Tag Archives: special needs

Apr9

Cinderella Monkey’s Birthday

Posted on April 9, 2017 by jd785

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

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

SENSORY GROUP

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

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

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

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students wrapped presents—-sort of 🙂

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

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

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

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

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

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

A big bow for a finishing touch and….

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

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

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

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

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

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

A little glitter never hurts 🙂

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

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

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

Ta Da!

Time to eat cake!

LANGUAGE GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

YUM! It turned out great!

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

Apr2

The History of Basketball

Posted on April 2, 2017 by jd785

The History of Basketball

With March Madness going on we thought it would be fun to learn a little bit about the history of the sport. The sensory group explored boxes related to different facts about the sport. The fine motor groups made basketball themed art projects and the language group played an adapted version of the game.

SENSORY GROUP

James Naismith invented the game of basketball. This box was dedicated to him and had lots of Canadian symbols since that is where he was born. We included a toy stethoscope because not only was he a PE teacher but he was also a physician—-how cool is that!

Recognize a model of a real object is a science access point that can be addressed with this activity.

Using Koolaid we made our play dough a nice bright basketball orange. The students could make balls, stamp letter B’s, or just squish and squeeze the play dough. They throughly had a good time.

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

Basketball is played with 2 teams consisting of 5 players each.We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to reinforce some math facts with this box! There were 5 blue and 5 red items for the students to explore and sort——-or shake 🙂

The math access point solve simple problems involving joining or separating small quantities of objects can be addressed here.

There were more opportunities for sorting with this box filled with beads in the colors of the NBA—-red, white, and blue! Of course, it was mostly an opportunity to wear or shake the beads!

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

In 1936 basketball became an Olympic sport. Using giant fluffy chenille stems the students had fun making circles, joining them together, and taking them apart. The chenille stems also provided another opportunity to discuss colors.

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

The students were encouraged to draw circles/balls in this orange tinted shaving cream.

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

We put some foam numbers in our water play this week. The students got to “score” by scooping up either 2 or 3 points!

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Since the original hoops were actually peach baskets, peach was the obvious scent to use this week for our water play and lotion! Our students are getting pretty good at using the Pixon board to tell us where they want the lotion.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday the students made their own basketball playbooks!

We started with a rectangular piece of paper with a basketball court sketch and some X’s and O’s drawn on it by Ms. Zenia the fabulous OT intern!

Then the fun began! The students got to operate a switch activated drawing tool to illustrate their play calling. There were certainly some interesting strategies planned 🙂

Distinguish between objects in motion and objects at rest is a science access point.

TA Da—-game on!

On Wednesday the students made paper plate basketballs!

We started by identifying the shape of our plates and color of our paint using communication symbols.

Recognize an object with a two-dimensional shape is a math access point. Identify objects by one observable property, such as color, is a science access point.

Then the students stamped their plates with a dish scrubber. We emphasized stamping UP and DOWN.

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

TA DA—-time to play!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We had our own tournament today in honor of March Madness. We used an All-Turn-It spinner that had 2’s and 3’s all around it to signify the points that basketball players make during a game.

Both adults and students got to be in the tournament. We started out by picking 2 names out of a bag. These 2 people would play against each other.

We had communication boards in front of each student so that they could convey “my turn”. The 2 “players” took turns and had 3 times each to press the switch and see what points they got.

We used a white board to write down the points that each player made. Once they each went 3 times, we added up the scores and talked about who had MORE points.

Once we figured out who the winner was, the next 2 players competed and so on until we finally had an overall winner.

This group was so great today because it gave the adults a great chance to model the use of the communication boards while they were playing the game. Everyone got so excited, too, when we had to go into overtime if the players tied.

Finally, we had a winner!

Of course, we can’t NOT have a little snack in this group so we summed it all up with some basketball shaped Vanilla Wafers 🙂

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

Mar26

Israel

Posted on March 26, 2017 by jd785

Israel

Shalom! Our very own Nurse Jill recently went to Israel for a vacation so we decided to learn a little more about the country! The sensory group boxes were related to facts about Israel. The fine motor groups made art projects based on symbols of the country and the language group made a tasty Israeli snack.

We enjoyed learning lots of interesting things about Israel this week and hope you do too!

SENSORY GROUP

To get to Israel you have to fly on an airplane. We brought out our vibrating massager and recorded some airplane sounds (found on Youtube) on a voice output device to simulate the experience for our students. The students really liked the vibrating massager—–it is usually a hit 🙂

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

The colors of the Israeli flag are blue and white. Our blue and white rice contained letter I’s to find as well as a picture of the flag at the bottom of the box.

Associate an object, picture, or symbol with a location is a social studies access point.

The Negev desert covers more than half of Israel! In our miniature version we included some wooden blocks to let the students recreate their own ancient ruins. Nurse Jill also brought back some little camels that we also included.

The math access point recognize when an object is added to or taken away from a situation can be addressed here.

The Dead Sea is well known tourist destination and the waters are VERY salty! The students loved scooping up the salt and watching it stream out of the bottom of the funnel. There was also a map of Israel to find at the bottom of the box.

Track objects in motion is a science access point.

As opposed to the Dead Sea, the Eilat coral reef is teaming with life! The students got to make their own coral reef using pink Floam. The Floam texture is always pretty intriguing to the students and all they also liked all the colorful accessories such as little sea creatures and sea anemones we included.

Match common living things with their habitats is a science access point.

During Sukkot, a jewish holiday, children sleep in cabins decorated with fairy lights. We created a similar effect with a lighted umbrella which was definitely a hit with the students! This was a pretty simple umbrella to construct but it really had a lovely effect 🙂

Recognize sources of light is a science access point.

Israel is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea. Our miniature version contained 2 small and 1 big fish to scoop up.

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

Israel grows a lot of citrus fruit so we chose a yummy orange scent this week. The students really liked having it rubbed on hands, arms, or behind ears!

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday the students made a Canaan dog which is the national dog of Israel. We used this: canaan dog template

First we discussed the color of our paint 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 began painting! We precut the dog templates out of orange poster board. A popsicle stick was taped to the back, this support made the dogs easier to hold.

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

We squeezed out a dot of glue and asked the students to add a little googlie eye. Then we helped them add a chenille stem to make a curly tail—–a feature of the Canaan dog. This was a great opportunity to practice pincer grasp skills!

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

Ta Woof Woof Da!

Such cute puppies 🙂

On Wednesday the students made an Israeli flag.

First we identified the color of the stripes on the flag.

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

Then the students used a paper cutter to cut 1 piece of paper into 2 pieces! We encouraged the students to use both hands when using the paper cutter—–practicing bilateral coordination.

Associate quantities with number names is a science access point.

Next they glued their papers strips near the TOP and BOTTOM of a white piece of paper. They glued a star of David to the MIDDLE of their paper.

The math access point recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship can be addressed here.

Ta DA!

Let’s visit Israel!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We were SO excited to have Nurse Jill come and help us with our language group today. We asked her what kinds of food she ate in Israel and she said that hummus was on the menu pretty much every day. So that’s what she helped us make today! Here is the recipe:Let_s Make Hummus!

We started out by putting the liquids into the blender. First we put olive oil in the blender and followed that up with the lemon juice. You know how much we LOVE taste testing lemon juice and today was no exception. We got a wide variety of reactions as usual 🙂

We talked about how the lemon juice was SOUR.

We poured some tahini into the blender next. Then we added the chickpeas and garlic.

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

Since it is so pungent, we passed the garlic around for everyone to smell.

Again, we found that students either really liked it or really didn’t!

Lastly, we added some salt. Our students had to HELP put the blender on using a switch. We observed the ingredients MIXING together until they were smooth.

This was fun!!

Jill brought some matza so that our students could use it to dip in the hummus. YUM!

THANK YOU so much to Jill for coming in and cooking with us and also telling us all about her wonderful trip!

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

Mar12

Youth Art Month

Posted on March 12, 2017 by jd785

Youth Art Month

March is Youth Art Month and to celebrate we learned about some famous artists. Each of the sensory group boxes represented a different artist. The fine motor group drew inspiration from some of the styles of famous artists to make their art projects and the language group made food art! This week was lots of fun and our theme also compliments the Unique Curriculum unit our students are working on.

SENSORY GROUP

Salvador Dali has a very famous painting with some melting clocks in a desert landscape. We replicated it using kinetic sand and some craft foam clocks (drawn by Ms. Erika) so there were 3 “melting” clocks to find. It was a fun box and the students were pretty intrigued with the clocks!

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

The students cut different sized stars out of our Vincent Van Gogh starry night play dough! With the added blue and gold silver glitter, it sparkled quite nicely.

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

Harold Newton was one of the Highway Men famous for their Florida landscape paintings. This Florida box was fun to put together and filled with symbols of our state such as flamingoes, dolphins, pine trees, flowers, and oranges. Lots of things to explore!

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

Olivia is a character in illustrator Ian Falconer’s book series. Since Olivia is a pig, we went all pink with this box. We pulled out our pink sand and included a cute little toy pig. This play sand is really fine and perfect for sifting—-our students LOVED watching it fall from the sifter back into the box!

Track a falling object is a science access point.

Piet Mondrian used primary colors for his grid paintings. We put blue, red, and yellow pompoms to sort into matching plates in this box. Some of the students could do this independently while others needed help.

Either way, this was a very bright, eye catching box!

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

Shaving cream was perfect for drawing geometric shapes—–like those used by Alexander Calder in his mobiles.

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

Hands were rinsed in a seascape worthy of JMW Turner. There was a little sailing ship and octopus to find in the water. There were also 2 scoops, one of which had a hole in the bottom for some fun experimentation as well as scooping practice.

The science access point recognize differences in objects can be addressed here.

Flowers are the theme of some of Georgia O’Keefe’s famous paintings. She made one called Plumeria so we used that as our scent this week. We used Bath and Bodyworks plumeria and it was a light floral scent that the students really liked.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday the students made “drip” paintings like Jackson Pollock.

First we discussed the shape of our paper and identified it using communication symbols.

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

Then the students used more communication symbols to pick colors to use.

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

We used these kids eye droppers that we found at Walmart. They were fairly inexpensive and a nice size. Most of the students needed a little help with this part of the activity. They were all fascinated with the process!

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

Ta Da!!!!!!!!!!!!

So colorful!

On Wednesday the students made art projects inspired by Gustav Klimt.

We discussed the shape of our paper and identified it using communication symbols.

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

Then the students used a variety of cutting tools—-paper cutters, adaptive scissors, and regular scissors—-to cut strips of colorful paper.

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

Next we mixed all the pieces together and shared them among the students to turn OVER and glue DOWN on to their paper.

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

Klimt liked to add gold leaf to his paintings. We didn’t have any gold leaf but we did have gold paint and that worked pretty well!

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

Ta Da!

Just fabulous!

LANGUAGE GROUP

Since you know that we like to incorporate food into our language groups, it was a great excuse to use food to make art!

Each of our students got a piece of white bread which served as their blank canvas. We started out talking about the primary colors: RED, BLUE, and YELLOW.

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

We poured some sweetened condensed milk into 5 small cups. We put RED food coloring into one cup, BLUE food coloring into another cup, and YELLOW food coloring into a third cup (we put 10 drops of each coloring into each cup). Then the students got to stir the colors using brand new paint brushes!

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

We the talked about mixing the primary colors to make new colors. First we showed our students RED and BLUE and asked them to PREDICT what color it would make. We did the same with BLUE and YELLOW.

Then the students mixed up the colors again—–they thought it was really neat to see the colors changing!

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

Next, each of our students used communication symbols to indicate what color they wanted to paint with.

The colors ended up being so vibrant on the bread—-they really popped!

We found that we have some pretty good artists in our group!

Finally, after their edible art was complete, they got to eat their masterpieces.

YUM!

We will be gone next week for spring break but will back in a couple of weeks with more fun and learning——-Group by Group!

Mar5

Dr. Seuss

Posted on March 5, 2017 by jd785

Dr. Seuss

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

SENSORY GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pretty fun stuff 🙂

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ta Da———- super cute!!!!!!

On Wednesday the students made a Horton inspired elephant!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TA Da!

Some of Horton’s cute relatives!

LANGUAGE GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Feb26

Louisiana

Posted on February 26, 2017 by jd785

Louisiana

We traveled again this week but a little closer to home—-the great state of Louisiana! Our sensory groups explored boxes related to facts and symbols of the state. The fine motor groups used markers and crayons to complete their projects and the language group led a Mardi Gras parade.

It was a really fun week that both students and staff enjoyed—–so let the good times roll!

SENSORY GROUP

This box was filled with symbols of Louisiana including the state bird (pelican), beverage (milk), amphibian (frog), honey bees (insect), and mammal (black bear). We also recorded a version of “You are my Sunshine” one of the state songs, on a voice output device. All of this was put on a base of paper shred in state colors: blue, white, and gold!

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

We made 3 discovery bottles made using the state colors. One was all gold and one was all blue. The third was a mixture of white, blue, and gold beads floating around in gold glitter. VERY eye catching!

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

New Orleans, Louisiana is known for its Mardi Gras celebrations and the colorful beads thrown from the floats during parades! This box was filled with beads in Mardi Gras colors. Fun to look at, wear, touch, or watch move when pushed or shaken.

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

Looking super cute while wearing Mardi Gras beads–

that’s just how our students roll 🙂

This Mardi Gras rice was made for a unit we did a while ago and it was fun bringing it out again. It really is one of our prettiest mixtures and is just so eye catching! We put in letter L’s and a map of Louisiana for the students to find.

The social studies access point, associate an object, picture, or symbol with a location can be addressed here.

We made some sunshine yellow play dough for the state song “You are my sunshine”. The students had fun squeezing together, pulling apart, or rolling the play dough into balls. We also included a little textured rolling pin to make some “sun rays” and a cookie cutter letter L to add to the fun.

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

For our messy play we went back to the Louisiana state colors—-we sprinkled BLUE and YELLOW glitter into WHITE shaving cream! The students had fun making swirls, lines, letter L’s, or just squishing it between fingers 🙂

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

We put some plastic crawfish and a rubber alligator to swim around in our water this week. Bath and BodyWorks vanilla sugar bath gel was also added because we thought it smelled like beignets—-those yummy New Orleans donuts!

The science access point match animals that are the same can be addressed here.

The matching lotion was a hit with our students this week. They really liked its sweet aroma and after having it rubbed on hands and arms they left the group smelling like yummy beignets!

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

On Wednesday we made some trumpets in honor of Louis Armstrong who was born in Louisiana. We used the state colors again for this project!

We started by asking the students to identify a rectangle——the shape of the paper we were going to use.

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

Then they used markers and crayons to color or draw on their papers.

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

The drawings were wrapped around paper towel tubes that had been taped to paper bowls and……….TA DA!

Our students are ready to play a little jazz!

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday the students decorated a pelican, the state bird, using this: pelican-template

First we discussed the state colors and asked the students to identify the color blue using communication symbols.

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

Then the students scribbled on their penguins with blue and yellow markers. One of our students scribbled using a pressure switch activated vibrating massager with a marker glued to it. He activates switches using his elbow and is getting really good at it!

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

TA Da! We love the Pelican State!

LANGUAGE GROUP

Since Mardi Gras is coming up, we decided to have our own Mardi Gras celebration!

Our language group entertained the entire elementary staff and students with a small parade around the building.

Our students dressed up in hats and boas and gave out beads to all of the spectators. We even put on some zydeco music to walk to!

It was a fun crowd after all——– everyone loves a parade!

We are a really fun bunch 🙂

Once we rounded everyone up, we gathered together in the multi-purpose room for our party!

What is a party without cake and ice cream! We had King cake of course and topped with vanilla ice cream (thanks Jeannie) with apple juice to drink. The students requested what they wanted using communication symbol sentence strips.

YUMMY!!

With zydeco music playing, we had to start dancing 🙂

Our students have moves!!!!

Whether sitting and listening to music or getting their groove on—–

the students had a blast!

The photo booth was also so much fun and we had lots of colorful props!

Lots of opportunities for communication as the students had to communicate which props they wanted for their photos.

All of the dancing and fellowship was awesome and we all had a great time!

We hope your week was as fun filled as ours!

Be sure and join us next time for fun and learning——Group by Group!

Feb19

Peru

Posted on February 19, 2017 by jd785

Peru

One of our teachers recently took a trip to Peru and visited Machu Picchu—–how cool is that! Her trip inspired us to learn a little about the country of Peru! This theme also compliments the Unique Curriculum unit our students are working on this month. Our sensory groups explored boxes related to different facts about the country. The fine motor groups made art projects using symbols of Peru and the language group made a tasty Peruvian treat.

SENSORY GROUP

Machu Picchu is located in the Andes mountain range in Peru. Our students used Floam to make their own version of the mountains. We included 4 llamas a symbol of the country and domesticated by ancient Peruvians. Since we didn’t have any small llama figures, we just printed out some clip art pictures and laminated them—-it worked pretty well!

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

The colors of the Peruvian flag are red and white. In this box we included a variety of textures and objects in those colors. It was fun seeing what the different students gravitated towards.

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

The vibrating sound activated crab was a particular favorite!

There were LOTS of giggles with this one 🙂

Copper mining is a major industry in Peru. Our copper colored kinetic sand is such a fabulous tactile experience for the students. There was a cookie cutter letter P but watching it run through fingers is always the preferred way to explore this fabulous stuff!

The science access point apply a push to move an object can be addressed with this activity.

Potatoes originally came from Peru—–NOT Ireland 🙂 Letter P’s and a map of Peru could be found in this box of potato flakes. Soft and slightly crunchy, an interesting texture that the students really loved!

The social studies access point associate a picture with a place can be addressed here.

Jaguars are another animal that can be found in the rainforests of Peru. There were 2 plush jaguars to find hidden in the colorful rainforest flowers. Some of the students loved the jaguars but others had a blast grabbing handfuls of petals and watching them drift down. A very eye catching box!

Match animals that are the same is a science access point.

Much of the Amazonian rainforest is located in Peru. Ms. Zenia, our fabulous OT intern, made this wonderful rainforest umbrella for us. Along with the sounds of the rainforest recorded on a voice output device, it was almost like being there!

Match common living things with their habitats is a science access point.

And some more photos because this umbrella was pretty cool…..

and our students are just so darned cute 🙂

We found out that you can see Humboldt penguins in Peru so we put some in our water play this week. Ok, so perhaps our birds are more of the Madagascar cartoon variety but sometimes you have you use what you have on hand 🙂

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

The world’s finest cotton comes from Peru so Bath and BodyWorks cotton scent was the choice this week. It was a nice aroma that our students really seemed to like. This part of our group really encourages students to use communication words, symbols, and gestures.

One of our students communicated his idea that the adults also needed to sample this lotion 🙂

Associate information or wants and needs with referent object, gestures/signs, pictures, symbols, or words is a language access point.

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students made some Peruvian flags.

We started by talking about the shape of the flag and the students identified it using communication symbols.

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

The students then used either a paper cutter or switch operated scissors to cut 2 rectangles.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

After gluing the smaller RED rectangles onto a white piece of paper, they added the coat of arms to the middle. To find the coat of arms we enlarged one we cut out from a printable flag page we found using Google—–what would we do without Google! 🙂

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

Ta Da!

We love Peru!!!!

On Wednesday the students made some llamas using this: llama-template

First we counted how many students were in class so we would know how many llamas we needed!

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Next the students painted glue onto their llama. We cut the llama’s out of orange poster board because that was the color we had on hand 🙂

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

Then they sprinkled some precut yarn onto the glue. Great fine motor skill practice here!

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

Ta llama Da!

WOW look at our herd!

LANGUAGE GROUP

After reading the book, we brought our Amazon jungle umbrella around to each student.

We’ve had some voice output issues so the students got to hear some of adult’s versions of what animals in the jungle would sound like.

VERY realistic lol—-we are keeping our day jobs 🙂

After the umbrella, we made a Peruvian dish. This week we made Peruvian quinoa and cauliflower pilaf. Here is the recipe that we used, which was found on the website perudelights.com: lets-make-peruvian-quinoa-and-cauliflower-pilaf We did have to modify the amounts of each ingredient since we did not want to make a huge portion.

Cara roasted the cauliflower and cooked the quinoa the night before in order to make sure that the recipe could be completed during the time allotted for the language group.

Each of the students got to help MEASURE the ingredients and POUR them into the bowl.

When it came time to put in some lemon juice, each of the students got to try a little bit. We talked about how it tasted SOUR. Surprisingly, a few of our students went back for a second, and sometimes a third, taste!

Lemon is pretty popular with our kids!

We mixed all of the ingredients together and voila! A Peruvian meal! We counted how many bowls we needed and then served it up.

Our students really liked it! One of our students who typically doesn’t eat the snacks we make DID eat this one 🙂

Yay for Peru!

Hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about Peru. Join us again next week for more fun and learning—–Group by Group!

Feb12

The Grammys

Posted on February 12, 2017 by jd785

The Grammys

It’s Grammy time! Our students really LOVE music so we figured it was the perfect time to do a unit on some of their favorite musicians. We really had fun putting this together and the students got a kick out of dressing up like their favorite musicians for the book—-be sure and check it out. The sensory group boxes are related to some of the singers in our book. The fine motor groups had a lot of shaking going on while making their art projects related to specific singers and the language group had a Grammy party!

SENSORY GROUP

Since we are all about the Grammy’s this week we had to let our students get a chance to make their OWN music! In this box we put some music recorded on a voice output device and a variety of musical instruments such as the always popular finger drums. We also included some sunglasses—-and you know our students can totally rock a pair of glasses 🙂

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

This jungle themed box is our take on the song Roar—-one of Katy Perry’s hits. Hidden amongst the silk leaves, flowers, and shiny beads (vines), were some jungle animals such as elephants and tigers. These were pretty cool because they made noise when the buttons on their tummies were pushed.

Distinguish between a plant and an animal is a science access point.

Bruno Mars was born in Hawaii so we made his box a little beach. There were some seashells to find, count and then cover up again with a mini beach shovel. A cookie cutter flower was also included so the students could make some sand leis.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Ziggy Marley is from Jamaica so we made his box in the colors of the Jamaican flag using black beans, and yellow and green rice. This bright colorful box was very eye catching and so much fun to run fingers through while searching for letter Z. We also put a map of Jamaica at the bottom of the box!

Associate a picture with a place is a social studies access point.

Country western singer Eric Church is another favorite! We went totally country with his box filling it with animal feed (bird seed) and some farm animals to find. The students LOVED the way the birdseed felt when they buried their hands down in it!

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

Love is a favorite theme when Taylor Swift writes a song so we put 2 different sized HEART shaped scoops in our box filled with red velvet cake mix. We chose red velvet cake mix as a nod to her huge hit album Red. This was another box with an interesting tactile feel.

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

Our scents this week were in honor of two other amazing singers. Since Beyonce has a song called Lemonade we used Bath and Bodyworks lemonade scented bath gel in our water this week. There were a couple of different sized scoops and a little yellow puffer fish for our students to have fun with.

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

Rhianna is from the island of Barbados and we learned that grapefruit were first grown there—-how cool is that! We had some Bath and Bodyworks grapefruit scented SHIMMER lotion with a wonderful aroma. Rubbed on hands, arms, or behind ears, it was the perfect choice for our budding superstars 🙂

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students made pictures the musician Prince would love using this: purple-rain-umbrella

First we discussed our paint color and asked the students to identify it using communication symbols. They did an awesome job!

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

After placing umbrella pictures in a lidded box, the students scooped up TWO paint covered marbles and dropped them on top.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

The lid was closed and then it was time to SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE!

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

Ta Da!

Purple Rain, Purple Rain!

Using this: michael-jackson-glove on Wednesday the students made some sparkly silver gloves—-like Michael Jackson!

First we counted the number of fingers on one hand and identified 5 using communication symbols.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Next the students painted their glove templates with some shiny silver paint mixed with a little glue.

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

Time to add GLITTER—–shake, shake, shake!

The science access point track falling objects can be addressed here.

Using glue again, we attached the glove to a paper bag and……..

………..TA thriller Da!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We had a fun language group this week! We changed it up just a little bit again by not putting together a recipe (although you better believe we still had a snack!).

While snacking on some red jell-o (in honor of Taylor Swift’s “Red” album), our students got to listen to some of the music from the artists featured in our book.

We put a picture of each of the artists on an All-Turn-It spinner. Each of our students had to indicate that it was their TURN to activate the spinner by indicating “my turn” using picture symbols.

Once the spinner landed on an artist, we played a song by that artist. A symbol for “listen” was used to empasize to our students that they needed to listen to the music.

The students got to pick out some different props to wear such as sunglasses, feather boas, and hats.

It was fun seeing what the different students chose to wear 🙂

Of course with all that music we HAD to get up and start dancing!

We got our boogie shoes on big time:)

What a fun week—-hope your favorite musicians did well at the Grammys! Join us again next time for more fun and learning, Group by Group!

Feb5

Minnesota

Posted on February 5, 2017 by jd785

Minnesota

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

SENSORY GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

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

First the students identified our paint color using communication symbols.

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

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

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

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

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

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

…………………….Ta Da!

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

First the students identified a circle using communication symbols.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ta DA!

It’s Babe the Blue Ox!

LANGUAGE GROUP

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

Very cool and super reinforcing!

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

Then we set out for the Owl Mart of America.

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

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

Decisions, decisions!

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

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

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

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

Jan29

Super Heroes

Posted on January 29, 2017 by jd785

Super Heroes

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

SENSORY GROUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They kind of had fun with the masks 🙂

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recognize sources of light is a science access point.

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

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

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

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

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

Then the students brushed the paint over their masks.

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

TaDa——nanananana BATMAN!!!!!!!

On Wednesday the students made their own Super hero symbols!

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s a bird, it’s a plane—–

TA DA it’s a super hero!!!!!!

LANGUAGE GROUP

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

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

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

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