Bring a little garden-themed fun into your classroom while building communication, participation, and early cooking skills! This adapted visual recipe guides students step-by-step through creating Garden Dirt Cups using chocolate pudding, crushed cookies, and gummy worms. With simple visuals, predictable directions, and built-in communication opportunities, this activity is perfect for students with autism, intellectual disabilities, complex communication needs, and emerging literacy skills. This recipe was created in collaboration with Four Mile Lane Southern Dining Experiences and is designed to support meaningful participation in a motivating, hands-on cooking activity. Students practice following directions, making choices, requesting materials, commenting, and discussing their finished creation while engaging in a fun multisensory experience. What's Included: Visual ingredients and supplies page
Step-by-step adapted recipe with photographs and visual supports
Embedded core word opportunities throughout the activity
Discussion and opinion pages to encourage communication
AAC communication board featuring activity vocabulary and high-frequency core words
Partner prompts and implementation suggestions for adults supporting AAC users Skills Targeted: AAC use and language modeling
Following directions
Sequencing
Requesting and commenting
Describing and expressing opinions
Fine motor participation
Social interaction and conversation Perfect for special education classrooms, speech therapy sessions, life skills programs, homeschool settings, and inclusive learning environments.
