DIY Scratch Off Tickets

Raise your hand if you love a scratch off card! I mean really, who can resist? There is something so exciting about scratching them off, isn't there? Here is an easy way to bring that excitement (minus the gambling of course) into your therapy room or classroom!

All you need is acrylic paint (preferably metallic to give it the authentic scratch off feel), dish soap and clear contact paper.

Directions:
Mix 2 parts acrylic paint to 1 part dish soap. Stir.
Paint a coat of the mixture on the contact paper.
Let Dry.
Repeat 2 more times until you have 3 coats of paint.

Next, simply cut your new scratch off stickers to size to fit over the area that you need them for and stick them on the laminated surface. Once the scratch off is used, you can either peel off the contact paper or place another scratch off sticker on top of it to reuse it again.

I love to use mine on Valentines each year. The Valentines have three scratch off squares on each card. Two of the squares have a cute saying and the third square has a number (either 1, 2, or 3). After earning their cards, the students get to select a Valentine prize from the drawer associated with the number on their scratch-off card. I do not use a prize box in my room, so  this is an extra special treat that they look forward to.

There are many ways you can use scratch off tickets in your therapy room or classroom. As long as a task card is laminated, you can easily cut the scratch off sticker to size and add it to:

• cover up answer choices on a task card
• cover choices on a Bingo Board
• tangible reward cards such as Lunch with the SLP/teacher, Free Homework Pass, etc.
• Articulation Word Lists
• Verb Tense
• Context Clues- What word would fit in the sentence?

You can find the Open Ended Valentine Templates as well as the drawer labels that I made here or by clicking on the image below.

If you like this activity, you may also like this Speech Hearts Base Ten: Articulation Challenge. You could actually use the scratch off stickers on these too! 

SLP Holiday Gift Ideas

'Tis the Season for Giving! I have to say, I LOVE this time of year and giving to my students. For one, it gives me an opportunity to channel my inner Oprah as I shower each of my students with a gift and it also gets my creative juices flowing as I figure out how to do so on a small budget. Bargain shopping and finding a good deal is my equivalent of hunting. I am so pumped to not only get a great deal but to then share it with others?? I get giddy just thinking about it! Here are a few of my gift giving ideas and a breakdown of what they would cost.

Water bottles are always a hit with my students, especially when they are personalized with their name. This year, I purchased the water bottles at naeir.org. Naeir is a program that helps you stretch your out of pocket expenses for your students by offering a significant discount on materials. If you work in a school, you can apply for a free teacher membership here. The products they offer and prices vary depending upon their supply. I purchased 40 of these water bottles for $12.00 (that's only $0.30 each). I then used my Cricut machine to cut out my 2nd-6th grade students names, which added another $3 to the product. The final cost was just under $0.38 per student.

Another option is to use tumbler cups from the Dollar Tree, as displayed above, and insert a nice note for your students. Did you know that you can order large quantities through their website and have them shipped (for free) to the store? You do typically need to order in multiples of the quantity that is contained in a case. That particular year, I ordered 3 cases of 24 tumblers each.

These chalkboards were perfect for my Kindergarten and first grade students.  They are 12"x12" in size. I purchased them through Naeir as well at a cost of $8 per 21 pack. I purchased 2 packages which will leave me with a handful to spare. The final cost with vinyl and a piece of chalk was $0.50  per student.

Snowman soup is another idea I have used in the past. I simply placed a packet of hot cocoa that contained marshmallows within a folded piece of card stock that contained the poem above and attached a candy cane to the front. The box of hot cocoa was $1.29 per 12 pack and candy canes with $1.39 for a 12 pack, bringing the cost to $0.24 each, not counting the card stock and ribbon that I had on hand.

The next idea is an ornament that contains curled pieces of paper with positive attributes written on them. You can currently purchase plastic ornaments at Michaels for $0.31 each. If you work in a school, don't forget to use your school ID to save an additional 15% off. This is a great activity to complete in therapy with your students. Print out positive attributes and cut them out into strips of paper. Have students select attributes that describe themselves or other members of the group to create ornaments that are an unique reflection of themselves. Simply, curl the strips around a pen or pencil to curl them and place them within the ornament. Tie a ribbon on the top and you have an ornament that will be cherished for years to come. Think of all the language that creating these ornaments can evoke as you discuss the vocabulary contained within them, formulate sentences, compare/contrast, follow directions, etc. It is loaded with opportunities!

 Reading Polar Express? Make jingle bell necklaces with your students that they can keep as a holiday gift from you. You can purchase jingle bells (different than shown) at the Dollar Tree in packages of 9, which brings the cost to $0.11 per student.

A couple years ago, I hand stamped washer necklaces for my students. The girls received the washer version and the boys received dog tags. The one pictured above was a gift that my daughter made for a friend but will give you the general idea. You can purchase washers for approximately $0.10 each but will also have to add Organza Ribbon Necklaces ($7.99/50 pack) which brings the final cost to about $0.26 each.

I have also wrapped up school supplies for my students. I currently work with a low SES population. Many of my students have very limited resources, if any, for school supplies and by December may have little to no school supplies at home so it is a nice time to replenish them. Plus, if we are being honest, my love for office supplies is nurtured as I picture them opening up a small slice of heaven. ;)

Now this gift certainly would not be for your students but would be a fun option for a colleague. I purchased the beverage caddy at Target for $7. I purchased Black Cherry soda at the grocery store (or you could add a different beverage- wink, wink) and attached fun labels created by the Peachie Speechie.

I would love to hear what gift ideas you have in store for your students or colleagues! Comment below or email me to let me know what you have in mind! If you are a bargain shopper too or would just like to see what other ideas I use throughout the year, be sure to follow me on Instagram. You may also enjoy this freebie of little tokens of kindness.

Kindness Matters

 

Hi all! As SLPs, we specialize in communication skills and what we communicate to the world matters. Unfortunately in current news/social media, kindness is often overshadowed by negativity but in my minuscule corner of this Earth, I choose kind. I am not looking to produce ratings, I am looking make a difference. So today I wanted to share with you some little tokens I incorporate into my practice that as well as celebrate some acts of kindness that have been bestowed upon me and my precious littles recently. I hope that you find these simple gestures refreshing (sorry, I can't resist the opportunity for a play on words). 

I place these water bottle wrappers on water bottles in the conference room to welcome parents and staff as we discuss their students. It is a simple gesture really and one that does not break the bank at a little over $3 for a 32 count pack of water bottles. 

What purpose does a meeting serve if the parents aren't there? I hate scheduling (and then rescheduling) as much as the next person. These mints serve as a friendly reminder to parents of upcoming meeting, communicating to them in an inviting way that their support matters. I send them home 1-2 days before a scheduled meeting to remind them of our planned get together. Again, the play on words with commitment is not lost on you, I am sure. [Whatever it takes to get us through, right?]

Having my little smarties in speech is the reason I show up at work every day. These small tokens invite my students into my speech room on Open House in the beginning of the year and are a warm thank you to have on hand when a student returns a paper from home with a precious signature from their parent. I do not give out candy on a regular basis so these sweet treats are a pleasant surprise. 


These labels are available to Print and Go (no color ink required) as a freebie here.

Last week, I received a sweet, sweet card in my mailbox from an administrator at the Board that made my day. Knowing that this person had taken time out of their busy day to perform such a kind gesture meant so very much. Call me old school, but there is something about getting a handwritten card in the mail that is unrivaled by an email or text. I suppose it is akin to my love of printed books. I will cherish it along with my collection of other written notes from parents and students for years to come. Challenge yourself to pay forward those seemingly simple acts with sending a kind note someone's way.

This past weekend, my own son was the recipient of the ultimate act of kindness: time. These two amazing teachers Mrs. Garwood and Mrs. Carpenter jumped on the opportunity to see three of their past and present students shine by cheering them on at their ice hockey game. My son was excited beyond belief when he came home from school and told me that they were coming. It was all he could talk about. For those who know him, you may know that he is a shining example of what I strive to be. He was born with an omphalocele, has fought through Lyme's Disease and defies expectations at every opportunity. The boy bleeds GRIT and determination. He works HARD at school and does not shy away from a difficult task. On the ice, he is in his element and truly shines with ease. I am beyond thankful that he has the support of these remarkable educators that shine at what they do.


I'd love to hear what acts of kindness you can pay forward. What ideas do you have? Please let me know in the comments below to inspire myself and others!

Shine on,

Desiree

Investing in Your Students

I am a huge advocate for investing in authentic interactions with your students that are individualized to their personal traits and characteristics. Even as an adult, do you find that you work harder for those who are personally vested in your success? I know I sure do. Even as I enter Professional Development, I find that I learn best from presenters who I feel are truly vested and are there for "the right reasons" (Sorry, I couldn't resist. Any Bachelor/Bachelorette fans out there?). Their authenticity in imparting their knowledge to grow me as a therapist energizes me (and yes, they have the evidence to back their practice).

The same goes for our own students/clients/kids. Taking time to invest in my students is always time well spent.  Does it break my heart to learn of some of the trials or experiences that they have encountered? Absolutely. The path may be far from easy at times; however, the payout is likely what brought us into this field in the first place...to make a difference. Learning about who my student is as a whole person makes me a more effective speech-language pathologist.  It often helps me determine possible functions of behavior and earns that buy in from students by making real world connections.

One of my favorite activities to do with my students each year is to create "I Am" poems.  Google it and you will come up with a plethora of templates. Through the years, I have adapted the questions that I ask and enter the student answers during our session in a template that I made using Word.

This is one of my all time favorite activities of the year!

When I have a group, I simply open up the template in numerous windows, saving it as the student's name.  I can then toggle between the student documents as they take turn answering the questions. The template is also printable which is convenient later in the year when the students may use them in an interview format to interview a peer for responses. Wow, that sure does cover an array of communication skills, does it not? Let's see... articulation in context, descriptive language, answering questions, asking questions, expressive vocabulary, identifying emotions, code switching, syntax, categorization, fluency, the list could go on for days. For some of our students with a severe phonological impairment or apraxia, we may be some of the only people that understand what they are saying, aside from their caregiver.  Imagine how wonderful it feels for them for someone to get to know the inner core of who they are as well as how much their teacher will appreciate the insight when they read the poem. It is life changing for some students, truly it is.

This is the template that I use.

Once the poem is completed, I take a close up photo of the student using my iPad, then email it to myself to insert into the word document. (Note: Photos that are taken on a white or neutral background work best). To insert the photo, you can either copy and paste it from your email or insert it my selecting Insert, then Photo, then the Saved Photo File that you Created.

You can resize your photo by dragging the corners of the photo.  Next, Right Click on the photo and select the Picture tab.  Under the Picture tab, select Washout under the Color option. I then adjust the Brightness to 65% and Contrast to 35% but that is not necessary if you would like your picture to be very light in the background.  Next, select the Layout tab (from the same menu option when you right clicked on the photo).  Under Layout, select Behind Text as your wrapping style and Center under the alignment and click Okay. Your student's photo should now appear lightly behind the text of their poem. You can adjust the size as you would like. I like the student photo to fill the page.

Now, all you have to do is print the poem! The poems create a beautiful display. They are make a nice gift or resource to give to parents at the student's IEP meeting. Parents often love them so much that they request extra copies.  No problem!  Simply save the Word document that you created when the student completed the poem as a pdf and email it to the parents! Voila!

Do you have a favorite activity that helps you get to know your students better? I would love to hear about it, after all we are better when we work together, right?  Drop it in the comments below!

Thank you for stopping by!