Signing Success Story #8 | San Antonio * Baby Signing

A couple of times each month, we like to feature the success stories of San Antonio's littlest signers. Today, I thought it would be fun to share the story of the little girl who is the inspiration behind what we do here at Lone Star Signers.

* Child’s name and age:

Adeline (5 years old)

* When and why did you start signing with your child?

Addie was 18 months old (15 months adjusted) when we started signing with her. Born 14 weeks too early, she faced several developmental delays the first few years of her life, including speech. Her fabulous speech therapist recommended that we try American Sign Language as a way to bridge her to verbal communication.

* How has signing made a difference in your family?

When we started signing with Adeline over four years ago, I don't think we could have guessed how that decision would impact our family, equipping other parents to communicate with their young children! Signing Time was one of the best parts of our day--we learned new signs together while laughing and singing. And the best part was that it worked!

Within a few months, she was speaking and signing. By the end of the year, she no longer qualified for speech therapy, and when she was evaluated by the school district on her 3rd birthday, her speech skills were two years ahead of her actual age.

Today, Addie is a very chatty extravert who still loves signing!

* What would you tell a friend interested in signing with their child?

Young children WANT to communicate with their family, but often lack the verbal skills to do so. There are absolutely no negatives to using sign language, but there are countless benefits! If you put in the time to learn the signs and use them consistently at home, you will be amazed.

Addie went from being non-verbal at 18 months to reading words at 3.5! I have no doubt that Signing Time fits her learning style perfectly and has equipped her for early learning success.

* Do you have a favorite Signing Time product?

We have several DVDs on permanent rotation around here. Our younger daughter Kate still loves Baby Signing Time and we all love our new Rachel and the Treeschoolers digital episodes!

* * * * *

Previous Signing Success Stories:

#1: McKaylee, 2 years old

#2: River, 15 months

#3: Edan, 3 years old 

#4: David, 17 months
#5 Everly, 13 months
#6 Isabella, 3 years old
#7 Sienna, 23 months

Tot School: Use What You've Got & Put It All Together

Wow, what a week! I truly hope this peek into my planning process has been helpful for you. I've enjoyed sharing my experience of planning a new class with you!

How to plan a fun learning experience for your kiddos:
Day 1: Make a theme list. Choose your first theme. (I picked SPRING.)
Day 2: Choose your books and request them from the library.

Day 3: Find printables, crafts, and activities to match the theme.

Day 4: Pull items from around your house and create activities.
Day 5: REST! (preferably with chocolate)

I teach signing classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so I usually start thinking about my next theme and requesting books on Thursdays. I research over the weekend and prep new items on Mondays after the girls go to bed. Tuesday afternoon is a chance for me to dry-run the craft with my own girls, so that I'll have a sample or two to show parents. (We do crafts during center time, so my girls have plenty of activities to keep them busy during this part of class.)

Without further ado, here is the lesson plan for my SPRING-themed class:

* Song: Baby Signing Time theme
* Family introductions (if necessary) & updates
* Introduce signs: spring/garden, dirt, seed, plant, flower, sun, water, grow, rain, worm
* Book: I See Spring by Charles Ghigna
* Song: Sunny Day by Elizabeth Mitchell
* Movement break: The Ants Go Marching
* Game: SPRING Bingo
* Book: Wake Up, It's Spring by Lisa Campbell Ernst
* Song: Grow Little Seed by Rachel Coleman
* Movement break: Fingers, Nose and Toes by Cedarmont Kids
* Song: Colors of the Rainbow by Rachel Coleman
* Craft & Centers (picture and details coming soon)
     Flower Fingerpainting
* Clean-Up Song
* Bubbles
* Parachute
* ABC Song
* Review (5 Spring Flowers) & Questions
* Song: The More We Get Together by Cedarmont Kids

I'm excited to have some new center ideas! My students range from 18 months to 5 years, so it's important to have a variety of activities that will meet each child's developmental needs and give every family an opportunity to practice their new signs.

Spring Centers:
Yellow & purple eggs: sound matching (six pairs of eggs with various objects inside)
Blue & yellow dry erase pockets: addition practice & fingerspelling page for the Kindergartners
Orange, blue & green eggs: build-a-word with magnetic letters (toddlers can practice letter recognition)
Pattern block templates: bird, rabbit, flower, sun (reversible)
Craft stick "puzzle" with red, yellow, and orange ABC pattern
Flower arranging
Pom-pom color sorting with tongs
Flower count & clip cards with clothespins

Signing Success Story #7 | San Antonio * Baby Signing

Sienna's family has been attending our Play & Sign classes since June 2013. Even though she graduated in October, we are thrilled to see her smiling face each week! I love when families continue to be a part of our awesome community!

Sienna's mom is an elementary school music teacher, and it is evident that both her parents do a great job singing and signing at home with her! I love that their signing is rooted in real, meaningful play (like signing colors and water while painting). Here is their success story:

* Child’s name and age:

Sienna (23 months)

* When and why did you start signing with your child?

We knew we wanted to sign with Sienna all along and had casually introduced a few signs on our own. Her first sign around 10 months was milk, which she used daily to communicate with her Daddy while Mommy was at work.

We discovered the Baby Signing Time class when Sienna was around 13-14 months old. Sienna added several signs her first couple of months of class: cat, shoes, hat, baby, eat/food, more, bird, ball, bubbles, dog.

Even though we have now completed the curriculum cycle, we continue enrolling each session. Sienna gets more and more out of class each time, adding new signs every month. The weekly repetition of songs has led her to name and sign color words, which led her to begin identifying colors. She is still surprising us with words and signs we had no idea she knew. We are so proud of her success!

* How has signing made a difference in your family?

One word: clarity. In Sienna's pronunciation, many things with the same initial consonant sound the same: bird, ball, book, bear. Sign language adds more context to everything she says and solves the mystery of what she meant. How many times could this potential misunderstanding have escalated into a tantrum or meltdown? Not usually a problem for us, thank goodness (her tantrums are thrown for other toddler injustices).

And, oh, the expression! We have here an extremely verbal, expressive child who uses signs to emphasize, supplement, and specify what she is saying. Sienna is a prime example of how adding sign language will only expand a child's vocabulary. We have also seen her confidence bloom. She will now try new signs and words more readily and incorporate them on her own.

Photos courtesy of Sienna's mom. :)

* What would you tell a friend interested in signing with their child?

We have been so impressed with Melissa's Baby Signing Time class week after week. Melissa is a true teacher in every sense whose experience and love of the profession show in every lesson. She provides differentiated instruction for all the various ages in the class. The setting is like a playdate, but with more structure; it allows Sienna to listen and absorb at her own pace while she discovers things around her and interacts with her classmates. The material is totally approachable for parents who are new to signing. It is logical and wide-reaching, drawing together kinesthetic, auditory, and visual learning styles.

As a teacher myself, I know how well combining these approaches solidifies learning, remembering, and understanding. The concepts are really appropriate for babies and toddlers, making for tons of practice opportunities in context everyday. Melissa provides a multitude of hands-on activities each week that connect developmental skills to the concepts she has presented. I have gotten so many great ideas for activities to try later. We really enjoy watching Sienna experience everything this class has to offer and make connections at home.

* Do you have a favorite Signing Time product?

We have a few DVDs and a few flashcard sets. The videos are nice for seeing multiple examples of how to do the signs as performed by adults as well as young children. Sienna really gets a kick out of seeing the kids sign. The flashcards are great for practicing learned signs in quiet settings. Sienna has picked up new signs from both products. It's been great to have a variety of ways for her to practice and learn new signs.

* * * * *
I am so thankful to Shannon, who took the time to share their family's story.
I truly believe that signing is for everyone--it can only enhance your family's communication!

* * * * *

Previous Signing Success Stories:

#1: McKaylee, 2 years old

#2: River, 15 months

#3: Edan, 3 years old 

#4: David, 17 months
#5 Everly, 13 months
#6 Isabella, 3 years old

Signing Success Story #6 | San Antonio * Baby Signing

It's time for another signing success story! Isabella has been attending classes since May 2012. I have treasured watching her grow and mature this past year. (We love when graduates continue classes!)

I asked her mom to share a little of their story today--I am a firm believer that American Sign Language is beneficial for children of all ages! Even though she didn't respond to sign language as a baby, I admire Laura for trying signing again when Isabella was older. I can attest to their great parent-child communication now!

Two- and three-year-olds LOVE using sign language to express themselves, even after they have acquired speech! It's never too late to start.

* Child’s name and age:

Isabella (3 years old)

* When and why did you start signing with your child?

When Isabella was little, I thought it would be neat to teach her to sign. I thought it would help in communicating with me as she was not very vocal. I tried signs like more, milk, and please with her at first, but she didn't really pick up the signs. When I heard about Lone Star Signers, I thought we would give Play & Sign classes a shot. I felt that it would also give her the opportunity to make friends and help develop her social interaction with other children her age. When Isabella was 2 1/2, she officially started signing.

Since she has learned how to sign, her interaction with others (children her own age and adults), has greatly increased for the better. Her verbal communication skills have increased and have become more clear.

* How has signing made a difference in your family?

In our family, signing has allowed Isabella and I to learn not only together but with each other, increasing our mother-daughter bond. Communication with Isabella from before signing to now is completely different. We no longer get frustrated with each other while speaking with each other.

* What would you tell a friend interested in signing with their child?

If a friend was interested in signing with their child, I would highly recommend it saying that signing has not only given my child the opportunity to thrive in her verbal communication but also has given her the opportunity to expand her knowledge of language.

* * * * *

THANK YOU for sharing your story, Laura! 
We love having your family in class!

* * * * *

Previous Signing Success Stories:

#1: McKaylee, 2 years old

#2: River, 15 months

#3: Edan, 3 years old 

#4: David, 17 months
#5 Everly, 13 months

Signing Success Story #5 | San Antonio * Baby Signing

One of our sweet little signers just celebrated her first birthday AND graduated from our Baby Signing Time classes! She is our 20th graduate, and I asked her mom Kim (a wonderful local doula) to share their signing story with us.

* Child’s name and age:

Everly (nearly 13 months)

* When and why did you start signing with your child?

We started signing with her around 6 months when we introduced solid foods, as well as with daily activities. Then we started taking your class (in November)! Yay!

* How has signing made a difference in your family?

Signing is awesome, as it give my daughter the confidence to express her wants and needs before she might be able to do so verbally. She gets so excited when we understand her and I have seen it remove frustrations and open communication for her. My hope is that signing will also help her with future communication, understanding context, and being able to effectively express herself.

* What would you tell a friend interested in signing with their child?

I absolutely recommend my friends (and my clients!) sign with their children. It benefits them, their relationship and their development. Taking classes is a fun way to interact with others and enhance what you are already doing at home. I seriously can't recommend it enough!

* * * * *

THANK YOU for sharing your story, Kim!

We currently have two openings in our Baby Bounce & Sign class starting the first week of March.

Just like babies crawl before they walk, they sign before they talk (pointing, blowing kisses, waving bye-bye, for example). For many children, signing is a bridge to verbal communication!

Baby Bounce & Sign Classes are full of songs, rhymes, and visual stimulation—perfect for the littlest signers, ages 4-12 months. Come connect with other parents, explore language play, and discover how easy it is to add ASL vocabulary into your day!

Find all the information here!

* * * * *

Previous Signing Success Stories:

#1: McKaylee, 2 years old

#2: River, 15 months

#3: Edan, 3 years old 

#4: David, 17 months

Signing Success Story #4 | San Antonio * Baby Signing

David is a recent graduate from Play & Sign classes, and I am so glad that his mom and dad agreed to share his story on the blog today! The entire family is proof that when you put in consistent time and effort into signing with your little ones, amazing things can happen!

* Child’s name and age:

David (17 months)

* When and why did you start signing with your child?

We started at 11 months old and classes at 13 months old. We have always believed learning different languages was a good thing and we love watching him learn.

* How has signing made a difference in your family?

Signing has helped bridge the gap between English and Spanish in our family. David understands Spanish much more than English. Signing has helped us teach him that things can have multiple names.

* What would you tell a friend interested in signing with their child?

Definitely worth trying it out. I feel like David doesn't get as frustrated because he knows how to communicate with us about the things he wants.

* * * * *

Two weeks ago, his mom sent me a video of David signing over five words--and they regularly post pictures of their family practicing signs at home (AIRPLANE at Christmas time, FLOWER at the zoo). I'm blown away by his parents' passion and how quickly this little guy has become trilingual.

This family is DEFINITELY a Signing Success Story!

If you're using more than one language with YOUR little one, I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.

See ya, September!

Wow, what a month! :)

Kate turned TWO! Our girl is singing, dancing, and stringing together sentences. "Timeline song, please" and "More water, Mommy" are the two that I hear most throughout the day. She picks up new signs every day (YES is her newest sign) and can say all of her ABCs and count to 12. Once again, I think it's clear that Signing Time is helping with our girls' early education in a very unique way.

Addie is devouring books and loving her Kindergarten year. Homeschooling is much more challenging than I expected (mostly in terms of scheduling and working around a two-year-old's short attention span).

A wonderful reporter and photographer joined us for class this month and wrote a great article about signing with children. You can read the article here! 

(Note: Our Play & Sign classes use real American Sign Language vocabulary--we don't get into sentence structure or grammar with young children, but it's important to mention that the Signing Time Academy does not use made-up "baby signs" in its curriculum. If and when your family is ready to learn more ASL, you will have an excellent foundation with the nouns and verbs we cover in class.)

And yes, we went to Disneyland! 

Addie, our five year old, was the Grand Prize Winner in Hand to Hold's Preemie Power Contest in 2012 and we were overwhelmed by the AMAZING experience that was gifted to us by Neotech.

October, you have a LOT to live up to! :)

Starting with Signing: Young Toddler Edition

When our precious first daughter was born in the summer of 2008, we had never heard of baby signing. Addie was born (unexpectedly) at 26 weeks, and I often joke that I never got past that week's chapter in the "What to Expect..." books.

Our first months were occupied by our time in the NICU (health issues, surgeries, and eating struggles), immediately followed by five months of home quarantine to avoid germs and the very-scary threat of RSV, and topped off with a hasty move when we realized our apartment had mold growing in the walls. You might say that first year was overwhelming. You might say that we were focused on surviving, not thriving...

Enter our amazing speech therapist:
"How does Adeline express her wants and needs to you?"

"Um...well...we sort of anticipate what she wants before she tells us," was the best that I could do. (I didn't know any better.) We didn't know if she didn't know how to talk or if there was just no need. Her receptive speech (what she understood us saying to her) tested above average, so we began to work on expressive speech with a side of sign language.

Here is how we started signing with our young toddler:

• We picked a handful of words we wanted Addie to be able to express to us first. 
• We found a million different ways to work those words into our daily routines. Let's say that "bath" was one of our key words; we would talk about taking a bath whenever we were in the restroom together, pretend to give her toys a bath, and check out books from the library featuring baths. We would say the word, show the sign, and then say the word while signing. 
• As soon as she would conquer one word, we would add it to our picture card pile. I printed off pictures from the Internet and pasted them to index cards to practice at the store, at church, while we were waiting in line for anything. (Addie LOVED flash cards; every child is different, though!)
• We taught signs with positive reinforcements first. BUBBLES, COOKIE, and SHOES were all things she loved and wanted to have. We empowered her to tell us what she wanted and when.
• We kept a journal, adding in her new words and signs weekly. We also wrote down our goal words to keep us on track. This communication was vital for parents, grandparents, and therapists! It's a wonderful keepsake now.

Our SLP is also the one who first recommended Signing Time to us and we checked them out from our library each visit. For both our girls, who waited until after 18 months to start signing or speaking regularly, signing was the bridge that they needed to speech. Their first signs became their first words, when they were ready!

With Addie, I am so, so, so thankful that we had her in Early Childhood Intervention services (speech, physical therapy, and occupational therapy) from a young age. By the time our second baby came along, I was a little more relaxed and a lot more informed about the range of "normal" in children...Kate is still a little below the curve when it comes to speech as an almost-two-year-old, but her signing vocabulary more than makes up for it.

Here's a brief video of Kate signing at 14 months. My notes say, "If you have a toddler that shows no interest in signing, don't give up! We've been signing to Kate (now 14 months old) since birth and she signs MORE and MILK sporadically. Today, I asked her to say/sign PLEASE and she did, which totally shocked me. Here's a video of the cutie reenacting for a cookie. (Hee, hee...I bet COOKIE will be her fourth sign.)"

For those of you who started signing after the baby stage with your little ones, what brought you to that decision? What tips do you have to share with parents who may be new to ASL?

Beyond Baby Signs

My youngest daughter will be two years old in just a couple of months.

This morning, we were standing in the kitchen, and she said (plain as day), "Milk, please!"

Yesterday, I told her how much I love her, and she said (so sweetly!), "I WUV you."

My baby is growing up, much faster than I like (or agreed to), and her ability to communicate with us is growing by leaps and bounds. I've already noticed that her "baby signs" are slowing down as her speech increases--and we're probably approaching the point that some parents would choose to stop signing.

But, we're not stopping with sign language just because Kate knows how to speak. If anything, this is the time that our signing will REALLY start to pick up. Here are our plans:

* Use signs for colors, letters, and numbers. We sing and sign Colors of the Rainbow and the ABC Song almost every day, usually during diaper changes or while we're standing in line someplace. I'm amazed at how quickly she's learning these "preschool" concepts.

* Use signs for new vocabulary, like names of foods and places that we go regularly, like the library. Because Signing Time is her favorite show to watch, many times a simple sign will trigger what she already knows about the concept.

* Navigate through tantrums by naming emotions and clarifying needs. When she throws herself down on the floor, I can get down next to her and say/sign, "Are you hungry, Kate?" "Are you ready to go to sleep?" Usually, she names one of those two things, but every once in a while, she'll sign GRUMPY or SAD, and I can apologize for being distracted or explain why it's not the best time for her to have what she wants/is screaming for.

* Use signs for potty training! She already knows the signs for POTTY, WIPE, FLUSH, and WIPE hands and she likes to "help" all the rest of us in the bathroom, even though she has no patience for sitting on the toilet herself yet.

And for our five year old? We're working on fingerspelling--which not only helps with literacy skills, but also helps build up her finger strength for holding a pencil. :)

Signing Success Story #3

ASL Story
by Katie Lamping

* When and why did you start signing with your child?*

My son Edan is 3 years old and we’ve been signing for about 2 years now. He turned 1 in March of 2011 and he had some developmental delays at the time, including speech. Despite having normal hearing and understanding of language all along, he was almost 18 months old when he said his first word. (Incidentally, that word was “hot”; can you tell we live in Texas??) My husband Kevin, Edan, and I were all so frustrated by Edan’s inability to communicate his increasingly complex observations and requests. I had the option to take an ASL class as an elective for my graduate program in the summer of 2011, so I signed up and started teaching Edan as I learned. I was amazed when he started signing back! It was so much easier for him to SHOW me what he was thinking, and ASL gave him a way to direct how he was already using his hands and body and facial expressions to communicate. His emphatic use of this new language taught me a lot about what a “visual-gestural” language really looks like.

* How has signing made a difference in your family?*

Today Edan has typical language skills. We backed off of signing a bit when he first started speaking, but like all families, we continually run into periods in which his receptive language development outpaces his expressive and articulation abilities. So we keep coming back to ASL. It’s also given us a way to talk to each other privately no matter who else is around, and I think we will appreciate this more and more as he gets older because I will be able to ask questions, provide instructions, or offer affection without embarrassing him. Of course, it’s also a way for us to communicate when we can’t otherwise speak, like when we’re too far apart, when one of us loses our voice, when I’m on the phone, when we’re in a quiet environment like when daddy is still asleep, or a loud one like during a tantrum. ;)

* What would you tell a friend interested in signing with their child?*

For those interested in beginning to sign, I would encourage them to take a class if at all possible, either through a Signing Time instructor or at a local college (in San Antonio, SAC and UTSA offer ASL courses). Bookmark a couple relevant websites and/or pick up an ASL dictionary and get in the habit of looking up the signs for words you use throughout the day. Be consistent, use the signs at every opportunity, and watch for and acknowledge approximations of the sign in your child’s movements. Make it a part of your life as much as possible and know that it’s never too late to start or pick it back up.

*Do you have a favorite Signing Time product?*

I LOVE all the Signing Time DVDs. Many of them show signs for foods and because Edan has multiple food allergies, this provides a great opportunity to talk about foods that are and are not safe for him. He gets so excited when an Edan-safe food comes up; “I can have that mama!”. Vol 6: My Favorite Things is one of his favorites because it includes the signs for so many “Edan-safe” fruits and vegetables...and also because he likes the rainbow on the cover. My personal favorite is Vol 5: ABC Signs because it shows so very many signs and it’s fun trying to keep up with Rachel as she sings.

* * *

Thank you for sharing your family's story, Katie! We have loved getting to know all of you in classes this year!

Katie was given a free Practice Time DVD as a thank you gift for participating in this series, but all opinions are her own. Some affiliate links are included.

Signing Success Story #2 | San Antonio * Baby Signing

* Child’s name and age:

River (15 months)

* When and why did you start signing with your child?

We started at 6 months with 'milk', but we knew when I was pregnant that would would be signing with River. I'd done so much research that told me how much of an impact it would have on his development.

* How has signing made a difference in your family?

It's been so much easier(is it ever easy?!) to communicate with him, he's speaking more and telling us what he's wanting.

* What would you tell a friend interested in signing with their child?

To start early! Even if its just a couple signs. The best insight I've been given was that they understand much sooner than they can communicate back, so it's important to sign to them even if they aren't responding back.

* Do you have a favorite Signing Time product?

We've only used the DVDs to this point, so they're our, River's, favorite! He won't watch anything on TV for more than 30 seconds. He loves Rachel, he requests to watch "Baby". He just lights up when he hears the music and sees it coming on.

Thank you for sharing, Joscelyn! :)

**

You can download a FREE 13 minute Signing Time sampler by clicking here and following the directions!

Joscelyn will be sent a  free Practice Time DVD as a thank you gift for participating in this series, but all opinions are her own. Update (June 2013): Joscelyn is now a Baby Signing Time Instructor in the Converse area! Check out her Instructor page here.

Friday Feature: Signing Success Story | San Antonio * Baby Signing

In my quest to start being more active on the blog, I reached out to a few mamas and asked them to share their family's Signing Success Story. Here is McKaylee's story!

* Child’s name and age:

McKaylee (2) and Tyler (10)

* When and why did you start signing with your child?

McKaylee was born at 35 weeks and stayed in the NICU for a little over a month. She had been intubated and had a lot of feeding and breathing problems. It took her a little longer to start making sounds and a lot longer to actually start forming words. We started signing with her when she had just turned 1. We were having a lot of trouble understanding her. The doctor had already warned us that we may have to start speech therapy soon. We were not ready for that. I thought it was still a little to early to tell. But we needed to do something because it was very frustrating to everyone (her included) that we could not understand her. In fact, I think it made her crazier that we couldn't make out anything that she was "saying".

* How has signing made a difference in your family?

At first we just downloaded the free Signing Time sample and the kids LOVED it. She would sign almost everything on it and Tyler would help her with the ones she couldn't figure out. Her favorite was train, car and the colors of the rainbow. So we made the jump and bought the volume 1 bundle. It taught us how to say her favorite snacks like milk, water, and crackers. She likes to "read" the book to Tyler. It was like it opened up a new world for us. She started to sign a lot of the little words and we were able to communicate a little more with each other. A lot less tears all around. :)

* What would you tell a friend interested in signing with their child?

I would tell anyone who is thinking about signing with their child to DO it, regardless if your child speaks perfectly or not. I think it helps the child think about what they are trying to say before they say it. McKaylee has since started to talk a lot better and the Pediatrician has told us that she does NOT need speech and that whatever we were doing it was working, so we will keep on signing! Even though she does not sign as much now that she talks clearer and with longer sentences, she does sign things unexpectedly. To see her sign things out of the blue makes me happy! Makes me smile to know that when she was having a hard time trying to communicate, she had such a great program to help her along!

* Do you have a favorite Signing Time product?

So far our favorite Signing Time is all of them. We have rented a few from the Library. I think that as she gets older we just have new favorites. They grow with her. We are looking forward to starting the Potty Time videos with her.

Thank you for sharing, Lindsay! 

If any of you are interested in downloading the FREE Signing Time sample, click on the link above for directions. Lindsay will be sent a  free Practice Time DVD for participating in this series, but all opinions are her own. Other affiliate links are included in this post-see my Disclosure Page for more details.