One of the awesome things about the internet age is that we can share things easily with people who are halfway around the world. Pepika is based in Bosnia and Herzegovina, yet I can purchase one of her patterns and have it quickly due to technology. Truly, the world is becoming more and more connected.

The cow above is available as either a lovable that you can buy already created, or you may purchase the pattern to create her for yourself. With the incredible photo, one can really see the artistry involved in creating this cute cow.

This set of owls is available together, or separately. Owls seem to be a popular creature lately and this set is just amazing.

map of Bosnia and Herzegovina

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patterns from across the world

One nice thing about Pepika’s patterns is that she gives you the option of using different types of yarn and gives you an idea how large your creation will be if you use a couple different weights of yarn.

Be sure to check out Pepika’s web site as well for a few free patterns and some amigurumi basics.

ASL Signs for the Post:To sign cow, make a Y hand shape and put it up to the side of your head. To sign owl, make O hand shapes and twist them over your eyes.

For this playgroup, I used the names of some common toys as well as action words.

BOOKS:

For this playgroup, I used some nursery rhymes.

Jack Be Nimble can be used for jump and fast (quick.)

Hey Diddle Diddle can be used for cat, cow, jump, moon, dog, laugh, to see, dish, ran, with, spoon, fun.

Humpty Dumpty can be used for sat, fall, horses, again. (Check out the sign writing for Humpty Dumpty.)

Mother Goose Land has some great print outs of these nursery rhymes with drawings and the words to share as you share the signs. Since many kids and most parents are familiar with these rhymes, it is easier for them to concentrate on learning the signs to go with them.

Games and Activities:

1. Simon Signs is a good game to play with the action words. The leader starts by signing one of the action words and the rest must do the action. Let the kids take turns being the leader. This is a good one to use in mixed age groups because the older kids can be the leader, while the younger ones do the actions.

2. Jump the Candlestick: I had a crocheted candlestick that I let the kids jump over as we recite the rhyme.

3. Beanbag Toss: I put pictures of the toys or people doing the action words on paper plates. The kids throw a beanbag or sticky ball at the plates. The thrower signs whatever word the ball lands upon.

4.Simple Board Game: I made some simple board games at a English as a Second Language site with pictures of the words we are practicing. Kids roll a die, move to a spot on the board, and sign the word.

5. Parachute: Using the parachute we practice ball, slow, fast, stop, and go.

Crafts: I have a set of stencils of kids doing various outdoor activities that kids can trace and draw pictures. I also print out copies of nursery rhymes coloring pages, like these: Jack Be Nimble, Humpty Dumpty, Hey Diddle Diddle

Songs:

1. Signing Time: I’m Really Good At
2. Baby Signing Time: I Can Keep It Still
3. Jim Along Josie from Games, Games, Games by Wee Sing

I know I have seen Moose Threads’ shop before, perhaps in a promotional thread for one of her lovely sweaters. This week her latest hat, with the lovely red truck caught my eye. It is often hard to find items that are really cute for boys, so I knew this is a shop to feature. I don’t even have any little boys to buy anything for right now. She also has a cute hat with a car, and another with a submarine for little boys.

For girls, she has several adorable items, including this brightly colored hat with a butterfly floating around on it. She also sells some cute skorts, which are made utilizing bike shorts underneath the crocheted skirt.

If you have a very special girl in your life, you may want to purchase this set for her, which will last long enough to be put away for her children in the years to come.

If you head over to Etsy, please check out Laura’s Left Hook as well.

ASL Signs for the Post:To sign hat, pat your head a couple times, or pantomime putting on a hat with both hands. For car, close your hands into fists and put your hands where the three and nine o’clock are on the imaginary steering wheel and drive. To sign butterfly, your hands become the butterfly wings and your thumbs are its body. Check out the link because I think a picture is worth way more than my brain in describing it.

I am very pleased that Signing Time! has decided to provide learning activities online to go with their great dvds. So far, they have two weeks worth of activities up to print out. We plan to use these at home to review our signs as well as keeping them to use with my ASL playgroup.

Included so far are memory games, categorizing activities, food pyramid practice, animals, pets, addition practice, and alphabet practice. Be sure to check them out. I know my six year old was already playing school today with my three year old. I am sure they will enjoy doing some of these activities as the summer unfolds.

Sometimes you get a request that is not exactly what you would make if you had the choice, but you make it anyway. That is the case with this hooded cape that my daughter asked me to make for her. It is not that I did not want to make something for her. It is also not a problem to make the cape. I just was not thrilled with the colors she ended up choosing, especially the particular shade of turquoise for the cape. However, it was what she truly wanted me to make, so that is what I did.

Having to work with an odd set of colors was more than made up for by her reaction to it being finished. She insisted upon wearing it to church even though it was in the 90s that day because she was so happy to have it.

This week I have been teaching her to crochet. So far, she has made several chain necklaces and started a single crochet belt. It is very rewarding to see how happy she is to create things for others.

ASL Sign for the Post: To sign daughter, you need to know two signs — the sign for girl and the sign for baby. For girl, think back to the days when girls wore bonnets and show where a bonnet string would go along the jawline with your thumb. For baby, just show rocking a baby in your arms.

Here is a way to combine a couple of my hobbies into one, with some of the great items in MirandagirlDesigns’ shop. She makes many crocheted embellishments that can be used in many ways, including scrap booking (another of my favorite hobbies), card making, sewing projects, knitting projects, or even crochet projects (for those of us who don’t use those tiny steel hooks.)

There are an abundance of choices for flower embellishments, along with these nifty stars which are also available in red, white, and blue for your patriotic themed items.

She also has some lovely flowers with beads in the center, for some added shine.

In addition to crocheted items, she does have many die cuts available in her shop for the avid scrap booker or card maker.

If you head over to Etsy, please also check out Laura’s Left Hook.

From my own pattern

A friend of mine sent me an email with newsletter from You Can Make This. It mentioned that they were starting a Yarn Can Make This section, so she thought I might be interested. By registering at the site, I received a few free patterns, including a headband pattern of Ginger McCluer/Gingersnap Boutique that is allowed to be used to make products to sell. I had wanted to make some headbands, but really did not have an idea how big to make them, so having a sample pattern really helped.

From the original pattern

I started off with the basic pattern given, then added beads and flowers. I then branched off into making a couple patterns of my own. My girls immediately claimed a couple of the headbands, so I know kids like them (or at least three and six year olds do.)

With added beads

When you think of the word baby and baby gifts, I am sure baby booties are one of the items that pops into your mind. Perhaps in pastels of blue and pink, not necessarily the kinds in Krafty Lady Kreations’ shop. However, you definitely should think of her shop when you want an adorable and unique gift for a new baby.

The fireman boots caught my eye last week, partly because I had just finished my neighborhood theme playgroup, which included the sign for fire fighter. I think these are just adorable for any little boy, especially one who has a fireman in the family.

For the baby girl, Krafty Lady also has some booties that are just slightly more traditional, but still very unique. This style is also available in some other color choices.

Another popular style for Krafty Lady’s shop are high top sneakers. She has a variety of colors of these. If you have a favorite team in the family, even baby could have some sneakers to help cheer on the team.

ASL Sign for the Post: To sign fire fighter, place a B-hand on your forehead, where the fireman hat’s light or badge would be.

If you visit Etsy, please consider visiting Laura’s Left Hook as well.

Young children are just beginning to discover the world around them. For toddlers and preschoolers, the neighborhood is their world. So, learning signs for the places and people in their neighborhood seems like an important theme.

BOOKS:

I had a hard time finding the perfect book or set of books for this theme. Perhaps one day I will try to write a book called, “A Walk Through the Neighborhood.” There were several good books to help teach about each of the places and people in the neighborhood, but finding a good, simple book that included most of the words for the signs I included in this theme was difficult. Perhaps I will come upon one later, or a reader of this blog will share one he or she discovers.

The Post Office Book: Mail and how It Moves shares many details about mail. With young children, looking at the pictures and paraphrasing might be best.

Although I did not use The Jolly Postman with my playgroup, it is a fun read to do one on one with a child. It has fun letters inside the book that can be taken out and read. In our household, my daughter took them all out and now I am not sure they are back in the correct spots, lol.

My three year old loves Froggy Goes To The Doctor, which is a good book to use to introduce or remind a child about doctor’s visits.

This is another book with quite a bit of detail. Depending upon the age range of a playgroup, it might be used to look at the pictures of the different areas of the store and to review food signs.

I would suggest the board book version of Policeman Small because it is much shorter and more manageable for young children.

For those really interested in firefighters, this book contains much information. With its large photos, this book is good for glancing through the pages and sharing some of the information along with practicing the sign for firefighter in a playgroup setting.

All Around Town! : exploring your community through craft fun has several ideas for crafts, songs, and activities to go along with this theme.

GAMES and ACTIVITIES:

For this theme, I set up the room as a walk through the neighborhood. I had the following stations set up:

1. Mailbox: Kids get a chance to play with the mailbox, getting mail, and delivering mail. At this station I share a book about the mail and practice signs for mail/letter, stamp, mail box, and letter carrier.

2. Doctor kit: Children can play with a doctor kit, taking turns being doctor, nurse, and patient. We practice the signs for doctor and nurse.

3. Beanbag/ball toss: I use paper plates as targets. Each paper plate has a person from the neighborhood on it, which are paper dolls found at Making Friends. Each child tosses a bean bag or suction ball onto a plate. Whichever person the ball/bag lands on must be signed. I used firefighter, doctor, nurse, and police officer.

4. Store: For this station, I have a cash register, along with a basket of groceries. Kids take turns using items and we practice the sign for store. Other signs that could be taught include: buy, money, food signs. At this station I may also share a book about the supermarket.

5. Restaurant: A table with dishes, cups, and utensils makes this station. Kids take turns having their orders taken at the restaurant. We practice the sign for restaurant and can also practice food signs and signs for cup, plate, fork, spoon, knife.

6. Library: For this station, we go to the table kids are used to using for stories and we learn the sign for library and read one or two books. I found a magazine with a library scene to use here and read Policeman Small and perhaps share a fireman book. I happen to have some small fire trucks and police cars from kids’ meals that I let the kids play with here as well.

CRAFTS:

I have some community stencils that I picked up on clearance from Oriental Trading Company that I use for this theme. Another option is having the kids color and/or glue clothes on paper dolls from Making Friends.

SONGS:

1. Signing Time! has two songs appropriate for this theme: “In My Neighborhood” and “My Job.” I usually start the playgroup by watching those two songs on dvd and then end by listening and trying to sign along with one or both at the end of the playgroup. These are found on the My Neighborhood dvd.

2. The All Around Town book mentioned above has two song ideas in it. One is about a policeman and is to the tune of “I’m a Little Teapot.” The other is about a postman and is to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”

With every theme, I find pictures of the items we will be learning the signs for, laminate them and hold them up as I teach the signs. These pictures can then be used in various simple games since they are laminated.

If you have found other resources for this theme, please let me know. I would love to add new ideas to each of these themes.

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This is definitely a shop with a distinctive style. Fray has incredible scarves that are simply works of art. I think simple would be best for an outfit to go with one of her scarves, so that it would get the attention it deserves. The one above is called the “Blooming Vine Scarf.”

This “Sketchy Scarf” is shown wrapped several times about the neck, for extra warmth and another look. These scarves are created in a way that allows them to be used in more than just the dead of winter, but still useful for those cold days.

I love the look of this “Leafy Motif” as well. Fray offers scarves in solid colors as well as color shifting varieties.

If you check out Etsy, please check out Laura’s Left Hook as well.

ASL Sign for the Post:To sign scarf, you pretend to put on a scarf. Lifeprint has photos and an animation of this. ASLWeb shows a slightly different version, which is closer to what I have used.