Night Light Stories: Episode 34: The Limerig

Click here to listen to: The Limerig

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month. As you might remember, Mr. Chris is a speech language pathologist and one of his responsibilities is to help children learn how to say words using the right sounds. Sometimes children switch sounds around when they are learning to talk. Some common sounds to mix up are sounds that are made in almost the exact same way in your mouth. For example, the /p/ sound and the /b/ sound are almost exactly the same. Try saying, "Puh, Puh, Puh." Now try the /b/ sound "buh, buh, buh." Notice how you make both of those sounds by putting your lips together? The only difference between those sounds is that for the /p/ sound you don’t use your voice and for the /b/ sound, you do use your voice. Try it again placing your fingers on the front of your throat. Do you feel those vibrations when you're making the /b/ sound? That is larynx making those vibrations on the /b/ sound!

Another set of sounds that are close together are the /k/ and /g/ sounds. It’s fun to think about how we make different sounds. Mr. Chris thought it would be fun to think about what would happen if we swapped the k's and g's in different words and this poem was born. As you listen to the poem, consider the following: “What can you do to help people communicate better?"

Suggestion: Mr. Chris recites this poem pretty rapidly. If it is a little too fast for you just listen to it again and again!

VORACIOUS VOCABULARY

What did you say? A word of the day! In our story there are many

juicy words that are fun to use and say.

exist: to continue to be or live.

nod: to bend (the head) in a short, quick downward movement

JUST ADD IMAGINATION!

Try these activities to keep your imagination glowing after hearing the story.

1. Record a message for us using http://vocaroo.com.

If you have never heard of it, Mr. Chris and I made a quick audio clip together describing how to use it on his podcast, the A.T.TIPSCAST. To learn more about http://vocaroo.com, click the direct link to the audio: http://bit.ly/vocarooideas. Once you record the message, send it to us at nightlightstories@gmail.com!

Here is my recorded message: Miss Mel's example Vocaroo message.

Once you record your own message, there are a couple of options. You can "Send to a friend" or you can "Post to the Internet". "Sending to a friend" will bring up a space to put in the email of the friend you want to send your recording to. "Post to the Internet" will bring up a link to your recording and the HTML code.

2. Say each of the sounds in your name with your fingers on the front of your throat. Which sounds make the vibrations?

3. Do the exercises in this video made by Mr. Chris, Two Minute Mouths, to practice moving your tongue, lips, and jaw!

COMPREHENSION CHALLENGE

After listening to the story, can you recall the details to
answer these questions?

1. If wing became wink, what would certainly fall?
2. What would happen if your voice cracked by the sink?
3. When you awake from dreaming of drings, your mind is all filled with what types of things?