Dominoes, Dance and Decoupage

This year my A to Z Challenge has a double theme.  The first focuses on the resources and teaching that may help children with special educational needs learn more effectively and the second is to do with my crafting likes and ideas.

Before I begin today's post, I would like to report that I think I have now visited & left a comment on all A to Z Challenge blogs that have been marked as either ED (Educational) or CR (craft).  I hope over this weekend to now visit blogs on the list that have less than 100 followers and increase my own list of followers too :)

Dominoes are a very effective resource which are easily and cheaply available and come in a range of styles to suit most learners.  I recently blogged back in February about using dominoes in the classroom and I am including the same freebie here to share again that I designed to be used along with a box of them.  Just click on the graphic below to download.

I like using dominoes to teach different aspects of maths e.g. doubles (having children find and sort out all the double dominoes from a box is an activity in itself), matching patterns, addition, playing the fives and threes game helps with using multiplication facts from those times tables etc but there is also the social aspect of learning a competitive game - to take turns, understanding when you can't go and missing a turn, also that there is a winner and there are losers!!

I would also like to point anyone who works with children with special needs in the direction of  this website senteacher.org who have a huge range of invaluable printables including many special domino sets  http://www.senteacher.org/worksheet/90/Dominoes.html

Share your favourite domino games below or your memories of playing this popular game.

Dance - it might seem a little strange to say that this is a teaching strategy to help children with special educational needs especially for those children with movement disabilities but in my experience working in mainstream inclusive schools I have never ceased to be amazed by the abilities of children to move to the stimulus of music.  We have learnt science through dance (planets, how plants grow, electrical circuits, the water cycle to name a few) historical concepts and stories (rituals of Native Americans, Tudor life, the Blitz) as well as literacy (The Iron Man, The Hare & The Tortoise, Greek Myths).  Dance has helped with sequencing for many children and brought them again out of their shells.  It has helped with their social skills and the outbreak of spontaneous applause from class members as they watch a dance unfold is the best reward for those who often struggle to keep up in competitive games and sporting activities.

Did you like dance at school?  Did you or your children learn other curriculum areas through it?

Decoupage - this is another craft that I have dabbled in and have certainly used with children at school but when I watch others at my craft club do it properly I can see how amazing it can be!  Decoupage is the art of layering paper cut outs over an object and gluing them on to give a decorative finish.  People also use this for card making to create a 3D effect.  I can never seem to resist buying decoupage papers especially when they are on offer - you can see a selection of them below 

but I think this year I really must get round to buying that old bedroom screen and using them on it!!  I've dreamt about one for years!

photo courtesy of  www.peppermillantiques.com

And another freebie hot off the press is my double dottybugs worksheet for children to find and colour in those dottybugs that show the same number of dots on both sides.  An extension activity can then be to write the sum below that bug e.g. 4 + 4 = 8

Click here to download

Have a lovely Easter weekend :)