Alphabet Fun!: Part 2

I am knee deep in the alphabet right now and I wanted to share some of the activities that we are working on.  My students have moved on from learning the uppercase letters to now focusing on the lowercase letters and matching upper to lowercase letters.

Letter Match:

I introduced this activity last week and my student caught on really well.  I start by only giving him 3 choices.  As students become more confident I give more choices.  I put the cards that need to do cards in one basket and as the student matches the letter they then move to the card to the other basket.   To make this activity I made the board out of cardboard, styrofoam containers, and Velcro.  I then printed out and laminated the cards and then added velcro.   You can find a few more details and the cards (a freebie) for this activity by going to this blog post.

Alphabet Sensory Bag:

I made this bag using my Food Saver, hair gel, food coloring, and letter beads (You can find out more about how I make these in my http://www.learningahoy.com/2016/11/multi-sensory-learning.html.  I put one of each letter in the bag.  The student then needs to find a letter and color in the matching letter (upper or lowercase) in the same color as the letter is (if they are ready for this, otherwise, they just color the letter).  I use various sheets for the matching part that I get from Make Learning Fun.  

Erasers and the Alphabet:

This activity I learned about from one of my fabulous co-teachers.  To play, use seasonal or fun erasers (in this picture we are using snowflakes) and then a fun alphabet board.  Again, I get these from Make Learning Fun.  I vary the board by time of year, do upper or lowercase, and change the order the letters are in.  The teacher can call out a letter, letter sound, or show a letter and students have to find the matching letter.  Students can also play this in pairs.  My students love to be the "teacher" during this activity.     

Trace Letters:

I shared in my inclusion box post about my binder and dry erase markers that students use to practice tracing letters.  This is great to work on proper pencil grasp, letter formation, and fine motor skills.  I printed out the letters one to page and then put them in page protectors.  I then just use a zipper pouch in the front to add a few markers to choose from and an eraser. 

You can find other alphabet ideas by checking out all of my blog posts about the ABCs or checking out my Alphabet Activities Pinterest board.  

Name Practice

One of the first skills I like to work on with my students is identifying and spelling their names.  I have tons of ways that I do this and way too many for one post, so as I start this school year I plan on sharing the different ways that we practice in the classroom.  I wanted to start off with a few that I have done over the past few years. 

The first thing I do is make sure my student has their name posted all over on everything that is theirs.  Coat hooks, desk, chair, etc. If they are just starting I will add their picture next to their name so that they can identify it with a picture of their lovely selves (I should have a picture of this to share later this week).

Name Necklace:
 This activity I came up with last year.  It incorporates putting the letters of your name in order with fine motor skills.  To make it, I typed up each student's name and printed on cardstock.  I then laminated it for some extra durability.  I cut the letters apart and punched two holes in each card  Students then had to string the letters onto their necklace.  It is hard to see in this picture, but they also added a pony bead between the pictures.

Names in Shaving Cream:
Writing or playing in shaving cream is always fun (and messy!)  To help contain the mess a bit, I use a teacher lunch tray.  This keeps the mess contained.  Also, if I can't clean the trays up right away, I can stack them and wash them later.

 Name Tracing:
As part of our morning circle activity, my students will trace their names.  I simply typed their names and printed on regular paper.  I then put it in a page protector.  The students trace their names with a dry erase marker and wipe it clean with a Mr. Clean eraser.

Watercolor Names:

As you can see in this picture, my students have their name available to them on a small card so that they can refer to it if needed when writing their names.  In this activity we made apples.  The students wrote their name on the back of the plate.  Then they water colored the front. Prior to the start of the activity, I wrote a letter (the first letter in their name) in white crayon on the center of the plate.  When they painted over the letter, it came through the paint.  They just thought this was magic! 

I hope this gives you some ideas to get started.  I have more coming over the next few weeks!  

Kids Email: Review

I was given the opportunity to review KidsEmail.Org over the summer.  I jumped on the idea as my two older boys (ages 8 and 5) had asked to be able to email their grandparents.  I thought this would be a great opportunity to really set something up for them.









 Set up was super easy.  First, I created my parent account.  Next, I created an account for each of my boys.  I was able to set up various safety features, add all of the email addresses that they are allowed to send emails to and receive emails from, and I was able to personalize the account look for them.  My older one has a bit more freedom, while the younger one has all of his emails that go through me.  I sent their email addresses to all of their grandparents, aunts, and great grandparents and the emails started rolling in.  

The boys are so excited to receive mail.  Their grandma will send them pictures from their latest outing and my older son likes to send his last game request to his grandfather.   My older son actually helps his little brother access his email and write emails,  this has helped the 5 year old learn how to type on the computer, write sentences, and work on his writing skills.

I love  KidsEmail.org because it is easy for me to set up.  I can make sure my kids are safe in their use of email.  I don't have to worry about strangers emailing them or the boys sending emails to strangers. I can choose if they are allowed to receive or send attachments, I make sure that there is a tag line on every email saying it was sent by a child, and it have so many other options.

 The boys are able to easily navigate and my oldest has taken to changing the  background to fit his personality.  I actually love this email so much that I  just re-need out subscription for another year!  I am also thinking about talking to a few of my students parents to see if I can set up an account for the students to use to email back and forth with me or their parents.  This will enable them to work on typing skills, sentence structure, and the life skill of writing an email.

You can check out KidsEmail.org for free  for 30 days by going to the website and signing up for  the free trial. If you do, I would love to know  how you use it.

Work box: money sort

So what did you think of the alphabet matching task?  Easy to make right?  Well this one is even easier!

I found these great 3 section trays at the Dollar Tree and they are perfect for sorting.  I use them for all types of things, but this one is sorting coins.  To make it I used clear packing tape to adhere a coin to each section.  

The kids do great sorting these and after they sort we count the number of coins(we are not ready to to count the actual amount of money yet).  I will have more ideas for this in the next few days.  I jut forgot to take a picture and pictures are always better!

Sign Language

When working with beginning communicators I start using basic sign language right away.  (My own boys are no exception to this!) I will usually relate the sign language to the basic need of eating and start with the sign for more.  As the student grasps that these motions I am making with my hands mean something, then they will begin to use the signs also.  

To help students learn I have sign language in various areas of my room and also as my students PECS pictures.  Some of the words I teach include more, help, thank you, please, and sorry.  Also during circle time I sign the days of the week during the days of the week song, colors and letters.  Not only do my beginning communicators learn a way to express themselves, but my other students love learning another way to communicate.  

Do you use sign language in your classroom?  How do you use it?

Sorting task

This simple sorting task has been a big hit with two of my students.  We simply have the students sort a collection of counting bears into the  bowl that matches.   We  started with two colors and then worked our way up to 3 colors.  One of my students responds well to verbal praise so each time he put one in the correct  bowl I cheered.  Now when he does it, if I don't cheer he will look at me and say "yay!?".

If you are looking for more tasks I have a pinterest board dedicated to them or check out the others I have posted on the blog by going here!

Library Skills

As part of ESY/Summer School the kids take a weekly trip to the public library.  They are enable to enroll in the library’s reading program and check out books.  We often read books to our students during this time also.  Something I learned while there is that our students (my son included) have no idea how to use the online card catalog.  So, I jumped in and taught them.  I worked with one student to show him how to type in what he was looking for.  We then found the call number and he wrote it down.  Look at all of the skills we have worked on already!  Reading, spelling, typing, writing, identifying numbers, etc.   We then went and looked for the books.  I showed him how to look at the numbers on the shelves and the books.  By the following week he was doing this on his own. 

This got me thinking that this is an important skill that somehow our kids are missing.  I take my own children to the public library at least weekly during the summer.  This has provided me with the opportunity to teach A how to find the specific books he wants.  He is doing this all on his own now.








 The other great thing about checking out the library is that it is a cool place (Especially during the recent heat wave!) that has more than books!  Our local library has computer games for kids, reading/play groups, lots of comfy chairs, and a play area at the back with some toys.  B  and C love going to the play area to play with the train set.  This gives A an opportunity to look for books and me a chance to sit down.  Do you check out your local library over the summer?  Are library skills something you teach your students?














 

Making Lemonade

 Sometimes the simplest activities can be the most fun!  This past week for our cooking activity (life skills, measurement  reading) we made lemonade and then delivered it around the building (social skills & communication) and the kids loved it! It was so easy, but we got so much out of it.

We started with gathering the items we would need.

Next the kids tried to open the container of lemonade mix.  This was difficult and I had them ask each other for help before they could ask me. 

We read the directions and decided how much mix we would need.  Then each person took turns pouring the mix into the pitcher. 

Next we read to find out how much water we needed.  We then took turns filling up the measuring cup and pouring the water in. 

Then it was time to mix.

Finally, we were ready to drink up!!