A Triple Discovery In Our Neighbor’s Yard

On Memorial Day my husband and kids decided to try to go fishing in Bull Run. Unfortunately the mosquitoes were biting like crazy and they did not have much luck with fish. On the way back to our yard they made a great discovery that made the trip worth it. It was raining quite a bit and something caught their eyes as they headed for our back gate. They discovered three fawns in the back of the neighbor’s yard. One of them probably flicked its ear to get a bug to fly away, or they may never have even seen the babies.

The girls came rushing into the house, extremely excited to share with me. I went out and got to have a great view of the three fawns doing just what their mommy taught them—-to stay very still and hide until their mom comes back. Later in the day we happened to catch site of them following mom deer off into the woods. If I had not seen them earlier in the day I probably would not have realized what I was seeing.

To sign deer, put your open hands on your head, with thumbs touching your head, like they are deer antlers. Check out lifeprint for a photo of the sign.
Be sure to click on the photos if you would like a little better look at the deer.

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It’s a Marvelous Day!

Instead of suggesting a children’s book in this post, I would like to share a children’s musician that our entire family really enjoys. My children are currently watching his dvd, “The Marvelous Musical Adventure,”which they received as a surprise gift for Valentine’s Day. (I don’t normally do Valentine’s Day gifts, but I figured if I gave it to my oldest for her birthday the youngest would be upset even though she could watch it anytime she wanted.)

Nearly every time we ride in the car we have Steve Songs in the cd player. Lately it has been “Marvelous Day,” although we also have “On a Flying Guitar.” My four year old’s favorite song is “Spyrtle the Turtle.” It is really cute to hear her sing along, although she will often forbid me from singing along with the cd.

We were fortunate enough to discover Steve Songs at our local library a few years ago. Our library often has musical performances in the summer, although I am not sure what they have in the budget this year since I have already heard that the library may be cutting days due to budget issues.

One of my favorite songs is “Bridge to Terebithia.” Neither of my kids is old enough to have read the book, so it is not quite as meaningful to them. I had wished when I first heard about the movie of the book that they had used this song for the credits. Apparently Disney bought the rights to the song so it is no longer on the later releases of “Marvelous Day.” Below is a youtube video with the song.

The video below is from PBSKids. It even has a few ASL signs in it if you watch carefully! (I also use the song, “Fast Monkey” in my signing playgroup to practice signs for fast, slow, happy, sad, and silly.)

And a personal bit of trivia — apparently Steve and I attended the same college for one year. I attended Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT for my first year of college, where he evidently attended as well. I don’t know if I ever met him; guys with guitars were a dime a dozen when I was in college, lol.

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From the Library Bag — The Aminal

No, I did not spell that incorrectly. That is the name of the book that my nearly four year old likes the most from the library bag this week. Try reading it without stumbling over the word animal immediately afterward.

This book is a great read aloud about a little boy who goes off to have a picnic and brings back an “aminal.” He tells one kid about what he has. That child tells another, then that child tells another, and so forth until the description has totally changed. The children then go to save the boy from the “aminal” and discover what it really is.

My daughter likes the pages that show what each child imagines in his or her head after hearing the description.

ASL Sign for the Post: To sign animal, place your curved hands at the top of your chest with fingertips touching your chest and slightly wiggle them.

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A Dinnertime Game to Practice Our Signs

This evening my three year old shared that her letter of the day at preschool was “P.” We spontaneously started naming words that start with that letter, giving hints by signing the word and getting others to name the word. It was quite interesting to see how many signs the girls remembered, despite their recent lack of interest in signing. We made quite a large list of words and signs. The game then branched off into “who knows the sign for….” during clean up time.

Here are some of the words we came up with signs for during our game (click them to see if you know the sign):

pig
pear
pick
people
paint
party
play

You could do this game for any letter of the alphabet. I think we will remember to do it the next time my preschooler tells me the letter of the day.

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Coming Soon — Brand New Baby Signing Time!

The video clip above is from the brand new Baby Signing Time called “A New Day.” I was very excited and pleased to be offered the opportunity to preview the upcoming videos. This clip gives a good idea what to expect from Baby Signing Time. It is filled with fun music that repeats the words being signed, Rachel shows how to sign a word, examples of the word are shown, and the written English form of the word is shown. In addition, children three and under are shown signing the words.

The use of songs to help practice the words is great since the words are repeated throughout the song. I have used many Signing Time songs in the past to help me practice new signs with my playgroup and they are generally a hit. I can definitely see using these as well.

Rachel always shows the correct way to sign a word, often describing what the sign is showing. This really helps me to remember some of the signs. On the same screen there is a graphical representation of the word, as well as the word written in English. So, children (and Moms and Dads) get lots of different representations of the word at once, to help cement it in our brains. I know my youngest daughter learned her ABCs from watching Signing Time.

Seeing small children doing the signs helps Moms and Dads see different beginning signer versions of signs. I remember my youngest daughter signed “apple” by hitting herself in the head. She was a baby and her arms were very short; she did not have the dexterity to do the sign correctly, but she did her version and repeated it when I gave her more apple sauce. Think of it being similar to beginning spoken words, like “Mama” or “Baba.”

The signs that are taught in “A New Day” are very useful in describing the world around a young child. In addition, there are the very useful signs for stop, go, wait, and again. I think Moms and Dads use stop and wait a bunch, but kids probably like using again and go.

I loved seeing the last song, with the video clips of Alex and Leah from the very first Signing Time and as they were when this was made. It is amazing how much they have grown. It was also cute to see Rachel as an astronaut in Starry Night and the bugs in I’m A Bug.

Interested in Signing Time? Please check out their website for lots of information and bunches of great videos. In addition, you can check out their website to see if Signing Time is on your local public television station. The newest Baby Signing Time videos will be released in October, along with cds of the music that you can use in your car (at least that is where we often find ours—-just be careful about signing along while you drive.)

Coming soon to my blog — a review of the next Baby Signing Time, volume 4.

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Etsyhooker of the Week — Crochet Bouquet

Whenever I see a listing of Crochet Bouquet’s it reminds me of making the flowers for my husband, brothers, and groomsmen for my wedding. I picked out two colors of thread I liked and made some flowers. As I recall, they were made and then rolled and sewn. Each of my brothers and the groomsmen got one, and my husband got one of each color. Since I remember how much work that was, I really appreciate all the work that goes into Crochet Bouquet‘s creations.

Her shop includes bouquets like the one at the top of the post, appliques like those just above, as well as patterns and other goodies.

If you want to make your own flowers, you can buy some of Crochet Bouquet’s patterns. She has several sets available in her shop for those of you who already know how to crochet and are comfortable with thread and small hooks.

ASL Signs for the Post: To sign flower, imagine holding a flower up to each side of your nose to sniff it. To sign thread, mimic pulling thread off of a spool. This is a new sign for me, so I better practice it this week, lol. I am not positive if it is just used for sewing thread or any kind of thread.

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Etsyhooker of the Week — Pepika

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

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.

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ASL Playgroup — Fun and Games and Action Words

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

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Etsyhooker of the Week — Moose Threads

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.

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Signing Time Learning Center — printable activities

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.

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