Month: November 2017

20 Adaptable Thanksgiving Homeschool Activities

Posted on by Peggy Ployhar

 

Fall is rushing by quickly and snow is already starting to fly up north. Before we know it, the holiday season will be upon us.

As you are thinking about how to add some seasonal fun into your homeschooling activities, here are some Thanksgiving learning ideas you can incorporate into any child’s homeschooling schedule.

20 Adapable Thanksgiving Homeschool Activities

 

  1. Build Your Own Mayflower Craft and Science Activity – Easy activity for building a boat and learning the science of flotation
  2. Thanksgiving “I Spy” Printable – Observation and simple counting reinforced through “I Spy” with a Thanksgiving theme
  3. Language Arts Games for Thanksgiving – Multiple Thanksgiving-themed games to reinforce language arts
  4. Thanksgiving Dot Painting Printables – Dot Painting printables with Thanksgiving themes
  5. Building Number Sense, Turkey Style – Counting and turkeys make early math skills practice fun
  6. Sensory Turkey for Thanksgiving – Learn how to make a multi-sensory turkey
  7. “I am Thankful” Lapbook – Printables for making a thanks-oriented lapbook
  8. Color in Thanksgiving Placemats – Printables for activity placemats to use for your Thanksgiving meal
  9. K-4 Thanksgiving Reading Comprehension and Inference Activities – Multi-grade Thanksgiving reading activities, including comprehension and personal inference questions
  10. Upper Elementary Thanksgiving Activities – Reading, writing and math activities with Thanksgiving themes
  11. Visual Thanksgiving Recipes – Recipes written with pictures so they can be followed by non-readers
  12. Fine Motor Turkey Math Game – Turkey, math, and therapy all wrapped up in one game
  13. 21 Free Thanksgiving Themed Unit Studies – An extensive list of free Thanksgiving themed unit studies
  14. Thanksgiving Videos for Kids – A variety of videos for kids with a Thanksgiving theme
  15. Fine Motor Playdough Turkeys – Building this turkey is fun as well as it can help develop fine motor skills
  16. Thanksgiving Mad Libs – Kids add their own words to these Thanksgiving themed Mad Lib activity sheets
  17. 4 Thanksgiving Speech Therapy Activities – Ideas for incorporating Thanksgiving into your student’s speech activities
  18. Thanksgiving Writing Activity Packet – Writing is always more fun when it includes a seasonal flair
  19. Fun Turkey Dance for Brain Breaks – A Thanksgiving brain break dance your kids will love
  20. 30+ Thanksgiving Craft & Food Craft Ideas – Cute crafts that use a variety of different materials, even food


For more Thanksgiving SPED homeschooling ideas, make sure to check out our SPED Homeschooling Thanksgiving Pinterest Board. There are new pins being added to the SPED Homeschool Pinterest boards every day, so subscribe to all of them so you don’t miss a thing.

 

 

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Three Questions to Ask About Therapy Programs

Posted on by Kimberly Vogel

 

By Kimberly A Vogel

You’ve been staring at the paper for what seems like hours. It answers your questions, but now there are so many more.

 

The diagnosis
Now you know the specific issues, but do you know what to do or what specific program and organization to choose? When you feel overwhelmed with the big picture, it helps to break it down into smaller pieces with action steps.

 

1. What are the specific needs of my child?

  • Testing shows specific areas of strength and weakness in our kids. The diagnosis is a jumping off point, a road map of where you are with goals of where to go.
  • Do you understand the diagnosis? It’s up to the diagnostician to explain the results. Many people leave the meeting not understanding what to do or where to go. There are people who can help. The Thinking and Learning Center and other SPED Homeschool partners offer consultation to help you decipher the results. 
  • Make a list of the specific areas where your child is struggling and what type of help you want for those issues. Be sure to also list the areas of strengths!

 

2. What are my boundaries?

Before you start any therapy, take a realistic look at where you are and what you can do. Therapy needs to be taken seriously by the child and the parents.

  • Will be there be work to do between appointments?
  • What is the time commitment, for actual therapy and driving?
  • What costs are involved?

List what you are willing to do and what you can not afford to do,  financially, time-wise, with travel, or emotionally. 

If you find a program you want to pursue, but think it is outside your set limits, ask the provider if there is something they can do to help you stay within your desirable boundaries. Some places offer payment plans or financial breaks to offset their costs. It doesn’t hurt to ask!

 

3. What aspects of this program would work for my child and which would not?

  • Make a list of what you want to get out of a program. Does the specific program offer it?
  • Put the list of your child’s needs next to the attributes of the program and write down what part of the program would specifically help each issue.
  • Are there any issues that the testing showed, or any that you or your student want addressed that is not in the program? Ask the teacher/therapist if the issue is addressed and how.

 

Before starting any program, make sure it is the right one for your child. You want a program that will set goals and reevaluate those goals periodically. Once your find a program, trust it. Some programs or issues take time for results to show. Be patient and keep in contact with your child’s therapist.

 

 

 

 

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