Saturday 4 April 2015

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 :)



38 comments:

  1. You have so many great ideas! I work with children who have special needs on a daily basis. I'm going to try a few of these ideas with them

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    1. That's great, Rose and if you are looking for any resources in particular let me know and I'll try to help you out as I have quite a few in my files I could e-mail you if you like?

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  2. Visiting back from A to Z (Jeri at storytellingmatters). These are great ideas! And I do believe that dance is a way for special needs children to connect - it is an art, and the arts simply rock! Can't figure out how to follow you back - do you have an email way to do it (not on Google connect :)

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    1. I don't have an e-mail feed but I like Bloglovin' and it's really easy to download and install (even on Wordpress I think!)

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  3. I love the idea of Decoupage for kids. I did some as a child and hadn't thought about it in years. My Brownie Troop will be working on their art badge soon. This is a great art to introduce them to.

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    1. Oh yes a great one for Brownies to do and it's a great way to improve cutting out skills too :)

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  4. I love the idea of Decoupage for kids. I did some as a child and hadn't thought about it in years. My Brownie Troop will be working on their art badge soon. This is a great art to introduce them to.

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  5. Hello - and thanks for visiting my blog earlier. I am beginning to dabble in digital scrapbooking - and decoupage is part of that. Or is it? You can tell, I know NOTHING; but that's a great place to be - think of all the yummy things to be learnt!

    Ros, visiting from GenWestUK

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    1. Well I've heard of digital scrapbooking but have no idea how to do it so maybe I should put that on my list of crafts to discover? Lovely to meet up again through the Challenge :)

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  6. I teach music and use dominoes to reinforce understanding of rhythm and length of notes.

    Is there a list of blogs with less than 100 followers? I know there was last year but I can't seem to find it this year.

    Eileen @ In My Playroom (also doing the A to Z Challenge)

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    1. Yes the less than 100 followers is at http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/blogs-with-followers-a-z-challenge-is.html however there do appear to be a lot on this list so far that I've visited that are not actually taking part this year (or at least when I visited they had nothing posted for April and it is Day 4 now!!)

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  7. You are a great teacher! Wonderful to think of various ways to teach math.

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    1. Listening to the way children talk about how they learn helps us a lot in understanding how we can best help them I think plus none of us learns in precisely the same way so why should children be any different!!

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  8. You are an amazing achiever! I am visiting 5 a day and 10 a day on weekends. Great accomplishment. I would love to have attended your school. Dance would be a great way to learn!
    I am enjoying the learning and the craft elements. Thanks for putting them together. Time for me to dig the dominoes out of the closet and give the flash cards, which my daughter abhors, a break.

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    1. It is the Easter holiday over here so I have been able to devote some time to the challenge. I thought if I did a lot now I can afford to relax a little later!! I am sure your daughters would love playing dominoes - enjoy :)

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  9. You are an amazing achiever! I am visiting 5 a day and 10 a day on weekends. Great accomplishment. I would love to have attended your school. Dance would be a great way to learn!
    I am enjoying the learning and the craft elements. Thanks for putting them together. Time for me to dig the dominoes out of the closet and give the flash cards, which my daughter abhors, a break.

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  10. I love decoupage! Such fun, and beautiful results.
    Great post!

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    1. Hello again, Judy - I remember you from last year's challenge :) I'll be over to your blog soon!!

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  11. I like your strategy for working through the challenge list. That's a great way to keep the list from becoming overwhelming.

    When I was on placement in one primary school we used domino activity cards to help teach number bonds. It was quite popular. :-)

    I love the effect of decoupage. You definitely have to make your own bedroom screen, and then share it here so the rest of us can feel jealous!

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    1. With almost 2000 blogs taking part this year I knew I'd only be able to cover about one tenth during April so I had to focus on those I might stand a chance of connecting with and wanting to leave comments on. Obviously, I will be visiting those with the word cat in the title at some point. On the subject of the screen, I think my husband would say the photos would probably make everyone feel queasy as I "over" decoupaged!!

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  12. Pempi-- I loved decoupage as a kid but had forgotten how much fun it was. Thanks for the reminder!

    Yvonne

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    1. Mmm - in that case I wonder if we'll be seeing one of your future book covers with decoupage on it???

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  13. I haven't used dominoes as a way of teaching but we sure do love to play dominoes at this house. Especially Mexican Train!

    Smidgen Snippets & Bits

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    1. I've just looked up Mexican Train and see you would play this with dominoes that go up to double 12!! The most I've seen in this country is double nine and I thought that was a lot!!

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  14. I have visited many blogs and read numerous posts but haven't come across something so special and unique. Salute to your efforts :) Great to have connected with you .
    Thanks a lot for the awesome comment on my blog.Do keep visiting :)

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    1. So pleased you like my blog too :) The A to Z Challenge is such a good way to get to know other interesting bloggers from around the world, isn't it?

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  15. Thank for stopping by Spedville the other day! I love your blog and had added it to my Feedly. Can't wait to explore your non a-toz stuff too. Headed to senteacher to check out the domino resources :)

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    1. It's great to meet other educators involved with teaching children with special needs as we can share ideas, info and resources. I'm sure you'll find lots of useful stuff on the senteacher site :)

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  16. Visiting from A/Z; you have a good theme here to help others in the educational field :) My mother in law was a special education teacher for years; at the time she did a lot with music with Orff, not sure if you are familiar with that (she retired from teaching in 2000 and then would just substitute as her health allowed; she's subsequently passed). I like the idea of using dominos as the ways you listed here for teaching. Good luck with the rest of the challenge :)

    betty

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    1. Thank you for dropping by, Betty. I have heard of the Orff music therapy I think and I love using music and songs to teach things in school. My teaching assistants always remind me of the songs they learnt during maths when they used to be helping in my classes!!

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  17. thanks for visiting me and now I've joined your followers. Very thoughtful. This is an excellent theme and quite interesting. I like the decoupage - I'm sure it's fascinating to see what the children create

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    1. Lovely to have you on board, Joanne. Children are so uniquely creative so often they can produce things you'd never have done as an adult - I think that's why I get so much from them :)

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  18. Your post brings back memories about decoupage and domino. I always wanted to dance but been shy coz I am such a bad dancer. I remember playing domino with Dad when I was small and lost interest after losing a couple of games.

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    1. Oh Ranveer, please believe me when I say I am sure you would have been a star in my dance lessons - the quote - dancing with the feet is one thing but dancing with the heart is another - I think rings true for you :) I'd get the dominoes out and try again - I am sure you will be much better at the strategy element now!!

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  19. I've just seen the section in your post where you explain about all the blogs in the A to Z Challenge that you've visited. I am impressed. I always find it quite challenge to keep visiting blogs, keep commenting and carry on with every day life. Anyway, I'll have to persevere.
    I was interested to see you mention dominoes. It always seems quite a simple game, but I've seen it played "competitively" in pubs and it gets quite rowdy.

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    1. Let's be honest if I was at work I certainly wouldn't have been able to visit or comment on so many - however I think part of the Challenge is to push yourself to explore further than you normally do and I've certainly been drawn into more diverse topics than I normally would on just teaching sites!! I also agree that pub dominoes can be very rowdy - I remember once as students going down our local with a box of dominoes and attracting quite a crowd - including Mick Hucknall and the other band members of Simply Red!!!

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  20. Great posts! I love your idea :o)
    Thank you for commenting on my posts in the challenge
    Hugs xx

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    1. It's wonderful meeting so many talented crafters this year and it's certainly inspiring me to do more with my craft aspect of life :)

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