SENSEational Story Time: Let's Play!

 

It was a very snowy day here on Saturday, but that didn't keep one brave family from trekking out to attend SENSEational Story Time! This is our monthly story time exclusively for children with developmental delays, ages 3 - 10, and their families. Take a look at my page Adapted and Inclusive Programs for my guideline plan, visual schedule and activity details. Our theme was "Let's Play!" This is a theme I especially like doing with kids on the autism spectrum, as they can sometimes have difficulty understanding the basic concept of free play.

Here's what we did:

Welcome Song: "The Story Time Ball"

Crossing-the-Midline exercise: Shoulder-to-shoulder

Touch / Feel Box: "What do I have in my box today?"
I put a variety of small toys in my little wood box with flap for the kids to feel inside, grab a toy, guess what it is, then pull it out to see what it is. We sung this song as we were doing this activity:

What do I have in my box today?
Box today, box today?
What do I have in my box today?
It must be a ________________.
(Source: Storytime Source)

Story: The Baby Goes Beep by Rebecca O'Connell
This is a simple, rhythmic story with great sounds to mimic. We also like to talk about what the baby is playing with (especially important to describe these illustrations for kids with low vision).

Stretch Band Rhyme: "Tick-Tock"
Tick-tock, tick-tock
I'm a little cuckoo clock.
Tick-tock, tick-tock
Now I'm striking one o'clock.
Cuckoo!
(Pull the stretch band side to side and then up and down on "cuckoo!")
(Unfortunately, I can't remember where I found this favorite rhyme.)

Story: Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
I handed out one of our rhythm sticks to each child for them to mimic the actions in the story with. After the story, I asked them "what is your stick?"

Story-related sensory activity: We marched with our sticks to "The Noble Duke of York."
Oh, the noble Duke of York,
He had 10 thousand men.
He marched them up
to the top of the hill.
Then he marched them down again.
And when you're up, you're up
And when you're down, you're down.
But when you're only halfway up,
You're neither up nor down!
(Inspiration from: Storytime Katie)

Tactile beam activity: "Tactile beam song"
(Move slowly and adapt for mobility impaired -- can do movements while seated.)
We can move
Forward and backward,
Forward and backward.
Side to side,
Side to side.
Forward and backward,
Forward and backward.

Goodbye song and stretch: "Tickle the Clouds"
Tickle the clouds.
Tickle your toes.
Turn around and tickle your nose.
Reach down low.
Reach up high.
Story time's over --
Wave goodbye!

Sensory craft: We kept our playful imaginations going with sticks and created things with our Wikki Stix. These are so much fun! These reusable pieces of non-toxic waxed yarn are great for developing those fine motor skills. Here are some pictures of our fun:

 

Snow sensory story time for middle school group

Today, I gave a group of 8 middle school students with varying cognitive impairments and their teachers/caregivers a tour of the Youth Room. We followed up with a winter-themed sensory story time. Unfortunately, our early start to winter in Michigan this week delayed their bus a bit so I had to cut one of the stories in order to keep them on their schedule (and squeeze in our fabulous craft!).

We started off with a discussion about all of the things we like about winter. Warming up with hot cocoa and building a snowman topped our list!


ASL sign song: "Sprinkle, sprinkle, little snow" (tune: "Twinkle, twinkle, little star")
Sign learned: SNOW
Sprinkle, sprinkle, little snow
Falling down on us below.
Small and white and powdery,
Such a joy for all to see.
Sprinkle, sprinkle, little snow
Falling down on us below.
(Source: Preschool Education)

Story: Best in Snow by April Pulley Sayre
We didn't have time for the sensory reading of this new favorite, so I added some of the sensory experiences to our next story.

Flannel rhyme: "Chubby Little Snowman"
(We talked about how to put our flannel snowman together first.)
Chubby little snowman
Had a carrot nose.
Along came a bunny,
And what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny,
Ate the little snowman's nose
Nibble, nibble crunch!

Story: Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
We passed around an "indoor snowball" to experience the crunchy feeling and then I brought around a small bin of artificial snow for them to touch and feel before I read the story. I also had a grocery bag filled with snowman materials to show the kids, just like in the story. We talked about the different materials used to make the snow dad, mom, boy, girl, baby, cat, and dog. Their favorite one was the snow dog because they loved the buttons! I asked them why the snow creations were shrinking and melting when the sun came out. There are so many discussion points in this beautifully illustrated, simple favorite.

Song: "Winter Pokey"
You put your mittens in,
You put your mittens out.
You put your mittens in,
And you shake them all about.
You do the winter pokey (shiver),
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about!
You put your boots in...
You put your warm hat in...
You put your snowsuit in...
(Source: Perpetual Preschool)



Activity: "Snowballs pals"
We used all of those wonderful materials from the Snowballs sack (pre-cut pieces of yarn, buttons, bird seed, leaves, circle stickers), along with some pre-cut textured paper circles to create our Snowballs pals. They really enjoyed making these, and everybody (boys and girls) made a snow girl! Here are a few of them:

What is a visual schedule?

 Visual schedules are a sequence of images (can include simple text) that help us to stay organized. They can be especially helpful for people who have difficulty processing verbally delivered information. (These visuals are also great for English Language Learners!)

Why use a visual schedule?

• It improves listening and focus.
• It helps with comprehension and response for people with learning disabilities, who are visual learners.
• It's an aid for processing sequenced information.
• Motivation! "I can see what we are going to do, which makes me feel more comfortable!"
• It helps to alleviate anxiety over the "unknown" for those who are uncomfortable with changes in routine.
• It helps visual learners follow instructions and routines.

Here are a few resources to help you create visual schedules:

• Boardmaker (symbol-based learning software)
• Subscription to Boardmaker Online https://www.boardmakeronline.com/
• Google images

I create visual schedules for my sensory story times, using the Boardmaker software, laminating the images, and attaching magnetic strip to the back. My visual schedules are displayed on a magnetic board during my program. We go over all of the images at the beginning of the program, so we know what we are going to be doing. Before we do the activity, I point to the corresponding image and then remove the image when we are "all done." You can also add an "all done" pocket to place the completed activities in.

Visual schedules are a wonderful assistive tool to add to your inclusion toolbox.



Outreach: multi-sensory winter water cycle program

Today, my colleague, Ed, and I visited Wing Lake Developmental Center to do a multi-sensory lesson on the changes in the water cycle during winter for children and young adults with multiple impairments. Be sure to check out my page Adapted and Inclusive Programs for general sensory program plans. Here's what we did today:

We talked about what we like in the winter time (snow, sledding, hot chocolate!) and what changes we might see in the weather.

ASL sign song: "Weather Song" (tune: "London Bridge is Falling Down")
Signs learned: RAIN, SNOW, and WIND
See the rain come falling down, falling down, falling down
See the rain come falling down on this rainy day.
See the snow come floating down, floating down, floating down
See the snow come floating down on a snowy day.
Feel the way the wind does blow, wind does blow, wind does blow
Feel the way the wind does blow on this windy day.
(Source: Storytime Stuff)

Story: This is the Rain by Lola Schaefer (a nice rhythmic informational story to introduce the water cycle) Since some of these students had low vision, we were very descriptive of the story's illustrations.

Now what happens when the air gets colder and the rain turns to snow? We asked the students to help us put together our flannel snowman!

Flannel rhyme: "Chubby Little Snowman" (Don't forget your bunny puppet to nibble the carrot nose!)
Chubby little snowman
Had a carrot nose
Along came a bunny,
And what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny
Looking for some lunch
Ate the little snowman's nose
Nibble, nibble, crunch!

Story: Best in Snow by April Pulley Sayre
One of us brought around multi-sensory experiences to the students while the other one read the story. These were especially enjoyed by the students with low vision and those craving extra sensory input. This simple story is beautifully illustrated with photographs that depict the changes in precipitation during the winter. We added these elements to those pictures:
Cooling breeze: a portable fan blowing over the audience
Clouds: bin of cotton balls
Snow: bin of artificial snow (non-toxic mixture purchased on Amazon)
Squirrel with snow on his nose: squirrel puppet with a few sprinkles of our "snow"
Duck with snow on his wings: large green and yellow feathers to touch
Snow shapes: indoor snowballs ("crunchy" fabric snowballs also purchased on Amazon)
Ice on the trees: bin of ice
Sun: portable daylight lamp
Ice melting and dripping: rain stick
Mushy, gushy soil: bin of dirt, leaves and sticks

Song: "Winter Pokey"
You put your mittens in,
You put your mittens out.
You put your mittens in,
And you shake them all about.
You do the winter pokey (shiver)
And you turn yourself around.
That's what it's all about!
You put your boots in...
You put your warm hat in...
You put your snowsuit in...
(Source: Perpetual Preschool)

Activity: Snowy trees
We used pieces of bubble wrap to apply our white "snow" paint in addition to cotton swabs. Some liked using their fingers, too! A fun, simple craft for those with varying fine motor abilities.
(Inspiration: http://gluedtomycraftsblog.com/2016/01/bubble-wrap-snowy-tree-kid-craft.html)