June 2021: Speech is Sweet
TPT Seller of the Month
With a Cherry on Top Game
This month we have another deliciously fun cooperative game from @peaceable_kingdom! Why cooperate games? Straight from the source, Peaceable Kingdom says, “cooperative games are created...to offer games where kids and families learn to work together, play together, and laugh together.” Work together, all while practicing turn-taking and following directions, to fill the banana split boards. Did you notice the scratch-n-sniff cherry to put on top of the sundae?! YUM! Your students will devour this game.
The object of With a Cherry on Top game is to work together to fill the banana split dishes up with ice cream, and be the one to put a cherry on top. Some ideas to add to your lesson plan:
- Read a book related to ice cream or desserts.
- Listen to Super Simple Songs “What's Your Favorite Flavor of Ice Cream?” on YouTube, and talk about their opinions. Pair it with our describing foods dry erase sentence strip (+ eraser!) also in this month’s Cube!
- For older students: Play “this or that?” with different toppings on your ice cream. Talk about whether you would like it or not. For example, would you want to eat ice cream with broccoli on top, or ice cream with cheese on top? This is likely to open lots of discussion!
Smelly Cotton Candy Stickers
Food themed lessons are a great opportunity to work in describing senses - like taste, of course, and also smell! Use these delightfully scented stickers as a special reinforcer. You could even use these as part of your lesson by targeting use of descriptive words (e.g. fruity, sweet, fresh), and even compare and contrast the scents of each color. Do they smell the same or different?
Donut Erasers
Any mini object lovers out there?! These donut erasers smell delicious - make sure nobody eats them by accident! Use these donuts during play, as markers for bingo, or for a simple describing activity with the included visual support!
Glo Pals Light-Up Cubes
You guys - I LOVE THESE! After using them with my son and seeing how engaged, talkative, and excited he became, I immediately bought 2 more packages. Glo Pals are a great sensory tool for students who use AAC or are working on functional communication. There are so many possibilities! The backstory is also fantastic. Glo Pals were inspired by a child with Autism who needed some encouragement in the bathtub. Check out more of their mission and purpose on their website www.glopals.com
Incorporate your Glo Pals into your AAC lesson plans by focusing on specific core and fringe vocabulary. Use items like a cup or larger tub, water, and maybe a towel because... it's water! Your students will use their AAC tools, whether high or low tech, to request, comment, and share their opinions about the cubes:
- Core Vocabulary: on, off, in, out, want, like, again, more, here, yes, no
- Fringe Vocabulary: cup, water, cube, colors, light
Travel Drink Pouch
Hello, Summer! Hello, Travel! Hello, Drink Pouch! Enjoy responsibly, SummerTimeSLP!
Sequencing Cards
This month our Spark Innovations sequencing cards set focuses on a childhood summer staple: “Making a Lemonade Stand.” Did you ever do this as a kid? I never had a lemonade stand, but I did have an unfortunate cookie/bake stand that my neighbors very kindly pretended were delicious. What great conversations we will have with our students using this set! One of the things I love about sequencing cards is the natural conversation that arises based on all of our own personal experiences with the topic. This set incorporates a few mishaps to engage your students with problem solving. Use the describing foods dry erase (+ eraser!) sentence strip from this month’s Cube to talk about how lemonade tastes. Extend the conversation by asking what they would make and sell. What would their food or drink taste like?
"Speech is Sweet" Magnet
Loving this month’s “Speech is Sweet” magnet from @missmaggie.slp. Now that we’ve had a couple weeks to decompress (and maybe forget!) from this past school year, we have undoubtedly remembered why we think speech is the sweetest of all professions.