Orlando Fun and a FREEBIE!

Do you have the post-ASHA blues?  Or are you a little blue that you didn't get to go to Orlando and join in the fun?  If you've been following our hashtag #SLPbloggers on Facebook or Insta, you may have seen lots of fun pics and posts of our time at ASHA.  Here's a little recap, so you can re-live the experience a bit. ;)

We had our very own blogger table at the exhibit hall.  

We passed out a couple thousand flyers and made new friends and hugged the necks of sweet people who knew us from the internet.  We also took selfies and gave out goodies to everyone who would take them.     

11 SLP bloggers were hosting the table at the convention.  Check out the flyer to see who was there.  We even got to tell people about speech therapy blogs and Teachers Pay Teachers stores who had never heard of them before!  

Inside the ASHA store was a cool photo booth where you could take silly pics and sport all kinds of SLP paraphernalia.  Here I am with Maureen from The Speech Bubble SLP!  

At our booth, we gave away lots of freebies and raffle entries.  How sweet are these SLP buttons?

I also made cute little mini task cards to give out.  They target multi-syllabic words.  Aren't they cute?

For those of you who didn't get one at ASHA or were unable to go, I making this available to you as a freebie!  Just click HERE to download the page.  Print, cut, punch a hole in the corners and you're ready to go.  

I added a few more cards to the stack, so even if you did pick one up, you may want to download to add more to your deck!

Even though I got sick on the last day (boohoo!), this was an AMAZING experience!  Hope to see you all next year in Denver!

Criteria Charts for Speech & Language {FREEBIE} edition

When I'm in and out of classrooms on my school campus, I see lots of things like this.

And this.

And this.

We are all about criteria here.  Teachers are constantly being encouraged to have students self-assess and give feedback on how they are performing.  If they have a clear cut goal and know what they need to do in order to get there, it's a little easier for them to reach that goal.

I really wanted to implement this system in my speech room to have a consistency with what my kids are learning in their classrooms.  Plus, I want to give them as much exposure to having to rate/assess themselves as possible, since that concept alone is hard for my language disordered students.

I created some charts with visuals and have already found that help my kids so much.  When they are paying attention to how they do, they put forth much more effort.  Now, I'm in the process of creating a huge packet with lots of specific speech and language objectives as well as blank editable pages!

But for now I've got this FREE version for you to check out.  :)

It includes 4 general criteria charts for language, articulation, voice, and fluency.

Student cards or strips, whatever way you'd like to use them

And 6 "Why don't I have it?" cards/chart.  This is my favorite part.  My kids can often look at their performance and tell whether or not they have mastered the skill, but they don't know why.  This will help pinpoint what they need to do different and whether or not it's something they can work harder to fix.

What do you think?  You can grab this freebie at my TPT store HERE!  Don't forget to leave some lovely feedback while you're there.  ;)

And stay tuned for the full version coming soon!

SLP Style: Stitch Fix Review!

Have you heard of Stitch Fix?  It's a fun little secret that I'd been thinking about trying for a while.  My roommate finally talked me into it, and now I'm hooked!  It's perfect for the busy yet fashionable SLP.

Here's how it works:
1.  Sign up for Stitch Fix on their website.  Use my referral link if you want!  They'll have you fill out a detailed questionnaire letting them know your style preferences.

2.  For a $20 styling fee, they will shop for you and send you 5 pieces of clothing or accessories right to your door!

3.  When your clothes arrive, try them on in the comfort of your own home with your own shoes and accessories.  If you keep at least one item, your $20 will go towards the cost of that item.  If you keep all 5 items, you get a discount.

So worst case scenario, you keep nothing and are out $20.  Best case, you keep them all, get a discount, and have several fun and unique pieces for your wardrobe.  :)  You can opt to have a box sent to you every month or just on the date that you choose.

Want a little peek into my first box??

1. Melanie Lace Detail Button Down Blouse
2. Kaleigh Ankle Biter Skinny Jean in RED!

3. Rye Abstract Print Solid Trim Blouse

4.  Adanya Vneck Mixed Print Dress

5.  Kayla Metal Teardrop Earrings

Your box also comes with a letter from your stylist and these fun cards that give you suggestions on how to wear the included items.

I actually loved ALL of the items that came in my Stitch Fix box last month and ended up keeping every single one of them.   They were all perfect for work.  I pair the dress with a jean jacket and flats.  I put the abstract print blouse with gray dress pants.  I've worn the red pants with several tops and the white top with several pants and skirts.  I love it when you can get some good quality staple clothes in your closet.

The only con to this service really is the price of the clothes.  You can specify your price range in the questionnaire, but most of the articles are kind of costly.  The discount helps a lot, but that's only if you love them all.

What do you think?  Is this something that would make your work day a little more fun?  :)

Where Have You Been?

Well hello there.  Yes, I've been a little absent lately.  No, I haven't dropped off the face of the Earth.  :)  I just needed a few weeks to finish out my crazy school year, which felt like this:

Then, I took a little break to do this:

Plus, I went to training and have been prepping for a camp that I'm working at next week.  It's called Royal Family Kids Camp, where I get the chance to bring hope, smiles, and fun memories to local abused and neglected foster kids.  I'm beyond excited.  Please pray for us next week as we serve and share Christ with these kiddos.  It's a national organization so click the link to get involved in a camp near you!

Get excited because I'm back and ready to roll out lots of fun posts for you this summer.  I've got some app reviews, organization ideas, new products, lists, and lots more to show you.

One thing that makes organizing blog posts so much easier is my Erin Condren Planner.  And guess what?  The new 2014-2015 planner releases tomorrow!  WOOOHOOO!

Sign up using THIS LINK and save $10 on your first purchase!  I can't wait to see all of the new designs and fun updates.  Check out her website here.

Are you out of school yet?  What fun plans do you have for this summer?

10 Speechie Resolutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Here marks the start of another page in the book called 2014.  Woop woop!  At the start of a new year, people traditionally set resolutions or goals of what they hope to accomplish.  Despite the fact that probably 99.8% of resolutions do not actually get achieved, here are a few more anyway - speech style!  :)

Resolved in 2014 to. . .

1.  To stay organized

Who doesn't want to be more organized?  Here are a few posts that can help you out in your resolve to keep it together:
-5 Organizing Essentials for your Speech Room
-Speech Therapy Organizing Planner
-Keeping Your Materials Organized (Super Power Speech)
-Katie's Speech Therapy Room Organization pinboard on pinterest is full of ideas

2.  To have better time management

Time management.  I'm always looking for new ideas and resources on how to get the most use of my time in therapy.  Effective planning usually equals good time management, for me at least.  Here are a couple of resources that might help:

-I'd like to do something like THIS in my sessions, but revamped for my speech room.  :)
-ASHA has an article with some scheduling and management tips that you can find HERE.
-Some things that I also find helpful include using my planners and syncing all my calendars to my various devices, that way I'm constantly up to date with where I'm supposed to be.

3.  To stay in touch with parents

Keeping the line of communication open with parents is important.  Stressing the importance of home practice and informing them of their child's progress can really help kids to improve more quickly.  Unfortunately, this has not been my year for answering my phone calls.  Maybe I'll just stick with letters like the ones in my Parent Letters in Spanish/English packet.

4.  To set more short term goals

Something else that I hope to do this year is to set more short term goals for both myself and my students.  I know I'll feel a lot more accomplished if I can actually see myself achieving some of the things I set out to do and crossing items off my to-do list.  :)

5.  To have more fun in therapy

If you are bored in your sessions, then you know your students are.  This year, I want to be sure and find ideas and activities to keep it upbeat and fun in my speech room.  It's sure to be more motivating for them.  A couple of places that I constantly go to for fun ideas are Erik X. Raj, Crazy Speech World, and of course Pinterest!  

6.  To inspire and motivate my students

Ok it's true.  We all struggle with being motivated at times.  But, when my kids are struggling with understanding a language concept or don't believe that they can do a task, I want them to see me and know that they can do anything.  I want to give them strategies and ideas, so that they feel confident and motivated to work hard.

7.  To be an essential resource to teachers and parents

I also would like to make myself more available to provide ideas and resources to teachers and parents. It's sometimes hard for teachers to understand your job or even realize how much you know.  Most of the time they probably don't even think about asking for your advice or help, just because they are running around like crazy trying to meet their own goals.  This blog post tells more detail how I feel about being there for teachers.  I hope to be able to provide lots of suggestions, ideas, and information to both parents and teachers this year.

8.  To speak up and not be afraid to share my ideas

Sometimes I hold back on making suggestions at meetings or even one-on-one.  I don't know why.  Maybe because I'm afraid they are going to think it won't work or that it's a dumb idea or something.  This year I'm going to make a point to at least throw ideas out there, even if others decide not to use them.

9.  To be an important contribution to the IEP team

Every member of the IEP team plays a relevant part of the decision making process.  I want to make sure I'm a valued member of that team with lots of resources and ideas to share.

10.  To go to work with a positive attitude every day!

Sometimes a positive attitude makes all the difference.  Looking at tasks and students through the correct lens can help put things in perspective and keep your motivation high.  :)

Well that about wraps it up!  I'd LOVE to know what resolutions you set for this year...even if it's not for just your speech room.


Graphics by: Glitter Meets Glue

I'm Obsessed with Washi Tape

When I first saw washi tape I was kind of confused.  I didn't understand what exactly you were supposed to do with it, but I knew I loved all of the fun designs and colors.  Since then, I've discovered SO many ways to dress things up with washi tape.  I've been sticking it all over the place lol.

Check out some of the fun things I've been doing with it to "prettyfy" my speech room.

1.  I decorated my laptop with it.  Now, this is actually my home laptop, but you could decorate your work computer with it too.  Find washi tape with your room theme and go nuts!  Lol.

2.  I cutesied up my room clips and hall passes.  My school uses clips for hall and bathroom passes.  It's just a regular wooden clothespin with washi tape on top.  Loving them!

3.  I even decorated old pencils lol...sometimes it's the little things.

4.  I found a $.99 toothbrush holder and spruced it up to make a fabulous sharpie cup for my desk!  Love!

I've even used it to frame artwork and photos to my white board and bulletin boards.  The possibilities with this stuff are endless!  Stay tuned for more washi tape ideas in the future!

Do you play with washi tape too?  What do you do with it?

SLPs Hopping Back into School!

Welcome to the last stop on the Back to School Blog Hop!  I hope y'all have grabbed some great freebies and discovered some fun blogs you may not have seen before!  Now you should have some nice resources in your pockets to help transition you from the lazy days of summer to your new super-busy and crazy therapy schedules.  ;)

In case you're just joining the hop, be sure and use the button below to head on over to the first blog of the hop...Crazy Speech World.  :)  I would like to encourage you to take your time and read through the posts.  You'll be able to get to know a lot of AMAZING bloggers!  The giveaway will be open for a week, you have plenty of time to enter!

Before we get to all of the prizes and giveaways, I've got a cute school-themed freebie for you to grab.  Perfect for this time of year.  Check it out!

This mini-pack comes with an open-ended game board that can be used with any targets or activities.

There are also 16 vocab cards that can be used for defining, describing, labeling, functions, or whatever you choose.

The packet also comes with 3 black and white worksheets including "Say it 3 times School Books," "Color/Do-a-Dot Apples," and "Roll a Sound Erasers!"

Love cute little games to play with my kiddos, and open-ended worksheets always come in handy.  :)  You can grab this FREEBIE at my TPT store.  Just go HERE!

Now on to some more blog hoppy fun!  Throughout your hopping journey you should have been collecting letters that spell out 5 school-themed words.  Hint...the letters of each word have similar graphics!  You'll need these words in order to enter the BIG giveaway on the Rafflecopter below.

The final letter you need is...

The fabulous prizes you can win in our giveaway include gift cards to TPT, Amazon, iTunes, and Pleated Poppy, Sarah Kesty ebooks, Smarty Ears apps, Lesson Pix subscription, and Social Thinking books!  Plus, there's a door prize for a $50 gift card to Erin Condren!  Love those planners!

A special thanks to all of our sponsors for donating so many fabulous prizes!

Enter using the Rafflecopter below!  The secret codes go in the order of the blogs in the hop.  So, the first word (beginning with Crazy Speech World's letter) will be the password to the first entry, etc.


a Rafflecopter giveaway