Debbie's Resource Cupboard

Teaching Assistant Facebook Group

2016-02-21T23:59:00.002+00:00

I have just set up a Teaching Assistant Facebook group. If you are a TA or working in school supporting children then you are very welcome. Please go to the link and click 'Join'
Look forward to chatting to you!

Teaching Assistant Support and chat group

Phonics planning

2014-08-26T09:39:00.003+01:00

On my 'phonics blog' I am writing a whole series of planning sessions aimed at children with SEN or children who are falling behind. Each day I am adding a lesson. You can access all the lessons so far by looking on this link.

Phonics for fidgets with felix is on facebook

2014-08-12T17:39:00.001+01:00

Please visit the page and give it a like to get regular updates

Click here PHONICS FOR FIDGETS

Phonics for fidgets with Felix

2014-07-30T14:46:00.001+01:00

I have been working on a separate blog for phonics. This blog is aimed at very beginning readers and has lots of practical, simple activities for children. It can be used at home with your child or in a class situation. It can be used by teachers or teaching assistants.

Click here to go to the blog. Follow the blog by email, this is situated on the right hand side of the blog a little way down.

Getting to know you game

2014-06-08T12:00:00.000+01:00

This is a getting to know you game. It is intended as a group activity and is a great warm up. Children can discuss feelings and practice social skills by asking questions and giving eye contact to the person they are speaking to.

Download: Warming up group game

Download: Warming up group game 2

Please see

Social skills taking turns intervention

Social skills non verbal communication game

Social skills listening intervention

Social skills – how to be a friend workbook

My self care plan

2014-06-08T11:56:00.002+01:00

I saw this idea on Pinterest and loved the idea. I completely adapted the sheet to fit in with ELSA work. I think working on one of these is so beneficial to all children. It makes them think about physical activity, what they eat, who are the people in their lives who they can trust? They can think and discuss with you their hopes and dreams, how they can relax, how they can be a good friend etc.

I would work on one section at a time. There are loads of worksheets here which can be downloaded to go more in depth with for example eating and physical exercise.

I just did a little research and found that physical activity for example has the following benefits and I am sure there are many more:

improves mood
improves social skills
improves well being
improves teamwork
encourages healthy competition
improves motor control
reduces stress and anxiety
improves fitness
reduces obesity
improves confidence
Improves self-regulation of emotions

Encouraging physical activity has got to be a good thing!

Download: Self care plan

Would you rather?

2014-06-08T11:48:00.001+01:00

This is a fab game to play with children to get to know them better. You can download the game from my website. Click here

Monster emotions posters

2014-04-14T00:41:00.003+01:00

Download Monster emotion posters from here.

Animals are good for children

2014-04-14T00:36:00.002+01:00

Click here for free resources to teach children about animal welfare.

Superhero emotion fans

2014-03-04T18:16:00.000+00:00

Please visit this link to download a set of feelings fans

Make a pattern

2014-02-10T13:56:00.000+00:00

This is a sheet of hearts and the challenge is to make patterns. Now this could be with colours, patterns, numbers, letters, drawings, animals or anything the child chooses.
Patterns are great for Maths. If a child can make and see patterns then they will find Maths easier.

Click here to download the sheet

Practical and creative learning for kids

2014-01-08T10:01:00.001+00:00

This is a new FACEBOOK page where I will be posting ideas for practical learning. If you have a Facebook account them please give the page a 'like'.

Number recognition and fine motor skills

2013-12-05T11:58:00.001+00:00

Another fab activity for counting and number recognition using pipe cleaners and small beads. Lots of practice with find motor skills too. Check out this link

Here you can push on the brighter children with a simple addition problem

Ordering activity

2013-12-05T11:55:00.001+00:00

Fabulous idea for children to order numbers. Write the numbers on lolly sticks and layout a long sausage of play dough or plasticine. Check out this link.

Place value

2013-12-05T11:52:00.004+00:00

Love this Maths activity to show place value. Please check out this link to find out more

Christmas Crafts

2013-11-28T12:52:00.001+00:00

Some great Christmas crafts for you to start on Monday. These posts were some of the most popular on the Facebook page. Please visit the page and 'Like' if you want regular updates on crafts. I have tried to give credit to each post where possible. If you recognise something that is yours then please feel free to contact me so I can credit you.

Triangular Christmas tree cards made with a variety of colours and patterns.

Carol singers made with tubes, old socks to make the hats and small pieces of sheet music

Snowman names

A kindness tree (each hand has an act of kindness on it) - Thank you to a friend for allowing me to share this.

Christmas tree biscuits

Fingerprint Robin

Folded fan Christmas trees

Papier mache snowpeople

Little box templates lots

Lots and lots of printables for Christmas - colouring sheets, templates and games

Sun catchers

Simple snowman card

Christmas shaped pizza

Hand print Christmas tree

Punched Christmas trees out of paintstrips

No link for this one but if you recognise it as being yours please contact me and I will credit you.

Star for the window using kite fold - very simple

Decorated bauble biscuits

Reindeer lollypop

Tree made out of equilateral triangles (everyone can make their own to join together)

Thumb print card - no link unfortunately to credit this picture

Twig Christmas tree

A Christmas tree made out of paper chains - no link for this one

Paper chain made out of sheet music

Made from printing on bubble wrap

Rice crispie ornament

Snowy tree

Santa card - no link for this but looks very simple

Advent calendar snowman - the nose moves round on a split pin

Paper doily snowman

Christmas lights

Christmas trees

Reindeer dust

Thumbprint Christmas cards

Suncatcher baubles

Handprint animals

Reindeer out of a triangle

Santa bread

Chocolate spoons

Okra printing

Christmas tree biscuits with stained glass

Salt dough hand ornament - no link to this but instructions are clear

Set up a photo booth in your classroom with these props

Heart Christmas tree

Family handprint Christmas tree

Handprint snowmen

Fingerprint candy cane

Button ornament cards

Handprint nativity. Poem on the back: " I used my hand to make a manger, a place for Jesus to lay. I'll use my heart so full of love, as a place for Jesus to stay."

Mistletoes

Snowman out of circles

Candy canes

Christmas Crafts for Children

2013-11-15T10:26:00.004+00:00

I have just set up a Facebook page which I will be running until Christmas with lots of lovely craft ideas for children. If you want regular updates then go to the page and click like.
The more the merrier!

Practical activities for emotional literacy

2013-10-12T13:07:00.001+01:00

I have just published my Kindle book and it is available today for free.

The book is a collection of 50 activities for teaching emotional literacy to children.

If you download it please please will you review it for me.

Circle time agreement

2013-09-13T22:38:00.000+01:00

This is a circle time agreement which can be used at the beginning of each session. This is something I am always really strict with. The children soon get into the routine and follow the rules. The only one that I tend to do a bit differently is the right to pass. I have found that some children will pass because they don’t want to speak and the whole purpose of circle time is for everyone to have a voice. I let them pass but go back to them so they say something or anything really.
Download Circletime agreement

Visit www.elsa-support.co.uk for more emotional literacy/pshe ideas and activities

I am a ...

2013-09-13T22:33:00.004+01:00

I am a.. – I saw this idea on Pinterest and have had a go myself on my IPAD. I have included a download for you to use but depending on the age of the child they could draw their own letter shape. I think it would look fabulous if it was decorated and either filled with words or pictures. They could draw the pictures or even cut out pictures from magazines. I know when I did it I really had to think about all the things I could do. A really positive exercise for children to do and a real self esteem booster. If you are working with a group or a class I would do a circle time first. It could be a game. Keep going around the circle with ‘I am a… ‘ until all ideas are exhausted. As a group activity you could use the letters ‘WE’ are and children work together in a group to come up with all the things that they ‘are’. This would be great for getting them to find things they have in common. We are ‘artists’, ‘musicians’, ‘friends’, ‘listeners’, ‘happy’, ‘sharers’ etc.
Download: I am a …
Visit www.elsa-support.co.uk for more emotional literacy/social skills activities

Feelings hunt

2013-09-13T14:33:00.001+01:00

Feelings hunt – this would be a good class activity and also an activity that could be taken home. Give each child a sheet and allow them to go around their class mates asking how they are feeling. Be prepared for noise but it is a good warm up activity and allows the children to learn feelings vocabulary from their class mates. Emphasis that the feelings written down need to be different. They can’t put sad in every cloud. This will encourage the children to think of different feelings rather than just the usual sad, happy. This sheet can also be used at home. The child can be encouraged to ask the question ‘How do you feel?’ to their mums, dads, grans, sisters, brothers etc. The more children talk about feelings and learn new vocabulary and what it means the more emotionally literate they will be.
This activity could be extended once the children have collected their words. Who has got the most words? Are there any words you don’t understand the meaning of? Choose one of the words and write about a time you felt like that? Choose one of the words and draw a picture of yourself with that feeling. Draw a cartoon strip of a time you felt like that. Choose one of the words and write down words around it that mean the same. How many of your words mean the same?
The list is endless of how you could use this activity.
Download Feelings hunt class

Conflict resolution mindmap

2013-09-13T14:20:00.000+01:00

For more information check out this link

Emotional literacy support site

2013-07-27T23:45:00.001+01:00

My website www.elsa-support.co.uk has been redesigned. If you want any emotional literacy resources then this is the place to go. There is a blog, lots and lots of free resources, Amazon bookstore, parent section, newsletter facility and lots more.
Please check it out and feel free to comment.

Super resource site

2013-05-19T02:28:00.002+01:00

I just found this site with loads of free resources.

THE TIMEKEEPER'S DAUGHTER - my daughter's first novel

2013-05-17T11:47:00.001+01:00

My daughter has always loved writing even as a small child she had a powerful imagination. Her year five teacher once told her she expected her to end up being a best selling author.

She works as a Research and data analyst in London at present but her dream is to become an author. After finishing her masters degree she spent some time before getting a job writing her first novel and has now published it on Amazon. It is a fantasy fiction aimed at young adults. I loved it when I read it. It is very intelligently written and quite a complex but intriguing storyline. Once I got into it I couldn't put it down. Please consider reading it if you like fantasy stories and commenting and make her dream come true of getting an agent and having it published.

THE TIMEKEEPER'S DAUGHTER
the blue hourglass