The Cummings Went Cruisin'

Monday, July 14, 2014
Summer vacations are the best. Am I right? Last week Kenzie, Kevin and I went on a cruise with 28 family members! This was a very special trip for all of us because we had family from all over the country reunite to celebrate a very special couple's 50th wedding anniversary AND 70th birthday!
We took Royal Carribbean's Enchantment of the Seas to Coco Cay & the Bahamas. 
We definitely had some fun in the sun!!

I have to admit, I was a little VERY nervous bringing a baby on a ship. In the past I always thought that people that went on cruises with little ones were crazy! But how could I not let Kenzie meet her cousins that live hundreds of miles away?! On top of that, I am very happy to announce that she did amazing! She had a blast on the trip... so much so that she requested a nap daily! So, I didn't come home with the tan I was hoping for, but I did get to catch up on The Reason I Jump
 and I had a very happy baby!
One thing that was very helpful on the trip was the goody bag we had for Kenzie each day. I went to the dollar store before we left and stocked up on as many little items that would keep her busy as possible! Each day, I put about 4 new items in the bag and gave it to her before we went to dinner. Worked like a charm. Best $18 I ever spent!
It was so nice getting everyone together! 
Here is a group shot!!
Who wants to go on a cruise with me next month? I am ready!!

TpT Star & Stripes 4th of July Sale!!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014
4th of July may be my favorite holiday. What's better than friends, family, food, and fireworks?! I know... a good ole Teachers Pay Teachers sale!! Yours truly (along with some of your favorite SLPs) will be throwing a sale Friday July 4th & Saturday July 5th! This is a great time to stock up on some back to school items as well as some goodies for summer therapy! In case you missed it, here are some of the new and updated items in my store!
I have recently added a new open-ended game series to my store called, Speedy Speech. These packets include game cards and a game board (with a super cute theme) that you can use to target any goal. Simply have your student practice a speech sound or answer a question before they choose a card from the deck. The card either has points on it or a message. You can even use these cards for quick drill reinforcement.
My phonological process packets have been some of my best sellers! I decided to bundle them up and save you all some money! This packet includes 5 activity packets to help you target the following Phonological Processes: final consonant deletion, fronting, stopping, syllable reduction, and cluster reduction. Save $3.50 by purchasing this bundle instead of each activity separately!
Last but not least- I have added a Say What? Comprehension Activity... Summer Edition! This packet contain 16 short stories and questions with a summer theme and adorable sea creature reinforcement cards. 
I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July!!
Happy shopping!!

In My APPinion: Sounds at Home by VSC

Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Appy Tuesday everyone!! It is time for yet another app review! Virtual Speech Center has done it again and come up with another fun and engaging app for the little ones! 
Sounds at Home is an app that targets auditory skills for children ages 2-6.
Before we get started, let me state that Virtual Speech Center did provide me with a code for this app, however, the opinions expressed in this review are mine. 
To get started, first add your student's name.

Then, choose the targets that you want to work on during that session. The target options include: sound identification, rhyming, identifying initial & final sounds, and following directions. You can choose all areas to target or just one or two.... whatever you student needs! There is also an edit option for each area so you can choose exactly what questions the student will be prompted with.

If you choose to work on sound identification skills, you are brought to Mama Bear's living room. Here the student is presented with a sound, then asked a question such as, "What sounds like that?" The student then touches the item that he/she thinks made the sound. This task immediately made me think of a student that recently had a second cochlear implant put in... this would be a great activity for her!!
The kitchen is where we work on rhyming, identifying initial sounds, and identifying final sounds. Here, your student is prompted with a question such as, "Where can I find something that rhymes with heat?" or "Do you see something that starts with an /s/ sound?" depending on your target settings. 
The playroom is where you can work on following directions! You have the option of choosing one or two step directions with one or two elements and/or temporal directions. For example, "Put the spinning top on the chair" was one of the prompts for the picture below.
After your kiddo has finished his/her task, they are rewarded with a puzzle activity to complete!
One nice feature this app includes is the ability to email the student's goal report right from the app! Such a great way to keep parents and teachers in the loop on progress and goals!!
Sounds at Home is a great app that allows me to target many goals at one time. Since it's summer time, many of my students' parents have requested that I target kindergarten skills during therapy to help get them ready. This app makes that job easy and fun! The adorable mama bear is so inviting, that I often have kids drawn to this app before they even know what it is. 
You can download a copy of this app in the iTunes store here for only $6.99.... that's right, only $6.99! This is a more than fair price for an app that allows you to target so many skills. 
Virtual Speech Center was kind enough to provide me with an extra copy of the app so one of you can download it and love it as much as I do! Enter below for a chance to win. I will announce a winner on Saturday!



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