Tag Archives: unique curriculum

Feb5

Minnesota

Posted on February 5, 2017 by jd785

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!

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!

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!

Sep11

People of the American Revolution

Posted on September 11, 2016 by jd785

People of the American Revolution

Our students are learning about the American Constitution and Bill of Rights as part of their Unique Curriculum unit this month. To compliment the unit, we decided to learn a little more about the people who helped form our country. Our sensory groups explored boxes related to different patriots. The fine motor group discussed shapes while making their art projects and the language group “invented” a dessert.

Due to the Labor Day weekend and another hurricane day, we had a shortened week and couldn’t do all our groups but we still had lots of fun!

SENSORY GROUP

Paul Revere, who road his horse through the streets sounding the alarm that the “British were coming”, was a silversmith. We filled his box with silver beads and 2 different sized horses. As usual, the students had a blast with the beads—-always a favorite!

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

Abigail Adams probably drank lots of tea—–that is before her friends dumped it in the Boston Harbor 🙂 There were upper and lower case letter A’s and a picture of Abigail herself to find while sifting through the tea leaves.

The students enjoyed both the feel and the aroma of this box.

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

The Marquis de Lafayette was a frenchman who came to help with the American Revolution. The colors of the French flag are red, white, and blue like our rice! We put in the numbers 1776 and a picture of the Marquis to find at the bottom.

In addition to visual and tactile discrimination, the science access point: track the movement of objects that are pushed or pulled, can be addressed in this activity.

Thomas Jefferson not only wrote the Declaration of Independence but was also an architect.

Our students got to be little architects building their own buildings with blue Floam!

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

We learned that Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals! For his box we put in Wikki Stix strands that could be shaped into CIRCLES like glasses.

Yeah, we had a little fun with this 🙂

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

Shaving foam was used to add hair to George Washington’s head. Of course he also ended up with “hair” on his chin, cheeks, and nose!

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

Patrick Henry enjoyed hunting and fishing so we had the students go fishing in our little pond. There were 2 fish to catch with a large scoop.

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

We thought that Bath and BodyWorks country apple scent was perfect this week. After all whats more american than APPLE PIE! This yummy scent was a hit with our students and a great reminder of all the things we learned about the people of the American Revolution.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

This week our students made Ben Franklin kites.

We started by discussing the shape of our kite—–a DIAMOND. We also discussed the TRIANGLE shapes that could be seen as part of the kite—-we thought that was pretty cool!

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

Then they decorated their kites using colorful markers. This was also a great opportunity for our students to practice their communication skills asking for “more” markers or letting us know they were “all done”.

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

After they finished coloring their kites, the students used glue to attach a key made with this: key-template. We love the story of how Ben Franklin attached a key to his kite to study electricity, so of course we had to have keys for our kites! After they students put glue onto their keys they had to turn their key over and pat it DOWN onto their kite.

This activity addresses the math access point: recognize a movement that reflects a spatial relationship, such as up and down.

TA DA—-

—–lets go fly a kite!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We kind of stretched it a little bit this week to incorporate inventing, one of Ben Franklin’s specialties, into our group. We decided to invent a new recipe—–we’ll call it, Banana Split Pudding!

Here is a link to our recipe: lets-invent-a-banana-split-pudding

We used Pixon picture symbols throughout so that our students could request and inform.

The targeted symbol was presented to each child and they had to locate it on a Pixon board with 50 symbols on it.

We started by making some instant banana cream pudding. When getting the milk out, we passed it around and talked about how it was COLD. We poured 2 cups into a measuring cup and then poured in into a bowl.

Recognize the temperature of items, such as food, as cool or warm is a science access point.

Then we carefully added the pudding mix!

Our students got to use a wireless switch to activate the mixer.

This is always fun for them and everyone got a turn!

Recognize a predictable cause-effect relationship is a science access point.

We then counted out how many cups we needed for each student and found that we needed 6. Everyone helped count!

We put 3 spoonfuls of the banana cream pudding into each cup. Cara had already whipped up some chocolate pudding since we know that time is of the essence 🙂

We scooped in one big spoonful of the chocolate pudding into each cup.

We all know that banana splits have whipped cream and cherries so we topped off each cup with whipped cream and chopped up cherries.

Lastly, and most importantly, we ate our newly invented dessert! In the opinion of our students———YUM!

Thank you for joining us and we hope you enjoyed learning a little about some of the people of the American Revolution! We will see you next week for more fun and learning Group by Group!

May15

Planets

Posted on May 15, 2016 by jd785

Planets

We explored a galaxy closer to home this week—–our own! Each box in the sensory group was related to one of the planets. The fine motor groups made some out of this world art projects and the language group made a yummy “spacey” snack.

Sensory Group

Before we got to our groups we brought out our cool solar system umbrella. It was easily made with some battery operated lights, yellow craft foam, and some super cool hanging planets (thanks Ms. Kim). The students totally LOVED it!

Recognize a space related object is a science access point.

Jupiter is the largest of the planets and Mercury is the smallest. With this box our students sorted BIG shaker balls and SMALL pompoms.

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

They REALLY had fun with the big shaker balls 🙂

One of the most recognizable planets is Saturn with its famous rings. Our students used fluffy chenille stems to make circular shaped rings of their own.

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

Mars is known as the “red planet”. We made used black cherry Koolaid to make the play dough this week and we think the color turned out really well and smelled nice too! A cookie cutter letter M was included.

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

We learned that Venus is a very hot planet with lots of volcanic activity. We made an orange and yellow discovery jar that looks like the planet’s surface using a technique that we found at http://mom.com The jar was so much fun to make that we made 2 more with different colors 🙂

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

Since our planet Earth has a moon, we HAD to bring out our MOONSAND this week! The students used a round shape sorter to make circle shaped craters in the sand.

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

Our “deep space” black kinetic sand contained some fun things to find including a blue-green planet—— Saturn!

Recognize a space related object is a science access point.

The planet Neptune is a beautiful blue color like our water this week! Since it is the furthest planet from the sun we figured it would be an ideal place to view other galaxies (lighted swim rings)!

There was also a scoop for pouring—-lots of splashy fun 🙂

The science access point observe and recognize a predictable cause-effect relationship related to a science topic can be addressed here.

There are a lot of pretty noxious odors associated with some of the planets we explored! So rather than go realistic, we decided that midnight by Bath and BodyWorks was a pretty good choice—–after all, midnight is the perfect time for star gazing 🙂

Applied to hands, necks, or arms—–the science access point recognize one or more external body parts can be addressed here.

Fine Motor Group

On Tuesday our students made space shuttles using this template: space shuttle Recycled toilet paper rolls used to complete the project gave us a chance to discuss the Unique Curriculum theme for this month.

This group LOVED our solar system umbrella too!

We started our art project by asking the students to identify red and blue using communication symbols.

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

The student used red and blue markers to scribble on their rockets. We used Pipsqueak Markers by Crayola because their size is perfect for our students.

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

To finish off the project, the students added a circle “porthole” with their photo. Nice pincer grasp practice!

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

We attached the space shuttle to a toilet paper roll to help it stand up and 10, 9, 8, 7,6…..

Ta Da we have lift off!

On Wednesday our students made a solar system!

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

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

To make our planets we used styrofoam balls cut in half so that they were easier to glue down. The students then painted their planets and sprinkled on some confetti to add a little texture.

This gave us lots of opportunities to work on the math access point solve problems involving small quantities of objects or actions using language, such as enough, too much, or more.

Then the students glued their planets around the sun. Stars were added with some glue and glitter!

This activity addresses the math access point match one object to a designated space to show one-to-one correspondence.

TA DA——-welcome to our solar system!

Language Group

In our true language group style, we made a treat for the students this week——– a Saturn Slush! We got special help from one of our other SLPs this week, Judy, who came in and helped with the lesson.

To start off, we checked out the frozen strawberries and blueberries we were going to use for our recipe. We asked the students if the bags felt WARM or COLD!

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

We put some frozen strawberries in the blender. Then our students helped POUR some orange juice into the blender. We talked about how the colors of strawberries and the orange juice were different.

Recognize differences in objects is a science access point.

After that, we put in some confectioners sugar. Our students got to have some fun taking turns activating the blender.

The science access point recognize that electrical systems must be turned on in order to work, can be addressed with this activity.

Once the mixture was nice and smooth we POURED it into a bowl.

Then we put some frozen blueberries, more orange juice, and confectioners sugar into the blender and blended again until it was smooth.

We alternated the strawberry and blueberry mixtures into cups for our students (of course, counting the cups out first) so that they could see the different layers—–or at least that was the plan! Our pouring efforts ended up with everything kind of mixing together.

On the bright side the Saturn Slush tasted really YUMMY so no one really minded 🙂

We had so much fun learning about the planets this week! Be sure to join us again next time for more fun and learning——Group by Group!

Apr10

How We Make Money book

Posted on April 10, 2016 by jd785

How We Make Money book

We are putting our spin on the Unique theme this month by talking about how we can make money in order to be able to buy things. We had a “dress-up-as-what-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up” day at school recently and got to take pictures of students and staff. We photoshopped the pictures onto backgrounds that went with the jobs. We had beekeepers, a marine biologist, and a pediatrician, among other jobs.

You’ll just have to read it to find out what other jobs we looked at!

Here is a link to the book: I Make Money at My Job

Apr10

How We Make Money

Posted on April 10, 2016 by jd785

How We Make Money

This week our theme compliments the April Unique Curriculum unit for our students. They are learning about money and what we do with it. Our focus is on how we earn it! The sensory groups explored boxes related to specific jobs. The fine motor groups painted job related art projects and the language group got real time job experience—–they made a dessert 🙂

SENSORY GROUP

Helping people get an education as the President of a University would be a pretty important job to have! If you were the president of FAMU you would cheer on the Rattlers. Our box featured the team colors of ORANGE and GREEN and the little egg shaker we included made rattling sounds when shaken.

The science access point recognize objects that create sounds can be addressed here.

Paleontologists study dinosaur bones—–how cool is that! There were four little bones to find buried in our sand and we included a small scoop so they could be buried again. Of course it was also really fun to watch the sand sift through fingers. This box was lots of fun 🙂

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

Veterinarians take care of our pets. There were lots of “medical” supplies in this box for fun pretend play. There were soft cotton balls and gauze as well as a fun stethoscope to try out. Our little vets took good care of their patient!

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

One really cool way to earn money would be as a Rock Star! In addition to finger drums and a tiny toy guitar, there were some star worthy sunglasses and feather boas in this box.

The science access points recognize objects that create sounds and the science access point recognize one or more external body parts can be addressed with this activity.

Everyone got in on the fun……..

…..looks like we have some future superstars in the making 🙂

We brought out our underwater umbrella for our budding Marine Biologists. To add to the experience there were orca and humpback whale sounds recorded on a voice output device. Everyone found it fascinating!

Match living things with their habitats is a science access point that can be addressed here.

Our little Chefs had fun icing the play food cupcake with whipped (shaving) cream. Great messy fun!

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

Our students got to play Lifeguard by scooping swim rings (made out of water noodle slices) and a little toy figure out of the water. This activity is great for counting and eye hand coordination practice!

Recognize 2 dimensional shapes in the environment is a math access point.

We chose Bath and BodyWorks vanilla sugar scent for our water play and lotion this week because the aroma reminded us of some of the yummy treats that Chefs might make! This is always a popular scent with our students 🙂

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday we talked about Beekeeping and our students made some bees using this: honey bee template We used yellow poster board for the base so it was a little sturdier and just regular white paper for the wings.

We started by discussing the shape of the bees body—-an oval—-and asked the students to identify the color yellow using communication symbols.

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

Next the students painted black stripes on their bee.

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

Then they used a glue stick to apply glue to the wing and put it on their bee. We encouraged them to put the wing DOWN onto the bee’s body.

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

With a little help they added a googlie eye by placing in ON a glue spot.

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

Ta Da!

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!

On Wednesday like Paleontologists, we discovered some dinosaur fossils! To prep this an adult traced this: dinosaur bones template Instead of making copies of our template, we took another piece of paper to trace over it with a pencil and made copies of that. By doing it that way the outline was very light. One of our fantastic volunteers then filled in each template with glue—-all 7 of them! She used a paint brush and it actually went really fast!

The students identified the shape of the paper using communication symbols—-they did a really great job and we were SO proud 🙂

Recognize 2-dimensional shapes in the environment is a math access point.

Then they dipped their sponge brushes into VERY watery brown paint. You need your paint to be pretty translucent for this project to turn out correctly. As the students brushed the paint over the paper, their fossils appeared—–this was super cool!!!

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

Ta Dino DA

Fabulous fossil finds!!!!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We tied in a couple of the jobs we talked about in our book because we made an edible treat (chef) with honey (beekeepers)!

We started by going around the room and letting our students look at and smell some real honey comb that Joy brought it. We talked about how it smelled SWEET. We also talked a lot about looking with our eyes and smelling with our noses, not with our hands!

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

Next, we counted out cups for all of our friends. Each of our students got to indicate how many spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt they wanted by pointing to the numbers 3, 4, or 5. When scooping out the yogurt, we counted out loud to make sure that we put in the correct amount.

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Our students then got to indicate if they wanted strawberries on top by verbalizing yes/no or by nodding/shaking their heads.

Once the strawberries were in, our students helped SQUEEZE the honey onto their yogurt and strawberries. Finally, we topped the mix with some granola.

We think this job was a successful one for our students!

They thought it was a pretty a delicious one as well 🙂

We had an absolute blast this week! Join us again next time for more fun and learning—–Group by Group!

Apr10

How We Make Money

Posted on April 10, 2016 by jd785

How We Make Money

SENSORY GROUP

The science access point recognize objects that create sounds can be addressed here.

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

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

One really cool way to earn money would be as a Rock Star! In addition to finger drums and a tiny toy guitar, there were some star worthy sunglasses and feather boas in this box.

The science access points recognize objects that create sounds and the science access point recognize one or more external body parts can be addressed with this activity.

Everyone got in on the fun……..

…..looks like we have some future superstars in the making 🙂

Match living things with their habitats is a science access point that can be addressed here.

Our little Chefs had fun icing the play food cupcake with whipped (shaving) cream. Great messy fun!

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

Recognize 2 dimensional shapes in the environment is a math access point.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

We started by discussing the shape of the bees body—-an oval—-and asked the students to identify the color yellow using communication symbols.

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

Next the students painted black stripes on their bee.

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

Then they used a glue stick to apply glue to the wing and put it on their bee. We encouraged them to put the wing DOWN onto the bee’s body.

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

With a little help they added a googlie eye by placing in ON a glue spot.

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

Ta Da!

BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!

The students identified the shape of the paper using communication symbols—-they did a really great job and we were SO proud 🙂

Recognize 2-dimensional shapes in the environment is a math access point.

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

Ta Dino DA

Fabulous fossil finds!!!!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We tied in a couple of the jobs we talked about in our book because we made an edible treat (chef) with honey (beekeepers)!

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

Associate quantities with number names is a math access point.

Our students then got to indicate if they wanted strawberries on top by verbalizing yes/no or by nodding/shaking their heads.

Once the strawberries were in, our students helped SQUEEZE the honey onto their yogurt and strawberries. Finally, we topped the mix with some granola.

We think this job was a successful one for our students!

They thought it was a pretty a delicious one as well 🙂

We had an absolute blast this week! Join us again next time for more fun and learning—–Group by Group!

Mar6

Nevada

Posted on March 6, 2016 by jd785

Nevada

We went west and learned about the awesome state of Nevada this week! We chose this topic to compliment the Unique Curriculum unit our students are studying this month. Our sensory group boxes represented different facts about Nevada. The fine motor groups used paint brushes to complete their art projects and the language group cooked with a solar oven.

SENSORY GROUP

Hay production is one of the key industries of Nevada so we used some hay (well actually raffia but we thought it looked pretty similar) as the base for this box. A puzzle piece cow, Las Vegas magnet, gold and silver beads also represented key industries. There were animals that are symbols of the state (mountain blue bird, tortoise, big horn sheep) or are found there (burro). We even included a camel because camel races are held in Virginia City every year——how fun is that!

Recognize a model of a real object is a science access point. Totally rocking the sunglasses from the box is a COOL point 🙂

Turquoise is the official semiprecious gem of Nevada and our box of colored beans looked pretty close to the real thing! The students had lots of fun sifting through the beans and we put in some letter N’s for them to find—–great for tactile and visual discrimination.

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

The Hoover Dam provides hydroelectric power for millions of people! Our students experimented with water power in our little Lake Mead (the reservoir formed by the dam). They even got to wear a hard hat——like the ones invented for the men who worked on constructing the dam! Our students had lots of fun with this, as you can tell with these super cute pictures 🙂

Recognize one way people use water is a science access point.

Nevada is our driest state which means the sun shines A LOT! We filled this box with some bright yellow Floam——perfect for squishing and molding it into little round suns!

Recognize three dimensional objects, such as balls (spheres) is a math access point.

With an average rainfall of about 7 inches, Nevada is mostly desert, not a lot of trees grow there! We used some kinetic sand for this box and put in some animals such as snakes and lizards you might find in the desert.

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

With all those lights, Las Vegas is one of the brightest cities in the world! There were some fun light producing toys for our students to explore in this box. The students had a blast with them!

Recognize sources of light is a science access point.

The students had fun finding silver glitter in the shaving foam—–not exactly silver “mining” but still lots of fun 🙂

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

The scent we used for our water play and lotion was called pink lemonade fizz (from Bath and Body Works). Since the average temperature is usually pretty hot, we thought sitting by the pool drinking a pink lemonade would be the perfect ending to a day exploring Nevada.

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

FINE MOTOR GROUP

On Tuesday our students made a miniature Hoover Dam art project!

They started by using a paper cutter to cut out a strips of paper printed with the words “Hoover Dam”.

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

Then they glued their strips onto a paper plate cut into a half circle.

Next we discussed the shape of the paper we were going to use to complete our project and asked the students to identify its color using communication symbols.

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

The math access point recognize a common object with a two-dimensional shape is also addressed.

The students painted their paper using corn syrup tinted with blue food coloring. We have used this technique before and it is really super cool because once dry, it has the shiny wet look of real water!

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

Ta DA…….

It’s the Hoover Dam!!!!!

On Wednesday our students decorated colorful sun visors we picked up at the dollar store. They were 3 for a dollar and you know we couldn’t pass up a bargain like that 🙂 It was a quick easy project and the students had a blast!

Since a lot of gold and silver mining takes place in Nevada, we thought it would be fun to paint the visors with those colors.

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

TA DA—–we are ready to visit Nevada!!!!!

LANGUAGE GROUP

We made our own solar oven to demonstrate how the sun’s energy can be used to heat up food. We made the oven, following directions found online, using a pizza box, tin foil, cling wrap, and black construction paper. We put it out in the sun about an hour and a half before our group (thank GOODNESS it was a sunny day!).

We cut 2 slices of bread into 4 pieces each and put some butter on them. Our students observed what the butter looked like (a solid) before we put the bread with butter in the oven.

Recognize parts of whole objects is a math access point.

Then, we broke up graham crackers into small pieces and placed 1 chocolate chip on each piece and placed them in the oven as well. We put both the buttered bread and the chocolate chip graham crackers in so that we could COMPARE which melts faster.

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

Since it takes some time to melt, we got out our plush sun and each of our students got to play with it.

Recognize that the Sun is a source of heat is a science access point.

We found that butter melts faster than chocolate! It was so fun (and delicious) cooking food in the sun——YUM!

Hope you enjoyed learning about Nevada as much as we did! Join us again next time for more fun and learning——Group by Group!