Welcome to Elm

Instructor - Elm Rachel Sanders
Photo of Rachel Sanders

Welcome to Elm Class!! 😃

We are a group of 7 pupils aged from 8-19 years. We have  6/7 members of staff working with us each day as we all have very high medical, physical and sensory needs. All our learning is done via a total sensory and communication approach. We have our own tailored PMLD curriculum and  use the engagement model  which we follow alongside all of our own EHCP learning outcomes  to helps us to meet all of our learning needs. We have a  spacious classroom . Within this room we have a lovely sensory corner which we love to spend time in., an area to be out on the floor on mats , space to do our switch work and also an area to get very messy. We love to get out and about in the community and mixing around the school with others, we have lots of fun and our staff members help us to feel very happy, relaxed and safe when we are with them. We enjoy activities such as trips out, Hydrotherapy, switch work, rebound therapy, sensory stories, Art, Cooking, music, sensory room sessions, massage sessions, problem solving, exploration and communication work.

Spring Term 1 Timetable 2022

Spring Term 1 2022 Curriculum Info for parents: Topic - Food
This year in elm class the pupils will be learning through some topic based subjects alongside all of their learning with be focused on the engagement model which means all of their targets are pupil specific and are based around their own individual EHCP outcomes, Communication, switch work/computer skills, intensive interaction, social and emotional development will be focused on throughout the week on a individual basis. Pupils will also get weekly therapy sessions which involve 1 rebound individual session, 2 Hydrotherapy swims these will be in small groups of 2 pupils at a time, a massage session and sensory room time which will include small group work on switch skills/ vision and also whole sensory story group sessions. Below is an outline of some of the class group session Elm class will be doing all together for during the week- Within these sessions we will try to focus on our half termly topic.
Subject
CreativeIn art we will be making instruments out of tins/ tubes etc… putting food inside to make the sounds and decorating them.
Exploration- Exploration of different sized food packaging / different weights of food packaging that still had food in it eg tins of soup, boxes of cereal, crisp packets. - Old small cereal boxes/ milk bottles pouring cereal into these to create sounds using rice, lentils pasta. - Explore playdough/saltdough with different scents in - Explore icing sugar/ modelling type. - Smelling different herbs- what reactions do the pupils give when they smell these. Eg curry powder, lavender, rosemary, thyme, coffee, ginger, cinnamon etc - Explore real food fruits, vegetables
Messy PlayMessy play activities – tuff trays of items/material to explore. - Small tuff exploration trays- spaghetti cooked - - dry spaghetti - - lentils dried and cooked. - - dried and wet breakfast cereals eg cornflakes, shreddies, rice crispies, coco pops, oats. Porridge. - - noodles dried and cooked - - oats - - jelly and custard - - popcorn - - Rice - - Pasta - - Within the tray of messy play to have a range of different sized spoons, containers to pour food in and out of/ use kitchen cook pots/ small cups and saucers from picnic set. Each week choose a couple of the above to explore.
Creative- Range of colouring sheets- pupils to use a range of art collage materials to create pictures, use paint, colouring pens to mark make on paper, using special adapted scissors to explore cutting, using chalks etc. - Printing with fruit and vegetables.
Problem Solving- Posting boxes- posting food into different boxes.
Light workTracking light up objects Using light box to explore objects.
MusicEach week we will be playing our instruments we have made in art lesson. Some weeks we will play these instruments along to different genres.
CookingWe will be making a range of different foods, from Chinese food to soups
Stories & BooksThis half term we shall be exploring bag books – split into two small groups within class. One half exploring these bag books in sensory room and the other half in class. Bag books stories will be- maria’s ball -Lost in London - hot air balloon Grans visit - The match - sea rescue
Ideas for at homeExplore cooking utensils, explore food packaging exploring different shapes, sized and heavy and light packaging. Put , pasta, rice into empty tubs and explore the sounds they make. Encourage your child to explore food when you are cooking meals, get them involved in cooking baking, letting them feel the vibrations of the mixers, whisks. Explore herbs see which ones they like the smell of see what reactions you get from them, which ones they like, don’t like. For those that can encourage trying new foods. Read stories about food/ find stories on you tube. Listen to songs about food- you tube a good place for this. Paint with food- mark make with food. Explore foods from different countries. Explore celebration foods- Chinese new year, pancake day, Easter.