Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

This craft reuses egg cartons, which makes it a great Earth Day activity. I love that it is perfect for spring, easy for little hands, and adaptable to go along with Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar book. It also makes sessions fun!

I did this craft with my younger students after I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and had them answer questions about the story. There are so many different skills you can target with this wonderful book, such as counting, sequencing, vocabulary building, question answering, and specific sound practice. You can print a copy of my questions now and look for more related ideas and printables in a Basic Set coming soon.  To get this set for free, make sure you are signed up on my email list before the end of the month.  You can sign up at: http://www.SpeechTherapyIdeas.com/free

Here are the directions for the egg carton caterpillar:

Materials:
egg carton (cut into a 3-cup strip)
pipe cleaner (cut in half)
scissors
marker
glue
googly eyes

Steps:
1. Gather materials.

2. Have the child draw a smile and nose, if desired, on one end of the egg carton.

3. Poke small holes where the antennae will be. From the bottom of the caterpillar, have the child put one end of the pipe cleaner in one hole and then the other end through the other hole. Curl the ends and bend them as desired.

4. Glue small googly eyes above the smile.

Here are the printable downloads for this post:

Pictures and directions for making an egg carton caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar questions

-Becky Wanca

Yeah!  Your client can successfully use his target sound in words and sentences!  Now what?  It’s time to take it to the next level.  If the child can read, I recommend having him read sound-loaded stories before jumping straight into conversational speech practice. 

Why reading?

The printed words help the child see the sound coming, especially if you highlight or underline the targeted sounds.  Another advantage to the written text is that it can be practiced (at a reduced rate, if necessary).  And, of course, when it’s written down, it’s easier to keep data! 

Where do I get these stories?

There are many published books that you can purchase with sound loaded stories, especially for the “r” and “s” sounds, but I prefer to have the child be the author of his own adventure.  And here’s why…

• You can create a story for any sound.
• You can use the words he’s already been practicing.
• The story will be more interesting to the child.
• You will be reinforcing story writing skills.
• It’s FREE!

How do we get started?

1. Make a list of nouns, a list of verbs, and some adjectives that contain the target sound.  This can include the words that he has been practicing, as well as new ones that you come up with together.  (I write the list, as well as the story, as the student says it, so he can focus on the content).
2. Name the main characters.
3. Help the student come up with the story by asking questions, such as, “Where did they go?”, “What did they do?”, “What happened next?”, “What problem did they have?”, “How did they solve their problem?”, and “How did it end?”. 

“Publish” your client’s story (optional)

I usually type the story later and bring it back to the next session for the student to practice.  I make the words with the target sound bold and underlined and leave room for the child to draw pictures.  Although typing the story takes a few minutes outside of therapy time, it’s well worth the effort.  Most of my students enjoy seeing their story typed up, and it allows you to print off a second copy to send home for practice!