April Fools Day SLP Fun

Everyone knows I like to play games and just have fun, so I decided I wanted to do a little April Fool's Day Fun. Of course, there will be a little twist to it! It wouldn't be one of my games if it didn't, now would it?

Instead of it being an April Fools Day trick, it is an April Fools Day treat!

Here's how we're going to play:

1. Go to my TpT store.  http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Dean-Trout  on April 1, 2013.

2. Look through my games (Hint: freebies will not be used in this game) and find the ones that are marked with the "April Fools Day" picture.

3. There will be 5 hidden April Fool images, but each contestant will only be allowed to enter one of them.  I want 5 different winners :)

4. When you find one email me at fishy1981@gmail.com  and tell me what game you found and include your email address.  The 6th person to email me with the correct information for one of the games will win that game.

5.  If you are the 6th person and the winner of that particular game, I will send that game to you via email as a pdf.

Remember you can only win one game......but 5 are up for grabs...so look at all of them and make your choice!

I will post the winners in a follow up blog.

My apologies to those of you who will not read this in time to participate but that's why you should always follow & read my blogs....you just never know what I'm up to!  ;)

The Dangers of Comparison

As many of you know, I am a retired speech therapist with 35 years of experience, but you may not know I also hold a diploma in Interior Design. That is why I follow decorating blogs in addition to speech bloggers  One of my favorite bloggers of quick and inexpensive decorating ideas is "Debbie" over at Debbiedoo's.  One of her recent posts really struck a cord with me as a Speech Therapist.  She wrote about not letting comparison steal our JOY.  I knew I had to blog about it because it applies to all of us regardless of our professions.

Debbie's words of, "Don't let comparisons steal your JOY" are very powerful.  Do you compare yourself to other SLPs?  Your therapy? Your Blog? The TpT materials you create? The apps you author? Your knowledge? (Yea, I wanted to emphasize that one.)  It is so easy to do as we interact on Twitter, Facebook, etc. We talk to so many people who are doing such amazing things and then we start comparing. Even with all my years of experience and my accomplishments, I can start feeling very inferior when I interact with all you SLPs out there.  I have to guard against it because it leaves me feeling like I know nothing and what little I do know is so outdated!  I have thought about just gracefully bowing out and fully retiring many many times.  Debbie's blog was the attitude adjustment I needed.

Debbie's blog prompted me to ask some important questions regarding why I blog and why I am creating Speech materials for TpT.  So I asked myself:

• Do you love what you are doing?
• Do you love to share?
• Do you want to help other younger SLPs learn the tricks of the trade you aren't taught in college?
• Do you want to help make their day just a little easier?

Since I answered YES to those questions I decided I'll keep on doing what I'm doing because it brings me JOY.  I also decided that I need to stop comparing myself to all of you who are better in your skills, or have more followers, or sell more products. My JOY doesn't come from accolades, or recognition, but from my own personal self gratification of helping others.

Beyond all that my greatest JOY has been the friendships I have made through Perkilou (yahoo groups), Facebook, and Twitter.  Especially those SLPeeps who love me as your SLPmother!

Perhaps you are feeling a little discouraged in your work, your placement or with your blog or the sales of your apps/materials, if so then ask yourself these simple questions and stop comparing yourself with others.  Don't let comparison steal your joy!

Debbiedoo's Blogging and Blabbing

Debbie offers this free 8x11 printable on her blog. HERE Please go there to download it today.  You might just want to follow her blog, too!

One Day Sale Today Only

I'm having a one day sale in my Teachers Pay Teachers store today only!

15% off EVERYTHING store wide! 

 Not just Spring items but EVERYTHING 

includes hard goods and any wish listed activities!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Dean-Trout

Speech FlipBook

As I have stated in previous blogs I don't write app reviews because I don't own an iPad or an iTouch but occasionally I will come across an app that I know I'd be buying if I were still working.  When I find these jewels, I like to pass on the information and you can decide if you wish to look at them.

A disclaimer: I am not getting any type of compensation to talk about this today.

I am totally impressed with the Speech Flipbook by TactusTherapy.com  I first saw a few sample pictures of this a few weeks ago when Megan Sutton was tweeting about it.  I was so anxious for this to hit the market.  I love everything about this app.  

It looks easy to use and is fully customizable: 

• 1: Select sounds & clusters to create single-syllable words

• 2: Flip between sounds or words to target any of the 3 parts of the syllable

• 3: Record words for instant feedback

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

You can target many goals other than just articulation:

• Create minimal pairs easily or generate specific phonological environments

• Phonological awareness, phonics, & rhyming exercises are at your fingertips

• Apraxia therapy starts with single syllables: progress from V to CV to CVC to CCVC & on!

• Articulation, dysarthria, speech perception, & accent reduction therapy made easy

  
  
  This app offers you: 

  • Over 15 V, 50 VC, & 150 CV real words

  • More than 1000 CVC words & 1000 words with clusters

  • Includes over 250 sets of homophones

  • Create over 60,000 combinations of words & non-words for extra practice

And perhaps the deciding factor is the price of $4.99.  Wow! What a product!  Talk about bang for your buck this is it!

Take a look at the basics in this YouTube video .   Here is another video showing it demonstrated. 

This one is definitely worth taking the time to investigate.  You can it purchase it through the Apple App store. 


TactusTherapy.com has other apps you may find useful as well.  I know they are popular for meeting the needs of adult aphasia patients, so be sure check those out as well!

Small Thing BIG Annoyance

We all have our pet peeves and could probably list a hundred things that annoy us working in the school setting .  But, there is one little thing that will bring out the wrath of a normally sweet fun SLP before the student can get into the room!  (Not going to tell you what that is just yet, keep reading)

Today I bring you good news of great joy because an SLP by the name of  Haley Villines has effectively eliminated this problem.  Not only has she rid her room of this annoyance but she is sharing this with anyone who wants it for FREE!  Haley writes a blog called, "Say What Y'all?" which I love!  Not only because she shares good stuff  but also because she writes as informal as I do. Yay!  Another down to earth sister of the Speech Faith!  When I emailed her to ask permission to share this with you guys she said, "Absolutely!  It's free for the taking.  If it saves one SLP from the dreaded question, it's worth it!  :)"  Don't you wish you worked with her everyday!

She wrote a blog post last March 25th (2012) on routines Now before you stop reading because you are associating routines with Autism let me say No, No, No, not routines for them, but routines for us in our regular speech day.  I urge you to take the time to read this post and follow her!

Rather than telling you I'm going to let the picture say 1000 words!

If there is anything that can annoy us it's this!  Right?  It always infuriates me!  We have enough of a battle convincing teachers that what we do is valuable and worth the child's time to be out of the classroom, but couple that "What are going to play today?" and I'm seething!  While I do play games in speech therapy, the game isn't the focus of my session.  It is simply to keep the kids from being bored and not wanting to come to class.  They do enough boring worksheets in the classroom and I think learning should be FUN!  The key word in that statement is LEARNING.  I'm teaching them something and they are learning even while playing a game.  But I'm preaching to the choir here aren't I?

If you would like to have this poster to hang in your therapy room go here.  You will see a box on the right side of the page labeled Downloads.  Click on the routines file and there you will find the two posters she made.  The above pictured one is called "The 2 things...."  You will see the other poster that fits most of our speech class routines and it is also available for free.

Are you as excited about this as me? I think we owe Haley a big thank you for making our day just a little bit easier, so all together now, "Thank you , Haley!"