Ms. Katie

Erie's Public Schools

Early Intervention- Speech Language Services

Katie Cogswell-Mattern, MA, CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist

(814) 897-5601

kcmattern@eriesd.org

Please check back regularly as this page will continue to be updated during our time apart!

Updated 7/27/20

July 27th-31st = EI summer service week 

Important Message - Reimagining 2020-21: Reopening Our Schools

Updated 6/12/20

Happy Summer!

Summer service delivery dates are the following weeks:

July 6^th-10^th

July 27th- 31^st

August 3^rd -7^th

^{We look forward to speaking with you then. While, we are apart, feel free to review past emails or postings to continue working on building strong speech and language skills at home. Stay healthy!}

Updated 6/2/20

Check out the new Community Resources tab!

Diaper Distribution Information!

Updated 5/22/20

Daily goals:

Read!

Talk!

Sing!

Play!

Create!

Move!

Updated 5/14/20

Be sure to check the tabs on the side for weekly activities!

Stay safe! Stay Healthy! Stay Happy!

Updated 4/24/20

Want to watch your very own hungry caterpillar grow into a beautiful butterfly? Check my website daily to watch 5 little caterpillars grow and change every day!

Here is a sneak peek of them from day 1:

Check out my tab on the left titled "Caterpillar Watch" for daily posts!

Updated 4/23/20

Need to get moving? Lakettes and Lakers Gymnastics Academy, is offering free virtual gymnastics classes for preschoolers and school-age beginner and intermediate levels. Check out their Facebook page for dates and times!

Updated 4/21/20

Hello Early Intervention Families!

Erie's Public Schools continues to work with state educational agencies to determine best next steps for providing services during this time of quarantine.  I have been in touch with everyone via phone to find out if your family has internet access and a device with which to access the internet.  If you haven't already responded to me, please do so by today so that we can plan for your family's needs (email me at: kcmattern@eriesd.org). I need updated phone numbers and email addresses from each of you so we can stay in contact!

I am also interested to know which form of service delivery will best fit your family’s needs at this time. We are considering: phone calls, emails, website links and resources. What other service delivery models would work for you? Email me at kcmattern@eriesd.org to let me know!

Stay happy and healthy!

Blessings,

Miss Katie

No EI services per calendar: April 9th-19th

Updated 3/30/20

Bored? Start a Bear Hunt!

This idea is spreading around on social media and across neighborhoods nation wide. Based on the classic story, "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" (click here for a digital version of this children's storybook!) Take a walk with your family and look for bears together! Anyone who wants to participate will put teddy bears in their windows so families can go on a "bear hunt" while walking. Share this idea with your friends and neighbors for a way to have fun and connect while practicing responsible social distancing.

Happy bear hunting!

Blessings,

Miss Katie

Updated 3/26/20

When kids start getting stir crazy and climbing the walls, we suggest taking away the walls!

Experiencing and exploring nature together is a great way to help the children in our lives to cope with disruption of all our normal routines and activities. 

Nature play is all about encouraging your child to use their imagination as they play. Outdoor play can get a bit messy, but that’s part of the fun.

Here are 50 ideas from the Asbury Woods education team that you can do in your own backyard or neighborhood:

1. Lay on the ground and look for shapes in the clouds.
2. Watch for birds at the bird feeders and bird houses. If you do not currently have a feeder, here are some instructions to make one using things from around the house!
3. Turn over a rock to look for bugs.
4. Dig a hole in the dirt. Bonus points if you find your own stick or rock to use for the digging.
5. Build a kid den from tarps, branches with leaves, sticks and rocks.
6. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds of nature – what do you hear?
7. Stack rocks or pinecones and see how high you can get them.
8. Build a pile of leaves or bark.
9. Splash in puddle water.
10. Pretend you’re a wild animal, where would you sleep? Find food? Hide from other animals?
11. Collect leaves from the ground – how many different types can you find?
12. Try to find every color of the rainbow in your yard.
13. Nighttime activity: Make shadow puppets on a fence or nearby wall. Flashlight required.
14. Build up a pile of rocks and pour water over it to create a water fall.
15. Make a mud pie and decorate it with rocks, twigs, and leaves as toppings.
16. Write your name or draw a picture in the dirt using a stick.
17. Climb on a pile of leaves or bark.
18. Practice whistling with a blade of grass.
19. Play nature themed Eye-Spy.
20. Play hide and go seek.
21. Have a picnic.
22. Try to identify bird calls. Search for bird call identification in the app store to find an app that can help you out!
23. Place items in your child’s hand with their eyes closed and have them guess what they are holding. 
24. Watch ants.
25. Search for spider webs.
26. Search for animal tracks in the mud.
27. Sit still and listen, what do you hear? 
28. Test to see what items float in water. 
29. Make a boat out of leaves.
30. Write a poem or song about nature. 
31. Read a story outside.
32. Create your own story based what you see in nature.
33. See how long you can keep a leaf from touching the ground with your hands or breath.
34. See how long or you can balance on one foot on a log or tree stump.
35. Count flowers and buds on the bushes.
36. Make animal calls like cawing crows, hooting owls, peeping spring peepers, or chattering squirrels.
37. Look for mushrooms.
38. Make an art collage on the ground using natural materials (leaves, sticks, dirt, rocks, etc).
39. Create an obstacle course to move through.
40. Use an egg carton as a treasure box. Collect items from nature that are small enough to fit in the container. 
41. Minis and monsters! Find the smallest acorn and the largest acorn, smallest pinecone, smallest rock and the largest around you.
42. Have a campfire in your backyard. Check out the moon and stars.
43. Use a stick and leaves, grasses and flowers to make your own paint brush. Use it with paint to make a work of art.
44. Play follow the leader.
45. Play Simon Says.
46. Build a dirt volcano.
47. Watch the sunrise or sunset.
48. Look for rocks with as many different designs and colors as you can find.
49. Play “The Sound I Never Heard” Many things go on in nature that we never hear. For example: You could say “I heard a spider spinning it’s web” or “I heard a worm crawling through the dirt.” What other examples can you come up with? Get creative!
50. Collect sticks, grasses and dried flowers from your yard to make a nature weaving. Here are some examples of nature weaving.

Thanks to Asbury Woods for these fun ideas of backyard fun! You can find a virtual tour of Asbury Woods and enjoy a story time and vermicomposting tour on their website. 

**Please remember that I'm available Monday through Friday 8am-3:10pm via email or phone if you have any questions about your child’s speech and language development. Please do not hesitate to contact me. (814) 897-5601, kcmattern@eriesd.org

Blessings,

Ms Katie

3/19/20

Erie's Public Schools

Early Intervention Speech-Language Services

Katie Cogswell-Mattern, MA, CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist

Your child knows me as Ms. Katie  :)

(814) 897-5601

kcmattern@eriesd.org

Hello Preschool Early Intervention Families, Parents, and Guardians:

To support families while school is not in session, the Early Intervention speech-language pathologists have identified the following links that may be beneficial for you and your child.  These resources are provided to you for enrichment purposes and are not intended to replace speech-language services with a certified speech-language pathologist:

Website Freebies

http://www.eita-pa.org/families/resources/ : Some great websites with fun, educational ideas can be found on the Families page of the EITA Portal under "Early Childhood Education in Pennsylvania." 

http://www.eita-pa.org/early-language-and-literacy/ : Check out the EITA Portal's Early Language and Literacy page for new and exciting resources. In particular, visit Unite for Literacy, which allows children to listen to a wide array of books in up to 43 languages!

http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/ :  helpful speech tips and techniques and free resources to help your child to speak clearly.

teachmetotalk.com : helping parents and professionals to understand and use language in the home.

colorincolorado.org : As a parent, there are many ways that you can help your child succeed every single day!  These bilingual parent resources offer tips on helping your child learn to read, succeed in school, and learn a new language.  They also provide information about the US school system and share ideas on how to build a relationship with your child's teacher and school.  In addition, you can find fun reading tips and games.  Resources are organized by topic.

talkingtogether.com.au : the place where parents can find reliable information on early speech and language development from birth to five years.

If you have any questions about your child's speech and language development or the links listed above, please do not hesitate to contact me!  I am available to you via phone or email Monday through Friday 8am-3:10pm: 
(814) 897-5601
kcmattern@eriesd.org

Did you know?

Did you know that speech-language pathologist, speech pathologist, speech therapist, and speech-language therapist are all the same job?  Speech-language pathologists provide therapy for disorders of speech sounds (e.g. articulation), language, hearing, voice, stuttering, social communication (pragmatics), cognition, and feeding/swallowing.  In addition to having national certification as a speech-language pathologist awarded to me by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, I also hold a Level I Educational Specialist Certification from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.