Hi
Everyone,
I love
themed based therapy and this month I am focusing on FALL. Although I hate that summer is over there are so many great
things about fall. Here in the Northeast
apple orchards, pumpkin patches, hayrides and changing leaves are staples of
fall. I am excited about using this
theme all month long.
September Book:
When
the Leaf Blew In
I always
like to start the month off with a book.
One of my favorite fall books is When The Leaf Blew In. This is a great circular book that starts
with a leaf causing a cow to sneeze. The
cow’s sneeze caused a bird to fly out of the barn. The bird causes a pig to dive into the mud. The
story continues until the end when a Robin causes a leaf to go back in the
barn. This book is great for sequencing
skills, farm vocabulary, basic concepts, past tense verbs and articulation
skills. My kids love using my farm
animals and a barn to retell the story. I
like to give my articulation kids an index card with a picture of word from the
story. Their job is to say that word
correctly throughout the session. This is a great story for repeated storybook readings. By the end of the month my kids are great at retelling this story.
September Sensory Bin: Fall colored rice
I also love using fall colored rice. If you haven’t
dyed rice before it is very easy.
How to dye rice: In a zip lock bag add 3 cups of
rice, 2 teaspoons of vinegar and food coloring.
Close the bag and mix the rice.
Place a paper towel on a cookie sheet.
Spread the rice on the paper towel.
Allow to dry. That’s it. Very easy and fun!
I made
my rice yellow, orange and red for fall. We added small toys and articulation
cards. I created a set of squirrels with
articulation and language targets on them.
We buried them in the rice. As we found the toys and pictures we
practiced words and made sentences. I
also like to play find the acorn. I bury the bottom part of the squirrel in the
rice. My students take turns selecting a
squirrel. If they find the acorn they
win. It is quick and easy allowing time for everyone to win a game.
 |
| Squirrel Sensory Bin |
September Game: Sneaky
Snacky Squirrel
This
month we are playing a squirrel game that my kids love. Sneaky Snacky Squirrel. They love collecting
all the acorns for the squirrel.
There
are two ways we play this game in therapy:
1.)
I
use articulation and language decks. I like to spread cards around the
table. Instead of using the log that
comes with the game we place the acorns on the cards. It is a fun and
interactive way to engage my students.
2.)
I
also use my store’s articulation and game spinners. I have attached a game
spinner for the /s/ sound. We use this
spinner in place of the game die. The
students use a paper clip and pencil as the spinner. (Amazon also sells
spinners that can be attached.) They practice their sound or language target
before they select their acorn.
 |
| Squirrel Game Companion |
September Arts and Crafts:
Leaf Rubbings
- This month we are going to make leaf rubbings. I start
with different sizes and types of leaves. We decide what color leaves we
see in the fall. We peel the crayons and are ready to start. We start by
making simple leaves and then brainstorm what things we see in the fall
that we could make using the shapes we have. I model for my groups that
struggle with this. We make squirrels, cows, goats, frogs, chickens,
barns, pumpkin patches and apple trees. It is a fun and easy.
Apple Painting
- I also love to do apple paintings. We cut apples in
half and use them as stamps. It is fun and encourages so much language. We
talk about half, whole, together and separated while we stamp them. My
articulation groups have used the apples to stamp articulation pictures
rather than coloring. My students love when we use paints instead of
crayons.
Fall Tree
- Another fall craft I have been using this month is
making a tree with construction paper. We draw a trunk on a piece of paper
and then cut out construction paper leaves. As we drill our articulation
and language targets we glue a leaf onto the tree. At the end they have a
cute craft to take home.
TpT Products
- Finally TpT is full of articulation and language crafts
that are easy to use. I am using my scarecrow craft this week. Print it
out and let you students do the rest. I like to print it on card stock so
it is sturdier. At the end they have a project to take home.
 |
| Scarecrow Craft |
These are some of my
favorite fall therapy ideas. I hope
everyone is off to a great start this year.
