During this time of quarantine we have been told that it is safe to go outside for fresh air and exercise. That being said, be sure to stay at least 6 feet away from strangers and wash hands when you return indoors! Not only are walks great for fresh air and exercise, but they are also a great opportunity to stimulate language! Talk about the 5 senses! What can you see? Smell? Hear? Feel? Maybe you can taste water or a snack that you brought on your walk! Check out the printable nature hunt below!

There are so many ways to stimulate language while working in the kitchen! Think of vocabulary throughout the kitchen, what do you do with those things? A spoon is for scooping. Knives are for cutting. We use an oven to bake. We use an oven mitt to keep our hands safe! While you are emptying the dish washer or hanging in the kitchen, think of ways you can teach your students about the things you are working with. Of course, think back to those 5 senses in the kitchen! What can your student see, feel, hear, smell, and taste?

This is also a great time to talk about KITCHEN SAFETY! Talk about WHY we do not play with knives. Talk about WHY we should stay away from the oven and stove. Talk about WHY we use an oven mitt. Talk about WHY it is important to check expiration dates or ask an adult before eating something. Talk about WHY it is important to clean something up when it spills.

How about following directions? What are the steps to making a PB&J? How about preparing a bowl of cereal? Break down the steps and see if your student can follow the steps or tell you what to do next! Or with adult supervision, have them follow the video below!

We can all agree that movies are great for rainy days, early mornings, late nights, and more! When your students are watching movies, this is an awesome opportunity to implement strategies for language and communication. Simply commenting on a movie is great - talking about what a character is doing, where they are going, and more is a simple way to embed language. For some students, you can ask questions about the movie. If you are watching Harry Potter consider a few of these questions, What is the main characters name? Where does he go to school? Who is his friend? Why are they cheering? How does he fly? You can let your student answer independently, or give them two choices using your hands. Yes/no questions are also great to ask while watching movies!

Coloring is an activity for people of all ages! While your students color, you can first of course discuss the colors they are using. Have them make a choice between 2 colors. Talk about the color of different things in the pictures. "I bet that could be a blue sky!" Will you paint it blue or green? Of course let creative freedom remain free...red skies and green water are just as fun to talk about!

Below you can find a beautiful coloring page created by Nikki Frumkin, an alpinist and artist from Seattle, WA. She gave Hartvigsen School special permission to post this coloring page for our students to print and color at home during our dismissal! You can open the PDF by clicking the top right arrow on the page below. Click the link below to learn more about Nikki's work!