Thank you for checking in on this website. With the change in the online learning expectation from the district, we will now need to use Google Classroom.
I have already moved the posts from here to the new Google Classroom site.
It is a little harder to initially access but it has a lot of great features and I will make sure everyone has access to continue this learning adventure together!
I will be reaching out to everyone in the next few days to get things set up and to give you all of the information you need.
Please do not hesitate to reach out- hpatton@laveeneld.org and Remind
These two subjects are ones that we focus on in a variety of ways and almost every single day of school. They are almost all of of Math curriculum focus, with a few additional skills of course. We work on matching, sorting, and identifying both colors and shapes. There will be quite a few activities with these subjects in the future.
Here are a few of my favorite activities:
These pages can be used in so many ways! I love how versatile they are to use. In the classroom, I would laminate them before use, but they can easily be used as paper or even put into a page protector or large zip lock style bag. You can use them to trace to work on writing skills, put stickers or objects around the outline, or even as Playdoh mats. You could use different colors to trace each shape on the page and work on identifying colors by asking your student to point to a certain color- “Where is the RED one?”
Another great activity that is similar is to draw out your own shapes and use dot stickers as an outline. You could use different color paper and have the student match the color sticker to that color paper. Reinforce each sticker by asking what color it is and what shape it is going on. I would recommend using a Circle, Square, Triangle, and Rectangle. If you notice your student struggles with the difference between Square and Rectangle, you can use only one of them at a time and rotate in a Star, or a Heart.
And to work on the Sign Language portion of our Color Communication, here is today’s Signing Time video. It has all of the basic colors included and is a favorite of ours.
Today I would like to start to give you some activity resources that you could do at home. These resources are completely optional and are not going to be graded. I will share a variety of skills including related service type activities that we would have been doing in class, without specific Related Service Therapists specifically but as general practice and maintenance.
And for today, I want to share a fun Gross Motor activity and a Signing Time link for our basic school vocabulary!
By now, if your student is anything like me, being stuck at home may be causing some need to get out some wiggles. A great activity that I love doing with my class, and other children I have cared for in the past, is a DIY Ball Toss and Catch game. I really like that this all can be made from common materials at home- EVEN IF YOU DON’T HAVE A BALL!
This can be made with a gallon jug, with or without the tape. I usually tape the edge if my cutting left any rough areas. If you have a ball that you can use from home, GREAT! If not, I have made them from recycled junk mail ads and tape.
Students can do this as a solo activity but I would really recommend that they play with someone that can throw them the ball for them to catch. You can even insert some Speech skills into this activity by having them say “I’m ready” each time before you throw the ball. If you use different color balls to catch, you can reinforce Math skills by having them pick a color ball for you to throw, or identify the color that you have picked for them.
Signing Time is a daily activity in our classroom to help reinforce communication. Unfortunately, only a portion of the resources we use are available online. We use a program called Signing Time which I use the DVDs in the classroom that go further in depth on each individual sign. The songs are included in the lesson as well so the students will recognize them as well.
Signing Time- Welcome to School will cover some basic school vocabulary such as the signs for School, Line Up, Pay Attention, and Back Pack.
Signing Time- Hello Back Pack will cover all of the materials we use at school such as Crayons, Scissors, Paper, and Glue.
Here is a separate link for the HOME JOB LIST and how to use it at home. Each step that they can do independently is the goal.
There are four jobs represented that are all things that could be done by each of your student’s.
Washing Dishes:
In the classroom, the students help put their snack plate or bowl into the sink after they have thrown away any of their trash or extra food. The student that helps with dishes helps rinse, wash them with dish soap on the sponge, rinse off and put them in the drying rack. Each of these steps is modified and adapted and more importantly, supervised by staff.
Checking the Mailbox:
In the classroom, students often take things to our office to drop into outgoing mail or pick up items from my mailbox. They are prompted to say “this is for the mail” or “this is for you” and put it on my desk. At home, students can do the same. They can put outgoing in the proper place, and get the mail out of the mailbox, could throw away junk mail once sorted, and give to members of the family.
Help with Laundry:
In the classroom, students help put the dishtowels or other materials that need to be laundered in the laundry basket. At home they could help do the same, sort by color ( THAT’S A HUGE COLOR MATCHING SKILL!), put into the washing machine, help pour the detergent, put clothes in the dryer, take them out and put into laundry basket, attempt to fold certain items, and help put them away.
Watering the Plants
In the classroom, students use a spray bottle to count to 5 sprays to water my classroom plant. They could do the same at home or help water with a hose- heavily monitored or it will become a really fun SPLASH time I can imagine! 🙂
Every morning after recess we come in to class and sit at Circle Time. The students sit in their chair and we start with the Make A Circle song. We count how many friends are at school that day, pick a classroom job, and sing other songs.
Our Songs:
Make a Circle
Weather Song
Peanut butter and jelly
Who took the cookie
Happy
Itsy bitsy spider
Tap Your Sticks
Shake your Egg
What you can do at home:
-Pick a place that your child needs to sit, either a chair or criss cross on the floor. This helps reinforce staying in the designated learning environment
-Play the songs and have them sing with you. Try to avoid showing them the video so they stay focused on you and the hand movements MOST of them know and may be able to have you copy
-We count using a pointing stick but even a wooden kitchen spoon or similar item may work and have them count similar items near by (with your help as needed up to 10). Maybe chairs or other furniture, stuffed animals, pets, etc.
-Each student chooses a daily job. We will pick a number between 5 and 10 to count to, and shuffle their pictures, I hold one up and ask “who is this?” That student then gets to pick out their job. You could do this at home with pictures of familiar family members and when you get to their picture, you can use the Home Job List to have them pick a job for the to do. You can put this is a pocket protector and they can circle it with a dry erase marker OR cut them out and place their choice on top and put it somewhere for them to see like on the fridge as a reminder of their job that day since ours normally stay on the front board. Home Job List Link
UPDATE: There is a separate post for the HOME JOB LIST and how to use it the job skills at home. Check it out HERE!
