How to: MAKE A BIRD FEEDER

Materials:

1. Toilet Paper Rolls
2. Peanut Butter (or any like consistency substitute)
3. Bird Seed
4. Plate (paper so that you can fold it and pour the left over seed back into the container)
5. Popsicle Stick (a plastic knife would work also)
6. Twine or String

Instructions:

1. Remove all remaining toilet paper from the toilet paper roll
2. Pour out bird seed onto the plate
3. Spread the peanut butter (or substitute) thickly on the surface of the roll
4. Roll the peanut butter covered roll in the bird seed, making sure all the peanut butter is covered
5. Cut a long piece of twine/string and put it through the opening of the toilet roll
6. Tie the ends of the twine/string in a knot
7. Hang on a branch outside
8. Enjoy watching the birds eat the seeds

Language Goals:

1. Planning: before starting this activity, have your child plan a course of action
2. Following Directions: either read them the directions or have them read the directions and follow them
3. Comparing/Contrasting: Take pictures or find pictures of two different birds eating from the bird feeder, have your child find similarities and differences between the two birds
4. Inferencing: have you child think about what other animals might eat from the bird feeder
5. Vocabulary: talk about all the different parts of a bird, what category is it in, what it looks like, what it does, where it lives,  etc.

Tags: Speech     Language      Activities     DIY      Spring      Birds

The weather is beginning to change and it’s that time of year when you just want to be outside! Here is a list of fun activities to do with you children to elicit tons of language!

Start a Garden:

•  Grab seeds, pots, a shovel, and a some soil to start your plants inside.
• Make a plan of what to do and then follow the steps! (working on planning, sequencing and following directions)
• Talk about the different parts of the plants when they start to grow and the tools you use to help the plants. (working on vocabulary)

* Don’t forget to water them and keep them in the sun! *

Easy Plants to start from seeds: SunFlowers, Marigolds, Basil, Tomatoes

Fly a Kite:

• Grab a kite on a windy day, take it outside and watch it fly!
• Talk about the different parts of the Kite (working on vocabulary)
• Talk about what you are doing and what would happen if you let it go. (working on cause and effect and expressive language)

Go on a Picnic

• Pack lunch and a blanket and have a picnic outside!
• Play I Spy with the new surroundings (working on vocabulary , and receptive and expressive language)
• Talk about what you are going to do after you’re done eating (working on future thinking and expressive language)

Tags:  Speech    Language    Gardening    Vocabulary     Spring Activities      Capable Kids

Is your Speech Language Pathologist always talking in acronyms and it’s hard to keep up? Here is a list of the most common acronyms that most SLPs use.

SLP – Speech Language Pathologist

OT – Occupational Therapy

PT – Physical Therapy

ASHA – American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

CCC – Certificate of Clinical Competence (The letters that come after a SLP’s title)

DX – Diagnosis

EI – Early Intervention

MA or MS – Masters Degree

Acronyms used in the schools

ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act

BOE – Board of Education

BIP/BMP – Behavior Intervention/Management Plan

ELL – English Language Learner

ESL – English as a Second Language

ESY – Extended School Year

FAPE – Free Appropriate Public Education

FERPA – Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

IDEA – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

IEP- Individual Education Plan

IFSP – Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

ITP – Individual Transition Plan

LRE – Least Restrictive Environment

NCLB – No Child Left Behind Act

RTI – Response to Intervention

SPED – Special Education

Acronyms that have to do with therapy

TX – Therapy or Treatment

ABA – Applied Behavior Analysis

FBA – Functional Behavior Assessment

Acronyms for disorders

ADD – Attention Deficit Disorder

ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

AOS- Apraxia of Speech

APD – Auditory Processing Disorder

ASD- Autism Spectrum Disorder

CAS-  Childhood Apraxia of Speech

CAPD – Central Auditory Processing Disorder

CP – Cerebral Palsy

DD- Developmental Disability

EBD – Emotional and Behavioral Disorder

HI – Hearing Impaired

HOH – Hard of Hearing

LD – Learning Disability

OCD – Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

OHI – Other Health Impaired

SLD – Specific Learning Disability

Acronyms for communication forms

AAC- Augmentative and Alternative Communication

ASL – American Sign Language

AT – Assistive Technology

PECS- Picture Exchange Communication System