Letter of the Week: W

December 16 - 20
Letter of the Week: W
Theme: Winter

Contrary to what we might think based on our recent weather, winter begins next weekend.  In honor of the change of seasons we will be talking about all things cold, snowy and wintery!

Technically, ‘w’ is a consonant.  From a speech perspective, /w/ is a wind sound.  It is a sound cousin to /h/ as both are made by an air stream relatively unobstructed by the lips and tongue.  When we put ‘w’ at the beginning of a word or syllable, the sound is made but simply rounding the lips before moving to the vowel sound following it.  Image from the LiPS program by Lindamood-Bell For our purposes here, /w/ is a noisy sound (voice on – vocal cords vibrate – to make this sound).  Hold your hand to your throat as you say /w/; you should feel vibration from the vocal cords.  Now say ‘hhhhhhh’ (a quiet sound); feel the difference?

In therapy:  We will be reading 'w'/winter themed books, doing ‘w’/winter themed activities, and exploring the letter name, letter sound and letter symbol for 'w'.

Suggestions for home:  Sprinkle ‘w’ throughout the week.  Pick out a variety of activities that appeal to your child (and you!).  Kids learn best through active and meaningful experiences.  And multi-modal learning helps make stronger and more diverse connections in the brain, which helps with retention and recall.  Most important, have fun!

BOOKS

• My “w” Book (Sound Box Books) by Jane Belk Moncure

• Winter Eyes by Douglas Florian

• Winter Poems by Barbara Rogasky

• Winter by Gerda Muller

• The Story of the Snow Children by Sibylle von Olfers

• Flannel Kisses by Linda Crotta Brennan

• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

• It's Winter! by Linda Glaser

• Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

• Katy and The Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

• Cub’s First Winter by Rebecca Elliot

• Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer

• When Winter Comes by Nancy Van Laan

• Winter Lullaby by Barbara Seulling

• Winter: An Alphabet Acrostic by Steven Schnur

• The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer

FOOD
Eating the Alphabet - W:  Consider adding some “w” foods to your menu this week.  Here are a few ideas:
     wafers     waffles     water     walnuts     watercress     wheat     
     Wheaties     Whoppers     wild rice     wings     watermelon

Feeling adventurous?  Make a white cake with your child.

ACTIVITIES
Scavenger Hunt:  how many ‘w’ things can you find around the house, while shopping at the market, in a magazine or store ad flyers?

Field Trip: 

• Zoo/Aquarium:  can you find any animals with ‘w’ in their name?
• head to the mountains for some wintery fun
• bundle up and explore the waterfront - while you are there, take a whirl on the Seattle Great Wheel
• Winterfest at Seattle Center!

Be a letter detective:  hunt for the letter ‘w’ in a variety of texts (books, magazines, newspaper, road signs, license plates).

Sensory Play:

• water play (fill up the tub with warm water and have fun)
• wash, wash, wash
• bundle up and go for a walk
• make some snow dough for wonderful wintery sensory play
• have fun making keepsakes with wintery white clay

APPS

• Tizzy Seasons HD  try it out first with the Lite version
• Seasons and Weather (note: this app is listed as free at the time I wrote this post, however has an in-app purchase to access full content)
• Into the Snow: A Stella and Sam Adventure
• Snowflake Station
• Snowman Builder HD

Thank you for stopping by!  Do you have other ‘w’/winter fun ideas?  Take a moment and leave me a comment.  I’d love to hear!  I appreciate you sharing your ideas, thoughts, feedback and reaching out to make a connection!

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