The Weekly Review: Week 61

SLP Resource of the Week

SLPlessonplans.com has a great page of articulation lists. Each list includes 1, 2, and 3 syllable words in initial, medial, and final position on a single page. So far, lists for /d, t, s, f, p, v, and g/ have been posted.

Excellent Blog Post of the Week

Swistle explains the components of the ideal birthday invitation. Bookmark it. Use it the next time you're sending invitations.

Ava this Week

Ava is very independent lately. "I do it myself Mommy!" She wants to climb out of the minivan by herself. I let her even as I cringe every time she slides the entire back of her body from ankle to neck along the "step" into the van. She always ends the procedure sitting on her bottom in whatever parking lot we happen to be in. Fun stuff. She is also very much enjoying choosing her own clothing and has definite ideas about what she will and won't wear. Once she has decided she doesn't like a particular bit of clothing there's no changing her mind. On the occasions when I insist, she can hold a grudge against me (and the clothing) for an extraordinary length of time.

Since all of this is relatively new, I still think it is kind of adorable. I'm pretty sure the shine will wear off soon though.

Weekly Michael

Next week is the last week of preschool for Michael. The year flew by. He's just getting into socializing and the year is done. I've set him up at the summer program at his old daycare (along with his sister) two mornings a week during the summer though, so hopefully he'll make some new friends. He claims he is excited about going to his "old school". Their summer program is really nice with splash days, field trips, and guests invited to the school, so there should be plenty of excitement.

Ava's and Michael's Weekly Home Therapy Notes

Ava's working on all of her s-blends mixed together randomly in pairs. We've also added /sk/. Michael is working on /f, v, s, and z/ all randomly mixed together and put into silly sentences for carryover practice. I've spent lots of time this week making new card sets to fill in some holes in my arsenal. Practice has been pretty basic and drill oriented, but very productive. The children are making wonderful progress.

Weekly Homeschooling

RightStart Math continues to be an absolute delight. The children and I thoroughly enjoy the couple of math lessons we fit in each week. We spend 45 minutes at a time reading our library books and Friday mornings are library day. The children and I are having a wonderful time establishing a regular library day and always having new books around to read. I pulled out paint for the first time in a few months and the children had a great time painting. They've come a long way since the last time I let them just paint (self-directed). They're using smaller brushes and actually trying to use the paint to create rather than just exploring the medium. I'd say I achieved my goal of backing off formal lessons (handwriting and reading) and reintroducing more play-based activities. As always, there never seems to be enough hours in the day.