Use Free Printable Cartoon Coloring Pages to Teach Reading, Writing

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opened May 2, 2014 in U.S. movie theaters. Special needs students, like all kids, typically love superheroes. You can use cartoons, TV and movies to teach concepts. Print off coloring pages of their favorite characters. Use the link provided to get Spider-Man, other DC and Marvel superheroes, Barbie, Disney, PBS, Looney Tunes and more. Print small versions that will fit on index cards. Have kids color and glue to index cards (craft plus learning game--sweet!)

Then brainstorm lists of associated words and write on your word wall. For Spider-Man, you might use: spider, arachnid, insect, bug, super, hero, fly, web, city, save, science, villain, spin, swing, octopus, mask, sky, night. (Don't laugh--I'm not up on Spiderman words!). Then have students write words on their flashcards. This helps them learn to read, write and spell in fun, hands-on ways. Extend lesson by having kids color full-size coloring pages, write Spiderman stories and collate into classroom books. For lower-functioning populations this might be a group project. Free Printable Spider-Man Coloring Pages

Free Printable Board Games for Interactive Learning

Hands-on activities, like games, make content relevant, approachable and understandable for both general and special education students. Preschool kids particularly need multisensory learning activities. Happily, there are many free printable preschool games available online. Memory, bingo, matching, lotto games and more. Read on Free Printable Preschool Board Games, Learning Activities

Homemade, Hands-On Reading Games and Book-Themed Crafts

Homeschoolers, can you use cheap , homemade language arts lesson plans? Special needs teachers, do you want interactive reading games? Here are hands-on reading activities for preschool to high school. Use cheap, recycled materials. Lessons are based on HOTS (Higher-Order Thinking Skills): analysis, application, synthesis and evaluation.Hands-On Homemade Reading Crafts, Book Activities, Literature Games

Mnemonic Device to Organize Information and Remember People

Hi I'm mar and I'm dyslexic. If there's a word, letter or number you need transposed, call me. Need directions FUBAR-d? I'm your girl. My husband knows from 26 years of marriage) when I say "turn left," he should turn right. He has learned that magazines mean newspapers, paper clips are clothespins, etc (well, etc., for a dyslexic--there's really no way to know what we'll mix up next.)

So I not only understand how learning disabled students think, I empathize. Spelling, word order, letters and numbers give me an ocular migraine. We aren't dumb or slow--we just rearrange details. Our perceptions are distorted, too. Here's a mnemonic device I invented for categorizing information and cataloging data. If  it doesn't make sense to you non-dyslexics, don't worry. My fellow sufferers will get it!  My Dyslexic Way of Mentally Categorizing Connections

Free Printable Preschool Games, Hands-on Activities, Lesson Plans

Hands-on preschool games and activities help build developmental skills in early childhood. There's no need to spend money on lessons for preschoolers. You can find free printable games and interactive educational materials online. Many preschool printables are also cut and paste crafts that kids can make themselves. Here are free printable alphabet activities, reading and letter games, math worksheets and shapes lessons. Use these games for special needs students, special education classrooms and ECSE (PPI) students. Read more atFree Printable Preschool Games, Hands-on Activities, Lesson Plans

Using Food to Teach: Edible Learning Activities to Reinforce Content

Since 1982, I've taught every age from 1-104 (seriously) and every subject from astronomy to zoology. I chose education to teach special needs kids. Special education, Montessori and adult education training frames my teaching. Every lesson I plan includes hands-on applications. Students see, touch, taste and smell content. One of the best multi-sensory delivery methods is food. I call it edible learning. Here's how it works in theory and practice.  Using Food to Teach: Edible Learning Activities to Reinforce Content

Best Preschool Toys, Learning Materials for Special Needs Kids

As a teacher and mom, I insist on educational toys and gifts. I don't want a lot of junk toys cluttering my home or classroom. As educators and parents (parents are kids' first and primary teachers), we need to choose toys with educational connections. Special needs kids particularly need hands-on, interactive learning activities. This article was written to help people choose gifts for holiday and Christmas giving, but the tips apply to any toy buying. Here are low-cost, high-learning toys and gifts for preschool special education kids.  Educational Toys, Gifts for Preschool, Special Needs

Free Online Home-School Curriculum

As an educator, I well remember the old days of creating worksheets with "mimeograph" and "spirit-master" ditto machines. Back then, cut and paste was a literal, not digital term. And who could forget when "laminating" consisted of fighting with a huge sheet of Contact Paper? It stuck to everything but the thing you were trying to cover (unless you got it crooked; then it stuck too well!) Thankfully this generation of educators won't get duplicating chemical buzz. Thanks to cricut machines, no more tedious hours cutting out 100 construction paper pickles (don't ask!). The new-millenium have a handy little gadget called the Internet. But for some reason, many educators don't avail themselves of the wealth of resources. Perhaps their administration is too 'curriculum-bound'. Maybe they believe that Internet materials are too expensive. Well, happily, there's a plethora of free printable materials available. So whether you're a general or special needs teacher or homeschool parent, you can create an entire complete curriculum using these printables and online websites. Read more

Free Printable Preschool Games, Crafts, Activities

Hands-on preschool games and activities help build developmental skills in early childhood. There's no need to spend money on lessons for preschoolers. You can find free printable games and interactive educational materials online. Many preschool printables are also cut and paste crafts that kids can make themselves. Here are free printable alphabet activities, reading and letter games, math worksheets and shapes lessons. These crafts are prefect for special needs classrooms, especially ECSE and preschool. Free Printable Preschool Games, Hands-on Activities, Lesson Plans

Free Printable Christmas Holiday Decorations

Finding yourself cash-strapped this holiday season? No extra funds for decorations? If you like filling your home with Christmas cheer but can't afford to, you need free printable Christmas decorations and crafts. Print from your computer for inexpensive holiday decor. These make great children's craft projects, too. Want to get double the fun from these crafts? Print in black and white and color them yourself. Free Printable Christmas Holiday Decorations 

Does Dragon NaturallySpeaking Speech Recognition Software Make People Lazy?

Does Dragon NaturallySpeaking Speech Recognition Software Make People Lazy? Speech recognition software programs converts spoken language to type. One of the most popular and affordable brands of voice-activated software is Dragon NaturallySpeaking by Nuance. Dragon NS Home Edition is available for around $50. Does speech recognition software make people lazy? That's the question some educators and parents are asking themselves. Read on

Sleepy Student Syndrome Causes Problems in School

Causes of Tiredness and Exhaustion in School Aged Children I've been a teacher in various educational settings for over 25 years. There's an increasing and alarming trend among school age children: tired, sleepy, lethargic children who can't pay attention  class. Why is 'Sleep student syndrome' so prevalent? (NB- Ironically, on the day this published, I noticed a little guy about 5 years old fall asleep in a restaurant, about 6:30 at night.) Read More

Free Printable File Folder Games for Math lesson Plans

File folder games are a teacher's best friend in classroom resources. If you teach special needs students or use hands-on, interactive resources, make some file folder games. Here are free printable math file folder games. Free Printable File Folder Games

Easy, Inexpensive Summer Tutoring Kit

Cheap Homemade Tutoring Kit--Spelling, Writing, Math and Reading One educational issue that worries parents and teachers during the summer is retention of concepts learned in school. How can we prevent kids from forgetting everything they were taught? Here's an easy, inexpensive alternative to tutoring. Read More

Free Printable Fathers Day Cards to Color

Free Printable Fathers Day Cards to Color Father's Day can mean an extra strain on the budget, if you buy gifts and cards for dads, grandpas, step-dads, etc. Why not save yourself big money on cards by printing Father's Day cards? Children can color these free printable cards. Great for special needs students! Read More

Free Printable Geography Landforms Lesson Plans

Free Printable Geography Landforms Lesson Plans Coloring Pages, Worksheets and Activities One of the most oft bemoaned lack in educational curriculum is geography. Current emphasis on the generic 'social studies', often lacks geography, landforms and earth science. Here are free printable landforms and topography activities. Perfect hands-on, interactive lesson plans for concrete operations special needs learners. Read More

Money Math Lessons for Special Needs Students

Hands On Business and Money Math Lessons: Student Entrepreneur Manufacturers Marketplace In my never-ending quest to make learning more hands-on and content more approachable, here is a school activity that combines business and money math, writing, design, marketing, public relations and organization: it's called Manufacturers Marketplace. Read More

Free Printable Personalized Disney Story Books- Great for EI and CI Students

Imagine free printable Disney story books! Now imagine free printable personalized Disney story books starring your child! What a great way to practice reading: stories about Disney friends and you! Your students will love making books starring themselves and favorite Disney characters. Perfect for special needs kids! Free Printable Personalized Disney Story books

Christmas Card Making Crafts for Special Needs Students: Easy and Fun

Green, cheap and homemade this holiday season's buzzwords. Here is a Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa craft that combines homemade, inexpensive and free and recycled: pop-up holiday cards made right from your recycle bin; with free printable stencils, they are darn near free. Pop-Up Christmas Card Making Craft 

Best Gifts for Autistic Kids

Choosing gifts for kids isn't always easy; if a child has Autism Spectrum Disorder, choosing a gift may seem impossible. I teach autistic and emotionally impaired children and here is my list of best gifts for children. Best Gifts for Autistic Kids