My project needs a sensory table, theme boxes, water play kit, and a "Dino-Dig Kit" to develop early science education for preschoolers with special needs and at risk students.
This project is part of the Black History Month celebration because it supports a Black teacher or a school where the majority of the students are Black.
I am currently a teacher in a preschool classroom at a school that serves students with special needs. We currently serve students from preschool through high school and this is a very special school! I have been working in this school for several years and I love the opportunities I have had to work with so many challenging children. I typically work with students with Autism and other behavioral disabilities making my day different yet challenging each and every day.
Learning to adapt materials and find ways to "enter" these students world can be the biggest challenge of all. Often the knowledge and information is deep inside the students mind, and it take a creative means of pulling it out! Science is a great way to reach some of these challenging children. They love a variety of sensory experiences that allow them to explore the world around them.
Hands on materials are often the most effective way to teach valuable and important early education concepts. With the no child left behind, all schools are challenged to provide materials in many content areas including math, literacy and science, including those preschool classrooms. I am hoping to provide a fun and playful environment for my students that will introduce the foundations of early science and challenge them to come out of "their world" and into ours. I have selected several different and specific items that I have chosen from the Lakeshore Educational catalog to support and enrich my science experience for my little learners.
I have requested a sensory table table that will allow my students to experience a variety of sensory materials within the classroom, including sand, water, and other materials. In addition, I have asked for several materials such a "dino dig" and a waterplay kit that will allow my students to play with a variety of different materials such as sand and water in a purposeful manner.
Children with autism and other behavioral disabilities often have a difficult time finding "purpose" in play. By providing specific materials within an activity can provide purpose to their experience yet, integrate valuable skills such as fine motor and gross motor development within a sensory environment. The largest request I have made is for Science Theme kits. These kits include storage, but use early childhood science themes such as transportation, weather, insects, the body, the senses, and much more. In each kit there are books and other hands on materials for the students to "experience" science in a fun and exciting fashion. The materials include a puzzle, manipulative's, and tools to enhance the learning of the indicated kit.
Science is a fun and exciting way to bring special children into a challenging world. But using non traditional materials and hands on tools students experience science in the classroom in a fun and exciting manner. This is extremely important when working with such challenging children. The opportunities for these children to experience these materials and themes within their home environment is often not an option, therefore providing them a variety of materials and opportunities is most valuable.
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