Changes to Book Orders

Some of you may have noticed that I added another button, to the right, for Scholastic Book Orders. There is now a button for each class, one for Ms. Ange's and one for Ms. Jeana's class.  Please be sure to use the correct button when placing orders for your class.  There will be reminders when book orders are sent home as well. Thanks!

Magnets

Many of the students were very interested in the magnetic letters from our coconut tree for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  And there were also a few students who spent an entire work time seeing what would "stick" to the magnetic fishing poles this week.  So next week for large group we are going to be having lots of fun with magnets!  Here is our learning card for the week:     

This weeks handout is a great one about negation.  

Our Bouncing Ball Sound!

For the next 2 weeks we will be working on our "Bouncing Ball" sound during large group!  For the first week we will work on "b" in isolation and CV combinations.  The second week we will focus on words and phrases!

At home, again use these sheets below to practice.  Remember to make it a game or even just target this sound during play activities!  If your kiddo struggles with drill work, just say lots of words with the "b" sound in it while playing so that your child hears the correct production of this sound over and over!  Just have fun with it and the more naturalistic the better!  :) 
Isolation: practice the "B" sound in isolation in front of the mirror or even a video camera.  You can show your little one our bouncing ball picture (above) while you work on it.  If you use a camera, record your practice and then watch it together after you finish! CV combos: use this worksheet from Heather's Speech Therapy to practice (ba, be, bo, etc.).   Words: use these sheets from Adventures in Speech Pathology for practice at the word level. /b/ initial /b/ medial /b/ final  Phrases:  use the worksheets above to make 2-3 word phrases ("The red boat." etc.) Have fun with our "B" sound this week! 

Free App Friday

Today there are 24 apps worth $53 available for free over at Smart Apps for Kids!  Remember to grab them before 10 p.m. (CST).

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month

For anyone who knows me, they know I love working with children!  I always have, and I always knew that when "I grew up" I would work with children.  Somewhere along the way, I started working with children with special needs. And although at times it was very challenging and scary for me, I soon found out that I completely loved it!  Every child that I work with holds a special place in my heart and that's no different for children with Down syndrome.  I love working with children with Down syndrome!  I feel so blessed to be in a profession where I get to work with such amazing children and see the growth they make each day, month, summer break, or year.  In an effort to help educate others about different syndromes, disorders, areas of development, etc, I wanted to post about different awareness months/days. This month is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month!  The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) has a GREAT article on their website that talks about different ways to get involved!  I searched for a Buddy Walk in our area and it looks like there was one in South Jordan last month! (Bummer!)  However, if you have family in any of the surrounding western states here are the dates for upcoming walks (some states also had their walks in September):

• Boise, Idaho: October 12, 2013 details here
• Tucson, Arizona: November 3, 2013 details here
• Las Cruces, New Mexico: October 26, 2013 details here
• Roswell, New Mexico: October 19, 2013 details here
• Billings, Montana: October 5, 2013 details here
• Great Falls, Montana: October 12, 2013 details here
• Kalispell, Montana: October 19, 2013 details here
• Belligham, Washington: October 5, 2013 details here
• Moses Lake, Washington: October 12, 2013 details here
• Olympia, Washington: October 5, 2013  details here
• Seattle, Washington: October 6, 2013 details here

If you would like to look up any other states, go to the link above to search.  

The National Association for Down Syndrome has a great list of ways to get involved or share information with others!  The National Down Syndrome Congress has great information and resources on their website as well.  There are really so many resources out there, so search the internet or check your local areas for ways to promote Down syndrome awareness!  

Thank You!!

I just wanted to thank all of you for your scholastic book orders! They helped us get ALL of these free books for our classes!

These are for Ms. Ange:

And Ms. Jeana's Class:

We have already made big plans for more reading time and small group activities, especially with our class set of "It Looked Like Spilt Milk!"  I hope you all enjoy your new books as well. They will be sent home today and tomorrow, along with a "Llama Llama Time to Share" sticker for every student. So be sure to check those backpacks.  Happy Reading!

Shape Story

This week during Large Group we also read the following Shape Story adapted from the story "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" By Bill Martin Jr.  The children are encouraged to help read along with the story and after each shape we look around the room for things shaped like that shape.  Here are the very simple visuals I used for the story! The children have done great with it!  

Red square, red square, what do you see?

I see a green circle looking at me. 

Green circle, green circle, what do you see? 

I see an orange triangle looking at me.

Orange triangle, orange triangle what do you see?

I see a blue rectangle looking at me.

Blue rectangle, blue rectangle what do you see?

I see a purple heart looking at me.

Purple heart, purple heart what do you see?

I see a yellow star looking at me.

Yellow star, yellow star what do you see?

I see a black diamond looking at me. 

Black diamond, black diamond what do you see?

I see a pink oval looking at me.

Pink oval, pink oval what do you see?

I see _______(child's name) looking at me!

It looks like some of the pictures are coming out pretty dark for some reason. If you would like a pdf copy of the visuals send me an email and I will be happy to share!  Happy shape hunting.