Upcycling Magazine Ads

It's been a while since I've posted a true DIY.  I've definitely missed it!  This week I grabbed my pile of magazines and got to work creating a new material for my kiddos... a photo description book to target expressive language including grammar and vocabulary.  Here's how I did it:

 Gather some old magazines... Most of them have GOBS of ads. 
This is the only time I don't mind that!

 Clip out ads that feature people doing things... The best thing is that most ads have absolutely nothing to do with the product that they are featuring.  Therefore, most of them are like these and feature a person doing something exciting.  I used a small papercutter to quickly cut and size images.  It's definitely fine if they are all different sizes, you can adjust them later.

Print out the desired number of Freebie sheets (found here).  Then grab some rubber cement and scissors.

 Glue one picture per sheet.  They will all be a little different and some may require trimming to fit.

Then enjoy with kiddos!

In my speech room, we use this to work on expanding sentence length, changing a sentence from present to past tense, and learning new vocabulary.  In the photo above, for example, my friend took the photo (a Target ad) from "They are laying in snow" to "They are making a angel" to "The two girls are making a snow angel" to "Yesterday, the two girls were making a snow angel" to "Yesterday, the two girls made a snow angel".  It also works well in groups.  We started with one student making a present-tense sentence and then passed the book to the next person to either expand/elaborate the sentence and/or make the sentence past-tense.

Total cost of this book: Time and old magazines.  I just printed on regular pages and 3-hole punched them to add to a folder as seen above.  However, other options are to place into page protectors and place in either a folder or binder.

How else have you Upcycled magazines for therapy?

Goodbye 2012, Hello Lucky '13!

Welcome back to all of you who, like myself, have been lucky enough to have some much needed time away from work.  I love the kiddos that I get to work with ... but who are we kidding, breaks are one of the only big perks of working in a school!  I've been very busy over break soaking in family time and traveling to and fro!

I also love to take some time each winter break to reflect on the year and prepare for the next.  Like most of you, I don't spend EACH waking moment in speech sessions.  I also don't devote all of my after-school time to blogging.  I'm a lover of full plates and I keep mine almost TOO full at times... I thought I'd share my 2012 OUTSIDE of blogging and material creation.  Since one of my side-gigs is photography, I threw together a little photo-themed 2012 review:

1: My mom's college roomie and best friend's daughter's bridal shower in April.

2: Coaching my 18 & Under Fastpitch Softball team at a Cancer benefit tournament in Spring.

3: Myself with the bride in May - we've become known for crazy faces like these.

4: Coaching my new 12 & Under Fastpitch Softball team in October - dressed up as Monarchs in Black.  We coaches were the aliens of course!

5: Classy New Year's Eve with my cousin and her beau, sister, & mom.

6: More classy-ness and enjoying crepes outside in KC with my sister over the summer.

7: Myself with my dad, sister, and mom after Christmas Eve Mass in KC.

8: Riding the train with my Goddaughter in Panama City Beach in November!

9: Christmas party with my 12U Monarchs.

10: Myself at the Kansas City Boulevard Brewing Company - took my dad on a tour for Father's day.

11: Visiting my Architect sister at the University of Arkansas this Fall.

12: World Series with my 18U Angels in Panama City Beach in July.

13: Attending the wedding of a High School friend in June.

It was a pretty uneventful but busy 2012.  As I move into 2013, I'm hopeful that it will be another great year.  This year I'm looking forward to a Spring Break road trip, coaching my 12U Monarchs team all summer, attending ASHA in Chicago with some great friends, and making a decision about what the 2014-2015 school year will hold for me (planning a move!).

Of course, Sublime Speech will be a huge part of 2013!  I have some great plans for this crazy little blog but I'd love to hear what YOU would like to see on the blog or TpT in lucky '13!  Let me know by commenting below!

Finally, a huge thank you to each of you who follow the blog, facebook, twitter, and pinterest.  An even bigger thank-you to each of you who have purchased materials from TpT this year!  I'm so excited to continue creating affordable and free materials for you this year!  I hope you have a very wonderful 2013!!!

Happy 1st Blogiversary Sublime Speech!

Happy New Year!  It's incredible that another year has come and gone.  It has been an amazing year for me and this experiment in blogging about what I do in the field of Speech-Language Pathology.  I honestly could not have foreseen the impact that starting a crazy little blog a year ago would have on me, my sessions, and our profession as a whole.  As I move into my 2nd year with Sublime Speech, I wanted to reflect on some of the lessons that a year as an SLPeep has taught me:

• Jewelry Hangers aren't just for jewelry any longer... Our extensive libraries of cards now reside in them!
• You really can't be TOO organized, but your coworkers may think you are.  Necessary evil...
• Tracking data is also a necessary evil, but apps + paper data + software + more apps = the most accurate data I've kept so far in my career!
• MadLibs make some of the best Artic practice ever!  Plus, they're great for older students... finally.
• Pinterest will help inspire SLPs and help to spread the word about the incredible SLPeeps who are bloggin' away!
• Buying games at full price will eat too far into your SLP paycheck, but thrift stores are the perfect place for a treasure hunt!  I've found nearly all of my games there.
• The iPad will CHANGE therapy forever...
• ... But don't over-use it or it has a tendency to lose its effect!
• With craft sticks, paint, and sharpies you can create just about anything!
• Nobody has a perfect answer for RtI, but everybody is trying to find it.
• TeachersPayTeachers has the power to change how SLPs create, share, and use materials for therapy!
• Every holiday can be incorporated into therapy... and doing so will help to keep therapy fresh for you and your students!
• Before you pay for an app, find a blogger who reviewed it and investigate it that way!
• You may not love parts of your job (for me it's articulation therapy, not sure why but it is...) but by creating new and fun ways to target goals, anything can be fun!
• Augmenting books and other materials for students with severe disorders including nonverbal Autism greatly increases their ability to enjoy and follow the book.  I would hate to take away incredible illustrations of the book or game/toy just to provide boardmaker symbols... find a way to combine them!
• Apps make carrying several decks of cards easier than ever.
• There are many benefits to seeing RtI artic students 4-5 times per week in short bursts... even in the hallway!
• You can't help but have fun with a mustache!
• Facebook will help SLP networking in a whole new way!
• SLPs are some of the most creative and intelligent individuals!  

I have "met" and learned from so many individuals this year!  Having a blog has allowed me to be creative and improve my clinical skills daily!  I know my students have benefited from the blog and the blogs of other SLPs across the world.  Thank you to each of you who have supported SubLime Speech this year.  Moving forward into this second year I'm looking forward to more learning, creation, and collaboration!  Here's to a wonderful 2013!