Marvelous Children's Book Monday: Sheep Trick or Treat

Sheep Trick or Treat

This could be the ideal book to use next month with my second-grade student working on /sh/ sounds! Our silly sheep friends decide to go trick-or-treating, create their own costumes, and fetch goodies at the near-by barn. Like other books by Nancy Shaw, this one is full of great rhymes and vocabulary that is even good for older age students.

Speech Therapy Ideas:
1. Working on articulation is obvious with this book. Both the /sh/ sounds and the /tr/ sounds can be elicited multiple times through the text by reading and describing the pictures.

2. There are some great vocabulary words in this book: disguises, rises, snip, drape, scraps, lanterns, amble, dell, bleat, pass it by, clover, rustling, skedaddle, settle down. Define the words, give examples, use them in sentences.

3. Work on rhyming by having the child guess the last word of the rhyming pair.

4. Retell the story. Where does the story take place? What is happening? Why are the wolves scared? Do the sheep know about the wolves?

5. Make your own sheep in costumes. Create a sheep paper doll, then use these costumes to dress the sheep up. Describe the costumes in detail.

My girl likes to...

party all the time, party all the time, party all the tiiiiiime!

After two consecutive days of "fancy" parties (one of which was her own!), we were fancied out.

Her four year old fancy festivities included:
fancy picture frames
fortune cookie hunt
fancy hat making
fancy flowers
fancy cupcakes
(and of course) fancy homemade gifts only.

This evening we found out that even after 8 months of preschool, Marvel Girl barely talks at school (which is ironic since she is the "hearing peer" who is supposed to model good speech to her classmates). But when donning a boa and a tutu, she can diva with the best of them.



Hosted by Cecily and Sports Mama

Therapy Thursday: Social Stories on the Fly

I was sitting with one of my new students this week and said his name to get his attention. He did not respond, in spite of several repetitions and a tap on the shoulder. So I grabbed a sheet of paper and started to write a social story--an instruction manual on what to do when someone calls your name.

Later, he began to pet my arm and my thermos. Although I told him that we do not touch other people's things, he smiled and continued to touch. I wrote another "story".

I quickly took a picture of the stories for my records, and then handed them to the assistant. Now she can review these stories with him daily (or more often if needed) to help him learn some of the "unstated social rules" expected in a classroom.

sorry about the obvious word-skipping on that first one. I was distracted....

See, social stories can be easy! :)

Auctionable Cookies. Month 4.

The ongoing dilemma of what to bake for the highest bidder continues...

I wanted to whip something up that reminded me of school beginning: new clothes, children's voices, clean backpacks and joyful parents. Of the changing season: leaves changing crimson, apples beginning to fall, the rains.

But with the weather forecast calling for at least one mid-ninety degree day this week, summer was still in my mind. And what's more summery than lemons?

Yum-o! These cookies were fantastic (and so was the dough!). And if my weight didn't sky-rocket thanks to these beauts, I would make them again. Today.

Lemon Sugar Tea Cookies
from allrecipies.com

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup white sugar

1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, corn syrup, and lemon extract. Stir in flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Cover dough, and chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll chilled dough into walnut sized balls. Roll balls in remaining sugar, and place on the prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

Coastal Girl

Hosted by Cecily and Izzy 'N Emmy

I'm a coastal girl. I've always been a coastal girl. Of the 14 colleges I applied to, all but one were on a coast (and that one I applied to only because I had a partial scholarship). My intended major in college was "Marine Biology". During summers in New England, we would visit the beach nearly every weekend. I would body surf, play in the waves, enjoy the sun.

And then I moved to the North West, which I mistakenly assumed meant I was moving to the coast. Not only do I have to cross an entire mountain range to reach the coast now, but at most I go once per year. Per year. These are not the beaches of my younger years. The water is frigid. The air temperature is cool at best. The shore wind gusts could be called sand storms.

Of course our Labor Day trip to the beach (our only trip to the beach) was cold and windy. It poured rain on our last day there. Ski parkas and all, the kids enjoyed every second of the sand, wind, and sky. Even if we never let them touch the storming waters.

Therapy Thursday: What we "do" in speech

My principal challenged us to consider our students in twenty years. What values and life skills do we hope they will learn from our class. Beyond the day to day articulation drills, what impact do we aspire for in their lives.

After reflecting for some time, I had Spencer tell the world what I aim for in Speech Therapy. His statement is posted both inside and outside my room and what I tell students we "do" in speech.


A few decades from now, my wish is that one of my former students will tell me they learned these things from me--and that I made a positive difference in their lives.

Therapy Thursday: Including Samuel

(I realize I'm a day late...but this is the first week of school. So be patient with me.)

This morning he threw his chair, chanted "poopy poopy" for 10 minutes, and ran away from his teacher and disrupted the class in numerous other ways. Some of his behaviors stem from his difficulties with communication. His mom and the administration claim he may be bored. They want him to have peer models and be included with his same aged classmates during the majority of his day. They believe that his disruptions will improve greatly when his communication is challenged and he has models of appropriate behaviors.

Although I am a big fan of including children with disabilities into the regular education classrooms, students such as this one make me hesitant. Will he learn appropriate behaviors and good communication skills from his peers? Will he be a disruption problem in this class as well? Who do we serve: the individual who may learn significant amounts from his typical peers, or the class of 28 students trying to learn multiplication and reading comprehension strategies.

Would a student like this without a special education label be tolerated within the regular education classroom? Will this student be tolerated because of his cognitive and communication difficulties? Should he be?

But then I watch stories such as this one and I re-think my cynicism.

Somehow the system needs to change. I just don't know how. Yet.


Watch the 12 minute extended trailer of Including Samuel--Exploring inclusion of all peoples.

Steppin' out of summer

Hosted by Cecily and Chris

Six summers ago I spent my excruciatingly long days awaiting my son's referral. To help pass the time, I agreed to take a step aerobics class with a friend (taught by another friend). It was exhausting. It made me drip with perspiration. I loved it.

Step aerobics combines the dancing that I wished I had continued as a youth, with aerobics which I do everyday. Add some fun music, a ton of choreography, and some fast-paced auditory reaction time and you're set. I think that anyone who struggles with delayed auditory processing should consider step class to train their ears and brain to work quickly together!

Unfortunately, my exercise class is a summer-only event for me because of my work schedule. But every summer I return to the community center and see the same people working out. Even as I grow older, I still am usually the youngest in the class by at least 20 years. Including the instructor. My classmates are all friends--they should be after working out together 3x per week for years. I do not know their names; I have nicknamed them.

There's the "duck lady". So named because although she can keep up with everything, she moves her body like a duck: extending her limbs, awkwardly jumping and flailing her arms.

"50 year anniversary woman" is my hero. Based on the fact that she's been married 50 years, I figure she is around 70. And she does step-aerobics like a rock star. Seriously.

"Teacher's Pet" stands in the front of the room and can read the instructors mind. She always knows what is coming next and is rarely misled. When the teacher has surgery in the next few months, "Teacher's Pet" will be unofficially leading the class.

Today I slipped quietly out of the class. They probably won't even notice that I'm gone until I reappear next summer. Ready to shake my groove-thang.

Therapy Thursday: Speech Mascot

Meet my new speech mascot: Spencer the Super Speech Penguin.

I can't recall how or why I started with the Super Hero theme on this blog when it began in January 2008. Although Professor X loves comic books, I have never been a fan. I've begrudgingly seen some of the Super Hero movies, and even enjoyed one or two of them. Of course I watched Linda Carter as Super Woman and The League of Justice (was that their name?) as a child.

My best guess is that the day I decided to create a blog I was feeling overwhelmed, overworked, under-appreciated. I felt like I needed super powers. And then the rest fell into place.

My super hero themed blog has actually transformed some things in my home. We now have a small collection of Incredibles figurines (thanks to a yard sale...I'm still thrifty!). The kids readily identify my Super Hero image, which totally looks just like me, as "MOMMY!". My son has created a large collection of super hero artwork (some of which even calls me the super one!).

Even Pooh Bear has gotten into the Super Hero action:

(Bonus points if anyone can tell me what The Flash is signing here. Hint: it is not "I love you".)

Since this blog's inception, I have needed more, not less super powers. I have watched Professor X become more and more handicapped by pain. I have been present at funerals of young mothers. I have sent my son off to elementary school and my daughter to preschool. I have become a soccer mom. (gasp!)

At last, my blogging and my professional lives have gotten intimate. With Spencer decorations inside and outside of my room, I have finally accepted the merge of my cyber and speech realms.

And now, ladies and gentlepersons...Spencer and I are ready to conquer the world.

Twas the Night Before First Work

'Twas the night before first work
And the temp cool and nice
Not a creature was stirring
'Cept two little mice?



My lunch was all packed
In the kitchen with care
Knowing 5:40am
Too soon would be there.

And me in my pjs
And dad playing with lap (top)
I just wanted to settle
For my last summer's "nap".

When in the other room
There arose such a clatter
I sprung from my bed
To see what was the matter.

The children weren't nestled
And snug in their beds
They drew and they cut
Imagination filled their heads.

"Why are you still up!"
I heard myself cry
"We're not tired yet"
I heard them firmly deny.

I spoke no more words
But went back to my bed
Up 'til 11 all summer
No time shift in their head.

Every hot summer's eve
They stayed up to create
Made airplanes, and drawings
And mobiles hung up late.

In the morn they would cry
"Look what we've made!"
And appear with an armful
Which they proudly displayed.

So good luck to them
As they head back to school
I've already started
And sleep is my rule!