Parents
I’m so glad you have found my website. I spent most of my career as a speech language pathologist coaching parents to enhance their child’s speech and language skills. So, I feel equipped to guide you in selecting the right products and activities that promote speech as you work, play, and experience life with your child.
You know your child better than anyone, but you may be at a loss, at times, in knowing how to help him or her communicate. The fact that you are exploring my website shows that you are committed to helping your little one improve speech and language skills. Throughout my years of working with kids and parents, I created some tools that were helpful to my families. You will find those tools on my website. They include songs, movies, training books, children’s books, and my Blast Off Board products. Certainly all of these products can be helpful to you, but I want to be sure that you are not overwhelmed.
So, where do you start? I am assuming that you have received my free WE CAN TALK guide that will help you interact with your child during the routines of the day. Perhaps you want to be more specific. I have some suggestions on what your next steps could be.
If your child is not using words or gestures to communicate or is at the very beginning of becoming verbal, I would first look at Imitation Exploration Song Set 1 and also the Talk with Me Book. Music is such a gift to teach your little ones. Play my songs in the car or at home. Print out the illustrations that go with each song and follow along with your child. When you hear the cue of “your turn” in the songs, repeat the sounds and words that the singer sings in the songs. Whenever you can, use gestures while you are singing and listening to these songs. Just have fun!
The Talk with Me book can also help you get imitation of words and gestures started. The book is filled with lovely illustrations, and it gives you specific suggestions of how to get the most out of the book. Your child will love this book.
Has your child been diagnosed with apraxia? With children who need practice sequencing sounds to make words, I have two suggestions to get your started – The Drills for Sounds Song Set 3. The Blast Off Board Level 1 Set would also be very helpful.
Has your child been diagnosed with autism? Children with autism will benefit from a variety of my products. The Blast Off Starter Set is a great tool to work on pointing skills. Using gestures is a pre-cursor to verbalizing, and pointing is certainly one of those skills. The WE CAN TALK book can also guide you in looking at your daily routines and knowing how to help your child communicate throughout your day. Finally, any of our song sets would be great, but I would especially recommend Imitation Exploration Song Set 1 and Animals Movin’ and Groovin’ Song Set 5. Song Set 5 also comes with 12 Animal Faces that are used to promote verbal imitation. I used these faces with my students all the time.
These are just a few suggestions of where to start using my products. If I haven’t answered the question of where to start with your child, please do not hesitate to contact me. My phone number is 612-834-9001, and my email is Info@TalkItRockIt.com. I am here to help you.
Rachel Arntson, Speech Language Pathologist
Owner of Talk It Rock It
Speech Language Pathologists
Hello fellow SLPs! I have been an SLP since 1980. This occupation has taken me in many directions, and I am so grateful for every job and every client I have had. I understand the many frustrations, too, and I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how to make my work more efficient, effective, and fun. To achieve those goals, I found myself creating products that I knew my students needed and that my students’ parents found helpful.
From my seminars and WE CAN TALK training book to my songs, movies, children’s books, animal faces, and Blast Off Board, I am confident that you will find my products helpful with your young clients.
So, where do you start? This is a difficult question to answer, as I think they will all help you if you work with young children from toddlers to early elementary age. Here are some thoughts of where to get started.
I found that working with my clients, there were two tools that I used daily. Certainly my song sets were great as loaners for parents and to use in small groups and individual therapy sessions, but with limited time with students, I didn’t use them every day. The two tools that I feel are MUST-HAVE for any speech language pathologist –
- Blast Off Board Starter Set – This board is so versatile. It can be used to help children follow a point, point themselves, eye scan, receptively identify common objects, and answer a variety of questions. This board gives children motivation to practice speech. You get multiple opportunities for a child to say a word while matching the picture to the front, then saying the word while scanning for the picture on the back, then saying the word again while poking it out the other side. Finally, children can match those picture magnets again to the back of the board. You can talk about the activities illustrated on the back of the board. The uses are truly endless. And to make it even more comprehensive, I have created 39 additional overlays and magnet sets that can create totally different boards. It’s a pointing task, a speech sound sequencing practice board, a language board all rolled into one. Check out the shopping page for more specific information about the Blast Off Board and all it has to offer.
- Animal Face Posters – Oh my! This is such a simple concept, but oh how I have used these posters. Children who do not yet imitate verbally and do not understand the process of taking verbal turns sometimes need a visual cue to help them know it is their turn. These are posters where you punch out the center, and your face shows in the center. You exchange the posters, one by one, and sing a little song encouraging the child to take a verbal turn. I know it seems simple, but I am confident that you will love them.
So, here’s the next step – Go to my shopping page and read more about these two products, the Blast Off Board and the Animal Face Posters. If you have specific questions about these two products or any other products that I offer, please do not hesitate to contact me at 612-834-9001 or Info@TalkItRockItcom. Best wishes in your honorable work with your clients!
Rachel Arntson, Speech Language Pathologist
Owner of Talk It Rock It
Early Childhood Teachers
Hello early childhood teachers and daycare providers! I have been in awe of you for decades. In addition to a speech pathology degree, I also have an elementary education degree. Working in groups of children, although rewarding, was just so stressful for me. So, I honor all of you who work with young children, shaping their minds to be the people they are meant to be. If I can be even a small part of your success as a teacher, I am thrilled.
As you look through my website, I know there are many other products in the world that are equally as helpful to your work as an educator of young children. One product is books! Oh heavens! There are billions of books around. Who am I to say that my small number of books is what you need?
I can tell you that Alpaca Pearl Packs for Peru will engage your students in a variety of ways. This book comes with a manual and gives you suggestions of how to stimulate language, how to work on categories, what questions to ask, how to have kids imitate the repetitive phrases, and how to act out the story. Alpaca Pearl is a hoot! She goes on an adventure but really needs help, and your students are just what she needs.
In addition, my songs can be so helpful to your group of children. A favorite for many early childhood teachers is Rock and Roll with a Language Goal Song Set 2. These songs contain rock and roll tunes that are re-written with kid friendly lyrics and feature a variety of speech and language goals. These songs will be loved by all kids, whether they are speaking speech and language normally or not.
So, here is your next step. Check out the shopping page of these two products:
- Alpaca Pearl Packs for Peru
- Rock and Roll with a Language Goal Song Set 2
You will love challenging your students with songs and this book that create movement, speech imitation, direction following, and language learning.
If you have specific questions about these two products or any other products that I offer, please do not hesitate to contact me at 612-834-9001 or Info@TalkItRockItcom. Best wishes in your honorable work with your students!
Rachel Arntson, Speech Language Pathologist
Owner of Talk It Rock It
Special Education Teachers
I have worked so closely with early childhood special education teachers over the years. I have seen your incredible ability to lead little ones in circle time, in imaginative play, outside on the playground, while reading books, and countless other activities. I have no words for the admiration I have for you.
During Covid times, I just couldn’t believe what ECSE teachers were doing to engage their students. One teacher I know in Minnesota had a plastic bubble in her backyard during the winter and taught her students in that winter wonderland “snow globe.” I was so impressed.
So, how can I help all of you enhance your teaching experience with your students? My biggest suggestion is two-fold – Use my songs with a printable visual or movie format and use my books, Alpaca Pearl Packs for Peru and I Love.
I have talked to countless ECSE teachers and Special Education teachers in an elementary school who consistently use many of my songs during circle time. Because my songs come with visuals and song request sheets for AAC users, they work great for group sessions. Each child can have a picture sheet that illustrates each song. If you have a Smart board, perhaps you prefer to use my movies. These movies contain the same songs but are illustrated in an animated movie format.
Some of the essential songs used by special education teachers include: the Hi and Bye songs from Imitation Exploration Song Set 1. These songs are frequently used for the first and last circle times of the day. Another favorite song is the What’s That song from Rock and Roll with a Language Goal Song Set 2. You would also love to use I See a Bug from Drills for Sounds Song Set 3 which emphasizes colors but also encourages verbal imitation. Then, if you want songs that encourage animal sounds and the motions they make, Song Set 5, Animals Movin’ and Groovin’ would be awesome for you.
In addition, my book, Alpaca Pearl Packs for Peru, will be a delightful, repetitive story to engage your students during circle time. Kids can act out the story. It comes with a manual to guide for speech and language suggestions. In addition, my I Love book is great for kids who need practice imitating simple phrases, learning expressive vocabulary, and being introduced to rhyming. This book also goes with a song from Rock and Roll with a Language Goal Song Set 2.
So, how do you decide which song set to purchase? The answer is easy. You don’t need to decide. You can purchase our song sets or our movie (Animation Station) sets in combos. When you purchase these sets in combos, they are up to 50% off.
I suggest these next steps:
- Explore the song or movie combo sets in my Shopping Page.
- Check out Alpaca Pearl Packs for Peru and I Love in the book section of the Shopping Page.
If you have specific questions about these products or any other products that I offer, please do not hesitate to contact me at 612-834-9001 or Info@TalkItRockItcom. Best wishes in your honorable work with your students!
Rachel Arntson, Speech Language Pathologist
Owner of Talk It Rock It
