Practice fine motor skills and beginning measurement with this easy prep water play activity for toddlers and preschoolers.
I have used Brain Breaks for a while now and both my students and I LOVE them! When I posted them as my first item for sale in my TpT Store a few months back, I never would have imagined the response I received!! It has been very positive and also question-filled. I want to answer some of the questions here in one post, as well as give you some of the reasons why Brain Breaks are so useful in my classroom. Also, at the end, I have some good news about my Brain Breaks set on TpT, so be sure to check that out :) The Brain & Learning Brain Breaks fit under the larger umbrella of "Brain Based Learning" which includes multiple intelligences and learning styles, among others. There is a great overview from the University of Wisconsin HERE and some practical classroom tips for engaging the brain and body HERE. They also post an extensive Brain Based Learning Book List HERE. Fun Brain Facts (source and my thoughts are italicized): Did you know your brain uses 20% of your body's oxygen? And that's just to stay "conscious"-- hopefully our kids are a bit more engaged than that ;) For only a 3 pound organ, that's a lot of our oxygen to stay fully engaged! Our cerebrum or cortex is the largest part and makes up 85% of our brain- it is responsible for thinking and voluntary muscles, those that move when you tell them. So, the importance of getting oxygen flowing freely to our lovely brain is very important for our thinking and learning. I would think it is safe to say that combining movement and learning is a great way to engage all students. Breaking lessons up into small chunks, practicing teaching to each other, and linking movement with a new concept are all basic principles in Whole Brain Teaching and LOTS of additional information is available on their website HERE. We know as teachers than when a lesson runs too long, when we talk too much, or when a test is taking up a long period of time, our students' attention spans dwindle and they are not learning at their most effective level. Enter... Brain Breaks! Brain Breaks are just that- breaks for your brain! This can happen at following times: Before, during and after instruction time and work time Before, during and after an assessment Transitions After recess to calm down In the morning to energize Group team-building Refocusing for a student or group of students A chance to include humor and fun stuff any time of day with no additional materials! Yay for quick, easy and fun!! Whenever I see one of these times pop up, including when my students suggest it, I will simply say, "Brain Break!" and grab the top of my head with both of my hands. The kids will repeat "Brain Break!" after me, while also doing the same motion. This was something I think the kids came up with-- the call & response is straight from Whole Brain Teaching and pops up all of the time :) I then choose a break- there are lots to choose from, but I begin the year by introducing them one at a time. This allows me to model, for us to try the break together, and for the kids to remember it for the future. Later in the year, I will sometimes have a student choose a break (a very special treat for them!). The purposes of the breaks are also different, so some I reserve for energizing times, like "Air Band" and others are for more centering times, like "Plank". Some involve partners, most are solo. Only a few use props like a chair or some music, but no materials or prep-work is needed on your part for these. All of them, however, do have an instant effect on the environment in your room. As the class becomes more familiar with the Breaks, adjustments are always made and that's what keeps it fun. For example, while doing "Plank" lift one leg off the ground, then the other. Then, lift one hand off the ground, then the other. The possibilities are endless and therefore stretch the usefulness of these little sticks to keep them fun the whole year long. There are also times I will use the Breaks as a reward- see my past post on The Scoreboard HERE for an example. Pick them up from my TpT Store today by clicking HERE. If you have already purchased this set: simply re-download it from TpT's "My Purchases" page. I hope this post was helpful in explaining these Brain Breaks and gave you some new ideas about how you can use them in your class!
Tactile Braille Communication CardsUse this cards to assist with communication with students that are Deafblind (deaf blind, deaf-blind, DB) low incidence, severe profound or those with multiple or additional disabilities. With modifications this could also benefit students with autism or those that...
See how much fun this simple and effective toddler activity is. Place some shapes (or other puzzle pieces) into some rice and see what happens.
Check out these 12 great crafts for blind people that are sure to help stimulate the senses. These are all great activities open to interpretation.
Recently, a student of mine has been extremely excited about board games. This new interest came out of no where, so I had no suppor...
make these quick and simple texture balloons for sensory processing play! Texture balloons are a great way to introduce new textures to kids!
We have upcycled and used from our home everything needed to DIY tactile cards for touch and match game to explore textures.
FREE counting & number matching game with chocolate chip cookies. Includes two levels of difficulty - match the cookies to the number or to the word!
Try this! Make at least 5 observations about the picture below. Now, make at least 2 inferences based on those observations. One of the most valuable skills young scientists need to develop is the ability to make careful observations based on what they see. These are based on factual evidence and key details. Often times, the brain automatically jumps to conclusions based on previous life-experiences, so you must teach young scientists to eliminate these biases and focus on the difference between an observation and an inference. Observations must be factual and are collected using the five senses. Inferences are conclusions based on those collected observations. Teach your students that their inferences must be justified and explained using the collected observations. Over the past few weeks, I've been working on a product that will help you build better scientists. It's called "Observe and Infer with Picture of the Week". It is something that is simple to incorporate into your weekly schedule and if used consistently, you will begin to see better critical thinking, observing, inferring, writing, reading and speaking. What teachers doesn't want that? Making detailed observations takes time. Incorporate this activity into your weekly routine, so students come to expect it. I would recommend that you begin the year, completing the Observe & Infer activity as a class, and gradually move to small groups, partners, or individuals as students become more comfortable and grasp the concept. Even if you choose to have your students work individually, it is still important to continue giving your students the opportunity to share their observations and inferences with at least one other classmate. I have included a student print-out that you may wish to use in the beginning to reinforce the expectations, but as the year progresses, you may wish to eliminate the print-outs and have students record their observations and inferences in their Interactive Science Notebooks. This year-long activity will not only strengthen the observation and inferencing skills of your young scientists, but it will also make them better speakers, readers, and writers - your language arts teachers will love you! Teach your students to: · speak and write in complete sentences · justify your inferences with evidence from the picture (tell your inference/thinking followed by “because” and then your justification) · Agree/disagree with your classmates (respectfully) and explain why you agree/disagree · Use correct punctuation and grammar What you get: 38 weeks of Observe and Infer pictures, student print-outs for all 38 weeks, 38 picture of the week slides for display in both PDF and PowerPoint formats.
At the beginning of the year, I am always that hot mess teacher; HOWEVER, there is always one thing I make sure I have running smoothly by the end of September... independent work stations. Without independent work, SPED teachers would literally never get anything done. Plus, work boxes are a great way for students to
Are you looking for ways for your blind child or student to experience tactual exploration in a safe, confined space? Then let me show you how to make your own "Comparing Bag" to explore various textures and shapes for under $10!
Stay connected to family and friends by sharing the LittleThings that spark joy.
A blog about life and autism
Should blind kids learn about colors? Of course! Learn why it's important for children who are blind to understand colors and find tips for discussing this topic with your child.
Fun, hands-on Thanksgiving music activity. Your preschool or pre-k kids will loving making their very own corn shaker for a harvest or Thanksgiving theme.
The student places real-world objects (in the red bin) into clear cups with a photograph of a similar object at the bottom. Depending on the level of the student, you may want to use an actual photo of the same object, or a graphical representation of the object (such as a Boardmaker image).
I was hanging out one day in our school and I found some really old stuff like floppy disk and these diskette binder sheets. I looked at these sheets and inspiration struck!! I didn't have any disks hanging around but I did have some binders. I serve on our school augmentative assistive tech team. I love it because I learn so much collaborating with some brilliant minds. A colleague on my augmentative team taught me about using partner assisted scanning-PODD (check out the video about this later in this post). I have students that have severe multiple impairments that I want to engage using calendar box systems. They all have wonderful interveners. These students are at the basic level of using symbols. Most of my students in this situation have CVI. I think using the partner assisted scanning system is a great fit for several of them. I came up with this binder symbol idea to help prepare them to use the partner assisted scanning technique and to incorporate more language (using symbols) into daily routines. Enter the diskette binder sheets!! **The pictures are from a prototype trial. You could easily use a different color binder. White may not be the right color binder background** Here's the "how to": 1. Make symbols using pictures, real symbols or a combination of both. The real object symbols are helpful for basic level students because it allows the tactual feel to the picture. Consult your CVI matrix to help with progressing student to picture only. 2. I like arranging the pictures landscape. The pictures in this post are portrait because it was a better fit for the particular student. 3. Place velcro on the front of each pocket (this allows you place the symbol on the outside/front of the pocket). I would discourage your from keeping the pictures inside the pockets because it washes out the symbol. (See both above and below pictures). 4. The goal is to use the binder symbol system to train the student to look at choices and then to make them. They are placed at opposite corners on purpose. The opposite corners are to help with identifying a clear choice for students (if placed too close together, it could potentially be too difficult for the adult to interpret the choice). 5. Use blank disk sheets for instruction. As you can see from the pictures, it is visually confusing to place choices (in front) with the other symbols in the pockets (see example picture below). I included this picture to point out this confusion. Here are some examples of the real object symbols. The top picture is the student's Eagle Eyes symbols. We were lucky to get the actual wiring that is used. The bottom picture is for the weekly music therapy. The black background is an excellent visual choice for the symbols. Check out the partner assisted scanning technique. I have watched several YouTube videos on this and this is a great one for our students. If you watch other videos, you can see that this strategy can bring a lot of language to use. The students learn the system and can anticipate where the pictures are. The binder symbol system is a very basic way to pre-teach the skills needed to advance to the partner assisted scanning technique. Students may just keep working at the binder symbol system level as well.
How to teach art at home during a pandemic.
This M&M Rainbow Science Experiment is a fun and easy way to teach students about mixing colors and creating new colors.
I have yet to meet a Kindergarten teacher who didn't love nursery rhymes—and crafts or activities to accompany those nursery rhymes? Yes, please! Hey Diddle Diddle, I know the sound in the middle, And that spoon does rhyme with moon. The first letter's clear since it's nursery rhymes I hear, and I will be reading
Even though rocks are everywhere, if you're blind and never stop to pick up a rock, you might miss them! And you could be missing out on so much that rocks have to offer!
Kids love this super cool magic pepper and soap science experiment! You have all the supplies you need in the kitchen. Try it today!
Do you have a child who struggles to sit still or always seems to be fidgeting with some toy or random object? Get 100 tactile activities!
It just so happens that I love to keep little, party favor sized containers of modeling dough on hand; I use them in my toddler busy bags, toss a few in
Playing with tactile mazes can be a fun way to talk about movement, getting lost, and plotting a course with your blind child.
Anya, the founder of Montessori From The Heart, is an educational coach, a blogger, an author, a digital creator, and an influencer.
Turn boring old shape matching into a sensory exploration with this sandpaper and felt shape matching game.
If you are looking for activities for visually impaired children, you're in the right place! We are sharing 14 recreational activities for young children that you can try at home or in a school environment.
