More Than Words and The Hanen Centre E-Seminars {giveway}

It's been a long time, friends! I hope all is well with all of you.  I have to apologize. The last couple of months, I have been busy trying to somehow stay balanced with two jobs and time with family and friends.   During my time away, I've been doing some research, discovering new/ new to me products, and have begun some awesome new packets for my students.

With my clinic job, I see a wide range of kids.  They range in age (birth to 21) and range in abilities.  I realized pretty quickly that there were some gaps in my knowledge.  I have spent hours researching for each individual client I see because I want to be the SLP for them that I can be. One of the areas I realized I wanted more information on was helping parents with young children who have a significant language delay.  I had some ideas, but I wanted more.

I remembered back to grad school and my preschool placement. My clinical supervisor kept talking about The Hanen Centre and was raving about their books.  We even had a speaker come in and talk to my class.  So one of the resources that I recently was reminded of is their book/DVD called More Than Words.

 It arrived just in time for me to sit outside in the beautiful weather and read it.

More Than Words is a book geared towards parents with children with autism, which is perfect for this month (Autism Awareness Month). According to the Hanen Centre, it's a book that address very specific challenges that children with ASD face and strategies to help with those challenges. It is designed to improve the understanding of language and the ability to have back-and-forth interactions.

What I love about it is that it's written for parents. I can recommend these strategies and parents will understand them.  I also love that they are research based.  You can read more about their research here. I love that they address every day situations that parents will encounter.  The DVD is a great companion resource to give parents real-life examples of each situation discussed.

If you want to learn more about More Than Words, check out The Hanen Centre's website here.  You can view sample pages, see the outline of the chapters, and read about the research behind the book.

In honor of Autism Awareness Month, The Hanen Centre has also graciously offered to provide one of YOU with a code for a FREE e-seminar. They are 2 hours long, and I bet you can count them towards your certification maintenance hours for ASHA ;)   Enter below if you're interested.

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Have a great rest of your week!

Note: I was contacted by The Hanen Centre and a copy of More Than Words was provided for my review.  No other compensation was received. All opinions expressed are mine.  

The Hanen Centre Preschool Language and Literacy Calendar {giveaway}

If you have ever worked with the preschool population, you've likely heard of The Hanen Centre.  If not, be sure to check them out because they have awesome resources and workshops!   They just came out with an awesome new product that I want to talk to you about today--the Preschool Language and Literacy Calendar.

This year's calendar focuses on critical thinking skills such as problem-solving and predicting.  Each month features real photos, a theme about a language skill, research for building language and literacy, and weekly tips for home and school!

To read a little more about critical thinking, check out these articles:
-Preparing Preschoolers for "School Talk"
-More than ABCs: Building the Critical Thinking Skills Your Child Needs for Literacy Success

Here's what I love about these calendars:
-They are practical--everyone uses a calendar.
-It discusses research and research-based tips.
-It is good for parents and SLPs.
-It's focus is critical thinking skills, which are so important for school and the rest of their lives.

If you would like to check out a sample page, click the picture below:

If you are interested in these calendars, head on over to The Hanen Centre's website for more information about ordering.

The Hanen Centre is generously giving away a few copies of the calendars to interested SLPs!  Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to enter!

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Note: I was contacted by The Hanen Centre about the calendar.  No compensation was received.  All opinions expressed are mine. 

Blogging over at Playing With Words 365

Hi everyone!

Today I am posting over at Playing with Words 365!  Today's topic is the language skills every child should have before going into kindergarten.  It's directed towards SLPs and parents, and I'm really excited about it!! I hope you will check it out :)

Check it out here!

ABC Letter Learning {App Review}

I have a great app to share with you today!  It's called ABC Letter Learning from Merge Mobile!  Keep reading to see why I love it.  This app was provided for me in exchange for an honest review of it.  All opinions expressed are mine.  No other compensation was received.

Description of the app (from Merge Mobile):
ABC Letter Learning is a comprehensive alphabet learning app which includes several activities to support letter comprehension (both upper and lowercase), phonics and real world object association.  In addition to fun and interactive digital activities, the app comes with a set of printable worksheets and activities for your child to practice their ABC’s in the physical world.

There are FOUR different activities or "areas" in this app.  

The first is Letter Recognition:

This is a simple yet very practical activity for our preschoolers! Just hit the "Start" button at the top.  A voice will say, "Find the letter _____" and the student will press the letter that was stated.  Then, it'll move onto the next one.  If you touch the Aa button in the upper right corner, it'll switch the letters to all lowercase.  If you don't want to use that feature, you can just press each letter, and it will say them outloud!

The second activity is Letter Phonics.

In this section, if you press on the middle letter, it will say the name of the letter.  If you press on the pictures around it, it will say some variation of ,"A is for apple" or "Ant starts with A."  If you press on the "Phonics" button, it says the sound that that letter makes.

Third is Letter Trace.

This section is pretty simple.  Trace the letter that you see on the screen.  If you click on the Aa button in the upper right corner, it'll change it to a lowercase letter.

The last section is Practice Sheets.

This section is FULL of PDFs that you can email to yourself or print directly from your iPad.

1. Flashcards- These are flashcards of uppercase and lowercase letters and pictures that start with each letter of the alphabet.

2. ABC Hangers- These are include the letter and a picture of a word that starts with that letter.  It also includes a sentence such as "A is for Apple."

3. ABC Letter Recognition- Worksheets where the student writes in the first letter of each word.

4. Alphabet Pages- Worksheets where the student practices writing the letters (both upper and lower case).

5. Words That Start With- Worksheets that focus on one letter at a time. Students will write in the letter in each word.

In my therapy room:
My students love this app.  They are super motivated by anything that has to do with the iPad.  For me, having them do an app that works on letter recognition and learning is amazing!  They like the interactive nature of the various pages.  They love being able to touch something and have it talk back to them!

Why I love it:
-My students love it, and it holds their attention.
-It targets basic skills that my preschoolers need to work on.
-It's colorful without being too obnoxious.
- The pictures are simple and easily recognizable for the students.
-It's super affordable!! Only $1.99!

What I would like to see:
-There is no way to keep data right now.  This means you'll have to have pen and paper close by to track it. It'd be nice if it could be incorporated into the app in future updates. However, I will say that it would not prevent me from purchasing it.

Think this is something you'd like for your speech room?  You can purchase it here.

Merge Mobile is being super generous and giving away a copy to THREE lucky readers.  Enter below:
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My Truck is Stuck! {Storybook Companion}

My students absolutely adore the book "My Truck Is Stuck" by Kevin Lewis and Daniel Kirk! I created this storybook companion to go along with it in my speech room. Hope your students love it as much as mine do! This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. 

If you need to purchase this book, you can do so here:


This packet is 41 pages in length and includes the following activities:

-Sign-In Activities: Use these activities for students to “sign-in” for the day. Have the students trace the words. (includes 3 sign-in cards, 1 sign-in scene)

-Story Retell: Students will draw cards and place them in order on the sequencing mat. Whoever completes the sequence correctly first wins! (includes 1 sequencing mat, 6 retell pictures)

-Construction Rhyming: Students take turns drawing cards. Students will read the word (or have it read to them) and they will state another word that rhymes with the word on the card. If they answer correctly, they place their card on their mat. Whoever covers each spot on their mat first wins! (includes 1 student mat, 30 word cards, 6 blank cards)

-Final /k/ Trucks: Students take turns drawing cards. Students will practice the word on the card 3 times. Use the wheels on the truck (on the mat) as a pacing card if need be. If they answer correctly, they place their card on their mat with the truck. Whoever has the most cards wins! Or use a reinforcer. (includes 1 student mat, 36 final /k/ cards, 6 blank cards)

-Yes/No Buses: Students take turns drawing cards and answering the questions on the cards. If the students answer correctly, they keep their cards. Watch out for barricade cards! Lose all your cards if you draw one of these! (includes 6 barricade cards, 30 bus cards, 6 blank cards)

-Same/Different Cards: Students take turns drawing cards. Student looks at the card. Ask the student one of the following questions (as appropriate):
Which one is different?
How is it different?
Which ones are the same?
How are they the same?
(includes cards that differ by size, differ by type of vehicle, 
differ by color)

-Coloring Page: Color on part of the picture for each question answered or word said correctly. 

-Game Board: Get the trucks back to the road. For four players or you can use it for a do-a-dot type reinforcer. 

Hope your students enjoy these activities!  You can find this packet in my Teachers Pay Teachers store! 

I'll pick a lucky winner to receive a copy of this packet! Enter the Rafflecopter below. 
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Roll and Play {Product Review}

I was walking around my local grocery/super store and found this AWESOME game!  I had NO idea that it was developed by a speech and language product company, since it was sitting with all other board games.  I read the description and knew that I simply could not pass it up!  It is PERFECT for preschool speech, language, and motor therapy activities!  There are affiliate links in this post for your convenience.

Allow me to introduce you to Roll and Play from Think Fun! The package states that students will "have fun and learn," and I definitely agree!! 

If you would like to get this game for your speech room or your own children, click on the picture below:

The Basics:
Before playing, separate the cards into the different color stacks on the table.  On his or her turn, a student/child will take the huge die and roll it.  Then, they pick up a card that matches the color they rolled and perform the action on the card.  Some of the actions include, "Give one hug" or "Find something red."


What's Included:
The package comes with one die and a set of 48 activity cards.  It also comes with instructions and a Parent's Guide.

Why I Love It:
- It can target SOOOOO many different goals.  Examples include colors, counting, and following directions.
-It's easy to store--the cards fit into a pocket in the die.
-It's fun and gets the students moving!
-The pictures are simple and easy to understand.
-There's writing on the cards for those students who can read, too!

Modification for Older Students:
One modification to make it suitable for older students would be to have them roll the die more than once.  That way, they have to follow multiple directions.  This may be a stretch, but for some of the directions, you could even facilitate a discussion about when some of those actions are appropriate and when they are not (i.e. when is it appropriate to give a friend a hug?). 

My preschoolers absolutely LOVE this game.  Will yours love it, too?  Check out Thinkfun Roll and Play Board Game!

Enjoy it!
 

Caterpillar Patterns

You ever need a quick idea for the last couple minutes of a therapy session?  I did this past week!

The school's theme for the month was the Botanical Gardens, so we were needing to come up with some fun ideas related to spring, gardens, and insects!  As preschoolers, they are also working on a lot of basic concepts, such as colors, prepositions, and patterns/sequencing.  Here's a quick little activity for you.

I took a several pieces of paper and stacked them on top of each other. Then, I took a glass and traced around the bottom of it.  (Note: Folding the paper and using a circle punch would be other ways to achieve the same thing).  I just did three colors, but you can certainly make it more complicated if you would like!

With my preschoolers, we targeted colors, order, same/different, turn-taking, vocabulary, quantitative concepts (how many, length), and attention to task. WHOA! That's a lot.  I love activities that target a lot of their goals at once!

This can be used as a full classroom activity, center activity, whole language group activity, or with an individual client.

In summary, what I love about this idea:
-It targets SO much! 
- You can use whatever paper you have leftover (construction, scrapbook, etc).
-All you need are scissors, paper, and something to trace around
-Kids love it
-It's quick and easy

What quick activities do you use? 

P.S. Everything in my TpT store is still on sale today (ends tonight!!).  Stock up on activities now!


 

Quick Tip: Using A Pacing Card

Do you ever get sick of saying, "Good job! Now say it again?"  If so, this is for you!

 

One of the tricks I learned this year in graduate school is to use a pacing card with students.  It is simple, easy, and fast to implement.  I had a little preschooler who was just working on resonance from his cleft palate. He knew all of the words and was intelligible-just needed some extra help with his nasality. He got sick of hearing the same thing over and over, and I got sick of saying it!! 

So we introduced a pacing card:

My student had to say each word 5 times total.  Let's say the target word was "pat." He would place his finger on the dot under the 1 and say, "Pat." Then, I would give feedback. He would proceed to placing his finger on the first dot under the 2, say, "Pat," move his finger to the next dot, and say "Pat" again. I would give feedback on his productions after 2 of them.  

He found this more fun than just saying the word over and over and over. Essentially that's what he was doing, but the element of moving his finger from dot to dot made it more fun for him, I guess! 

Do you think this is something you could use?  I created a simple one for you, if so!  You can get it by clicking on the image: 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this quick tip!

 

Adapting TpT Items to Fit Your Needs

Today's post is about something I have to do a lot: adapt TpT items to fit my caseload or students' attentional needs.

Let me start by giving you an example. This week, we have been using Superhero Stopping from Simply Speech! You can see a picture below. 

 I love this packet because it covers A LOT of sounds!  Perfect for when you have a caseload with kids working on a variety of sounds, like mine! Not only that, but the Superhero theme is super engaging!

If your students are anything like mine, they need to be doing something physical. Anything to get them moving a little bit, even if it's just with their hands. I figured this game board would work, since they have to move the pieces and all.  Welp, they couldn't understand the  concept of a game...And by that I mean moving the pieces to the next space.  Nothing against the game or board itself--those are wonderful!

So my supervisor grabbed the lid to a box that was close by, propped it up, and held a superhero card on top.  This way, the kids thought the superhero was on the roof, in a way!  When the students said their words a couple times correctly, they got to make the superhero fly (i.e. flick it off).  Let me tell you--they LOVED it!!

As a student, I'm learning that you have to think on your feet.  When an activity doesn't work out as planned, we sometimes have to adapt it. This was the perfect example of using what was already in the room and allowing students to use their imagination for it to fit with the theme of the cards.

Tips:
1. Find what's already in the room.
2. Get creative--pretend a box lid is something that it is most definitely not!
3. Have the kids pick out an object from the room and find a way to adapt it/incorporate it in.
4. Look at the theme of the packet and go from there!
5. Think about the students' interests. 

How have you adapted your TpT purchases to fit your caseload?  I would love to hear your creative ideas!

P.S. We have some AWESOME stuff coming up this week!  I cannot wait to share it with you!

 

DIY Therapy Materials

A week or so ago, Felice at TheDabblingSpeechie asked me to do a guest post. I thought I would share it with you here, too, in case you missed it! 

Today’s topic is using what you have already for therapy.  I’m going to start with why I think it’s important to be “thrifty” and use what you may consider “trash” or everyday items for therapy.  First, if you’re anything like me, you can’t afford to buy all the newest games out there. You also can’t possibly buy absolutely everything on your TpT wishlist.  Also, I hate throwing everything out. Why not be a little green and recycle what we have?  Also, the kids LOVE it. Seriously, they run towards me when I come in with these activities. They love being creative.

So how did I get into this?  Glad you asked. I have always been a big proponent for recycling. This semester, my clinical supervisor challenged us to be creative and inventive with our materials.  She challenged us to NOT bring in games or anything along those lines. Instead, she encouraged us to start saving our trash.  And I mean TRASH.  Anything that you were about to throw out, you had to look at and decide, “Hmm could this be made into a therapy material or craft?” Let me tell you, our houses and apartments are now overflowing. It amazes me actually.  Of course, you don’t just have to save trash.  You can also use extra paper plates that are just sitting in your pantry.  Or how about those beans that you bought to make chili but then never made it?

Here’s another thing to consider when you go to bring in your iPad (or other electronics) to certain environments. Some of these kids have never seen or heard of an iPad ever. Some of them will never be able to afford one, either!  The last thing you want to do is make them feel inferior because of something like that!  Besides, when you use things you have at home (e.g. toilet paper rolls), it is something they can do at home too!  If we want carryover, this is the perfect way to do it!

Now for some ideas.  I obviously cannot list all possible activities-the possibilities are seriously endless.  Here’s a couple of things we have done. Please note that these activities were for preschool and whole-language groups.

1.   Sink versus float. Take a small tub or Tupperware container.  Fill it about halfway with water. Find objects around your house for your students to place in the container. They will determine if they sink or float and can mark it down on a chart. This is a great activity because it is so incredibly easy, focuses on school/curriculum concepts, and focuses on vocabulary that will be useful to them in the future! 

2.  Tambourines/other musical instruments.  I’m sure a lot of you have done this yourself growing up. We took paper plates, folded them in half, filled them with beans, and stapled them shut.  The students could decorate the outside. We then talked about music and rhythm. We will be making more musical instruments using boxes, plastic containers, and rubber bands. 

3. Muffin tin activity.  I posted about this activity on my blog, Home Sweet Speech Room, a few weeks ago.  Check out the post here.  We took muffin tins (or egg cartons) to target basic concepts such as letters, colors, and shapes. We put paper with different shapes in each cup in the muffin tin. Then, students threw a ball (gently!!) to see where it would land. They would then have to name whatever shape (or color, etc) that the ball landed on. 

I love these activities because they give the students a chance to express themselves in a different way than maybe they’re used to. It allows them to create and be hands on.  It’s not expensive, either!

 Do you have any ideas?  I would love to hear about them!  Like I said, my supervisor is challenging us to be creative, so I need some ideas!
 
 

Springtime Preschool Packet

It is officially spring, everyone!  It certainly doesn't feel like it here, though! It's about 30 degrees and extremely windy.  But I have something that may bring up your mood a bit- Springtime Preschool Packet.

If your preschoolers are anything like mine, they need quick activities that can be completed in 10 minutes or less! This 31 page packet is full of quick activities for them!

-Sign-In Activities: Includes eggs to color and write names on and sign in cards. Students will trace words associated with springtime. Includes 2 eggs and 12 sign in cards.

-Egg Color Sort (adjectives): Students will sort the eggs by their color. Includes 1 sorting mat and 24 egg cards.

-Listening for Detail: Students will take turns drawing cards. The SLP will read the cards the students draw. Students will listen to what is read and color in the designated areas. Includes 1 worksheet, 32 calling cards, and 8 blank cards.

-Same/Different Cards: Students will take turns drawing cards. SLP will prompt students to pick out the card that is different or the same (based on the goal for the student). If the student answers correctly, they keep their card. Whoever has the most cards wins (or use a game board). Includes 12 cards

-Game Board and Die: An open-ended board game with an accompanying die to be used with these activities or other holiday activities

 You can find this activity in my TpT store here.

I will giveaway one copy of this to a reader!  Just comment below and tell me your favorite spring tradition or activity!