Groovy Classroom

I'm using my favorite 60's-70's theme for my classroom this year again. I have many new ideas including these really darling paper plate creations. Can't you just see them in psychedelic colors?
I found them on One Pretty Thing and then linked to the directions. Creative Jewish Mom
makes some really great things. I'm really enjoying her site.

Really Cute President Obama Crafts

Here are some really cute crafts for President Obama's Inauguration Day. I am planning on two of them. Kaboose is a great web site full of good information also.

I enlarged the picture of Obama so it fills more of a post size piece of paper. I'm going to allow the kids to add starts as they wish also. We use scapbooking punches for the stars.

I also enlarged this craft. Although it is cute on the plate, I wanted to make it more age appropriate because I teach middle school. We will make larger ones with tissue paper and tag board.

Handwriting, Why Bother?

In my opinion handwriting is very important for special needs students. It helps them blend into the general population if they can copy from a textbook or the board. (This is especially crucial in the secondary setting in inclusion classes.) "My Kids" are bright enough to know, when they can't do anything that the other students are doing. I don't want them to have that feeling. Confidence will empower them. Good handwriting gives them a sense of accomplishment and pride. It enables them to write notes, sign greeting cards, take a message, and more importantly they need a legible signature to cash checks and sign other documents. Most of the parents I have worked with really value this skill also. I have been on the Internet looking at handwriting information. I found a very good check list, see it here:
Handwriting Check List