Letter of the Week: A

September 9-13
Letter of the Week: A
Theme: Apple

Can you smell it?  Fall is in the air.  Kiddos are back in school.  Time to dig back in after our first review week.  Up next is the letter 'a' and fun with apples.

‘A’ is a vowel, and it has more than one sound.  From a speech perspective, short ‘a’ (as in apple) is a “smile” sound, Image from the LiPS program by Lindamood-Bellthough one of the more open ones.  The corners of your lips slightly retract toward your ears while your jaw lowers (you should be able to easily fit one finger between your teeth) and your tongue tenses up.  It is also a noisy sound (we turn on our voice – vocal cords vibrate – to make this sound).  Hold your hand on your neck and say “hhhhhhh” then “aaaa”.   Feel the difference?

Long ‘a’ (says its name, as in ape) is also a “smile” sound.  Its production is very similar to short ‘a’, except that your jaw does not lower quite as far.  The difference feels subtle, just a baby step away from each other.

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

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

BOOKS

• My “a” Sound Box (Sound Box Books) by Jane Belk Moncure
• Apple Trouble by Ragnhild Scamell
• The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons
• Apple Picking Time by Michele Benoit Slawson
• Apples by Gail Gibbons
• Apples A to Z by Margaret McNamara 
• Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallce 
• Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington 
• Apple Cider-Making Days by Ann Purmell
• Ten Apples up on Top! by Dr. Seuss 
• The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall 
• How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman

FOOD
Eating the Alphabet - A:  Consider adding some “a” foods to your menu this week.  Here are a few ideas:
     Apples     applesauce     apple juice/cider     apple pie/tart/crisp    
     “ants on a log”     apricots     Asian pears     asparagus         
     Angel food cake     animal crackers    

Feeling adventurous?  Make apple treats together; find inspiration here.

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

Field Trip:  

• Zoo/Aquarium:  how many animals can you find with ‘a’ in their name?
• Pick your own apples!  Find a local orchard or 'pick your own' farm here. 
• Visit animals on a farm.

Letter Detective:  look for the letter ‘a’ in a variety of texts (books, magazines, newspaper, road signs, license plates).

Sensory Play:

• Apple painting – cut an apple in half (slice one half, keep one half whole) and let your child use it as a “paintbrush”
• Apples make for good cooking activities – talk about apples while working on sequencing and following directions:
  • make applesauce (for easy chunky applesauce: peel and cut apples into chunks then heat in a pot on the stovetop until softened)
  • make “apple pizzas” (use store bought or homemade biscuit dough and apple slices, let your child press out the dough then top with the apple slices, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, then bake as directed)
• taste-test different varieties of apples – talk about how they are similar and how they are different (sweet, tart, crisp, soft, colors)
• play animal charades

APPS

• Is your child ready to work on word families?  Check out Spellyfish – Short A Words. 
• The Apple Thief: A Scooby-Doo You Play Too Book
• Annie’s Picking Apples 2: Learning Games 

What ‘A’/apple activities would you add to this list?  I’d love to hear!

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