crafty – Peach Pear Plum Cafe

Tarheelreader.org is a website full of free, easy to read books that are accessible via computer, tablets, touch screens, IntelliKeys and switches.

language-literacy-learning-technologyenhanced-classrooms-84-638

The awesome thing about this site is that you can write your very own short stories. You may upload your own images or use the large collection from flickr.

Another great thing about tarheelreader.org is the fact that you can save the books to your computer as well as print out books as a powerpoint. This way it can be treated like a real book.

going to the library book

The benefit of having the stories online makes reading a bit easier for those that cannot read. You can pick from different types of voices, though all sound a bit robotic. Most of the time I chose the male voice because my students with Autism respond better to a lower tone voice.

I have used this site multiple times. From the example video below (going to the library) to preparing my kids for the dentist. It’s a great way to help with transition as well as learning new tasks (riding a bike, using the vacuum, etc). It can also be about topics of interest, like the image below.

The biggest thing I love about this site, is the fact that you can create age appropriate books. Meaning, books can be created for an adult with special needs that may be on a 1st grade reading level. If you think about it, there aren’t many books available that discuss high school or adult related topics at lower reading levels.

Back when I taught adults with special needs at the high school level, an english teacher had her regular education students create books for my students. She also had her students read/present the books to my students. There were topics about dating, going to the movies, prom, etc. It was one of the best service learning projects I have ever done with another teacher. Now she had students type the words/sentences and used pictures from magazines glued to paper and laminated them. How much better it would have been if we had know about this program back then. I think it would have been more interactive and professional for both groups of students.

If this gets you interested you’ll need to follow the steps below:

I hope you’ll take the time to try it out. Check out my example video to help prepare and guide you for your future book making. I apologize in advance for the blurry video taping. I’m not as tech savvy as I’d like to be.

Thanks for taking the time to watch my how-to video. I’ll be sharing more programs and apps like this one in the coming months.

Katie

https://tarheelreader.org

Reuse what you have to increase storage and organization in your home.

There are so many ways you can use this piece and it seriously only cost 5 to 10 dollars to complete.

The below steps are guidelines and are not meant to be exact for viewers. You can use what you have in your home to make it work for you. Make sure you measure and level before doing all the painting.

Steps:

1. Keep jars after you have used them (pickle jars, jam jars, sauce jars, etc) and make sure to soak and scrape off labels

2. Cut the wood

3. Drill holes for jar wire holders

4. Sand the wood

5. Add hangers on the back of the wood

6. Stain the wood

7. Paint the wood (Check your garage for any left over paint or check out the clearance section of Lowes or Homedepot)

8. Add Stencil for name or title

9. Add the wires with jars and make sure they are tight (label them if necessary). The neat things about these wire cords is that they can be loosened and tightened.

10. Hang on the wall

11. Fill them with many different items. Things you just enjoy or things you are trying to organize. We are using our crafty jar holders for our children to put their money earned. A SHARE jar and a SPEND jar. We are hoping to teach them the importance of spending/saving money wisely as well as learn to give to others in need.