January Teaching Ideas with Rhyming Multisensory Stories

We’re delighted to bring you a January Teaching Calendar from the wonderful Rhyming Multisensory Stories. Please make sure to give Victoria a follow. This month she is offering a Chinese New Year Training training session! She is offering all Mash members a free place on the course simply by emailing rhymingmultisensorystories@outlook.com to reserve a slot mentioning ‘MASH OFFER’ in the email.

OK – without further ado:-

Teaching ideas and inspiration to celebrate the month of January. Chinese New Year, Jackson Pollock, Martin Luther King, and more!

1st January

STOP! Don’t throw away your Christmas Cards!!!

Receiving Christmas cards is one of the joys of the season. Before you pop them in the recycling bin, take a look at these low-budget educational, yet fun activities!

Next Year’s Gift Tags!

This activity promotes creative art & design, decision making and fine motor skills as students handle materials.

You will need:

Christmas cards
Scissors
Ribbon or string
Hole punch
Select a Christmas card.
Cut down the edge and use the front of the card.
Encourage the student to look for different pictures to use for gift tags within the card.
Using the scissors, carefully cut around your chosen picture.
Punch a hole in the top corner.
Thread string or ribbon through the hole.

Jigsaws

This activity will develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, shape recognition, promote problem solving, patience and a feeling of achievement once the puzzle is completed.

You will need:

Used Christmas Cards
Scissors
Ruler
Select a Christmas Card. Cut down the edge and use the front of the card.
Cut the card into shapes
Experiment with different shapes, rectangles, squares, triangles etc.

Speech Bubbles

This activity engages the imagination, develops communication and language skills, encourages social interaction by means of a two-way conversation and helps students to build on storytelling skills.

You will need:

The front of a Christmas Card
A pen/felt tip
Select a card.
Draw a speech bubble on the card next to a character (Option to print out templates to stick on)
Write the speech inside the speech bubble – it could be a question, command, comment, or a joke.
Extend the learning by using a ‘thought bubble’ and discuss the difference between and ‘though bubble’ and a ‘speech bubble’

Story Cards

This activity is a fun way to engage imaginative thinking, promote communication & language skills and explore storytelling.

Take a look at this Christmas card.

Point to characters in the card and ask open ended questions e.g. ‘What gifts do you think the girl is carrying?’
‘Why do you think the man is pulling the presents on a sleigh’?
What season/month is it?
‘Why are the people wearing hats/carrying presents?
‘Why do the chimneys have smoke coming out of them?’
‘How many dogs can you see?’

Build a story around the card.

‘The people who live in this village are preparing for a Christmas party.’

‘The boy at the bottom of the card is singing Christmas Carols.’

‘The lady at the top of the picture has baked mince pies for the villagers.’

‘The people have decorated the tree ready for the big light switch-on later this evening.’

Spark conversation by asking ‘Who?’, What?’, ‘When?’ ‘Where?’ and ‘Why?’

Can the student develop the plot? What happens next?

Can the student relate events in the picture to events or experiences in their own lives?

Word Play

This activity builds word recognition and comprehension skills.

Cut out the verse from a Christmas card.

Ask the student to read the verse out loud.

Photocopy or write the verse onto the top of a piece of paper.
Cut out the individual words then scramble them for the student to place into the correct order.
Can the student use the words to compose their own sentences or phrases? e.g., ‘New Year Wishes’, ‘Best Christmas Greetings.’

Poetry Page

The rhythm and rhyme of Poetry helps individuals to learn new vocabulary and encourages speech and language

You will need:

A Christmas card verse page
PVA glue/glue stick or sticky tape
Piece of card or paper
Carefully cut out the verses from the Christmas Cards.
Glue the verses onto the card or paper.
Read the poem aloud to the student.
Identify and define any unfamiliar words.
Can the student read the poem or any sentences aloud?
Summarise and discuss the poem’s meaning.
Can the student create their own verse?

The Sensory Card

I love the cause and effect of this flip-up sequined card!

The senses are stimulated as the shiny silver reversible sequins change into a colourful star as the fingers are brushed over the surface. It is also very tactile.

This beautiful card will be promptly popped into my sensory box!

16th Jan – Martin Luther King Day

Make a dreamcatcher.
Make a friendship potion using edible flowers and herbs.

You will need:

A Container: Bowl, bucket or beaker (or for a less mess alternative, place your potion ingredients directly into a large clean, empty water bottle, fasten the lid, secure with tape to make a potion sensory bottle.)

Liquid: Water (still or carbonated), Glycerine, Food Colouring, Hair Conditioner, Vegetable Oil.

Infuse tea in water: Chamomile, Echinacea, Ginger, Green, Lemon Balm, Rose, Turmeric, Peppermint.

(Mix tea leaves to create a new blend)

Items to Stimulate Vision and Touch: Calcite, Feathers, Foam Shapes, Gems, Glass Pebbles, Glitter, Googly Eyes, Pom Poms, Polished Pebbles, Rhinestones, Seeds, Sequins, Shells, Tassels, Water Beads.

Items to Stimulate the Sense of Smell: Fresh or Dried Herbs: (Basil, Cinnamon Sticks, Cloves, Lavender, Lime Leaves, Lemon Grass, Mint, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Star Anise, Thyme, Turmeric), Edible Flowers, Orange/Lemon/Lime Peel, Rose Petals.

Essential Oils: Bergamot, Cedarwood, Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Grapefruit, Lavender, Lemon, Lemongrass, Lime, Orange, Patchouli, Peppermint, Rose, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Ylang-Ylang.

Items to Stimulate Hearing: Beads, Buttons, Coins, Pasta, Pulses, Rice.

Items to Promote Fine Motor Skills and Encourage Scientific Investigation & Exploration: Chopsticks, Food Tongs, Funnels, Plastic Safety Scissors,

Measuring Beakers/Cylinder/Jug, Plastic Safety/Easy Grip/Jumbo Tweezers, Magnifying Glass/Handheld Magnifier, Pestle & Mortar, Pipettes, Plastic Test Tubes, PVC Tubing, Spatula, Spoons, Water Droppers.

Chinese New Year Multisensory Training Session

22nd Jan

Chinese New Year

I will be delivering ‘Chinese New Year – A Multisensory Exploration’ mini training session.

We will explore the multisensory story ‘Chinese New Year’ in depth, and I will share ideas for themed, sensory extension activities.

Dates available

Tues 10th Jan 4pm

Thurs 12th Jan 3.30pm

Offer for Mash Subscribers

FREE place for Mash subscribers! (Normal price £5)

email: rhymingmultisensorystories@outlook.com to reserve your slot mentioning ‘MASH OFFER’ in your email

Chinese New Year Multisensory Story & Teaching Pack

https://mash.ie/chinese-new-year-a-multisensory-exploration-sensory-themed-extension-activities.html

About the Resource

Explore the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures of Chinese New Year with this fully resourced, step-by-step multisensory story plus themed, sensory extension activities.

Table of Contents

Prepare to Celebrate (Gathering Story Props)
How to Tell a Multisensory Story
Chinese New Year – A Multisensory Exploration
Developing Comprehension & Understanding
Chinese New Year Themed Listening Game
Chinese New Year Themed Sensory Bin
Chinese New Year Themed Sensory Bag
The Great Wall of China
Terracotta Warriors
‘Five Oxen’ Sensory Art
Chinese Art
Chinese Music
The Great Race
The Great Race PMLD Multisensory Version
Chinese New Year Guided Relaxation Adventure
Chinese New Year Lucky/Unlucky Gifts
Chinese Music
Dragon Dance
Spring Clean Your Classroom

Activity Idea

The Great Race

In this multisensory version of the story, each animal is represented by a prop.

Below are a few suggestions.

The story can be delivered by presenting the props as each animal is encountered in the story or if working in a group, assign each student an animal with their prop, and work as a group re-telling the story with the students presenting their prop when their animal is encountered in the story.

1. Rat: Wind up/clockwork rat or a length of string.

2. Ox: Bone to represent the horns or wool to represent the hair.

3. Tiger: Stripy material or a backscratcher/wide-toothed comb to represent the tiger’s claws.

4. Rabbit: Cotton wool ball (to represent the tail) or a carrot.

5. Dragon: A red/yellow/orange paper party blower to represent ‘breathing fire’ or red/yellow/orange ribbons.

6. Snake: A rattle, guiro and stick or a rubber snake.

7. Horse: Two plastic cups banged together to recreate the sound of the horse’s hooves

8. Goat: A piece of fake leather or suede to represent goat skin (fake chamois leathers are cheap.)

9. Monkey: A banana

10. Rooster: Feathers

11. Dog: Feather duster to represent the wagging tail, a dog collar, dog toy or rubber bone.

12. Pig: Curly pink pipe cleaner to represent the tail.

Don’t forget the cat who was pushed into the water by the rat. The cat could be represented by a slinky.

You may also wish to use a BIGMack, Talking Tile or similar device to play animal sound effects.

Chinese New Year Sensory Bin

A sensory bin is filled with themed items that provide a calming activity and the opportunity to learn through exploration whilst engaging the senses and meeting sensory needs.

This sensory play will develop fine motor skills as the student manipulates the objects, problem solving skills through experimentation, creativity and imagination through exploration and build language and communication skills.

How to Make A Chinese New Year Themed Sensory Bin

Create a Base Layer. Scatter dried rice or noodles into the base of a tray, bucket, basket or box.
Sprinkle Chinese five spice/star anise/ginger or scatter cinnamon sticks onto the base layer.
Add toy animals to represent the animals of the Chinese Zodiac (if you do not have toy animals them laminate pictures of the animals and stick onto wooden craft sticks.)
Add chocolate coins, paper streamers and red and gold shredded tissue paper.
Add Fine Motor Tools: Plastic tweezers, chopsticks, cups, spoons, forks, measuring jugs, colander, whisk, sieve, funnel, pipette, food tongs, wooden utensils, scoops & paintbrushes.
Add Items to Encourage Scientific Investigation: Torch, camera, magnifying glass, magnets, pen/paper, egg carton/ice cube/cake baking tray for sorting items, and a mirror.
Supervise Play. Be aware of any potential allergies or choking hazards.

Explore Chinese Art

Chinese artwork is traditionally drawn on paper or silk. Subjects include landscapes, animals, and insects.
Show the students examples.
Use feathers and glitter. Focus on red backgrounds. Use gold stars.
Paint or print onto different mediums such as rice paper or silk (for a cheap alternative to silk use a shower curtain.)
Experiment with different tools, dip dried noodles into paint, paint with feathers, design a printed picture dipping star anise into paint. Make a print by rolling cinnamon sticks into paint, wood-like star anise or bumpy skinned fresh lychees.

Create a Chinese Landscape Painting

You will need

Paper or card
White wax crayon or candle
Watered down food colouring
Paintbrush

Activity

1. Rub the white crayon/candle over the surface of the paper in strokes.

2. Using the watered-down food colouring, paint over the whole page using a brush. Allow to dry.

January Birthdays

4th Jan – Sir Isaac Newton

Eat an apple and explore apple printing. Can the students make a repeating pattern using different colours?
Explore gravity by trampolining/rebound therapy.
Explore the law of acceleration by riding a bike, go cart or scooter or sending a toy car or ball down a ramp.

4th Jan – Louis Braille

Can students write their name using the letters from the braille alphabet?
Roll playdoh or plasticine into little balls to place on a template of the braille alphabet.
Play a game of dominoes matching the dots.

8th Jan – Elvis Presley

Listen to a song by ‘The King of Rock and Roll’
Can the students join in playing musical instruments?

17th Jan – Benjamin Franklin

Explore torches, LED Battery lights, and bells.
Fly a kite

18th Jan – AA Milne

Listen to a Winnie the Pooh story.
Taste honey.

27th Jan – Lewis Carroll

Hold a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party

28th Jan – Jackson Pollock

Create Jackson Pollock Artwork.

Lay a large sheet of paper on the floor, dip balls of assorted sizes and textures into paint then roll!
Fill pipettes/turkey basters with different coloured paints then squeeze onto paper.
Place a sheet of paper in a tray. Squeeze poster paints onto the paper then roll a marble or a small ball around the tray.
Add different coloured watered-down paints or food colouring to water spray bottles explore the different nozzle settings, spray, spritz and squirt.
Squeeze a little poster/acrylic paint onto paper. Provide a selection of toy cars and vehicles (with different sized wheels) for students to ‘drive’ over the paper.
Line a large box with paper, add a little paint, secure the lid…then shake!
Tie rubber bands around a rolling pin, dip into paint then roll.
Soak sponges with paint, drop them over paper and watch the paint splatter. Experiment using different shaped sponges thrown from different heights.
Add paint to the paper then blow through a straw to create random patterns.
Place a sheet of paper in the basket of a salad spinner, add watered down paint…then spin!
Gently pour paint into a funnel. Place your thumb over the small opening at the bottom then release over the paper to create a picture.
Take the learning outside, place a large sheet of paper on the floor, fill water balloons with paint, take aim…then throw!
Continuing with the outdoor theme, make tyre tracks by riding a bike scooter over paint on a large sheet of paper.
Stimulate the senses. Add a few drops of food flavouring (peppermint, strawberry, vanilla essence) to the paint.
Explore using different liquids for ‘paint’ food colouring, coffee, fruit juice, teabags, washing up liquid.
Paint using herbs and spices mixed in water: allspice, cumin, (mild) curry powder, paprika or ground up seed and herbs mixed with water.

Competition Time!

Have your artwork featured on the new release ‘Shapes – A Multisensory Exploration’

There will be 20 runner up prizes of a story of your choice.

DESIGN A BOOK COVER for my new multisensory story ‘Shapes – A Multisensory Exploration’

How to Enter

Using any medium, produce a piece of artwork with the topic of shapes.
I would love to see your shape monsters, shape themed artwork and any activities you would like to share.
A4 Portrait only please.
(You do not need to write the title on the artwork, please do not write any names of the students on the artwork.)
email your artwork torhymingmultisensorystories@outlook.com
Please include in your email the first name of the artist, the name of the school and a contact name.

Competition Rules:

1. There is no age limit.

2. You may submit as many entries as you like.

3. The closing date is midnight 14th Feb 2023

4. Your data will be protected according to law and will not be shared with any other parties. All emails and their contents (including the artwork) will be deleted after the winner is drawn on 14th Feb 2023 (for more information on Privacy Policy visit the website or get in touch.)

5. The winner will have their artwork featured on the new release ‘

The stories are in the format of a digital download and can be printed out, used and shared throughout the school/setting in multiple classrooms.

6. The 20 runners up will win a multisensory story of their choice.

7. The winner will have their artwork featured as the cover of my new release ‘Shapes – A Multisensory Story’

* If the winner is home-schooled then the prize will be emailed directly to the winner.

Good Luck!

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https://mash.ie/rhyming-multisensory-stories

Get in Touch!

Your questions, queries, comments & feedback are always welcome!

email: rhymingmultisensorystories@outlook.com

Website: www.rhymingmultisensorystories.com