San Antonio Book Festival 2014 | Lone Star Signers

Wow, what a fabulous San Antonio weekend! Normally we are swimming the first week in April, but I am not complaining about these cooler temperatures and rain. Summer CAN wait, as far as I am concerned.

I feel so fortunate to live in this city. There are amazing events happening each and every week--so many educational and cultural opportunities to experience with my children! This weekend, we went to Kids Day at the Park, sponsored by our local PBS station and the San Antonio Book Festival at the Central Library.

Addie and I did our research on the authors and illustrators in the Children's Reading Tent at the Book Festival--we've been reading Locomotive, Cub's Big World, Senor Pancho Had a Rancho, The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred, and more!

The turnout at the Book Festival was impressive--by the time we arrived at the Central Library, the parking garage was already full, so we had to walk about half a mile from the free parking lot. We stopped by the H-E-B tent, where an interactive reading of Ferdinand was taking place. After that, we found our way to the Children's Reading Tent and caught the tail end of Antonio Sacre's presentation--he's a hilarious bilingual storyteller, and we'll definitely be checking out his books!

The next author was Samantha Vamos, who read one of our new favorites, The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred. Addie was fortunate to meet her before the presentation, and then we purchased a copy of the book for Ms. Vamos to sign after. I was truly impressed by how gracious all of the authors and illustrators were with the children--that goes a long way toward inspiring the next generation of writers and artists!

There was a short break, so we walked down the closed-off street to hear the music and see all the booths. Addie and Kate danced, and we met The Cat in the Hat! We finished off our time at the Book Festival with a presentation by illustrator Joe Cepeda--a very down-to-earth fella who shared all kinds of interesting tidbits about the art he creates. Addie was enthralled throughout each of the readings--I can't wait to carve out some book-writing time for her this week!

My thanks to the San Antonio Public Library for putting on this excellent FREE event for our city! I'm sad that we only got to experience a few hours of the festival before naptime--but we are already so excited for next year's.

Friday Favorites #6 | Lone Star Signers

Wow, what great weather we are having today! We spent the morning at the park and then stopped by the library before coming home for lunch and naps. We have a fun afternoon of school lessons & a midday showing of Frozen coming up next!

At the library, we were excited to see three of the cardboard kids we've been hearing so much about on social media this week (#CardboardKidsSA). This is such an important campaign, and I hope that your family is able to get involved! (Read more about Cardboard Kids SA here and here.)

We are also really excited about the San Antonio Book Festival that is happening TOMORROW! If you see us, be sure to say hi!

And now, here are my favorite links from around the Internet, March 15th-April 1st!

* Rainbow Caterpillars {Name Matching Activity} from Toddler Approved

* Read and Make: Letter of the Week Crafts from No Time for Flashcards

* Language Basics: Getting in the Communication Zone from Twodaloo

* Rainbow Letter Sensory Bin from Growing Book by Book

* Sugar Free Easter Egg Fillers from Handmade Mood

There are lots of great resources out there for parents & teachers of young children! 

I'd love for you to share a link with us: what inspired you this week?

San Antonio Book Festival: Farm Animals & American Sign Language

Our five-year-old daughter is in a major “author” phase right now. Whenever she is really quiet, I am sure to find her sitting at the little table in her room with a big pile of paper and art supplies, making books. I know she is going to be thrilled to meet other authors at the San Antonio Book Festival, coming to the Central Library on April 5th!

For the past two weeks, I’ve been checking out the line-up of events on the library’s website and requesting as many of the featured children’s books as I can find. We’re currently reading Locomotive by Brian Floca (as well as his beautiful book Moonshot) and Lupita’s First Dance by Lupe Ruiz-Flores.

I also wanted to find a few books that are appealing for our 2.5 year old toddler! Like her older sister, Kate LOVES books, especially when she can show off her ASL signs while I read. (Read more about the educational benefits of signing with a hearing toddler.)

I was excited to find Senor Pancho Had a Rancho and The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred! Both books feature farm animals—one of Kate’s favorite themes!—in English and Spanish.

Senor Pancho Had a Rancho (Rene Colato Lainez) starts with the classic children’s song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” and introduces a new character, Senor Pancho, who has a ranch of his own. Each page spread features Old MacDonald with his farm animal in English AND Senor Pancho with the same animal in Spanish.

This book is fun and fast! The illustrations are adorable, and the book introduces new vocabulary in a silly way.

The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred (Samantha R. Vamos) starts simply with “This is the pot that the farm maiden stirred.” Each page turns two English words into Spanish, so that by the middle of the book, the sentence reads “This is the farmer who planted the rice while tending the gallina that laid the huevos while grating the limon plucked by the burro that carried the pato that went to the mercado to buy the azucar to flavor the leche made fresh by the vaca while teaching the cabra that churned the crema to make the mantequilla that went into the cazuela that the farm maiden stirred.”

This book is rich with details. The illustrations are whimsical, and the book introduces new vocabulary in a melodic, repetitive way.

Living in San Antonio, it’s not unusual to bring home bilingual library books. Many of our friends (and signing students) speak both English and Spanish in their homes, and American Sign Language is a terrific bridge between the two languages for young children! (Use this sign for both MILK and LECHE, for example.)

In the case of these two children’s books, Kate and I can enhance the reading experience using our farm signs from the Leah’s Farm Signing Time DVD (also available from the library or digital download for just $1.00 with the All-Access Subscription trial). As I read the books, we can sign the animals together and in no time at all, Kate will know that VACA means COW and HORSE means CABALLO, just in time for the San Antonio Book Festival.

You and your children can meet Samantha R. Vamos at noon and Rene Colato Lainez at 2:00 p.m. along with many other terrific authors in the Children’s Reading Tent. Be sure to say hi--I’m confident you’ll spot us signing along with the stories!

Do you plan on taking your family to the Book Festival?

Best of the Internet #5 | Lone Star Signers

Somehow Friday slipped right past me, but I wanted to be sure to share some of my favorites from around the Internet these past two weeks! Here are the posts I shared on Facebook and Google + March 1st-March 14th:

1. The ABCs of RSV from San Antonio blogger Kristina Nunez (Hott Mama in the City)--as the mama of a micropreemie, I definitely think this is worth sharing!

2. Adorable ZOO-themed seek & find from Handmade Mood (FREE printable!)


3. Toddler Years Must-Do List from Creative With Kids

4. Spell Your Name Game from Allison McDonald at No Time for Flashcards

5. Powerful post about Childhood Apraxia of Speech from Elizabeth Ross <---definitely a MUST-read!

Thanks for stopping by for Friday Favorites: Monday edition!

There are lots of great resources out there for parents & teachers of young children! 

I'd love for you to share a link with us: what inspired you this week?

Friday Favorites: Best of the Internet #4

Well, Valentine's Day is over and St. Patrick's Day is coming closer! I have a jackpot of awesome learning activities compiled for you today! As always, be sure you've liked Lone Star Signers on Facebook or add us to your circles on Google + so you see all the shares in real time!

Here are my favorite links from February 14th-28th:

1: Rainbow Sensory Rice from local mama Kim at Genesis Birth and Doula Serivces

2: Rainbow Busy Bag from The Pleasantest Thing

3: San Antonio Book Festival: view all the details with Inga Cotton of San Antonio Charter Moms check out related post 5 Ways to Get Excited from Seven Lovely Things

4: DIY Time Line from Fantastic Fun & Learning

5: And just in case you missed my post on Tot School Must-Haves, I'd love for you to stop by and share your favorite things!

There are so many amazing resources out there for parents and teachers of young children! 

I'd love for you to share a link with us: what inspired you this week?

What We Offer: Graduate Classes | Baby Sign Language Classes, San Antonio, Texas

From the very beginning of Lone Star Signers, I have endeavored to make our class culture distinct from other paid children’s activities in the San Antonio area. That is why you’ll find classes are priced per family, not per child. We also chose a price point that would allow families with one income (like ours) to participate. And once students graduate from our program, we encourage them to keep coming back.

When families commit to 14 weeks of Play & Sign classes, we want them to know how much we value that choice. Four months is a long time in a toddler’s life!

We have been excited to see the genuine community that is built in class each week. Children have become playmates, parents have become friends, and the overall feeling of “we’re in this together” support has been unlike any other group I have been a part of. Our families are amazing, and of course we want to continue spending time with them!

Graduate Program

After four months of Play & Sign classes, our young graduates have a brief ceremony that includes Pomp & Circumstance and balloons. There’s a photo-op with mini-diplomas and a “Class of 20—“ banner on the wall. In addition, students are given a Graduate Pass: good for a steep discount on future “undergraduate” classes and access to exclusive monthly Graduate-only classes.

When you attend a Play & Sign class, you will find there is a healthy mix of families who are participating for the first time and families who have been attending for two or three sessions. One of our current students is actually our FIRST student who began way back in the summer of 2012. As you can imagine, signing class has different benefits for a child that just turned one and one that is nearing her third birthday!

We love watching our grads reach new milestones in their development. And as our first group of graduates continues to grow older, we hope that the Preschool Sign & Learn classes will become a regular feature on the Lone Star Signers class schedule.

If you have any question about Play & Sign classes, the benefits of signing with children, or our graduate program, don’t hesitate to contact me!

The Big Reveal: San Antonio's NEW Do Seum! | Lone Star Signers

After the cold weather late last week, we were so excited to head down to Lion's Field Park on Saturday for the San Antonio Children's Museum's Dream It, Build It, Do It Event!

Our girls loved all the bright balloons decorating the field.

We built with PVC pipes, created a fort out of fabric, and tossed stuffed animals high in the sky using a slingshot. (Not Kate's beloved bear Winston, though.)

The big reveal ceremony was a lot of fun--especially the children holding the bright countdown signs.

Our girls were excited to pick out a colorful button to put on their sweaters (and now, their backpacks) and enjoy a tasty chocolate chip cookie from the Blu Cafe & Bakery.

We love our city and cannot wait for the opening of The Do Seum next summer!

Weekly Round-up: The BEST of the Internet #1 | Lone Star Signers

2013 was a huge year of growth at Lone Star Signers, and 2014 is all about community! We would to see your family in one of our weekly classes, but we also have lots of terrific FREE opportunities for your children to make new friends and for you to get a little support in this journey of parenthood.

The best way to stay connected to updates about events is by signing up for our newsletter, but I would also love to see more of you over on the Facebook page! There you can find photos, book reviews, tips about signing with your little ones, and tons of great learning activities that you can implement easily at home.

Thanks to recent Facebook changes, it has become difficult to keep up with updates from all the awesome pages we've "liked"--less than 25% of people who have liked my Facebook page actually see anything I post. I recommend that you set up interest lists for your favorite pages, and maybe even turn on notifications for the ones that have great content and frequent giveaways!

And, as a way to make sure that no one in our awesome community misses out, I'll be sharing a round-up of my favorite posts from Facebook, Google +, YouTube and Instagram each week.

Here are my favorite links for January 15th-21st, 2014:

1: Join the Signing Time Academy for 20% off through the end of January!

Post by Signing Time Academy.

2: Take the ASL Challenge! Several moms are working our way through the 30 free college-level ASL lessons on Lifeprint.com. Last week, our goal was to finish lesson 1 and the deadline for lesson 2 will be next Wednesday!

3: What are the differences between speech and language? Love this post from Twodaloo!

4: 20 Ways to Keep Toddlers Busy from Teaching Mama

5: To All the Tired Mamas Everywhere; a love letter from the amazing Lisa-Jo Baker

6: Free Family Event this Saturday, hosted by the San Antonio Children's Museum!

7: This AMAZING commercial from Duracell:
(You can read more about Derrick Coleman here.)

8: Don't forget about the iPad Mini giveaway hosted by Signing Time! Wouldn't it be awesome if someone from our community won?

9: 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten: an insightful post from School Library Journal

10: Spelling Our Names: a FABULOUS literacy/art activity from Happy Hooligans

After you check out my favorite links, I'd love for you to share YOUR favorite--either here in the comments or over on the Lone Star Signers Facebook page!

Until next time,
Melissa

Enjoying our city & a FREE Family Event | Saturday, January 25th

One of our family goals this year is to be more active at city events! We went to the Nutcracker at the Majestic and also the Holiday Magic Concert with the San Antonio Symphony--and now I'm happy to tell you about a FREE family event that is coming up next Saturday! Our family plans to attend and we'd love to see you there, too. 

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THE SAN ANTONIO CHILDREN’S MUSEUM HOSTS FREE FAMILY EVENT TO CELEBRATE NEW NAME AND FUTURE DIRECTION

WHO: The San Antonio Children’s Museum

WHAT: Swing by Lion’s Field Park and enjoy live music, food from local restaurants and food trucks, activities for children and prizes for all. Keith Hill BBQ, The Lemonade Co. and Blu Café and Bakery will provide food for attendees. The event will feature live music from acts such as Elora & Gasoline Alley. There will be a variety of activities for kids to enjoy including record-breaking connect-the-dots, designing and decorating giant sheet forts, science and art in play activities and many more. As the event’s grand finale, the new name and logo for the San Antonio Children’s will be revealed. This event is free to attend and open to the public.

WHEN: Saturday, January 25, 2014 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE: Lions Field, 2809 Broadway St, San Antonio

RSVP: sakids.org/RSVP

Class Schedule: 1st Quarter 2014 | Lone Star Signers

Baby Bounce & Sign (4-12 months)

Wednesday mornings, 9:00-9:30 a.m.
6 week session--read here for more!

Family Play & Sign (birth-5 years)

Tuesday evenings, 6:00-7:00 p.m. 
Wednesday mornings, 10:00-11:00 a.m.

14 week session--read here for more!

Preschool Sign & Learn (3-5 years)

Tuesday afternoons, 4:00-4:45 p.m. 
Wednesday mornings, 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

7 week session--read here for more!

Registration for classes is currently closed. Our next session begin in May! Join us!

SA Symphony: Holiday Magic Concert | Lone Star Signers

Our family is having a lucky year, winning a trip to Disneyland, Nutcracker tickets, and an afternoon with the San Antonio Symphony! Yesterday afternoon, our family went to Holiday Magic! – a Family Holiday Celebration at Laurie Auditorium.

Family concerts are aimed for children ages 4-11, and we were thrilled with all the pre-concert activities offered. Addie (our 5-year-old) made a funnel instrument, decorated an origami angel, and got to try a violin and cello!

Around 2:00, the lobby was full of families, so we headed outside to let the girls run off some energy before the concert. Trinity University is such a pretty location!

We had a wonderful time at the Symphony, and you can believe that we'll be attending another family concert! What a great experience for all of us!

Special thanks to Inga at SA Charter Moms for hosting this giveaway! We love experiencing all this city has to offer!