Sunday, September 30, 2012

Halloween Two-fer!

Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.com for your convenience.

Tomorrow is October 1st.  Stores are filled with candy, pumpkins, and scarecrows (ok, some of them have been since August!).  My kiddos are starting to talk about costumes.  That means Halloween must be right around the corner!  I love all things fall, especially Halloween!  I got some cute Halloween clip art by Alice Smith CU at Scrappin' Doodles and came up with not one, but TWO activities for you to download!


A basic memory game to be used for vocabulary, expressive language, or as a reinforcer:



and...


A Halloween inspired version of this popular game:
Hope you like them!  If you download, please leave a comment!

If you're curious, here are some of my favorite Halloween stories:

Thursday, September 27, 2012

App Review: Story Builder



When Kyle from Mobile Education Store contacted me about doing reviews on a couple of their apps, I was excited for the opportunity.  Two of the first apps I downloaded when I got my iPad were Sentence Builder ($5.99 for both iPhone and iPad in the App Store) and Question Builder ($5.99 for both iPhone and iPad in the App Store).  Both apps are fantastic for SLPs, but I found that they were too high level for my caseload  of preschool and kindergarten students.  (For a recent review of Sentence Builder, head on over to Speech Time Fun).  Since many of the students on my caseload have objectives for answering WH- questions, I have used Question Builder with some of my more patient kindergartners (A question is read to you and you choose an answer from written responses in sentence form).



There I go, digressing again!  Of all of Mobile Education Store's apps, Story Builder looked the most promising for my needs (Story Builder is $5.99 for iPhone and $7.99 for iPad).  Based on the description, I thought this app was the most easily modified for my little guys.

When you open the app, you start on the Settings screen.  You can see you have different options to choose from - Level of Play, Question Reinforcement, Color Code Reinforcement, and Story Introduction Reinforcement.


Settings:


Level of Play
In Level 1, there are four different questions for each picture, allowing you to create a very simple story.  More questions are added in Level 2, resulting in a more detailed story.  In Level 3, the only cue the child receives is "Make a story about the picture.  Make sure to use complete sentences."  It pains me to admit this, but when I first saw Level 3, I was thinking "This would be great practice for the composition portion of MCAS" (our state-wide academic achievement test).

Question Reinforcement
In Level 1 and 2, the student is given question prompts to guide their story development.  Selecting "On" will allow you and your students to see the written question as it is being asked.  In addition, the question will remain until you move on to the next question.  Selecting "Off" will allow you to see the written question as it is being asked, but then the question disappears.  As you may have guessed, in "Intermittent" mode, the question sometimes remains and sometimes disappears.

Color Code Reinforcement
By selecting "on," the written question will be highlighted in red.  By selecting "off," the question is written at the top of the picture with the background being the same as the picture.  "Intermittent" varies the two.

Story Introduction Reinforcement
For this feature, you can choose having sentence starters for each question ("On") or not ("Off").


Using the App:

Once you select the options you wish to use, you are given one of many different picture scenes.  You can record the students' responses to each prompt and play back the story when finished.  There is also a way of saving stories to play again later (especially handy when you are transcribing!).  You can select "Skip  Picture" to move on to a different scene.  If you hit "Record" or "Repeat Question," you will have to finish out this story before moving on to another.




I tried the app with two different groups.  The first group consisted of two preschool boys, both age 4.  The second group consisted of four second graders (3 boys, 1 girl) all age seven.  (Thank you to my fabulous co-worker Stephanie for letting me hijack visit her group!).  For both groups, I used Level 1 with Question Reinforcement and Story Introduction Reinforcement. However, we did not always use the suggested sentence starters.  Here are the results:


Story 1


Preschool Group:

Question 1:  Where is the boy?
        The boy... "is in the woods."
Question 2:  Why is the boy running away?
        "Boy is running [from] a snake."  
Question 3:  How does the snake feel?
        "The snake feels scared"
Question 4:  Where is the boy going?
        The boy is going... "running [to] a house."

Second Grade Group:

Question 1:  Where is the boy?
        "The boy and snake are in the woods."
Question 2:  Why is the boy running away?
        "The snake scare him."  
Question 3:  How does the snake feel?
        "The snake and the boy are scared [of] each other. And do you know why he's scared?
        Because, snakes are not scared of people.  Because, in the real world, snakes are not
        scared of people, and people are scared of snakes.  That happens in the real world.
        This is just a book."
Question 4:  Where is the boy going?
        "He try to hide somewhere in his room."



Story 2



Preschool Group:

Question 1:  Where are the man and the dog?
        The man and the dog are... "making a tent."
Question 2:  What is the raccoon doing?
        Then, a raccoon..."[was] pushing in the tent."  
Question 3:  Why are the man and the dog so scared?
        The man and the dog are so scared because..."raccoon get them"
Question 4:  When will the raccoon leave?
        The raccoon will leave when... "He's leaving."
        When? "In his house."

Second Grade Group:

Question 1:  Where are the man and the dog?
        "The man is on the tent."
Question 2:  What is the raccoon doing?
        "They don't know if the raccoon's doing it.  Because they think it's somebody
        like a monster or something doing it and they're scared and the raccoon is teasing them."
Question 3:  Why are the man and the dog so scared?
        "The raccoon is scaring them."
Question 4:  When will the raccoon leave?
        "The raccoon will leave when it gets dark."




Story 3



Preschool Group:

Question 1:  Tell me what the woman is doing?
        The woman is... "cleaning."
Question 2:  Why is she doing that?
        She's cleaning the floor because..."the dogs feet!" Made... "a mess!"  
Question 3:  Then what happened?
        But then..."The dog?"
        How is she feeling?..."She's mad."
Question 4:  What will the woman do now?
        Now the woman will..."clean the floor."

Second Grade Group:

Question 1:  Tell me what the woman is doing?
        The woman is... "mopping the kitchen floor because of the dog has stinky footprints."
Question 2:  Why is she doing that?
        "She's putting the paw prints in the kitchen.  Ugh!  She's cleaning up the paw prints".  
Question 3:  Then what happened?
        "Then, she's gonna put the dog in a bath."
Question 4:  What will the woman do now?
        She's..."washing his hair."



What I like about this app:

  • The pictures are colorful, eye-catching, and interesting for the students.
  • Different levels of play make this app useful for many different age levels.
  • Recording function is helpful for language sampling and for transcribing stories
  • Since most of my kiddos have a goal of answering WH-questions, I love the question reinforcement option.
  • The sentence starters are great for kids who have difficulty formulating complete sentences.
  • You can save multiple stories.  This is a great way of checking progress (save one at the start of the school year, and another at the end).
  • There is a "Repeat Question" button, which is great for kids who require repetition.  This is also good if there is an external noise that prevents you from hearing the question.

What changes I would have liked to see:

  • Because I tried to use the same stories for the two groups, I had to "Skip Picture" over and over to get to the ones I wanted.  It would be nice if you could select the picture(s) you want from a main menu.
  • There were times that I accidentally hit "Repeat Question" instead of "Skip Picture."  The app does not allow you to move along to the next picture until you record a response for each question.  A "Home" type of button would be a great update!

The bottom line:

          Story Builder is a great app that is definitely worth the price.  You can use it in individual and
          group therapy sessions.  And you can use the app to target not just narrative skills, but WH
          questions, sentence formulation, fluency, articulation carry-over, etc.  Head on over to the app
          store and check it out!

Disclaimer:  Although Kyle at Mobile Education Store was kind enough to provide me with a code for this app review, the opinions are 100% my own. :)

Monday, September 24, 2012

Book of the Week: Apple Trouble

Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.com for your convenience.

Most of the SLPs that I know use children's story books in therapy.  They're such a great tool for working on just about any goal!  I'd say it would be a rare week for me to not use at least one book in therapy.  So, I decided to share my Book of the Week!




This week, we are reading "Apple Trouble" by Ragnhild Scamell and Michael Terry.  In this story, a cute little hedgehog (have I mentioned that I have a strange affinity for hedgehogs?) has just finished building a nest under an apple tree when an apple falls on her back and gets lodged on her spines.  With the apple on her back, she can no longer fit in her new nest.  Hedgehog meets a few animals in her quest to remove the fruit and, in the process, ends up with all sorts of items stuck on her (a juicy red apple, three brown nuts, a small green pear, a crumpled brown leaf, a colorful piece of paper, a pink water lily, and four ripe blackberries).  In the end, she meets a goat who eats the items off her back (with the exception of the leaf) and she can finally return to her nest.




What I LOVE about this story
Well, really everything!  Did I mention my love of hedgehogs?  Also, the pictures are great (although most of my kids think the goat is a sheep).  The vocabulary:  "juicy" red apple, "crumpled" brown leaf, plus sentences like this:  "hedgehog pattered over to the pond and gazed at her reflection in the water."  There is a message of cooperation and helping others.  Best of all, it keeps the attention of the children and they all love the story!


How I use it in therapy:
This book really lends itself to my in-class groups, so I use it there.  I'm sure it would work well in small pull-out groups as well.  I have this cute little hedgehog stuffie I found last summer on vacation in New Hampshire.  I show it to the kids and ask if they know what kind of animal it is.  I usually get a very adamant, "Porcupine!"  When I tell them that it's not a porcupine, I get less sure answers:  "Skunk?" "Raccoon?" "Groundhog?"  Then repeats of the aforementioned animals until I tell them that it's a hedgehog.


We then talk about the differences between hedgehogs and porcupines.  I keep this basic because I'm typically dealing with preschoolers with this story.  Porcupines are big, hedgehogs are tiny.  Porcupines can shoot their quills to protect themselves, hedgehogs roll into a ball.  I show them photos of an actual hedgehog.  I have some from a birthday party I attended (thank you Alyssa and Aiden!), but you can probably find some decent ones online, like the ones below.  I like using pictures with a person's hand in it so the children can understand how big a hedgehog is.  If I show a hedgehog along without any contextual cues, kids think they are large animals.

Small hedgehog

Then I read the story (I know, this was probably implied!).  I drew a hedgehog on a large poster board and made the story props with a die-cut machine at my school.  As I read the story, I (or the kids, depending on the size of the group) add the objects to the hedgehog poster, then remove them as the goat eats them.



After the story is over, I ask comprehension questions and have the students retell the story with the props.

IEP Objectives Targeted:
Vocabulary (animals, adjectives, synonyms, categories)
Sequencing (order of items that fall on hedgehog)
Retelling a story in sequence
Answering comprehension questions about a story
Exclusion (goat eats all items except the leaf)
Increasing MLU
Articulation:  I have a few students working on /l/, so we worked on:  apple, leaf, lily, silly, etc.


Do you use this book as well?  What other activities do you do with it?

Update:  I love this book so much that I created a book companion, which is available in my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

WH- Word Sentence Formulation Activities

I love working with the little guys at my school, but I often miss working with the older ones!  I have a few activities in my repertoire that I just can’t seem to modify for preschool.  Here’s one of them...

Being an SLP, I have been using the WH- method of sentence formulation for a while now.

WHO
WHAT DOING (or WHAT DID)
WHERE
WHEN
(WHY)

I’ve seen a few different variations of this activity in workshops and on Pinterest.  One of my favorites from a workshop I attended involved using Post-It notes.  You need 4 different Post-it pads of different colors.  Assign 1 color to each WH word.  For example:

WHO = Pink
WHAT DOING = Green
WHERE = Yellow
WHEN = Blue



Next, students brainstorm responses for each category (e.g., WHO à My Dog, Mrs. Manchester, My sister, etc).  

"Who" responses

Once you have a certain number of responses for each (I usually started with 5), students take one of each Post-it and arrange them into a coherent sentence:


Don't forget, the Post-its don't necessarily have to follow this order to be syntactically correct!



I came up with another version of this activity.  I found this clip art from http://nicecliparts.com.  I printed the WH words on four different birds nests and responses on the baby birds. 



I then created a construction paper tree, attached it to the inside of my closet door, and placed the nests on the tree.



Students can work in teams or independently to place birds in the appropriate nests and formulate a sentence.


close up of the nests:  "A big frog crawled on the floor at the beach in the afternoon"


They can either read the sentence orally or write the sentence on a recording sheet.

 As an extension, you can have the children judge whether the sentence is syntactically appropriate and/or semantically appropriate.  For more on this activity, visit my TPT store. 

Do you use the WH sentence formulation format in your session?  If so, what’s your favorite variation?




Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Speech & Language Newsletter

This year, I have decided to try to provide parent communication on a more consistent basis.  Although I would love to provide specific information to parents on each of their children, high caseload numbers just do not allow for this.  So I decided to write a monthly newsletter.  I found these really neat monthly Language Calendars from the Moog Center for Deaf Education:


I decided to print them on the back of my newsletter.  Here's what I came up with for the newsletter:

You can download the newsletter (in an editable format) here.

Do you provide a newsletter or speech and language homework?  If so, how often do you send it home?


Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Hearing Screenings!



In my district, all kindergarteners need to have their hearing screened.  The SLPs are responsible for this task.  I asked on Facebook if you as SLPs conduct hearing screenings in your district.  It seemed to be about 50/50 - with many districts having hearing screens conducted by nursing staff.  If you do conduct
hearing screenings, here are a couple of tips:


  • Little guys and girls can be intimidated by the process.  Many equate it to visiting the doctor.  So, I typically tell them that they're going to wear headphones - like the kind you use to listen to music. Except,  my headphones don't play music, they play TRUCKS!  (You know what sound a truck makes when backing up, right? Beep-beep-beep).  I tell them that sometimes the trucks will be big (e.g., low pitch and/or high volume) and sometimes they will be little (high pitch and/or low volume) and that they need to raise their hands whenever they hear a truck, even if it's TINY!  This makes the task more like a game.
  • Some kids are intimidated by the headphones.  In the past I have used a mirror so they can see what they look like with them on.   
  
  • Taking the kids in pairs can alleviate some of the anxiety.
  • Many kids need LOTS of teaching of the expectation.  I typically instruct the whole class before beginning and have them practice raising their hands when I say "beep."  Then, when I bring the children to the room, I do more of the same.  If they still seem to need practice, I'll turn the audiometer up to full volume and hold the headphones open (you can generally hear the beeps at full volume without wearing the headphones).  We will practice together until the children seem to understand.
  • After all that practice, some kids will still have difficulty understanding the expectation "When you hear the beep, raise your hand."  Some alternate methods of response include:  dropping a block in a bucket in response to the sound, giving a thumbs-up, using picture icons (below - keep your finger on the SHH until you hear the truck, then slide your finger over), or using an app like Choice Board Creator (see below). 
(click picture to download)



Choice Board Creator

I created this form last year that you may find helpful for documentation purposes:

(click image to download)

I love using these Familiar Sounds Audiograms for parent information purposes.  This one is from Nadine Miller, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (click the image to be directed to her site):




If you do conduct hearing screenings, I hope you found something helpful!  Do you have other tips/suggestions for conducting hearing screens?




Monday, September 10, 2012

Interview with Leslie Lindsay, Author of "Speaking of Apraxia"

There's a new book on the market on Childhood Apraxia of Speech - "Speaking of Apraxia:  A Parents' Guide to Childhood Apraxia of Speech," by Leslie Lindsay, R.N., B.S.N.  When her daughter Kate was diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), Leslie looked high and low for information (particularly information for parents) on the disorder.  Not finding any books on the topic, Leslie, a child-adolescent psychiatric nurse, took on the daunting task of writing one!  Here's the result:


I had seen a few reviews of the book on other blogs and speech sites (see below for links).  I read the reviews on Amazon (all 5-star if you were wondering).  I ordered the book.  I thought it would be a good reference for myself as a Speech-Language Pathologist.  I also thought it would make a great addition to my resource library.  When Leslie contacted me about the possibility of featuring the book on Carrie's Speech Corner, I jumped at the opportunity!  This book truly is a wonderful source of information, not only for parents, but for SLPs as well.  Leslie was kind enough to sit down and answer some questions, and to provide a copy of her book for one lucky reader as well!



An Interview with Leslie Lindsay:

There are a few books about CAS geared toward SLPs. What is different about your book?

Well, I’d like to say the big difference between my book about CAS is that it is written from a parent’s perspective.  I really, really wanted a book when my own daughter (now 7 years and speaking quite typically) was diagnosed at the age of 2.6 years.  There wasn’t much available that really appeased me. 

This book covers much of the “journey” of apraxia, more than the treatment (though there is a chapter on that)—which is what those books geared to SLPs do.

In SPEAKING OF APRAXIA, readers will find information from suspecting a problem to getting help, navigating the school system, how to help your child at home, family/child coping, resolving apraxia, networking, and more. 


You’ve done a LOT of research on CAS for this book (probably enough for a degree in speech-language pathology!). How long did it take you to write the book? How did it feel to see all of your hard work come to fruition, to hold the final copy of the book in your hands?

Giggle, giggle!  Yes, I *did* do a lot of research on CAS and speech pathology in general.  It wore me out!!  I won’t lie.  It took me about 4 years from conception (“Hummm….there really ought to be a parent-friendly book on this subject”) to bookshelf.  Meanwhile, I was raising two young kids (oldest was 6 when the book was released, youngest 5), and “living” apraxia.  I researched not only apraxia, but also the publishing industry, how-to-writing books, wrote and submitted proposals to publishers and finally, finally secured a contract.

Getting the final copy in my hands was like welcoming a newborn baby.  Sure, it was a lot of work—the gestation, the labor—but there’s still work to be done, the “raising” (launching) of the book, if you will…you know, making sure it gets into the right hands.  It’s hard to see one’s “baby” out there making a difference.  But on the other hand, it’s so satisfying knowing that my words are touching the lives of another family walking the same path. 


Your daughter was first seen for a speech and language evaluation at 19 months, how old was she when she received the CAS diagnosis?

Kate received the final diagnosis when she was 30 months, or 2 ½ years old.  I was finally ready to hear the news.  I knew something was going on, it was just a matter of what.  My evaluating SLP and I are still in contact.  She will tell me—with a gleam in her eye—that I was “probably one of the only parents who came right out and asked point-blank what I thought the diagnosis was.” 


Was that the first time you heard the term CAS? What thoughts were going through your mind when you heard the term?

Never, ever had I heard the term CAS until my daughter was diagnosed.  Sure, I knew what apraxia was from my nursing background, but that was always in terms of stroke victims (CVA) or TBI (traumatic brain injury).  But to hear it applied to children and speech…well, I was clueless. 

When my evaluating SLP mentioned it to me, I shook my head.  I was perplexed.  “What’s that?” I recall asking.  She gave me a very precise and SLP-like answer, “A neurologically-based motor speech disorder.”  I was scratching my head… What does *that* mean?  Will my child be able to talk?  What can I do?  Plus, with my nursing background, I was eager for research and prognosis information. 

But, the way it was presented at the clinic that day was very laissez faire.  I didn’t get the severity of the diagnosis until much later, when I started doing hard-core research. 


Reading your depiction of Kate’s assessment session was an eye opener. As an SLP, I conduct evaluations sessions frequently. I typically take into account the anxiety of the child, but not the parent. Do you have any advice for SLPs to help parents deal with the anxiety?

Oh, we parents *are* anxious!  We want to be “super-parent,” we don’t want our kids to have anything different about them.  I think all parents would agree that we want our children to be “above-average.”  When there’s a glitch, we wonder what we did wrong.  Usually, nothing.  But, still the worry is there. 

As a SLP, help the parent understand that CAS is treatable, but serious.  Let me know that I am a valued part of the treatment process.  Give us time to ask questions.  Give us a moment to let things register and then grieve.  We may need a little extra support.  If you know of something (a book, article, group, website), don’t hesitate in sharing.  Most of all, realize that we love our children more than anything in the world. 

I wrote an article on this very subject for Future SLPs.  You can read it here


Speech progress can be slow in children diagnosed with CAS. That must have been frustrating for you as a parent. Can you describe that frustration?

Yep.  Frustration and impatience do not fare well for the parent of a child with CAS.  I remember Kate going to speech therapy for what seemed like months before she did much of anything verbally.  They were working on words I considered silly, like “up,” and “pop.”  I was so excited when we finally heard a two-word phrase! 

It’s also typical for kiddos with CAS to plateau with their speech.  We got to a point where Kate was doing “alright,” but I knew she wasn’t at a developmentally-appropriate level.  She wanted to stop going to speech.  She didn’t like it anymore.  I had to motivate her with small tokens/prizes like a trip to the park after speech.  We also wanted her to get ready for kindergarten, so we used that to our advantage, “You need to keep going to speech so you are ready for kindergarten.”  She had a timeframe in mind and that was motivating to all of us. 


You discuss different types of Complementary and Alternative Medical (CAM) interventions. Have you tried any yourself?

Yes!  We have tried Dr. Sears Omega-3 chewies and found that they were helpful.  Kate was a little more on-task and I did notice a surge in her vocabulary.  Now, here’s the caveat: was it all a coincidence?  Would she have progressed without the Dr. Sear’s chewies on-board?  I don’t know. 

We also have used yoga and relaxation techniques at our house.  Kate loves them!  Here is another link to an article I wrote for Omazing Kids.  http://omazingkidsllc.com/2012/08/11/childhood-apraxia-of-speech-and-the-benefits-of-guided-relaxationyoga-a-guest-blog-post-by-leslie-lindsay/

Finally, I can’t say enough great things about occupational therapy (OT).  We really felt this was the key that unlocked Kate’s voice.  Makes sense…CAS is a motor speech disorder, so all of the gross motor work done in OT is really helpful to these kids. 


Describe for us your proudest “mommy moment” during Kate’s journey.

The first one that comes to mind is when Kate told us (her dad and I) that she loved us.  We were on vacation and staying in a hotel.  Kate was about three years old  She looked up at us from bed as we were tucking her in and half-spoke, half-signed “I uv oo”  It melted our hearts. 

Okay, now to share another more recent moment.  I was super proud when Kate introduced me at the book launch party in April.  “And now, I would like to introduce my mom, Leslie Lindsay.”  She said this with perfect articulation, in a nice clear loud voice in a packed room full of friends, family—and to her—strangers. 

That's AMAZING!  She's made great progress!  You use the term “resolved” in your book. Can you explain why you use that word and what it means for a child with CAS?

It’s a big word, I know.  To many, the idea of apraxia being ‘resolved’ is a hard concept to digest.  Some feel the best word is ‘resolving,’ because it never really goes away 100%.  There are almost always still remnants lingering as these children grow into adolescence and adulthood, particularly when stressed or tired. 

For a child with apraxia, it means that their CAS is no longer a major concern.  CAS doesn’t stop them from being a typical kid; it’s no longer an impediment. 

But knowing that it once was a struggle is important for academic reasons—learning to read and write could be more troublesome.  Social nuances and the latest fad (especially if hard to say!) could trip-up some older kids (teenagers) with ‘resolved’ apraxia.


If there is only ONE THING readers take from your book, what would you like that to be?

Wow.  Another big one!  There is hope.  If you can dream it, you can do it!  And we’re in this together—it’s a family affair.  Well, guess that was two things, huh? 


I asked our Facebook fans if they had any questions for you, and I thought this question from Christine was a great one:  "What is the best way for us as professionals to tell parents that we suspect CAS?"

Fantastic question.  Again, I would direct you to learn more from the Future SLPs articleBut also: gently, privately (not with the child present, if possible).  If you can, schedule a meeting where both parents can be in attendance at the clinic.  Let them know CAS is serious, that you are there to help; you and the parents are a partnership.  Tell parents about your general goals for the child, how you work (many parents don’t have a clue about what SLPs do), tell them about how long treatment may take. Give them concrete suggestions on what to do when they leave your clinic that day—and on future appointments.  Equip them with resources.  They may not want them right then (overwhelmed), but do give them something—a book (okay, shameless plug!), a hand-out, brochure, even a hug!  Let parents know you can give them more when they are ready. 



Any final thoughts you’d like to share with parents and SLPs?

Believe in your child.  Whether it’s your own child or one you work with in a clinic setting (or school), never give up.  Know that these little people are the future.  Show them compassion and let them shine.


 

Thank you so much to Leslie for her time and for sharing her book with us!  
Enter below for a chance to win a copy of this fabulous resource!




Want more info?  Check out some reviews of "Speaking of Apraxia":

Playing with Words 365
[simply speech.]
ForeWord Reviews 
Jake's Journey to be a little man 
Words of His Heart

You can also check out Leslie's blog:  Practical Parenting...with a Twist 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Speech Room Tour

I've loved seeing pictures on blogs and Facebook of everyone's speech room!  After switching schools, my room is finally ready for the little ones (preschoolers and kindergarteners) to start on Monday!  I thought I would share...

My Door Sign:

 
 (Yup, it's Pinterest inspired.  Here's the original pin from Personal Pizazz by Lindsey.)

View from the Door:


To the right of the door is my workspace.



(I don't actually have a desk, these cubbies came with the room and could not be moved.  I figured I'd rather use them as a workspace than add a desk to the room).   *Ignore the ancient computer.  It will be removed soon!


Across from my workspace:


 
 More cubbies!  I use these to store my therapy books, binders, etc.


To the left of the door is my closet:

Are you noticing more Pinspiration here?  On the closet, I have three pizza pans from the Dollar Store spray painted black and attached with Velcro.  I did this so I could use magnets on the door.  The pin I originally saw used oven burner covers.  On the other door is a file folder organizer pinned from Remarkable Home. I'm using it to store frequently used papers...language sample forms and data collection sheets.


Inside the Closet:


Because I know some of you were wondering!  ;)

To the Right of the Closet: 



Cheap bookshelf I've had for a while...I covered the games and toys with a fabric curtain that attaches with Velcro.  Out of sight, out of mind!  The milk crates on top hold larger books that don't fit where I store my other books (see below).

To the Left of the Closet:
 

Another bookshelf for my testing materials.  I didn't really need the curtain here, (I don't typically have kids begging to participate in testing) but it looks less cluttered this way.



Some close-ups:
 

This is how I organize most of my children's books (They're in file cabinet drawers).  At my last school, I didn't have a great bookshelf for storing these types of books.  I started storing the books this way out of necessity.  I ended up liking it, so it stuck!

"Let's Talk" Sign:


Another Pinterest find!  Here's the original from Laura from Oh, How Pintearesting!

Schedule board:


Just a sample of how I organize my speech sessions.  With most of my expressive language/articulation kiddos, I start with the Word FLIPS (For Learning Intelligible Production of Speech) book from Super Duper, Inc.  I use it for 3-5 minutes at the start of my sessions.  It's a great warm-up for expressive/articulation activities.  Also, it a good preschool vocabulary building activity!


Bulletin Board:
 






Did you notice these?  I usually start the year with "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" by Carol McCloud.  I scanned pages of the book to make the signs "Don't Be a Bucket Dipper!" and "Be a Friend ~ Fill a Bucket!"  I also found the cute little tin pail in the Dollar Spot at Target.  I'm going to be writing more about this book in an upcoming Guest Post on Let's Talk Speech-Language Pathology, so keep your eyes peeled!

Well, that's it!  A little peek inside my world!

What's your favorite, less than conventional, organizational trick?


PS, Did you see the "BEFORE" pictures on the Facebook page??? 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...