| What child doesn't enjoy cutting up paper, peeling | | | | back of the card each time they get it correct. |
| off stickers, or stamping? Students of any age | | | | 4. Students with Autism or pervasive |
| and ability level love every opportunity to work | | | | developmental disorders may prefer to point |
| with arts and crafts. For this school year, try | | | | rather than verbalize their thoughts. Create an |
| guiding some of your child's creative spirit into | | | | accordion book with photos of choices for |
| scrapbooking and paper crafts. Scrapbooking is a | | | | activities. It is also a colorful way to display the |
| wonderful way to spend time with your children, | | | | daily schedule. Arrows can be used to point to the |
| share a favorite activity, and reinforce skills | | | | specific activity. Teacher Tip: Have the student |
| learned in school. Scrap Chic Boutique, an | | | | participate in making the display. If they like the |
| independently owned scrapbook store located in | | | | texture of the glue, let them have a hand in |
| Decatur, Georgia, was founded by four special | | | | glueing it to the page. Advanced students who |
| education teachers who know curriculum and | | | | prefer computer graphics can print on their own |
| know how to accommodate to meet individual | | | | cardstock or use templates for digital scrapbooks. |
| needs. Kids and adults can take classes or get | | | | 5. To address speech and articulation problems, |
| individual assistance on projects. | | | | try making a mini-album with cut outs of pictures |
| Typically, we think of scrapbooking as a way to | | | | that go along with the skill being worked on. As |
| preserve memories and tell stories through the | | | | the child shares their album with family and friends |
| use of photographs. However, with the variety of | | | | they will automatically be practicing- and thereby |
| supplies and tools available in today's scrapbook | | | | improving- on their learning objectives. A |
| market, the possibilities are endless. Below is a list | | | | mini-album may consist of 8 pages that are just |
| of ideas that will allow your young scholar, with or | | | | 4 by 4 squares. Teacher Tip: Have a stack of |
| without special needs, to use imagination and | | | | pictures already separated into categories such as |
| develop their skills at the same time. | | | | S sounds, R blends, antonyms, synonyms, etc. |
| 1. At any grade and ability level, students must | | | | The student spends time working on the goal |
| learn vocabulary words whether they are | | | | rather than looking for pictures. |
| matching pictures, spelling words, or learning | | | | 6. For children who have quite a few service |
| definitions. Unique vocabulary cards can be a | | | | provides, make a special picture book with a |
| breeze to make, especially with die cutting tools in | | | | scrapbook page for each teacher and therapist. |
| shapes of circles, tags, stars, and more. This | | | | Each page should include a photograph- even |
| hand-on approach is so much more fun than the | | | | better if it can be a picture of the teacher and |
| traditional (and rather dull) index cards. Most | | | | student together! Teacher Tip: Leave space for a |
| scrapbook stores, especially independently owned | | | | journaling block on each page so each person can |
| stores, have a selection of die cuts that you can | | | | include a positive message as your child makes |
| use in the store. Each set of words can be on a | | | | progress. At the end of the year, it will be like a |
| different color of cardstock or in a different | | | | personalized progress report. |
| shape; then, use a D-Ring to clip them together. | | | | 7. Often students with Attention Deficit Disorders |
| Teacher Tip: When they know the word | | | | have difficulty with multi-step projects. Ask the |
| independently, let your budding student add a | | | | teacher if the project can be modified. Rather |
| button or a ribbon to the card to bolster their | | | | than completing a project on poster board which |
| sense of pride. Add pictures from clip art or cut | | | | may be too big of a space, they might complete |
| out of magazines to more difficult words to give | | | | several pages in an 12 by 12 album to display |
| your kids a visual representation of what the | | | | their knowledge of the topic. Teacher Tip: Ask |
| word means and a context for its use. | | | | your local scrapbook store about ways to make |
| 2. Kids need notebooks for every subject, and | | | | unique stickers- this way you can take any topic |
| kids with learning disabilities tend to have poor | | | | and make stickers from clip art or die cuts. |
| organizational skills. Why not start the year by | | | | 8. Although scrapbooking is primarily a visual craft, |
| decorating the front of the notebooks using | | | | there are many textures that can be |
| colorful patterned papers and stickers? It's not a | | | | incorporated for students with visual impairments. |
| guarantee, but your child is less likely to lose | | | | Students may use textured papers, felt flowers, |
| something that they have invested time in | | | | buttons, or raised stickers to create interactive |
| making- and if they do misplace it, a decorated | | | | projects. Cardstock and other papers can be |
| notebook is much easier to find in the lost and | | | | embossed, too. Teacher Tip: For younger |
| found stack! Teacher Tip: Use a heavy cardstock | | | | students learning to count, use number stickers |
| to make a pocket to glue inside the back cover. | | | | and buttons to assist with counting. Use pop-dots |
| Loose sheets of homework or papers that need | | | | as an adhesive that will create a raised effect on |
| to be signed can be put in the pocket. | | | | the pages. |
| 3. Children with mild to moderate cognitive delays | | | | 9. Celebrate success all throughout the year. Use |
| often need repetition and picture clues to help | | | | an album with at least 10 pages- one for each |
| them learn new concepts. Cardstock can be | | | | month of the school year. Together, you and |
| cropped down and run through a printer which | | | | your child can decide what important lesson, |
| provides an added texture for kinesthetic learners. | | | | event, or accomplishment to highlight on the page. |
| Students can trace words printed on the page, | | | | Take pictures of completed projects, good test |
| then re-write the word in several ways- stickers, | | | | scores, friendships made, positive notes from the |
| stamps, pens, or markers. Teacher Tip: Put the | | | | teachers, or school events. Teacher Tip: Leave a |
| picture on a separate piece of card stock from | | | | space for your kids to journal; it will be interesting |
| the word to create a quick matching game or | | | | to watch how their handwriting changes from |
| sequence activity. Let your student stamp the | | | | August to May! |