5 Senses

I have been wanting to do a packet on the 5 senses for some time.  And since I have a lot of down time this week, here we go!  I will probably split these into two different lessons when I add them to our morning folders.  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/5-Senses-Fun-Pack

Kitchen Measuring

Here is a small packet on kitchen measuring.  I have included measuring with liquid measuring cups, dry measuring cups and measuring spoons.  Great to use in your classroom before you start actual cooking classes.  

 http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kitchen-Measuring

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Here is a fun little packet I did for Martin Luther King day.  I added a link to the store where I found these cute graphics.  He does a great job!  Be sure to check out other products in his store.  Enjoy!
.http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Clipart-PNG-Files-for-Personal-or-Commercial-Use

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Fun-Pack

Paint Stir Snowmen

I found a cute american flag craft http://dreaming-n-color.blogspot.com/2011/05/paint-stick-flag.html last year made from paint stirrers. I sent a couple of our aides out to our local home improvement stores to see if they could get some given to them for free.  Little did I know how giving these stores would be with their paint stirrers.  They literally came back with hundreds.  Sooooo I found a few additional crafts to help us use them up throughout the year.  We made these cute snowmen today!   Here is the link:  http://funfamilycrafts.com/paint-stick-snowmen/

I still have oodles of stirrers left! I am still on the lookout for more ideas if anyone has any suggestions.

Menu Math Packet

I have put together 3 menu maths in the past few months and have been selling them seperately.  I have now bound all of them together to make 11 pages of menu math!  They include McDonalds, ChickFilA and Burger King.  The menu prices are accurate with the prices where I live, so I hope they are the same for you.   

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Menu-Math-Binder

Morning Warm-Ups

Here is some example of the morning warm-ups I add to the morning folders each month.  The kids seem to enjoy the review and they get a variety of activities on that day.  You can find a pack of 16 of them in my TPT store. 
 






http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Morning-Warm-ups

Morning Folders

I have mentioned before a little bit about the morning folders I do with my class.  In my program we have little increments of time during the day when not all of my kids are in class at the same time.  I starting doing these folder last year so that the kids could work at their own pace in their time.  My students arrive anywhere from 7:50 to 8:30 in the morning, than we are off to breakfast, and at 9:15 we move on to work sites, outings or PE. When we return back to class (they trickle in) we have usually 10 to 20 minutes of time before lunch.  It was impossible to teach a class when kids were coming and going so this seemed like the best plan.

I have added examples of my November and December calendars so you can see what kind of subjects we cover.

 First thing in the morning we write our morning message "Good morning..... Today is..... Today we will be going...." usually something along those lines. Than they log the temperature for that day from our newspapers into their folders.  I have a copy of the calendar in the front of their folders so they can see what page they will be working on. Everyday is different though each month is very much the same.  We always do a worksheet about them or where they live, something on measuring, food, math, calendar skills, cryptograms or graphing, newspaper finds, weather, time skills, menu math, money etc.  I also add one or two mystery math pages I get from TPT, they love these! http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Christmas-Color-by-Codes-AdditionSubtraction

Most of my kids still need help with these sheets, but I have great aides in my classroom that help us get things done!

Case Conference Form

I case conference a lot!  I am going to start using this form and saving them in the students portfolios for quick reference.  Feel free to pick up a FREE copy in my store.  Have a great day!

Karen

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Case-Conference-Discussion-Form

Curriculum 2

 I am still waiting the return of my laptop.  It has been a very long time!  I tried and tried to find someone who could remove all of my worksheets and things I have purchased like fonts and clipart but it just wasn't meant to be.  I should be getting a new computer in the next week.  Thank goodness for warranties! 

I wanted to share with you the books we are using this quarter in my classroom.  Last quarter I made student copies of each book and put them in folders.  Since most of my students are non readers, I pretty much found that they were not following along at all, so this time I did not make additional copies. 

So far I am loving both of these books!  Just like the last books we used, we read one chapter once a week from each book.  I only have 11 students right now, so I love to have them all pull their chairs up to one table.  They are so attentive while I am reading and love to tell stories about things in the book that apply to their lives and experiences.

I would highly recommend both of these books! 

ChickFilA Menu

 My laptop is down so I have not been able to post anything!!!  Worse than that, I can't even create when I am at home (and I like to create when I am at home).  I have been staying late at work trying to fulfill at least a few of the commitments I gave myself concerning my blog and my store.  Hopefully I will get my computer back soon!!

 

 I had a request in my store the other day for additional menu math pages from different restaurants. Since I do love making these, here is one for ChickFilA.  It really helps when a web page has great graphics, and these were some of the best.  Hope you can use them.

Karen

Sorry for the layout of this.  I guess one big long line of worksheets is better than nothing at all.  Right?

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/ChickFilA-Menu-Worksheets

Birthday Cupcakes

Every year in the past I have provided all of my students with cupcakes on their birthday.  This year I thought it would be fun to allow two of the students to decorate the cupcakes for their classmates birthday.  Today was our second birthday of the school year, and cupcake decorating is NOT that easy for my kids!  We used butter knives last time, and what a mess!  They kept lifting the knife which kept pulling the top off the cupcakes and mixing cake with frosting, ugh.  This time I tried a piping bags with not much more success.  They were absolutely adorable tho!  I had to help towards the end and wish I had taken a picture of them before.  I think next birthday we may try dipping the cupcakes in a thinner frosting!  They are having a great time and really look forward to their turn in helping with their friends parties!

Fall Finger Painting

We did a little painting this week to celebrate the coming of fall (even tho it's still in the mid 90's).  My aide, who is quite creative, drew the trees.  Everyone was fine with putting their fingers in the paint (I had qtips on hand just in case)!   The kids had a great time!  

Fall Cryptogram

My students never get sick of doing cryptograms.  I usually add one each month to their morning folders.  Here is the one that is going in Octobers folder.  It is a paragraph from a poem called "A Fall Song"  by Ellen Rubena Field.  The answer to the cryptogram is

"Good by sweet flowers through bright summer hours you have filled our hearts with cheer  We shall miss you so and yet you must go, for this is the fall of the year."

"http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Fall-Cryptogram

Columbus Day Activity Sheet

I have been working hard trying to get my October morning folders ready.  I love months where I can incorporate holidays in the activities, so this month is great!  Here is a worksheet to help celebrate Columbus Day on October 8th.  The answer to the cryptogram is "In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue".  All the math answers are 1492.  This will be our morning activity in our morning folders on that day.  I will post some of my other activities within the week.  

Have a great weekend!


http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Columbus-Day-Activity-Sheet

Birthday's

I was out of wall space to add a birthday chart, so we came up with this cute idea to take pictures of the kids holding a sign with their birth date on it.  We cut them out and added them to the top of the appropriate month on our timeline!!  They look really cute!

Personal Boundaries

Personal boundaries are a big deal when it comes to our group of students.  It is something we work on daily throughout the year.  In our program we are big on fist bumps and discourage hugging among the kids at all times.   

I have seen other boundary circle charts that have more groups listed, but as to not confuse my kids to much, I narrowed it down to just 4.  Here is a couple worksheets you can use with the circle chart.  I hope you can use them in your classroom.
Have a great week!

Karen

“If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”


http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Life-Skills-Personal-Boundaries

Classroom Bingo

Love love love these bingo games from PCI Education!!  I was borrowing a co-workers games last year, but since I moved to a new school I had to get my own set.  I had planned to buy two of the four available (bathroom, kitchen, fruits and veggies and prepared foods) but I just couldn't decide!  I ended up ordering the box set and can't wait for them to arrive.  My students love playing bingo and these are fun AND educational.  Sometimes we play by just showing them the picture, describing it and letting them find it on their bingo cards. It is also fun to give clues and let the students guess what the next card will be.  This is a fruit.... It's big..... You can make a pie with it..... People carve them on Halloween etc.....  I attached the link below so you can check them out!

Enjoy,  Karen

http://www.pcieducation.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=41559

Superstore Shopping

We are very fortunate at my work to have the opportunity to go into the community on a weekly basis.  I have posted a few worksheets (Grocery Store Hunt, Pharmacy Hunt) in the past.  This week we were taking a trip to our local Target, so I came up with this worksheet that the students could use while we were there.  They had just enough time (1 hour) to find all 14 items on their list.  We went over all their finds when we returned to class.  I think the kids really enjoy having an actual activity to do when we go out, than to just walk around the stores.  I hope you can use this activity with your students.  If you email me your email address, I will send you one for FREE!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Superstore-Shopping-Activity

Oriental Trading Co.

I LOVE Oriental Trading Company!!  Every year I use some of my teacher budget  to buy classroom activities for my students.  Here is what I am ordering this year.   I plan to have a "camp out" in the classroom later in the year (hence the campfire). There was a cute, make your own camp scene sticker activity I ordered and I think we will serve smores!!  I still have a sticker activity I didn't get a chance to use last year on voting, and a cycle wheel activity on recycling I still plan to use this year.

Monday Night Football Chart

 Monday Night Football Chart.   I put this together yesterday for my class, it's not the best of quality but it will work.  Oh, and its FREE!!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Monday-Night-Football-Contest

Food Group Challenge

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Food-Group-Worksheet

This was our morning activity yesterday in our yellow folders.  We had talked about food groups a couple days before and did a sticker activity I bought from Oriental Trading Co.
http://www.orientaltrading.com/fabulous-food-groups-make-a-sticker-scenes-a2-9_1122-12-1.fltr?Ntt=food+groups

They did exceptionally well remembering what we had learned!

Seat Belt Safety

I have been having a few problems this year with students not wanting to wear their seat belts while on the bus.  Sooooo, I made this up over the weekend and plan to use it tomorrow in class.  I'll let you know how it goes!


Karen




http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Life-Skills-Seat-Belt-Safety

Curriculum

Personal Hygiene?  what's that got to do with me?  

From Amazon ------>  This book is a curriculum developed book for students with autism, Asperger's Syndrome, learning and developmental disabilities, designed to help them understand how others perceive their appearance and the social implications of neglecting personal hygiene.

We use this book every Monday afternoon.  I love this book!  I have used it for years.  It is funny, on their level and each chapter comes with printable activities!


Dude, That's Rude!  (Get Some Manners)

From Amazon ------->  Kids today need manners more than ever, and Dude, That’s Rude! makes it fun and easy to get some. Full-color cartoons and kid-friendly text teach the basics of polite behavior in all kinds of situations—at home, at school, in the bathroom, on the phone, at the mall, and more. Kids learn Power Words to use and P.U. Words to avoid, why their family deserves their best manners, and the essentials of e-tiquette (politeness online). It seems like light reading, but it’s serious stuff: Manners are major social skills, and this book gives kids a great start.  

This is the book we use on Wednesday afternoons.  Again, another very funny book with great pictures.  I do not use all chapters, as some do not apply to my kids.  Overall a wonderful book for my level of students.  

We will use these books during the first quarter of the school year.  Please share if you have any great books you have used in your classroom!

Thanks, 

Karen

Bird Seed Feeders

 Yesterday we made these cute bird seed feeders in class.  The students did a great job with all the measuring, stirring and packing them into the molds!  We let them dry overnight and today we threaded twine through the holes we made. They were so proud of them!!  

Ingredients:

4 cups bird seed
1/2 cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup flour
3 T corn syrup

Here is the link:  http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/birdseed-wedding-favor-hearts-easy-and-inexpensive-diy/

New Classroom

 I am still not completely done working on my new room, but I thought I would add some pictures of what we have going on so far.  I have the worlds worst camera so you will have to bear with my blurry pictures. This pictures is showing my desk and kitchen area.

This room has sooooo much pinterest in it!!  I love all the ideas I got from other great room!

 The tree on the wall will be more permanent soon.  My friend is going to make me one a little wider and probably a bit more whimsical in vinyl (my aide threw this one up with construction paper so we could give her an idea).  I have hung framed pics of each of my kids in the tree, and we plan to decorate it for each holiday!

 Here is a view of the front of the room and my library area.  I still need another book shelf of two but I am waiting for budget money to get in.  Oh, and my same aide tacked those curtains up for me too!

Here is my front door.  I have added a news bulletin board and a timeline that I CAN'T wait to start filling in!!  When I can find a better camera to borrow I will post more close up pics of certain areas.  This has really been a lot of fun working on, but I am glad it's almost done!!

If you scroll down you can see what the room looked like just 1 month ago!

More Bin Labels

I am in a bin label mode for some reason.  I promise to be done soon.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Yellow-Polka-Dot-Labels

Hamburger Helper visual Recipe

I love using these visual recipes with my students.  My students are totally capable of preparing something like this with a little bit of help.  I really want to do a lot more cooking in my classroom this year.   They all LOVE to cook!  I am always surprised and saddened on how many of my students don't get the opportunity at home to cook.  Here is a basic recipe for hamburger helper.   This will not work for all varieties  and I did not put amounts of each ingredient, as each box was a little different.  Do you cook with your students?  What kinds of thigs are fun and easy to cook in the classroom?  I will give away this recipe card to the first 5 people who comment below.  Be sure to leave your email address!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Hamburger-Helper-Recipe-with-Visuals

Bin Labels 2

 I was getting my classroom organized last week and decided I was in need of additional bin labels.  So, here is another label sheet to add to  the two I posted a couple of months ago.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Bin-Labels-for-the-Classroom