Anne Page | Beautiful Speech Life

Quick tips to make the SLPs life easier

by Anne Page | Jan 20, 2015 | Quick Therapy Tips for the SLP and SLPA, SLP links

Today I am linking up with Kim Jarvis from theschoolslp for her Quick Tip Tuesday Linky Party.

I just got these cardboard trays from the cafeteria; they are what the individual peanut butter or jelly packets come in. I bought cheap poker chips at the dollar store. Each student gets a bag of poker chips and a tray. Everytime they correctly complete their turn ( articulation or whatever goal you are focusing on) they get a chip. If I feel like they are starting to get bored, I make the next turn a double chip turn (for twice the amount of work. Whoever fills their tray first wins! And you win too for getting them to practice a skill 20 times while having fun.

Did you like this post? If you did, please tell your SLP friends about it and follow me on Bloglovin. Or sign up on the left for email notification. Make sure to click on the link for theschoolslp to find more Quick Tips and to checkout Kim’s blog. Keep doin what you do!

SLP in the Classroom or Another Way to Promote Reading

by Anne Page | Jan 15, 2015 | Books, Inspiration

This morning at school, the coolest thing happened. I was walking down the sidewalk and said hello to a third grade student. I recognized him from when I read “Dragons Love Tacos” to him and his classmates in December. I love to read in my speech students’ classrooms. I’ve been making guest appearances over the last few years.

I Heart Books

He said “I wonder when I get to come see you.” I said “For Speech? You don’t need me, you are really good at talking. But I will definitely come and read to your class again.”

He asked what I would read and we proceeded to have this great discussion about books. He recommended that I get get a book about a rhino and a peanut butter sandwich. Such a bonus-a sidewalk conversation about books with a student. I felt like the Book Whisperer! (check my post about The Book Whisperer)

That’s one of the great things about getting into the classroom. As an SLP, you work on your student’s goals plus you make new ties with gen ed students. You can promote literacy, vocabulary development and have a great time while you’re at it. I’m definitely going to get more into this!

Goals for 2015

by Anne Page | Jan 7, 2015 | Inspiration

Here we are in the beginnings of a new and shiny year. I am a big proponent of written goals. They bring accountability and commitment. I am always working on being the best Anne Page I can be (not an easy job sometimes).

Here are a few of my goals as a blogger, an SLP and a person on this planet.

Blog:

Beautiful Speech Life is still just a baby. I wrote my first post on August 28, 2014. It’s been a HUGE learning curve for me but I am so glad I took the plunge. Already, I have learned so much and found many, many new resources. So to continue to help this little blog grow I will:

1. Create a logo

2. Post 12 new products on Teachers Pay Teachers

3. Reach out for at least 100 followers on my Facebook page and on Bloglovin’ (not for vanity, but as a way to share tips, blogposts, and inspiration).

4. Send a monthly email to my TPT followers

5. Set up at least four Rafflecopter giveaways

6. Double my blog stats

7. Post weekly (and/or 4 times a month) this will be challenging!

Professionally

Continuing to grow as a professional is extremely important to me. As SLPs we have such great opportunities to change lives and make a difference. Getting my Master’s Degree in 2013 was one of the best things I ever did for myself. To continue my professional growth I will:

1. Attend ASHA, can’t wait

2. Network with other SLPs to help solve specific challenges for students

3. Try inclusion with a small group of students

4. Continue sharing information and resources through Beautiful Speech Life

5. Provide an inservice at school, to continue educating my colleagues on the roles of an SLP

Personally

1. I want to continue cultivating a habit of kindness; a tiny bit of it goes a very long way.

2. Make healthy choices in terms of fitness, food and work/life balance. (I know that sounds vague, but I know what the healthy choices are)

3. This is the year that I will travel off our lovely North American continent, will keep you posted as to where.

I hope 2015 is a wonderful year for us all!

Did you like this blog post? If you did then please follow me on Bloglovin’ and share it with your friends. And keep doing great work!

Favorite Board Games for Speech and Language Therapy

by Anne Page | Jan 1, 2015 | Therapy Ideas

Kristen Cummings of the wonderful Simply Speech Blog, is hosting a linky party about board games for speech and language therapy. Click on the picture below to be sent to the linky party. For those of you who are new to blogging, this is a great way to learn about new blogs and for SLPs to share ideas.

Board games are great for so many things and most kids love them! I like to use them for my groups. Great for teaching and reinforcing sportsmanship/social skills, board games keep therapy feeling like play. Students can work on their goals and keep it fun.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Candyland

Always a crowd pleaser for the little ones, it is a great introduction to board games, turntaking, following directions, color matching and learning to deal with disappointment (when they have to go backwords).

Trouble

Kids love to push the dice bubble and hear the noise it makes. Usually, I play it with just two of the four game pieces for each player(because of time constraints). It’s great for artic practice, the student’s repetition of target corresponds with the number on the dice. Awsome for all ages.

Sorry

Sorry is another favorite. Like Trouble, it is fun for all ages. It’s good to teach sportsmanship and critical thinking skills.

Don’t Wake Daddy

My kids go crazy for this game! I use it as a reward game to keep the novelty going. They get so excited with the anticipation of the “Dad” waking up. The noise can be too scary for some primary students and some kids that are on the Autism Spectrum. I always demonstrate the first time and if they are scared, we move on to something else.

Jumping Monkeys

Here’s another one kids love! This is technically not a board game, but it’s great fun for those days when the kids are having trouble sitting still (like during pre-holiday weeks). It’s great for drill. Here’s a tip to help with focusing skills: don’t hand out the Jumping Monkeys all at once. Taking turns, give two monkeys to a player after he has completed his speech target, then he can shoot. Otherwise, the kids don’t pay attention, they are so busy playing with the monkeys while they are waiting for their turn.

Beware of the Dog

This is another fun anticipatory game along the lines of Don’t Wake Daddy. Players have to try to sneak the plastic bones out of the dog dish while he is “sleeping”. The dog snores while he sleeps, if you press down too hard while grabbing a bone, he jumps forward and barks. Again, this is usually too scary for the little ones. I don’t like the cat claw tweezers, we just use our fingers.

Charlie Brown Christmas

Such a fun game for the holidays. I had the original version which has little Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and Snoopy figures to use for pawns. It also had a little battery operated Christmas tree that the winner gets to light (unfortunately broken now). Kids have to collect ornaments, candy canes and presents.

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Board games are definitely our friends! I bought the more expensive ones on sale. GoodWill can be a great source for board games too, you just have to make sure all the pieces are there. What are your favorites? I am always looking for a new classic!