Turkey Craft with Cereal & Colors

Motor skills targeted: Use of glue to place pre-cut images of turkeys onto background color sheet (students chose). Then, requested color of cereal to make small dot of glue on turkey and glue cereal on. Use of bopper paints and/or markers to color "dot" turkey sheets.

Communication skills targeted: Requesting desired colors of paper, cereal, paints and markers, following directions, receptive identification of 2 word phrases and expressive naming of items in a book using sign language and verbalizations.

Today, we attempted to make turkeys using different colors of cereal glued on. Students first requested what color background paper they wanted and then glued on the turkeys. Students then requested the color of cereal that they wanted. The intent was to fill the middle of the turkey with different color cereal. Most of the students just ate the cereal and did not want to glue it on the turkey. Students also colored in the feathers of the turkey. It was a rough day for group and it didn't go nearly as well as we planned.

For the language activity, we used the Functional Language Program to work on receptive identification of two word phrases. Students were given two pictures. Each picture contained two nouns. Students were asked to select the picture named after hearing it verbally or signed. When students completed the receptive pointing task, they were allowed to use the bopper paints to decorate the turkey.

We ended group with a Thanksgiving book that we pulled in at the last minute. It was a counting book so we were able to practice verbalizing and signing the number of turkeys left on each page.

Fall placemats

Motor skills targeted: Bilateral hand use and strengthening with tearing pieces of construction paper, use of shredded scissors for scissor skills, tactile sensory input with sticky paper.

Communication skills targeted: Following directions, receptive matching of functional objects to pictures, answering basic wh-questions, expressive vocabulary of functional items through verbalization or sign language

Today in group we worked on two separate tasks:

1. The motor activity for the day was creating fall placemats using scissors or tearing paper with hands. Once the paper was ripped, students placed it between two pieces of contact paper to make a fall placemat.

2. The communication activity for today was receptive matching of objects to pictures along with expressive naming of items. We recently purchased the Functional Language Program for Children from Linguisystems. It provides activities for children who need to work on expressive, receptive and functional language skills at the one, two, three and four word phrase level. There was a CD included, which we used to print and laminate the picture cards. We are hoping to use this program for both verbal students and students using sign language in order to increase and expand their language skills. Since this was the first time using it, today we gave two pictures to each student (some needed assitance in keeping the cards on the table in front of them). Then we pulled an object out of the box. The students had to look at their cards to see who had the match. The student then either spoke or signed the label of the picture. It was sometimes difficult for the students to attend while waiting for their item to be selected but overall, the students did well with the activity.