Free eBooks for Read Across America Day

The National Education Association in the US has a yearly "Read Across America Day" to encourage families and teachers to keep reading with children. The benefits of reading are so many and so great that I don't have space/time to discuss them all here. This post is to let you know of a few favorite books and how you can gain instant access to them!

One of the read things about signing while reading is that it adds extra depth by making books interactive.

The excellent Baby Signing time, Potty Time and Signing Time eBooks are FREE on the Kotoba & Sign Digital Player until 3/3/2017 (US time) with the code: sign2read . 

Limit 1 per customer account.

While you're there, take a look around at the other products. They include
- Videos
- Music
- Parent Guides
- Activity Guides

Recommendations:
★　The song "I love to Read a Book" works great for transitioning into reading time. I use it both in my classes and with my kids at home.
★　The Signing Time video "Once Upon a Time" covers useful vocabulary and signing for story time
★　The Signing Time video "Who Has the Frog" introduces key question words to use when discussing what you've read.

Use the code: sign99 to enjoy a 1 month subscription for $0.99. It is a great way to see what is available before purchasing! 
Use with the MOD Mobile app to watch on your phone & tablet.

For Inspiration
A toddler signing while reading

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I Can Talk With My Hands... Can You?

Kotoba & Sign 言葉＆サイン　e-mail: heidi　@　signingtimeacademy.com  

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Good Night Moon

In Advanced Class (Red Class) today we read a classic book.
Goodnight Moon おやすみなさいおつきさま was written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was first published in 1947. Since then many families around the world have enjoyed reading it at bedtime.  My favorite edition is the cloth book.
Did you know there is a companion book called My World?

There is even an ASL signed edition. Here's a preview:

Goodnight Moon ASL is part of the Storybook Treasures DVDs series. This box set is region 1 (US/Canada) so if you want it be sure you have a DVD player that can play it such as a region free DVD Player.

Looking for some Goodnight Moon activities to do? Have a look at these.
Links on Living Montessori Now
Sensory Bin

Goodnight Moon is one of many books you can use to practice the signs we've learned in class. It goes well with Baby Signing Time DVD #3 A New Day. There is a DVD, CD, flashcards and digital book. 

Sign of the Week - Grass 今週の手話は「grass」です。

This week the Sign of the Week from Signing Time is "grass"! 今週の手話は「grass」です。

 Children of all ages are interested in understanding the world around them so having signs such as "wind" "sun" and "grass" can help them to tell you what they are seeing and thinking about!

 Here are some videos from Two Little Hands where you can learn other signs to go with "grass":
Baby Signing Time Vol. 3 A New Day 
Series 2 Vol. 5 Going Outside 

Books for practicing the sign for "wind":
"Grass"のサインを練習するためのおすすめ絵本:
What Do You See Outside? (Baby Signing Time!) By Emilie De Azevedo Brown
Going Out from Child's Play

Activity:
Take a walk, practice signing what you see.
Here are some of the things we found on a Outside Signs walk in a recent BST class.

Family Signs 家族のサイン

Family Signs ファミリーのサイン

おすすめ　TOLO Dolls

Look these up in the Signing Time Dictionary online or Signing Savvy

Family　家族
Father　お父さん
Mother　お母さん
Baby　赤ちゃん
Sister　お姉さん、妹さん
Brother　お兄さん、弟さん
Grandma　お祖母さん
Grandpa　 お祖父さん
Great Grandma　ひいお祖父さん
Great Grandpa　ひいお祖母さん
Aunt 　 伯母さん
Uncle　伯父さん
Cousin いとこ

Songs with family signs:

Mom Has a Mom

~ Baby Signing Time Vol. 1 Mom Has A Mom ~

In a House

~ Signing Time Series 1 Vol. 4 Family, Feelings, Fun ~

家族のサイン練習にぴったりの絵本　Books for Practicing Family Signs

Kotoba & Sign Amazon.co.jp Store

Spot's Snowy Day

Week At Grandma's

The Berenstain Bear's Family Reunion

Reading with Your Little One

Reading and books play an important role in the development of our children.  
Here are some ideas to get you started with reading: 

プレママに Before Birth
Even before they are babies can recognize a mother's voice and hear when a book is read aloud to them.  Some studies show that after reading the same book repeatedly before birth it is recognized by a newborn after birth. Look for books which have an interesting rhythm. Dr. Seuss works great!
While it may seem strange to start signing with your baby at this stage it is a good time to learn signs at a relaxed pace and start getting into the habit of signing, particularly when reading a book
Suggested books:  
One Fish, Two Fish
Hop on Pop
Green Eggs and Ham

新生児 Newborn
As newborns wake up to the world they are very interested in many things but are limited by the development of their bodies.  During the first few months black/white patterns are particularly interesting as their vision improves.  They also are great listeners so talk, sing and read to them.  This is a great time to start signing the words you know when you come across them in a book.
Suggested books:
Books to look at - Black & White
Songs that are books - Classic Books With Holes - Wheels on the Bus

赤ちゃん Infants
Around 6 months old a child's vision becomes clear enough to enjoy various pictures.  It is a good time to introduce books with photographs.  To avoid overwhelming the baby choose a book which has just one clear picture on each page. 
As a baby nears 1 year old there is a time of interest in textures.  During this time touchy-feely books can be great fun.  
Babies at this stage also benefit from seeing signing while being read to .  It will help them to learn new signs, their meaning and when to use the signs.
Suggested books:
Baby Signing Time Board Books
Global Babies
Touch and Feel set

乳幼児 Toddlers
As babies begin walking and become toddlers their areas of interest increase greatly.  They become more aware of seasons, day/night, weather etc.  Through books we can introduce and explain many of these ideas.  They also strive for independence so it is good to have books which a toddlers can "read" (look at) alone in a place the toddler can reach. 
Suggested Books
Baby Signing Time Board Books
Down by the Station
Maisy's Wonderful Weather Book

幼稚園生 Preschooler
Reading with a preschooler can be a great way to answer some of their never-ending questions.  At this age they are often interested in a wide variety of books.  Reading together, pointing out the words as you read, can help to develop an understanding on phonics and phonemics which is a key part to learning to read independently.
Suggested books:
Cat in the Hat Learning Library
Chika Chika Boom Boom

読み始まったら　Beginner Readers
During this time many children begin to read on their own.  While there are many ways to encourage reading and each child will go at a different pace there are a few key things you can do for any child and with any system:
 - Have easy books available. Children need something to practice with that is at their level.  The "I Can Read" and BOB Books series are popular the US.
 - At this stage a child's comprehension of words usually exceeds his ability to read. Developing good listening skills is also a part of reading. This is a good time to introduce short chapter books read by an adult.
Suggested books
Biscuit
BOB Books
Little House in the Big Woods

一人で読めるようになったら　Reading +
Once kids have started reading a bit on their own it is important to continue making time to practice.  Some families have the kids read to mom while she makes supper. Others set aside some family reading time before bedtime.  Make reading a daily activity and keep it interesting by having great books on hand!
Suggestions:
Caldecott Medal Books
Newbery Medal Books
Reading Rainbow Books 

For more reading: 
Benefits of reading before birth
http://news.sciencemag.org/brain-behavior/2013/08/babies-learn-recognize-words-womb
http://www.livestrong.com/article/217722-benefits-of-reading-to-an-unborn-baby/
Children's vision development: http://www.childrensvision.com/development.htm

On the Book Shelf...

During our summer vacation trip to my parent's house I came across this book on the bookshelf. It is a reminder that American Sign Language is a normal part of life, something which can also be a very helpful part of life, for many families.

This book shows the ASL alphabet with a picture of an animal whose name begins with the letter being signed. It is another great resource for interactive reading and a fun way to learn the sounds letters make!

Handsigns: A Sign Language Alphabet by Kathleen Fain http://amzn.com/0811811964

 

Posted with Blogsy

Sign of the Week 今週の手話 Wind 風

This week the Sign of the Week from Signing Time is "wind"! 今週の手話は「風」です。

 Children of all ages are interested in understanding the world around them so having signs such as "wind" "sun", "cloud" and "moon" can help them to tell you what they are seeing and thinking about!

 Here are some videos from Two Little Hands where you can learn other signs to go with "wind":
Baby Signing Time Vol. 3 A New Day 
Series 2 Vol. 5 Going Outside 

Books for practicing the sign for "wind":
"Wind"のサインを練習するためのおすすめ絵本:
What Do You See Outside? (Baby Signing Time!) By Emilie De Azevedo Brown
Going Out from Child's Play
Maisy's Wonderful Weather Book by Lucy Cousins

親子工作　Would you like to do a wind craft?  Here is a Hand-y Craft Windsock with downloadable instructions.  Looks like a fun summer project!

Sign Of The Week 今週の手話 Sun お日様

The Sign of the Week this week is sun.

今週の手話は太陽、お日様です。

Infants and toddlers are very interested in the world around them so having signs such as "sun", "cloud" and "moon" can help them to tell you what they are seeing and thinking about!

Here are some videos from Two Little Hands where you can learn other signs to go with "sun"!

Baby Signing Time Vol. 3 A New Day

Series 2 Vol. 5 Going Outside

Rachel and the TreeSchoolers: A Rainy Day

Books for practicing the sign for "sun":
"Sun"のサインを練習するためのおすすめ絵本:

What Do You See Outside? (Baby Signing Time!)  By Emilie De Azevedo Brown (Available from Heidi)

Itsy Bitsy Spider from Child's Play

Going Out from Child's Play

Maisy's Wonderful Weather Book by Lucy Cousins

I Love You Sun, I Love You Moon by Tomie dePaola

And, to wrap this up, here is a clip of my toddler using the sign "sun" while looking at pictures of the eclipse we watched earlier that day.  Without signing we probably wouldn't have known that she understood what was happening during the eclipse!

Class Helper

One of the great things about my Baby Signing Time classes is that families can attend together.  Older siblings can help and be a great signing example for the younger babies.

This is one of my special helpers getting the Baa Baa Black Sheep book ready!

A Hide-and-Seek Book サインでかくれんぼ絵本

We recently got a new book!

Where is Baby?  is an children's book that includes a number of ASL signs we cover in the Baby Signing Time classes.

Each page has an English sentence on the left with the key words/signs in red.  There is also a small description of how to make the sign.  On the left is a lift-the-flap area that will reveal the object you just signed.  Little kids love peek-a-boo and hide-and-seek so they love this book too!

More Toddler Reading

In the previous post I shared a video from yesterday.  Here are a few more from the same reading session!

Reading an Easter Book - Things I See at Easter

http://youtu.be/HwrwnGurhMo

Sealife Book - うみのいきものかくれんぼ

http://youtu.be/9wEoGQdndXo

Clothing Book - おきがえいろいろかくれんぼ

http://youtu.be/CttXnO1wAfQ

Vehicle Book - のりものいろいろかくれんぼ

http://youtu.be/wb0HZnML7Z0

Even if the child's signs are not perfect they can still enjoy reading.  As you can see my daughter is also "correcting" her signs as her ability increases so they look more and more like the signs produced by adults.  This is a normal step for 2 and 3 year olds!  This is also why I always tell parents to capture the cute "baby sign language" moments on video because like everything else kids grow out of it quickly!

Reading an Animal Book

My daughter loves books.  Her love of books has been fostered in part by the ability to "read" on her own by signing what she sees.

 

The いろいろかくれんぼ　books by いしかわ こうじ are very popular in our home. Many of the topics are the same as those covered in the Baby Signing Time and Signing Time series. These books are a fun way to reinforce the signs that we have learned!

Books that Enhance

One of the great things about using ASL (American Sign Language) as the basis for signing with children is the wealth of "extra" books that you can use.  Since it is a real, full language there are new books constantly being made and many great ones already published.

The Baby Signing Time, Signing Time and Potty Time Board Books are currently hard to get your hands on in Japan.  However, I can take orders for them.  The other books can be purchased via Amazon.co.jp

The main books that we use in the baby class are, of course, the Baby Signing Time Board Books!

1. Time To Eat! 

2. Good Night, Alex and Leah 

3. What Do You See Outside? 

4. Will You Be My Friend?

Potty Time Board Book: Hopkins Uses the Potty

Signing Time Board Books - These coordinate with the first 6 volumes of the Signing Time Series 1 DVDs & Flashcards

1 My First Signs

2 Playtime Signs

3 Everyday Signs

4 Family, Feelings & Fun

5 ABC Signs

6 My Favorite Things

Below are some of the other books that we have used in class.  These are not from Signing Time but are based on ASL, the same as Signing Time.

Words by The Handful - a box set of small board books great for babies & toddlers  (see blog post)

Sign and Sing Along Series - Illustrated by Annie Kubler -  Popular English Children's songs illustrated with ASL signs.  Please note that there is also a BSL version (British Sign Langauge).
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Incey Wincey Spider 
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

Sign About Series -Illustrated by Anthony Lewis -  Like little board book picture dictionaries.  Great for expanding vocabulary beyond what we cover in class.  Please note that there is also a BSL version (British Sign Langauge).
Getting Ready
Going Out
Play Time
Meal Time

Mullberry Bush サインで読める絵本

There are many books that you can read even if you know just a few signs.  One of the favorites at our house is Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush from the Child's Play Classic Books with Holes series. 

サインで読める絵本

Here is a video clip of Mega reading the page with bath and brushing teeth.  She is 21 months old in this video and uses ASL signs along with spoken words.  Since she is still young her pronunciation is not great but thanks to the signs it is easy to know what she is saying!