Associations and more with figurines

Finding good deals has always been a passion of mine. I blame my thrifty habits on my mother who took me on Goodwill trips from infancy. I grew up thinking that thrift stores are magical places. So there's little doubt in my mind that I would find excuses to go there even if I weren't an SLP.

Dollar stores? Well, those are a pretty recent addiction due to work. I started out by wanting cheap craft supplies and have ended up finding some pretty good therapy "keepers." This post is about some recent "keepers" I found at local a dollar shop.

WOW Best Buddies- May I just say that these could possibly be the best thing I have ever run across for associations? The people and corresponding animals have an obvious match. They are far sturdier than many of my phonics toys. (However, Scholastic has these really cool game controller erasers and I couldn't resist buying one for the phonics box.) The possibilities are pretty much endless with these little guys. I know we will be describing each one and working on utterance lengths.

-Looking forward to their new home-

The set includes the wizard/dragon, Eskimo/polar bear, farmer/pg, fireman/cat, policeman/dog, rider/horse, and caveman/dinosaur.  

Ready for a close-up!

It's a challenge to find something that can withstand several of my kindergarten and first grade boys. I'm pretty sure that no one has ever taught them how to play with a toy. It is a good learning experience for all of us.

Another new addition to my therapy toolbox are 6 webkinz figurines. I like them because the animals are good for articulation and language goals. They come in different outfits that are associated with a variety of actions like painting and even playing golf. Plus, figurines don't take up a ton of room.

I'm good for categorization too!