{App Reviews} Polished Play apps

Posted on by

.

{App Reviews} Polished Play apps

Always excited to add apps to my therapy toolbox. Here are some great ones from Polished Play:

Looking for a creative way to work on story telling language skills? Then check out the Puppet Pals apps. I like Puppet Pals 2 a bit better than the original app since it has a scrollable background, characters with moveable arms & legs, they can get in vehicles or on a horse, their mouth moves when you tap, hold and talk, etc.

Or get both in this bundle for $7.99: Puppet Pals Pack, https://appsto.re/us/RFxI9.i

Brand NEW app: Commander Amazing by Polished Play, https://appsto.re/us/OuRw-.i, $2.99. I love the combination of kids getting to be the characters, that the hero can be male or female, getting to take up to 10 emotion face pictures, funny story & game. Excited to hear that this developer will be releasing a new app in the PuppetPals StoryBooks series at the end of each month and that user pictures will be available across the series of apps. What a fun new concept! http://www.polishedplay.com/storybooks

They even have the character heads synched with their new Yarn Spin app (https://appsto.re/us/GkPeeb.i). to send funny animated stickers starring you.

See more info about all of their apps at: http://www.polishedplay.com
.
Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: http://m.me/OMazingKidsYoga
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omazingkids
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
YappGuru: http://yappguru.com/user/omazing-kids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
.
Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 27 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.

{App Review} Care for Our World – an amazing app for Earth Day (or any day)

Posted on by

.

Be still my heart! Care for Our World, one of my favorite books and play sets, is now also available as an interactive app for the iPad.  It’s perfect for Earth Day and any other day.

.

.

Here’s what I absolutely LOVE about this app:

 

  • Intuitive interface, options to toggle on/off several options separately (autoplay, narration, music, sounds and “learn words”), all interactive elements make sense and add to the story, the nature sound effects are amazing and relaxing, the voiceovers are very well done, text is highlighted as it is read, pages have forward and back arrows in the bottom corners making it very clear how pages are turned and the ability to jump to a particular page.
  • The beautiful rhyming words flow easily as you read or listen to it being read to you & inspire kids to think about all the gifts of nature and living creatures from forest, jungle, or sea that live in our world and a plea to take care of them.
  • The illustrations by Alexandra Ball are breathtaking! Really more works of art than just illustrations. This app brings them alive in an amazing way.
  • I love the gentleness of both the words & illustrations. Both evoke feelings of calmness & kindness. I love that the message of caring for the earth is done in a kid-friendly way.
  • Includes a coloring book activity section with “fill” and “draw” options, three brush size options in “draw” mode”, the ability to zoom in on a particular area of the picture to easily color small details, and the option to save to an art gallery and view it later.
  • Includes a virtual playset with 4 backgrounds, interactive characters and animals that can be added/removed, resized, flipped, layered and moved (wonderful to use to work on vocabulary, following directions, spatial concepts, adjectives, etc….) and the option to save to an art gallery and view it later. I hope they add an ocean background in a future update. It would also be nice to have the option to have the background nature sounds on while in this part of the app (the music could still play but the nature background sounds did not)
  • I liked that pictures from the coloring book and playset are all saved within the app rather than filling up your iPad’s Camera Roll.
  • Includes an Animal Encyclopedia area with kid-friendly facts, animal sound effects and real photos. My only wishes in this area for a future update would be voiceovers so kids could tap and have the facts read to them.
  • The story and illustrations have lots of opportunities for kids yoga: mountain, ocean breath, fish (sign), crab, shark, frog, snake, flower, buzzing bee breath, sloth, apple picking stretch, forward fold picking veggies, raccoon (gyan mudra mask), sheep, bear, tree, bird, squirrel, owl, spider (partners pose), butterfly, ladybug (child’s pose + wings), cricket (palming w/ chirp), cat, upward facing dog, bunny breath, turtle, camel, elephant, giraffe, lion, monkey (chest thymus taps), gyan mudra looking binoculars, koala self hug, kangaroo, penguin egg (child’s pose), discuss ways to be kind to: myself, other people, animals & our planet Earth, coloring relaxation (using the calming nature sound effects from the app and free printable coloring pages below).

.

This app is an amazing bargain at only $2.99 and is highly recommended!

App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/care-for-our-world/id1097364668?mt=8, iPad-only

.

App Developer: https://www.facebook.com/SunbreakGames/

Publisher:  https://www.facebook.com/liveinspiredeveryday/

Author:  https://www.facebook.com/karen.robbins.589?fref=ufi&rc=p

Illustrator: https://www.facebook.com/AlexandraBallIllustration

.

Here is a free printable 6-page PDF coloring booklet to go with the book, playset and app:  care for our world coloring sheets and peace pledges – OMazing Kids

.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: http://m.me/OMazingKidsYoga
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omazingkids
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
YappGuru: http://yappguru.com/user/omazing-kids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
.
Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 27 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.

{App Reviews} Great special needs apps from Inclusive Technology / HelpKidzLearn

Posted on by

.

{App Reviews} Great special needs apps from Inclusive Technology / HelpKidzLearn

Looking for very well designed apps for kids with special needs? One of my “go to” recommendations are all of the apps from Inclusive Technology. Their apps always have an intuitive interface, excellent graphics (many on a high contrast solid black background), high quality voiceovers and sound effects, fun themes, immediate activation for teaching cause & effect, and many are switch capable but can also be used via touch on the iPad screen. Many are very affordable at $2.99 each. The apps priced higher than that include features that are well worth the price. See their website for in depth info about each app: http://www.helpkidzlearn.com/us/apps. They also offer Android versions for all of their apps on the Google Play store.

Here are the 6 most recent additions to my iPad app collection:

* Five Superboys by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/PvGJcb.i
* Five Big Dinosaurs by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/3AGJcb.i
* Five Little Firefighters by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/11FJcb.i
* Five Players by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/5xGJcb.i
* Five Girls in the Ring by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/UoGJcb.i
* Racing Cars by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/fTdJI.i

This one is always FREE:

* Finger Paint With Sounds by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/aIS9I.i

I also have and love:

* Big Bang Pictures by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/irX9I.i (fabulous high contrast app that is especially great for kids with visual impairments)
* Bumper Cars by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/sgmqH.i
* ChooseIt! Education by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/bcrb7.i (bundle of 3 apps)
* Counting Songs 1 by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/XGOe1.i (includes 10 song apps)
* Five Little Aliens by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/3ImqH.i
* Hidden Grid by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/TWInD.i (fabulous high contrast app that is especially great for kids with visual impairments)
* Inclusive Smarty Pants by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/71RnD.i
* Matching Cards – Snap by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/unp9Q.i
* Memory Pairs by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/Dlp9Q.i
* Shhhh! by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/RSfJI.i
* Splat The Clowns by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/7pgJI.i
* Train Tracker by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/IurMF.i
* Treasure Island by Inclusive Technology Ltd, https://appsto.re/us/fZhJI.i
.
Be sure to follow their Facebook page to see when new apps and online games are released: https://www.facebook.com/HelpKidzLearn

See app previews: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp3TLuJeSj3dZsPlBVQofzw.

.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: http://m.me/OMazingKidsYoga
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omazingkids
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
YappGuru: http://yappguru.com/user/omazing-kids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
.
Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 27 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.

{App Review} Photo Buttons by Software Smoothie

Posted on by

.

{App Review} Photo Buttons by Software Smoothie

.
Photo Buttons is a simple, bubble-popping style cause and effect app that you can customize with personal pictures and recordings. Touch anywhere on the screen to show a button. Interact with the buttons by touching and dragging and tapping them to reveal images and sounds. Tap the buttons again to “pop” them.  I imported screenshots of CV (consonant-vowel) words from one of my other apps and used a solid black background. The app was very simple to use and it was motivating for my patients to have a different way to practice those sound combinations. 
.
.
.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist 

Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities 

Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: http://m.me/OMazingKidsYoga

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga 

AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/ 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omazingkids

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1 

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/ 

YappGuru: http://yappguru.com/user/omazing-kids/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad 

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

.

Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 27 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities. 

 

{App Review} Communication Adventure – An app for communication training for caregivers of children with complex communication needs by Avaz, Inc.

Posted on by

.

{App Review} Communication Adventure – An app for communication training for caregivers of children with complex communication needs by Avaz, Inc.

 .
This app from Avaz provides several scenarios to practice opportunities for encouraging and expanding communication. The tips are pretty universal and could apply to any robust AAC system or even general language development. There were a couple of items that I might have coached a parent a little differently in but overall the app has good info and would be a fun and very affordable way to train parents, teachers, aides or other caregivers on ways to encourage & expand communication. After you complete all the modules you then have access to an area with additional tips / ideas.
.
.
[FYI… if you have the  Avaz Pro – AAC App (https://appsto.re/us/19nrH.i) then you have similar scenarios in the “dashboard” area but they take longer to unlock there since that is contingent upon practicing sentences]
.
.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist 

Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities 

Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: http://m.me/OMazingKidsYoga

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga 

AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/ 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omazingkids

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1 

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/ 

YappGuru: http://yappguru.com/user/omazing-kids/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad 

Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

.

Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 27 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities. 

 

.

{Please Be Kind} Autism Acceptance Month 2017

Posted on by

.

As we are on the verge of heading into April, I wanted to post a request to those of you who follow my OMazing Kids blog, Facebook page, AppPeeps Facebook Group & other social media sites. I would like to keep this a safe place free from the crankiness that sometimes occurs this time of year:

.

  •  Please be kind.

It is not helpful or encouraging to leave rude comments on my Facebook page or social media sites. Everything I post is done in an attempt to provide helpful information.

Not all AAC or therapy app developers choose to offer app sales or may only offer them in certain countries. That is their choice and may be due to expenses they have incurred in keeping an app updated, licensing fees for premium voices and symbols, pricing laws in foreign countries and royalties that Apple takes from sales.

I am NOT the developer of any of the apps that I post about so therefore have no control over pricing decisions. If you have concerns or questions, please contact that app developer directly via Facebook messaging on their page or by e-mail. Most AAC app developers have a Facebook users group for that app so you can also ask questions or leave feedback there. They will not see feedback made via comments here on my page.

I have never monetized my blog or social media sites and therefore have no plans to pay to promote posts. So please don’t leave cranky comments if you miss a sale. I cross post on my AppPeeps group and several other groups when I see really great apps that are either free or on sale to help spread the word. But I work full time as a SLP and do not have time to recheck prices throughout the day and then update posts. If you notice that an app sale has ended, feel free to leave a comment about that on a post but please word it in a kind way.

Please check app prices before downloading. I verify app prices in the USA App Store at the time of the post. If I have received details from an app developer regarding dates of a sale and what countries it will be available in, I will include them in the post. Otherwise, I have no way to know how long an app will be on sale and pricing or availability in other countries. Prices are different in every country based on the exchange rate.

App prices can change very rapidly so it is wise to take the initiative to go check pages frequently that announce app deals and then download what you want quickly.

.

  •  Please do not post cranky comments about app developers not caring about other disabilities.

They are generously offering app sales during April as part of Autism Acceptance & Awareness Month. These same app developers often offer sales at other times of the year and there are no rules saying your child has to have this diagnosis to get the app on sale.

.

  • Please be mindful and respectful of each others opinions.

Despite what is reported in mainstream media, not everyone wants to “light it up blue”, be represented by a puzzle piece, loves Julia the new Sesame Street character, wants to find a cure, supports Autism Speaks, believes in “people first” language or wants an Autism Awareness day or month. Some do and that’s fine. But there is a growing community of those who do not. I invite you to read blogs and posts on Autism Acceptance and Neurodiversity to broaden your perspective. I have done so and it totally changed the way I practice and post as a SLP.

.

Thanks in advance for keeping OMazing Kids a safe and kind place 💕
.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: http://m.me/OMazingKidsYoga
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omazingkids
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
YappGuru: http://yappguru.com/user/omazing-kids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
.
Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 27 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.

{Book Review} Talk With Me! The Big Book of Exclamations 2 by Teri Kaminski-Peterson, MS, CCC-SLP

Posted on by

.

{Book Review} Talk With Me! The Big Book of Exclamations 2 by Teri Kaminski-Peterson, MS, CCC-SLP

The colorful digital illustrations on six 2-page spreads depict diverse families in daily routines and common settings:

  • bedroom / waking up
  • kitchen / mealtime
  • front yard / time to go
  • park / birthday party and playing on playground
  • bathroom / bathtime and brushing teeth
  • bedroom / bedtime

Instead of a story to read, each 2 page spread has words near each item and ideas for targeting specific early developing gestures, sounds, words, and phrases. The book also contains tips for using the book at the beginning and information at the end regarding typical speech & language development and what to do if you have concerns about your child’s skills.

My thoughts: Although most experienced SLPs may already know how to modify reading of picture books in this fashion, this book would provide great inspiration for new SLPs and for parents looking for ways to use picture books to enhance early developing speech & language skills. It is well worth the price and highly recommended for those individuals.  Given the targeted age range, it would be nice to see a board book version offered that would stand up well to repeated use in therapy sessions and self-exploration by toddlers. I’m very careful with my books in therapy so this has not been an issue for me but is something to consider when using books with very young children.

Purchase:

My suggestion is to compare all your options, including shipping costs, to determine the best deal.

The author also offers a two-sided laminated placemat of scenes from the kitchen & park for $5.00 + shipping.

Website: http://chatterboxbooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Big-Book-of-Exclamations-299776487030/

.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: http://m.me/OMazingKidsYoga
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omazingkids
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
YappGuru: http://yappguru.com/user/omazing-kids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
.
Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 27 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.

Two Fun Books for SLPs: When a Dragon Moves In & When a Dragon Moves in Again by Jodi Moore

Posted on by

.

I love using fabulous kids picture books in my work as a Speech-Language Pathologist! I have well over a thousand of them and have them organized by themes in tubs and on bookshelves at home. It’s fun to swap out the books in the basket at work for the activities & themes I have planned that week.  I especially like books that are a “fun read” either because of the rhyming text or the hilarious story line. Here are two recent additions to my collection that fit in the “hilarious story line” category:

When a Dragon Moves In

I love the colorful illustrations (even the end sheets are fully illustrated), imaginative story, and lots of opportunities for spatial concepts, adjectives, verbs, and interpreting pictured events from different perspectives.

Peek inside the book: http://www.flashlightpress.com/flipbooks/dragonFlipbook/Default.html

Book reading:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvljoVljn-A

Building a Story is Like Building a Sandcastle – A Parent/Teacher Guide for using When a Dragon Moves Into introduce the components of a story: http://www.flashlightpress.com/files/Building_a_Story_is_Like_Building_a_Sandcastle.pdf

Draw a Sandcastle free printable: http://www.flashlightpress.com/files/Draw_Sandcastle.pdf

Visualization activity & free printable: http://dailylearningtothecore.blogspot.co.il/2013/05/mentor-text-when-dragon-moves-in.html?showComment=1367776162621

.

When a Dragon Moves In Again

This sequel has colorful illustrations (even the end sheets are fully illustrated), imaginative story, and lots of opportunities for spatial concepts, adjectives, verbs, and expected vs. unexpected behavior and feelings when a new baby joins the family.

Peek inside the book: http://www.flashlightpress.com/flipbooks/dragonagainFlipbook/Default.html

(I couldn’t find a good video of the book being read aloud but the peek inside the book on the publisher’s website will give you an idea of what it’s like)

Can you find? free printable: http://www.flashlightpress.com/files/Can_You_Find2.pdf

 

More activities for both books: http://www.flashlightpress.com/Activity_Guides.html

.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: http://m.me/OMazingKidsYoga
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omazingkids
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
YappGuru: http://yappguru.com/user/omazing-kids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
.
Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with 27 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.

{App Review} Signed Stories apps

Posted on by

.

{App Review} Signed Stories apps

I am loving the combination of sign language with books and fun activities to aide in sign language learning! The apps are very well designed and have several options to customize them for your needs. Take look at this video for a peek at them:

All books include:
• high definition animated stories
• expert American Sign Language translations for deaf and non-verbal children
• clear narration, sound effects and specially-commissioned music to entertain and educate hearing children
• captions which can be customized by size, color contrast and font style to make reading easier for children and adults with dyslexia
• the option to select any combination of sign language, captions and audio
• a vocabulary builder and two interactive language learning games to teach children functional and high frequency words

The app developer has made a very wise choice in offering paid versions of the apps that include everything without any in app purchases (IAP). This makes it possible for schools and other state run facilities to purchase them.

Here are the two apps that I received to review:

* Signed Stories Book Bundle #3 for Schools by ITV Broadcasting Limited, https://appsto.re/us/fIE6U.i, $19.99 (includes 8 books – all included without any IAPs; each book is also available at the price listed below as an IAP within their free app). My fave is “Driving My Tractor” which I also as a book + CD so it’s cool to have a sign language enhanced version. The classic stories included in this bundle provide lots of opportunities for language with repeated lines.

– Hickory Dickory Dock .99
– Driving My Tractor $5.99
– Head Shoulder Knees and Toes $3.99
– Five Little Speckled Frogs .99
– Twinkle Twinkle Little Star .99
– Rock a Bye Baby .99
– First Time Nursery $3.99
– You and Me $2.99

* Signed Stories – Weather and Seasons Book Bundle by ITV Broadcasting Limited, https://appsto.re/us/oX_neb.i, $17.99 (includes 8 books – all included without any IAPs; each book is also available at the price listed below as an IAP within their free app). I have several patients who have a high interest in weather so these stories have been a hit with them 😃

– Spring $2.99
– Sun $1.99
– Rain $1.99
– Snow $1.99
– Wind $1.99
– Winter $2.99
– Fall $2.99
– Summer $2.99
.
They also offer a free app that includes one book and then more are available as IAPs. Some parents may prefer this option. I also noticed they have quite a few books that are only available as IAPs. The free app with IAPs: Signed Stories by ITV Broadcasting Limited, https://appsto.re/us/ByX1G.i

Website: http://www.signedstories.com/apps

Social media sites:
* https://www.facebook.com/ITVSignedStories
* https://twitter.com/SignedStories

.
Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids:
http://m.me/OMazingKidsYoga
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omazingkids
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
YappGuru: http://yappguru.com/user/omazing-kids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
.
Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with 27 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.

No-Prep “Grab & Go” Activity for Core Vocabulary & Language: Play-Doh Rowdy the Garbage Truck and the book Trashy Town (includes free printable symbols and coloring page)

Posted on by

.

Looking for a No Prep “Grab & Go” activity that has lots of opportunities for targeting core vocabulary, following directions, sequencing, adjectives, verbs, expanding utterances & more?  

I have several patients who have a passion for garbage trucks and anything related to them ….. funny but true. So I use the book “Trashy Town” frequently in OMazing Kids speech therapy. Look who arrived to join Mr. Gilley the Trashman…. It’s Rowdy the Garbage Truck Play-Doh set 😃.

Oh my goodness! This was hilarious to use in OMazing Kids speech therapy this week. We laughed so hard as it shot PlayDoh bugs, fish bones & rats out the back. Several kids with very short attention maintained joint attention for over 5 minutes. Lots of spontaneous uses of: in, go, out, more, open, close, up, down, squish, drive, sticky, eww!, look!, bugs, trash, worms, etc. Here’s a short video to give you a peek at the Play-Doh Rowdy the Trash Truck. It’s an older toy but still available on Amazon. Also saw several on eBay.

In case you missed it, I made these free printable symbols to go with it:

Free Printable Symbols: Anytime I get a toy like this I immediately create symbols to go with it and store them in the lid of the storage container so it is a “No Prep – Grab & Go” activity. I use them both as communication symbols and also as visual supports for language and expanding utterances.

Here is a free printable of the symbols that I made.
https://www.boardmakeronline.com/Activity/13142773

I’m including a PDF version for those who don’t have access to Boardmaker:

.

Free printable Trashy Town coloring page:

 

If you don’t have the book Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha, take a look at this video. It’s always a fave:

.

Fun free Garbage Truck song:

http://www.nancymusic.com/SOM/2011/garbage-truck.htm

.

A garbage truck music video:

.

And garbage truck themed apps:

.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: http://m.me/OMazingKidsYoga
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omazingkids
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
YappGuru: http://yappguru.com/user/omazing-kids/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
.
Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with 27 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.

.

{Please ignore any ads that may appear below. This is a free blog and I have no control over any ads nor do I profit from them}