Super Star Speech
http://www.superstarspeech.com/
The latest in our items for review as part of the TOS Homeschool Crew just happens to be from one of our very own Crew members, Deborah Lott. Not only is she a homeschool mom, she is a licensed speech language pathologist. Her daughters have helped in the publishing of this resource, making it a family affair. Super Star Speech books can be purchased as printed/bound books from the Super Star Speech site or as e-books through CurrClick.
This truly is speech therapy made simple. None of our children have been diagnosed with speech problems, so we have never sought professional help in this area. We do have a four year old son that is a bit more difficult to understand than his sisters were at this age. Even within our family we have to ask for translation help from whoever else may have heard what he said. I thought we would check out the Super Star Speech program to see if anything might help. We were given free e-books through our position with TOS Homeschool Crew. Everything was simple to download and understand in order to get started. The first step in doing this yourself is to do the articulation test with your child. Everything is spelled out with clear step by step instructions and examples. Our son scored at age appropriate for all sounds. His biggest miss was with the ‘L’ sound. This is listed as a sound to be using correctly for age 5. I feel much better in knowing that he speaks correctly for his age, even if we all have some frustration with communication.
To further check this out for review purposes, I decided to follow the recommendations for his trouble sound. On the page for his sound is a list of many words to use which have the sound at the beginning, middle or end. Tips are given for the proper way to form this sound, exercises to strengthen the muscles used and the great idea to use a mirror so your child can see his mouth as he is working on the sound. That last one was a real ‘light bulb’ moment for me. I love it. There are games and activities to make the whole process fun. Our son didn’t know I was ‘trying to fix him’. This is something I was especially concerned about. He has lately become defensive when we ask him to repeat himself because we don’t understand him clearly. I am so pleased with how much progress has been made in such a short time. All of my children benefitted from this time together.
Using Super Star Speech has been so easy to incorporate into our everyday routine. Even if you are using a professional speech therapist, the fun exercises and games would be beneficial. If your child is like mine and doesn’t officially have any problems but just needs a little more practice, this program is perfect. If you know your child needs some help, but it is just too costly or not available where you live, Super Star Speech may be just what you need. I know we have been blessed with children that truly have had no difficulties in learning or speech or other challenges. I know many families who face challenges everyday.
We also had the opportunity to play with some other games from Super Star Speech unrelated to their speech therapy program. The games are available through CurrClick as downloadable items, individually or in bundles. Super Star Games-science bundle includes “All About Animals”, “Climb the Vine”, “Planets, Moon and Stars”, and “The Insect Game”. We have incorporated “Climb the Vine” with our current botany studies much to the delight of our children. Super Star Games bundle has seven different games-most geography/history. They include “Colony Quest Game”, “Covering the Continents Game”, “Explorers of the World Matching Game”, “Exploring Egypt Game”, “Inventors Game”, “Road to Revolution Game” and “Silly Snail: Parts of Speech Game.” These games are an easy way to reinforce the related topic and make memories. They can be colored to personalize them and laminated for durability. The games can be stored in a file folder or adhered directly to the folder. Add an envelope or ziploc baggie with the necessary pieces, printed cards, etc. and you have an activity to add to a workbox.
To read more reviews from my fellow Crew-mates on Super Star Speech and Super Star Games check out the Crew blog here.