In this Remarkable Idea, have fun with your students by creating valentines for their parents, playing a custom game of guess who, and showing them you care with a heart shaped cake.
This activity addresses:
- Cause and effect
- Social skills
- Alternative methods of access
What you need:
- PowerLink 4
- TalkingBrix
- Blue2 Bluetooth switch
- Jelly Bean switch
- QuickTalker FT 12 or iPad with SoundingBoard app free in the iTunes
- Candy suckers (preferably heart shaped)
- Printer/paper
- Altoid container (regular size)
- Red or pink paint
- Cake mix and ingredients
- Frosting
- Square shaped cake pan
- Circle cake pan (diameter must be the same length as a side of the square pan)
- Electric Mixer
Preparation:
1. Create your “mystery valentine box”. Paint an empty Altoid tin using pink or red paint.
2. Record attribute questions to the QuickTalker FT 12 for your mystery game (example: Is your valentine a boy? Is your valentine a girl? Does your valentine have black hair? Etc.) Or create a board using the SoundingBoard app with attribute questions.
3. Record “yes” and “no” to the TalkingBrix.
4. Create overlays using the AbleNet Symbol Overlay Maker app.
What to do:
Valentine’s Day Cards
1. Using an iPad, the Blue2 Bluetooth switch, and the camera app take a picture of each student holding out their hand and making a fist (like they are holding a large candy sucker.)
2. Assign a camera operator to be in charge of taking each student’s picture (don’t forget to take a picture of the camera operator as well!)
3. Before putting the iPad away, take a second picture of each student to be used in the Valentine’s Day guessing game (a close-up of their face.)
4. Print out the pictures.
5. Using the picture of each student holding out their fist, poke a hole large enough for the sucker stick to fit through at the top and bottom of their first, slide the sucker through the holes (it should appear as though they are holding the sucker).
Mystery Valentine
1. Using the pictures previously taken, cut them to size in order to fit into the Mystery Valentine Box.
2. Randomly select a Mystery Valentine and put their picture into the Mystery Valentine Box.
3. Select a Valentine Recipient to come up in front of the class. They should open the Mystery Box and see who is inside (don’t let anyone else see!)
4. The Valentine Recipient will answer questions the students ask, trying to identify the Mystery Valentine. The class can ask questions using the QuickTalker FT 12 or SoundingBoard app.
5. The Valentine Recipient will answer yes or no using the TalkingBrix if necessary, until the Valentine is correctly guessed. Whoever is the Mystery Valentine will be the next recipient.
6. Play until all Mystery Valentines have been guessed.
Heart Cake
1. Follow the directions from the cake mix to make 1 of each shape cake (circle and square). Use the PowerLink 4, electric mixer, and Jelly Bean switch to allow students to assist with mixing.
2. Once the two cakes are done baking and have cooled, place them somewhere where all the students can see them.
3. Explain that we can use shapes to make other shapes, and that by cutting the circle in half or into two semi-circles, we can make a heart.
4. Rotate the square cake forty-five degrees and place one semi-circle on each of the two top sides of the cake to make a heart shape.
5. Frost the cake and enjoy.