おすすめDVD Move and Groove

☆  Stuck inside because of rainy season? Check out Move and Grove! ☆ 

Rainy season has started in Japan. This time of year we have many days when we can't go to the park to play and since our houses are small it is difficult to burn off extra energy when playing inside. Signing Time has a DVD that is perfect for the rainy days!

Today I'd like to introduce you to Signing Time Series 2 Move and Grove.

While not planned as an exercise DVD my kids turn it into one by acting out the various actions words/signs that are taught. After dancing around for 25 minutes the kids get tired and they've learned a few things in the process!

Like the other Series 2 DVDs there "breaks" for learning ABCs, numbers etc. included in the show. Each DVD also focuses on learning a song from start to finish with the last part of the show including the song for the episode in its entirety. This gives kids a real feeling of accomplishment when they can learn to sign and dance a full song!

My 5 yr oldies pretty good at following along with the DVD. The 2 yr. old turned to me after a few minutes and said "My exercising!" After which she started her own exercise routine in addition to the song.

We don't really have space for somersaults, which she discovered pretty quickly!

Here is are two previews of Signing Time Series 2 Move and Grove

DVD of the Week 今週のおすすめDVD - Time To Eat

This week I'd like to introduce you to the Signing Time Vol. 12 DVD Time to Eat.  It is a great option for building on the vocabulary learned in a Baby Signing Time ☆ Sign and Play ☆ Class.  This DVD also builds on vocabulary covered in the Baby Signing Time Vol. 1 materials and the Signing Time Vol. 3 Everyday Signs materials. 

Vocabulary covered in the Time To Eat DVD includes a number of food signs and words that are helpful to know in the preparing of food.  The songs touch on topics such as food growing in the garden and cooking in the kitchen.  A particular favorite of ours is the "Set the Table" song.

As part of learning about their world children enjoy exploring items from daily life.  Infants and toddlers enjoy practicing cutting and cooking toy food.  Preschoolers and Elementary aged kids can help with preparing various foods.  With the help of the song "Set the Table " kids can help by setting the table at mealtimes.

A special bonus for those who are familiar with the Silly Pizza Song (From the Everyday Signs DVD) is the Silly Pizza II song.  If you thought the first one was challenging this one doubles the challenge!  If you master either of the Silly Pizza songs please send me the video!!!!

Here is a clip of the Time to Eat DVD:

DVD of the Week 今週のおすすめDVD

There are many wonderful Signing Time DVDs as well as others that are ASL based. This series of posts will introduce a different DVD each week and provide ideas for extension activities that you can do at home!

 

Recently my daughter (2 years 8 months) has been really interested in the letters "t", "n" and "m". Not only are the signs similar, the sounds of "n" and "m" are similar as well. After a couple of weeks of asking about those 3 letters she's moved on to wanting to know the first letter of people's names.

When my son ws that age I hadn't introduced the manual alphabet (fingerspelling) yet so I wonder if perhaps I missed out on his first interest in the alphabet?

 

In the signing time series the alphabet, finger spelling and letter sounds are introduced in Series 1 DVD 5. Basic phonetics are included throughout the series as many signs include a letter that connects to the spoken English word (example: water, restaurant, shoe). When a child connects the letter and the sound it makes it is a step towards being able to read the language.

Finger spelling and initialized signs can also help develop phonemic awareness which is key in gaining fluency in a language.

 

This week's suggested DVD is....

Practice Time ABCs

My kids (2 and 5) volunteered to watch the DVD and give their honest opinion. Even though I teach Signing Time classes and own the complete series we do not watch the DVDs every day. It has been a while since we watched the Practice Time DVDs that they don't remember watching it.

I think this DVD appeals best to kids who area bit older than mine or interested in ABCs and reading more than my kids are right now.

The DVD starts out with a lesson on how to sign the ABCs. While we already know the manual alphabet thekidsstill enjoyed signing along. After learning the basics the DVD uses a series of progressive quizzes to review the manual alphabet and move into finger spelling. The DVD is created to mix up the quiz questions each time you watch so you aren't seeing the same questions every time.

In the first round of practicing Rachel signs a letter and we guessed what it was. My 2 yr old answered mostofthese correctly - which really surprised me! She even added reasons like "That's "g" like green". The second round of practice quizzes showed the the letter and it was our job to show the sign. Wile this was a bit tougher for my 2 yr old, my 5 yr old washable to do it easily.

The practice activities after the first two rounds introduced basic finger spelling. This is where the kids lost interest quickly. For the 2 yr.old it was when "mom" was spelled with an "m" first. In her mind it starts with "h" since my name starts with "h". Once she saw Rachel "make a mistake" went to play someplace else.

My son hung in there a bit longer but he isn't used to finger spelling words with 4 letters so he stopped participating but kept watching as the practice levels became more challenging. He went off to play at about the 5th level.

As someone who is a notoriously bad speller I could probably benefit from a more advanced Practice Time DVD. Like learning piano or how to write, it takes time for finger spelling to become smooth and to be able to read what someone else is spelling. This DVD is a great tool for kids and adults alike to take their first steps into finger spelling. It also can be used in conjunction with teaching a child to write and read as it reinforces letter sounds and order.

 

Here's a preview from the DVD ABCs

Here's the link to the Two Little Hands stores Practice Time ABCs page

 

Related Activities

- Use the ABC flashcards to quiz each other showing the sign side first, then the letter.

- Play a word game where one person says a word and the other person guess what letter it starts with and gives the appropriate letter sign.

- Fingerspell common words seen around the house - like "tea" on the tea box.

- play a silent game of "I Spy with my Little Eye" when traveling by train or waiting in line. Look around for a letter, sign it and the color of the letter, give the other person a chance to find it.

- Use finger spelling to practice for a spelling test.

- Help sound out words by signing the letters and saying the sounds.

 

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