Food or No Food?

In my younger days, to reward students, I would let them choose from the candy box.  It wasn't anything major, just the "Child's Mix" candy that has tootsie rolls and other candy included.  They had to earn the candy; they weren't rewarded with it every session.  
Then, a lot of schools went with the "no candy" rule.  That was when I stopped giving out candy as a reward.  I switched to fruit snacks, which I realize isn't a whole lot better, but it has "fruit" in its name, so it's not candy, right?  When a student finished a row on his "sticker chart", he alternated between the prize box and the fruit snack box. 

 In the past couple of years, I have cut out the fruit snack box for my school students (my walk-in preschoolers still can earn one if they work hard for me...meaning  they almost always get one!), and have gone strictly to the prize box.
When we do something food-related in speech (which is rare), I have the students take the item home in a ziplock bag.  I don't allow them to eat anything from me at school.
The reason for this is the outbreak of allergies and parents going "gluten free" with their kids.  I don't feel like I can be responsible for giving a student something they shouldn't have, or that the parent doesn't want him to have.  The rule is the same whether they choose a prize from the treasure box, or they take a food item home:  Put it in your backpack until you get home.  Each of my students can recite that verbatim.  All I have to ask is, "What are you going to do with that?", and he/she will say, "Put it in my backpack."  If they don't finish it, I'll say, "Until..." and they'll finish it with "I get home"!
I suppose that I could get permission from each parent, but it's been my experience that some parents don't closely look over forms that are sent home.  Or, I may not get a form back from a parent.  To me, it's a lot more hassle to keep up with who can eat what than just do the same thing for everybody.
If you allow students to eat in your speech room, how do you handle this issue?

Week in Review: 03/28/2014

(Affiliate links are included at the end of this post.  To be taken directly to a TpT product, click on the title in blue print.)

Week in Review is a weekly linky party.  I know there are several speech bloggers that highlight their weekly activities, so I thought it would be a good idea to have them all in one place.  Sounds convenient, right?  Click on the "Week in Review" tab above to get the details.

What a week!  I have 8 more Mondays until Summer Break (but who's counting!)!!!

This week's activities were based on "Bear Wants More" by Karma Wilson.  The activities were taken from "Bear Wants More: Speech & Language Activities" by Jenn Alcorn (a.k.a. Crazy Speech World).

Wednesday Waffs

Here are a couple of chuckles for your day:

~ Said by a second grader who has been in speech forever: Did you know that your tongue helps you make your sounds?

~  A fourth grade girl after seeing my Jamberry Nails: 

 Oooo-la-lah!

I hope your kids are keeping you laughing!

Picto4.me: A Different Kind of App

Disclaimer:  I received no compensation for the following post.  

You can't get Picto4.me through iTunes, Google Play, or Amazon.  The only way to get this app is through Google.  Yes, Google; and only on your laptop/desktop computer.  If you have Google e-mail, look in the top right part of the screen and click on the square with the dots.  When you click that grid, some apps will show up.
Picto4.me is an app very similar to Boardmaker.  In fact, if you're familiar with Boardmaker, you'll have little difficulty getting the hang of this app.  This is what the home screen will look like:

Week In Review 03/21/2014

Week in Review is a weekly linky party.  I know there are several speech bloggers that highlight their weekly activities, so I thought it would be a good idea to have them all in one place.  Sounds convenient, right?  Click on the "Week in Review" tab above to get the details.

I was on Spring Break this week, so I don't have any therapy activities to share.  This week went by way too quickly, but I think I'm ready for the rest of the year...almost.
On Sunday, I got an email from Adventure SLP to let me know that I won a giveaway on her blog!  Here's what I got:
(Click on the picture to be taken directly to the product in her TpT Store)
Winter Activity Bundle

Bear Snores On: Literacy Companion Pack

The Mitten- Book Companion

Now I just have to wait until next winter to use them!  

Love it & List it! Fave Technology

It's the 3rd Friday of the month, so that means it's time for the Love it & List it! Linky from Speech Room News!  This month we're listing our fave technology.  

What did we do just a few short years ago without an iPad?  Even though there are some days when it doesn't get used, those days are few & far between!

My Smartboard.

This is the 2nd year I've been in a school with one in my room, and I've just started using it quite a bit for things other than a "poster board"; although, the posters from Twin Sisters Speech & Language are awfully cute!

I have found quite a few activities through Smart Exchange that have worked great with my students.  I've taken some of the attendance activities, and, instead of putting in students' names, I will put in target words for sounds that my students are working on.  It makes for a good station for my 5 minute day variation.

I can't wait to see what everybody else is using, and to get some great ideas!  Don't forget to go to Speech Room News to link up and visit everybody else!

* My Week in Review linky will be up on Saturday morning, so link up with your week's activities then!

First App Review: Super Duper Data Tracker for Android

Main Product Image
For my first app review, I'm discussing the "Super Duper Data Tracker" for Android.  You may be wondering why I chose the Android version; the answer is simple.  If you have that app on your iPad, but want to use your iPad for another app, you can't use the data tracker.  I bought the app for my personal tablet so that I could use it along with my iPad if needed.  I've mentioned before that the iPad I have belongs to the school system, and I really don't want to put apps that I've personally paid for on there.
In the Android app, I had to put in the individual groups, then put in each student along with their objectives.  It was very simple to put in the information, and it didn't take that much time.
(The pictures are taken from the Super Duper, Inc. website.  For the links, click on the pictures.)
All you have to do is touch on the group and the individual students that you entered show up on the screen:
For the Android app, just touch the green for the correct production or red for incorrect.  When the session is over, you have the option to see the results for the group, or reset the data.  If you accidentally touch "Reset Data", you will get a pop-up box that asks if you're sure that's what you want to do.
It's as easy as that!

TRIAD Training

Last week, the Developmental Preschool Teacher at one of my schools & I attended TRIAD Training.  If you don't live in Tennessee, you're probably scratching your head, wondering what in the world I'm talking about.  And, maybe if do live in Tn., you're doing the same thing.

This is my 10th year working in Tn., but this was the first time I've gone to TRIAD.  I thought it was the same workshop each time, and that it was going to be the same information on autism that I've heard over and over.  In fact, I stopped attending autism workshops because I just wasn't getting any new information.  That's why I resisted...until now.  The teacher (who will be named PK-for pre-Kindergarten) told me a few weeks ago that she was going, and it was being held 2 hours away from us. The workshop was on social communication and preschoolers, so I thought maybe I could get some ideas for a couple of my students.  To be honest, I wasn't expecting much, but it was an overnight trip so I thought I'd give it a try.

To say that the workshop exceeded my expectations is an understatement.  I was the only SLP in the group, and one of the presenters was an SLP, so I felt like I got some individual attention.  I pestered the SLP to death (or at least I felt like I did!), but I got a couple of great ideas from her, as well as some good resources.

Week in Review

Affiliate links are included at the end of this post.  To be taken directly to a TpT product, click on the title in blue print.

Week in Review is a weekly linky party.  I know there are several speech bloggers that highlight their weekly activities, so I thought it would be a good idea to have them all in one place.  Sounds convenient, right?
It's easy to participate:
1)  Grab my button on the side bar.  highlight the code, copy and paste it at the top of your post.  Some of you have your own really cute graphic, so keep using yours!  This isn't a requirement!  All I ask is that you link to my blog somewhere in the post.
2)  Write your post like you normally do/would.
3)  At the bottom of my post, click on "Click here to enter" and follow the directions.
4)  Come back to see some other great ideas from SLP Bloggers!
It's that easy!  The Linky will be up on Fridays beginning at 12:01 a.m., and will stay up until Wednesday nights at 11:59 p.m.

*HUGE Shout-out to Speech 2 U for linking up last week!*

I'm amazed that it's already Friday! Better than just any Friday, it's the Friday before Spring Break for me!  I went to TRIAD Training in Chattanooga on Tuesday & Wednesday, so it was a short week for me, so I didn't have a 5 Minute Day this week...only "Game Day".

Week in Review Link Up

Affiliate links are included at the end of this post.  To be taken directly to a TpT product, click on the title in blue print.
5 Minute Day 

~  I used the "Cover the Dots" activity from "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover {Speech and Language Extension Activities}" (Simply Speech).  The kids used pom poms with magnets to cover the circles.  It was something a little different, and they enjoyed it!
Some of the groups found words in the book with their sound, and wrote it on a hat to take home for homework:
Prekfun.com graciously allowed me to use the hat from the website, and modify it so I could use it for homework.
I used this for homework with all of my students; the younger ones used words from their weekly vocabulary list.

Wednesday Waffs

~  Last week, my first grade groups scanned their vocabulary words, then  wrote the words that had their sounds in them onto cherries.  When I asked one group if they knew why we were writing them in cherries, one girl said, "Because they're sweet and we're sweet?"

~  We had a graduation party for a couple of my /r/ kids on Monday!  I've never done that before, but these 2 boys had been in speech since they were 3 (they're in 2nd grade), and they were in the same group.  I brought in cupcakes and juice boxes.  When I opened the cupcake box and got a whiff, I passed it around so the kids could smell it.  One of the boys (one who didn't graduate) said, "How about we stop smelling and start eating?"

I hope your kids are making you laugh!

TpT Sale: What I Bought

Can I just say how excited I am about my TpT purchases from the big sale last week?  OH. MY. GOSH!!!  I think I have enough materials for the rest of the year!  I suppose I should start out by saying that the day before the sale was announced, I purchased 4 items at full price, but it's okay because they're pretty awesome! 
Here's what I purchased "pre-sale":
There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover Companion Pack with Icons (Jennifer        Hanson):  This is going to be great for my preschool students, and there are a couple          of items included in the packet that I can use for an inclusion activity.
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover Companion Pac
The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover {Speech and Language Extension Activities}             (Simply Speech): More activities for my younger kids, but also some activities for my        2nd & 3rd graders.  I plan on using the "Cover the Dots" sheets for my 5 minute day.
The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover {Speech & Language Ext
 Write & Say the Room:  Spring (All Y'all Need):  I almost didn't buy this, because I              thought I might get creative and do something similar myself.  But then I thought              about what a hassle it would be, not to mention how time consuming, and it still              wouldn't look as cute as theirs!  This will be another good 5 minute center activity.
Write & Say the Room: Spring
St. Patrick's Day Direction Following (Lindsey Karol):  I have a couple of students who       are working on following directions, so this will be perfect.



St. Patrick's Day Direction Following


Therapy Week in Review

Affiliate links are included at the end of this post.
5 Minute Day:
Roll & Cover  by "Let's Talk Speech Therapy" was the main center, along with a Listening Center (Articulate It! on the iPad).  This is one of 3 pages in the "Christmas & Winter Roll-and-Cover".
 With my 4-member groups, I used "Build a Snowman" from the "Holiday and Seasonal Chipper Chat" from Super Duper.

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