A Glimpse at Ms. Kudick's Dr. Seuss Themed Classroom!

 

 

 

I covered my old, metal, dented desk with red and white strips of duct tape, and of course I had to add some glitter, so I added a thin stripe of light blue glitter tape. It has been a hit!

 

This is my bulletin board where students are able to staple any work that they are proud of. This could be an assignment they did well on, or a picture they drew.

 

Here are my Truffula trees! These add a lot of Dr. Seuss-y atmosphere to my room!

The black is black piping insulation (I think?) cut in half and taped to the windows.

The yellow stripe is yellow duct tape.

And the fluffy tree is tissue paper I experimented with cutting and layering to achieve different looks of a truffula tree!

Autism Awareness for Classmates

As a former Line Therapist, and now Elementary Special Education Teacher it has constantly been brought to my attention that there is a huge gap in educating people about those with Autism.

 

Our children have classmates with Autism and many of them have never even heard the term "Autistic." This unknowingness leads to children struggling to understand WHY their classmate has an aide come in to work with them. Classmates become confused or envious of certain accommodations made for Special Education students that truly need those accommodations to be successful. Some classmates will even imitate the behaviors of a classmate with Autism in hopes of receiving special attention or accommodations they do not truly need.

 

As I observed each of these situations occurring on a daily basis in many classrooms, the solution seemed clear, lets TALK about it!

 

I created a "Prezi" online talking about Autism for a second grade class. When I gave this little presentation our friend with Autism was visiting with a different classroom. :) It seemed the best option for him to not be present, so everyone felt comfortable enough to ask any questions they had.

 

The second graders were extremely interested and responsive to talking about Autism. A few students even had siblings with it. We shared what Autism might look like for one person, and might NOT look like for someone else.

 

After our class talk the students were able to try out our fidgets, seat wigglers, weighted blankets etc. The students enjoyed this part very much, while it simultaneously solved the issue of students wanting to have the same accommodations as their classmate with Autism in their own classroom.

 

Following our talk the students have acted 150% more understanding, patient and interested to learn more about their classmate. It has been heartwarming to witness these young students put forth extra effort to make life better for someone else.

 

Here's the link for the Prezi!

 

https://prezi.com/4blxbuul8gah/autism/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy 

Recycled Dr. Seuss Garland

Using book pages and t-shirts

As a first year teacher, (or any other teacher) I am always on a budget while simultaneously creating new ways to improve my classroom and make it an exciting environment to be in.

 

With that said, as a Dr. Seuss fan, when I saw a Dr. Seuss book in the garbage, I knew I had to rescue it.

 

The "Cat in the Hat" book had pages falling out & discolored.

 

I decided to rip the pages out and cut them into triangles. Next, I hole-punched a hole at the top of each page.

 

Once I got home I pulled out t-shirts that were no longer being worn. I simply cut strips of these t-shirts (roughly the same size as each other).

 

Finally, I strung fishing line through the pages and tied the cut-up t-shirts in knots between each page.

 

WALLA! An original, recycled, FREE book garland for your classroom!

 

*I am thinking I will add lights to the garland come Christmas time to give the room some extra cozy atmosphere!*