More Smores Reading

We got the idea for this game from Amanda over at her fabulous blog "A Special Kind of Class"
Be sure to click on over and check out all her ideas.

This game has marshmallow cutouts with a word on each one. To play it the intended way the marshmallow cards are laid out face up on a table. Under one of the cards there is a chocolate shape that says "you win". The child says a little rhyme and then says the word on the card and picks up that marshmallow. They win by finding the chocolate. Super cute game and I knew Junior would love it.
For it to work for him we had to make a few adjustments. He can't verbally say the word on the card and can't grab it so we found a way that works for him. I printed, cut out, and laminated the marshmallow cards.
I then added velcro to the back of each card.
Abby helped Junior color a camp fire printout which we then laminated. Velcro was also added to the back of the fire.
I programed all the words which are on the marshmallows into Junior's ipad.
To play the Smores reading game I place the camp fire on our felt board along with two strips of brown felt(these are our marshmallow roasting sticks).
I then pick a marshmallow and say the word to Junior without showing it to him. He has to use his ipad to show me the correct word. If he is correct we place the marshmallow on the roasting stick. To win he has to get 4 words correct and fill up the roasting sticks.

Experiencing Life Differently - Camping (Fishing Pole)

Now that we have our tackle box, worms, and fish we need a fishing pole.
A children's fishing pole with a velcro or magnetic attachment on the line would work. We didn't have one available though so we used the cardboard roll from some wrapping paper. I placed a small hole near one end and put some yarn through it for our fishing line. I tried tying a knot in the yarn but had made my hole too large so even with a huge knot it pulled right out. I then found some black electrical tape and wrapped the end of our pole so the yarn would stay put(also looks cool).
At the end of our yarn we attached a large fishing bobber
I first tried placing a magnet on the bottom to catch our fish but the size magnets we had would not pick up the fish. I then added a piece of velcro to the bottom of the bobber and it worked perfectly.A piece of vlecro was then added to each fish(we used white so it is barely noticeable)
I asked Junior what color he wanted to paint his pole and was told "NO". I think that would be the first time he has ever told me no when it comes to painting. I realized that he knows if he paints it we have to wait on it to dry to be able to use it and I suspect that was why he didn't want it painted.
We wrapped the end in yellow electrical tape so he would have a easy to hold handle and thats it.
We placed the fish on a piece of poster board which was painted blue and were all ready to fish
The fishing line(yarn) is rolled around the pole because it was too long for use while in his chair. We made it long enough for him to also fish in his stander.
My little fisherman

Today it was just fishing for fun since it is the weekend. Tomorrow we will use it during our school session and introduce our learning games with it.

Experiencing Life Differently - Camping (How Many Worms)

How many worms do Junior's hungry fish want?

We are using the fish we made for a reading game but also for a math game as well.

For this game you will need - fish we made in the previous posts, a set of numbers laminated(I should clarify that I do not have machine to laminate so I use clear contact paper) with velcro on the back, worms(I copied several and Junior helped color them) with a number on each one, something to use as a fishing pole with a magnet on the end of the line.
This can of course be adjusted to fit your childs needs. For Junior we use his felt board so everything can be up in front of him.
I place one number on the board with the + sign and = sign.
I tell Junior that, that is how many worms we already have but the fish is really hungry and wants more. We need to catch a fish to see how many worms he wants.
I attach a number to the back of each fish
then turn them number side down
We "catch" a fish and look to see how many More worms he wants
that number gets added to our math problem and then Junior tells me how many worms the fish wants in all.
We will also do this for subtraction but telling him that his fish are really full and don't want so many worms. We will them subtract the number on the back of the fish we "catch" to see how many total worms the fish wants.

Junior is worn out after some very busy but wonderful days with friends. If he is up to it we will be making our fishing pole to use with our fish games.

Experiencing Life Differently - Camping (Fishing For Words)

Our last posted shared about the fish we have been making so now I will share one of the games we will be playing with our fish.

With Junior it is always a challenge to keep him engaged and focused on what we are doing. He is a smart guy but gets distracted and bored easily. After seeing him use the ipad I now suspect part of that is that his reading level is much higher then we thought. Starting this school year we are adding many new words and blends and are just jumping in and seeing how he does.

He absolutely loves games and competition so making reading a game is the goal. We just finished these fish so haven't tried it out with him but I am fairly certain he will love it.

For our "fishing for words" activity you will need - Fish(see last post for fish ideas), small magnets, some form of fishing pole(we will be using the cardboard roll from wrapping paper, decorating it and adding a string with a magnet at the end, we will share about this in a future post), velcro, pictures or symbols, cards with words(we are using the ipad).

We attached a small magnet to each of Junior's fish(the eye is the magnet), then velcro is attached to the back of each fish.
We had some pre-made plastic symbol cards in the closet which were perfect for this but you could also make your own picture cards. I used a small piece of tape to cover the word on each card.
Attach a small piece of velcro to the back of each picture/symbol card. The pictures will be attached to the back of the fish.
To play the fish will be placed picture side down in the "pond"(a blue piece of poster board, or the floor will work just fine). Using the fishing pole with magnet catch one of the fish and turn it over to see what picture is on the back. Junior will then match the correct word to the picture. He will use his ipad though you could use cards with the words printed on them as well.
If he gets the word correct he gets to keep the fish and if not he has to throw it back. Get 5 right to win(or whatever number you decide on).

I will be sure to come back and add pictures when we try out the game.

Experiencing Life Differently - Camping (Fish, Fish, Fish)

We did our tackle box math project a few days ago and of course if you have a tackle box you have to have some fish to catch.

The past week or so Junior has been making fish during arts and craft time. We use a different method for painting/decorating each fish and it has been lots of fun to come up with new ways to decorate our fish(some of these you have likely seen before). We will be using our fish for math and reading games(which I will share about in our next post).

For fish patterns I just put "fish pattern"or "fish outline" into google search. I found several fish outlines that would work for our projects.

We started with tie dye fish. You will need - A fish outline, coffee filters, tape, spray bottle, markers, paper towels, and scissors.
Place your fish pattern on a water proof surface(we used one of Junior's wedges so it also tilted it so Junior could see it). Put a couple small pieces of tape around the edges to hold it in place.
Cover your fish with coffee filters, I placed a few pieces of tape to hold these in place as well.
Using markers(Junior used dot markers) color on the coffee filters
Then use a spray bottle to spritz your artwork with water
We then used a paper towel to gently dab it to get rid of excess water.
Remove the coffee filters and let it dry
We then cut it out and laminated it
Then it was bubble fish(next time we will be sure to use more then one color)
You will need - dish soap, water, food coloring, a straw, and a fish outline
We mixed a little water and soap together and added a couple drops of food coloring
Junior can't do the blowing part so I blew through the straw to create lots of bubbles
We then laid our fish outline over the top of the bubbles. I would recommend using more then one color. Ours turned out just looking a little green but you can't really see the color that much.
I may try it with paint powder next time instead of food coloring.
Now to Junior's favorite fish. Painting with worms.
You will need - fish outline, paint, rubber worms/grubs.
We dipped the worm in the paint and dragged it across the fish.
Our next fish(sorry I don't have pictures of the step by step) was decorated using tissue paper/crate paper.
You will need crate paper/tissue paper, fish outline, glue, paint brush.
cut or tear the tissue paper into small pieces, paint your fish with glue and then sprinkle on the pieces of paper. All our fish so far(Junior has a few more to make and I will add those here when we do)

Next up fishing for words

Experiencing Life Differently - Camping (Smores 1)

Junior has had a rough week and we haven't really gotten much school work done. Yesterday evening he was feeling a bit better so we looked at the Smores book we will be using during his school unit.

No camping trip would be complete without some Smores
This book came to us via Amanda over at her lovely blog A Special Kind Of Class. Be sure to click on over for a visit and check out all her fabulous ideas.

We printed off the book pages, then laminated them and added velcro.
For Junior we added a piece of velcro to the back of each page so it can go on his felt board up in front of him. If your child doesn't need it up like that then you could punch holes in the pages and put them in a three ring binder so your child could use it like a regular book.
Here is the first version of the book. In this version you add the pictures as you walk through the steps of making Smores.(A few of the pages)
Junior will be using his ipad to choose which picture he needs for the next step.(if your child can move their hands then they could grab the picture and put it on the book page themselves or point to it)

In the second version of the book some of the words are missing.
Junior will choose the ipad to choose the correct word.
Looking at the new book last night. He still wasn't up to being in his chair and really reading but had fun checking out the book.
When we actually use the book during our school session we are going to make some Smores. Not real ones but we have foam marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. So not nearly as tasty as the real thing but they will look real and Junior can have fun making them.

Junior is doing a bit better today and is not crying nearly as much. Praying that by Monday he is back to his happy, energetic self and ready to have some camping fun.