Getting Lost in the Woods with a Speech-Language Pathologist Would Rock [Free Download]

I absolutely love the great outdoors. I believe that my devotion to the wilderness stems from my youth and the fact that I was almost always outside while growing up. As a child, I was never really into video games or television; instead, I opted for activities such as drawing pictures outside and/or building forts in the woods by my house. In my humble opinion, nothing helps to grow your imagination quite like the great outdoors.

Do you ever go hiking?

My friends and I usually go for long hikes in the woods a few times a month. On my most recent hike, I started thinking about what would happen if we got lost. Would we survive? The answer is yes. Yes we would survive. Do you know why? It’s because I’m a speech-language pathologist, that’s why!

Seriously, a SLP is just what you need if you get lost in the woods!

Below, please enjoy the 5 reasons why getting lost in the woods with a speech-language pathologist wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

1. SLPs have warmth.

Anyone who has ever witnessed articulation speech therapy before knows that we SLPs love to use a tongue depressor from time to time. These flat and thin wooden blades are just what we need when we have to show our kiddos how to manipulate their tongues to make a certain target sound. But did you know that if we got lost in the woods, we could easily use two tongue depressors to start a fire? And you thought you were going to freeze to death? No sir, not on my watch!

2. SLPs have food.

Anyone who has ever stepped into a speech therapy room before knows that we SLPs usually have a totally awesome prize box in the corner. You know the drill, if a student earns X amount of stickers, that student gets a trip to the speech therapy prize box. Well, sometimes in my speech therapy box, I have various food items that include small bags of pretzels, individually wrapped cookies, or gum. Sure, it doesn’t sound like the best meal in the world, but if you and I were lost in the woods, those pretzels, cookies, and gum just might save our lives. You’re welcome!

3. SLPs have water.

Anyone who has ever known an SLP will tell you that we are all about vocal hygiene. I simply can’t overemphasize enough to my students how important it is to maintain good water intake. Adequate hydration helps keep our vocal folds moist and happy, thus, ensuring that all of our speech helpers are working like a gem. So let’s say that you and I got lost in the woods, you would never have to worry about thirst getting the best of you because I am always armed with numerous water bottles. How refreshing!

4. SLPs have light.

Anyone who has ever hung out with a SLP knows that we are just so fascinated by everything related to the physical condition and function of the mouth. I can’t even begin to guess how many oral mechanism examinations I have given in the past, but I can tell you that it is well into the hundreds. With all that being said, how do I properly see things inside of a dark mouth such as the teeth, the tongue, the roof of the mouth, the jaw, the throat, and the tonsils? With a flashlight, of course. Yes, the same flashlight that you and I could easily use if we were lost in the woods in the middle of the night. Hallelujah, we can now see the light!

5. SLPs have entertainment.

Anyone who has ever eavesdropped on a conversation between two SLPs before will tell you that we are almost always talking about the newest app that we’ve been using in speech therapy. Digital devices, such as the iPad, have really taken our speech therapy ideas to the next level, so it goes without saying that I always have my iPad in my backpack. So if you and I got lost in the woods, we could easily keep ourselves entertained while we wait for the rescuers to find us. We could play Scrabble, Monopoly, or Angry Birds (just to name a few). Or, we could even play with my favorite app of all time, Multiple Choice Articulation. Haha!

Oh, and I almost forget about your FREE DOWNLOAD!

Keeping on the subject of the great outdoors, I made you a fabulous outdoorsy-themed SLP poster. Click HERE to download it, my friend. I hope you love it as much as a bear loves honey.