Letter of the Week: I
September 16-20
Letter of the Week: I
Theme: Insects
‘I’ is a vowel. It makes more than one sound. 
From a speech perspective, short ‘i’ (as in insect) is a “smile” sound. The corners of your lips retract toward your ears while your jaw lowers slightly (just a small opening 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 “i”. Feel the difference?
Long ‘i’ (says its name, as in ice cream) is a “slider” sound. 
Images from the LiPS Program by Lindamood-Bell If you say it slowly (exaggerated), it starts in the open “ah” position and ends in a smile “ee” position. It slides from one to the other to produce the long ‘i’ sound. It is also a noisy sound.
In therapy: We will be reading 'i'/insect themed books, doing ‘i’/insect themed art and activities, and exploring the letter name, letter sound and letter symbol for 'i'.
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 ‘i’ throughout the week. Most important, have fun!
BOOKS
- My “i” Sound Box (Sound Box Books) by Jane Belk Moncure
- It’s A Good Thing There Are Insects by Allan Fowler
- The Buggliest Bug by Carol Diggory Shields
- Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
- Inchworm and a Half by Elinor Pincez
- Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani
- Inspector Hopper by Doug Cushman
- The Icky Bug Alphabet Book – Jerry Pallotta
- Immi’s Gift by Karin Littlewood
- Building an Igloo by Ulli Steltzer
- Inside, Outside, Upside Down by Stan & Jan Berenstain
- Imogene’s Antlers by David Small
- If You Lived With The Indians of the Northwest Coast by Anne Kamma
FOOD
Eating the Alphabet - I: This is a tough one, but here are a couple of ideas…
ice cream iceberg lettuce Italian / Indian / Indonesian food
insect snack (banana body, 6 pretzel stick legs, ‘glue’ raisin eyes on w ithhoney)
Feeling adventurous? Try making homemade ice cream with your child. Here’s one simple way.
ACTIVITIES
Scavenger Hunt: how many ‘i’ 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 ‘i’ in their name?
Letter Detective: look for the letter ‘i’ in a variety of texts (books, magazines, newspaper, road signs, license plates).
Sensory Play:
- Play with Icy Insects
- Make an insect collage: find insect stickers and pictures to glue on a giant letter I
- Go on an insect hunt
- Have an ice cream taste test
- Ice Jell-o art: make ice in a popsicle mold; sprinkle Jell-o powder (or Kool-Aid powder) onto your child’s paper and let them push it around with the ice pop to make neat designs
- Design an insect. After talking/reading about insects, provide your child with a variety of craft materials (e.g. construction paper, tissue paper, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, craft sticks, feathers, buttons, glitter, glue, scissors, crayons/markers, etc.) and let them create their own insect.
APPS
Little Bit Studio has three amazing "bug" (or insect) themed apps. Check their website for links to purchase for android devices. Here are the links for iPad:
And here is another "bug" themed app:
Can you think of other ‘i’/insect activities? Please share!
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insects, letter 'i', letter of the week, speech, vowels | in Letter of the Week, Speech
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