My Little House

When was the last time you discovered a therapy material that could target a variety goals? For me, that therapy material is My Little House.  From the time I learned about My Little House, I had so many ideas on ways to use it.

This AMAZING product was created by Speech Language Pathologist, Yvonne Johansen. My Little House was born after many years of using felt boards in therapy. Not only does the house have 8 different rooms with various different furnishings for each room, but the house can be laid flat or velcroed to create a 3D stand up display. The reversible house has a house exterior on one side and the individual rooms with shape outlines on the other side and can be made to face each way. Since this product was created by an SLP, each piece and detail was designed with education in mind.

My first thought, like I’m sure many of yours, was to use it for early intervention. Using the house to teach functional vocabulary, prepositions, and allows for play based therapy as well as eliciting spontaneous language. Since the outlines of the shapes are also printed on the house itself, matching, same and different, requesting, and formulating questions can also be targeted.

The 36 felt pieces included with the house can be used separately for school age children working on categorizing, following directions, describing, narrative skills, and vocabulary. I also discovered that the house and its pieces can be used for similar targets with adult and elderly clients.

The exterior house side of My Little House is a great discussion piece. The vocabulary with this product is endless. It can be paired with a story for longer therapy sessions. Therapists can have clients decorate the outside of the house for different holidays, allowing for more specific or themed vocabulary and lesson plans.

As a SLPA and graduate student I sometimes work in multiple locations or share my space with other professionals. This amazing house folds flat and stores with all of its pieces in a similarly shaped box, making it easy to transport or store. This product is a great addition to any therapists’ collection of materials, no matter what setting they work in. Parents can also buy this toy for hours of family play and to elicit language outside of speech.

Keep your eyes open for new products by Smart Felt Toys. 

Visit and purchase My Little House during ASHA by visiting booth 438. Not going to ASHA? Buy My Little House online at www.smartfelttoys.com and use promo code ASHA17 for 10% discount.

Breana

The End of Another Year and a GIVEAWAY!

Wow! I can't believe we are ending yet another year. I am finishing my second year of grad school, I have been a licensed SLPA for more than four years, and it seems like nothing has changed.

This year got so busy, I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted anything for you. I apologize, next year WILL be better. I am going to give you some quick life updates and then I am going to share a SURPRISE!!!

This year:
- I started clinics for grad school. Since my program is online I don't have an on campus clinic, instead I spend a few mornings a week with an AMAZING SLP in my local school district. I am learning so much from my cases and doing lots of amazing activities. (I NEED TO WRITE A POST!)

- I started dating a new guy about 2 1/2 months ago. We are great together and the puzzle pieces seem to fit together perfectly! Once we take some nice pictures I will make sure to share some with you!

- I have been working with a placement coordinator at Nova Southeastern University to get my externship placements set. Graduation is within reach at this point and I am so excited!

-My Thirty-One Gifts business started to take off!! Let me know if you are looking for holiday gifts, wedding party gifts, baby gifts, teacher tools, or just something cute for yourself or your family! Take a look at www.mythirtyone.com/breanaorland

Now for your SURPRISE!!
Complete the entries below for a chance to win a $10 TPT gift card just in time for the cyber Monday sale! The gift card will be emailed to the winner on Monday night with plenty of time to spend it!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Holidays!!
Breana

Speech & Language Warm-Ups: A New App

Did you happen to notice Super Duper Inc. released a new app last week?

Do you do any oral motor exercises with your clients?

This app is going to make doing oral motor exercises so much fun and much easier. Since I got my SLPA license, I have been using photo copies of stained, ripped, faded pictures that were cute little rhymes to help kids practice oral motor skills. I was very excited to find out that my picture were trash as i now had them in app form. Why you ask? Well, instead of having to carry around a binder of the different activity sheets, you now have them at the touch of your finger. Also, the app uses the camera in your device to allow the client to watch a demonstration of the exercise and then watch themself complete the exercise.

When you first open the app, this is the screen you are going to see...

-Selecting quick play takes you directly to the first exercise screen.
-Selecting sequences takes you to this screen which allows the therapist to select and sequence the exercises the client is to complete. Sequences can also be saved for later use.

This photo shows the example of the screen during an exercise. The images in the exercise are also animated and move to show the exercise.

The lower left corner is a video of the exercise being completed while the lower right corner is the image of the camera on the device. By selecting the button in the upper right hand corner, the images of the client and either the exercise or the video become full screen.

I am very excited to have this app in my library!

This app is available for purchase in the iTunes store for $3.99.

Multiple Conference Frenzy

This past weekend was crazy for me. I attended both the California Speech and Hearing Association Conference and the Celiac Disease Foundation Gluten Free Expo. I am still trying to recover from my exhausting weekend three days later.

Going to CSHA this year felt different than past years. Looking at the class availability, I felt like I actually understood the purpose of some of the classes. My selection criteria was different as I find myself about to start my clinical placements. I attended a really great session on using Legos for social skills. I see myself being able to use the information from that session in the future. I also focused my time in the exhibit hall to connect with exhibitors that could be possible future employeers or had products that could be beneficial to my current caseload or any future clients. I may have found myself some possible clinical placements, which is AMAZING!!! I am also really excited for some great product and app reviews that will be published soon.

The gluten free expo on the other hand was just as amazing as in past years. Tons of new companies were pedaling new products and providing samples of everything. I left the first day so full of samples, I didn't know what to do with myself. Everything from bakeries from all over California to the newest cereal to hit the market, GF LUCKY CHARMS!!! I know right! I am so excited for the sample box I got to take home. In the next few weeks keep an eye out for some great new gluten free product reviews and recipes. I am even going to take a field trip to one company's factory and get you a behind the scenes look.

Interested in learning about a new app or product speech or gluten free related, let me know and I will do my best to connect with the company. I don't know if I can get my hands on a product until I try!!

Breana

B.E.A.R.R.

I know what you are thinking right now, what is B.E.A.R.R.?

It stands for:
Building
Early
Articulation
and
Reading
Readiness

The B.E.A.R.R. Track Game is a new card game associated with the amazing Teddy Talker Program. This card game is a fun and multisensory approach to help children learn and recognize letter sounds. Using pictures of Teddy, players identify the sounds Teddy is making and its corresponding letter. This game makes phonemic awareness activities more fun and provides another level of difficulty.

The NEWEST product to the Teddy Talker family is the Build and Say B.E.A.R.R. Pack. This add-on is a 40 page booklet/digital download that includes a reproducible picture of Teddy and his articulators, offering a more tactile approach. This introductory kit is a great way to introduce yourself and your clients to Teddy.

Don't forget that these products are just a few in the line of Teddy Talker products. There is a felt board with manipulatives, mouth position cards, multiple lessons for each sound, poems, and even a super cute bear puppet (Baby Bear, Teddy's cousin), which can all be purchased.

I was lucky enough to spend three days during ASHA 2015 with Teddy's creator Linda Siciliano and her husband Ray. Linda is so passionate about Teddy. She spent the entire three days explaining and teaching about Teddy and answering questions. Did you know that not only is Teddy helpful for helping kids with Apraxia and Speech Sound Disorders, he is also helpful for working with children with varying diagnoses. His auditory poems and felt board manipulatives make Teddy the perfect tool for children as young as early intervention and as old as high school.

Check out Creative Speech Products for more information on how to purchase Teddy Products or visit Teddy's Teachers Pay Teachers to buy digital products.

5 Things You Didn't Know About This SLP...

I guess the first thing I should tell everyone is I am an SLPA and SLP2B (a current grad student).

Thank you for visiting my blog! And thank you to Jessica for setting up this amazing linky party and offering a giveaway. Don't forget to head on over to Jessica's Blog to enter a giveaway for a $25 Amazon Gift Card (just in time for the holidays).

I decided to link up to share five things about my life. These are five personal facts and are NOT professionally related! Please share a fun fact about yourself in the comments, I would love to get to know my readers better!

FIRST, I spoke Spanish before I spoke English. Weird right? I grew up with Hispanic nannies and somehow just picked it up. Now its a great skill for "Bilingual"ish therapy.

SECOND, Almost eight months ago I got fixed up with my current boyfriend and we have a great story. I don't know what I would do without him sometimes! It's kind of scary to admit that I think I'm ready to get married (after I finish grad school of course).

THIRD, I am left handed. I am one of 5 left handers in 4 generations on my maternal side. Although, I play all (and I use that term loosely as I'm not very athletic) sports right handed.

FOURTH, I am a crafty person. In the least year I learned how to knit, crochet, and cross stitch. I wish I had more time to work on all of them.

FIFTH, I am a closet reality TV fanatic. A few of my favorite channels to watch are Bravo and E! and I'm not ashamed!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Breana

ASHA 2015 and Freebie!

This past weekend I attended my FIRST ASHA convention in Denver, Colorado. I was very overwhelmed by the amount of exhibitors in the exhibit hall and by the amount of sessions and poster sessions that I had to pick from.

The first thing I have to do is yell a BIG thank you to Linda and Ray from Creative Speech Products!!! Not only did they bring me in as an exhibitor, I got to spend the weekend learning more about Teddy than I could ever have imagined.
Asking yourself what Teddy is? Teddy Talker is an amazing felt board manipulative system with many different components. The felt board kit comes with a variety of letters, mouth positions, a tongue and the Teddy felt board so students can manipulate the lips for different sounds. You can also get sound cards with the different phonemes and poems to help with placement, a toolkit with 5-6 different lessons for each phoneme and worksheets to send home, the B.E.A.R.R. track card game, and the Build and Say kit (review will be published soon). Teddy is great for kids as young as 3 years old who have speech sound disorders, apraxia, or even Down syndrome.

 This is Baby Bear, Teddy cousin. He and I were both saying "Oh, no!" when it was time to clean up.

I think my favorite part of ASHA was getting to meet all of the bloggers I have been following for so many years. Each blogger gave out some fun swag. Not only did the bloggers host a meet up during the conference (with prizes), but other bloggers (not associated with the blogger booth) were also on hand. It's weird to introduce yourself by your blog name and not your actual name.

ASHA also gave me a chance to make some great connections for the blog. Keep checking back for some amazing product and app reviews. I made some connections with Hamaguchi Apps, Colorcards, Northern Speech Products, Fiddle Focus, Virtual Speech Center, and Invention Labs (the creators of Avaz). There are also some product reviews coming that you are no going to want to miss!

I saw Shawn who is the author behind The Speech Wizard. We actually met at CSHA earlier this year. She is a pediatric feeding therapist when she is not working. I am really excited to learn from her.

I met the one and only Michelle Garcia Winner! I wish I had brought my Superflex book so i could have gotten her autograph.

I met Meredith from Peachie Speechie and even bought a few new t-shirts for myself.

 Super Duper had a HUGE booth as expected and even brought friends to watch their products!! Catch that amazing carpet! I wish i could have taken some of it home!

This was just one part of the convention center once the exhibit hall closed. Thank you everyone for making ASHA such an experience.

Oh!!! I almost forgot. I handed out a FREE product at ASHA. Here is the link! Go in and get the product before December 20 or its gone.

Already counting down the days to ASHA 2016!!!

Breana

What do you get when...

you put a SLPA, student, and blogger at a state convention?

Keep reading to find the answer!!!

This a few months ago I attended the California Speech Language Hearing Association Convention in fabulous Long Beach. For those of you who don't know where that is, it is part of sunny, warm Southern Cali.

I started my weekend with a meet-up with some amazing ladies including Queen's Speech!!! Meeting other bloggers is so much fun.

Then I attended a few sessions. All of them were super full as the convention was SOLD OUT!!
My sessions included: Learning how to write a legally defensible IEP, What it takes to work as a Medical SLP, and how to better incorporate technology into therapy.

Next I spent a good amount of time over two days in the exhibit hall. I made a few amazing connections, met amazing and creative people, and got a ton of free swag. Keep an eye out for some great product reviews.

Can't wait until ASHA in Denver!! Hope to meet some of you there!!

Breana

What's in Your Cart? BTS Linky Party!!!

I can't believe it is already time for back to school! Where did the summer go? I think since starting my new job I have lost track of my sense of time. I am going to miss school vacations, but at least I can go on vacation when I want to now.

I am linking up with Jenna from Speech Room News to share my new products and wish list for this sale. Follow this link to see what other SLP bloggers want you to see and what products they are raving about.

In honor of back to school, TPT is having a big sale on August 3-4, my store and im sure most other stores will be 20% off with an extra 10% provided by TPT (when you shop with the code BTS15). Make sure to take advantage of this AMAZING sale!!

First off, I want to share with you my newest product. I made sure it was done just in time for the sale. This interactive book is the first of many as I am now working with many Early Intervention clients.

 This book contains two different story versions, on that is completed and one that is interactive. Plus there are a set of character sticks, these are pictures that can be attached to popsicle sticks so the story can be acted out. Don't worry which version of the song you have, I made sure I had pages to cover both versions. This product can be found in my store here.

Now for my wish list. In the last few months I have really narrowed down my wish list as my product needs have made a complete 180, but there are always great products around for the little ones.
1.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Interactive-Book-Teaching-Emotional-Vocabulary-1118352

2.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Find-the-Fish-Reverse-Interactive-Book-1926551

3.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Following-Directions-1811008

These are just a few of the products I am hoping to pick up. Do you work with Early Intervention? Please share your favorite products and your purchases for others to see!!!

Don't work to hard!!!

Breana





a SALE and a PARTY!!!

Hey everyone,
I really apologize for being MIA the last few months, but a lot has been going on. Let me fill you in:
- I got fixed up with an amazing guy

 

- I had a rough end of the school year with my old job and decided it was time I moved on. I recently started working in a private clinic handling mostly Early Intervention cases. I am working part time this summer as I adjust to my new surroundings and clients.

-In a few weeks I will be volunteering at the 2015 Special Olympics. I am very excited to be helping with Healthy Athletes Hearing Screenings. I feel like a grad student!!

-And I got a new car!!

Now for the Sale!!

I am participating in the SLP sizzling summer sale!! Shop my TPT store for 20% off July 13-15. Be sure to leave feedback on all of your tpt products so you can use credits to buy more stuff.

and here's info for the PARTY!!
I am currently hosting a virtual thirty-one party. Thity-one is a company that has a variety of bags, organizing materials, and super cute lunch boxes for kids and adults. Pick the style bag you want and then from a variety of different patterns and colors, even personalize your selection. Click here and order by Tuesday night (7/14/15) for your purchase to count towards my party.

Breana

P.S. I finished my first term of grad school with a 3.75 GPA. NSU has been a great experience. Let me know if you have any questions or are looking to apply to grad school!!

Comprehension Builder 2 app GIVEAWAY!!!

Check out one of Abitalk's new apps and enter to win a copy. Hurry, the giveaway ends in just a few days.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hope you enjoy!!
Breana

Speech outside!!!

I have been enjoying the 70 and 80 degree weather here in Los Angeles, sorry to everyone in the snow. This beautiful weather gave me an idea for a fun way to get my students out of the speech room and still be able to target their goals.

CHALK!!

Have you ever thought about using chalk in your speech room? I went to big lots and bought a small set of chalk for just a few dollars. I also decided to ask my school's principal for permission to use the chalk. Obviously, I got permission and everything magically happened from there.

What can you do with chalk you ask?
I had my students work on following directions (therapist providing directions) and prepositions, but I realized as we were playing outside you could also target a variety of other goals.

• color recognition
• letter recognition
• shapes recognition
• turn taking
• describing
• verbs/ actions
• expressive and receptive language (having students draw based on directions from another student)

For those who don't have the availability to go outside, this activity could be just as fun in an office with masking tape. Different colors and/or prints can also be used to target a variety of activities. Masking tape also allows for easy clean up, or just leave it for the next session (practice using the same information over multiple sessions).

 I'm sure there are many more activities I haven't though of just yet. Comment below with any other ideas you may have.

These are two of my students having a blast playing outside today.

I am including a few affiliate links below for some different kinds of chalk, just in case ordering online is easier. I wish I had thought of buying chalk with holders, would have made for a cleaner day.



Hope you enjoy
Breana

Pronoun Heroes App Review

When you first open this app you are greeted by a group of fun looking super heroes ready to get to work. I love the theme of this activity and how even in the opening pronouns are present.



 This is the menu screen. Before you get to this screen you select your student or students and then select an activity for each. Below are examples of each activity.

What are Pronouns?

Where is the Pronoun? 

 Which one is not a Pronoun?

 Pronoun tyes

Find the Picture 

Let's use Pronouns 

Pros:

• This app is extremely customizable.
• Different levels are provided within the same app working from identification, to explanations, to sentence fill ins.
• Covers personal subjective, personal objective, demonstrative, possessive, and reflexive forms of verbs. 
• After each session data is shown in the form of graph making it easy to monitor student progress. 
• The multi-player platform of this game allows multiple students to work on different levels and skills while playing the same app. 

Cons:

• The theme of the app limits  the age range. 
• There is no reinforcement game within the app. 

Wishlist:

• An expressive language section where just images were shown on the screen so student can create their own sentences.
• A game for reinforcement built into the app. 

Overall, I am very excited to have this app as part of my collection. I cannot wait to see what other apps Smarty Ears has in the pipeline.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this app are solely mine. This app was given to me to review and giveaway. 

Breana