Kindermusik's Sing and Sing class scheduled to begin this Thursday at 3pm is worth doubling up for!
If you value your special time together and you enjoy learning about what's making your child's brain "tick"and you are you looking for more fun quality time with your 6 month to 3 year old then you will want to know about Kindermusik Sign and Sing.
This weekly 45 minute 10 week class will be taught by Yvette Odell. She will show caregivers many signs and explain the purpose behind encouraging sign language for very young children. American Sign Language is used rather than "Baby Signs" because this is a real language used and understood by many people including hearing impaired. The class is not intended for hearing impaired children since the goals are to use signs to decrease frustrations in children who are learning to talk.
The structure of the class is different that the "regular Kindermusik classes" since we are allowing free play to create learning situations that will be most effective for children's aquisition and comprehension of signs. There is some singing but the signing really takes precedence.
Added benefits are increased vocabulary, increased interactions with caregivers, increased understanding of the processes of language acquisition and parenting tips that help with directing children towards a learning goal.
Many of the general goals are similar to the ones in our regular Kindermusik classes but you'll find them to be very different! It's worth doubling up!
Enroll here.
Heather Honeck and I are team teaching Sign and Sing this month. Those are some lucky families that are getting two teachers for the price of one! And Heather is a speach and language pathologist too! We've been singing and signing about bears....and little Haley's favorite book is Brown Bear! What a great opportunity to take some highly motivating signs and some attention getting strategies to jump start the children in signing!! I'm seeing signs all over the class. And I must say the moms and both Nannas are extra great students! You are so open, creative and gentle. I can tell that you are enjoying this precious time with your children.
I thought you all would enjoy listening to the author, Bill Martin, Jr. read his book. He tells how he was inspired to write it too. I believe this one came to him complete with melody and rhythm...just listen to him sing it! Brown Bear Brown Bear
One other thought for today is about conceptualizing. This is what we call grouping different words under one sign. By that I mean in class we use the sign for music also when we want to sign "sing" and "song" or we use the same sign for quack as duck or the super handy sign for icky or yucky which is really the sign for dirty. It struck me that grouping words together may help little children's brains grow creatively. Our brains are programmed to search for patterns, make connections and "fill in the blanks". We are really showing them how to do this with conceptualizing our signs in our Kindermusik Sign and Sing class. We help them create categories for words that are related in meaning, pointing it out in an obvious way: with signs.
Here is the link for the American Sign Language dictionary that I really like a lot.
Thank you Sharon for the Brown Bear link.
Here's a video to show the possibility in exposing your children to sign language.
Kindermusik Sign and Sing class are Thursdays in August. Parents and children both learn a lot!
12 Month-old Signs CRY instead of Crying!
12-month old signs CRY instead of crying! Signs are capitalized. Baby signs/says, "AUDREY (A fist on her chin Signing Smart TM 12-month old signs CRY instead of crying! Signs are capitalized. Baby signs/says, "AUDREY (A fist on her chin), CRYING; (feels) YUCKY, (wants) Ma MILK MAMA!" Rather than cry, she tells me she feels like crying!! Two word sentences are typical between 18-24 months, but this is a 5 word sentence! Thank you SIGNING SMART and Kindermusik Sign & Sing for the ASL STRATEGIES!! I can truly have a conversation with my baby!
Thank you Miss Tracey! What a golden gem of a video.
