6 Home Hacks: For Busy SLP (parents) linky

Thanks for throwing this unique linky party Annie! I certainly have a busy SLP life and some tips for those of you with kids at home. 

1.  Door Hooks: This is a true space saver and works so well for my children's backpacks. We don't have a mudroom or much of an entryway so we really rely on this new space. 

2.  Reduced Sugar Cotton Candy: Many families have these cute little cotton candy makers.  Parents everywhere bought them on a whim dreaming of how much fun the kids would have. Then reality hit, kids spinning as fast as the web of pink sugar. Well I saw a little trick that works great for reducing the amount of sugar consumption. Toss a piece of hard candy into the machine and voila, you've got cotton candy. Jolly Ranchers are amazing. Have a cold? ~ use a cough drop. 

3. Cork Board: While I was pinning products on Pinterest, my middle child was literally pinning a board on her wall! I saved the walls by creating an inexpensive DIY cork board. All it took was adhesive spray, cork pages, and fabric. This fabric was a pillow case purchased at Walmart. Turned out pretty cute. 

4. Visual Strategies: We know that most kids are visual learners so don't forget to use this strategy at home. My oldest child helped the youngest by labeling her horse stable with matching pictures of the horses and their names above. I label drawers, toy bins, and even give my kids visual schedules to help with their morning routine. 

5. Perfect Pic: Short on cash? Well just pick up some old frames from a yard sale, spray paint them, and insert an image you find online. My prints did not cover the frame so I framed them with designer duct tape. 

6. Roasted Marshmallows: No campfire, no problem. Have the kids roast marshmallows over a candle flame. We used mini marshmallows, toothpicks, and a small candle to roast marshmallows. This is actually a pic from last Christmas Eve.  You could expand this to S'mores by simply adding Hershey miniatures and small rectangles of graham crackers. 

I hope you learned something new to try. Be sure to head back to Doyle's Speech Works for some more creative Home Hacks for busy SLPs. 

My 3 Favorite Organizational Tips for SLPs

     Welcome to The Frenzied SLPs tips for organizing in the New Year!                    
I get a lot of questions about how I organize my materials and I'm happy to share with you my top three tips. 

1. Pocket Folders: I print my tpt products and adhere the cover page to the outside of a pocket folder. Inside, I put the directions, worksheets, and cards. I insert the cards into the pocket after putting them in a plastic sealed sandwich bag. I then file the materials by hanging folder in a large filing cabinet. One drawer is organized by monthly activities and the other drawer is alphabetized by product name. I would like to spend a day re-organizing the second drawer by skill area, which I recommend. 

2. Theme Therapy: This set up has cut my planning time in half and makes it so nice to have everything at my fingertips.  
                                       See my quick VIDEO here.

2. Card Basket: This pretty basket not only looks great, but keeps everything within arm's reach of my therapy table.

There you have it! I hope you can use some of these tips to make your frenzied SLP life a little easier.

An InLinkz Link-up

Helping hands! Card holder creations.

Years ago my co-worker made these fabulous and functional card holders for my students.  I needed more for larger groups and since I'm no carpenter, I decided to find some alternatives.  

In this image, students are playing an inferencing game from  Tie Dye Language

Duct Tape

My child is obsessed with duct tape wallets.  She's made one for every family member and is moving on to her classmates. It was no surprise to me that she found this great use for the wallets.  

Pool Noodles   

I love this one since it's inexpensive and so simple to make.  I could make 6 card holders with just one $1 noodle!

Snapping Blocks  

These are so popular!  This simple arrangement was made by snapping together two lines which formed a natural slot to hold up the cards. 

Or you could have your critical thinkers create something a bit more elaborate like this one.  

  

Check out Allison's blog at No Time For Flashcards for these fantastic ideas using everyday household items. 

I would love for you to share your helping hands ideas.  Feel free to share on my Instagram and Facebook page!

Creative Storage for TpT Products - Linky Party!

Welcome to my linky party on storage ideas.  

Today I bring to you an array of  BOXES!  That's right, there are many free box ideas for creatively storing your themed products.  

My Warm Fuzzies have a new home in their snug little pillbox.  The pillbox idea came as there are 7 days of the week and 7 magical cues in the EET System, by Sarah Smith.  I glued a fuzzy on each pillbox top and placed about 5 little fuzzies in each compartment.  I also made sure to glue a googly eye to each fuzzy in the third compartment.  

Pizza boxes are the perfect storage boxes for your materials with lots of cards and miscellaneous materials.  I store my Community Helpers and Places product in a pizza box because there are so many cards.  And what better place to put my Pizza Scramble FREEBIE product.  This is an oldie, but goodie that you'll want to grab for auditory processing.

And there are disadvantages to wanting cute storage containers.  Take this Valentine's Heart box from my new Figurative Language Box of Chocolates Product.  I wanted the box so badly that my kids and I devoured the chocolates in one evening!

Have a popcorn activity like Poppin' Articulation Memory for /s/, /r/, and /th/ from The Dabbling Speechie? Store it in a popcorn box!  Don't have a popcorn box, get this template from You've Got Help blog.  

And now to my new FREEBIE! 

Good Fortunes is unique from any other product that I've made.  Give cootie catchers, origami, and proverbs a try to inspire your upper grade students.  This freebie contains a graphic template for the front of a Chinese take out box!  If you're not planning a Chinese meal, Homemade Gifts Made Easy has a free template to make your own storage take out box.    

Check out the linky party to see more creative storage solutions! 

An InLinkz Link-up