Welcome Back!

After a much needed two month hiatus, we are BACK! This summer we traveled near and far, spent time with our friends and families, and most importantly, got some R&R! Now that we are energized and our creative juices are flowing, we hope to post more fun and exciting therapy ideas!

Some big changes happened in our school over the summer, so we are looking forward to seeing how the year plays out. We are SO motivated and eager to start fresh!

So far, our first week back consisted of exciting tasks such as room organization and decorating, as well as scheduling. We can't wait to see our students, how much they've grown (up), talk to them about what they learned and experienced, as well as see what they remember from last year :)

We have some fun "Back To School" activities for our students, so stay tuned!

Good luck & happy scheduling to you all!

Staying Sharp During Tests!

This week third, fourth, and fifth grade public elementary school students in NY are taking their English Language Arts (ELA) state tests.

We have quite a few Speech and OT students who will be taking the state tests and we wanted to provide some additional support to reinforce the test taking tips and strategies their teachers may have taught them. In addition to providing some useful information, we also wanted to lighten up their moods and reduce possible stress.

How did we do this??? 

We made "Test-Taking Survival Kits" with a variety of useful goodies including: sharpened #2 pencils to record their knowledge, erasers to remind them that it's okay to make mistakes, Starburst candy to encourage them that they are stars and should aim high, and a “bookmark” of (hopefully!) helpful tips they can use, not only for the state tests, but for all exams they take.

We reviewed the tips with some students who we saw prior to the tests. The kids even came up with some more of their own tips for each other. However, naturally, the most exciting part of the survival kit for them were the Starburst!

Check out our "Tips to Stay Sharp During a Test!" bookmark in our TPT store.

What other test-taking tips do you find helpful for your students? Let us know in the comments below! 

   

Note: As per the NYC Department of Education website, “Elementary and middle school students in New York State take yearly State tests in core academic subjects to assess their mastery of the Common Core Learning Standards. Students’ test results are one of the factors that schools use to decide whether to promote a student to the next grade. Educators also analyze students’ test results to help determine which instructional standards to focus on, and to evaluate their programs.”

Skittles Experiment

For the springtime, we wanted to conduct a hands-on, colorful, and fun-filled activity with our students. What's better than a rainbow-colored experiment?! An experiment involving yummy candy such as Skittles! The experiment produced quick results which the kids were able to observe within a few minutes. This delicious experiment only required three easy-to-find supplies:

1. Skittles

2. A clear cup

3. Water

Skittles Experiment: First, each of the kids chose 3-5 different colored skittles. Next, they placed the Skittles into the cup with the "S" facing up, the Skittles touching the walls of the cup and with some space between each Skittle. Then, they slowly and gently added water to the cup until the Skittles were completely covered. Finally, they waited around 3 minutes and observed the results.

Prior to conducting the experiment, we made sure to review the materials we would be using, as well as some related vocabulary words (predict, sink, float, observe, and dye).

The kids filled out a worksheet that we developed to go with the experiment. We made sure to differentiate worksheets for lower and upper grades. The kids were able to use some of their Science vocabulary to describe their observations and fill out the worksheet. Some observations that were made included: the Skittles sank to the bottom of the cup, the "S" floated to the top, the colors came off the Skittles and went into the water.

Saying that the kids enjoyed performing this experiment would be an understatement. We have never heard so many wonderful adjectives used to describe an activity before. 

Please go to our Teachers Pay Teachers Store to check out this download.
 www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Fun-Spot-For-Kidz

Springing Into Our New Blog!

Welcome to our blog!!! Spring has sprung and we are excited about the new season. Spring signifies renewal and new things to come, which is why we thought it would be the perfect time to launch our new blog. When I say "we," I am referring to the "Fun SpOT for Kidz" quartet (we are three Speech Therapists and an Occupational Therapist). We currently work in a NYC public elementary school, servicing children grades K through 5. In our sessions, we try to provide educational, yet also creative, intriguing, and FUN therapy to our students of varying diagnoses and abilities. We work in a Title 1 school, which means a high percentage of our students are from low-income households. This drives us to be as creative as we can with the resources we have. Earlier this week we discussed the new season that has finally come upon us - SPRING! We created a colorful visual aid to help the kids understand and visualize the concept of seasons. We included some of the things you can typically see during each season. Please go to our Teachers Pay Teachers store and check out this FREE download.

Fun SpOT for Kidz TPT