Well... I know, I know... I have been MIA for way too long. I love the blogging world and reading all of the many amazing educational blog posts on a day to day basis, but for some reason, I just can't keep up with mine! I'm going to try to do better I promise!
I am currently out on summer break and enjoying every minute. In my free time, of course, I am searching near and far for fresh ideas to incorporate in my classroom. There just doesn't seem to be much out there for teachers of students with severe and profound intellectual disabilities. Any blog recommendations you have would be greatly appreciated.
Here are a few of my favorite Special Education blogs:
Sped-ventures
Adaptations 4 Kidz
How Long is This Hall!?
What are your favorites?!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Survived Week One
One week down, and how many to go?! Yep, my students and I have already been back to school for an entire week. The fact that all of my current students are returning from last year makes things a little easier. The students picked up right where they left off. I did change up our schedule a little this year which is taking some getting used to and I have a new paraprofessional this year (she is FABULOUS I might add), but other than that, things are pretty much the same.
Oh yeah, one thing that did change this year... my room decor! A few weeks ago I posted some inspiration pictures for my classroom theme, "Mrs. Holder's Nest!" I have added a few "bird" inspired items to my classroom decor and plan on adding a few more elements throughout the year. So far I really like the theme. Here are a few pictures from my classroom. Let me know what you think!
Oh yeah, one thing that did change this year... my room decor! A few weeks ago I posted some inspiration pictures for my classroom theme, "Mrs. Holder's Nest!" I have added a few "bird" inspired items to my classroom decor and plan on adding a few more elements throughout the year. So far I really like the theme. Here are a few pictures from my classroom. Let me know what you think!
I foud this cute little welcome sign at Hobby Lobby for 80% off. I couldn't resist!
It is hanging in the hallway right by our classroom door.
This bulletin board will display important school/class information under "The Daily Chirp" and student work under "Work to Tweet About!" I love how the little birdies turned out. They are cut from patterned scrapbook paper.
I plan to build a tree above this bulletin board to fill the white space of the wall.
A close-up of the "The Daily Chirp." The chirp banner letters were created by Victoria over at City Cradle Designs.
Check out the free printable on her website.
Not really "bird themed" but still an important part of my classroom design, this is my Circle Time board. All of the pieces are magnetic so I can easily grab things on and off the board to show my students. I plan to recreate the numbers 1-5 with different colored birds, instead of sports balls. It's on my to-do list.
I used scrapbook paper to create the border and it is now hanging on our classroom door.
There are a few pictures I forgot to take, so I'll add those later, but this shows some of the progress I've made on my room so far. I'm loving it!
~ Liz
Monday, July 23, 2012
Summer Vacay!
Hi Y'all,
I have just returned from a week on the West Coast. My cousin got married in L.A. last Saturday so we decided to make it a vacation and stay awhile. We were in California for 9 days for a whirlwind tour! I feel like we never slept, but we had so much fun! We arrived in L.A. on Friday afternoon and headed straight for Beverly Hills where we did some window shopping on Rodeo Dr. (that's all I could afford) and toured a TV Out of the Box Warner Brothers exhibit. That evening we went to Downtown Disney Land to eat dinner at the House of Blues and watch the fireworks. On Saturday morning we drove to Simi Valley to tour the Ronald Raegan Presidential Library. It was amazing! If you're ever in the area it's a must see! That evening, of course, was the wedding for my cousin and his bride-to-be. I was so glad we got to be there for them on their special day. It made me think back to my own wedding day only a year and a half ago. Such an exciting time! On Sunday we toured the Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank. It's a 2 and 1/2 hour tour worth every penny. We had a great tour guide and got to see the sets of Ellen and Big Bang Theory (two of my favorites!) and a whole lot more behind the scenes stuff, including props, movie sets, costumes, etc. After the tour we took in all the sights and sounds of Hollywood. I had been there before but my hubby never had, so it was neat to see it all again with him. That evening we met up with my parents, who were also in town for the wedding, for dinner at the famous chicken dinner restaurant at Knott's Berry Farm. On Monday we took a day to tour some of the more well known beaches around L.A., including Laguna, New Port, Huntington and Venice beaches, ending at Santa Monica Pier, where we ate dinner and took a ride on the ferris wheel. Are you tired yet!? :)
Well we aren't finished yet! On Tuesday we headed north on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), a GORGEOUS, scenic drive with the Pacific ocean on one side of the highway and mountains on the other. We went through Santa Barbara, San Luis Obisbo, and Monterey, among others and toured Hearst Castle near San Simeon. One of my favorite stops along the PCH was at a overlook called Piedras Blancas. Here we saw hundreds of Elephant Seals sunning on the beach and playing in the water. It was an amazing sight and I could have stayed for hours just watching them play and listening to their "barks." Another neat detour from the PCH was a 17 mile drive which took us past beautiful beaches and ended at the Pebble Beach Golf course. My husband enjoyed seeing this as it's one of the more famous golf courses. On Thursday we finally arrived in San Francisco. This was my first time in San Fran! Our first stop was the Golden Gate Bridge where we were awarded an amazing view! When we first got to the bridge we had zero visibility due to the fog, but within 20 minutes the fog cleared and we were able to see the whole bridge. We stayed at the Palace Hotel near Union Square and had a nice evening getting familiar with the area. The next day we hit all the touristy spots, including China Town, Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, rode the Cable Cars and saw Lombard St. from a distance, though we didn't drive it. We would love to go back and spend more time in this city. There is so much to explore.
We had an early flight home on Saturday morning and spent all day yesterday recovering from our lack of sleep! Ever heard the saying, "You need a vacation from your vacation!"? Well for us, this was SO true! We went non-stop the whole trip but I wouldn't change a thing! We had so much fun and made so many memories along the way.
Now we are home and reality is setting in... I only have ONE MORE WEEK of summer! Pre-planning starts next Monday. We do have a week of pre-planning without students but it will be a rude awakening having to set my alarm and get back in the swing of things. Where has the summer gone?! I feel like I just turned off the lights in my classroom and closed the door on the 2011-2012 school year. Now it's time to start all over again! I'm jealous of all you bloggers who still have several weeks of summer left!
Well, since I shared all about my trip with you guys, I thought it might be nice to give you a visual. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the trip. Enjoy!
I have just returned from a week on the West Coast. My cousin got married in L.A. last Saturday so we decided to make it a vacation and stay awhile. We were in California for 9 days for a whirlwind tour! I feel like we never slept, but we had so much fun! We arrived in L.A. on Friday afternoon and headed straight for Beverly Hills where we did some window shopping on Rodeo Dr. (that's all I could afford) and toured a TV Out of the Box Warner Brothers exhibit. That evening we went to Downtown Disney Land to eat dinner at the House of Blues and watch the fireworks. On Saturday morning we drove to Simi Valley to tour the Ronald Raegan Presidential Library. It was amazing! If you're ever in the area it's a must see! That evening, of course, was the wedding for my cousin and his bride-to-be. I was so glad we got to be there for them on their special day. It made me think back to my own wedding day only a year and a half ago. Such an exciting time! On Sunday we toured the Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank. It's a 2 and 1/2 hour tour worth every penny. We had a great tour guide and got to see the sets of Ellen and Big Bang Theory (two of my favorites!) and a whole lot more behind the scenes stuff, including props, movie sets, costumes, etc. After the tour we took in all the sights and sounds of Hollywood. I had been there before but my hubby never had, so it was neat to see it all again with him. That evening we met up with my parents, who were also in town for the wedding, for dinner at the famous chicken dinner restaurant at Knott's Berry Farm. On Monday we took a day to tour some of the more well known beaches around L.A., including Laguna, New Port, Huntington and Venice beaches, ending at Santa Monica Pier, where we ate dinner and took a ride on the ferris wheel. Are you tired yet!? :)
Well we aren't finished yet! On Tuesday we headed north on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), a GORGEOUS, scenic drive with the Pacific ocean on one side of the highway and mountains on the other. We went through Santa Barbara, San Luis Obisbo, and Monterey, among others and toured Hearst Castle near San Simeon. One of my favorite stops along the PCH was at a overlook called Piedras Blancas. Here we saw hundreds of Elephant Seals sunning on the beach and playing in the water. It was an amazing sight and I could have stayed for hours just watching them play and listening to their "barks." Another neat detour from the PCH was a 17 mile drive which took us past beautiful beaches and ended at the Pebble Beach Golf course. My husband enjoyed seeing this as it's one of the more famous golf courses. On Thursday we finally arrived in San Francisco. This was my first time in San Fran! Our first stop was the Golden Gate Bridge where we were awarded an amazing view! When we first got to the bridge we had zero visibility due to the fog, but within 20 minutes the fog cleared and we were able to see the whole bridge. We stayed at the Palace Hotel near Union Square and had a nice evening getting familiar with the area. The next day we hit all the touristy spots, including China Town, Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, rode the Cable Cars and saw Lombard St. from a distance, though we didn't drive it. We would love to go back and spend more time in this city. There is so much to explore.
We had an early flight home on Saturday morning and spent all day yesterday recovering from our lack of sleep! Ever heard the saying, "You need a vacation from your vacation!"? Well for us, this was SO true! We went non-stop the whole trip but I wouldn't change a thing! We had so much fun and made so many memories along the way.
Now we are home and reality is setting in... I only have ONE MORE WEEK of summer! Pre-planning starts next Monday. We do have a week of pre-planning without students but it will be a rude awakening having to set my alarm and get back in the swing of things. Where has the summer gone?! I feel like I just turned off the lights in my classroom and closed the door on the 2011-2012 school year. Now it's time to start all over again! I'm jealous of all you bloggers who still have several weeks of summer left!
Well, since I shared all about my trip with you guys, I thought it might be nice to give you a visual. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the trip. Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Make it Easy... to pick up and hold
We play group games daily in my class. Common games you may find us playing are Bingo and Memory. These games are easy to create for any theme/topic you are teaching. During a Bingo game, calling cards are placed face down on the table and the game caller gets to pick any card to call out to the players. To play Memory, all cards are placed face down on the table and students take turns flipping 2 cards at a time to find a match.
THE PROBLEM: The problem my students have with playing these games are being able to pick up the cards from the table. They just do not have the fine motor/finger control to be able to pick up thin objects from a flat surface.
THE SOLUTION: My simple solution... clothespins! I found these large clothespins pictured below at Ikea but I'm sure they can be found elsewhere too! I simply attach a clothespin to each card, place them face down on the table and now my students are easily able to lift the cards from the table during game play.
This simple adaptation has made many of my games accessible to my students with fine motor difficulties.
THE PROBLEM: The problem my students have with playing these games are being able to pick up the cards from the table. They just do not have the fine motor/finger control to be able to pick up thin objects from a flat surface.
THE SOLUTION: My simple solution... clothespins! I found these large clothespins pictured below at Ikea but I'm sure they can be found elsewhere too! I simply attach a clothespin to each card, place them face down on the table and now my students are easily able to lift the cards from the table during game play.
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| Large clothespins attached to a bingo game from the Unique Learning System curriculum. |
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| During a bingo game, this student easily picks up a calling card from her tray. |
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| Another student picks up a calling card during bingo and flips it over for everyone to see. |
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
The Nest... a theme to tweet about!
First off, I must apologize for being MIA for so long on my blog. I love reading other teacher blogs and catching up with all of you, but when it comes time to post on my own blog, I just don't make the time. Well, I'm back... for today, at least!
I am half way through my summer and have to admit I'm a little bummed. I had so many plans for classroom projects I wanted to complete over the summer and have not accomplished any of them... yet! But I still have a few weeks to get busy. So, to start things off, I'd like to share one project I have in mind... design a new theme for my classroom! I have never actually used a specific theme for my classroom decor but a teacher friend has inspired me to create one. Her classroom is all decked out in pirate stuff and it is so cute! There is so much you can do with a theme! I think my students would enjoy it and it will give a fresh look to my classroom which I have been in for 7 years now! It's time for a change. After searching endlessly on the internet for theme ideas I have finally decided to do a bird theme. I know, random, right?! Let's just call it "Mrs. H's Nest." I have not actually created anything for this theme yet, but have found lots of inspiration pictures. Here are just a few:
I am half way through my summer and have to admit I'm a little bummed. I had so many plans for classroom projects I wanted to complete over the summer and have not accomplished any of them... yet! But I still have a few weeks to get busy. So, to start things off, I'd like to share one project I have in mind... design a new theme for my classroom! I have never actually used a specific theme for my classroom decor but a teacher friend has inspired me to create one. Her classroom is all decked out in pirate stuff and it is so cute! There is so much you can do with a theme! I think my students would enjoy it and it will give a fresh look to my classroom which I have been in for 7 years now! It's time for a change. After searching endlessly on the internet for theme ideas I have finally decided to do a bird theme. I know, random, right?! Let's just call it "Mrs. H's Nest." I have not actually created anything for this theme yet, but have found lots of inspiration pictures. Here are just a few:
I'd love to create some type of bird mobile to hang from the ceiling.
from The Bump
I absolutely love the mobile below. You can download the free bird sewing pattern from her website. Hmmm... maybe I could finally learn to sew for this project! :)
Check it out on Spool Sewing.
Here are a few wall or bulletin board displays that I love:
I have the perfect space on my wall to display this bird mural. It seems pretty straightfoward and easy enough to create.
Found on Pieces of Me.
Mrs. H's class is something to tweet about!
Super cute display from Leslie Ann at Life in First Grade!
And finally, I would absolutely LOVE to have this tree in my classroom. I can picture white lights hanging from the branches and down the trunk. The lights could be hooked up to a single pressure switch that my students could turn on and off.
This was created by Laurie Kessler over at It's Going To Be All Write.
There are so many more pictures I could share, but I think you get the picture. Hopefully I can incorporate at least a few of these ideas into my classroom decor this year. Do you use a classroom theme to decorate? If so, what is your theme and how do you incorporate it into your classroom? I would love to hear your ideas.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Best start yet...
Well, while many of my blogger friends are just starting out the school year, I have already made it through the first six weeks of school and now have a week off for Fall Break! I absolutely love our school calendar! I have to say that after 7 years of teaching, this has been the best start to a school year so far. I have 5 students, but only one is new. We all fell back into our normal routine, with only a few minor changes to our schedule.
I plan on spending some of my fall break working on GAA (Georgia Alternate Assessment) activities. Do I have any Georgia followers out there that have to administer the GAA this year? It is a time consuming task, but I hope to complete the entire assessment by Christmas! I have 4 portfolios to do this year... two 3rd grade and two 4th grade. Maybe I'll get a chance to share some of our GAA activities on the blog this year.
I plan on spending some of my fall break working on GAA (Georgia Alternate Assessment) activities. Do I have any Georgia followers out there that have to administer the GAA this year? It is a time consuming task, but I hope to complete the entire assessment by Christmas! I have 4 portfolios to do this year... two 3rd grade and two 4th grade. Maybe I'll get a chance to share some of our GAA activities on the blog this year.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Hold on to your...
I have several students in my class that do not keep items in their lap or on the table in front of them. Two students in particular that I have in mind are capable of grasping and holding on to materials but instead they are constantly dropping things on the floor or pushing items off of the table. I am always looking for new ways to keep the materials accessbile to the student, where they cannot drop them or push them out of their reach.
Of course, we have all seen these before, but that day it dawned on me... I can use these with my students to attach small toys and other items to their wheelchair or belt loop!! They are retractable, so the student can easily move the objects, but if they push them off their lap, they won't fall to the floor! I decided to buy them and give them a try. I think I got a pack of 6 for around $3.99.
Here is my first attempt at using them with my students. During our music/sensory time each student got to choose an instrument to play. This student picked bells. I was able to attach the instrument to the badge holder using a rubberband. I then attached the holder to the chest harness on her wheelchair. It worked perfectly! When she let go of the instrument it stayed in her lap instead of falling to the floor every time!
If you have any other great ideas for keeping items within students reach and preventing them from throwing/dropping the items to the floor, please share!
~Elizabeth
For paper materials I can tape them to the table in front of the student or clip them to a large slant board that is non-slip. For toys I have tried using dycem pads to keep them from sliding but students are able to pull the dycem up from the table or move the toy off of the dycem.
While scanning the aisles at Target the other day, I discovered these in the office supply section:
Retractable badge reels!!!
Of course, we have all seen these before, but that day it dawned on me... I can use these with my students to attach small toys and other items to their wheelchair or belt loop!! They are retractable, so the student can easily move the objects, but if they push them off their lap, they won't fall to the floor! I decided to buy them and give them a try. I think I got a pack of 6 for around $3.99.
Here is my first attempt at using them with my students. During our music/sensory time each student got to choose an instrument to play. This student picked bells. I was able to attach the instrument to the badge holder using a rubberband. I then attached the holder to the chest harness on her wheelchair. It worked perfectly! When she let go of the instrument it stayed in her lap instead of falling to the floor every time!
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| Use a rubber band to attach the item to the badge reel |
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| Clip the badge reel to an article of clothing or wheelchair strap |
I'm excited to use these with other materials in the classroom. I figure I can attach lots of different items to these badge holders using different sized rubberbands or ribbon. I'm going to play around with it and see what I can come up with.
If you have any other great ideas for keeping items within students reach and preventing them from throwing/dropping the items to the floor, please share!
~Elizabeth
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