We've been busy here at the SLP Center getting ready for fall!  Along with the crisp autumn air and the beautiful leaves, we've been enjoying fall-themed activities with our clients.  Take a look at what we have been up to:

Apples

Apples are a favorite fall topic - we had a fun time discussing how apples grow, going apple-picking, and what we can do with apples.  Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington and Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell are great books for younger children.  While reading them, we practiced answering wh-questions, making predictions and inferences, and sequencing events in the story.  Other children enjoyed finding words with their target sound in them and saying the word.

Our clients loved going "apple picking" a few weeks ago!  This versatile activity could be used as a turn-taking game or a competitive game used as a reward.  Our older kids loved rolling the dice and seeing how many apples they got to pick.  We also taped pictures of target words on each apple to help develop speech and language skills.

Everyone loved showing off their artistic skills by using a cut apple as a "stamp" to make fall artwork. With this activity, we targeted using 2-word phrases (e.g., "apple on", "red apple", "want paint"), as well as speech sounds.  This is also a great activity for practicing beginning s-blends:  have the child say "stamp" every time he or she places the apple on the paper.

Additional ideas for apples:  make applesauce or apple pie, go apple picking, or sort apples based on size, color, and shape.

Pumpkins

Last week, we talked all about pumpkin growing and pumpkin picking!  First we readIt's Pumpkin Time! by Zoe Hall, which is a sweet story about two children and their dog who plant a pumpkin patch every Halloween.  We had fun learning new vocabulary words, sequencing pictures from the story, and learning about how pumpkins grow!

Even though we don't have our own pumpkin patch, that didn't stop us from making our own "pumpkins"!  We used an orange paper bag, real pumpkin seeds, and yarn for the pumpkin pulp to assemble a pumpkin.  This activity targeted requesting items needed, answering wh-questions, and using new vocabulary words like seeds, pulp, and stem.

Additional ideas for pumpkins:  go pumpkin picking, plant a seed and watch it grow, or make "dirt" pudding cups with candy corn pumpkins inside.

We hope you've enjoyed a peek into our past few weeks!  Stay tuned to find out what we've been up to for Halloween.  Don't forget to share this post on Facebook and visit our website (www.slpcenter.com) for more information!