Leaf Rubbing - Fall Auditory Verbal Adventure

Leaf Rubbings are one of my favorite fall auditory verbal activities. This activity encourages the children to listen and observe as we discuss the wonders of nature with supporting vocabulary within a rich LSL conversation.

Materials/Advance Preparation:
fresh leaves of different shapes and sizes
crayons, preferably thick ones with the paper stripped off
thin copy paper.

Directions:
1. Place a leaf view side up on a smooth table and cover with a sheet of paper.
2. Using the side of the crayon (lay the crayon down on the paper), rub the crayon back and forth until the leaf's outline and features are clearly visible.
3. Place another leaf under the paper and use a different colored crayon to make a rubbing.It's fine if the leaf rubbings overlap a bit; in fact, it makes the rubbing even more beautiful.
4. Together notice and describe features of the rubbings (e.g. "My leaf has three points," “The yellow leaf has a jaggedy edge").

Adjectives:
-Color words - green, red, orange, yellow, brown…. golden, crimson
-Dry, crunchy, rustling, noisy
-Rough, smooth, pretty, rounded, pointed, jagged edges

Home Carryover Suggestions:
I encourage the parents to take their child on a leaf walk to collect leaves for this activity at home. I remind them that while they are raking and playing in the leaves to talk about what you are doing and what you see and the more times your child hears these words, the more likely he/she is to retain and learn them.

Nouns:
-Leaf
-Rake
-Bag
-Tree
-Branch
-Acorn
-Squirrel
-Bird
-Stick
-Pile

Verbs:
-Rake
-Jump
-Throw
-Drop
-Climb

A fun way to work on verbs is by making a pile of leaves and then practicing different actions through the piles.  For example, the child can march, stomp, skip, run, or roll through the pile. Take pictures as a way to expand LSL once the activity is over.

Follow-Up Leaf Craft - Following Directions/Sequencing
Set the activity up so that there are steps the child has to complete.  Think about what would help your child do this activity easily, and then make it just a little bit harder.  For example, if you think “my child could listen and follow one step of this at a time easily”, then give them two directions at a time.  Here are the steps to the activity that you can use to create the directions for your child. Remember to present through hearing first!

1. Collect leaves
2. Draw a picture on paper of a bare tree, a pumpkin patch…. (for younger children, skip this step)
3. Spread glue on paper
4. Put leaves on glue
5. Place your picture in a safe place to dry

After you’re done, go back and talk about the activity with your child.  You can talk about what you did first, next, and last. Have your child share the leaf craft and tell someone else about the what s/he created with the leaves.

Secrets of the Apple Tree:

Secrets of the Apple Tree: A Shine-a-light Book 

by Carron Brown . Alyssa Nassner

Perfect for toddlers and pre-school kids learning to listen and talk, the Shine Light books are more than just ordinary picture books. Don’t forget to grab a flashlight! Because these books will reveal “secrets” or hidden photos when you shine the light from your flashlight on the pages. Who lives in the apple tree? Shine a light behind the page and see...from worms wriggling among the roots to birds nesting high in the branches, the hidden wonders of this amazing habitat are revealed.

Apples and Auditory Verbal Therapy

Last week, when at the Hear Indiana Listening & SpokenLanguage Conference. I was asked by a number of you why I am not posting pics of what I am doing these days in therapy.  Life is busy - but I will try post AVT pics more often.  Here you go!

Hi, Ho Apple Tree Game and The Star in the Middle of the Apple story are among the highlights.

FUN FALL FESTIVITIES at HearingFirst.org

 APPLYING LISTENING AND SPOKEN LANGUAGE (LSL) Strategies  

TO FUN FALL FESTIVITIES

Fall brings many new and rich opportunities to introduce your child to new sounds and language along their listening and spoken language journey. 

HearingFirst.org provides specific suggestions for home while your child is learning to listen and talk.

Click HERE  to read go to the Hearing First website and download these free articles

Listening, Learning and Spoken Language with New Events, Activities or Holidays

This blog post was adapted from the http://www.medel.com article entitled,

Helping Your Child Enjoy New Events with Their Cochlear Implant 

by Donna  Sperandio, Head of Rehabilitation at MED-EL

You can be read the original article HERE 

For any child a new activity or event is an experience, and especially for a child with hearing aids or cochlear implants each new event means new sounds and experiences that may seem overwhelming. But don’t worry, there are a few ways that you can help to make their listening experience, and the whole event, comfortable and enjoyable.

The Key Word: Preparation

Involving your child in preparing for the event in an age-appropriate way is the best method to make everything enjoyable.

First, just introduce them to the general idea of what the event is about. This way they can develop an overall understanding of what to expect.

How should you do this? An easy way would be to explain the big steps that might occur by just talking about them in order. Or, you could get a bit more creative. If you have pictures from similar events, or if it’s a recurring event maybe from the last time it happened, then you can show these to your child to give them an idea of what they might see or be around. Younger children might enjoy acting out the activity with toys or dolls, and this can be especially useful in structured events like a wedding where there’s a clearly defined routine to the whole event.

Then, you can get more into the details. What are specific activities that happen at this event? Will someone be standing up to give a speech, and if this happens how should your child behave? If there will be songs or music, maybe your child would enjoy hearing them in advance so that he or she can better enjoy them during the actual event.

Here are some basic questions that you can think about what to tell your child:

1. Why is this event happening?

1. What will happen at the event?

1. Who will be at the event?

1. Will there be any surprises, like unexpected events or noises, for which he or she can prepare?

1. How should your child behave? Is it formal or informal?

• Will there be speakers, and where will the speakers be located? (This is important because it might influence where your child should sit or stand to hear best.)

• Will there be induction loop or FM systems? (If yes, then your child could connect wirelessly to the systems for better hearing.)

During the Event: Enjoy

Depending on your child, you may want to either stay close or give them lots of space. Make sure to talk with them in advance and, if they’re old enough, make a choice that both of you can agree upon. Remember, the goal is to make it enjoyable for them as well as for you. If your child likes to be independent, that’s great! Encourage his or her independence, but also let them know that you’ll always be nearby if needed.

If your child uses any assistive listening devices make sure to grab them before leaving, and don’t forget any other accessories or extra batteries just in case. Again, it’s better to be prepared.

Talking with the event organizers can also help, whether it’s just informing them that your child will be present with his or her cochlear implant or asking about any assistive listening devices they have.

Example questions could be like:

Afterwards: Relax

If you want to reflect afterwards, you could ask your child if they have any questions about what had happened at the event or just ask them how they felt. If you took any photos at the event you could also look through them now.