Tuesday, March 20, 2012

NO bake cake

Happy birthday to ME! Yes, I know many of you are thinking that with my witty writing and youthful good looks I could only be a hair older than a young college girl but the truth is that I am several hairs older and turned 32 this past weekend. My birthday is no excuse for me not to be on the look out for new ideas to blog about so.... Viola! This week's posting! Zebra Cake! 
Why zebra cake? It's an easy cake to make that is tasty (and calorie friendly...) for everyone. In addition, it works on kitchen skills, patterns, and even some spatial orientation skills. Your main ingredients are vanilla, whipped topping and chocolate wafers. The wafers are probably the trickiest thing to find. I find them at our local grocery store in the cookie aisle. They are usually on the top shelf next to some obscure diabetic cookie or something. They run for about $3.89 each. 

It really is as easy as I show in the pictures. The whipped topping acts like a glue and holds the wafers in place. I've actually done this cooking project with students who have multiple impairments several times. I like to keep my whipped topping cold but not yet frozen because it is easier for my MI/VI students to use. I would also suggest a bright red (or yellow) spoon for contrast as the whipped topping can easily take over the spoon. Make sure your spoon is a large one--that helps a lot.  It can be messy and fun and is only a repeated two step sequence! The only thing that might turn a student or two off is that it can be sticky. On the flip side, this is great for younger students because who doesn't like to lick off whipped cream? 
 
I've also included a link to allrecipes.com with a recipe that you can use. There is also one on the box.
 Here's the recipe link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/zebra-cake-2/

I also have included some pictures of other variations of the zebra cake that you can do. These are all from allrecipes.com.
 
 

Remember, you can also make this a connected experience by going to the grocery store and purchasing ingredients. You an print out the pictures that I posted for this one and use it for a picture symbol for visual learners. You can make this a complete experience by having the student take out the needed materials (pan, bowl, etc.), prepare the cake and then cleaning up. Younger students can have a little contrast fun by adding fun topping like strawberries, chocolate chips, Oreo cookies, etc. 
Just remember the zebra cake requires about 4 hours in the freezer to finish.
 Do it early in the day so you can enjoy it later!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

CVI Video Resources

Hi friends,
I received this email from one of my talented colleagues....

She shares these videos about CVI characteristics and how to apply them. They are webcasts from Perkins and they do a fantastic job of explaining everything we try to say, but in a clear and simplistic way. (I know my understanding process sometimes shows CVI characteristics, needing simplicity and one item to truly understand- haha) :) This video does just that for CVI so I thought I’d share it with those who may not have stumbled upon it yet…. Definitely worth watching when you have some time :) (Chapters 1,2,3,4)

http://support.perkins.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Webcasts_Cortical_Vision_Impairment

TSBVI also has some video clips- She likes the last ones best on Task Analysis for Phase 1, 2 and 3 that show specific things to do…
http://www.tsbvi.edu/ta/p1c1 

Has anyone else come across good video resources? Email me!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Perkins Early Childhood Conference + ME!


Perkins School for the Blind is having its annual
Early Connections: Taking Care of Our Children....Taking Care of Ourselves
conference for parents of children with vision impairments from birth to 7 years old.
Child care and lunch provided.
Workshop topics include: iPad apps, feeding issues, the ECC, mobility, CVI and more
PLUS.....ME! 
I will be back presenting on the ECC for my 3rd year. I am so excited! I love this conference! I love meeting parents, seeing little kiddos, going to sessions and just being on the campus (huge historical architecture nerd here so I love looking at building itself).
Contact Perkins itself for more information on the conference. Contact person is Marguerite Tyrance,
617-972-7553
I hope to see some of you there!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Wilbur Cross cheerleader inspires teammates

I just had to share this super fun link from CT local news. They did a special on one of my students who is on her school's cheerleading squad. I thought it would be fun to share because it is another example of living a life that is not about what my students see....it's about what they do! And let me tell you one thing about the school that she cheers for, it's not a small school. It's a huge school in New Haven so I think that is just a bonus that my student is getting out there and kicking butt!

Click on the link below to watch the video clip:
Wilbur Cross cheerleader inspires teammates: Wilbur Cross cheerleader inspires teammates.