HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!

Today, we took a hiatus from our weather theme to celebrate Valentine's day since this special day is all about friendship and kindness. One of our Clubhouse friends brought special Valentine's for all of us. WE LOVED IT!

Valentine’s Day Jell-O: This was a fun sensory activity for everyone. We had two big bins filled with red Jell-O in honor of Valentine's Day. We were divided into small groups and explored the Jell-O. It was sticky and it smelled fruity. We noticed that the more we played with the Jell-O, the more liquid it got. There were little trinkets such as hearts and cupids hidden in the Jell-O and we had a great time looking for them with our Clubhouse friends.

Looking for Hearts

Here are some tips for kids who don't like to touch sticky substances:

• Provide spoons/small shovels and containers so the tools can be used to explore the Jell-O.
• Scoop the Jell-O into a Ziploc bag and let the students touch the Jell-O through the bag.

"Who has a green heart?"

"I DO!"

Valentine’s Day Matching Games: We were divided into two groups and each group played a different board game. One game was a bingo-type matching game. Each player had a board depicting hearts in different colors. The objective of the game was to find the matching hearts and place them on the board until all the matches were found. We worked on turn taking and following the rules of the game. Simple matching games are also a great way of promoting peer communication: We practiced asking questions such as "Who has a purple heart?"

The other group engaged in a Valentine's Memory Game: The goal of the game was to find as many pairs of hearts as possible. We shuffled the cards and laid them in rows on the table. On each turn, the player, whose turn it was, turned over two cards and kept them if they matched. If we found a pair, we got to go again. When a player turned over two cards that did not match, we turned over those cards face down again and our turn was over. We worked on good sportsmanship during the game: A good sport does not tease another player, always plays fair, follows the rules and does not gloat when he or she wins!

Wind and Kites (From Cloudy to Sunny Skies)

Today, we explored the WIND with our friends.

Art Project “Grocery Bag Kites”:
We worked with a partner and created a kite out of a grocery bag. We worked as a team on one kite.

Here are some ideas to promote cooperation and teamwork:

•  Provide a limited amount or different art supplies for each group so the students are encouraged to share and request different materials.
• Let students discuss different design ideas.
• Students come up with a team name. 

Here are instructions how to make the kites:

1. Hole punch four holes in each of the corner of the grocery bag (open end). Add paper ring reinforcements to the holes so they won't tear. Cut two yarn strings (about 30" each). Tie each end of the strings through a hole in the bag to create a loop. Cut another piece of string (same length as the previous strings). Loop this new piece of string through the two loops you created and tie in a knot. This piece of string will become the handle of the kite.Younger students may need help with this step number 1. 
2. Decorate the bag with markers and stickers. 
3. Attach streamers to the kite with tape.

Kite Flying: We then went outside and tried out our kites. We ran across the field as fast as we could to make our kites fly while our friends cheered us on.