Along with stargazers across the planet, we at The Hello Clinic wait with bated breath for the total eclipse of the sun on August 21, 2017. While our office is not in the path of totality, Oregon anticipates some 2 million visitors to come and check out the sky show in Salem, and other areas… (read more)
Ahhhh…. summer! Extra time to check off my unfinished spring tasks? Nope, not for me! Taking the time to engage my mind in new and different ways pays off when I return to work rested and inspired. As I look back on other summertime posts I have written (here, here, or here), my message has been surprisingly consistent: explicitly… (read more)
The Kennedy School gymnasium was transformed into a playful carnival Friday night to celebrate the successful conclusion of another Hello school year. A spinning wheel of prizes, photo station, giant jenga, cornhole, and a fun menu (complete with delicious centerpieces!) made set the scene. But the best part, as always, was the opportunity to get together with… (read more)
Today we host a guest blog by Sarah Dunaway, an SLP completing her Clinical Fellowship year at the Wheatley School, a self-contained public school in Multnomah ESD that serves students ages 6-21 with significant needs. She is thrilled to be working on functional language and emerging social skills with her favorite population, students who are significantly… (read more)
![](<p>This spring, we thought it would be fun to do a professional development event focused on our unique <a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/schools/services/">Hello There model</a>, and explore how it works in different settings. Hello There, for those of you who don’t already know, is our hybrid service model that combines telepractice and in-person services for students throughout the West. </p>
<p>Three THF’ers shared their experiences with Hello There – <a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/schools/our-people/">Sara Ecker</a>, who uses mostly teletherapy in remote Alaska; <a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/schools/our-people/">Lucinda Bowman</a>, who supervises multiple assistants in rural Montana; and <a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/schools/our-people/">Kira Wright</a>, who works with a licensed SLPA in Harney Co., Oregon. </p>
<p><img class="aligncenter wp-image-14671" src="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/sara-presenting.gif" alt="" width="275" height="490"></p>
<p>My key takeaways from the night:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Teletherapy and hybrid services do work.</strong> Clinicians who are flexible, and comfortable with supervision and technology have seen great success. It helps to have a sense of adventure as well!</li>
<li><strong>Get to know the culture of the community that you serve.</strong> Lucinda told stories of learning how to milk a cow in Montana, and Sara went for a ride on her friend’s “snow-go” (snowmobile) in Kotzebue, Alaska. These experiences allowed them to better understand the students they serve and help them earn the trust of their communities. </li>
<li><strong>No two districts are the same,</strong> so service models will differ depending on the needs of each district. The Hello There model allows clinicians to tailor services to fit each school that they serve, and that means that there are more options to meet students’ needs.</li>
</ul>
<p>[ngg_images source="galleries" container_ids="18" sortorder="326,328,323,325,324,327" display_type="photocrati-nextgen_basic_slideshow" gallery_width="600" gallery_height="400" cycle_effect="wipe" cycle_interval="6" show_thumbnail_link="1" order_by="sortorder" order_direction="ASC" returns="included" maximum_entity_count="500"]We also used this opportunity to put <a href="http://www.thehellofoundation.com/tag/give/">our core value of Give</a> into action! We encouraged everyone to bring a new board book or preschool game to kick off a toy and book drive for the <a href="https://irco.org/">Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization</a>. This is one of our favorite local organizations and we are happy to support them in any way we can (especially when we can help local kiddos <a href="http://thehellofoundation.com/schools/press-play/">Press Play</a> with new toys!).</p>
<p><img class="alignleft wp-image-14662" src="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IRCO-books.jpg" alt="Many Faces of Hello There" width="326" height="326"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-14663" src="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/IRCO-toys-1.jpg" alt="Hello There PD" width="296" height="331"></p>
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This spring, we thought it would be fun to do a professional development event focused on our unique Hello There model, and explore how it works in different settings. Hello There, for those of you who don’t already know, is our hybrid service model that combines telepractice and in-person services for students throughout the West. … (read more)
 But we love books even more when they lend themselves to interactive play. Pairing a favorite read aloud with themed play allows our kiddos to learn new skills in a structured format (the book) and then apply those skills in a more informal play situation. What’s more, modeling literacy+play gives parents an opportunity to see how they can use books at home to target their child’s goals. </p>
<p>We have put together a list of some of our most loved books coupled with engaging play activities that allow clinicians and parents to take reading from a Level One to a Level FUN. </p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Board Books</h3>
<p>First up – board books! For the littles in your life, these are always a hit. They can take a lot of abuse and keep on ticking! And because board books hold up so well, they are also pretty conveniently found at second-hand stores and library sales. Eric Carle and Peggy Rathman produce some our go-to board books and we also love those little flap books like Where’s Spot. We can’t recommend them enough! Read on for 3 of our favorites and how we like to play with them . . . </p>
<p><img class="aligncenter wp-image-14307" src="http://thehellofoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Playing-with-Books.png" alt="Playing with Board Books" width="591" height="309"></p>
<h3><a href="http://www.peggyrathmann.com/goodnightgorilla.html"><em>Good Night Gorilla</em></a> by Peggy Rathman</h3>
<p>This classic, wordless picture book is currently being held together with tape because it gets used so much in our therapy rooms :) Here’s what you’ll definitely need for play sequence with <em>Good Night Gorilla</em>:</p>
<ul>
<li>Cages: We create “cages” from a variety of materials but the easiest is a batch of dixie cups with a flap cut out for the “door.” If you have the Critter Clinic on hand, it can also be a great substitute for zoo cages. </li>
<li>Toy animals: Finding a monkey, elephant, lion and giraffe isn’t too hard in our bins of toys. The hyena and the armadillo…a little tougher! So we use a dog and a turtle in their stead.</li>
<li>Boy/girl dolls: For the zookeeper and his wife</li>
<li>A key: Really anything will work — a real key, a toy, or even a penny — bonus points for the latter as more representational play :)</li>
<li>Extras if you have them: a toy bed, a dollhouse, a mouse and/or a banana extend the play event more</li>
</ul>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>How we play:</strong> We set up the scene by putting all of the animals in their cages and the acting out the story as we tell the story. Afterward, we may act out the story again to work on retells and/or articulation. We also may add in more animals or change the story in some way to work on flexibility (e.g. the elephant lets everyone out, the zookeeper discovers the animals, the monkey won’t leave the house). To integrate movement, we set the cages up around the room and the kiddo can be the “gorilla,” letting all the animals out of their cages. This type of play would also be great for <em>Dear Zoo</em> by Rod Campbell!</p>
<h3><a href="http://www.eric-carle.com/books.html"><em>The Very Busy Spider</em></a> by Eric Carle</h3>
<p>Who doesn’t love Eric Carle books? We only wish we were that creative! This is a good one for littles with an expressive language delay who might be working on animal/environmental sounds. Other good target goals for this book are s-blends, especially /sp/, and sequencing skills. <em>The Very Busy Spider</em> keeps us busy with a sticky web and a trail of animals who all get stuck. For this book+play activity you will need:</p>
<ul>
<li>Thick masking tape (painters tape also works great)</li>
<li>A toy spider</li>
<li>The basic farm animals and then as many other animals as you want!</li>
</ul>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>How we play:</strong> Generally we start by reading the book aloud to directly target any specific goals. After the read aloud, we build a giant spider web out of tape, using chairs, tables, the wall, door handles, etc. to make it a 3D version. We put the spider in the middle, and then act out the animals all coming to ask it to play and then getting “stuck” on the web. Depending on how big the web is, your child could also get stuck! After all the animals are on on the web, the spider can “eat” all the animals or “free” them, giving you more opportunities to practice your target goals</p>
<h3><a href="http://www.eric-carle.com/books.html"><em>Little Cloud</em></a> by Eric Carle</h3>
<p>Yep, another one by the great EC. This is a very fun, super hands-on play experience that works wells for a group or in a 1:1 situation. This delightful little book targets vocabulary goals like same/different, opposites, and synonyms. It also provides lots of opportunities to expand language with descriptive terms. Here’s your prep list:</p>
<ul>
<li>Large piece of blue paper</li>
<li>Cotton balls</li>
<li>Straws</li>
<li>White tempera paint</li>
<li>Sponges</li>
<li>Scissors</li>
<li>Glue</li>
</ul>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>How we play:</strong> We begin by reading the story aloud and talking about all the shapes Little Cloud makes in the story. What do they look like, what connections the kid(s) have with the animals/objects featured, and how Little Cloud moved in the story (e.g. slow, fast, loud, quiet). After the read aloud, we pull out the blue paper (“sky”) and set cotton balls (“clouds”) on top. Each kiddo gets a straw. With your cues, they position the straw in front of a “cloud” and use their breath to make it move across the “sky.” It can move quickly or slowly, in a straight line or crooked, loudly or quietly…you get the idea. After doing this for a few minutes pour some white tempera paint on the paper and ask the kids to make it move/grow like a cloud by blowing through the straw. Talk about if it’s harder or easier than the cotton ball. And finally, bring out the sponges and cut them into cloud shapes. Dip them into the paint and make a “cloudy sky” on the blue paper.</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">Another fun collaborative activity for a group of kids is to put on some peaceful music and have the kids dance around pretending to be a “Little Cloud.” When you turn off the music, the kids start to move towards each until they form a tight huddle. As soon as they are all together, clap your hands loudly (or better yet, use cymbals) to create “thunder.” At this cue all the kids make their hands mimic rain as they come to their knees and start beating on the floor to make a “rain sound.”</p>
<p>We could go on and on with board books, of course. Every SLP has their favorites, and we’d love to hear yours on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/helloclinic">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/thehelloclinic">Twitter</a> pages! Next time, we’ll move on to sharing our favorite picture books and how we play with them.</p>
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We love a good book here at The Hello Clinic. We regularly clean out our local library shelves 🙂 But we love books even more when they lend themselves to interactive play. Pairing a favorite read aloud with themed play allows our kiddos to learn new skills in a structured format (the book) and then… (read more)