Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Expanding on The Rainbow Song & Box of Crayons

Colors!
The Rainbow Song      Box of Crayons

In my classes the topic of color signs usually brings up two topics.
 - At what age can infants/toddlers distinguish colors?

Children develop the ability to distinguish colors as they grow. They also are learning the names and groupings of colors as they grow. This is not a reason to avoid using color words but instead a reason to include color words and play in daily life. For bilingual/multilingual children in particular they need the guidance of an adult to know which color names apply to which colors in each language. For example, in English the sun is yellow and the "go" light is green but the same sun is red in Japanese and the "go" light is blue.

 - Do we have to use the finger spelled ABCs?
When I talk to those who are new to signing I often get a reaction like "finger spelling is too difficult" so they won't even try. Yes, like any language, learning to communicate in a new way can be challenging. However, kids can learn the words, even finger spelled words, when given the chance. One segway into fingerspelling is using initialized signs such as the signs for many of the colors.

~ Signing Time Series 1 Vol. 6 My Favorite Things ~
 Key Words/Signs:
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, rainbow, colors

~ Signing Time Series 2 Vol. 12 Box of Crayons ~

 Key Words/Signs:
red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, crayons
pink, black, brown, white, silver, gold

Lyrics for Signing Time Songs

Don't want to wait for a DVD or CD to arrive? Get the Groove With Me video with the Kotoba & Sign Digital Player!  Click here!

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