Super Star Speech and Educational Games

Speech Pathology is something that has caught my interest since being exposed to two wonderful speech pathologists who worked with the children I cared for as a nanny in my pre-mommy days. I have so far not required such help with my own children (Thank heaven!), but I was delighted as a TOS Crew member to be able to check out Debbie Lott's Super Star Speech program. (Debbie is a liscensed speech pathologist with a Masters in Education/Speech Pathology who has homeschooled her own 4 children) 

 I was especially interested because JDP2 has been what friends call my "Hawaiian baby"... he started speaking with correct syllables, and lots of vowels, but very few consonants! Since then he has added a number of consonants to his vocabulary, but I was still interested/concerned to find out if he was really on track.
 
I am pleased to say that after going through a set of diagnostic "tests" with him, he appears to be developing well for his age, just not an early "Elocutionist", like his siblings. 

The test simply amounted to asking him the names of pictures and determining if he was hitting the target sound, a modified version, replacing it, or not at all. He mostly enjoyed "playing this game", although I would recommend doing it in two parts if you have a particularly young child that you are working with. (These are really recommended for ages 3+, but I was curious, and he WILL be 3 in July... ;) )


If I had determined that there were specific sounds that he was lagging behind on, Debbie has included, in her main Super Star Speech manual, general instructions on how to apply the therapy sessions that she outlines next. 

• There are tips on producing each sound(Physical and visual descriptions of how the sound is produced, and how to physically help your child make that sound)
• Picture cards to use in "Drill" and games
• A section with suggested activities and games to make speech therapy a fun part of your child's day. 
• There are also sheets included for your convenience in "lesson planning" and assessment of progress. 
• Word lists for each sound with initial, middle, and final placement in the words. 
• Printable pages with general activities, games and different "progress" charts that will work with any sound, so that the child can "own" their work. (There are a wide variety of pages with activities for both younger and older students... from "Color in" or "play a game" pages, to "Write the sound", and "Fill in the blank" pages.)

Here is an example of a physical description for producing the sounds "f" and "v":
F and V are produced by touching the upper teeth to the lower lip. F is produced by passing the breath between the teeth and lip. V is produced in the same way with the voice “turned on.”

If you find that there are specific sounds that are not coming easily with the activities and instruction included in the basic Super Star Speech manual, Debbie  has provided extra materials in ebooks with even more games and activities for specific grouped sounds... currently available: (S, Z, and Sh) (R and L), and (Ch, J, and Th). 


From what I have seen "in action" and going through these materials myself, I am very impressed with this reasonable alternative to the usually expensive option of private speech therapy. 

You can see for yourself how the material is covered by checking out some of the free tips and resources available on the Super Star Speech website.

Super Star Speech is available in a variety of formats:

• You can purchase hard copy versions of all the books (except the (Ch,J,Th) ebook) directly from Super Star Speech (average price:$18.95 for spiral bound)
• There are "bundle" options in both spiral($38.95) and and ring bound($49.95) versions
• Debbie would like to offer you, my readers, a 20% discount on books from Super Star Speech The discount code, which will be good until June 30, is "TOS."
• Shipping is flat rate, $3.95

Alternatively, for an even cheaper option you can purchase (*non-resaleable) ebook versions at Currclick.

The individual titles are currently each available for $12.95 each:

• Super Star Speech, **
• (S, Z, SH), **
• (R, L), **
• and the newest addition, (Ch, J, TH) **

The Super Star Speech 3 book bundle ** of the main manual+ (S,Z,Sh) + (R,L) is $27 

(BTW, the Currclick pages have some excellent "preview" pages, so that you can get a better idea of what is offered... :) )


Super Star Speech gets two thumbs up for me for both content and cost! 

*NOTE from Debbie Lott and Super Star Speech: If your child has many articulation errors, or another type of speech problem such as a language delay or stuttering, or if you are not able to commit to working with your child and his speech regularly at home, please seek the assistance of a speech-language pathologist. Likewise, if your child has a physical problem that affects his speech, such as a hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, or cleft palate, this book does not attempt to address those more complex issues.


Now~ on to the Educational Games~ 

I am a fan of file folder games, and Super Star Games are a great way to add some interest to a variety of topics while hammering down some of those basic facts and concepts that can be a little dry at times. Debbie Lott has taken all the work and done it for us with these games. Here are the available titles ~
 
 

    

    

BTW~they aren't listed as "file folder" games, but they are very suited to that format. I print up the "Cover" and paste it on the the front of a file folder, print up the "Board" which is usually 2 pages, and glue those to the inside of the file folder, print up the rules, and paste those to the back of the folder. Any cards or playing pieces get printed up on card stock and stored in a ziplock bag with the name of the game written on the outside. The whole thing then gets stored(bag inside folder) in a larger filing system. Very handy! :) 


Each title is available individually from Currclick as a download for $3.50. There are also bundles available for these, check out all the options**.. :) 

I appreciated the option to tell my kids to go play the Silly Snail Game to work on their parts of speech recognition. It was easy enough to copy the answer key, put into two colums in a word doc, and print it up so that they could play independently without mom having to be there to oversee the answers. I am looking forward to checking more of these games out, from the history and geography to science... great! 


I hope you will check out the TOS CREW blog for other opinions, and as always, I am hoping these reviews will help you make the best decisions for YOUR family, and how to best spend your homeschooling budget.

Blessings~
 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this/these item(s)/service for free as part of the TOS Crew Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
** Currclick affiliate link