Halloween Language Tricks & Activities

The Frenzied SLPs are at it again! Do you need some last minute Halloween ideas for your language kids? You've come to the right spot! Check out our Facebook Page for more information!
October always seems too short to me. We have Fall Break during the 1st full week of October, so I don't get to use a lot of cool Halloween materials because there just isn't time.
For younger kids working on increasing MLU and producing complete sentences, emergent readers are the way to go. Using them in therapy also works on vocabulary and "wh" questions! I explain how I use them in this post.
Working on basic concepts and/or following directions? I use these boxes and erasers from a dollar store as manipulatives.
I bought some stretchy skeletons a few years ago, but I have no idea where I got them from.  There are 4 skeletons in 4 different colors (for a total of 16 skeletons).  I put a plastic jack-o-lantern on the floor, and put a piece of yarn in a line on the floor.  The student stands behind the line, and tries to get his skeleton in the jack-o-lantern.  I did this with my preschool group, and they had to tell me where the skeleton landed (working on concepts).
This isn't really language related, but I put dice in this "haunted house". The kids shook the house, opened it up, and found out how many spaces they were allowed to go on "the big board" (Speech Slides & Ladders by Sublime Speech). 

Thank you so much for Annie from Doyle's Speech Works for hosting this month! All Y'all Need  and Twin Speech Language and Literacy LLC  also worked in the background. If you're a blogger, join us and share your Halloween Language Ideas!


Monday Re-Post TpT and Language Therapy

This post was originally published on 10/14/2014.

I have to admit this with a very red face: I've gone many years with using the same activity with all of my students, regardless of their objectives or age. It was just easier to do therapy using a game, and centering therapy around that activity. Now that TpT is in the picture, my language therapy has been taken to another level.
The Book Companion Packets help me bring books into my therapy session. All of the different activities that go along with the book bring excitement and allow me to tailor the activities to each individual's goals. The only downside with the packets is that I usually end up buying at least 2 packets per book to hit the goals I want to target with my students. And, since almost all of the packets have some activities that are the same, part of the packets don't get printed. Some of my favorite sellers of Book Companion Packets: (Click on the picture to be taken to their TpT Store)
Jenn AlcornSimply Speech Mindy Stenger   Jennifer Hanson

Jenn Alcorn                    Simply Speech               Mindy Stenger         Jennifer Hanson

Normally, I don't even look at TpT products that are over $5, unless it's something specific that I'm looking for. Even then, that product will go on my wish list until there's a sale and/or I have enough credits to bring down the price. If a product is large, I normally won't print off the entire product: I decide what I need right away and only print what I need.
There are a lot of quality free products available. You would be amazed at what you can find for free through TpT, and not just Speech-specific products. I would estimate that 75% of my materials were free. Well, not exactly "free" when you figure in the ink, cardstock, and laminating sheets, but you get the idea.
Sorry; I got off on a tangent, there! Back to the topic!
I am able to individualize therapy for my students by searching for their targets on TpT. It takes more planning, but it's definitely worth it. My students are making more progress, and I feel like I'm really making a difference with increasing their language skills.

UPDATE (10/17/2015):
Since I wrote this, I put on my big girl pants and opened a TpT store (Old School Speech). My main reason was to make book companions that had everything I needed. If you have purchased one of my packets, thank you! If there's anything else you would like to see included, please let me know and I will do my best to include what you need. 

Fall-Themed Articulation Ideas from Some Frenzied SLPs


I'm joining some awesome, although frenzied, SLPs to discuss ideas for Fall-Themed Articulation Ideas. Check out The Frenzied SLPs on our Facebook page. Linkups start at Doyle Speech Works.
The bulk of my caseload is artic, so I have plenty of materials to pull from.
This activity is from Crazy Speech World. It's such a simple activity, but my kids had a blast making these pumpkins last year:
She explains it in this post.
For Thanksgiving, my kids absolutely LOVE this game, Dessert Fun (Listening for Articulation All Year Round- Brenda Brumbough). I put the pie pieces in 4 different groups (1 piece of each pie in each group); the first one to find all 4 of their pieces of pie was the winner. It gets them up and moving around.


I have to do a shameless plug for my Fall 3 in 1 Games. Included are 3 (duh!) games: 1 for fall in general (get the farmer to the scarecrow before the crow gets there), 
 1 for Halloween (get the treatbag to the haunted house before it falls on the road), 
and 1 for Thanksgiving (save the turkey by putting the turkey together before dinner is ready). 
My kids love team games & constantly ask if we're going to play 1. Since they're playing as a team, everyone wins or loses. The student says their target 3-5 times, then chooses a card. The directions are followed to try to win the game.

For more ideas, click on the SLP Blogs below. If you have ideas to share, join us by linking your blog/facebook post below! 
Want to keep up with what The Frenzied SLPs are up to? Follow on Facebook by clicking here and "liking"!



#OctSLPMustHave TpT Sale!



Don't you just love this little sale that some of the SLPs on TpT hold on the 7th of every month? This is my 2nd time participating, and I've found a couple of products that are worth mentioning:
Click on the pictures to be taken directly to the product.
#OctSLPMustHave Room on the Broom: A Speech Language Book
This companion for Room on the Broom (Julia Donaldson) from Talking with Rebecca has everything you could need to keep your students busy with speech/language activities centered around the book. 
Fall Articulation Dot Art {NO prep!}
Since I'm on Fall Break right now, October is a short month for me. I had a hard time steering clear of the Halloween activities! Fall Articulation Dot Art from Mia McDaniel  is perfect for me to use for all of the fall months. It's also ideal to use during my 5 Minute Day as an independent activity.
Halloween On or Off Topic #OctSLPMustHave
In my store, I have my Halloween: On/Off Topic on sale today for 1/2 off. I've included black-line versions of all color activities. There are training cards, a game, find the "off topic" sentence in a paragraph (3 paragraphs are included), and homework. 19 "usable" pages are in the packet.

What are you planning on buying today?

Social Media: When Enough is Enough


I had it all down and felt comfortable with them all. Not only that, but I have accounts for all of them. And then this came along:
I decided to give it a try to see what all the hub-bub was all about. I have to admit...it is pretty neat to watch the video and be able to interact in real-time.
BUT... I think at some point you have to say, "Enough is enough." And I've hit that point. I could sit in front of the computer for hours on end and still find new items on social media to look at. I deleted my account after just a few days. I knew if I didn't, it would become a huge time waster. I have to get my priorities in order.
And now, this has come along:
Blab Blog
Seriously? I learned about BLAB.im during the #tptchat that happens on Sunday nights at 8:00 (EST). I don't understand how people have the time to do all of this, especially when they have little ones to tend to. I suppose if you're serious about building your TpT business to the extent that  you don't want to have to work full-time, it would be worth it.
I consider myself to be pretty tech-savvy, but I think I've had enough. I'm going to let the young people figure it out. I think it's important to be mindful of everything that's coming out, but that doesn't mean you have to be involved. There are too other things that are more important to me.
So...do you have a periscope and/or a blab.im account? Are you active on them? How much time to do you spend on them?
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