Climb for Water Recipe - News-2-You

We usually "cook" the recipe from the newspaper each week on Thursday. Today we did the Mountain Mix recipe. I like "trail mix" recipes because they encourage choice making and communicating wants.

I gave each student a zipper baggie. Then, instead of pouring all of the ingredients into a bowl, I put them in separate containers. I programmed a switch to say "I want that." Each child was asked if they wanted the ingredient in their baggie. They activated the switch if they wanted the ingredient in their mix. The students enjoyed deciding which ingredients they wanted. I do have some students who don't eat much by mouth, so we send the bags home to share with their siblings, grandparents, etc.

Easy Communication Board

I encourage my students with disabilities to use sentences as much as possible from low tech to high tech, from verbal to written communication.

One of the most inexpensive ways I have used to encourage sentence development is a basic communication board. I use Boardmaker to print out symbols/words, but any picture from a magazine or camera could be used. I wanted a way to reuse symbols without having to run to the laminating machine. I came across baseball card holders made from heavy plastic at Walmart. I trimmed the holders to 3 in. by 3 in. I set the size of my cells to 2.5 in by 2.5 in. I placed Velcro on the back of each holder.

I use a slant board with an area at the bottom to place the symbols. Students sequence the symbols to create a sentence. I use this board for activities throughout the school day. The symbols are larger and easier to manipulate for students with some physical disabilities. Some students love the sound of the Velcro.