Have you heard about the Cybrarium located in downtown Homestead, Florida? Well, today our B.R.I.D.G.E.S students had a real treat spending the morning at the Cybrarium, a one-of-a-kind library that offers an exciting blend of cutting-edge technology and a traditional library setting with lots of books and magazines for their Community Based Instruction (CBI).

Students enjoyed listening to a few stories written by African American authors in honor of Black History Month. Then they had a chance to take a tour of the library and learn about what was offered for the public to use: stem activities, videos, book, games and so much more.  But without a doubt, their favorite activity was doing the Virtual Reality Experience. Several of them participated in the “Walk in the Woods” virtual experience and the more experienced students were able to choose games like Spiderman and Star Wars. Jordan even had fun getting Spiderman to dance!

After spending time at the Cybrarium, students walked over to a local Mexican Restaurant to enjoy lunch together. In class prior to the CBI, students reviewed the menu and discussed their budget and tip. They each brought their Visa Gift Card and were able to spend $25 on the meal, drink and tip. Some of the students ordered tacos and burritos, while others ordered chicken nuggets and fries. Job made sure he was staying within the budget before he placed his order since he wanted to get a side of fries too!

The students had a great time today, enjoying a new experience at the Cybrarium and a delicious lunch together. At the end of the meal, each student went to the cashier, paid for their meal, and had to figure out  tip. They all enjoyed their time together and did a great job with their budgeting, independence, and social skills!

“Lunch hour is the Best Hour of the Day” was the motto for the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students this week! Both classes headed to local restaurants for their Community Based Instruction (CBI) field trip. Mrs. Karla Lama and Mrs. Courtney Henry’s class had the chance to experience delicious barbeque at Mission BBQ and Ms. Kathy Gorman-Gard and Ms. Donna Mansolillo’ s class headed for an all-American meal at Panera.

Prior to going on the CBI, students reviewed the menus and practiced ordering while they were in class. They also discussed proper restaurant manners. Once they arrived at the restaurants, each student ordered their own meal. The students at Panera, used their debit card to pay for their meal. During lunch, they all enjoyed time socializing with their friends and talking about what they were going to do over the weekend!

Each week our B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students continue to practice their Budgeting, Resources, Independence, Growth, Empowerment and Social Skills. We are so very proud of them! Keep up the great work!

What a special treat our B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students enjoyed as they headed to IHOP for their early morning Community Based Instruction (CBI) trip! As the students reviewed the menu prior to heading out to IHOP, they couldn’t wait to order all the delicious breakfast items they had on the menu!

To help make the CBI run smoothly, facilitator Mrs. Papili spent class time reviewing some very important skills that the students would be using during their visit to IHOP. They reviewed how to stay within a budget, figure out a tip, what percentage the server should get, table manners, and even had a chance to role play ordering food.

Students had free choices of what they could order if they stayed within the budget of $25 for breakfast! They each ordered their meals independently. Some of the students ordered eggs, bacon, pancakes, and others decided on waffles. As the students enjoyed their breakfast meals, they socialized about a variety of topics.  No electronics were allowed on this CBI, as Mrs. Papili wanted the students to spend time socializing with one another.

After everyone was done eating, each student paid for their meal using their Visa Gift Card funded by HDS Foundation and was sure to include tip for the waiter! So proud of our B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students as they continue to practice there  Budgeting, Resources, Independence, Growth, Development and Social Skills.