Have you “Herd” of LessonPix? (plus a giveaway)

October 5, 2012:  Congratulations to Colleen who won a year subscription to LessonPix!

LessonPix is a fabulous, subscription based website that gives you loads and loads of clip art and quick and easy ways to use them for therapy materials.  The choices and possibilities are too endless to cover here, so be sure to click over to their website and check it out yourself.

Their categories of art include general groupings like school, feelings and community as well as specific speech, occupational and physical therapy pics.  You can go through the tutorial on your own, but in a nutshell, you drag the pictures you want on your materials over to the “tray” and then click on “Create Materials” where it will walk you through making coloring sheets, pattern strips, schedules, ballots, lacing cards….the list goes on and on!  I’ve chosen a few activities that I use in conjunction with my plastic animal herd to expand on the fun!  LessonPix gives you the option to have the labels print under the clip art as well as change the label (so if you need the target “mare” select the horse art and change the name).

Matching strips:  In a minute, I can print out strips of pictures to match my target words/animals.  I can have kiddos find animals around the room, pull them out of a bag or dig them out of sand before matching them to the picture on the strip.

Bingo:  Really, how often are you playing bingo?  Constantly, right?  So here, you would just choose the animals you want on the sheet and print them out.  There are options for how many squares you want per sheet as well as how many novel sheets you want.  You can also have LessonPix print a card list of the pics which you would stick in a hat for random selection, but I think it’s fun to dump the appropriate animals in the hat and pull them out and then have them cover their picture square.

Spinner:  Again, quickly create a spinner with the animals you want pictured.  I might use this for prepositions/following directions by having the child spin, find the correct animal match and then saying something like, “Put the giraffe on top of the bookshelf.”  Or we might work on descriptive words, “Let’s see.  You found the giraffe.  What does he look like?  Tell me three things that let me know it’s a giraffe.”  (“He’s tall.  He has four legs.  He has spots.”)  Having the tangible object to hold is an easier task then simply generating the information from a picture and helps to keep the kiddos engaged as well.

Sorting:  LessonPix makes this task so much easier, by giving you a quick way to generate a sorting mat.  Sort by where the animals live.  Make another mat for sorting by color.  Make another mat for sorting by texture.  I like mixing up the way we categorize/sort for kiddos that otherwise “lock” items into one category.  This allows you to be more fluid–“Hey, the dolphin can be in the ‘blue’ section of this mat, the ‘smooth’ section of this mat and the ‘ocean’ section of this mat!”

Game Board:  Kiddos love board games but it can be so time consuming to create one that exactly meets their goals.  Not anymore!  Print out a game board with your animal targets.  It will also generate a deck of cards for movements, or you could use a die.  I would have the kids choose an animal pawn to move around the board and if you draw a card/fall on your animal you get another turn!

LessonPix symbols are copyrighted and you can’t share them or materials you create containing them electronically without separate permission (they’re working on a sharing site).  However, you are permitted to send the printed copies home for practice–and they are so easy to put together you won’t hesitate to!

I was given a sixty day subscription to the LessonPix site, but the opinions reflected here are strictly my own.  The best news?  I have a full year subscription to give away to a lucky reader!  To enter, simply let us know in the comments below what animal you never skip at the zoo.  You have until midnight EST on October 4, 2012 to get your entry in.  The winner will be randomly selected and announced on Friday, October 5, 2012.

My very favorite zoo animal is the rhino.  I’m in awe of their strength and wrinkly hide.

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This Post Has 55 Comments

  1. Marie

    Polar Bears! I love to watch them swim.

  2. Joan O'Brien

    Monkeys! Watching any primates fascinates me – from silly chimps and adorable orangutans to giant gorillas –they’re my favorites!

  3. Kim Hovey

    I never miss the gibbons. I could watch them all day!

  4. Katie M

    The camels! At a zoo in Tampa, Florida they let you buy a camel ride….amazing!

  5. Pat

    I am fascinated by elephants. Such strength, and such intelligence in those tiny eyes.

  6. Cindy

    I never miss the tigers.

  7. Debby C.

    I really enjoy the giraffes – love how they move!

  8. M. Parker

    Don’t ever miss the big cats! Fun to watch.

  9. Candi Davis

    We never miss the elephants or the monkeys! My 3 year old LOVES them!

  10. C.Cole

    The monkeys……………………as a kid I always dreamed of having a pet monkey I could treat like a baby!

  11. Sharon S.

    We have to see the elephants everytime we visit the zoo. Our zoo recently opened a new area for them so it is a “must see” for sure!

  12. Maria

    I never miss the penguins. They are so cool to watch!

  13. JJ O'Malley

    I love the tigers, the color, the stripes, the smooth way they walk when not lazing on the rocks.

  14. Tracy

    I am fascinated by the monkeys!

  15. Shane

    The giraffes – I relate to them! When I had hip replacement surgery the only way I could bend over to reach the floor was to spread my legs way apart like the giraffes do when they get something from the ground. Talk about a picture worth laughing at!

  16. Nicole Slough

    Gotta see the giraffes. They are so pretty and just amaze me!!!

  17. Kim C.

    Wow… tough question! As a child I was fascinated by ALL of the animals, and now as an adult, I still love going to the zoo; but I usually don’t want to miss the monkeys – wild and entertaining so there’s never a dull moment!

  18. Alecia White

    I like the pandas!

  19. Cynthia

    I love watching the dolphins. I feel a bond with them. In my next life, I will study their communication behavior.

  20. Stacey

    Tigers! Especially white tigers. So majestic & beautiful.

  21. Tracey

    I love the giraffes!

  22. Shannon G

    We never miss the bears!

  23. Brandy

    I never miss the monkeys. I love monkeys I want one but they can be a lot of work.

  24. Jill

    I love the monkeys. They always make me laugh!

  25. Kristina

    I never miss penguins! I love to see them waddle about!

  26. Chris Gerber

    Elephants–I’ve learned a lot about their socialization and play needs. I even have a painting by an elephant in my home.

  27. Cassandra

    The gorillas!

  28. Arlen

    Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

  29. Beth

    My family and I never skip the sea life exhibit!

  30. Tara

    Monkeys! Swinging from the trees and acting silly…entertainment for all ages!

  31. Colleen

    I cannot miss the dolphins! They are so beautiful and graceful. Our zoo near Chicago (the wonderful Brookfield Zoo) recently announced that one of their dolphins gave birth to a male! I can’t wait to take my family to see him.

  32. Alicia pettett

    I love the gorillas, you never know what trouble they might cause…

  33. Christina Frenzel

    Monkeys!

  34. Spayskdet

    The Meercats. For some reason they just love my husband. Pheromones? Past life?

  35. Katy Smith

    I always have to say hello to the wise old elephants and I like to stop by to see what mischief the chimpanzee’s are up to.

  36. margo viel

    I never miss the pandas! I love how calm & peaceful they appear 🙂

  37. Lauren

    The sea lions and the reptile house are always a must-see!

  38. Connie

    The chimps…I’m amazed by what they can do!

  39. Valerie

    The monkeys! So fun to watch!

  40. Carol Rickey

    penguins are my animals of choice!

  41. anabela

    Love the giraffes!!! they walk with such elegance 🙂

  42. Rita

    I always visit the Mediterranean Fruit Bats at Brookfiled Zoo. They never seem to stop moving.

  43. Gaby

    Lions! I’ve seen them many times but when I heard a TRUE roar of a crazy hungry lion, I COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EARS!!!

  44. Jane

    All of the big cats!

  45. Sue Blankenship

    I like the giraffes! They move so gracefully on those long skinny legs!

  46. Bracha

    It is so awesome to watch lions.

  47. Teresa Besson

    I never skip the otters. They always seem to be having sommuch fun.

  48. Nancy Morse

    Penguins are the best. They have a cool reprieve from the heat of the summer sun. They each are so individual and exert their own personalities. I could spend hours watching them.

  49. Jill

    When I’m lucky enough to be at a zoo, I love to go see the hippos! To see them swimming just doesn’t seem right, so it is very entertaining to watch.

  50. Lisa

    I never ever miss the Giraffes. I have even pet and fed them.

  51. Arielle

    I love the penguins! They make swimming under the water look so easy and beautiful, I find it very relaxing to watch them 🙂

  52. Emily J

    I never ever miss the penguins! I think they are so sleek and organized looking. Not to mention, they are so very cute and playful!

  53. Jenny

    Polar Bears and Pandas -if the zoo has them ! 🙂

  54. Jackie

    I never miss the big cats. Tigers and lions.

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The views expressed in this blog are my own and are intended to inspire other speech-language pathologists in their own practice. If you are a parent, teacher or other educator, these ideas are not intended to take the place of treatment by a certified clinician. Read full disclaimer here.