My family had the opportunity to receive complimentary copies of games published by Super Star Speech for the purpose of a review for the TOS Homeschool Crew.
Super Star Speech publishes much more than just fun and effective speech therapy games. There are games that include subject areas from grammar to geography to history to science. Debbie Lott, the publisher of these games, is a licensed speech pathologist who has developed fun learning games to help your child improve his articulation in his speech. Along with this program, she has developed games to review and reinforce facts from across the curriculum.
I will summarize and share our experiences with various games we have used.
Silly Snail Parts of Speech Game
This game has a game board in the shape of a snail’s shell with spaces labeled with the parts of speech. Each player takes turns picking a card with a sentence with a highlighted word. The player identifies the part of speech for that word and then moves his piece to the space marked with that part of speech. The first one to reach the Finish space wins the game.
Both my guys enjoyed this game and I could see it was a good review for them as we looked at how each word was being used in the sentences on their chosen cards.
Explorers of the World Matching Game
This game includes a large assortment of explorers from across a broad timeline. There are a couple of suggestions in how you can play this game. We chose to play a concentration game and make matches between those cards that describe the explorer’s route and geographical location with the name of the explorer, so we had to recall information from our current explorer’s unit to make a match. For younger children, you can use pairs of cards that have the geographical information with the name of the appropriate explorer and match it during a game of concentration with the matching card that has just the name of the explorer on it. That way your child does not have to recall specific facts about the explorer, but can learn about it from reading the cards as he matches each card.
My guys also enjoyed this game and gained quite a bit from the review. They attempted to play with all 24 pairs, but soon discovered that was a bit overwhelming for them and cut that back to 12 pairs at a time.
Covering the Continents Game
This game includes a map of the continents with each player choosing a color for his tokens. Each player picks a card that contains a fact about a continent and reads that card to the other player whose turn it is. That player names the continent he thinks that corresponds to that fact. If he is correct, he places one of his tokens on that continent on the map. The next player then has a turn to attempt to place a token on a continent. Once a player has placed three tokens of his color on a continent it is considered “settled.” Once all of the continents are “settled” or the deck of cards are all used, the game is over. The player with the most “settled” continents wins.
My guys enjoyed this game, as it was a competition to see who could get each continent “settled” first. I thought it was also a great review of facts about each continent and a fun way to reinforce those facts.
Exploring Egypt Game
The Exploring Egypt Game also includes a board game, this one in the shape of a pyramid. A player picks up and reads a card with the beginning of a phrase about Egypt and a choice of three possible answers, the answer being highlighted. The other player can either attempt to complete the phrase on his own or listen to the three possible choices and pick one. If he answers correctly, he can move his piece the number of spaces that appears on the question card. The play continues in this manner until a player reaches the top of the pyramid. The cards add variety to the game with directions for losing a turn or moving forward or backward. The pyramid also includes the occasional sun picture, allowing the player to take another turn.
My guys enjoyed this game and review of Egyptian facts. I also thought this was great way to review a unit on Egypt.
Colony Quest Game
This game is similar to the Continent Game in that one player reads to the other player a card with a fact associated with one of the original colonies. The other player either names the colony on his own or can choose an answer from the two choices read to him. If he answers the question correctly, the player puts a colored token onto a game board with a map of the colonies on it. Once a player places two tokens of the same color on a colony, that colony is considered “settled.” The game is over once the cards have all been used or all of the colonies are “settled.” The player who has the most “settled” colonies wins. The cards add variety to the game by various instructions to the players to lose a token or removing another player’s token and replacing it with your own.
This was another winner in our house and we will definitely be playing this as we cycle through more years of American History in our house.
Road to Revolution
Speaking of American History, we also played another game from this era called Road to Revolution. You guessed it, from the Revolutionary War. This game is more like a traditional board game with answering the question on a card, rolling the die, and moving that number of spaces on a game board. The first player to reach the Finish space wins the game.
Another winner in reviewing facts from an area of study! Of course, my boys, being boys, love the study of any war in history. This will be played many times and my guys are already adding their own questions and answers to this game.
Inventors Game
The Inventors Game is another game of matching/concentration. Your children can choose from matching a card with an inventor’s name on it with another card with either just the name of the invention he invented or one with the inventor’s name and invention on it. A variation of this game is to play a game of competing against others in building a timeline of the inventors and their inventions.
This is a very interesting and educational game in learning about a large number and variety of inventions.
Super Star Speech: Therapy Made Simple
When one of my children needed speech therapy when he was little, I could find no games that were simple enough and reasonably priced for a parent to use at home with her child for review and practice between speech therapy sessions. I wanted to review this program because I really feel there is a need for this kind of product. I was fortunate enough to have found a wonderful therapist to work with my son once per week. She showed me and helped me develop simple games to play with my son to review the speech sounds she was currently focusing on and working with him. My son even helped me make the pieces for the game and we played every day. What a difference this kind of review and learning game has on speech development! I highly recommend this kind of “learning” between therapy sessions.
There are four books to this series:
- Super Star Speech: Speech Therapy Made Simple
- Super Star Ch, J, and Th: Speech Therapy Made Simple
- Super Star S, Z, and Sh, Speech Therapy Made Simple
- Super Star R & L, Speech Therapy Made Simple
The main book, Super Star Speech: Speech Therapy Made Simple, has the following tools to get you started with your child’s speech therapy and introduces target sounds for articulation:
- Test for articulation with directions for administration
- Response sheet
- Sound error analysis sheet
- Therapy plan
This book also includes directions for which sounds to target at what ages and how. There is also instruction as to how to focus on specific sounds for articulation. To practice those sounds after demonstrating and working with your child in how to form them, games and activities are included.
The other books in this series focus specifically on those sounds found in each title of the books. Like the main title, these include step by step practical instruction to the parent from using a mirror to proper tongue and teeth placement, and how to instruct your child in his practice of each particular sound.
There are explanations to you to help you understand the process. Wordlists using the particular sound to use for practice are also included, as well as, lesson plan forms to detail the “task” you are working on with your child, the activity used to practice the sound, the accuracy of articulating that sound, and a section for notes. Suggested therapy games and activities from worksheet activities to checkers, and from tic-tac-toe to board games will keep your child enjoying this learning process.
As I said earlier, I am so glad Debbie has published this series of books and I know it will bless many parents in need of this type of resource. I sure did a number of years ago, and was fortunate enough to have found someone like Debbie who helped me develop what my son needed at the time. Now it’s all been done for you!
The following is the pricing for the speech materials: Super Star Speech: Speech Therapy Made Simple in a ring binder $22.95, spiral bound $18.95, or in ebook format for $12.95; the “R” and “L” sound specific book and the “S”, “Z”, and “Sh” sound specific book are available as spiral bound also for $18.95, while all three sound specific books are available as eb00ks for $12.95.
The following is the pricing for the Super Star Games: all games are available as a download for $3.50 each.
For other reviews about Super Star Speech materials and other games not mentioned here, visit the TOS Homeschool Crew.
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