One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure

I never really appreciated this idiom until I started my career as a speech-language pathologist 11 years ago.  Boy oh boy, has my perspective changed!  Over the years, I have managed to find some priceless treasures. (And when I say priceless, I almost mean priceless!). Here is a list of my top five favorite "treasures"!

Hopscotch Twister
This game can be played with one or more players.  With the 13 colored rings, students can follow directions to create a hopscotch path.  This game is great for articulation drill by placing words or number of speech turns in different circles.  The students love playing it because it gets them up and out of their seats and can be played either inside or outside.

Books!  

I love children's books.  I am addicted to them.  I cannot practice discipline when I come in close contact with them.  This leads me to my confession: I rotate books between my room at school and my daughter's bedroom so that I can house more books.  Whew.  

A few years ago, I stumbled across the books The Way I Feel by Jamie Lee Curtis and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle at a garage sale for a grand total of $1.00  I never knew how much I would use The Way I Feel, but it has worked well with the Zones of Regulation (by Leah Kuypers).  

Zingo

I used this game a lot when I worked with younger children in the private setting, and I knew that it would come in handy at some point, and right I was!  I snagged this game at Goodwill last summer.  Since then, it's been useful for several goals I've targeted including associations, describing, multisyllabic words, and pragmatic skills.  

When I Grow Up Alphabet Puzzle

I just picked up this never used puzzle at Goodwill this weekend, so I haven't had a chance to use it yet.  I know it'll be great for talking about people in the community, occupations, articulation, and learning letters!

Blues Clues Fridge

I found this gem at Goodwill, too!  I'm sure many of you have already seen or used this toy.  It's great for object recognition, colors, and learning food groups.  I like to work on simple sentences with this toy, too.

I'm sure this summer will lead me to more "treasures!"  I'd also like to give a  BIG shout out to Jenna at Speech Room News for yet another great idea:  Thrifty Finds.  Where does she come up with these fun ideas?