{Review} Smarty Symbols Image Club

Posted on December 14, 2016 by OMazing Kids

{Review} Smarty Symbols Image Club

I have several patients who use the Speak For Yourself AAC app. That app uses Smarty Symbols. So I was especially thrilled to have the opportunity to try out the online Smarty Symbols Image Club (https://smartysymbols.com).

I already had the Custom Boards – Premium app (https://appsto.re/us/1hHNB.i) with access to over 10,000 symbols.

I was excited to see the Smarty Symbol Image Club has over 19,000 symbols. They even add hundreds of new images to their portal on a monthly basis. Many of these images are created in response to the requests by subscribers. If you search for a word and you don’t find it, they will create it for you!

I was able to quickly create a CV web mat to use in conjunction with the fabulous free speech sound cue cards from Speechy Musings also featuring Smarty Symbols (https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Speech-Sound-Cue-Cards-Freebie-2196455). The website was easy to use. I can’t wait to make more materials featuring Smarty Symbols!

Here are some of the key features in the Smarty Symbol Image Club:

Access over 19,000 symbols
Ability to request a specific symbol be created
New symbols added monthly
Symbols representing a variety of genders, ages & ethnicities
All symbols are offered in full color or gray scale
You can download images in two formats: .png (transparent background – great for layering) or .jpg (white background). You can easily insert them onto your materials.
Images are organized into over 140 educationally relevant categories
You can search images by speech sound & position in a word making it very easy for SLPs to create materials to target particular articulation goals.
Activity Library where users can share activities they have created with other subscribers.
Printing Center with 40 templates. You can also create your own custom grids with 1-8 columns and 1-8 rows, specify the border color and adjust the border thickness. This portion of the website can only be accessed via a computer (not iPad-compatible).
Several video tutorials to help you get up to speed quickly on using the website: https://smartysymbols.com/videos/
Subscribers Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/447191572097599
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/smartysymbols/?ref=ts&fref=ts

Pricing Options: https://smartysymbols.com/our-plans-pricing/. For personal use, they currently offer rates of $45 per year or $9 per month. They also offer group licenses at a discounted rate to school districts and educational agencies (contact them for that pricing).

If you have an online store such as a store on websites like Teachers Pay Teachers, you will want a commercial license which gives you the rights to post your creations for sale while your subscription is active. The commercial license gives users the same access as a personal license. The key difference is that you will be sharing whatever you created with others online or by selling the material to others. They currently offer commercial rates of $200 per year or $29.99 per month.

If you are needing an option that is totally iPad compatible and templates for common AAC mid-tech devices, then their Custom Boards app will be a better fit for your needs (http://smartyearsapps.com/service/custom-boards/)

On the other hand, if you would rather create items on the computer, have access to more symbols (including .png format that can be layered and used in other projects) and those representing a wider variety of ages and ethnic backgrounds, have access to the activity library where other subscribers have shared materials and don’t anticipate needing AAC templates, then the online subscription to the Smarty Symbols Image Club would be a great option.

Or get the best of both worlds by getting both the app & the online subscription. Both the app and the online subscription offer the option to search for images by speech sound & position in a word making it very easy for SLPs to create materials to target particular articulation goals. Both also offer the option to search for symbols in the “Speak For Yourself (SFY) Core”.

The cool thing is all of these options are significantly more affordable than a Boardmaker CD or a subscription to Boardmaker Online.

I was blessed to win a copy of a Boardmaker CD many years ago and it’s definitely gotten LOTS of use. You’ve also seen me post about the Tools 2 Talk app with PCS symbols, the iESLp app with SymbolStix, the GoTalk Now Plus app with PCS and SymbolStix, the Custom Boards app with Smarty Symbols and now the Smarty Symbols Image Club. Each of these tools is unique and I pick the one best suited to the need in that moment.

In the era of working with patients using AAC devices with varying symbol sets I’m glad to have a way to make materials and visual supports with the symbols that each patient is accustomed to. If I’m making visual supports or therapy materials that will be used across lots of different patients, then I often pick symbols from a variety of symbol sets going with whatever best depicts the concept.

Disclaimer: I received a free subscription to this website to facilitate my review. Opinions expressed are my own.

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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
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Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
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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.
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{please ignore any ads that may appear below. This is a free blog and I don’t have any control over ads nor do I profit from them}

{App Giveaway & Review} My Town: Daycare

Posted on December 2, 2015 by OMazing Kids

{App Giveaway & Review} Head over to this post on the OMazing Kids Facebook page to see my review and to enter for a chance to win this fun new app from My Town:

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: https://www.facebook.com/messages/17426452595789

Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
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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 25 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 and tech products to use with kids of all abilities.

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Ignore any ads that may appear below. This is a free blog and I have no control over the ads that may appear.

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Review & Giveaway: “Seven Little Monkeys” by Joanie Woodward

Posted on November 29, 2014 by OMazing Kids

Check out the fun new addition to OMazing Kids… “Seven Little Monkeys” by Joanie Woodward! Lots of the kids I work with have significant anxiety & sleep disturbances so I’m always looking for more resources in this area. Almost all kids in the USA are familiar with 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed so this will build easily on a familiar theme. The book has a great repeated line, colorful illustrations & incorporates subtle use of colors that tie into chakras. There are no religious connotations in the body of the book so it could be used in a variety of settings. Here are a few pics inside the book since there isn’t currently a preview inside online:

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All these pics are also in the album on the OMazing Kids Facebook page if you want to see larger ones: https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga/photos/pb.174264525957894.-2207520000.1417304159./846729015378105/?type=3&theater

Price (at the time of this post): $19.95

Purchase on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Little-Monkeys-Joanie-Woodward/dp/0975467646 or the author’s website: http://monkeymindbellybreath.com/book

The author’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Monkey-Mind-Belly-Breath/315181351974429?ref=br_tf

This book is definitely joining my growing collection of monkey-themed items & materials for relaxation. See more ideas on these posts:

In case you wanted to know, I bought the blue zig-zag chevron monkey on Amazon but the price has gone up a lot since I got him in July 2013. You may be able to find a good deal by checking other colors of it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004RIAR5Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this product to facilitate my review. Opinions expressed are my own. Starting in 2013, a new component of reviews & giveaways hosted on OMazing Kids is that a review will be added on Amazon.com (for products sold on that site). See my Amazon profile at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1JKVLELLSX7FD?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_aya_bb_pdp.

giveaway

International entries allowed for this giveaway.

1 USA winner & 1 international winner.

This giveaway is now CLOSED. Congratulations to the winners: Meagan Lawson (USA) & Tanya Beresford (United Kingdom).

Easy Entry Form:

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Only entries with all required information will be valid. The info comes to me directly via e-mail & is ONLY used for the purposes of selecting winners and distributing prizes.

Helpful Info & Tips: Folks had requested a simpler entry option. I tried Rafflecopter but most folks did not enter an address so now I’m trying this online contact form instead. I will be hand selecting winners to insure products end up in the hands of folks who will put them to the best use. Briefly tell me how winning this would help you & the kids. I take the time to read each entry so details count. It doesn’t have to be lengthy…. just heart-felt.
If you experience any problems with the entry form in this blog post, please e-mail me specific details so I can attempt to fix it. E-mail to: amoorad1@juno.com . The entry deadline may be extended at the sole discretion of OMazing Kids in the event of prolonged entry problems.

Each “giveaway” is handled separately on OMazing Kids. So there are no rules prohibiting previous winners from entering this or future giveaways. I really do read every entry in every giveaway carefully to insure that the products end up in the best hands to impact kids lives.

Entry Deadline: 11:59pm CST on December 2, 2014.

Rules of Participation:

Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
One entry per person.
International entries are allowed for this particular giveaway.
Employees or family members of OMazing Kids, LLC or the product’s company are not eligible.
No purchase required.
Comments submitted via entries may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
Only entries with all required information will be valid.
The winner will be chosen from valid entries on December 3, 2014 .

2 winners will each receive 1 copy of the book described above. (sorry…. my sock monkey is not included in the giveaway)

The winner will be notified via e-mail, will be posted on the blog post & will be posted on the OMazing Kids Facebook page. The company offering the prize may also post the winner’s name on their website, blog, Facebook page and/or other social media sites at their discretion.
The prize will be mailed to the winner using the address submitted in the entry form. OMazing Kids is not responsible for items lost in the mail or for inaccuracies in the mailing address. I copy & paste the info directly from what you submit << so PLEASE proof read your entry for accuracy before submitting it…. in the era of iPhone auto correction these errors happen pretty frequently>>
The winner’s address will be forwarded to the author and she will be mailing the prizes directly to the winners. After I e-mail the winner’s info to the company, it is their responsibility to mail out prizes. Please contact them first if you are concerned about not receiving a prize. If that does not resolve the problem, then feel free to e-mail me and I will glad to assist in whatever way I can.

Prize Value: $19.95

Other Legal Stuff: I know it’s just kids book but just to be safe here is all the legal stuff…

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to OMazing Kids, LLC and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for our internal purposes in relation to the administration of the giveaway. Your information will NOT be sold to any outside parties.

Indemnification/Hold Harmless: By participating, entrants agree: (a) to the decisions of OMazing Kids, LLC, which shall be final in all respects; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless OMazing Kids, LLC and its respective representatives and agents from all liability, injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in and/or entry into the Contest or any Contest-related activity and for acceptance, delivery, or use of any prize; (c) that the foregoing parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guaranty, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize.

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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist

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

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the wavy blue divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

Product Review: EnviroKid™ cushion – a non-toxic, eco-friendly, sensory-friendly seating option for kids of all abilities

Posted on August 31, 2011 by OMazing Kids

Looking for a non-toxic, eco-friendly, sensory-friendly seating option for kids of all abilities?

Then the EnviroKid™ cushion would be a great option to consider!

We have been trying out two of the EnviroKid™ cushions at the JD McCarty Center for Children with Developmental Disabilities in OMazing Kids Yoga, in a Storytime group and as an adapted seating option.

Key features of the cushion:

PVC-Free and Phthalate-Free EnviroKid™ Cushion is available in a variety of soothing colors.
The outer covering is EnviroLeather, PVC-Free Synthetic Leather® which is engineered to:

adjust to your child’s body temperature quickly
stand up to even the most “active” of children
be cleaned easily

26”x 26” dimensions.

The uses for the EnviroKid™ cushion in a kids yoga studio setting are wonderfully described in a post by Childlight Yoga (http://www.thekidsyogaresource.com/2011/08/envirokid-cushions-a-zafu-for-kids-and-a-whole-lot-more.html). So rather that duplicate that information, I am focusing my review on the additional therapeutic uses for this cushion.

The unique properties of the EnviroKid™ cushion are difficult to describe….. but after sitting on it you will see what makes it very different from any other cushion or bean bag chair. You gently sink in and the beads in the cushion conform around you and then remain in place to provide a nice feeling of support. The non-toxic, eco-friendly aspects of the cushion are especially important when working with kids with special needs as they tend to be more sensitive or susceptible to environmental toxins.

Brittany H., one of our Physical Therapists, was amazed at how well the EnviroKid™ cushion supported one of her patients… “A child I see frequently has been working on trunk control. He has spastic quadriplegia and requires maximal assistance to maintain an upright position at the edge of a mat table with his feet supported on a bench. He loses his sitting balance after only a few seconds when manual support is removed. I have been using the EnviroKid™ cushion during our last few sessions. The cushion provides enough support to allow him to sit independently for 1-2 minutes at a time while still challenging his trunk control. He was able to use his dominant hand to play with a toy while sitting independently. I love the way the cushion forms around his pelvis, giving just enough support to provide independence while still requiring trunk righting responses and engaging core muscles for strengthening and control”.

One of our Speech-Language Pathologists used the cushion with a patient whose disabilities are secondary to Shaken Baby Syndrome. His grandmother was so excited about how well he sat in the EnviroKid™ cushion that she indicated she is going to see if his school will order one so he can sit on the floor with the other kids.

Given my observations of kids reactions to the EnviroKid™ cushion, it is likely that kids with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) would enjoy sitting on the cushion because it conforms around you, has a soft suede-like surface, is lower to the ground than a typical beanbag chair & is odor-free (no chemical-like odor like many beanbag chairs have).

One of the EnviroKid™ cushions has been out for general use in our very busy rehab treatment area and after several weeks of use has not shown any signs of wear…. A good sign since the kids we work with can tend to be tough on stuff.

The price of the EnviroKid™ cushion ($57.95) may be a little high if folks think it is just an eco-friendly pillow or beanbag chair alternative…. but it’s a good price compared to yoga zafu cushions or when compared to therapeutic adapted seating options.

The EnviroKid™ cushion is available for ordering on their website: http://myenvirokid.com/envirokid-cushion/

For more info about the dangers of PVC, BPA, Phthalates, etc…. read this: http://myenvirokid.com/why-pvc-free-phthalate-free/

A YouTube video about the Info about the EnviroLeather material used to make the EnviroKid™ cushions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSUDI24wn-8

Disclaimer: I received two free EnviroKid™ cushions to facilitate my review. Opinions expressed are my own based on direct observations and feedback that I received regarding their use.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist with 21 years of pediatric experience