In My APPinion: Learning Verbs by Language Concepts

APPY Friday! One if the most amazing things about blogging, actually social media in general, is the connections I have been able to make with other creative and talented SLPs. Recently I was contacted by Anna about an app she created with another SLP. I was more than happy to check it out, especially since it targeted verbs. I know I am not the only one that can use more resources for teaching verbs. So here it is! Check out my review of Learning Verbs! Make sure you follow me on Instagram (@simply_speech) for a chance to win a copy of this app!

I was provided with a copy of the app in exchange for the review, however, all opinions expressed are my own. 

When you open the app, you will see a screen like the one above. Here is the main page where you can adjust settings and chose which verbs you want to target with your student. A total of 22 verb picture cards are included. I love that they are real life pictures instead of cartoons or drawings. The images are bright, colorful, and engaging. I also am a big fan of any app that allows you to customize features. This app allows you to add/upload your own photos. My first thought for this was to have my students act out the verbs and take their picture to use in the app. I feel like so many students would benefit from this feature!

Once you adjust your personal settings, click Play! Depending on how many 'cards per round' you chose, your screen will look different. Above is for the 4 card option. 

Another fantastic feature this app allow is the ability to adjust between the number of cards shown right in the middle of using the app. Tap on the gear icon at the top of the screen and it allows you to make changes. Simply tap, Resume when you are finished. This has come in handy when working with multiple students or realizing a students is having difficulty with the concept mid way through the list. 

After you have gone through the entire list of verbs (or the number you have chose to use) you will see the screen below. 

 This app has been a very useful tool to keep in my bag of verb tricks. It is a simple app, it  doesn't allow for settings for multiple students or keep data, bit that's ok. It is quick and to the point with what it targets. This is a fantastic resource for baseline and growth data collection on verbs as well as something that can be used to teach the topic. I absolutely love the clear and colorful images. For $2.99, I really can't ask for more! You can download your own copy of this app in the iTunes store, here. 

Make sure you follow me on Instagram for a chance to win your own copy thanks to the sweet creators of this app!

How to Use Bathroom Cups in Therapy!

It's hard to believe we are 3 weeks into the new year and this is my first blog post of 2016! Life has been crazy busy, but we have been blessed so I can't complain. I wanted to write this blog post tonight to share with you a crazy idea that has the kids super excited! I have been using something in therapy this past week that is making tedious tasks lots of fun. You ready for this? Bathroom cups. Yep, bathroom cups. Believe it or not, those 3oz little cups are bringing a lot of skill practice into therapy without any complaining. 

 I started out using these cups to help one of my kindergarteners work on his sight words. I grabbed a couple of the cups, wrote some of his sight words on the top, then hid an object under one of the cups when he wasn't looking. He had to guess which cup it was under by reading the sight word on the top first. He thought this was a fun little game and then got even more excited when I started hiding snacks under the cups. He wanted to play over and over again… and you know what that means- lots of practice.

 This activity can easily be adapted for any goals (letter names, vocabulary, colors, size concepts, describing words, you name it) I love using these for articulation practice. Tape a target word or picture to the top of the cup. Have your student(s) practice saying the word before you show them what's under the cup. I promise you, they will love it.

 You can get really creative and build a tower with the cups. Have your student(s) practice their target that's on the cup before he/she can add a cup to the tower. Kids learn so much more when they are engaged and having fun!