O & M Books for Younger Students During Distance Instruction
I have been having a bit of a hard time with O&M younger student activities during distance instruction time. So I made a few little PowerPoint books that I was able to send to my kids and their families. I bought the clip art and a few were from available free clip art. It was my first time making anything like that. In the future I’d tweak the fonts and such. You can edit the text in Adobe or similar to change the names for your own kids and teachers. Some of the sentences were a bit too much for the students to read, but having parents help them read it assisted with more family awareness of O&M.
Let's Do a Cane Review
Text:
Let's do a cane review.
The grip is the part you hold on to.
The shaft is the middle section.
The tip is that little thing at the end. Yours is like a spinner. It’s called a roller tip.
There are lots of other things to learn about the cane. It’s going to be awesome!
True or False
- The part of the cane you hold onto is called the boot. ___________
- The middle part of the cane is called the shaft. ________
- My teacher let’s me whirl the cane over my head like a helicopter. ________
- The part at the end is called a tip. ________
- The cane is useful for finding things on the ground you might not see. _________
The End!
Learning All The Time (Version 1)
Text:
In school I learn a lot of different things.
My teacher is Ms. Sarah. She helps me learn all kinds of things like reading, counting, and writing.
I take so many cool classes.
One class is called Vision class. My vision teacher is Ms. Dawn. She helps me learn how to look at things very carefully.
I am learning to tell my teacher if I ever have a hard time seeing anything. That’s called self-advocacy.
In school I learn to use computers and iPads. I am getting very good at typing.
School is great fun. I have been star student of the week and star student of the month!
Another cool class I take is called Orientation and Mobility. We just call it mobility for short.
Miss Jill is my mobility teacher. I am learning to use a cane. But it’s not like a candy cane that you eat.
My cane helps me find things on the ground that I might not be able to see. If my cane finds something first I won’t trip on it. Nobody likes a stubbed toe!
Gym is another fun class. I like to dance and run. I can dance and have fun at home too!
In school I walk to many different rooms. I know how to get to every room in school. I walk to gym, the cafeteria, speech, OT/PT, vision, the office and my classroom. I sometimes practice walking on the ramp near OT/PT.
When I use my cane I sweep it in front of me. That’s called constant contact. I only move it to about the width of my shoulders.
I don’t always use the cane thouuh. I don’t need it in class or in my house. Sometimes I use something called hand trailing. That means I touch the back of my hand loosely to the wall as I walk. I have to keep my fingers relaxed and pointed down so they don’t get caught on anything.
My cane folds up. If I don’t need it, I can fold it up or hang it on a hook. I know how to fold my cane up easily!
Another way I sometimes get around is called sighted guide. That’s when I take someone’s elbow and walk with them. I can practice sighted guide at home with my family!
In school I practice carrying my lunch tray. I can practice that at home using a cookie sheet. Maybe that will give mom the idea to make cookies. They call that a win-win situation!
Now we are home for a little while. I can be a big help to mom. I can help her put the forks and spoons away. I can help mom match socks and put laundry away.
Even though I kind of miss school it’s ok. There are lots of things to learn every day no matter where I am!
The End!
Learning All The Time (Version 2)
Text:
In school I learn a lot of different things.
My teacher is Mrs. Veronica. She helps me learn all kinds of things like reading, counting and writing.
I take so many cool classes.
One class is called Vision class. My vision teacher is Miss Pam. She helps me learn how to look at things very carefully.
Sometimes I have a hard time seeing things. If I can’t see something very well, my teachers make it bigger for me. Miss Pam is teaching me how to use a magnifier.
Some things I am so good at that I don’t even need to look at them!
It can be fun to sort things by feeling them with my hands.
At home I can help mom sort all kinds of things. I can help her put the forks and spoons away. I can help mom match socks and help put laundry away.
Another cool class I take is orientation and mobility. We just call it mobility for short.
Miss Jill is my mobility instructor. I am learning to use a cane. But it’s not like a candy cane that you eat.
My cane helps me find things on the ground that I might not be able to see. If my cane finds something first I won’t trip on it. Usually.
Sometimes I might bonk into something. But I am very strong so I just get back on track and keep going.
Miss Heidi is my physical therapist. She helps me get strong so I can walk all my routes. Miss Janet is my occupational therapist. She helps my hands get strong so I am very good at holding my cane.
In school I walk to many different rooms. I know how to get to almost every room in school. I walk to gym, the cafeteria, speech, OT/PT, vision, the office and my classroom.
When I use my cane I sweep it in front of me. That’s called constant contact.
I don’t always use the cane though. I don’t need it in class. I sometimes use hand trailing to get around. That means I touch the back of my hand loosely to the wall as I walk. I have to keep my fingers relaxed and pointed down so they don’t get caught on anything.
Another way I sometimes get around is called sighted guide. That’s when I take someone’s wrist or elbow and walkwith them. I can practice sighted guide at home with mom! I will teach mom the sighted guide song!
At home I can practice lots of things. Left, right, stop, go, up and down. Those are called concepts. I know most of them but I can keep practicing at home too. Red light green light is loads of fun on a walk.
School is great but there are lots and lots of things to learn every day no matter where I am!
The End!
