompoms and beads in the colors of the Soviet flag. We even discovered that some of the pompoms also glowed in the dark—-how cool is that!

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

Alan Shepard (the first american in space), Guy Bluford (the first african american in space), and Mae Jamison (the first african american woman in space) all got close up views of the moon and stars! We gave our students a little of that experience with our “outer space” umbrella. There was a big moon, lots of stars, and a little space shuttle for them to look at.

Recognize a space related object is a science access point.

Neil Armstrong was the first human to walk on the moon. In this box, we put in a little astronaut that our students could walk on a lunar landscape of grey Floam. They also enjoyed squishing and squeezing the Floam into various shapes!

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

Astronauts eat freeze dried food when they are in space. We thought our red Bubber made a pretty good (although not edible) stand in for some strawberry ice cream that the astronauts might enjoy! Included in this box were a variety of different sized spoons and measuring cups for the students to use for molding the Bubber.

Recognize differences in sizes of objects.

Astronauts cannot feel gravity in space so they experience weightlessness. Stars and glitter looked weightless as they floated around in our discovery bottle.

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

We encouraged our students to make circles—-like the earth and moon in our shaving foam messy play. There was also a foam shoe insert that could be used to make footprints on the moon!

Recognize a full moon as a circle, is a science access point.

After their hands were rinsed, the students used a sifter shovel to scoop glow in the dark stars out of water. These stars looked especially cool under the black light!

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

Since night time is the best time for us to look into space, we thought that the Bath and Body Works midnight lotion worked as our scent this week.

It was a nice light scent that helped our students really liked.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students took their cue from Neil Armstrong and left their footprints on the lunar surface—-well ok, a piece of grey paper 🙂

We started by discussing the shape of our grey paper and asked out students to identify the shape using communication symbols.

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

Next the students painted the bottom of some rain boots with grey paint.

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

Then the students put the boots on and stood on a piece of rectangular paper. For students who couldn’t put on the boots, they just pressed down on them. We did discover in this activity that our prints might have turned out better if the boots had been smaller—-we still had fun though!

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

TA DA! Footprints on the moon!

On Wednesday, the students painted moon rocks.

First we counted out the rocks and let the students choose which ones they wanted. Then the students painted their rocks with glue.

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

Next the students sprinkled glow in the dark chalk crumbles (from Crayola) onto the glue.

They had a lot of fun with this part 🙂

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

TA Da—-glowing moon rocks!!!!!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We made a “Midnight Blueberry Blast Smoothie” that was out of this world this week for our language group!

We started by getting out some milk and talking its temperature. We found that it was COLD! We put 1/2 a cup of milk into the blender. Since it didn’t look like enough, we decided to double the amount of each of the ingredients so we put another 1/2 a cup in the blender. We talked about how two 1/2 cups equals 1 cup!

The math access point recognize parts of whole objects is a math access point. The science access point distinguish between hot and cold objects is also addressed.

Next, we measured out a cup of vanilla yogurt. Since we had to use 2 small containers of yogurt, our students had to convey that 1 was not enough and we needed MORE to make a cup. We compared the yogurt and milk and found that they were the SAME color!

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

After that, each of the students got to feel the bag of frozen blueberries. We talked again about how it felt COLD. We added 2 cups of blueberries to the blender.

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

Finally, each of our students got to try a bit of honey. For the most part, our students communicated that they LIKED the taste.

One of our students helped SQUEEZE out 2 teaspoons and we put those into the blender.

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

Each of our students got a chance to turn on the blender by pressing a switch. They love being the ones to take control of the blender 🙂

The science access point recognize that electrical systems must be turned on (closed) in order to work, is addressed here.

Once the ingredients were all blended up, we counted out cups for each of the students. But wait! There’s more! What is a smoothie without some whipped cream on top?? Our students got to help PUT some whipped cream on top.

Time to enjoy this galactic drink——-YUM!

We learned a lot about the history of space travel this week, so much fun! 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!

Oct23

Talk Show Hosts

Posted on October 23, 2016 by jd785

Talk Show Hosts

October 23 is National Talk Show Host day—-yes, there really is a day for everything!! While kind of an unusual theme, we had a lot of fun with it.

Our sensory group explored boxes related to some of our favorite talk show hosts. The fine motor groups made some fun art projects and the language group looked to Rachael Ray to make a tasty treat in less than 30 minutes 🙂

SENSORY GROUP

Oprah is a legendary talk show host. The base of her box was green paper shred—-we learned that green is her favorite color! We added things that we associate with Oprah like books (for her book club), a peace sign, the word FRIENDS (she has lots of them), and some little play people (one in a dress that is the color purple). We also included lots of hearts because of all the love Oprah spreads 🙂

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

Harry Connick is not only a talk show host but is also an actor and singer. He starred in the movie Dolphin Tale. Our students got to swim with the dolphins with our underwater umbrella. There were also some dolphin sounds we recorded on the voice output device.

They LOVED this umbrella!

The science access point match common living things with their habitats is addressed here.

Whoopi Goldberg is another talk show host who is also an actor. She starred in the Sister Act movies. We took a cue from the colors of the nun’s habit that she wore in those movies and used white rice and black beans for her box. There were lots of letter W’s as well as a picture to find at the bottom of the box.

The science access point recognize common objects as the same can be addressed here.

Our super cool galaxy play dough would be a sure hit with astrophysicist and host of Star Talk——Neil DeGrasse. We added regular gold glitter in addition to some chunky silver glitter to make the black play dough look out of this world! There were two different sized star shaped cookie cutters for our students to make size comparisons.

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

Lots of people turn to the Dr. Oz show for health advice so his box was filled with “doctor” stuff. There were some gauze bandages, medicine cups, cotton balls, tongue depressors, and a stethoscope.

Of course, we included a little patient for our students to take care of.

Associate an object with a person is a social studies access point.

Conan O’Brien is well known to late night talk show fans. He is also famous for his red hair. We laminated a picture of a bald Conan and our students had a lot of fun re-styling his hair using orange shaving cream. Perhaps he should come to our school for a makeover 🙂

Track the movement of objects that are pushed or pulled is a science access point.

Ellen DeGeneres not only has a hit talk show but starred as the voice of Dory in two movies that are huge hits among our students! Ms. Kim found a fun Dory pool toy that, when it’s string was pulled, swam around our little ocean. We didn’t have a Nemo toy but we did include an orange toy fish that resembled him—– and squirted water when squeezed!

The science access point recognize the change in the motion of an object can be addressed with this activity.

Our scent this week is one we are pretty sure Rachel Ray would like—-cucumber melon from Bath and BodyWorks! Our students really liked this aroma.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students made microphones!

First we discussed that styrofoam balls were spheres and identified their shape using communication symbols. We had pre-painted the balls with silver tempera paint.

This activity addresses the math access points: recognize objects with two-dimensional shapes, and recognize three-dimensional shapes.

Then the students used cutting tools such as paper cutters or switch operated scissors to trim some black construction paper. We noted that the shape of the paper was a rectangle.

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

Next the students used a glue stick to apply glue to the paper and then they rolled it around a toilet paper tube. The styrofoam ball was pushed onto the top for a finishing touch.

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

Ta Da—-

—-time for an interview!

On Wednesday the fine motor group made picture frames—to hold a picture of each student with Jimmy Fallon (cleverly made by Power Point whiz Cara).

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

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

Then the students painted the frame with some watered down glue.

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

Time to add gold or silver glitter—-a celebrity photo needs to be framed in shiny glitter 🙂

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

Ta Da!

We are just a little starstruck!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We channeled Rachael Ray today and made one of her recipes for the language group. We made her recipe Whole Wheat Sweet Cinnamon Chips with Creamy Honey Dip (recipe found here: http://www.rachaelray.com/recipes/whole-wheat-sweet-cinnamon-chips-with-creamy-honey-dip).

Since the tortillas had already been pre-cut, we talked to our students about what shape they were. They had to indicate the triangle out of a field of 2 shapes.

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

Our students got to HELP us spray the tortillas with cooking spray and then SPRINKLE cinnamon and sugar on top. Of course, they got to smell the cinnamon first!

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

While the tortillas were in the oven, our students helped PUT the yogurt and honey in a bowl. We observed how the ingredients MIXED together.

While we were waiting for the tortilla chips to finish, we got out our Dolphin Tale umbrella for them to look at

—–what a fun way to pass the time!

Once the chips were done baking, we counted out bowls for each of our students and put together our snack.

Lots of opportunities to use communication devices with this yummy treat!

Thank you, Rachael Ray, for the wonderful recipe!

We had a great time with our talk show host theme. Join us again next week for more fun and learning——Group by Group!

Oct16

Fall Fun

Posted on October 16, 2016 by jd785

Fall Fun

The weather is finally getting a little cooler and we are thinking about all the fun things that happen in the fall! The sensory group explored colorful, eye catching boxes. The fine motor group decorated some fall leaves and the language group made a tasty treat!

SENSORY GROUP

Fall festivals are so much fun with hay rides, pumpkins, decorations, and people in costumes! Our fall festival box had a base of raffia hay and silk leaves. There were lots of fall symbols including pine cones, jack o lanterns, turkeys, and squirrels to explore and discover in the box.

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

College football is a big part of fall around here. The students loved the shaker pompoms—-so much fun to cheer for your favorite team! They also had fun filling the game day cups with black and white “referee” paper shred or a little football.

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

We love our orange and black rice box—-it is SO eye catching! The students had fun scooping the rice and beans into the little pumpkin bowl or looking for a jack o lantern picture at the bottom of the box.

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

The Owl Run is a race our school hosts for all the middle schools in our district. It is a popular event that we all look forward to each year. To represent the race, the students stamped our schools’ initials into yellow moon sand—-yellow is one of our school colors! There was also a t-shirt cookie cutter because you always get a t-shirt after a race 🙂

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

We brought out one of our favorite umbrellas this week. Our fall umbrella is a pretty simple one—- just some fall garland and craft foam leaves attached to a yellow umbrella—but it is completely eye catching! A little hand held fan helped add to the experience by blowing the leaves around with a gentle breeze. Some of the students also loved the feeling of the air blowing on their faces.

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

This week our messy play was indeed messy—-we used pumpkin puree! The Dollar Tree stocks cans of pumpkin so this was pretty inexpensive. In addition to an interesting texture, it also has a nice aroma which added to the experience. Most of the students were pretty intrigued by the pumpkin—–others not so much 🙂

Use senses to recognize objects is a science access point.

Some craft foam and plastic symbols of fall (such as leaves, the letter F, and bats) were scooped out of the water. Bath and BodyWorks cinnamon pumpkin scented bath gel in the water made it smell really nice.

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

The matching lotion was rubbed on various body parts to give our students a yummy reminder of all the fun they had. They were able to communicate whether they “liked” the scent or not—-it was pretty much a universal LIKE!

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

Due to a district holiday, we only had one fine motor group this week—-but it was a fun one! We used this template: leaf-template

First we discussed the color of our leaves and the students used communication symbols to identify the color BROWN.

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

Then the students squeezed some gold paint onto their leaves and spread it around using paint brushes. They were pretty intrigued with the metallic paint!

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

Ta Da!

Feeling fallish 🙂

LANGUAGE GROUP

We got back into cooking during our language group and made a fall treat: Pumpkin Fluff Dip! Here is a link to the recipe: lets-make-pumpkin-fluff-dip

We started out by making the pudding. We used the Pixon core 50 communication board throughout the process to model how symbols are used for communication. Our students helped PUT the pudding mix into the bowl. They all took turns feeling how COLD the milk was and then PUT the milk in the bowl as well.

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

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

Next, we took turns smelling the pumpkin puree. This smell was not a favorite for some of our students but others thought it was pretty yummy!

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

Then we added some cinnamon after taking turns smelling it.

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

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

For the ones who are on a puree diet, they ate the Pumpkin Fluff Dip by itself. For our students who eat solid food, we added some crumbled up Nilla Wafers.

YUM!

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

Oct9

Famous Scientists

Posted on October 9, 2016 by jd785

Famous Scientists

This week we learned about some famous scientists. We chose this theme to compliment the Unique Curriculum unit for some of our grade levels. The sensory groups explored boxes related to individual scientists. The fine motor groups created science themed art projects and the language group performed some fun science experiments!

SENSORY GROUP

Galileo and Neil DeGrasse Tyson are famous for studies in the area of astronomy. Our little astronomers loved our solar system umbrella. With its twinkly stars and hanging planets, it was a real hit.

Recognize a space-related object is a science access point.

Stephen Hawking knows a LOT about black holes. We used black kinetic sand for our “black hole” box and added a star shaped cookie cutter. So much fun and irresistible to both our students and staff 🙂

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

The thermometer was invented by Daniel Fahrenheit. In honor of him we filled a box with some “Insta-Snow”. While not quite as cold as the real thing, it still feels a little chilly!

Distinguish between hot and cold objects is a science access point.

We think our chimpanzee habitat would be a hit with Jane Goodall, she is an anthropologist who studies wild chimpanzees! Included in this box are binoculars, a variety of chimps, play fruit, and a voice output device with monkey sounds we recorded from You Tube. The monkey sounds were a huge hit!

The science access point recognize common objects related to science by name, such as animal or plant, can be addressed here.

Kepler was a famous mathematician. In our box of white cornmeal were numbers 1-9 for our students to find. We haven’t used this cornmeal box for a while and it has a really intriguing texture for our students.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Mary Anning was a famous fossil hunter. The students had fun hunting for dinosaur skeletons buried in our box of moon sand. They also had a lot of fun with the dinosaur molds.

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

Since our theme was all about famous scientists, we decided to put pop rocks into our shaving cream to start a “chemical” reaction. Those crackling pop rocks sounded pretty cool!

The science access point recognize and respond to different types of sensory stimuli is addressed with this activity.

Charles Darwin’s boat the HMS Beagle sailed in our little ocean—-passing a giant sea turtle along the way!

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

Since we found out that chimpanzees like all sorts of fruit—not just bananas—-we used Bath and Body Works mango tangerine scent for both our water and lotion this week. The citrusy scent was a real hit with the students!

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

FINE MOTOR

On Tuesday our students made a galaxy!

We started by discussing the shape of planets found in galaxies and used communication symbols to identify a CIRCLE.

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

Then we used a circle punch to cut “planets” out of wallpaper scraps. You have to push pretty hard to make the punch work, so the students needed a little help with this. Of course, we counted how many planets each student cut out.

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

Next they painted watered down glue onto black paper and the planets were placed on the glue.

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

Sparkly stars were added using chunky silver glitter.

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

Ta Da!

It’s a galaxy!

On Wednesday the students painted with corn syrup! We have done this before and always love how the syrup retains its “wet” look after it hardens. VERY COOL!

First we discussed the color of our syrup—-we had added some food coloring 🙂

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

The students identified the color using communication symbols.

We poured a little of the syrup onto their science lab beakers, cut from poster board using this:beaker-template

The students used regular paint brushes to spread it around. Yes, this did get a little sticky and messy but it was WAY fun 🙂

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

TA DA!

Let’s do some experiments!

LANGUAGE GROUP

Our students turned into little scientists today! We tried out 2 different experiments today. Here is a breakdown of each experiment: experiments

For our first experiment, our students helped POUR some baking soda into a pan. Then, our students helped fill up some cups HALFWAY with vinegar. They also got to choose what color should be put into each vinegar cup.

Recognize when an object is added to (addition) a situation, is a science access point.

Once everything was ready, each student got a chance to use droppers and SQUEEZE some of the vinegar onto the baking soda.

Our students loved seeing the colorful fizz!

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

For our second experiment, we filled up a measuring cup HALFWAY with vinegar. We added some food coloring as well. Our students got to CHOOSE the color glitter they wanted. They also got to help SQUEEZE some dish soap into the measuring cup. We STIRRED it up.

Finally, we got a big spoonful of baking soda and POURED it into the measuring cup. We gave it another little stir and watched it foam up! It was pretty amazing how much foam came out of our experiment!

What an exciting week! Join us again next time for more fun and learning——Group by Group!