Welcome! to the Play & Learn product resource page! This page has been created specifically for providing support to classrooms currently implementing the Play & Learn curriculum. Each month, AbleNet will post a new activity written by the Play & Learn authors, Mary J. Sullivan Coleman and Laura Krueger. This activity ties to the curriculum's monthly theme and is available for you to use in your classroom. Activities created for this site supplement Play & Learn's focus on educating ALL children, regardless of ability.

We hope you enjoy this new addition to www.ablenetinc.com and Play & Learn. Be sure to visit every month for updated activities and to visit our archives as our collection grows. With www.ablenetinc.com and Play & Learn support, your classroom will continue to be an environment where ALL children are encouraged to participate, communicate, and learn together.

October Support Activity:

Computer Fun

The computer can be another literacy activity for ALL children. There are excellent programs that support language literacy development. One of our new favorite CD programs is My Own Bookshelf by Soft Touch. This program allows educators to create e-books and organize them on bookshelves for students. The program offers universal access for students with special needs and offers the option of printing the books created for offline use. Using a digital camera allows the opportunity to create a very personalized book for a student about his/her school day, or a special event in his/her life. The possibilities are endless!

Here's what you need:

1. Computer
2. My Own Bookshelf software
3. Switch interface
4. Jelly Bean® switch
5. Chairs for 2 friends
6. Digital Camera (optional)

Getting Ready:

1. Plug the interface into the keyboard.
2. Plug the Jelly Bean switch into the interface.
3. Create a book for two children to read together.
4. Velcro the Jelly Bean switch on the computer monitor for easy access, positioning dependent on the individual child's needs.
5. Start the book and have fun!

Activity:

Position two friends at the computer, using the adult as the facilitator or "coach" of the activity. Work to keep the interactions between the two children, only using the adult to help with positioning and keeping the activity going. Each time the switch is activated, the screen changes. It is possible to load a book with motivating music, which is fun for the children! Many early language concepts are incorporated into the programs. In addition, the set up with two children promotes turn taking and social skill development.

Tip: The Tripp Trapp chair (by STOKKE) is a great chair for meeting a variety of positioning needs. It is highly adaptable and gets the child sitting at optimal positioning at the computer. A good, stable position at the computer is very important if the child is going to have success accessing a switch.

See Play & Learn: A motor-based preschool curriculum for children of ALL abilities for more of our favorite games for preschoolers.