How to Make 5 Green and Speckled Frogs

With the move to a play based curriculum here in Ontario I spent the last half of last school year really examining what I'm doing in the classroom.  I want to move to a more inquiry based program but being in special ed my students often need to be taught specifically how to do something and then have the opportunity to practice that skill over and over again.  A lot of what I do is very hands on as it is.  

My 5 Green and Speckled Frog Interactive books were a big hit with the kids and they used them over and over again as they acted the song.

For those students that need something more concrete, I thought, what about an actual log and some stone frogs.

So I went on the hunt for the perfect log.

I found 5 smooth stones and painted them like frogs (I hope they look like frogs).

Originally I went looking for some blue construction paper for my pool, when I came across this blue cookie tray.  I was perfect for what I needed.

Once the children had used the frogs and log for a few days, I added some magnetic numbers to see what they would do with them.

Printing Time

The summer has been ticking by and I've been trying to get a head start on few things I need to prepare for the new school year.

I'm starting by making copies of my Monthly Printing Assessment Journal.

I use my Assessment Journal to keep track of my students fine motor and printing skills each month.  Since most of my students have speech and language disabilities, I find that fine motor difficulties are more likely to be an issue when they come to school. 

I start by getting the children to color the front cover.

They then put their name on the front.  

I sometimes get children who can't print their name when they get to school and these are kids that show the most progress.

Each month I get them to fill out the appropriate pages.

I usually take a small group at a time and I guide them through each section.   I find this keeps me accountable because we don't want to miss a month.

It's amazing to see the progress as the months go by.  I also love to have the book handy for parent interviews.  It's also a wonderful keepsake at the end of the year for parents to keep.