Talking on a Tuesday-It's a turKey; not a turTey.

A good majority of my caseload (right now) is articulation.  I like that it makes it a little easier to plan.  But there's always pressure (usually self-inflicted) to get the most repetitions during a session.  I want to make sure the client is getting the most of the session.  To get a large number of reps, I have found this little dot sheets to be very helpful.  The kids are really enjoying them as well.  I created this turkey one to go with our theme this week.  You can find it in the book buddy. 

We have a couple of different games for this week.  The first one is a matching game.  Pretty simple... just match the two turkeys of the same color.  This little game is good because you can use it with your smallest articulation kiddos.  The other game is a little more appropriate for slightly older kids (around 5 and up).  Say your target word 5x, then choose  a card from the envelope.  The one with the most turkeys on their fence wins.

The last activity is a take home game for the kids.  I love to make these in therapy, show the kids how to play them and then send them home!   I often have parents ask me for things to do at home.  This is a quick activity they can do at home throughout the week.  It takes 5-10 minutes to play and families can play it multiple times during the day if they want to.  "Turkey Feathers" requires very little materials.  I used a paper lunch sack, 2 large googly eyes and construction paper in different colors.  Glue the two eyes, beak and waddle in the middle of the bag.  Cut out several feathers in assorted colors.  Write a target word on each feather.  Each word that is said correctly 5x can be placed behind the sack so that it sticks out over it.  Once all the feathers have been said, store them in the bag.  I like to pair this activity with one of the little games above for our last session of the week.  Both resemble "drill and kill" with a little fun added in!

As always, use your book of the week to help you target articulation as well!  Our book this week is great for blends, /l/ and /s/.

Until next time, keep 'em talking!
Melissa

Monday Preview-Here Turkey Turkey!

I know when I pull out my turkey lesson plans, it's almost Thanksgiving!!  I find my "second wind" to get me through the next 2 busy weeks to a peaceful few days off with family.  Sleeping late and eating way too much are my motivational thoughts.

Since today is Monday, that means I preview the activities and books for the week.  The first book of the week is a good one.  The kids laugh every year at all the funny things the turkeys do.  I like it because of all the "-ing" verbs it uses!  Plus it's a countdown book since I like to reinforce counting and simple subtraction (which is about the only math I am good at!).  You can find it here.

I created a book  buddy to go with this book.  It comes with activities for articulation such as the kids' favorite dot sheet.  You can also use the turkey matching game or "Fat Turkeys Fooling on the Fence" game to drill articulation.  For language, there's a coloring activity to work on irregular past tense verbs and a spatial concept activity.  The games included are open ended so they could be used during language sessions as well.

 

As for my preschool kiddos, I am working on simple book for them that is similar to a "Brown Bear" book (Look for it on Wednesday's blog!!).  We will also use our popular playdough SMUSH boards to work on naming vegetables and fruits.  There's also new activity called "The Turkey Eats..." (Freebie Alert!!!)  that works on vocabulary as well as increasing the child's MLU.   The little ones will get to dig around in the Thanksgiving themed sensory box too.   

 

 

Until next time, keep 'em talking,

Melissa

Thursday Thoughts on Language-OWLS

So by now we have covered the books, articulation and preschool speech activities all centered around the owl theme.  Though I use several of yesterday's ideas in therapy for language, some of my older kids don't care for them as much.  So I am bringing you some of my "school age" therapy ideas to use in the owl theme.

"Little Owl's Night" is still age appropriate.  I used it up to about 3rd grade (depending on the child).  For my language kids, I like to ask questions while we read.  These questions will be VERY SIMILIAR (aka almost the same!) to the ones I ask after the story.  But I like to use this time to discuss what is happening in the story and keep the kids engaged.  After we finish the book, we play "Little Owl's Night" Story Comprehension board game.  (You can find it in the book buddy.) Pretty simple-at each turn, have the child answer a question about the story.  You will need a die and pieces to play.  Whoever reaches Raccoon first wins!

Another language activity we have is the Irregular Past Tense Match Worksheet.  (also in the book buddy).  I like to teach irregular nouns and verbs in patterns if I can.  Some don't fit and I categorize them as the "Just Memorize Me" verbs.  The worksheet in the book buddy focuses on the "ew" verbs such as "blew, drew, flew, etc."  The fun thing with this worksheet is you can print 4-5 and laminate them.  The kids can use dry erase markers which they think is more fun anyway.  Then just wipe away and use for the next session.  After they have matched up the verbs, have them write sentences using the past tense verbs.

Big kids still like to play with playdough occasionally.  So I made a scene with owls in different places.  You could actually print two copies, laminate and use as barrier games.  You give the direction and the kids have to find the owl you are talking about.  Or you can flip it...have the child give the description to work on expressive language.  (I even use it with my little guys to help them understand spatial concepts.)  This activity is called "Where is Little Owl?" and it found in the book buddy.

The last activity is "Is That My Tree?" is a category game.  The trees are the category names.  The owls have different object names written on them.  Set out the trees on the table.  As the child pulls an owl from the envelope, have him tell where the owl belongs.  At the end, talk about each category and make sure the owls are in the right trees.  This activity is new to the TpT store!

 

Wishing everyone a great end to the week.  Until next time...Keep 'em talking.

Melissa

Wee One Wednesday- Owls and Little Ones!

I work with a wide age range of kiddos.  With the wide age range, comes an even wider variety of kiddos.  I enjoy it that way.  Yes, it may take me longer to plan or gather activities.  But I like that each session I do is different and keeps me guessing!  Plus, it's nice to not do the same thing over and over all week.

I am dedicating Wednesdays to my younger kiddos.  These are kiddos are younger and benefit from a more play-based, interactive, sensory-seeking type of therapy.  Some of kiddos with Autism participate in these activities as well.  The book we are using this week is "That's Not My Owl.." (It was previewed in Monday's post.  Click here to buy it!)  As I've said before, the textures engage the kiddos.  They can actually feel what "rough" is!  The "touchy feely" textures keep the kiddos engaged and they follow along with the story.

After we read our book, we have a variety of activities that I bring in.  Since most of my littles are working naming/identifying basic objects, I chose foods as my concentration this month...it is the season to over eat right?!  I made "Playdough SMUSH!" boards like the one below.  Oh. My. GOODNESS!!  These are the best!  I cater them to the vocabulary I need to address.  This one is for -ing verbs  but I also made ones for clothing, forest animals, and fruits.  I like them because I can use 1 board but target different things.    I can work with labeling the fruits with one kiddo.  The next session might be identifying the fruits as I name them.  The 3rd session might be "Wh" questions like "what fruit can be red, green or yellow?" or categories (find all the red fruits or find all the fruits that grow on vines).  Possibilities are endless!  Plus the kids LOVE saying "SMUSH" as they smush a ball of playdough on the picture!

Another fun interactive activity is adapting the freebie on the TpT store.  Even though I have used it for articulation, it can be easily adapted as an interactive game for early language kids.  I used it to work on colors (each owl was colored a different color), 3 word phrases using "in/out" such "in the tree."  Turn a paper lunch sack into a tree with some green paper.  Give the child the direction of "Put the (orange)owl in the tree."  Then once they have followed the direction, ask the child "Where is the orange owl?"  They may need cueing to answer with "in the tree."

Hope everyone is enjoying Owl week as much as I am!!
Until next time,
Keep 'em talking,
Melissa

 

Talking on a Tuesday: Articulation is a HOOT!

I have struggled with how often to blog, how I wanted to structure posts, and if I wanted "theme-y" posts or not...  I am playing with a format for the next few weeks to see how it goes and if I like it.  Feel free leave feedback if you find a particular thread that you like!   Either Fridays or Mondays (I have not decided which) will be my preview day.  This will include what books I am using for the week, quick overview of the activities, etc.  Tuesdays will be my articulation activity post!  There might be a quick video on how I am using a book to address articulation, the activities we are doing and anything else articulation related.  So that brings us to this week's activities!!!

"Little Owl's Night" is really great for blends.  I noticed this as I was analyzing the book.  At first glance, I did not notice it.  But when you start going through a book, writing down different target words, you notice.  I included an articulation word list in my "book buddy" for this book.  You can find it listed in my TpT store. 

Usually I start the first session of the week with reading the book.  As I read each page (or 2), I ask simple questions to engage the client as well as practice our target sound.  I continue this way throughout the book.  I like to use books to target articulation because my little friends have NO IDEA they are practicing their sounds.  After we read our book, I ask a few general questions about the story.  Then we break out our activity.  Lately, the kids have been into paper sack crafts and dot reinforcement sheets using paint daubers.  I like to drill the first session of the week so we will usually use a dot sheet or a cut and glue activity.  This week we have a dot sheet.  Kiddos put a dot on each owl as we practice their words.  I adapt the activity to phrase or sentence level if needed.  The dot sheet for this week is included in the book buddy as well.  This sheet is set up to get 80 reps alone!

The second session of the week includes a game that we make in therapy for the child to take home and play.  We work on the child's target words as we make the activity.  Then we play it so that they know how to play it at home.  I also try to include directions on the back for the parents.  We made the game "Owls Sitting in a Tree."  I took a brown lunch sack and glued a tree to it.  I cut out several owls.  We practice words as I write them on the owls.  Then we begin to play the game!!  For each word, they can produce correctly 5x, they can put the owl on the tree.  They continue this way until all the owls are on the tree.  Once we are done, we can take the owls off and play again OR place them all in the bag for storage.  Then I can just send home the paper bag with all the pieces in it.  As you can see below this one was added as a freebie on my TpT store!!

"Whoooo" is thinking articulation practice is a "hoot?!"

Until next time,
Keep 'em talking!
Melissa

Monday Preview: Whooo is ready for November?

Good morning everyone!!  Anyone else ready for cooler weather and tons of yummy food?!  Me too!!  To start out November, I added a new theme to my calendar-OWLS!  I've kind of been in an "owl mood" for about a year by adding a few to my home décor.  But then I found a cute owl book at one of my daycare centers'  book fairs and thought, "I have to add this to my themes!"  (Actually I found 2 books!!)  Some of my older kids will hear "Little Owl's Night" by Divya Srinivasan.    It's a precious little book about an owl as he flies through the night.  It is great for talking about nocturnal animals.  (I came up with a "book buddy" to use with this book and it has been added to my TpT store.)  You may be wondering what a "book buddy" is.  It is a bundle of speech and language activities that are centered around a particular book.  It comes complete with an articulation list, comprehension questions, open ended games and other activities.

My younger kiddos will hear "That's Not My Owl..."  It's from Usborne books and I love these!!  (So much so that I have become a  distributor for them!)  I love that my young ones can actually "feel" describing words with these books!!  I am currently working on a set of activities that could be used with this age group.  My little ones with Autism benefit from these books as well.  How can you teach what "soft" is without feeling it?!   This book takes away the abstract thinking and gives the kiddos a concrete example of the describing words. 

 

Hope these give you some ideas to help start your November!!  This theme is wonderful because it is really appropriate throughout the fall.  Keep up with the blog posts this week because I will be adding more information about each activity that we do.  Be sure to follow along on Instagram (speechchicktherapy) and on Facebook!

 

Until next time...

Keep 'em talking!

Melissa





Celebrating National Pizza Month with Good Sound Pizzas!

Hard to believe it is already October?!  Usually, this month is all about Halloween-pumpkins, bats, spiders, monsters, etc.  This year I decided to put a theme back on the schedule-PIZZA.  I had done this one several years ago when I worked in the public schools.  Using the same book, I tweaked the plans to make them more age appropriate for my current caseload.  The kids are loving it!!  Not everyone is hearing the book but they all love making the pizza!!  Since it is difficult to carry around pizza dough, cheese and sauce to each and every house/daycare/private school, we make a paper version.  A lot of my caseload is articulation right now so we are making "sound pizzas."  Before we make the "pizza", we read "Pete's a Pizza" by William Steig.  The kids love it and get a huge kick out of it!  Now we start working on our pizza!  I copy a page from my Super Duper Jumbo articulation drill book for each client.  Each kiddo gets 4 pictures so 1 page can last 2 kids.  If you shrink the pictures, then each kid could get all nine pictures.

Here's the rest of your supply list:
short strips of yellow paper (cheese)
red dot stickers (pepperonis)
green dot stickers (green peppers is the what the kids call them)
paper plate colored or painted brown

Now here's what you do:
Cut out the 4 target words.  During the first set of trials (3-5 repetitions of each target word), the child gets 2-3 strips of "cheese" to glue on his pizza for each target word said correctly 3-5 times.  During the second set of trials, he earns a pepperoni for each word.  Then we glue the target pictures on the pizza (after he says each one correctly 3-5 times).  Lastly, this is where he can earn more pepperonis or green peppers by saying each word again 3-5 times correctly.  You could get up to 80 reps in this activity alone!!!

We made ours a little differently this week since I had a blank pizza crust for the kids to color.  We just glued their pizza on a sheet of manila paper.  As you can see, I underlined the sounds so that parents knew what we worked on.